The Path of the Christian Witch by Adelina St. Clair (A Book Review)

This book was not what I assumed it was going to be. Upon first researching what books were out there for Christian Witches and especially that specifically of Christopagans this was a book that kept being recommended in many forums and groups. Upon reading the introduction you find that this book is more of someone's diary rather than a book made for many to connect with. This was a slight letdown for me, but from starting at page one I decided that I was somehow going to push through it and make my way to the end.

Quickly upon reading the book you find that Adelina is a Catholic. This may present her story being a lot different than the one that you or I may have. I grew up Methodist and still hold true to that even today. Just like Adelina stated within the first few pages of the book "it was a series of random steps" as to how she came upon the path that she is currently on. For me, Covid hit and I was looking for something that would spark joy within my soul. Now, I find peace within learning about other religions and forms of witchcraft. This is a theme that rings true for the author as well.

By third grade Adelina was attending a catholic school and doing rituals every morning (Assembly as they called it). They were singing songs, reciting Bible verses, and chanting prayers. She states that on the daily she was praying with God, Jesus, and Mary. It was during this time where she started having dreams of Jesus carrying his cross up to the mountain where he was later hung. She states that she saw her and her friends praying harder and harder as Romans came by and laughed. She states that during this time she was pulling closer and closer to her religion until she left that school. Once that happened, she felt as if she had lost a part of herself.

Living in Montreal and having different views than that of America set the book apart from the norm here. However, some of the things discussed were of great value to anyone who reads the book. The author talks about her experience with love. At 19 she found someone she loved only to be told by her father that it was not love. That she was not to be seeing him and needed to focus on her school work. College was a time she needed to be doing her work since microbiology and immunology were two subjects that were going to require a lot of her.

Her first delving's with witchcraft had to do with reading some books that her father owned. It had to do with aura and learning about it. She states that people have different auras or colors that radiate off of them. She said that in reading those books she learned to open her mind and look at the world in a whole light. Books became her window to the world just like they have done for many people. Through this love of books, she found her way to the library where she found books on the subjects of Christianity, African females, priests, and just weeks after exams she found a book on Wicca and what it meant to become a witch. This set her soul on fire and made her want to look into it more. This is the simplicity of how many (including myself) have come to know these ancient witch religions. Just a simple search or a walk through the library can set someone's soul ablaze about almost any subject.

Adelina's journey saw her now at this point pulling herself into a Pagan classroom. She said that the reason most were there was because they saw Christianity as a patriarchy or cult if you will. She said that women weren't liking the place they had been given by the church or the sexual tensions they had been taught to believe. She kept quiet about being a Christian because she didn't want to have to debate the separation of politics and state and she also didn't want to have to explain the manual churches used many years ago about how to investigate a witch up until the point of death.

Although my church has never once said that a woman should submit to her husband, they do state that a woman should cling unto her husband. This for me means something much different than being a submissive to your husband. It means that you should rely on him in times of happiness and in times of grief. For me personally when searching about witches I was finding that Pagan traditions were being stolen by the church. Stealing is one of the ten commandments that you shouldn't do. If a church and a religion would be so open to stealing then wouldn't it be right for me to steal some of those long-forgotten traditions back? I thought so.

If you have not read my book review on Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller then you might want to stop reading here and head over to that one. In this pivotal moment of the book Adelina St. Clair said something similar to that of Donald Miller. She felt like she was not having to apologize for the history of Christians taking religions from others. However, she felt that she had to apologize for the wrong teachings the church has been stating over the past few years that did end up hurting many people. This is exactly what Donald Miller did during the frat party at the nearby college who hated Christians just as much as being sober on a Friday night. This leads me to thinking: if we as Christians aren't apologizing for the past but rather acknowledging it and working to change it does that mean that we have to stay in the same values that the church is often stating people should follow for today? I think not!

