Snack Size 3. More Choices! More Firsts!

Snack Size 3 is here! Once again I asked listeners to share the stories of their first spells. 
I also asked "Is being a witch and practicing witchcraft a choice?" 


Be sure you call in with questions, comments, or hot takes- you just might hear yourself on the next "snack sized" episode, between the full and new moons every month.  You can also email me a recording of yourself answering the question. Please include 30 seconds of ambient sound (just leave it recording without speaking) for the best audio quality.

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Be sure to check the "contact me" section of instagram or facebook for the number to the voicemail!

Transcript

Hi, welcome back to another snack-sized episode of Your Average Witch. Once again, I have listeners telling their stories about their first spells and answering the questions, is being a witch a choice, is practicing witchcraft a choice, and could you stop? I want to throw this out there. So it might get a little bit weird as far as the end of the year, because Anahata's is coming up, and immediately following that, I will be having hip replacement surgery, surprise to everyone including me. I'm very thankful, but it was unexpected because I am not 80. And if you would like to help me out, you can send in a voice memo recording of yourself answering the questions, is being a witch a choice, is practicing witchcraft a choice, and could you stop? And also sharing a first spell if you like, and then email it to youraveragewitchpodcast at gmail.com. Now let's get to the stories. 

First up is Carrie Ann of Hearth and Besom. Here she is talking about the first spell she ever tried.

Carrie Ann: Hello, this is Carrie Ann of Hearth and Besom. My first spell, meaning my first organised, I'm intentionally doing magic spell. I think that would have to be a money spell, believe it or not. I had seen an afterschool special where this girl wanted to be a witch, and I thought, this is interesting. So I took a glass of Sprite, soda, went up in my grandmother's garden,  sat on the hill where it was nice and sunny. I had lifted it up to the goddess Isis, which is another story, and made up of a rhyme, closed my eyes, raised the glass, and chanted the words. That was until my mother caught sight of me and promptly dragged me into the house. However, two days later I found two $10 bills and one $20 bill, which were, they were strewn about, there was one behind a bush and there were two more in different puddles. It was in front of this hall that people used to rent for weddings. And I did the spell out of curiosity, but also because I wanted money to be able to make an Easter basket for my parents, believe it or not. So yeah, it was probably my first intentionally organised spell. I was maybe about 10, 10 years old, yeah. 
Do I think being a witch is a choice? Ah, so I went back and forth on this, but my belief is magic is within all of us. It's kind of like something that's just within us. Now the extent to which we decide to develop that is dependent, I think, upon the environment  and opportunity. Much of my earliest exposure to what we call witchcraft were things that I observed my grandmothers or my mom doing, that they would have never ever labelled as witchcraft. It was very much folk magic. So in my case, there was this nurturing of my witchiness, whether it was intentional or not. Still, at the end of the day, I think choosing to follow or to continue studying to become what you would call a witch or to own that title. I think ultimately that is your choice.
 It is practicing witchcraft a choice for me, and could I stop? Yes, it is. For a long time, it was a very conscious choice. I had a very strict Byzantine/Roman Catholic upbringing. My parents, both of them were publicly deeply involved in the church. And yet there were these underlying, quote, "traditions," that were passed generationally, that by all outside views were, they were witchy. So there was this constant tug of war going on inside of me. On one hand, I was being told that witchcraft was bad. It's evil. It's of the devil. 
And yet on the other hand, having it modeled for me in some senses. It's taken, at this point, a lot of life experiences and deconstructing of these beliefs that I was brought up with to bring me firmly to the conscious choice of stepping into my own witchiness and actually owning the title. I remember, what's the old saying. You've come a long way, baby. And at this point, no, I can't stop. I won't stop. I choose not to stop. This is, this is who I am. And it's where I'm my happiest. 

Kim: Thanks, Carrie Ann, the idea of doing your first spell and getting in trouble for it, just so you could buy your parents an Easter basket is freaking hilarious to me. And I laughed so hard when I heard the story. Thanks for sharing. Next is a familiar voice, season one guest, Tee of Creatures Who Craft. 

