Who and What are You?

So, I was totally called on by Angel from Ivy on the Path in her most recent blog post "Who are you and what are you?: Personal styles of the craft" to share a bit about my personal style. I didn't want to hog her entire comment section with a long winded ramble, so I thought I should just go ahead and do a post.

I'm going to preface this with a warning; I typically suck at talking about myself. It's usually very stream-of-consciousness and not as well written as say, descriptions of things or snark.

Since I was a girl, I've been intensely interested in, fascinated by and in love with nature. From trees to rocks to flowers to animals, I couldn't absorb enough information about or spend enough time out in it all.I had all the makings of a young witch and had feelings in my heart and spirit that had no name. I was a wee pagan. Countless days were spent chatting with the friendly oaks in the backyard, collecting neat rocks, on the look-out for one of the neighboring bears to wander by or making potions and spells from mud, plants and sticks. It's something I've carried with me into adulthood, although I will begrudgingly admit that a lot of the 'doing without worry' of my younger years has gone into hiding and has yet to re-emerge since I was hit with a case of 'the grown-ups'.

Now that I'm through that strange and unpleasant phase where I worried far too much about 'being a grown up' , 'putting aside childish things' and 'being successful' (by the standards of others), that youthful way of not over-thinking and worrying things to death is something I'm trying to reclaim. This is something that shows in many things: my art, my writing, my enjoyment of purely silly things. It shows in my rekindled love for and belief in the fae, who I had pushed aside and denied belief in during this stodgy period of my life.

I definitely believe that the things we enjoy in our day to day lives, the things that we tend towards and favor, our life experiences are all reflected in our personal styles as pagans, witches, etc. Drawing from my less than pleasant experience above, I've been working on trusting my heart and my guts when it comes to spells and rituals and putting all the damn books down. While they are great tools, they're written based on someone else's comforts, style and beliefs - not my own.

Some examples of my personal style:

* I have a fondness for the antique, vintage or just plain old. Be it books, keys, teapots or what have you; these things are in my china hutch, on my bookshelves, on the mantle and adorn my altar in the form of candle holders, bells, plates and bowls. There isn't a thing on my altar that was brand new when I bought it or it was gifted to me. Everything has a past.

* Being such a barefooted, bug bitten dirt worshiper, it's only natural that my favorite colors are greens, browns and brilliant blues. These are often part of my altar set-up, usually in the form of altar cloths. Also not terribly surprising, is I'm always working plants and stones into my workings, or putting them on the altar for some reason or another.

* Simplicity, fun and not always taking everything overly seriously is important to me. A lot of my spellwork is spontaneous, light hearted and free form.

* My style and moods change with the seasons, though not exactly as you would expect. In the Spring, I feel renewed and it is incredibly hard to keep me indoors. I'm drawn towards planting, enjoy skipping around in the rain and looking for four leaf clovers. Birds and flowers adorn the house. In Summer, my mood levels out, I'm content. I enjoy watching the green world flourish, soak in the late setting sun and long to be by the sea. In Autumn, I'm giddy and once more renewed: I'm drawn to this part of the year most. I bask in the harvest and the browning of the earth, bid farewell to the sun, bring out the pumpkins and take time to reflect on many a things. In the Winter, when the sun has disappeared I often find myself melancholy and dreary. In attempts to bring in some cheer, I deck the house out in greens and whites and prepare (sometimes dread) the upcoming holidays.

* Personal expression, art, inspiration and the wild world are important to me. There is always art on my altar, my tools are often handmade or found, I tend towards things which are naturally beautiful. For instance my wand, which is just a branch that was found, that I adorned with leather, shells, feathers and beads. I work with all of the elements, though I am most comfortable with Earth and Water. I have an easier time expressing some of my feelings and beliefs through art and then thinking on how to word them later then the other way around sometimes, hence my pagan art journal; the closest thing to a cohesive Grimiore I've yet to create.

* Birds are a huge inspiration for me, I'm completely fascinated by them. I collect feathers for use in charms, bags and spellwork. I also use bird shaped candle holders for petitions or prayers so they can carry my thoughts on their wings.

* I'm still coming into my own, now that a lot of the unrealistic expectations I put on myself are fading away with the anger and depression of my late teens and early twenties. I'm a work in progress who is settling into the rhythm of my life and learning to be happy with the genuine me. I'm reconnecting with my intuition, with my faith and making my way along this path knowing it could change at any moment (as it recently has) and looking forward to the adventure of it.

This is just a small list, I could carry on forever about all of the things that I enjoy and some of the experiences I've had. However, I feel these big ones are the meat and bones of who and what I am currently: a woman, wife, friend, dork, artist and witch who is heavily inspired by nature and the seasons, enjoys a good story, a cold pint, a bit of fun and mischief and is finding her way back to herself while walking a winding path.

Danni also enjoys disguising herself as a Mario brother while drinking coffee.

So, my lovelies. Tell me a bit about yourself and your personal style, whether you be a witch or not. There are no right or wrong answers or ways, only our own. I'd like to get to know everyone a bit better, that's another personality trait of mine: curiosity. Feel free to leave a ramble here or on your blog (post the link here so I can visit) and stop by Ivy on the Path to visit Angel sometime, her photos are as beautiful as her writing is inspiring and thoughtful.