{"id":22887,"date":"2020-09-01T01:10:15","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T05:10:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/?p=22887"},"modified":"2020-08-24T19:46:56","modified_gmt":"2020-08-24T23:46:56","slug":"couple-begins-a-wiccan-tradition-simply-wicca-a-beginners-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2020\/09\/01\/couple-begins-a-wiccan-tradition-simply-wicca-a-beginners-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Couple Begins a Wiccan Tradition, a Church and Projects to Preserve Both An Interview with Lisa Stewart, author of \u2018Simply Wicca: A Beginner\u2019s Guide to the Craft of the Wise\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

An Interview with Lisa Stewart, author of \u2018Simply <\/span>Wicca: A Beginner\u2019s Guide to the Craft of the Wise\u2019<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

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As young as four, Lisa Stewart began having paranormal experiences.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI set them aside while going through school because I didn\u2019t want to be so different,\u201d she said in a phone interview. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In 1989 she came to The Craft of the Wise and began identifying as a witch. Nine years later, she met her husband online. He was living in England.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe f<\/span><\/span><\/span>irst thing I asked him for was his birth information so I could run a natal chart. We had sixty-four compatibilities, so I thought, \u2018I think I like this guy.\u2019 \u2026 He was a recovering Christian \u2026 looking for spirituality. He was reading \u2018Conversations with God.\u2019 We wrote back and forth for two months and the first time we spoke on the phone it was an eight-hour conversation. The next month he came to visit me and we\u2019ve been together ever since. That was 1998. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a custom software developer \u2026 working for an offshore bank and he also trained geeks for Apple, but he gave up all that to become a hippie and wear tie dye and grow a beard and work at the Awareness Shop with me. We\u2019re together 24\/7.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In October they will celebrate their twentieth anniversary.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As high priestess and high priest,<\/span><\/span> Lisa and Anton Stewart founded <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>The Church of the Eternal Circle<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span>, New York\u2019s first federally recognized Celtic Wiccan Fellowship. It\u2019s <\/span><\/span>steeped in the Welsh Mysteries, and honors the Celtic Lunar Zodiac. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The couple also teaches \u201cComing Home to the Craft of the Wise,\u201d a<\/span><\/span> twelve-month class for those who seek to follow the <\/span><\/span>Stewart Tradition<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>The Craft of the Wise is the title we use for Wicca,\u201d Lisa said. \u201cWe follow a Welsh-Celtic pantheon and we teach using only those deities. You don\u2019t have to be of that blood, but if you\u2019re going to be part of our tradition, you would only follow a Welsh-Celtic pantheon.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Twenty-seven years ago, Lisa opened the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Awareness Shop<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span> on the ground floor of an old Victorian house <\/span><\/span>on Main Street in New Paltz, New York. The 1,500-square-foot store is filled with about $300,000 in merchandise, including more than a thousand tarot decks and goods to meet a large variety of needs.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have one hundred and twenty different votive candles,\u201d Lisa said. \u201cMy husband hand-pours them in batches of twenty. The color and the formulary are chosen by us to match the correspondences of that candle\u2019s intention. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Then we charge them. For instance, if we were going to make a Jupiter candle, we would use the colors and scents and energies that correspond to Jupiter. \u2026 We have all the sabbats, then we have new moon, full moon, altar, spirit, the elements, the elementals, the planets, the zodiac signs, the chakras. We also have intentions like love, money, protection, healing \u2013 the whole gambit. And then there\u2019s ones like power and positive energy and problem solving you could put along with another one. If you wanted to fix communication in a relationship, you might take \u2018Love\u2019 or \u2018One Love,\u2019 \u2018Mercury,\u2019 and \u2018Problem Solving\u2019 and burn those together in a spell.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Circles are held outdoors on the property on which an old barn was converted to house their <\/span><\/span>Church of the Eternal Circle<\/span><\/span>. Every Friday night there is a ritual or a rite. Tree lunations and Western astrology are both celebrated. About forty people generally attend.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As self-confessed Preservers of the Path, t<\/span><\/span>he couple is devoting their lives to preserving The Craft of the Wise and the planet.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Both being witches and accomplished musicians, Lisa and Anton wrote, arranged, performed, and recorded \u201cCircle in a Box\u201d to serve as the soundtrack for a complete Wiccan ritual. Songs run from \u201cConsecration: As Above, So Below\u201d to \u201cMerry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet Again.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As more individuals have entered the tradition, more space became needed.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re working on a project called Celtica where our church is trying to buy the last remaining farm in the village of New Paltz, [New York]. It is located on Huguenot Street,\u201d which The New York Times declared \u2018the oldest street in the nation\u2019 in 1970. The village was settled in 1678 by the French Huguenots \u2013 direct descendants of the Gauls, one of the Celtic Tribes of Iron Age Europe.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to preserve a one-hundred-acre farm, grow organic food, grow all the sacred trees, and raise bees,\u201d Lisa said. \u201cThere\u2019ll be a museum for the Craft. They\u2019ll be an actual craft center where you can come and make your own athame and make your own chalice. There\u2019ll be a great hall where we can have celebrations and <\/span><\/span><\/span>chairing<\/span><\/span> of the bard and all of the things that go along with our tradition.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe church is trying to buy this property because once we leave the planet, we want our tradition to have a sacred place to live. There\u2019s also a burial ground there where we are going to try to establish green burials. We need to raise a ton of money. We\u2019re looking for donations.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to working to preserve property, the couple wrote a book to preserve an introduction to their tradition. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cEven though its name is \u2018Simply Wicca,\u2019 it\u2019s written very clearly and concisely. It is really is not a beginner\u2019s book. There are layers and layers of things in there. One of the things we always say is, \u2018You see from where you\u2019re standing.\u2019<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are Wiccan. We are witches. But our Craft is The Craft of the Wise. When you say witchcraft, people get very confused because you can have Christian witches, you can have Strega, you can have all kinds of witches, all kinds of people doing witchcraft. The Craft of the Wise is a title that belongs to Wicca.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The book guides readers through the basic practices and principles go this tradition including the elements, the sabbats, and how astrology can add power to magickal workings. Readers can strengthen their connection to deities and spirits, learn to construct at altar, and use magickal tools. Examples, exercises, and clear step-by-step instructions make it a useful resource. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
\nSimply Wicca: A Beginner’s Guide to the Craft of the Wise on Amazon<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n

