Nar

Hello and Happy Saturday!

I wish to thank Red Griffiths-Haynes for her wonderful interview of two weeks ago! I very much enjoyed reading your answers and I thank you for sharing with all of us Red!

Today we have a new interview so please welcome Nar. Nar is a Kitchen Witch and I know you will enjoy her interview as well!

Here Is Nar's Introduction:


I am a teacher, eternal student, and a kitchen witch. I retreat to my kitchen to honor the wheel of the year and to pay respect to Hestia. I'm just a nature-loving, goddess-worshipping woman trying to forge a path to the divine. :)


http://witchininthekitchen.blogspot.com



1) What religion do you practice?
 - I am a nature-worshipping kitchen witch

2) Are you a convert/revert or were you raised within this religion? If you converted, what did you need to do to convert? And what did you practice prior to converting?
- I discovered the path of the kitchen witch a few years ago. I started reading and researching Wicca and other earth-based spiritualities when I was in high school. In college, I took a good year-long break from religion of any kind. I just took time to be myself and see what resonated with me. At nineteen, I did a sort of self-dedication to the Divine as I see it. I continue to learn and discover all the time.

3)Within your religion are there degrees of observance (ie. Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal)? What are the defining differences between the degrees of observance?
- Honestly, there are a lot of kitchen witches out there, but we're all pretty different. I'm quite eclectic and really in-the-moment with the things I do. I can't really say if there are any degrees of observance since I see us as more scattered, as opposed to a community.

Now, when I do my kitchen witchin' - honoring Hestia as a hearth goddess - I do tend to cover my head. That's something that may be seen by some as being too strict or weird or whatever.

4)Within your religion what degree of observance are you ((ie. Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal) ? Why did you choose this degree of observance?
- I call myself a priestess of the deities of the hearth. There might be other people out there using that title, but as far as I know, I'm the only one.

I'm fairly liberal in ideas and practices, I suppose.

5)What is the Afterlife within your religion? For example: what happens when a person dies? Are there places for reward/punishment? (such as a Heaven/Hell concept)
- I believe that reincarnation is a possibility, but I don't know if it happens to us all, or how long the resting period is. I imagine it varies greatly from entity to entity.

I've heard some lovely names for that resting place - The Summerlands, Avalon, the Isle of Apples - but I don't really have a name for it.

I don't believe that we get punished after we die. Well, maybe if you're Hitler...

I don't think we're necessarily rewarded after we die, either. I think it's more important to concentrate on the existence we have now, and make the best of it, and try to make it better for others, too.

6) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If they do not, why?
- I couldn't say. If I've ever been there, I don't remember it. It's not up to me to decide, anyway. No matter what I think of a person, how good or how foul, I'm not the one looking into their hearts and weighing their hearts.

I really like the image of Maat with the scales and the feather. I am trying to be light as a feather, but my human emotions and opinions get in the way sometimes.

7) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
- It's a good fit for me because it is me. It's the way I feel about the divine, and nature, and the wheel of the year. It incorporates things I love - creativity, feeding people, etc.

8) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
I more or less observe the eight sabbats that many other Pagans and Wiccans observe. I don't do an elaborate ritual for each of them, but I do try to make a special, seasonal meal and take some time to reflect upon the wheel of the year.

9) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
- I have friends from many different faiths. We get along because we realize that one's path to god is personal. It's not something we all have to do in the same way.

10) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of their holy days? Please explain why?
- I would. I was actually raised Methodist and have attended a Catholic mass or two. There are a lot of different celebrations I would like to experience. I'd be interested in Diwali, for example, or possibly celebrating an important Jewish holiday if I had the opportunity. Even if it isn't my personal belief, I would still like to see how others celebrate days that are important to them. I'd also enjoy the opportunity to learn more about why that day is important.

11) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
- This is a pretty hot topic. I cover my head for spiritual reasons (not all the time), but it's my choice. I do not believe in enforcing my versions of modesty, for example, on others. However, there is more to it than that, and as I do not know all of the history behind it, I shall refrain from commenting further.

12) Are women allowed to hold religious office (priest, minister, rabbi, iman etc) in your religion and how do you feel about it?
- Absolutely.

13) Does your place of worship segregate? If yes, how does this make you feel?
- No, there is no segregation. My place of worship is my hearth, and all are welcome.

14) How much does your religion affect your daily life and how much thought do you give it when making a decision? Does it affect in any way your decision on abortion, gay marriage, etc?
- My spiritual beliefs help guide me. They do not exist to guide other people.

Personally, I am pro-choice and I don't think gay marriage should be an issue because it is just marriage. That's it. There is no gay marriage, no straight marriage. It's marriage, period, and who the hell am I (or who the hell is anybody, for that matter), to decide that for someone else?

15) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside your religion?
- That's entirely up to my child. I have no children right now, but if I ever do, I don't even know how I would approach spirituality.

16) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to hell?
- I don't think there is a place of eternal torment.

17) Who do you think is not a practicing ----- in your religion and why? ie who in the public domain claims to speak for your religion? Do you agree with them or not?
- My mother always told me, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything."

18) Have you ever been the target of a hate crime? Please explain.
- No, I don't believe so. Someone stole a plant off my porch once, but I don't think it was a hate crime. S/he probably saw the mugwort and thought it was weed or something. I don't go around shouting "I'm PAGAN!!!" from the rooftops because it's my personal business, so most people who know me have no idea what I believe anyway.

19) Do you ever feel like your religion devalues you?
- If it did, I wouldn't practice it. That's why I'm not a Methodist anymore.

20) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
- See above

21) Do you believe in reincarnation? Why or why not?
- I do. I believe in it because I believe I have been here before. When I was very young, younger than three, I told my parents the story of a boy who had lived nearby and drowned. My parents were able to confirm the story of a 9-year-old boy with the name I had given them, and he had drowned in a creek in the 1930s. My granny cleaned and pressed the suit he was buried in. How could I have known these things? Anything is possible.