Moon Child

A lot of people ask me what I stand for, where is my faith at, this usually happens immediately after they find out that I'm not Christian, Lutheran, Catholic, or Baptist or anything like that. I tell them that I have a different kind of belief. A belief most would find silly or some form of devil-worshipping.

I can't really define my faith or religion as one thing. It doesn't really fit under any specific category. So when people ask me what faith I am, I opt for Pagan. When people hear that, they get intrigued and then ask, "Oh, are you Wiccan or something?"

I hesitate with my response because I do believe in certain Wiccan ideals and practices, I have participated in Wiccan rituals but I wouldn't say that I'm Wiccan. I try to call myself a Shaman but I feel like that isn't right either. To be completely honest , I'm not entirely sure what my religion would be called other than Pagan. I believe in more than one God (or Goddess) but I also believe that nature has strong power in and of itself. I treasure nature, I feel most spiritual when I'm out in nature, although sometimes I scare myself because I'm from a city and not used to all the noises nature or countryside has to offer but I still love nature dearly.

Nature has a special place in my heart but there's one more thing that has a special place in my heart - this may sound silly but here goes - the Moon. I've gotten in the habit of calling the Moon, Mother Moon. I don't recall exactly when it started but it comes out naturally. I'm very into New Age things - like essential oils, salt rocks, crystals that are supposed to help you in one way or another, chakra stones - and that kind of puts me under the Wicca category but I don't know all the Gods and Goddesses of Wicca and I don't know all the rituals.

When it comes to spirituality, I just do what comes naturally to me which usually involves me isolating me outside somewhere at night with the light of the Full Moon on me, communing with the elements. I believe that nature holds a power, a spiritual power, that not all humans can feel or understand.

I absolutely love my essential oils - organic of course - that come from nature and I believe strongly in the effects or benefits that come from them.

I use a lot of herbs - such as sage, rosemary, patchouli, etc. - for remedies for many things. Sickness, Anxiety, Anger, Panic, Stress, Success, etc.

You can ask my boyfriend, he'll tell you how strongly it is that I believe in the power of oils, he gets fed up with it. I use oils because each type of oil has a benefit that you can gain from it, whether it be aromatic, topical, or ingested. Of course, there are certain oils that are specifically topical and some that are specifically aromatic but they are all still useful. I guess to me, oils help promote a type of wellness because of the naturistic origin.

Back to Mother Moon, I have always felt safe and comfortable when I bask in the light of the full moon, I know that the moon is not some magical thing but I feel like the light it gives off is magical. It can heal if you let it in. I feel that Mother Moon is always watching us, she's always looking after us and when we get hurt, she's there to help us lick our wounds.

There have been many studies done on the light of the moon that point to a type of mental or emotional healing. Maybe it's just the kind of light it gives off or maybe there is someone residing or ruling over it that helps us. All I truly know is how it feels to bask under Mother Moons light, I feel bliss, I feel happiness, I feel certainty, my heart flutters as the light of the moon bounces off my skin.

I'd always had this type of reaction to the full moon or the light of the moon, I was always slightly distraught if I could not see the moon at night. Ever since I was a little girl. I was curious about the moon and the nature that it illuminated. I feel like I'm home if I'm surrounded by nature.

Big cities have always made me feel uncomfortable, for example, I can't stand being in Chicago, Illinois, it makes me a nervous wreck. It's so loud, so big, so strange and unnatural to me. There are too many of mans' creations there. Too many roads, too many cars, too many buildings. My hometown wasn't too much better, yes it was smaller but there were still too many buildings and cars.

When I was a little girl, my mother, sister & I used to go camping - almost regularly. It was just something we did. When we went camping, after we set up, I loved laying under the stars at night and staring up at the sky with a fire going. I hated the raccoons, they always tried stealing our food and clothes, but I loved the trees, the grass under me, the sky above me. No big buildings, no noisy cars. The last time I went camping was exciting, it was my first time experiencing a true river. Rocks at the bottom, the current almost forcing me to go with it, it was scary but exciting.

When I think of my happy place - I usually get an image of me beside a gurgling river, sand and rocks at my feet, trees behind me, maybe a waterfall - although I've only seen a waterfall once or twice in my life and they were little ones - near the trees there was nice green luscious grass. I always imagine the sun shining down on me. No sounds except for the river and the animals around me. The wind blowing lightly.

Not only does this place make me feel happy, it makes me feel powerful, it makes me feel strong, it makes me feel like I'm where I belong. I feel as though I'm soaking up the essence of the trees, the water, the Earth, I'm feeling the energy and power of the nature around me.

That is where I find my faith, that is my place of worship. Away from the city, away from the roads, away from the noise. There are many other Gods and Goddesses in this belief but I haven't been allowed to truly meet them yet. I feel like Mother Moon has opened her arms and allowed me to feel her presence, the others are hesitant. So I guess at the end of the day, I am simply a Moon Child.