***<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Lynn Woike<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

thewitchonwheels.com<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

All my life I have known magic was real. As a child, I played with the fae, established relationships with trees and \u201cjust knew things.\u201d 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 \u2013 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 <\/span><\/span><\/span>thewitchonwheels.com<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, Facebook and Instagram.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An Interview with Lisa Stewart, author of \u2018Simply Wicca: A Beginner\u2019s Guide to the Craft of the Wise\u2019     As young as four, Lisa Stewart began having paranormal experiences. \u201cI set them aside while going through school because I didn\u2019t want to be so different,\u201d she said in a phone interview. In 1989 she came to The Craft of the Wise and began identifying as a witch. Nine years later, she met her husband online. He was living in England. \u201cThe first thing I asked him for was his birth information so I could run a natal chart. We had sixty-four compatibilities, so I thought, \u2018I think I like this guy.\u2019 \u2026 He was a recovering Christian \u2026 looking for spirituality. He was reading \u2018Conversations with God.\u2019 We wrote back and forth for two months and the first time we spoke on the phone it was an eight-hour conversation. The next month he came to visit me and we\u2019ve been together ever since. That was 1998.     \u201cHe\u2019s a custom software developer \u2026 working for an offshore bank and he also trained geeks for Apple, but he gave up all that to become a hippie and wear tie dye and grow a beard and work at the Awareness Shop with me. We\u2019re together 24\/7.\u201d In October they will celebrate their twentieth anniversary.     As high priestess and high priest, Lisa and Anton Stewart founded The Church of the Eternal Circle, New York\u2019s first federally recognized Celtic Wiccan Fellowship. It\u2019s steeped in the Welsh Mysteries, and honors the Celtic Lunar Zodiac. The couple also teaches \u201cComing Home to the Craft of the Wise,\u201d a twelve-month class for those who seek to follow the Stewart Tradition. \u201cThe Craft of the Wise is the title we use for Wicca,\u201d Lisa said. \u201cWe follow a Welsh-Celtic pantheon and we teach using only those deities. You don\u2019t have to be of that blood, but if you\u2019re going to be part of our tradition, you would only follow a Welsh-Celtic pantheon.\u201d     Twenty-seven years ago, Lisa opened the Awareness Shop on the ground floor of an old Victorian house on Main Street in New Paltz, New York. The 1,500-square-foot store is filled with about $300,000 in merchandise, including more than a thousand tarot decks and goods to meet a large variety of needs. \u201cWe have one hundred and twenty different votive candles,\u201d Lisa said. \u201cMy husband hand-pours them in batches of twenty. The color and the formulary are chosen by us to match the correspondences of that candle\u2019s intention. Then we charge them. For instance, if we were going to make a Jupiter candle, we would use the colors and scents and energies that correspond to Jupiter. \u2026 We have all the sabbats, then we have new moon, full moon, altar, spirit, the elements, the elementals, the planets, the zodiac signs, the chakras. We also have intentions like love, money, protection, healing \u2013 the whole gambit. And then there\u2019s ones like power and positive energy and problem solving you could put along with another one. If you wanted to fix communication in a relationship, you might take \u2018Love\u2019 or \u2018One Love,\u2019 \u2018Mercury,\u2019 and \u2018Problem Solving\u2019 and burn those together in a spell.