Dear Diary,

I’ve been asked to write a new weekly column for my school’s magazine, Panegyria. I’m super excited! I’ve always wanted to be a columnist! Anyway, I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Sarah. I’m a first year student at Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary. I’m in my thirties and am a fan of puns, opossums, and mead. I hail from Omaha, Nebraska and am an herbivore. I live in a small house with my wonderful girlfriend and four fur babies.

I’ve been actively practicing paganism for about a decade now. Like many practitioners, I was not born into a pagan friendly family. I was confirmed Catholic. I realized I was gay in college and the Church, even though Jesus is a cool dude, is not very welcoming of people like me. I then became a casual Buddhist while also casually hunting ghosts and dabbling in Tarot. I left that path to attend a gay positive Christian church here in Omaha after graduating.

I still felt out of place.

I started noticing odd things happening. I’d feel spirits around me and would know things before they happened. My intuition was becoming stronger. I decided to explore this and started practicing Neo-Paganism. I read everything I could get my hands on. Eventually, I hit a wall. Every book was saying the same darn stuff. I googled WitchVox (R.I.P.) and stumbled upon a local Gardnerian coven. I started attending their circles and was initiated. It wasn’t a good fit and we parted ways. The Order of the Red Grail welcomes me with open arms. Now, I’m here!

Why did I pick WSTS? Well, I was at a crossroads. I split from my previous coven and was attending an ATC affiliate because I still wanted to study Wicca. I’ve also always wanted to do grad school, but I have a ton of student debt. WSTS was both affordable and convenient. The classes are online, which fits into my work schedule very well. It’s basically like the real world Hogwarts. I was concerned at the beginning because I wanted to enroll in the Master’s program because I already have Bachelor’s. Turns out that you need a Bachelor’s in Wiccan Ministry to achieve a Master’s degree. I quickly got over it, though, because I love the courses. I covered some of the material all ready with the teacher from my previous coven. It was a good refresher. I was surprised that there was so much I wasn’t taught!

Why this diary? I want to let you know what the life of student is like. I will be sharing my experiences and sometimes homework so you can get a feel for the school. I hope to entertain as well as educate.

What the heck is a “fightin’ fire chicken?” The magnificent fighting fire chicken is a phoenix and our school mascot. Petra Pathfinder is the highest ranking fire chicken. She’s named after the founder of WSTS, Pete Pathfinder.

Anyway, I need to go for a run. I hope you enjoy this column!

Sarah