Azhdaya's Laire

As my first  Blog Entry,  I thought I would start by introducing myself & telling you a bit about how I got here,  re-iterating what I wrote on my  Home Page & About Me ~

As I mentioned on the Home Page, my name is Azhdaya Ravenwolf and I am an "Apprenticing Priestess."

To tell you a bit about myself and how I came to be an "Apprenticing Priestess" I suppose I have to go back to my childhood, being raised as a Catholic Christian . . . My Mother forced me to go to Church every Sunday and, as I sat there listening to the Priest, the Message I kept hearing over & over every week was that: Females were made from Men & for Men and were far inferior to Males and, therefore, unworthy & forbidden "by God" to serve as "Priestesses" in the Christian Church!

. . . Well, as as girl (being Female as I was), that didn't sit with me very well ~ not to mention that it just never rang True ("True" is capitalized here on purpose, as it refers to the Real Truth ~ the real "Gods Truth") . . . There was just something not right there and, even as a young child, I absolutely knew it!!!

So, as I got into my Teens and really started to discover who I was, as much a I loved my Mother (and still do and always will), it just became more & more difficult each week to continue going to Church and sit there and subject myself to that kind of repeated, continuous abuse & violation of my True Self & Being! . . . And I finally stopped going ~ much to my Mother's heartbreak, according to her (although, she has since ~ finally ~ begun to see the vast disparity between what her Church & Religion is suppsed to stand for and what it is actually saying & doing and has, herself, stopped going)!

Anyway, as I continued into my Teens and my Self-discovery & development, I came upon a Book at a Bookstore I was in with my Brother one day ~ It was called: "To Ride a Silver Broomstick" . . . Until then, any books I came acroos on or about "Witchcraft" always seemed to be dark (black and/or red) with ominous-looking Pentagrams or pictures of Goat Heads on them. And reading through them, it was obvious that the author was a "Satanist" and the content didn't make any more sense to me, or ring True, than the sermons I remembered at Church every Sunday! And these type of Books were always in a section called: The Occult, which in itself seemed to have an ominous quality!

. . . I had been desperately searching for something that did ring True to me & would help bring real Meaning & Purpose to my Life ~ Not realizing it at the time, I was in actuality searching for the Truth (the True Truth) ~ as, I suppose, we ALL are! . . . And suddenly here was this, not dark and scary-looking book on Wytchcraft, but a lovely Purple-colored cover with a Beautiful Woman on a Broom ~ and the section it was in was called: "New Age" (which definitely did not sould as ominous as "The Occult"! . . . As I opened it and started reading, I actually got chills as I suddenly got this overwhelming feeling of excitement & elation ~ In the deepest part of my Self and my Soul/Being I felt with ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY that I was in the presence of TRUTH!!!

. . . I still know this without a shred of doubt because I begin to Cry as I speak of it ~ as I am doing right now . . . I've always found this to be the case whenever I hear something that is from the True Source (God, Goddess, The Universe, The Force . . . whatever you want to call it)!

So, that pretty much brings us to where I am today ~ and how I got here! . . . I've been studying "The Craft" in all its various forms & Traditions ever since ~ let's see, oh over 20 years off & on ~ But, I never really gave it the real Time & Dedication it deserved & required in order to become a full-fledged "Priestess" . . . Until now! They say: When the Student is ready the Teacher will come ~ In my case, I finally realized that sometimes the "Teacher" does not necessarily come in the form of another person, but perhaps it is more of a case of knowing when the Time was right ~ and the "Teacher" is myself! . . . Hence this Web-Site ~ I've always had a bit of a problem with keeping myself on-track & disciplined enough to follow-through with things . . . So, I thought perhaps, if I created a place where I can sort of keep all my "Lessons" & Information/Resources I've collected and am working on ~ and if I make it a place where I can work with others who are doing the same thing, maybe I'll be more successful at stayng on track and finally be worthy of the status of "Priestess"!

As a first step and , as is the Tradition in Earth & Natural Magick, I have taken my "Magyckal Name" from a combination of the various Totem or Spirit Animals who Guide me . . . Azhdaya is a Serbo-Croatian word for Dragon (Honouring my Homeland & Heritage). The Dragon's Medicine (or Gift) is Cosmic Wisdom (She teaches us to tread gently on the Earth and to Respect ALL Life); The Wolf's Gift is Protection & Loyalty; and the Raven's is Cleverness & Cunning . . . Each has something to teach me and I am very greatful & honoured to embrace their Gifts & to Share them!

I look forward to meeting you and to  Learning together & Sharing our Knowledge of:  Native, Natural & Earth Magick & Religions (aka: Wicca, Witchcraft, Wytchcraft, The Craft, Etc. ~ and including all the various Native Traditions, such as Celtic, Native American, Aboriginal, Etc.)!

PLEASE FEEL FREE to ADD to this BLOG & SHARE ANY/ALL INFORMATION YOU'D LIKE!  : )

Blessed Be ~