Tee: Hi, everyone. This is Tee here from Creatures Who Craft. And today I'm going to be talking about my first spell. My first spell was an elemental releasing ritual. It went really well. And I often do spells or rituals that involve the betterment of my mental health and just overall environment. So those are the kind of spells I gravitate towards if I'm feeling anxious or anything, or if there are people in my life that cause me stress and anxiety. I often do things like that to help. 
So two questions I'm answering today are, first question is, do you think being a witch is a choice? I would say yes and no. More on the no side, to be honest, but my reasoning for that is for me, I feel like being a witch is kind of like a calling, you kind of just know, right? Like even when you are a kid and from a young age you've always felt like a little bit different than anyone, or maybe you're a bit more sensitive to things and could kind of, just for me, like I often could tell when something bad was going to happen. And just maybe you're more in touch with your intuition, is what I'll say. So the choice is really about do you follow that intuition? Do you follow that calling that you can't ignore, or do you just really work harder to ignore it and suppress it? So I guess that's the choice. You know you are, so why not follow your calling. S
econd question is, is practicing witchcraft a choice for you and could you stop? No, no. It's not a choice. I couldn't stop. It's not a choice because as I mentioned, it's a calling. For me, I feel like it's in my everyday life, it's in the mundane things, I feel something, I feel there's magic in everything. So I wouldn't be able to stop even if I wanted to. So those are my answers. Thank you so much for having me on the podcast and thanks everyone for listening. Bye. 

Kim: Thanks again, Tee. I love having you back. Another season one voice, Lilith, the Witch of Colorado, shares her story next. 

Lilith: So practicing magic is something that has really always been a part of my life. As a family, we did practice small things of cleansing, good luck spells, just simple things like how we braided our hair, and setting our intentions. But my first solo spell, I think this was kind of when I realized that I wasn't all love and light. I was a little bit in love and light your house on fire. I did kind of branch out and do some things on my own. It was probably 10 or 11. And the first solo spell I did was a binding spell that I think ended up being more of a hex because of where my headspace was. So it went great for me, terrible for the recipient, which had a lot to do with my intentions. And so since I've kind of watched my magic evolve in that way, I've been really cautious, really careful because that was just really, that went really, really south. And your thoughts are powerful, and the intentions that you put into things can go so much worse than what you intend. And maybe you just want like a little dose of karma, a little bit of revenge, not, not, yeah, light your house on fire. 

Kim: And here's her response on the questions of choice. 

Lilith: I don't think being a witch is a choice. I think that we're all the same. We all coexist with nature. Or in our natural state we are supposed to, because we're just a part of it. We're not, you know, we've created this hierarchy where we're above nature and we're like looking down on it, we're on top. And that's just, that's created. It's something that we're taught to do. It's indoctrination, and it's not the natural way that we're supposed to exist in the world. So I think being a witch is just more of embracing our role in nature as coexisting with nature. Practicing witchcraft is sort of a choice for me, as far as making time for celebrations and rituals. That kind of has to be a choice. You have to put that into your schedule. 
But I don't want to view that any different as a Christian making time to go to church. They don't just trip and fall in church, they make a plan. They go. They do it. I guess the way I perceive the world and the way witchcraft is outside of these scheduled things, new moons, full moons, any other kind of celebrations, I think that part is not a choice, it's just part of who I am. I don't think I could stop just because it is so ingrained in who I am and how I've always been, and just how it exists naturally. I can't unbecome myself. 
So it's like I could never see a feather fall at my feet and just think, "Oh, it's just a feather." No. No. It's always going to have a magical element to it. And that's just the lens that I view the whole world through. The whole world is full of magic. There is magic everywhere. And I don't think I could ever unsee that magic even if I tried, because I don't even know how to see the world any other way. So no, I don't think I could ever stop practicing. 

Kim: Thanks again, Lilith. Lilith has pointed out that Lughnasadh makes a year since she was on my show the first time and so I think we're going to have to make this a tradition. Next we hear from Melissa. Now, Melissa is someone that I've known for about... I'm going to say two decades, I think, because we were on livejournal together. And I am very pleased that we are still friends. 