\u201d Circles are held outdoors on the property on which an old barn was converted to house their Church of the Eternal Circle. Every Friday night there is a ritual or a rite. Tree lunations and Western astrology are both celebrated. About forty people generally attend. As self-confessed Preservers of the Path, the couple is devoting their lives to preserving The Craft of the Wise and the planet. Both being witches and accomplished musicians, Lisa and Anton wrote, arranged, performed, and recorded \u201cCircle in a Box\u201d to serve as the soundtrack for a complete Wiccan ritual. Songs run from \u201cConsecration: As Above, So Below\u201d to \u201cMerry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet Again.\u201d As more individuals have entered the tradition, more space became needed. \u201cWe\u2019re working on a project called Celtica where our church is trying to buy the last remaining farm in the village of New Paltz, [New York]. It is located on Huguenot Street,\u201d which The New York Times declared \u2018the oldest street in the nation\u2019 in 1970. The village was settled in 1678 by the French Huguenots \u2013 direct descendants of the Gauls, one of the Celtic Tribes of Iron Age Europe. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to preserve a one-hundred-acre farm, grow organic food, grow all the sacred trees, and raise bees,\u201d Lisa said. \u201cThere\u2019ll be a museum for the Craft. They\u2019ll be an actual craft center where you can come and make your own athame and make your own chalice. There\u2019ll be a great hall where we can have celebrations and chairing of the bard and all of the things that go along with our tradition.     \u201cThe church is trying to buy this property because once we leave the planet, we want our tradition to have a sacred place to live. There\u2019s also a burial ground there where we are going to try to establish green burials. We need to raise a ton of money. We\u2019re looking for donations.\u201d In addition to working to preserve property, the couple wrote a book to preserve an introduction to their tradition.     \u201cEven though its name is \u2018Simply Wicca,\u2019 it\u2019s written very clearly and concisely. It is really is not a beginner\u2019s book. There are layers and layers of things in there. One of the things we always say is, \u2018You see from where you\u2019re standing.\u2019 \u201cWe are Wiccan. We are witches. But our Craft is The Craft of the Wise. When you say witchcraft, people get very confused because you can have Christian witches, you can have Strega, you can have all kinds of witches, all kinds of people doing witchcraft. The Craft of the Wise is a title that belongs to Wicca.\u201d The book guides readers through the basic practices and principles go this tradition including the elements, the sabbats, and how astrology can add power to magickal workings. Readers can strengthen their connection to deities and spirits, learn to construct at altar, and use magickal tools. Examples, exercises, and clear step-by-step instructions make it a useful resource. Simply Wicca: A Beginner’s Guide to the Craft of the Wise on Amazon *** 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 \u201cjust knew things.\u201d 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 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":210,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10005],"tags":[10524,10346,10820,10472,12289,11459,10299,10322,12284,12288,11245,12285,12287,12290,11448,12286,10675],"class_list":["post-22887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-a","tag-author","tag-beginners","tag-celtic","tag-celtic-wiccan-fellowship","tag-craft","tag-guide","tag-interview","tag-lisa-stewart","tag-new-york","tag-of-the","tag-simply","tag-the-church-of-the-eternal-circle","tag-welsh","tag-wicca","tag-wise","tag-with"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/210"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22887"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22887\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22972,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22887\/revisions\/22972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}