editorial
by Sylvana
It seems as though everyone travels these days; we go to the far edges of the earth seeking...what? To see the sights or the sites and to connect or reconnect with people or places. In this issue, we bring you stories of pagan travels, to Crete, Turkey and Egypt, down the road and to the kitchen pantry.
I too have been doing more than my share of traveling lately, and I plan to travel even more this year. Last year found me making my way to Kansas, and believe it or not it was indeed magickal -- though I sometimes felt like I was on the yellow brick road and the evil witch was breathing down my neck! I went both to get away for (or from!) my Pisces birthday and to resolve a relationship that seemed to be dying a slow death. I never expected to find the Goddess there in Topeka, Kansas, or in Lawrence or Kansas City. But there she was in all her glory... in the land, in the sky and in people. The Goddess shone out of me in such a way that it renewed the passion between my lover and me. It also made people stare at me in public as if I were an actual green-skinned, big-nosed witch!
Another surprise for me in Topeka was to find pagans and witches. I went through the phone book, looked up the one witch store in town, got in my little green rented car, drove around and there they were. Seattle is surprisingly hard to find your way around in, but Topeka was laid out all flat and wide just as you'd expect... and there's so much room! It is very logical and neat, and it was easy as pie to find my way. The witches I met at the store were somewhat generic, but sweet. They even invited me to a full moon circle -- since it was the full moon and I am a high priestess -- they had even heard of me. I felt flattered.
At the store, I bought a red candle, some love incense and so on for my date with my lover later that night. I hadn't seen him for a couple months, and we needed all the help we could get to rise above the weirdness of me being there, in his place -- and it seemed to work. It was truly magickal, and as we reconnected, I felt a chapter close for us. The Goddess spoke to me saying that there must be endings so there can be beginnings. Travel can be like that -- a change in perspective.
Elsewhere in Kansas, I found witches in Lawrence, not as surprising as it is a college town and therefore a bit less Christian than other areas. I went to a cute little metaphysical store that had just opened and left some Widdershins, chatted and felt the connection with witches as we are indeed "everywhere"! They invited me back for the Heartland Festival, but alas, I could not go.
I also traveled to New York City twice last year. It's much easier there than in Kansas to spot witches, as they truly are everywhere in that great city. But they are a different flavor than us here in the laid-back Northwest. The Kansas witches were more like me... more relaxed. I'd realized of course that there are witches across the nation -- one of my coven members from 10 years ago, Wendy, lives with her family in New Jersey, and the witches in Salem are very vocal. But I still found it amazing that, wherever you go, you can find like-minded people if you look with an open mind and heart.
Travel opened my horizons this past year, and I hope it does the same for you in the coming months. May your spring be amazing, and remember that wherever you travel, you are exactly where you're supposed to be -- on your path!
[Home Page | Other Articles in This Issue | FAQ | Local Resources]