Humble Beginnings

As I sit at home this morning, gazing out the window and watching the trees dance in the wind; I'm reminded of my teenage years when I secretly practiced magick in the wooded hills of Kentucky.  I didn't have in my possession a single ritual tool.  The concept of drawing down the moon was foreign to me.  I had never heard of the Wiccan rede, nor did I know the dynamics of setting up a ritual altar.  However, there was such a connection between my spirit and that of the forest.  Instinctively I developed a relationship with the elements.  I felt a connection with the plants and the trees all around me. 

I remember being drawn to certain herbs of the woods and intuitively working knot magick.  I would speak ecstatic utterances under my breath and call up the winds and the local spirits of the land.  While I now have more experience and knowledge of the craft, that can never replace the raw, uncompromising communion with nature.  As a pagan, a witch, a devotee of Hestia; it is my prayer that I never forget the heart of this path.  While continually learning more is crucial to growth, I never want to get to the point where knowledge replaces experience.  I love studying, but even more I love stepping outside with bare feet and feeling the heartbeat of Gaia beneath me.