My Portable Dorm Altar Kit

Hello again!

This week is Thanksgiving week in the United States. I thought I'd go into what witchy things I take with me to my dorm and when I travel to and from the dorm.

Packing for a dorm is a little bit up in the air sometimes. "Should I bring 10 or 5 pairs of shoes,", &, "Do I really need ALL of my blankets?". The major bummer for me though, was that I couldn't bring any candles or incense. Sad day. Well through some brain storming I finally settled on these things for my portable altar to keep in my room. In fact, this is my first official altar because I have been traveling so much I needed something small! Keep in mind this was collected over a years' time, so, unless you are leaving soon, it's actually really fun to slowly add miniatures to a portable altar for when you have to leave.

Oh là là!

Above is the basket that I keep everything in along with my Book of Mirrors/ Stars. I purchased both at Hobby Lobby.

This is my altar cloth that I also purchased at Hobby Lobby for I think $1.00. It was a bandana cloth. Ignore the leftover wax haha. It's about 21 x 21 inches.

Here are my representations for the God and Goddess. I purchased both of these off of eBay. The stag is actually supposed to be a hair accesory and the Moon came with a few others that I keep to form the triple moon during Esbats.

Here are my representations of the elements. Earth is represented by the vial of sand from a beach close to my hometown. I bought the vials from eBay as well, 4 in a package. I actually put water into the mini chalice which I believe is from an old Barbie doll collection that somehow found its way into my foot one day upon awakening. Not my best morning. However, now I have an itty bitty cute chalice! Air is represented by the feather charm, I purchased this off of eBay and it came with another one (which I fully intend to make into a necklace because it's pretty!). Fire is represented by a flickering candle that I bought from Hobby Lobby as well. Last, but not least, is the pentacle, it's a penny with a sharpie pentacle. I got this idea from Patti Wigington on one of the most helpful website of the beginning of my practice paganwiccan.about.com. The direct page that has this penny pentacle idea is: http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/shoppingandsupplies/ss/Portable_Altar_4.htm#step-heading

The box of crystals was actually given to me by my Mom because she knows I've always collected rocks and crystals since I was little. She got them in a small beach gift shop. I use these for colors mostly, especially since I'm not very familiar with a lot of crystal magic. The purple amethyst was a parting gift from a coworker while I was abroad. It was actually an out of the blue gift, but I love it!

This was originally a bookmark. I hold the angel in my hand and use it as an athame when casting my circles. When I go home and get to use candles I use the bottom of the angel end as a candle snuffer.

These two vials are thing to do and not do when collecting things in vials. DO: collect fun shells from the beach. DONT collect sea water or salt water into vials unless using them soon. Otherwise your vial will do this weird salt build up pirates-of-the-caribbean-esque thing haha.

I consecrated all of these items since they were in so many different hands before using them. I try not to get really obvious things when sending them to my parents' home because they like to open my mail (They never read who it is to). I also fold the pentacle into the altar cloth just in case I get a nosy roomate. 

This is the basket with everything in it (Excluding the Book of Mirrors/Stars, I like keeping that outside for easy access). 

Thank you for reading! I hope I helped anyone packing a portable kit!

Coming up: Books I am currently reading 

Coming up after:  Esbats!

The Closet Witch

Hello there!

Well hello and welcome! I'm very excited to start this blog, and I hope you will be excited to read it! First off I'll tell you a bit about myself. Who am I? What do I do? What are my beliefs? Why am I a closeted witch?

I am a college student in the U.S. of A., I was born and raised in California, and I'm 21. 

I recently spent almost a year abroad and I'm finally back to finish school.

Here is a little history on my beliefs. I was raised Christian, like a lot of people who find the natural religions I know, and these beliefs were NEVER shaken. I taught the bible to children and lead other ages as well. I volunteered to help my church and other less fortunate people etc. The whole shebang. There wasn't one event that made me feel resent and anger toward Christianity and there still isn't. I never thought my beliefs would change. In the end it wasn't my beliefs that ever did change, just the label by which to define them. 

The major thing that led me to a pagan path was when I realized that I didn't feel comfortable saying I was a Christian to myself if I didn't believe the exact same thing that the Bible did. Again, nothing was wrong with the Bible, but I felt like I was being dishonest with the Christian God if I said that yes I fit into that when I knew that I didn't. I was usually saying, "The Bible says this..." however, in my mind I was saying, "...however...". 

For example:

I read a bible devotional that said that God was made of both woman and man attributes to be one God. I thought to myself, "Oh my gosh, that makes so much sense to me!" This led me to really understand the feeling I had always had, an androgynous God not a "He".

In high school and college there were quite a few deaths that I heard of. Three were suicides and one was a freak health accident. The one that hit a nerve was the latter, because I knew this person. Everyone was putting on their mourning face and saying he was so good and they knew he was with his family in heaven. In my head I kept thinking, okay but in the Bible he would go to hell, there is obviously the possibility of God taking him into heaven because I can't judge, but same with the suicides. Suicide equals death for eternity in hell. Right?

Fast forward to when I met my now boyfriend a few years ago. He has a different religion than mine then and now. The discussion of religion with him really did force me to acknowledge what I had been thinking all along= I know that no matter what religion you practice, God would be happy to see how much love and faith you have in your worship for him. 

Then in September of last year (don't judge) I was watching Practical Magic with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. I LOVE Halloween so I was getting my Halloween movies in early. What struck me as interesting was when Sandra Bullock says, "There is no devil in the craft,". What???

Mind you, this whole time I had tried to be fair to every religion and only spoke of what I knew of it, if I didn't know enough about it I would look it up. I was so upset with myself that I completely assumed everything about witchcraft and pagan paths based on what I grew up with instead of facts. Needless to say I started looking Wicca up online and realized that too much of what the overall general beliefs of Wicca (I know not the more specific ones) were the exact ideas I had pushed back!

There is a whole long journey that happened in between my growth in my path, including going abroad, but that can come at another time. 

Why am I closeted?

People have their own preferences and feel that being closeted isn't the best solution. In my circumstances, I find it is the most harmless way to be able to worship the God and Goddess in peace. Two people know, myself and my boyfriend (and probably the girl at the bookstore that I buy my books from haha). This is the way I practice that is workable with the situations in my life, but I know that if things were a little different, I wouldn't be closeted. I believe that the world-view in a lot of places is changing and I do believe that it will eventually help others come out of the broom closet. However, in this state and time I am peacefully growing on my path and wanted this chance to grow more by creating a community that I can be a part of.

I believe that my path will constantly grow, however at this moment I consider myself a solitary witch. I've always had a strong feeling to be connected with my heritage from Europe and from North America. 

Until next time, Blessed Be!

Coming up: I show you my portable altar that I bring to my dorm!

Coming up after: Books, Books, Books!

-The Closet Witch