We all have a beginning rather we are born into it or we stumble upon it. In my case perhaps it was a bit of both. I have always been drawn to magic or the idea of being able to do magic and yes in the beginning I guess I had watched too much Hollywood. So in the beginning I was disappointed. I-like most, gathered up books and would read them when possible alway afraid of being caught by my mother who was Christian. Having no clue what I was doing, I attempted a few simple spells and to my surprise - they worked. My first magical experience or one of my first - I and a few of my family members decided to call back the dead. Someone had a not-so-bright idea to gather grave dirt from a random graveyard…of someone we didn’t know…bad idea. It took forever to send that person back to wherever we drew them from.
The first book I could call my own I believe that I ever bought or given to me (I can’t remember) was by Scott Cunningham. Of the 8 Sabbats I can’t truly say that I have a favorite. There are some I like better than others but none I dislike. Number 1 on my list might be if I had to pick would be Imbolc - because as we all know it’s the reawakening, the rebirth of not just nature but of myself as well. My body system seems to rebuild energy lost during the winter months. Then there’s Ostara, Mabon and who doesn’t love Yule.
I haven’t read tarot in a very long time which is a shame because while I was doing it I was good at it. I remember in my youth the first deck I ever used was a deck of regular playing cards. An old man…he was old to me at the time, taught me to read the cards. He told me, one night sitting at our dining table we were reading and he read mine. He looked at me and he said - you may not want to read the cards anymore because there will be a time, it doesn’t say when you will read something that you might not be able to handle. I kept reading anyway and so far I haven’t come upon anything.
I have been on this path for over 40 years. I am no longer active in any group. I used to love festivals but they appear to be something of the past. There are no local covens nearby and I refuse to drive in big cities. So I sit here.