Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Keeping Her Keys

Home
Pagan
Coming Home To Witchcraft

Coming Home To Witchcraft

Last updated on: June 11, 2020 at 9:09 pm by Cyndi Brannen

Coming Home To Witchcraft 2020-06-11T21:09:10-04:00 Cyndi Brannen

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Were you the strange child wandering in the woods like me? Perhaps you mixed potions out of toothpaste and shampoo? Feeling completely at home in your own skin, whether it was talking to spirits or sleeping in a wizard’s robe. Those were the days before life separated us from our truth. So many things happened along the way. The witches’ journey is not meant to be easy. Our path back to the spiritual home of witchcraft is perilous. We arrive having paid high costs that are tiny in comparison to the rewards of returning home.

Tower Time: No Home To Be Found

Flash forward a few more years. My Tower Time – a reference to this card in the tarot – when my carefully constructed, yet entirely uncomfortable, life was crumbling, taking down in the landslide our home and finances. Divorce, illness, chaos. I had to tell my sons that we had to sell our home. Not only that, but just about everything in it had to go, too. If you’re a parent, you’ll know how painful that was for me. We entered a four year period of moving from one temporary address to another. At night, my youngest son and I would lay in his bed singing Phillip Phillip’s “Home.” Wherever and whatever his bed was, we sang that song for a couple of years. For two months, it was a mattress in the basement office of a dear friend, while my oldest son stayed elsewhere. He took it all in stride, even when I had to claim his car as my own. I promised him that I would make it right. That one day we would have a real home, full of what home meant to us as a family.

Searching For Home

One morning, I decided to set out to find a certain hiking trail that I’d heard about. All I can say about that morning is that I was compelled by a force greater than me. I like to think that it was Hekate. I couldn’t find the trailhead. Instead, I crested a hill overlooking a sleepy fishing village. My eyes recognized home for the first time. My soul sighed in deep contentment.

A year later, forces led me through a series of events that resulted in renting a lovely cottage in the village. A homecoming, for sure. Yet, this dwelling wasn’t our home, even though we were in the right place. Heartsick, yet determined, I found myself wandering around constantly. One day I found myself in a large bookstore, trying not to cry. I stood in front of the spirituality section, quietly sending a message out for guidance. The answer was a book, as it so often is. Broken Open by Elizabeth Lesser gave me strength and hope when I was low on both. In that same moment, I made a promise to myself that one day my own book about Hekatean Witchcraft would be on the shelves in front of me.

Making A Home Out Of Magick

I was hustling hard to get out of a serious financial mess. Owning our own home seemed years away. I created a spell, infusing all manner of objects and a potent incantation (with a detailed list of what we needed in a home) into a witch bottle.

Some months later, I heard of a house for sale in my beloved village. There was absolutely no way that any bank would give me a mortgage, yet I persisted, going from one potential lender to another. I had, miraculously, scraped together enough for a 10% down payment. Still, each banker said they couldn’t help. While all this was going on, I signed the contract to write here on Patheos Pagan. With my first article on my mind, I set out for one final attempt, picking up a dear friend to accompany me. After the meeting with the mortgage broker, we set out for our favorite beach. On the sand, we worked our witchery, claiming the mortgage for the run-down little house as approved. I wrote the words, “Keeping Her Keys” in the sand, laying claim to this blog as the home for sharing my views about witchcraft.

Keeping The Keys To Home

The mortgage was approved. In fact, I went back to my “home” credit union that had initially denied my application and explained that I had gotten a mortgage. This led to me getting an even better deal. As for claiming Keeping Her Keys, well, this has become a home for witchcraft for not only myself but hundreds of thousands of all of you. I welcome you to this space. Perhaps by sharing my journey you’ll be inspired. Witchcraft and the magic of tenacity pays off in the end.

Being At Home

Each morning when I wake up, my first thought is that I am home. For the first time, I am exactly where my truth lives. I get to live the experience of being truly at home in my own skin. The house is chock-full of things that reflect our individual truths, and that of our family. We put our sweat and blood into renovating this place. We are supported, validated and free to be who we are. What’s more is that through my pursuit of home, I’ve met so many of you who are doing the same thing. Each day, I receive so many messages about your struggle. Persist, beloveds. You will get there. Together we can reclaim that truth buried so deep within us. Returning to that child who was so full of magic that others jealously tried to destroy it. We will come home to witchcraft.

Listen to my interview with the fabulous witches at Crossroads and Cauldrons.

Modern Hekatean Witchcraft

Cauldrons and Crossroads Podcast

About Cyndi Brannen

Cyndi Brannen, PhD, is a witch and spiritual teacher, a trained energetic healer, psychic and herbalist. Her teaching and writing extends from where she stands at the crossroads of personal development, spirituality and witchcraft. Keeping Her Keys: An Introduction to Hekate’s Modern Witchcraft explores Hekate from her ancient origins to modern understanding through magic and personal development is available now from Moon Books. True Magic: Unleashing Your Inner Witch uses the magic of the elements and the three realms to activate your true witch powers and will be available later in 2019 from Moon as well. Connect with her on Facebook or at keepingherkeys.com to learn more about her teaching and writing. Cyndi lives in rural coastal Nova Scotia with her two sons where she can often be found wandering the cliffs or wild foraging plants. She lives what she teaches: fierce love, emotional courage and true magic. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

June 13, 2019

Practicing Moon Magick

Next Post

June 29, 2019 Being Open To Magic

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Goddesses Modern Hekatean Witchcraft Modern Witchcraft Moon Magick Personal Development Rituals Rituals Spells Spiritual Development Uncategorized Wheel of the Year

Select a Month June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many times does the Bible mention the word "love"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

500 700 100 Over 300