Conflicting Views: What it Really Means to be a Christian...and a Witch

*NOTE: THE FOLLOWING ESSAY IS PURELY MY OPINION AND MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, AND IS IN NO WAY MEANT TO HARM ANYONE OF ANY FAITH AND/OR PRACTICE*

Hey hi hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog!

I've got a bit of a heavier topic to delve into today. As most of you know, I am a college student at NAU in Arizona. I've been trying for a while to find a place outside of my sorority where I feel accepted and like I belong there. Enter Chi Alpha.

I know what you might be thinking. Chi Alpha is Greek, so it's another fraternity. Maybe a service sorority? Well, you're wrong. Chi Alpha is a Christian Fellowship on nearly every college campus throughout the US. They are made up primarily of college students, with staff that have been members of the organization for 10+ years. They promote the word of God and their goal is to spread kindness and love in the name of Jesus Christ throughout the country.

Now, I'm not going to shove Christianity down your throat. That's not the point of this essay. I understand everyone has different religious views, if they have religious views at all. Some might even have conflicting views, like me.

It's no secret that I practice witchcraft. It's something that has been ingrained in my life since I was eighteen, when I first rediscovered the craft after about eight years of being apart from it. It's been a secret from my family (excluding my sister, who originally got me into it) as they are all heavy-duty Christians. I grew up in a semi-religious household. By this, I mean we didn't pray before every meal, but when I was sick my mom would sing hymns to get me to fall asleep. We didn't go to church every Sunday, but I attended Vacation Bible School every summer until I was eight and aged out of the program. I went to Bible Study with my friends on Tuesday nights. We didn't celebrate Lent, but my sister and I were always encouraged to cut back on something that was considered a want and not a need; soda, TV, loud music.

When my sister and I discovered the art of witchcraft, it changed the game for us. We kind of had a revelation that not everyone's lives were like ours (most of our friends were equally if not more religious, so we were pretty sheltered). It's not like we dropped God and became devil worshipers (heads up: witchcraft in and of itself is NOT satanic, although there are SOME witches who use satanic practices and tendencies in their craft. And they're not evil for doing so, it's just another way to practice). We opened up to other religions and deities. I myself became enamored with Greek and Nordic gods, and still use them in my practice today.

For many years following this, I thought that I could not be a witch and still be Christian. After all, witches were persecuted throughout time by Christians and other religious people. I felt as if I was turning my back on one or the other. How could I possibly praise God and follow the past of Jesus Christ, if I was also doing the very thing that so many of my ancestors deemed blasphemous and heretic?

It wasn't easy to come to terms with either of my views. I turned away from Christianity for a few years, focusing only on witchcraft. It was the practice I had chosen and not the one I grew up in, so I figured that must mean it's the one for me. But I didn't feel right not having God in my life. He was a constant figure for so long, that I felt sort of empty without Him.

So that's where I am today. Still a witch, still a follower of ancient gods and deities, still a Christian. I've decided to follow Lent for the first time in my life. I, along with many other members of Chi Alpha, have decided to give up Netflix, Hulu, and other forms of TV for the time of Lent. I'm not entirely sure how well this month will turn out, but hey, it's a chance to change something in my life, and I'm all for change. I'm planning on celebrating Ostara later this month, with some spring cleaning and baking all the fresh bread I can, not only for myself and my family, but also as offerings to my gods. My dad and I will probably have a bonfire in the backyard, as we do every Samhain and Yule (since we live in the desert, it is way to warm to light a fire for Litha).

I wanted to write this essay to tell you all that witchcraft and Christianity are not opposites. In fact, they are two sides of the same coin. It is not impossible to be of faith and practice the craft at the same time. I often include Jesus Christ in my rituals, and my gods and goddesses in my prayers at Chi Alpha. They are both who I am--they are both written in my veins. I could not have one without the other.

So, I challenge you all to go forth from this with an open mind and an open heart. Again, I am not here to shove a religion or a practice down your throat. I only encourage you to see the world in more shades than black and white. Every single person on this Earth is a unique, incredible individual, and they all have multiple views, likes, dislikes, ideals, values, and faiths. They can all teach you something about the world, and possibly yourself, that you did not know before. And I hope that one day, the world can be a better place than it is now, once we all accept that we are all individuals, and not cut from the same cloth.

So, merry meet witches, and have a Blessed day.