In my latest Witchy Update, I asked readers "What makes you a witch?" Your answers varied from the supremely practical - as BlackSerpent Nightshade put it, "My 'church' can be anywhere I like ... outside, inside, at my home or someone else's. I can pray in the shower, in bed, at work, alone, with others, during the day, at night ... whenever I like" - to the utterly poetic. Here I have to share the words of Aurora Jet with you: "To be a Witch is to worship the Goddess, in all Her forms and ways, and to follow the Craft of the Wise. This can manifest in my awe of a misty orange-pink dawn, a blustery storm, the trembling of an earthquake, the tides of the sea, the stones that speak. It can be the hummingbird hovering just six inches away from my nose, its tiny black-bead eyes gazing directly into mine. It can be the raven flying over head, 'cawing' a greeting. It can be the grizzly she-bear who follows me in my dreams. It can be the ability to perform a spell and see it come to fruition. It is power, tempered with wisdom and compassion. It is remaining calm when dealing with those who may be difficult. It is trust in the face of adversity. It even prompted me to write poetry again, a way of expressing myself in spells, chants, or my inner voice."

Most respondents in some way had always felt deep inside that they were witches, whether they knew what that was at the time or not. This sometimes manifested as a sense of being different; Laura says, "I was more attuned to nature than others and recognized an inner 'gut feeling' that guided me in everything I did. I always felt that my higher power was female and a goddess, not a god." For many of us, it just took time to recognize what this different feeling was. Phoenx writes, "My answer is, the knowing...even when I don't want to.ÝIt had been suppressedÝfor so long, butÝone day I couldn't hide from who I was anymore."

Other times this feeling was simply one of not being able to connect with traditional religions and searching for something more. Venessa remembers "even as a small child being fascinated with the living planet and having a great deal of difficulty understanding (at 5 years old) the concept of a Christian god. After all, don't both parents nurture and protect?" And BlackSerpent Nightshade wrote, "I have contemplated many religions in my area and none of them seem to 'fit' me. I saw a lot of talk and not many wanting to follow what they were preaching. For me, that wasn't what I wanted to do. I was a baptized Christian, and maybe somewhere else there is a better ... connected church, but here there is not. And I didn't fit in really. [...] When I was at my lowest times, these places weren't there for me...I was alone spiritually."

Another thing you'll notice about the responses is that witchcraft really leads us to want to be good people, which should be the bottom line in any pursuit of spirituality! This includes acting ethically with other people and with the environment. Laura shares: "I recycled when I was a child in the 50's and still do. I pick up garbage on the beach or in natural surroundings in order to bring nature's bounty into balance. I have always been aware of the harm we do to our environment and I have always - always - tried to do no harm to anyone or anything. It is as if Mother Nature herself asks me to tidy her up. I sense her at all times in my life. [...] I have recently changed my buying habits after shutting off my TV for over a year while I returned to school to get my bachelor's degree. I buy natural foods and respect the power and the symbiosis of mind and body. I strongly respect and am grateful for the blessings that Mother Earth has given me in particular. I care for myself now. I am in better health than I was in my 20's, 30's & 40's. Turning off the TV has made me more aware of the loud noise and the psychic influence of marketers in American society. I am no longer easily influenced and am actually quite ashamed of being manipulated by mass media and advertising for so many years. I believe that being a pagan and a witch has created a higher ethical standard in my life than in other people. It is a question of devotion, love, and respect for all living creations."

And she's not alone. BlackSerpent Nightshade writes, "I acknowledge the animals that live on the Earth as my brothers and sisters now, and not just as creatures that humans can move wherever they want whenever they want. I feel the pain the Earth goes through as we continue to destroy the gift she has given us ... a place to live ... that we carelessly throw away. I try to recycle whatever I can and not buy things in aerosol form. I try to do things every day that helps someone else, without expecting something in return ... treating others as I would like to be treated."

Being a witch is really a full-time job, not just something to drag out of the closet at Halloween. Heather writes, "I am a Celtic earth witch 7 days a week 24 hours a day and EVERYTHING I do is why, how, what and because of it!" BlackSerpent agrees: "I don't just try to practice rituals and celebrate the Sabbats ... I try to live being a Pagan. Let it seep into every part of my life, every part of my day and night so that it is my life that is lived Pagan, and I am not called it just as a term to be called."

And one reader, Josephine, reminded us all of a key factor in being a witch: tolerance. "Part of being a witch is to understand and accept that others will have their own beliefs.Ý Not just other witches, but the Christians, Judeo, Muslim, Native American, Buddhists.Ý None of us is wrong, we simply have different beliefs.Ý We ask for understanding, but first we must understand, tolerance begets tolerance and so forth.Ý So let's celebrate each other's differences!Ý [...] While saluting our flag the words may be 'In god we trust.' I can think 'Goddess' to myself, while acknowledging and respecting that this country was indeed based on Christian values.Ý We can attend a Christian (or whatever) church service and respect those who believe--we are their guests in their church.Ý I would not miss a dear friend's wedding or funeral because there would be a service from a different faith.Ý And I even proved a point recently at a friend's mother's funeral--witches do not melt when splashed with holy water.Ý Just a thought from this old crone."

Well said, Josephine.

You'll find below an excerpt from our new book, Witch in the Bedroom, which further enhances the way you bring your spirituality into your attitudes and beliefs about relationships so you can find one that truly works for you. Then more summertime love and pleasure follows in an article by Stephanie Rose Bird. Don't forget that a great way to be pagan everyday is by getting together with the community, so in the links section you'll find a few links to group and festival calendars. Get out there and have some fun this summer!