Magic and Paganism is all about faith just the same as Christianity, God, the Church, or anything else is. We have to have faith in what we are talking about, putting our hope into, or learning about. This is what the author did when she opened her mind and started letting ideas flow to her. During one of her classes, she had to determine what objects were underneath a cloth just by opening her mind and feeling the energy of the objects. By the end of the class, she was able to tell the background stories for each of the objects under the cloth. This set it in her heart that what she believed was real and that she has faith in her new found Pagan religion.

While practicing our faith we may be closer to magic than one may think. We can sense and feel the divine power of the Holy Spirit working within us. Isn't this the same as feeling an object or another God? Isn't this the exact thing that witches are doing? Witches are those that are connected to the Earth. They are the ones who take charge of their lives by performing rituals during all hours, follow the cycles of the moon and sun, and can gain wisdom from unseen guides. Christians are those that follow the teaching of Christ. It is a simple thing to say yet harder to imagine. Over the years several things have been changed and people have a different view of what they think Christ sees as right. These things stem from the culture, teachings, and political views of the country in which one resides. None of this is wrong or bad. It is just what causes there to be so many branches of Christianity.

Magic and Paganism is all about faith just the same as Christianity, God, the Church, or anything else is. We have to have faith in what we are talking about, putting our hope into, or learning about. This is what the author did when she opened her mind and started letting ideas flow to her. During one of her classes she had to determine what objects were underneath a cloth just by opening her mind and feeling the energy of the objects. By the end of the class she was able to tell the background stories for each of the objects under the cloth. This set it in her heart that what she believed was real and that she has faith in her new found Pagan religion.

While practicing our faith we may be closer to magic than one may think. We can sense and feel the divine power of the Holy Spirit working within us. Isn't this the same as feeling an object or another God? Isn't this the exact thing that witches are doing? Witches are those that are connected to the Earth. They are the ones who take charge of their lives by performing rituals during all hours, follow the cycles of the moon and sun, and can gain wisdom from unseen guides. Christians are those that follow the teaching of Christ. It is a simple thing to say yet harder to imagine. Over the years several things have been changed and people have a different view of what they think Christ sees as right. These things stem from the culture, teachings, and political views of the country in which one resides. None of this is wrong or bad. It is just what causes there to be so many branches of Christianity.

Is it possible to be a monotheistic witch?

Is it possible to be a polytheistic Christian?

These are two questions Adelina is dying to answer.

She states that there are many people of the Bible and other religious books that Christians follow. Isn't this a type of polytheistic religion? Maybe. We learn so many life lessons from these people and hold them high up for what they have done. Some of us even pray to their saints and priests.

Adelina goes on to state that in her thinking she might assume God is a woman. Do we know this for fact? No. But we also can't state a fact that proves God is a father other than the songs we sing or a few passages of the Bible. Jesus himself never saw God while he was on this Earth speaking of him. Who are we to fully throw out the concept that God could possibly be a woman? Due to there not being a genderless word in every language spoken on Earth this is why most have associated God with being that of a male. With God not having a body in the physical sense this means that he couldn't be male or female. However, this doesn't mean that people want to have a genderless God.

During one of her dreams at night Adelina saw herself in a place much like ancient Egypt. She was riding a donkey and dressed in a grey vail. She said that it was during this dream where she finally understood who God was as a whole. She saw a man and a woman underneath a burned bush. The man was bleeding and the woman was taking care of him. She said that this man had a crown of thorns on his head and a robin at his side. It was during this moment she experienced God as a whole. He was light and love. He was happy and compassionate. He was strong willed yet soft and gentle. He was everything a man embodies and everything a woman embodies. This made it easier for Adelina to see God not as a man or a woman but as a couple. Two beings pushed together by the forces of nature.

Pagans and Christians for many years have been centered around each other. Some of the celebrations that come with both of these religions are celebrated on the same day or around the same time. It is a bit nice that Adelina took the time to write a piece on the wheel of the year and how it connects with that of Christian holidays. She tells of the celebrations she has with her family connecting with her Christian side. She then explains how she celebrates the Pagan holidays since no one around her seems to have the same beliefs.