Melissa: Hey, my name is Melissa and I live in a spooky old house in upstate New York. The first few times I quote unquote "did a spell" I was probably in my early 20s and was trying to copy some things step by step from a book. I was felt like I was a witch, but everything in my upbringing forbade me from exploring on anything of the kind. By the time I could start digging into witchcraft, I was living with a staunch atheist. I was embarrassed he might catch wind of what I was doing and accuse me of religion, the horror! I felt incredibly fertive and silly following along and doing these spells. It was awkward and unnatural and there was no power behind it. It was more like I was playing a rehearsed script rather than any kind of spiritual alchemy. Really a lot of echoes of how church was for me. 
Like even if I could perform it just right, it wasn't real for me in any tangible or intangible way. At some point it became clear to me that what I needed was stop trying to follow a tradition or a book and lean into knowing that I'm a witch, and for now, anyway, to just listen to my intuition and make up my own shit as needed. So to my mind, the first real spell I did was a cord cutting/unbaptizing. I renounced my Catholic baptism and also used the opportunity and the tools I was working with to cut ties with this energy pattern that kept me occurring in my life with religion and abusive behavior and a certain kind of character. That's the first time I feel like I actually did a spell; when I purposefully shrugged off some of the unwanted things that religion and patriarchy had put onto me. I feel like I have a lot of clarifying questions to deal with before I could easily answer the question "Is being a witch a choice"? It almost feels like a trick question. 
So for a shortcut, I'm just going to talk about myself. I don't feel I chose to be a witch, but I choose to embrace it in certain ways... and I choose to hide it in certain ways. But even if I didn't actively do witchy things, however you want to view that, I am just who I am. People in my life who aren't privy to my witchy side will still call me a wise woman, or maybe even a weird woman. 
And I think the key to my answer is that I was also a weird and wise teen  and child. And even if I'm in a mode of life where I was maybe masking and fitting in more, and so being perceived as less weird, and if I wasn't practicing anything recognizable as witchcraft, I couldn't just also stop having prophetic dreams, or receiving answers for people's questions, or finding lost things, or just having weird occurrences and synchronities with strangers. That wouldn't stop if I decided to stop, you know? Or not for me, anyway. I find the word which covers vast array of traits and behaviors and ineffable qualities. 
So maybe there are some witches whose constellation of witchiness is mostly a religion, or a set of behaviors that they may decide to stop or change for a different set of behaviors someday. But for me, part of it is intrinsic qualities that can't necessarily be suppressed- though my family sure tried. So maybe I can stop embracing it, but I don't think I could just stop being a witch. 

Kim: I love that point of view. I love the turn of phrase at the end. And thank you again Melissa for answering my question at the very last minute. Next we hear from Darcy, or Darcsideoftheforce that she's known on Instagram, as she gives her opinion about the questions of choice. 

Kim: Do you feel like being a witch is a choice? 

Darcy: Oh, I love the way everyone has answered this question so far. And I honestly, there's very little that I can bring to that question that's new because I agree with everyone else who's like, yes and no. I feel choosing to call yourself a witch is one thing that's very specific. And I feel like folks who are like psychically gifted, who can see things, who can feel things, who can know things, that is like a separate thing. If you want to call yourself a witch and have that be a part of your skill set, I think that's dope. If you don't fancy yourself a witch and still take those gifts seriously, I think that's fine too because those gifts don't necessarily make someone a witch. I feel like taking the term "witch" back has been something that is, it's very 21st century to me. And it's kind of casting a wide net over a lot of like new age spiritual practices. 
Like if somebody does yoga, and has crystals, and wants to just call herself a witch, great. So be it. I do feel that choosing to be a witch is a choice that you have to make every day. You have to choose your magic every day. You have to do a little something. And I tell you what, some days I don't take any physical action, and I'm never not thinking about magic. I am always thinking about my relationship to my space. I'm always thinking about my relationship to spirit. It's something that I'm so conscious of. I don't feel for me personally like it was an easy choice, but I feel like I was definitely called to it, and I couldn't imagine not doing it. 

Kim: Do you feel like for you personally that practicing witchcraft is a choice? 

Darcy: Yes, that I do. Yes, that I do feel is a choice. I feel if it ever came down to it and I chose to stop. Ooh, it would take something really dark and powerful to make me stop. And yes, that day very well could come. I don't want it to come. And you know, thinking about it a little bit more, I don't know. Kim, I really just don't know. I feel like there's a little bit of magic in almost everything I do now, that I feel untangling magic from my mundane daily practices... I wouldn't know where the magic ends and the mundane begins. No idea. Yeah, so I really, I just don't know. 

