Monthly Columns,  Reviews

Witch Hunt

 

There are witches all around us. You can find them anywhere…

The Witch on Wheels has been documenting her findings.

 

Meet Sinix O’Dair

 

I met Denis years ago at a pagan discussion group for LGBTQ genuinely kind – kind enough to help this “grandwitch” with computer problems and not to laugh at the shocked look I gave him upon learning he does not cleanse magical items that come into his possession, but rather works with the energy they possess. Be it rhyming a blessing or renovating a multi-family home, he relishes a challenge and his accomplishments never cease to amaze.

1. Do you have a magical name you’re willing to share?

Sinix O’Dair. The first name represents the duality of the masculine and feminine energies that I exhibit with the double “I’s” and its gender neutrality. The last name is a tribute to my Irish heritage. The surname O’Dare ceased in centuries past, so I chose to revive it, but with an altered spelling. Dair is the Irish name of the seventh letter in the Ogham alphabet, meaning “Oak,” which is my family’s chosen tree.

 

2. In what state do you reside?
Connecticut

 

3. How do you make your living?
I am a retired real estate investor, with a vested interest in Rockville, CT. I have a personal aspiration of revitalizing a once prosperous mill town, which has absolutely stunning late 18th century homes, but has since falling into despair following the 13 mill closures. I purchase the most disheveled properties, renovate them, and then lease them out, hoping to change the direction of the town for the better.

 

4. Are you out of the closet? / Have you felt threatened?
I’ve been out of the closet since I was 16, both as a genderfluid LGBTQ individual and as a Witch – the closet just wasn’t large enough for everything I kept in there.

 

5. When did you first know you were a witch? How long have you been practicing?
I started practicing when I was around 6 years old, though I wouldn’t put an official name to it until many years later. I grew up with the ability of clairsentience, so while I was never formally taught about witchcraft, I innately understood what to do.

 

6. How do you define your practice? Do you follow a specific tradition?
I would define myself as an Atheist Witch. I don’t incorporate any deities or divine energies into my practice, but I do recognize the underlying energies that weave the fabric of our universe together. I always seek a scientific, rather than divine, explanation to the effects of magick. I believe that our conscious thought has the ability to alter the universe on a quantum level and manipulate chance.

 

7. What one object must be on your altar for it to be an altar?
I seldom have an altar set up, but I suppose a large handcrafted wooden box of sorts is usually at the center, surrounded by my handmade candles.

 

8. Do you have a daily practice?
I have a very chaotic nature, doing my magick and rituals spontaneously, and thus do not follow any rigid structures.

 

9. How do you respond when someone asks, “Are you a good witch or a bad witch?”
I know my way around a curse or two, and you should probably know Scorpios hold grudges indefinitely. I always try to defuse situations and put good will out into the universe, but if its warranted, nothing is off the table.

 

10. Do you have a familiar?
I had a familiar that I was bound to for 7 years, but who passed when I was 13. I came from a very abusive household, and he was my guiding light through my elementary years when I had nobody to rely on.

 

11. What gifts, skills or powers do you share?
As I mentioned, I have the gift of clairsentience – the ability to just know. I have been IQ tested on three separate occasions and have fallen within the 99th percentile. I routinely purchase distressed foreclosed homes and forgo inspections, because I instinctively already know they will be good investments. I attribute my very rapid and repeated success in the real estate industry to this ability.

 

12. What was your most magical experience?
On the anniversary of my familiar’s passing, I engaged in a 12-hour meditative trance in his honor. It was one of the most psychedelic and incredible experiences I have ever had. I have been told that my experience is akin to a DMT trip.

 

13. What is your favorite:

Sabbat: Samhain
Element: Water
Gemstone: Obsidian
Fictional Witch: Maleficent (especially the new adaptation)
Piece of Wisdom: “Those who never try, never fail. But those who never fail, never learn.” – Sinix O’Dair

 

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About the Author:

Lynn Woike

thewitchonwheels.com

All my life I have known magic was real. As a child, I played with the fae, established relationships with trees and “just knew things.” In my maiden years I discovered witchcraft and dabbled in the black-candles-and-cemeteries-at-midnight-on-a-fullmoon magick just enough to realize I did not understand its power. I went on to explore many practices including Zen, astrology, color therapy, native traditions, tarot, herbs, candle magic, gems, and, as I moved into my mother years, Buddhism, the Kabbalah and Reiki. The first man I dated after my divorce was a witch who reintroduced me to the Craft, this time by way of the Goddess. For 11 years I was in a coven, but with retirement, I have returned to an eclectic solitary practice. When accepting the mantle of crone, I pledged to serve and teach. This is what I do from my skoolie – a 30-year-old school bus converted into a tiny house on wheels that I am driving around the country, following 72-degree weather, emerging myself into nature, and sharing magic with those I meet. Find me at thewitchonwheels.com, Facebook and Instagram.