Tomorrow (August 20th) is the birthday of Ann Moura, the author of many Green Witchcraft books. I have to be honest – I hadn’t heard of her before browsing the Pagan/Wiccan Calendar over at About.com, looking for Witchy Wednesday ideas. After poking around the interwebz a bit, I decided to download sample chapters from two of her books, Grimoire for the Green Witch: A Complete Book of Shadows and Tarot for the Green Witch. At first glance, they’re both very interesting – I may devote another upcoming post to this author in the near future.
I found the following passage in the introduction of her book, “Witchcraft An Alternative Path.” There’s no Kindle version, so I get the feeling I’ll be ordering the paperback from Amazon soon.
What is a Witch?
“Witches have always been part of human societies, with different names or titles depending on the time period or location, but identifiable as a people who have a heightened sense of Nature and the ability to access the interconnection of all life on the planet. These people study herbs, the stars, the seasons, and animal behavior. They stand between the worlds of physical being and spiritual being, communicating with plants and animals, the energies of Nature, the spirit entities of other worlds, and the spirits of ancestors or the recently deceased. They respect their world and see themselves in harmony with their surroundings and with their fellow beings, and they have developed a sense of awareness for their environment. The changing of the seasons, the scents in the air, the comings and goings of animals, birds, fish, insects, and reptiles are all observed and understood as part of a vast integrated pattern of life. They are the shamans, medicine people, healers, herbalists, and spiritualists found in both ancient and modern societies, linking the past, the present, and the future.
The Witch is one who is attuned to the ebb and flow of this overall life pattern; one who bridges the worlds of the seen and the unseen; and one who follows a moral ethic that ensures that personal balance is maintained in all areas of life.” ~ Ann Moura, “Witchcraft: An Alternative Path”
Naturally, I had to turn it into a graphic, using one of my full moon pictures from this past July. I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and happy birthday, Ann Moura – may all your birthday wishes come true!
Feel free to shout out!