Recently, someone asked me this simple question: How did you end up becoming a green witch?
I had to stop for a moment and just take in that question. There’s a lot of things that all came together in my taking up the path of the green witch.
But most of the credit goes to a bee and a book.
Here’s how that happened.
Becoming a Green Witch Began with a Bee
A large yellow bumble bee kicked off my true spiritual journey.
In the late 1980’s, I was engaged to be married. But 3 months before the wedding, I changed my mind, moved out of our apartment and ended up staying at my grandmother’s farm until I could get back on my feet enough to get a place of my own.
During the days I spent there, I was in a bit of a fog. I waffled between knowing that I’d done the right thing and wondering if I had just made the worst mistake of my life. (turns out it was absolutely the right thing)
One gray April morning, I was sitting on the front porch contemplating the future and ruminating over the past. It was only in the 50’s and drizzling and I couldn’t help but think that the weather matched my mood.
My heavy thoughts were interrupted by the demanding buzzing of a bee. It was clear that this bee wasn’t going to give up until I gave it my attention.
I got up from the chair and moved to the banister so I could see where the buzzing was coming from. Below me, was a large bumblebee. Oblivious to me, this bee was just going about the business of bees and gathering pollen from the daffodils that bloomed there in front of the porch.
I watched the bee going from flower to flower and felt almost a little bit of sadness because this bee cared nothing about my human problems. He was completely absorbed in being a bee.
I felt almost a little angry that my sadness and conflict meant nothing to the world around me. There was that bee, just going about his business and caring nothing about what I was feeling. In my self-absorbed, feeling sorry for myself state, the things I wondered were: How dare he? Couldn’t he see what I was going through?
He didn’t care at all.
Or did he?
I began to realize that this bee was sharing a clear message: I could choose to participate in life or not. It was up to me. I could continue sitting here, ruminating over my situation, or I could make a conscious choice to embrace the possibility of it.
Bee was speaking to me in the way of a bee. Sending me the message that it was all up to me now.
This poignant moment was an epiphany for me. That gray April morning in the drizzling rain, bee would kick off my spiritual journey and set me on a path toward healing and becoming.
Fast forward to 1995
This would be the year that everything began to shift for me on my journey to becoming a green witch.
In my search for meaning, I’d been going to church regularly. I had even become active in the church and took a spot on church council. It was during this time that I began to question everything I’d been told about religion. The short version of this story is that I began to feel that it was just not for me. I didn’t find the meaning I was looking for in any of it.
So, I began my own independent study of world religions. I went to the library and checked out as many books as they had on different religions around the world. I made regular visits to the bookstore to see what was new. I read news and magazine articles, and even found some obscure religious sects to learn about.
Even with all my effort and time, none of it made an impression.
That is until the day that I picked up a book about green witchcraft in the bookstore. As I began reading, I was struck with something that I had been waiting for. Remembrance. Familiarity. It was as if I was being reminded of things I already knew instead of learning new information as I read through the pages.
Something within me already knew these things. It was what I’d been searching for.
This was the turning point. From that day forward, I began to immerse myself in the study of witchcraft and becoming a green witch.
*Need some inspiration for your journey? Check out your public library or visit Amazon for books on witchcraft. (not an affiliate link).
I did it privately and I didn’t talk much about it in those early days. The code of secrecy embraced by the wise women of other generations felt right to me in those early days, so I went about cultivating my practice, quietly.
Growing into Becoming a Green Witch
The path would be slow going for me for a long time as I was time limited and unable to do all. the. things. As I learned more about becoming a green witch, I began to seek out community so I could be with others who were like me. For a while, I participated in gatherings with others who were from several different backgrounds.
There were shamans, witches and Druids and still others who were eclectic in their beliefs and ways, not embracing any single path.
I learned all I could from each of them and began to see that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to embracing or learning this path.
It was then that I decided to embrace the solitary path and develop my practice according to what I felt most drawn to. I’d allow those things to guide my path to becoming a green witch.
Animals have always been my conduit to the natural world. I’m drawn to them very naturally and magnetically and I’ve been enchanted by them my whole life. They would help me understand that to learn the ways of nature and green witchery, I could simply observe the natural world around me to absorb the lessons.
During those early years of my journey, I lived on a private lake which offered me a chance to watch the bird migrations. To learn the patterns of the migratory birds. It was a privilege to watch, learn and observe and it allowed me to see what wasn’t always obvious. I was able to tap into those nuances that you’ll miss if you’re not paying attention.
After a short time, I began to predict the changing of seasons with accuracy, based on the migration patterns. I knew that if the heron arrived at the lake in late July, then we would see an early fall. But if he arrived in August, then we would have a longer summer. The heron was never wrong.
Living there also gave me a chance to cultivate flowers, make friends with a snake and understand the raw power of nature when lightning struck the lake, creating a sound that was something like a sonic boom.
Listening to (and learning from) the Animals
As I continued to grow on my path toward becoming a green witch, I took many classes and earned certifications in several different healing and holistic modalities that have helped to shape the path I’ve followed to the present day.
Learning animal communication was one of the most impactful and powerful for me. Not just for listening to the animals, but also for learning the paradigm of predator and prey. This was a revelation about the true nature of our lives.
Learning from Nature
Even though I started off with the animals, I began to look to all of nature as an oracle. Watching for and reading her messages about the way we flow and cycle and that everything follows the rhythms of nature.
The messages of nature are clear to me. Reading the signs is something I feel like I always knew how to do, even before I began on the path.
When I’m out in nature, I’m inspired. It resets my soul, eases my mind and I’m able to think more clearly. It’s a place of peace for me.
The natural elements are within all things and all things in nature create balance. The intricate interplay of forests. The interconnectedness of everything in the web of life. The co-creation we have with spirit. This all makes perfect sense to me.
I have allowed nature’s wisdom to guide me as I’ve taken this journey to becoming a green witch.
You Becoming a Green Witch – Finding What Works
If you’re considering this path, know this: You don’t have to do it exactly the same way as anyone else. Just as I found my way, you will find yours too. Remain open and allow the path to reveal itself to you.
You might choose to work with deities. You might not. You might want to practice your craft as a religion. You might not. You might like working with a group. You might not. Your ideas about things may change over time. Allow that. There’s no one right way. Every day is new opportunity to learn. Embrace that aspect of this journey to becoming a green witch.
For me, my path has evolved as I’ve learned and grown since beginning my witchcraft journey in 1995. In my practice, I embrace elements of witchcraft, animism, shamanism and even a couple of remnants from my traditional mainstream religion upbringing. The point is you are free to choose.
I encourage all of my students to always make their practice their own and that is really the best advice I can give anyone about becoming a green witch (or any other type of witch, because after all, we’re all witches).
If I had one more piece of wisdom to share, it would be this: What you need most, will come to you. Be open to it when it appears. Now you might be skeptical about this, but I guarantee you’ll be amazed at how this works.
That’s exactly how the right book ended up with me at the right time.
Closing Thoughts on Becoming a Green Witch
With age, I’ve become increasingly aware of the cycles, rhythms, timing and meanings of everything in the natural world.
I always keep nature at the center of my practice. Feeling the shifts, the alignment and the deep reverence I hold for nature and all of her beings. Honoring that through observation, ritual, reciprocity and connection.
What I didn’t expect when I began this journey of becoming a green witch in 1995 was that it would help me figure out my true self. That’s a story for another day.
If you’re ready to dive into living a magickal life, then I invite you to check out Ravynwlde – A Sacred Year Journey for the Solitary Green Witch.
Blessed Be.
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Ravynwylde – A Sacred Year Journey for the Solitary Green Witch
