The first thing we must ask ourselves on any spiritual path is, "Why?" Why this path? Why not another? What is it about the path before us that draws us to it, that speaks to our heart and soul and whispers, "This just might be home."
At first glance, this would seem to be the most extraneous of questions. Sure, it's a fine exercise to sort through our thoughts and get some clarity as to why we're on a particular path, but isn't it reason enough that we're drawn to that specific approach to spirituality?
At the core of the question is the very nature of paganism. It is common in other faiths to have a third party act as an intermediary between the followers of that spiritual path and the power of the divine. This isn't the case with paganism and is contrary to the concepts of both witchcraft and Wicca. Within the Craft, each practitioner is empowered to interact with the power of the divine on their own. Each practitioner is understood to have an uninterrupted conduit between the power of the divine and themselves. It is this concept which allows us to function as solitary practitioners. Without it, we would only be able to pursue our faith from within the confines of a coven. If this were the case, we wouldn't be able to perform the simplest of spells, blessings or (depending on your approach) divinatory techniques. For each of these, if we didn't have the ability to act as the conduit ourselves, we would require a priest or priestess to interact with the power of the divine on our behalf.
Especially in the case of solitary practitioners, the ability to act as the priest or priestess of your own spiritual path infers that you are also responsible for the direction of a religion - even if that faith is a religion that only you follow. There is no one else who is responsible for your personal spiritual path. There is no one else who is responsible for deciding what you believe or how you observe your solitary practice. You and you alone are responsible for your spiritual path. You are the head of a religion of one.
A concept that we'll explore more in the next article is the understanding that everything we do influences our spiritual reality. The things we believe, the ethical standards (or lack thereof) that we hold ourselves to, the way we practice - all of these things shape our practice, our outlook on life and nature, and the way we interact with both the spirit world and the other human beings we meet. It's important for us to understand why we've chosen the spiritual path before us. Part of our spiritual evolution involves the gaining of clarity, discernment and insight. It's entirely natural for us to be drawn toward a certain path and not immediately understand why. As our understanding of ourselves and the way we interact with the divine increases, some of our questions will begin to naturally be answered. However, all of the information is available to us now. We simply have to ask the right questions.
1. What ethical standards do I want to hold myself to and what qualities or characteristics do I want to manifest in my life?
A spiritual path must have an understanding of how its followers should act and the personal standards they should hold themselves to (even if the decision is made to have a complete lack of standards).
For instance, within Wicca there is a verse of the Wiccan Rede which states (depending on the version you have handy), "An it harm none, do what you will." The standard is set that you are free to engage in whatever actions you desire, so long as those actions do not bring harm to any one. Some interpret this to mean that you cannot do anything that would bring harm to anyone - including yourself. Others expand the definition to include a prohibition against harming nature or any other living thing. Some believe that it's okay to bring harm to another, so long as it's done in self-defense. Each of these interpretations is, at its heart, a separate standard. You can only bring harm to another if it's done in self-defense. Don't harm anyone else, regardless of the situation. Don't harm anyone including yourself. Don't harm any living thing.
If you extrapolate these concepts, each also harbors an individual philosophy. For instance, the perspective that you should harm no living thing places an inherent value on all life, human and non-human. The belief that you shouldn't harm another, even in self-defense, implies that there are spiritual implications that would result if you did cause another harm - a perspective that suggests a series of spiritual laws that are integrated into every aspect of daily life.
2. How do I view the spirit realm?
At first glance, it is this question that separates the Craft from many other faiths. In 1974, The Council Of American Witches issued Principles of Wiccan Belief, which read in part, "We conceive of the Creative Power in the Universe as manifesting through polarity - as masculine and feminine." This mirrors the belief held by many witches that the divine is best symbolized by the Goddess and the God and differs strongly from monotheistic religions, such as Christianity.
However there are some witches (and a sizeable amount of pagans) that believe in one God or a single creative force. There are practitioners that believe in an incredibly diverse and vibrant spirit world filled with spirit guides, totem animals, and a wide range of spiritual entities.
By combining your answers to these two questions and refining them so that they merge without contradictions, you will gain a deep understanding of your own personal beliefs that will not only help you focus your efforts on your spiritual path, but will further empower the magick that you choose to work.
3. How structured do I perceive reality to be?
I have sat in (and participated) in more than one debate on the varying degrees of free will and destiny. Are we here for an established reason that is unique to each of us? Are we here simply to experience life and our reality is constantly redefined by our individual choices? Can magick or spellwork influence our lives and our paths? Can they influence other people? Can they influence the gods?
Answering this question and integrating it with the other two will, among other things, set some guidelines for the magickal aspects of your practice as well as giving you some direction as to how you will meet the standards you set in answering the first question.
4. Where should my spiritual path help me to grow?
There is a reason why each of us who are here are drawn to a particular spiritual path. The adoption of a spiritual path represents a journey that will take us from the place we currently exist as a person - with all of our personality traits, strengths and weaknesses - and will transform us into something we long to be. For instance, in Christianity, the spiritual path takes one from a position of an outcast or sinner to a place where they are redeemed. Within paganism, the journey can take countless forms. Perhaps your intent is to gain wisdom and understanding. Perhaps you wish to learn to heal in order to help others. Perhaps you simply long for power.
Whatever the goal of your spiritual path, it's important to establish it at the beginning of your journey. It should be the destination that you aim for and the guiding light that you use to correct your path when you begin to stray from achieving the things that you want for yourself.
Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. Within the Craft, you have the freedom to express your spirituality in a way that is uniquely your own. We promote diversity here - we don't inhibit it.