Emberlyn Rayne

Hello and Happy Saturday!

First up I wish to thank H. Jeremiah Lewis for his wonderful and interesting interview of last week. It was great to learn more of your faith. Thanks so much for sharing with us!

This week we have a new interview so please welcome Emberlyn Rayne. Emberlyn is a Wiccan and I know you'll enjoy her interview as well!

Here Is Emberlyn Rayne's Introduction:


Merry meet!!
My name is Emberlyn Rayne and I am a 30-something stay-at-home mother of 3 witchlets living with my husband in Ontario, Canada.
I am Wiccan - a solitary eclectic domestic Witch would be the best way to describe my path.
I can be found on line at:
http://momsawitch.blogspot.com
http://practicalmagick.net
http://www.facebook.com/thepracticalmagick


1) What religion do you practice?
Wicca. I am an Eclectic Wiccan - which simply means I incorporate both traditional and newer Wiccan practices into my beliefs. I am a solitary Wiccan - meaning I am not part of a coven and I would also classify myself as a Kitchen/Domestic Witch. This is a unique term in Wicca and focuses on honouring the mundane in life.

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 self-dedicated to this path after more than 10 years of casual study. I really don't think of this as conversion though, it is simply a realization as to what makes me feel more close to the Divine. I was raised Baptist, although we did not actively practice.

3)Within your religion are there degrees of observance (ie. Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal)? What are the defining differences between the degrees of observance?
I'm not sure I know how to answer this question... I don't feel these terms really apply to Wicca. Wicca is a religion that can be molded to the individual - so the degree of observance depends on the person.

4)Within your religion what degree of observance are you ((ie. Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal) ? Why did you choose this degree of observance?
n/a

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 in the Summerlands, a resting place for souls - this is the Wiccan equivalent of Heaven. This is a natural place of beauty where we go after death to reflect on the lessons learned in this life and to meet with our ancestors. If there are more lessons to be learned, we will be re-incarnated and returned to Earth. Once all lessons have been learned, the Divine will allow you to remain in the Summerland. This is not a place of judgement - but rather a place of reflection.

6) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If they do not, why?
Yes, I believe they do. However if they have inflicted pain and suffering on others, they will be made aware of their wrong-doings and must rectify it in future lives.

7) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
It just feels right.

8) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
There are 8 holy days - called Sabbats. Which reflect the changing of the season and the points in between. We also celebrate the lunar phases. A meeting or ritual done on the full moon is called an Esbat.

We (my family and I) celebrate a little differently with each Sabbat. But there is usually a delicious meal followed by a ritual. Sometimes the ritual will be a very casual one, and other times (like at Samhain, Oct 31 - the Witches' New Year), we do a complete ritual.

9) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
Of course.

10) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of their holy days? Please explain why?
Yes, because my parents are not Wiccan. We celebrate Christmas and Easter with them because it is important to their beliefs. Similarly, my mother has joined us once for a Samhain ritual.

11) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
I do not know enough to comment on this.

12) Are women allowed to hold religious office (priest, minister, rabbi, iman etc) in your religion and how do you feel about it?
Yes and I think it's wonderful. In Wicca, everyone has the possibility to be a preist or preistess.

13) Does your place of worship segregate? If yes, how does this make you feel? Although it is not a set rule - there are covens that consist of only females. To be honest, it really doesn't bother me either way - as long as you are able to find your path to the divine no one can tell you it's the wrong path.

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?
As a domestic witch, it effects everything I do.

15) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside your religion? I would not have a problem with that. In all honesty, I would likely expect them to marry outside of our religion because we are from such a small community - there are very few pagans here. I only hope that they find someone who is understanding and does not try to convert them or steer them away from their beliefs.

16) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to hell?
Wiccans do not believe in Hell. That is a Christian concept.

17) Have you ever been the target of a hate crime? Please explain.
No I have not.

18) Do you ever feel like your religion devalues you?
Not at all.

19) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
Oh yes.


20) Do you believe in reincarnation? Why or why not? Yes. {see above #5}