“No matter where you want to go, as long as you follow your path with faith, dedication and hard work, you are going to get there.” — Russell Simmons
My older daughter Munchkin has been asking me for two years to go to “Witch School”; why exactly she thinks that’s a place or a thing, I don’t know. She will be turning 7 years old this summer and her reading made amazing strides this year, and we’re lucky enough that a Pagan partner can stay with her during summer break so we don’t have to put her in summer camps. (This was a huge concern of mine when I went back to working out of the home late last year; three months of having to find and pay ridiculous amounts for childcare is something we haven’t had to tackle yet.)
So, my partner agreed that he could teach her, and I set to work designing a curriculum. And because I’m me, it is a super-organized curriculum packed full of lessons, activities, outings, etc. We are all really excited about it and I think she’s going to have a phenomenal time.
I told her if she was serious about learning to become a witch, we would do a dedication ritual for her to start her down the path with blessings and protection. We talked about her thinking on and creating an offering she could make (my little artist made some paintings), and about ethics and consent. We let her pick out whatever special thing she wanted to wear, and we dressed up in ritual clothes.
The Pagan members of the Pod joined in, as well as her Goddess Mother, and it was beautiful. She took it very seriously, and we tried to make it a big deal for her. She got her own pentacle necklace and a wooden latching box that will be her altar; she’ll be decorating it and filling it with tools and supplies she’s going to find and make all summer. Her Goddess Mother also gave her a goddess-shaped offering bowl – the first special object to put in her box. Mama’s so proud of her little witching!
Living My Life Out Loud 