"Do what you believe to be the right thing and trust yourself."
Deguwitchrose
I am Rose (Roanna). I am a solitary Traditional witch living in Chesterfield, UK and feeling my way through the world with equal amounts of confusion and enthusiasm.
I am happily married to a man who demonstrates a great deal of tolerance for my witchcraft and my slightly unconventional behaviours (even when I boil badgers on the kitchen stove...)
My site name of Deguwitchrose is in tribute to the five degus I keep as pets. I pop up on a lot of different forums, sometimes as Deguwitchrose and sometimes as Autumnal Rose, feel free to give me a wave!
My journey on this path began with my search for a religion that fit with my personal and my moral beliefs. I wanted to find a way of incorporating my belief in the Gods into my life. It was important to me to find a way to actively worship rather than simply believe. In my teens and early twenties I looked at many different religions and ways of worship before eventually coming to the realisation that I was unwilling to subsume my own thoughts on morality into a socially accepted code. Once I realised this, I knew my path was destined to be a solitary one. I follow a simple, self written maxim: "Do what you believe to be the right thing and trust yourself."
So, although Witchcraft is often considered to be a secular craft, for me it encapsulates the structure of how I practise my faith and follow my religious beliefs. I approach my path and everything I do from the perspective of my faith in the deities I worship. I do not subscribe to a particular pantheon, I simply honour the dual deity.
My craft is deeply connected with the idea of balance. I practise neither dark nor light magic but a blend of what I believe to be morally appropriate for the given situation. I do not believe that the world is as light and pretty as many modern Pagans seem to think it is. I am comfortable knowing I am a blend of contrasts on a spectrum from compassion to cruelty and I will make use of all the parts of who I am in the work that I do.
A key element of my path is self development and actualisation of the self. I keep a spiritual journal (very separate to this online blog, there are some things for the Goddess's eyes only...) and in this journal I explore the actions I take in life and what I have learned from the consequences of what I do. As the wheel turns each year I become less concerned with what I know and more and more aware of how much wisdom I have yet to acquire. Witchcraft has opened up an understanding of the world beyond me, both in terms of nature and also with regard to the complexities of other souls. This has helped me to treat other people with compassion and to treat my environment and the earth with love and respect.
My beliefs and practises are a blend of Traditional influence, some Wiccan influence (though I am NOT a Wiccan Witch) some elements incorporated from other religions and my own intuition. I complete formal ritual work on at least a weekly basis. This is usually a combination of worship, prayer, meditation, crystal healing, candle magic, spell work, tarot and more recently I have done a lot of work with using dance to raise energy. I meditate regularly and ground as often as I can to siphon off excess energy and negativity.
I have knowledge in some areas and ignorance in others. I will always be honest about what I know and understand and what I do not. I do not validate myself by the opinions of other people. I do not see lack of knowledge as a weakness. I do not, have not and never will judge myself in terms of how society views me. I am perhaps a little jaded by the social conformity and materialism of this twenty first century incarnation, I think I probably preferred being around in Saxon England.
I read Tarot for other people and have been asked to write spells for others on several occasions. Generally (modestly) I have had some good success in these areas. I do not charge for my work because frankly I do what inspires me when it suits me.
I keep numerous animals - five cats, five degus, two snakes, two geckos, tropical fish, a tarantula called Charlotte and a scarier one called Ariadne.
I try to be critically aware of the way my life affects other people. I believe very much in the oft quoted: "A witch must tread lightly on the world." If I can just leave the world a very slightly better place for me having been here then I shall consider this time round to have been a success. And who knows, I may even have learned something...
I am happily married to a man who demonstrates a great deal of tolerance for my witchcraft and my slightly unconventional behaviours (even when I boil badgers on the kitchen stove...)
My site name of Deguwitchrose is in tribute to the five degus I keep as pets. I pop up on a lot of different forums, sometimes as Deguwitchrose and sometimes as Autumnal Rose, feel free to give me a wave!
My journey on this path began with my search for a religion that fit with my personal and my moral beliefs. I wanted to find a way of incorporating my belief in the Gods into my life. It was important to me to find a way to actively worship rather than simply believe. In my teens and early twenties I looked at many different religions and ways of worship before eventually coming to the realisation that I was unwilling to subsume my own thoughts on morality into a socially accepted code. Once I realised this, I knew my path was destined to be a solitary one. I follow a simple, self written maxim: "Do what you believe to be the right thing and trust yourself."
So, although Witchcraft is often considered to be a secular craft, for me it encapsulates the structure of how I practise my faith and follow my religious beliefs. I approach my path and everything I do from the perspective of my faith in the deities I worship. I do not subscribe to a particular pantheon, I simply honour the dual deity.
My craft is deeply connected with the idea of balance. I practise neither dark nor light magic but a blend of what I believe to be morally appropriate for the given situation. I do not believe that the world is as light and pretty as many modern Pagans seem to think it is. I am comfortable knowing I am a blend of contrasts on a spectrum from compassion to cruelty and I will make use of all the parts of who I am in the work that I do.
A key element of my path is self development and actualisation of the self. I keep a spiritual journal (very separate to this online blog, there are some things for the Goddess's eyes only...) and in this journal I explore the actions I take in life and what I have learned from the consequences of what I do. As the wheel turns each year I become less concerned with what I know and more and more aware of how much wisdom I have yet to acquire. Witchcraft has opened up an understanding of the world beyond me, both in terms of nature and also with regard to the complexities of other souls. This has helped me to treat other people with compassion and to treat my environment and the earth with love and respect.
My beliefs and practises are a blend of Traditional influence, some Wiccan influence (though I am NOT a Wiccan Witch) some elements incorporated from other religions and my own intuition. I complete formal ritual work on at least a weekly basis. This is usually a combination of worship, prayer, meditation, crystal healing, candle magic, spell work, tarot and more recently I have done a lot of work with using dance to raise energy. I meditate regularly and ground as often as I can to siphon off excess energy and negativity.
I have knowledge in some areas and ignorance in others. I will always be honest about what I know and understand and what I do not. I do not validate myself by the opinions of other people. I do not see lack of knowledge as a weakness. I do not, have not and never will judge myself in terms of how society views me. I am perhaps a little jaded by the social conformity and materialism of this twenty first century incarnation, I think I probably preferred being around in Saxon England.
I read Tarot for other people and have been asked to write spells for others on several occasions. Generally (modestly) I have had some good success in these areas. I do not charge for my work because frankly I do what inspires me when it suits me.
I keep numerous animals - five cats, five degus, two snakes, two geckos, tropical fish, a tarantula called Charlotte and a scarier one called Ariadne.
I try to be critically aware of the way my life affects other people. I believe very much in the oft quoted: "A witch must tread lightly on the world." If I can just leave the world a very slightly better place for me having been here then I shall consider this time round to have been a success. And who knows, I may even have learned something...
