I often consider all the things I was taught as a child and compare them to what I believe today. As an immature child, adolescent, and young adult, I parroted much of what I was taught in church. I had beliefs that didn’t quite fit in with what I was being taught and it left me searching for the truth and others of like-minded beliefs.
One of the biggest issues that I was in conflict with was the teaching that I needed to give up my free will. I struggled with that all my life. I truly believed that if a God gave me a free will which I interpret as a freedom to choose, then why would this God want me to give it up. It didn’t make any sense to me and I asked that question a lot. Why would God want me to give up my free will?
I believed that God gave me a free will and an ability to use it for a reason. I was young and inexperienced and I wasn’t quite sure of why I was given a free will and the ability to use it if this all knowing God was going to ask me to surrender my will.
Today, I believe that my free will is the source of my personal power. You know, the personal power to make decisions and choices and to form my own opinions and determine what actions to take regardless of right or wrong. The personal power of control over my own life. The only thing we really have control over in this existence is ourselves so why should I give that up.
It doesn’t matter if I am making good or bad choices, they are mine to make. It is up to me to learn from those choices. Yes, there are many influences that help me make my choices and yes, I have learned from every choice I have made. Especially the bad and misinformed choices.
Learning from my decisions and choices and even the choice to learn gives me power over my life. I honestly don’t believe that it is God’s will to take away my personal power and freedom of choice. I believe it is man’s will. Those in positions of power want to maintain that power through control and it is obvious that the only way to take away someone’s free will is to get them to willingly surrender their will. It is the freedom of choice to choose to be weak or strong.
I have spent a great deal of my life asking that question and being told that I am obstinant and rebellious because I refuse to give up my free will. When strong people who refuse to give up their free will to the person who wants control over others the people who want control try to break that person’s will. There are horrendous things that these monsters do to gain control by breaking the will of the intended victim.
It may even work for a while. These people will use abuse in various forms from verbal and emotional abuse to rape and physical violence. Some are so strong that they will die before giving up their will. Some will only submit on the surface and seem like a pacifist but will never actually submit to the will of another.
There are those who are anxious to rid themselves of the personal responsibility that comes with that free will by using a claim that “the Devil made them do it” or that it is “the Will of God” and they are only “following God’s Will” not their own.
The truth is that we all have a free will and regardless if you choose to do the will of another or your own, you are responsible and in control of yourself and your actions. Can we lose control of our temper? We all have been angry. How we react to anger is our choice. We can give up our power and control of ourselves by choosing to do what we are told or we can take back our power and do what we believe is best for us regardless if it is the right or wrong choice.
We are taught as children to obey. Obey our parents, obey the law, obey authority. We get so accustomed to Obeying the command of others that it becomes our comfort zone even to our own detriment. We forget that we are using our free will and personal power to choose to do what we are told. Life is about choices. That doesn’t mean that I believe that every bad thing that happens to you or me is our choice. I actually believe that life happens to us so that we will use our free will.
I am not saying that someone else can’t make us do something against our will. Proof that others can force their will on us can be seen through abuse and rape. We can be manipulated but we can only be controlled if we allow it. But it is our choice and our free will to submit and allow others to control our actions. Sometimes, we don’t have much of a choice such as when someone threatens us and we fear for our lives and the choice comes down to survival. What about after? Do we submit and forever be the victim of that abuse? So what am I talking about? Being in a situation and throwing our hands up saying, I’m powerless. I can’t help myself. I don’t have the willpower. That is the lazy and comfortable way out of everything.
Being a warrior is about using free will. It doesn’t mean to be adversarial or closed minded. It just means to have control over yourself. Be in control of your thoughts, your beliefs, what you do, how you react. Be open minded and reasonable because that comes with the ability to use free will.
Being a Warrior and being strong has to do with being able to stand up and say I am in control of me. I recognize that I am submitting to this belief, law, or action because I choose to. Take responsibility for your choice. Right or wrong, I am responsible for the result of this choice because this choice was mine to make.
With Free will comes personal power and with personal power come responsibility. Own it. It is yours. Learn from your mistakes and don’t judge others because we all make mistakes. Being strong also means that we can recognize the struggle of others because the struggle of life is the same to all including self.
We are all faced with making choices without all the information. We can only do what we can with the information we have. Using our free will also come with an obligation to forgive. To forgive ourselves and others alike when we make a wrong choice. No one is perfect, no matter how hard we try. I will never be perfect and will make mistakes and so will you.
Being a Witch is about grabbing that free Will, taking responsibility for it and learning how to use it wisely. A Witch never gives up his/her free will. You are powerful. Your power is natural, not supernatural. Exercise that free will and learn how to use it responsibly. Own it, use it, be it.
You are a Witch! You already have the power. Don’t be afraid.
In Love and Light,
I know that the lady and Lord want us as members of the craft to be independent minded individuals who will promote the great work in our own divinely inspired and masonic designed way. Never let an individual or a large group of people no matter how well organized have control of your thought process. Always remain a Witch or Wiccan with the ability to make your own decisions and work your magical operations the way you choose. The mainstream direction of thought doesn’t develop us into the uniquely designed individuals who advance the great work of promoting individual freedom and justice for everyone. The most important thing is to never forget the greatest of all truths DO WHAT YOU WILL IF IT HARM NONE.
I personally don’t believe in a scriptural doctrine that says what I can and can’t do but what I personally believe is that my personal ethics are mine and that I should follow my own ethical practices regardless if others agree or disagree. For me personally, I choose not to try to harm others but am aware that it is up to interpretation. Of course, it is all about free will and personal choice.