My Witchy Self

I've seen this on a few of the other blogs I follow, so I thought that since this is a newer blog, it may be a good idea to share my answers.

Do you have a magical name?
I know it may seem clichè, but I use Willow as my Craft Name.  I have another name, but it is personal between myself and the Lord and Lady. 

Does it have a special meaning?
I didn't take it from the character on Buffy or the film.   Before conducting my initiation ceremony, I meditated about a name for myself.  I wanted the Lord and the Lady to help me so I found a quiet place in my friend's backyard (which is where I performed the ceremony), laid in the grass, closed my eyes and meditated.  A vision of myself under a willow tree appeared while I meditated, but it would often morph and I would be the tree itself.  It's difficult to fully explain what I experienced, but the name came from that vision.

How did you find Wicca/Paganism?
Two friends of mine are openly Wiccan and I eventually was brave enough to ask them questions about their path.  They both shared books and brought me to pagan friendly shops.  I also searched online before speaking to them and bought a few books of my own.  Reading them first guided me towards the questions I wanted to ask.

How long have you been practicing?
About a year officially, but I've been of the "Wiccan mindset" for years.

Solitary or group practitioner?
Currently I'm a solitary but I have plans to meet with a Wiccan group later this month.

What is your path?
I follow a Green Path of Wicca, but I do have elements of other paths that I mix in based on personal beliefs.

Are you out of the broom closet?
Yes and No.  There are some people that I work with that know about my practice and all of my friends know.  However, my family (mom, dad, grandparents, aunts/uncles) do not know.

Gods/Goddess

Who are your patron Gods?
Cernunnus

Who are your patron Goddesses? 
Brigid.

Which Gods/Goddess' do you worship?
I tend to stay within the Celtic pantheon. 

Do you fear dark aspects of the Gods/Goddess, or rather, respect them?
No.  I respect them.  You cannot have dark without light.

Do you worship the Christian God?
I do not worship, but I have no issue with people who choose to follow that path.

Do you ever worship animals?
No, but I do respect their part in the balance.

Or plants?
See above.


Nature

Do you regularly commune with nature?
Daily.

Ever walked barefoot in the woods?
Yes, but it's a bit cold to do right now.  When it warms up, I'll be doing it again.

Taken a camping trip just to talk to nature?
Not yet, but the hubby and I plan to go this summer.

Describe the moment you felt closest to Mother Earth?
When I'm snowboarding.  The quiet that you hear on top of the mountain, especially when Nature is sleeping under the snow, is incredible.  Also when I'm hiking in the woods.  I'll stop and often just sit listening to the sounds she makes around me.

What is/are your power animal(s)?
Not sure yet.

Do you have a familiar?
Yup.  Frankie the cat.

Have you ever called upon the powers of an animal in ritual?
No.

Or a plant?
No.

Do you hug trees?
All the time.

Give them gifts?
I will often leave gifts for the fae at the foot of plants and trees and I'll leave little things for the trees.

What is your favorite flower to work with?
Gardenias.

What is your favorite tree to work with?
Willow. :)

Wheel of the Year

What are your favorite holidays?
Samhain and Beltane.

What if your least favorite holiday?
I don't really have a least favorite.

Have you ever held a ritual on a holiday?
Yup yup.

Ever taken a day off work to celebrate a pagan holiday?
They tend to work well with the school calendar, so I don't need to.

Do you celebrate Yule on the 21 rather than the 25?
I celebrate Christmas with my family on the 25th, so I have my own rituals on the 21st.

Have you ever felt the Veil thin?
Yes.

Ever danced the Maypole?
This year will be my first.

Know what the Maypole symbolizes?
Yes and I do giggle about it sometimes.

Ever made love on Beltane?
Hehehehe.

How do you usually celebrate the pagan holidays?
Depends on my needs at that particular point.

Divination

Do you use Tarot?
All the time.  It is the first form of divination I ever used as a child and I feel most comfortable with it.

Do you use runes?
I'd like to learn.

Do you use a pendulum?
Just started to.

Do you use dowsing rods?
No.

Do you use astrology?
Just started to really understand it.

Any other form of divination?
I read tea leaves

Spells

What was the first spell you did?
protection

What was the latest?
Inner Peace.

Ever done a love spell?
Nope.  I don't believe in them.

A job spell?
Not really.

A healing spell?
yes

What was the most powerful spell you've ever performed?
Protection.

Cryptozoology

Do you believe in Vampires?
If only Eric Northman from True Blood were real!  I believe in entities that can suck the life from you, but Dracula and the rest of the fanged ones are sadly not real.

Werewolves?
No.

Shape shifters?
In the spiritual world.

Elves? Faeries? Dragons? Nymphs? Sprites? Mermaids? Sirens? Satyrs?
Yup.

Angels?
Sort of.  Not in the Christian/Catholic sense.

Ghosts/Spirits?
Yes.

Ever "seen" any of the above?
Only my grandparents.

Ever talked to any of the above?
See above.

Ever called on any of the above in magic?
I wouldn't say call upon them.  I've talked to them and asked for guidance, but never in formal spell or ritual.

Do you have one of them as a personal guardian?
Both of them.  I wouldn't know what to do if they didn't show up when I needed them most.

Random

Do you see a rabbit, a man or a woman in the moon?
An old woman.

Own a cat?
I own two and live with a third (it's my Mother's cat).

When you meditate what does your sacred/safe place look like?
Under the willow tree in a clearing of the woods.

Do you work with Chakras?
Eventually.

Do you believe in soul mates?
Yup.

Ever met one?
Yup.  <3 the hubby.

Do you have a Spirit guide?
I think so.

Is it always love and light?
Like I said earlier, you cannot have dark without light.  It's all shades of grey anyway.