My knowledge and appreciation of Wicca or Paganism had been superficial and at best theoretical. My encounter with the High Priestess of the Solar and Lunar traditions shook the very foundation of my belief systems, and opened the portals of a new world for me.
It was late 1997. I was in Jakarta, Indonesia where I met a friend from Mexico. He was traveling with his new bride whom he confided was a Wiccan High Priestess. His revelation made sense to the etheric entourage of elementals that I could see following her around wherever she went. By some unknown kindred force, we easily bonded and interacted like long lost friends. I eventually remembered her as my mother in a past life in view of a recurring vision of a lad in a cavern pounding some herb in a mortar with his mother giving instructions. It was a joyful moment when I addressed her as “Mama” and she acknowledged our past relationship. The discovery that I was once a sorcerer's apprentice sent chills through my spine.
Her true identity and origins were well-kept secrets. What little I knew about her had been sworn to secrecy. I have no photographs of her. My only memento of that encounter was the gift of a round medallion with the runic wheel on one face, and a tattva of a triangle within a square within a circle on the other. It was a treasured gift as it symbolized a new understanding of the unseen world we live in. She is known by many names. For the world to appreciate her origins and background, she uses two names –Taisha Abelar and Brida. Each representing the different traditions and practices she was raised and trained in. You would have probably come across Taisha’s name in one of Carlos Castañeda’s books where she figured prominently in Don Juan’s circle. More insights about her are revealed in her book, the “Sourcerer's Crossing.” This book hints at the Toltec tradition she grew up in, and the initiations and training she had to undergo. She became an apprentice of the renowned English witch, Sybil Leek, who initiated her in the Lunar tradition. In the book, “Brida – the life of a modern witch,” Paolo Coelho immortalized her as an initiate of the Solar tradition.
I was so excited that I finally met a genuine Wiccan High Priestess and Priest. I invited them to stay with me in the Philippines as my guests and teachers. They arrived a week later. I organized a group of students who were interested in learning the ancient practices of Wicca. We were 24 in all; excited to have a lot of fun from the experience. As the days passed, our eyes grew bigger and bigger as the awesome revelations progressed. This was the real thing and many of us were strickened with fear. Our ranks grew thinner until strangely there were only 13 of us left by the end of the course – the number of a coven. I cannot reveal what was taught during those three weeks the couple stayed with us. Only that it was a grim awakening to forces and realities that our consciousness was not prepared for. Wicca is far too serious a matter to deal lightly with.
To better illustrate the impact of the experience, I will relate one of many events that happened as I ‘saw’ it.
One night in a small villa, we sat on the floor and formed a circle. Holding their ceremonial daggers, Brida and her consort walked outside the circle like alert sentinels watching over their wards pouring salt around the perimeter. We were to close our eyes and just be mindful of what was happening around us. At an unexpected moment, Brida began to sing an unfamiliar sound that is akin perhaps to the banshee wailing in the wind. The high priest joined her and together their combined operatic sound was transformed into what seemed like a choir of many haunting melodious voices. It was then that I realized that they summoned the presence of nature spirits. The room darkened and was filled with many different low and ugly creatures making all sorts of eerie sound and movement. I looked towards Brida and I saw a tall, powerful woman clad in a Viking warrior’s garb wearing a helmet with a pair of outstretched wings standing protectively behind her. I was awed by the strength and power projected by this towering figure, and cowered at her intimidating presence. I eventually found out much later that the being was a Valkyrie and my daemon.
While this was happening, Brida appeared to be expelling something from one of the students who sounded like she was in some kind of distress. We found out later that she was possessed by a being who Brida exorcised. Soon after, Brida and her partner changed the tempo of their sound and our etheric guests began to depart. Light returned once again to the room.
Each of the person present that night had a story to tell. Out of fear, many departed from the group as the days went by, and as more aspects of Wicca were revealed. The esoteric tradition is full of secrets. Literature in this field is often abstruse and couched in multiple meanings to protect the truth from the uninitiated. Those three precious weeks afforded me with many insights.
Wicca is said to be once the universal religion. It was universal because at one point in time our ancestors could see the inner worlds as vividly as the physical world. They could see the beings behind created life forms and forces of nature that they honored and revered. The names given to these godly forces of nature may be different in each pagan culture but the underlying principles are universal. Over time, only a few retained the ability to see and communicate with the inner world and they were designated as shamans or priests by the people. In most cultures, a woman occupied this position because of the gender’s innate creative powers, which no man could adequately replicate. Priestesses were known as witches, a title which only assumed a negative connotation with the rise in power of other competing institutional religions.
To a Wiccan, there is no such thing as white or black magic. There is only magic. The intention of the practitioner makes it either black or white. Unfortunately, power ultimately corrupts and a black practitioner eventually emerges. In the course of our association, I found out that Brida was dying being herself a victim of witchcraft. Through our intervention, she underwent psychic surgery in the Philippines and was spared from an early death. I came to realize that wars among witches were common occurrences. This was the principal reason why identities were closely guarded and secrecy a way of life.
When Brida and her consort departed from the Philippines, our coven met for the first and last time. In our deliberation, we arrived at a consensus not to continue with the Wiccan practices we learned and to terminate the coven. We were grateful for the knowledge we gained, but we acknowledged that this way of life was not meant for us. In our spiritual journeys, we will eventually encounter choices along the path, and the decision we make will determine our ultimate destination and fate.
