Sidhe Wolf

 

Hello, My name is Sidhe Wolf. I am 30 years old and I was born and raised in Bangor, Maine. While growing up I enjoyed such pastimes as trick or treating at Stephen Kings house, buying lobsters off the boat, having them steamed, and eating them right there on the dock next to the ocean, and playing outside till well after dark on most nights. As a child I read just about everything I could get my hands on. If I could not afford to buy a book, I raided the local library for as many books as I could carry home in a backpack.

 

I never had any formal exposure to a religion; mostly I went along with whomever I was with on Sunday mornings. I went to Catholic Mass, Mormon Bible School, and even attended a few Jehovah’s Witness meetings. I never really felt drawn to any of them, believing instead that I didn’t need to go to church for whatever god there was to love me, or for me to pray or worship. I knew that I liked mythology, medieval history, and other similar subjects. When I got to my junior year in high school, I got my first real taste of Paganism. My English Lit teacher, a nice Irish Lutheran, was completely taken with the history of Ireland, Scotland, and England. We learned about Salisbury Hill, and Stone Henge, and whatever else he had visited, studied, and brought back the slides for. When we got a chance to write our first term paper for the class, we could choose any topic we wanted. One student opted to do a scale model and paper on Stone Henge, another performed a Druidic Ritual right there in the middle of the class room (that was pretty cool), I decided to raid the bookshelf and write a paper on witchcraft and Paganism.

Sidhe Wolf at Samhain 2004

The rest, as they say, is history. From the first book I read, Adlers Drawing Down the Moon, I never stopped my quest to find out more information to stuff into my brain. I’m not sure what my English teacher would say about being semi-responsible for setting me on the path to Paganism, but I’m happy to have had the opportunity to learn the history from him which gave me the ambition to learn more on my own. Throughout high school I struggled to find reliable sources, remember this was the early 90’s. But I came across Cunningham’s Wicca Books and Buckland’s Workbook. While these books were interesting, they still didn’t quite offer me what I was looking for.

 

When I got to College, well…the shock of moving to Erie, Pa was a bit overwhelming. But I met a group of people who are still part of my life today. Through this group I met my husband, a Shaman and now Druid. This was the first time I really met someone that even remotely thought the same way I did. In addition to showing me that Paganism really existed, he also introduced me to role-playing. Role playing, for me, is like reading your favorite book, but you get to make the characters do whatever you want, and the story can go on indefinitely.

 

In the late 90’s I met my High Priestess. I had been sitting next to her at work for close to a year and didn’t even know it. I was discussing with my co-workers, the need to find someone to perform my marriage ceremony, and that I wanted a medieval wedding. She turned to me and said, I can do that! Not long after that, my husband and I joined the Temple of the Dragon, an eclectic coven encompassing any and all forms of Thelema, witchcraft and the like. I attained the rank of 2 degree High Priestess before our High Priestess went off to finish her Masters in Anthropology…I’m sure she’s stuck under some dusty book somewhere in the Kent State Library Stacks. My husband and I were left in charge of the Temple, but time and the changing winds of Paganism have caused most of the coven to drift away on their own paths. I am still thankful for all I learned as a result of my joining the coven; unfortunately I still felt that I hadn’t found “it”.

 

Through a renewed friendship I learned about classes offered by The Whispering Lake Grove (then Proto-Grove) and decided to attend. I witnessed my first Druidic Winter Solstice Rite in December of 2003. After attending several more classes, I decided to join the grove as a local member. I was impressed with the fact that they were organized and held open rituals and were more than willing to answer any questions that were asked of them. I cannot necessarily say that I have “come home” or that I know without a shadow of a doubt that this is what I have been searching for. I do know that I feel more comfortable in a Druidic circle than I ever have during any other form of worship. I decided to become a National member because of the learning opportunity offered to me in working with the Dedicant program, and also because I know that once I finish this program, there are many others waiting for me. Above all, this is what I have been looking for, a religion that is not stifling, that allows me to worship in my own way, and offers me opportunity to learn, grow, and become an active, productive member of the organization. Who knows, maybe I have “come home”.

 

When I’m not writing lengthy essays on my personal history, I work in a Laboratory, work on my house, read, paint, draw, write, listen to music, hike, play video games, watch movies, role play, and hang out with my friends.