so as mentioned on the homepage, i've been reading and learning a lot about wicca (paganism, witchcraft, the craft) and one thing i learned early on was to keep a journal or book of the things i have learned or found of interest. i'm hoping this site will serve as my book of shadows, or grimorie.

recently, i've been both searching for and running from something in my life. the running from thing is stress, i think. i'm trying to run away from problems at work, hang-ups at home, and just common everyday funky stuff that goes on in the world. i think i've been searching for something else too.

i've never been a religious person, however i've always considered myself spiritual (some times more than others.) lately i've been missing my spirituality. looking up at the sky and screaming "why? why me? why can't anything go easy for me?" is not spiritual, but this has been about the extent of my spirituality lately. maybe this is the One's gentle way of clearing throat and asking "remember me?"

while i was raised 7th day adventist on my father's side and went to church every saturday when i visited him on the weekend (divorced parents)... and while i went to catholic high school (mostly for educational and disciplinary reasons)... and while i even went to a university which had a strong buddist background (although i went for a writing degree)... i've always always always felt most spiritual when surrounded by nature. whether looking around from high atop a mountain, or sitting on a park's fresh green grass, or hurling down a snow-covered hill on my snowboard... these are the times and places i find myself in awe of the beauty and life around me.

i finally and recently came to understand there is a name for this... this... this belief and wonder and awe for Nature, the Earth, and the One who created. some call it Pagan, however i prefer to call it Wicca as do some others. i don't consider myself a witch per se. certainly not in the shredded black dress, pointy black hat, nose with wart, and flying broom concept. nor am i studied and practiced enough to consider myself a witch among wiccans.

one thing i picked up on early enough, is that a student of wicca should/will often have a journal or book where they note things they have learned and studied. this journal is often called a book of shadows (BOS) or sometimes called a grimorie. i'm hoping this site will serve as my grimorie.  most of the information contained within was found on other sites, or from someone else's BOS. where ever possible i have tried to give the credit due as to who is the author or from where i gained the information.