Wiccans and Pagans please answer a question for me?

Do you guys light allot of candles for your rituals?

not necessarily a lot, but often two

She keeps sending me to a book store in a run down area of Chicago to buy her candles and I was curious if she was messing with me.

But some in an old coven of mine were allergic to all the smoke, so sometimes you have to adjust.

I keep getting sick for the stench of the incense.

I think some practioners stress out to much over all the "proper" regalia of ritual. Where I come from, what works, works. And causing yourself physical impairment during a ritual sure wouldn't allow it to "work"!

You are not alone. I know lots of witches and pagan folks who suffer from the same thing and have to watch the smoke.

In fact, I don't do a lot of separate 'rituals' anymore. Life is a ritual for me. :) (I guess I became a kitchen witch as I got older).

I have some short chants/vows I've learned over the years that I might say when it seems appropriate, but more in the context of what I'm doing, as opposed to laying out a circle, etc...

I only live a short distance from a pretty big pagan sanctuary (Circle), but have only been there once or twice for festivals over 10 years. Maybe I haven't felt the need. Then again, I might just be kind of anti-social. :shrug:

(or maybe it's because I became too Discordian, and decided to live by the slogan, "We Discordians must stick apart...to cover as much ground as possible.")

:evilgrin:

rituals, either. Corarose, if you buy granualr incense or the herbs themselves, you can use a potpourri (sp?) pot, that just warms the water you put the herbs in. I do that more and more.

My Sister has books on Wicca and she keeps trying to talk me into going to a Church on Wicca with her.

and you will find a definite Pagan underpinning..
Try these books
The Womens Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets by Barbara Walker
The Womens Encyclopedia of Symbols and religious Objects by B Walker
Goddesses and Gods of Neolithic Europe by Maritas Gimbutas
Any book by Joseph Campbell.
The Catholic churches in Ireland are loaded with pagan symbology..I enjoyed walking thru them and seeing snakes carved into the pews and Sheila Na Gigs on the walls of the ancient churches..it was the only way to drag the pagans in, to keep their symbols..
Mary was certainly a much more powerful mother/goddess figure at one time then she is now....

written by Merlin Stone.

Hehehee....us Wiccans have a legendary allergy to "churches". That one surprises me.

Hell I didn't know what to call it. Coven, Temple hmmmmm????

I'm afraid of fire.

8 around the outside of my circle, and 7,8, or 9 on the altar depending. It's mostly my thing though... I like the candle light during rituals, and designed them to be used. Bring solitary I sort of custom built my own from bit and pieces of others and a few ideas of my own.

If you're interested in Wicca I would suggest you read Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham, and/or The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft by Danise Zimmerman and Katherine Gleason. Both are a fairly quick read and can give you a real good overview of what it's all about. And of course, ask your sister!

Might partly be because I live in the dark north and I like the light, which has a spiritual affect on me.