Note: This piece of text obviously does not belong to me but as it was sent to me and it is a very good document, I decided to include it. If you, or someone you know is aware of the origin of this document, please contact me.
These pages are not meant to discuss Wicca or Witchcraft and all its aspects. These pages are for the Disabled Witch. A place to find ideas and contribute to them. To find others who are like myself and others that are Disabled and practicing the Craft. I want these pages to be both a resource for others and a help. No Disabled Witch should have to feel alone and disconnected from others again.
I guess it would be a good idea to give a "Readers Digest" overview of Wicca. Wicca is an earth based religion that predates Christianity. Our deities are the God and Goddess which are apart of the universal All. We DO NOT believe in Satan. This is a Christian manifestation. We ARE NOT Satan worshipers! Good and evil rests in all people we can choose to do good or bad. As Witches we live by a standard of ethics and laws. We have the Wiccan Rede and the Witches Crede and the 13 Goals/ Principals of a Witch. The Law of the Three: what you do comes back to threefold. So you see there in insentive to do good and help mankind and the Earth and the Animals and all living beings. We have 8 Sabbots(holidays) and Esbots(minor holidays). On these days rituals would be performed, for example an Esbot may be a New or Full Moon ritual. Sabbot rituals are ones like; Yule(our Christmas), Ostara/Spring Equinox (our Easter). We are a peaceful and tolerant people with open minds. We do fight for the Earth and her inhabitants such as the animals. We fight for religious equality and tolerance and acceptance. Wicca is the only Pagan religion in the US that is recognized by the government. There are Wiccan Churches in different parts of the US. There are Wiccans and Pagans everywhere. You may not see us or recognize us, but we are there willing to help when it is needed and educate others about us. So don't be afraid, we won't hurt you.
Just because a Witch that has a disability does not make them any less a Witch or Druid or Pagan than anyone else. Our magick is just as strong and knowledge just as deep as any others. Sometimes we need to do things in a different way to get the same result. We need to accommodate our disabilities in order to practice the Craft. Sometimes we may not be accepted and that is a shame. We have so much to offer and others could learn from us. Many Disabled Witches are Solitary Practitioners for a number of reasons. I can open my heart and mind to others who are different in some way, Can you? But, then again aren't we all different in some ways but all the same and that is what makes the world go round. (smile) You never know what you might learn from a Wiccan.
Witches' Tips & Hints
If you are a Disabled Witch you probably have figured out that maybe you can't practice your tradition of the Craft like your counterparts. That's okay, to need accommodations. It does not make you any less of a Witch than anyone else. I modify things as I need to.
The Following Ideas have come from other Witches or ones that I have come up with myself in my Solitary Practice of Wicca. Thanks you for your ideas and letting me put them on my page. Blessings
-A black loose-leaf binder can be used for those that need large print or Braille for their Book of Shadows or Grimore. This Idea can be used by anyone. Many who practice the Craft use binders for the BOS and Grimore.
-Inexpensive music stands are good for those that have trouble holding books or need to see the book at a better height during ritual.
-If you are allergic to incense, you don't have to use it. I have gotten the same effects with my spells and rituals without it. You could try a sampler pack to see if there is one that you are not allergic to and then just use that one.
-If you use a lot of candles and have trouble telling the colors apart with a maker write the abbreviation of the color of the candle or if you are blind you can put a Braille label on the bottom of the candle. Another idea is you can get different boxes and label the boxes with different colors on them and keep the candles in those in case labels don't stick to the candles. (you may need some sighted assistance for this idea)
-What if you are allergic to flowers and you want to use them in ritual or a spell? I have that problem. A family member found me a ceramic bouquet of flowers that I use instead.
-If you have trouble reading your Craft books and if you have a computer and scanner. Try scanning the books into your word processor and blocking the text and change the font size to a bigger font. There is only one drawback to this method, It may not do pictures, tables and graphs.
-I have found a lot of good information on the web. I have downloaded quite a bit. Some of it is in a larger print anyway and some I have downloaded to my Word processor and converted into large print. Things I have found are Ritual information, Spells, arts and craft.
-Did you know that if you are visually disabled and want to use Tarot Cards there is a deck out there for you. It is called the Giant Rider- Waite Tarot Deck. I have one. I did take the instruction book to a local place that makes copies and asked if they could copy this to make it larger so I could see it. They did on 8.5 x 11 paper that I took home and put into a loose leaf binder. Another idea is to Braille or put large type labels on the tarot cards so the names of the card can be more easily read.
-Being disabled sometimes means that you are on a low income and may not be able to get all the items you need for a ritual or a spell. A tip I picked up from a fellow Wiccan is, she used a tarot deck that has crystals and gems in it for her spells and ritual work. It is very expensive to go out and purchase all the stones you need. This is a simple and easy way to do it without spending a lot money to do it.
-If you have a disability that impacts your energy level that needs to have some considerations. Do spell work and ritual work when you have your energy. I have done Full Moon Rites during the day because that is when I had the most energy to do ritual. Or, maybe you need to do a spell or ritual for some other reason. I have modified these sometimes to make them not so elaborate or long due to my energy level. It is more important that the thought and some energy and work went into it than not at all. There are also times I have done meditations spells and rituals and they have the same effect as if I stood there physically and did it. Visualization is also an option.
-If you have trouble standing for your rituals and spell work don't be afraid to have a chair in your circle. I do. You may not do a lot of moving around but that is okay. You can make a circle without moving all that much. Another idea along these same lines is to lie on the ground and spread your arms and legs out to make a human pentagram. The arms and legs would represent the elements and the head the spirit. The idea being that the body is a holy symbol/vessel and great work can and will be done. There is not extra step with this idea to ground yourself if you usually lie on the ground to ground yourself after a magical working.
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