Kim: Thanks again, Darcy. And everyone remember Darcy's voice, because you'll be hearing it again soon. Finally, we hear from Maria. Maria is a photographer, a witch, a tarot reader, co-host of the podcast Coffee & Cauldrons, and she'll be my next guest on the show. If you remember, I spoke with her co-host Robyn in Season 2 Episode 15. And here Maria shares her first spell. 

Kim: Can you share the first spell you ever did? 

Maria: Oh my goodness. I honestly don't remember. I do... I do not remember. I know that when- I would do these things before I identified myself as a witch, where I would... let's say me and my parents were fighting. I would write a note, like an intention, basically, and be like, "They will come in here and we will discuss things, they will forgive me, we'll forgive each other." And it would literally happen like 20 minutes after writing that note. They would come, yeah, and talk to me. And I think those were my first real spells, because I wasn't doing, you know, like as I said, like making potions in my backyard, but it wasn't, it was more for play and not for the intention, but those notes were for the intention of that happening. 

Kim: Here's what she has to say about witchcraft and choices. 

Kim: Do you feel like being a witch is a choice? 

Maria: Oh my goodness, this is complicated. I feel like there are people out there who are doing magical things, but they don't identify as a witch. Like that term doesn't resonate with them, which is completely, completely valid. For someone like me, it's just who I am, and what I love to do. For me, it wasn't a choice. And I happily claim the word. But it's completely valid for someone to be like, "Well, I'm not a witch, but I'll do these things." And it's like, okay, that's completely within your right. Now, I do, like I do think like doing witchcraft is a choice that we make. You know, we all go through dry spells within our practice, like life ebbs and flows after all. And, you know, every practice is different. And, but you know, it's up to us to pick up that torch and keep going after an ebb, which can be hard. Yeah. So making the choice to keep going is definitely a choice. 

Kim: So, for you, is practicing witchcraft a choice, could you stop? 

Maria: No, no, I could not. I love it too much. Like, as I said, I look forward to doing it every single day. It would probably take death for me to stop. So, but who knows? Maybe in the afterlife or being reincarnated, I would still choose to be a witch. 

Kim: Yeah, for me, I don't think I could... let me rephrase. For me, I cannot stop. I cannot not do it. 

Maria: I know. Like even after...

Kim: I could not imagine what life would be like without that. 

Maria: I know. Like even after an ebb, like, because there have been like a month or like even half a year where I just, so much was going on that I could not practice, but I would never consider not going back to my practice. Because it's what I love. 

Kim: Thanks again, Maria, for talking to me. And everyone be sure to listen to her entire episode on the coming full moon of August 11th. Before we go, I would like to talk to you a little bit about Patreon. I know everyone talks about Patreon, but frankly, if I didn't have Patreon helping to support this podcast, there probably wouldn't be a podcast. My Patreon, I feel, is a great group of people and we've grown pretty close. They have helped grow a really wonderful community, both on the Facebook group and on Marco Polo. The Marco Polo group is really active and we share every day. We talk every day. We talk about witchcraft, whatever spellwork we're doing, family stuff, health stuff. We share recipes, we talk about our businesses, we give relationship advice. We talk about everything, just life in general, things. We are a close family now, I feel. 
There are several tiers. There's digital content like bonus podcast episodes, outtakes and bloopers, recipes, you get access to the monthly spell, Marco Polo, of course. Sometimes I even make Patreon only videos about how I did the monthly spell. I also offer a monthly spell box. Inside you'll find things like herbs, crystals, altar tools, incense, teas, sometimes little snacky things, whatever I find that month that I think, hey, this is neat and I want to share it. There's a quarterly tier where you get the spell box once a quarter, the basic spell box where you get to the spell box once a month. There's also a plus tier where I make you a piece of handmade spelled jewelry or an altar tool from Clever Kim's Curios, which is my other business. 
There's even a quarterly tier where you get the monthly spell box with the jewelry from the plus tier, but you also get, once a quarter, to collaborate with me to choose from a variety of crystals or stones to be set in a pendant you help me design. You can find out more and check out the free content over at patreon.com/cleverkimscurios. I would love to have you as part of my Patreon family. And that does it for our show this week. Thank you for listening and I'll see you when the moon changes.