Welcome Home

In our not-too-distant past, the hedge was the very edge of the civilized world.  Today, the hedge might serve to keep the rest of society out of our personal space.  It is a barrier between them and us in this over-populated world, but to our ancestors, it was the last bastion between them and the untamed wilderness.  It was a uniting barrier that kept the community together against the untamed forces of nature.

It may seem that the hedge has done a complete 180, but, in reality, it continues to serve a similar function to the one it served in our past.  It is still a symbol of separation, a boundary between two things.  Witches use the hedge to represent the distinction between the mundane world of our civilized lives and the magickal world where we practice our craft.  It represents the calling to serve the community by looking at the things the community either can't or won't see for itself.  The witch who rides the hedge (as the phrase goes) ventures where brave men dare not go.

While the hedge may not be easily recognized as a magickal symbol by most people today, the hearth is  still chock-full of magickal associations.  Time and modern convenience have not tarnished its lustre for us.  Before the invention of the kitchen stove or central heating, the hearth was the place that people gathered together for warmth, food, and good conversation.  It was a necessity in every home.  Without it, the inhabitants would freeze or starve to death.  Today, it is a luxury feature that enhances the value of a house on the market, but many of us still choose to put a log on the fire on a cold winter night despite having the option to use central heating.  It evokes a sense of home and security that nothing else can rival.

That said, home is not about the structure you find yourself living in.  In today's world, many people live in apartment buildings where they share a roof and a foundation with countless other people.  Some people live in giant soul-less McMansions that feel cookie cutter and devoid of individual character.  Others live in quaint, little cottages.  Some people consider their homes to be the cities or states where they live, and they are not tied down to one particular structure.  Still others have lived in the same family estate for generations.

Regardless of what your idea of home is, there is one thing that is essential to it: love.  A house is nothing more than a structure of wood and stone if it is not loved or if the people living in it are at war with each other.  A city cannot feel like home if you hate it and would rather live any where else on earth.  Even the most neglected building can be rehabbed and can become a heaven from the rest of the world with a little tender love and care.

This blog is for those of you brave enough to venture beyond the hedge and to make your home there--however you see it.  Whether you want to keep the rest of the world out and learn to depend upon your own resources or whether you want to reconnect with a seemingly-lost nostalgic sense of community, I would be honored if you expanded your concept of home to include me in it.  Please come back here often.  I will speak plainly and simply about being a witch.  I may wax philosophical (as I am prone to do), and I will endeavor to provide you with useful and fun information on a host of mundane topics as well.

Merry meet and merry part until we merry meet again!

- Blackwood