Free Natural Witchery by Ellen Dugan Page B

identify it—and to coax it into working harmoniously with you (which we have been diligently working on in this chapter). So celebrate this, and be proud of your individuality! It is important to recognize that each of us will find our power and direct it in our own way.
    Here the heart may give a useful lesson to the head,
and Learning wiser grow without his books.
    William Cowper

    Lessons Learned
    I have a story I’d like to share with you. I think it will help you to understand and to remember a few important magickal lessons. Also, it will probably make you chuckle. Many years ago when I attended an intermediate class on Wicca, the leaders of the class asked us all to get up and to demonstrate our circlecasting abilities, one by one. Now, if memory serves, this class topic was on circlecastings—so I was surprised the class started off with this magickal show-and-tell instead of a lecture.
    I watched with interest as the other students took their turns. Everyone seemed to be casting their circles in a similar fashion, but that didn’t surprise me. They had all just taken a Wicca 101 class together. Only myself and a man were the new students here. As my turn rolled around, I stood up, walked to the center of the room, and closed my eyes. I silently asked the elements to lend their power to mine and began turning in a slow clockwise circle, stopping at each quarter. As I made my way around the circle, I pointed my finger to the ground and visualized a blue circle of flame running along the ground, totally surrounding me. I finished up, centered, and opened my eyes to look at the teachers.
    The teachers seemed miffed, and a few members of the class were staring at me like I’d suddenly grown two heads. Embarrassed, I fell back on my best defense: attitude. “What?” I demanded.
    â€œThat’s a lot of power to just be tossing around.” One of the teachers looked at me like I’d committed a horrible crime.
    â€œYou told us to show you how we cast a circle,” I said carefully.
    â€œWhat energy are you using?” the first teacher asked suspiciously.
    â€œWell, basically, I am using my own, along with—” I began.
    â€œNo, no, no, dear.” The first teacher interrupted and proceeded to look down her nose. “You never use your own power, and where are your gestures?”
    She hadn’t picked anyone else’s performance apart … so how come I was so lucky?
    â€œMy what?” I asked.
    At this point, the second teacher let loose a deeply annoyed sigh, accompanied by an eye roll. “Your gestures . Your salutes at each quarter.”
    Jeez, they didn’t have to be so snotty about it. “I suppose I am just a gesture-free kind of Witch,” I shot back with a grin, thinking immediately of one hand gesture I’d love to show both these teachers.
    The request had been to show them how each individual would cast a circle. And hey, my circlecasting always worked for me. Who were they to tell me I was “wrong”? It was a nasty surprise to get up, do my thing, and then get harshly critiqued in front of the rest of the group. Thoroughly embarrassed and offended, I sat down so the next victim—I mean student—could nervously take their turn.
    As I sat back down, a fellow classmate, the only other new person, leaned over, put his hand on my arm, and whispered to me. “You did fine. I think you really surprised them. So, you’re a natural Witch, right?” Laughing softly at my stunned expression, he patted my arm in support. “You just called on the elements in your head.” He made that last bit a statement.
    Wow. How did he know that? “Yes, I asked them to lend their power to mine,” I admitted. Now I was very intrigued. He was in the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids … maybe his knowing was a Druid thing.
    â€œThought so.” He grinned at me. “I could feel them in the room. Girl, you