Halloween Time and Chris Holly’s Talk with a Pagan Witch

Chris Holly

13 years ago

I had the interesting experience of meeting, talking to and learning a great deal from a very nice woman who happens to be a Pagan Witch.

This woman is a articulate bright soft-spoken woman. She lives in the southern part of the United States and her religious or spiritual life is Pagan

I know little or next to nothing about Paganism. I did know it was a spiritual thinking of many in Europe before the spread of Christianity. I also knew that there are people who still live a Pagan lifestyle today.

Besides that I knew Halloween is a time of celebration for the Pagans. I decided it was time to find out what I could about this life style. By chance I heard this woman talking to a group of people in a internet chat forum.

I was impressed on how she handled the subject and was able to arrange to spend time talking to her one on one.

This Pagan witch explained many things to me I never before understood. The first area of my confusion was that Pagans are not always Wicca. Pagans can join in covens, which are groups of 13 (13 being a magical number) . This woman however does not belong to a group and practices her beliefs as her life style only within her own family.

Paganism goes back to the route of first religions before Christianity to the time of the first Celts. Pagans have a spiritual connection to the earth and universe .

They spend a great deal of time concentrating as to keep a clear focus at all times. The woman explained how she uses this belief system to try to keep in balance with all nature, earth and the universe.

I asked her for an example how this works in her daily life. She explained to me that she meditates often as well as using visualization to bring her to the balance and focus she needs to live a balanced life.

She explained to me that pagan witches, like her, use spells differently than the general public thinks they do. She explained that as other religious people pray to God for help or an answer – Pagans use spells and rituals.

They use these things as a focus or a way to pray to the ultimate power and universe as their way to ask for help or answers. She explained that using meditation and visualization along with spells and rituals is a way for the Pagan to focus. This is how they work on the balance and confidence needed to stay centered as well as a way to get rid of the negativity we all pick up in daily living.

I asked her about white and black or good or bad witches. She told me most of that is myth and that magic has no real color.

She explained that there are those who do use magic for bad or evil purposes. She believes this to be very dangerous for that witch. She explained :

“Those who use magic for those reasons need to remember the laws of nature. Whatever you send out does in fact come right back to you. If you send out bad energy you get back bad energy. It is a fact that needs to be considered by those who do these things. Get ready as whatever you send out – WILL come back at you!”

She told me magic is all intent and you do receive back the intent you send out. I think that is a good piece of advice for everyone to consider in today’s world. We all need to understand the way we treat, act and the deeds we do to others, will show up again at our front door. It best you consider this upon your next intention towards another. I guess it all agrees with the old ‘do unto others’ ideology, or truth.

Pagans believe in mother earth or Gaia, as well as a moon goddess, sun god along with assorted others.

Pagans celebrate the seasons as well as their sabbats and festivals yearly.

This woman has an alter in her home she keeps decorated with the seasons festivities. Presently fall is represented with pumpkins and things October and the Halloween or Samhain sabbat brings to mind.

October 31^st is the Pagan time of Samhain. It is celebrated with barn fires and rituals such as the burning of the year’s negativity.

This is when the Pagan lists all the negative things that filled their year and take the list to the barn fire and burns it with the intent to burn away and rid them of those negative things.

She explained the different holidays her family celebrates and the dates they take place.

They are very similar to the times of year Christians celebrate holidays.

This Pagan witch explained that Paganism was here far longer than Christianity. When the church developed they needed to win over the people who were basically all Pagans at the time and did so by copying the Pagan times of celebration as a way to make them feel comfortable in the new founded Christianity.

Below find a list of Pagan celebrations:

Yule – Dec 21^st

Samhain- Oct 31^st Halloween

Imbolc-Jan 21^st– Feb 2^nd

Ostaro vernal equinox- March 21^st

Beltane-May 1^st

Litha-June 21^st

Lughuassadh August 1^st

Mabon Sept 21st

This pagan witch told me she comes from a Celtic background, which is where her Pagan belief system stems from. She also told me that although practiced and in the United States this type of spiritual life style is more known and accepted in both England and Canada.

She told me that the rituals used in Pagan worship are a private time which she does not discuss. It is like praying. It is personal to the individual as to what they are focusing on or needing help dealing with.

I found this Pagan Witch to be a very nice person who explains her spiritual life and customs clearly without any form of harm or misuse to others.

I do know there are other types of witches out there who may go about this subject very differently from this pagan witch.

I am grateful I was able to spend some time learning from someone who actually lives the pagan life exactly what her life style is all about .

Before we parted this Pagan Witch did tell me there are those who use the power of the earth and universe and its magic for dark and ugly purposes.

I guess the answer to all of this is that humans have choices to make decisions every day be it work, family or friend matters.

The choices of each human should be and hopefully would be to lean towards the good of all things. It would be very dangerous to use their abilities for dark sinister actions knowing those poisonous arrows will without question come back to stab them in their own heart.

The things to consider from all of this is that it may be truly the way of the universe to deliver in spades the intent you send out to others will indeed come back to you. I think that idea is something we all need to reflect upon.

With that said have Happy Halloween and choose carefully to trick or treat !