Sacred places

If you read my blog regularly you might notice that only a few of my posts are about magic. Many of them are about the world around me - my home, my garden and what I notice about the changing seasons.

That is because, to me, being a witch is as much about the world I live in as it is about the supernatural or casting spells. As a wiccan, I follow a religion that reveres nature and respects humanity as well as honouring the ancient gods and goddesses that are, if you like, a personification of the natural world around us.

In ancient times places such as Avebury or Stonehenge were probably important meeting places for our ancestors as well as having a religious function. Nowadays, my local park serves as an informal meeting place for teenagers hanging out with their mates, mothers watching their children play, old people walking their dogs and, of course, those down on their luck, drinking a can of lager and watching the world go by.

My local park is, to me, as important a place as Avebury or Stonehenge. It might not have the history of those places and it might not be the right place to don robes for a magical ritual - or throw off your clothes and go skyclad. Yet walking through the park on my way to the station or the shops I can watch the seasons change from day to day, experience the rain and the sunshine and feel in touch with something sacred.