Rituals and celebrations don't have to be centered around a holiday either. Adelina tells us that we should be celebrating even the little things in life. She states we should celebrate as a community rather than keep ourselves closed off to the world. When we celebrate as a community, we are showing our inner feelings off to the world and giving a little bit of peace and hope to everyone that joins in the celebration. Adelina explains to us that we could celebrate a boy or girl entering puberty, a kid getting their first job, or anything else we want to. Why does it always have to be holidays, birthdays, and graduations?

Being a witch is more than just casting spells and reading tarot cards. Sure, those things are great but once you dive into witchcraft and the art of it you will see that you are creating a center of peace within yourself. Peace within yourself means that you are grounded in the Earth. You can sit in silence and not be tempted to turn on a radio or have a conversation. Inner peace and quietness can be felt anywhere at any time. As a witch and as a Christian you want to have humility. You want your guides (Gods/Goddesses) to show you what they want rather than your mind jumbling what they say so you can receive the gift you think you want and need. Being both a Christian and a witch means that you are focusing on the greater good rather than that of helping your own self. You focus on doing for others before doing for yourself.

When it comes to being a witch you need to understand when you need to take time for yourself. Adelina explains that you can do this by creating your own Astral temple. This is a place you visit when you close your eyes. It can be as familiar as you want. It can be somewhere new. This place just needs to be your own. When you close your eyes and meditate you take yourself to this place and relax in where it is you are visiting. This place brings you peace and comfort. You forget the things of the world and almost transport yourself there.

No matter what religion you are in you always want to feel a sense of community. You want to know that there is going to be someone there to help walk with you and talk with you about some of the daily aspects of things that might go on with you or your family. You want to have someone with similar values and beliefs. It took Adelina a while to find those people. The ones who were afraid to state they were Christian, Catholic, and Jewish believing in God yet also feeling the call towards Witchcraft. This was me. I would not falter away from my Christian background yet something within me was asking to explore Witchcraft. Nothing wrong with that, right? God never once said you couldn't take the time to understand a religion not of your own. This is the reason so many people are curious about religions other than the one they have known for many years.

Chapter 5 of the book lists 10 Rituals for Daily Life:

Sign of the Cross

Daily Devotions

Rituals at Mealtime

Rosary: A Resting Meditation

Ode to the Moon: Reconnecting with the Sacred Feminine

Petition Magic

Strong Magic

Giving Thanks

My Body is my Temple: A Day Retreat

The Magic of the Web: Magic for a better world

If you want to know more about these things you are just going to have to pick up the book yourself and take a read. I feel like each of us could learn to use these 10 forms of meditation in our own way. We can all learn to twist these small acts so that we are connecting with our spirit guides even more. You don't always have to make your daily rituals to be as blown out as a Sunday service. You can say simple prayers throughout the day, you can light a candle or incense, spend time meditating, or take the time to just do a quiet and simple ritual. All of these things are what helps to bring someone closer to their faith.

When it comes to being a Christopagan you are going to have to weave your own path. This book is a great starting point in learning where to start on that path. This is not something that you should follow to a T, unless you want to head to Italy and work on it. A little bit of web research will have you finding online witch schools to look at, people to talk to, and groups to join. When I originally found this book as a suggestion in a ton of the Christian Witch groups, I joined I thought that this would be something I would love. Although I did learn that there were a lot of topics, I needed to discover there wasn't a "wow" factor for me. I thought it would be more about her journey of finding her witch side rather than her talking about how Christians are and how Witches are in separate and similar ways. I understand that part. I think that anyone who knows Christians and Witches can see the differences and similarities. Someone wanting to explore Christopaganism is looking more for someone to follow and gain inspiration from. All in all, this book is a good starting point for someone who is wanting to explore the path.