Hi everyone,

My name is Silver Raven, but most of my friends and family know me as Jo. I'm 21 and live in Nottingham, UK, although I was born and brought up in Lincolnshire. My parents and I lived in a beautiful, secluded village, surrounded by nothing but fields and trees as far as the eye can see; I love going home to see mum and dad! *Grins*

I think I've always known I had an inclination towards Nature and her wonders. As a child, I loved anything like that, you know, walking out in the fields, cooling off under the trees on hot summer days; and I've always loved and been around animals. I don't think I've been without a pet for longer than 9 months - in this short lifetime so far, I've had 4 cats, 1 dog, 1 rabbit and 1 hamster. *Makes quick fuss of Guiness (my 1 year old tom cat)* I was always brought up to do things for myself, my dad is a "jack-of-all-trades", he can turn his hand to anything and he once said to me, "If you can't make it yourself, it's not that special". Of course, in this day and age that's not always practical, but dad taught me the sideline to that - make sure you can mend things yourself. That's something which was also instilled in me by my mother - perhaps it's her generation; she and her sisters were war babies, her mum (my grandma) had to "make do and mend". Speaking of my maternal gra ndparents, I like to believe that that is where my interest comes from. They were typical country folk, they made most things they owned themselves and their back garden was like a miniature farm, with pigs and chickens and fruit and veg plots. Again, I suppose it was their generation, but they both passed wonderful titbits of advice to my mother, who has passed those same things on to me.

That's the practical side. As far as religion is concerned, my parents brought me up to make my own decisions. They never had the choice, my dad was brought up as Church of England, and my mum was brought up as Methodist. Neither of my parents felt comfortable with the paths that their families had chosen for them, so naturally they rebelled, and when they got married, they vowed that they would never treat their children as they were treated. So, both my brothers and I were taught to be caring, loving, considerate and respectful people, to treat everyone as equals, not to judge others and most importantly, I feel, to respect other people's opinions. I think it was my dad who explained to me that as long as I listen, try to understand and try to see a different point of view then nothing else matters. There is no need to agree with someone just for the sake of it, and when you meet someone who believes the same theory, you will have a peaceful and happy relationship - combini ng each others' right to remain unique, yet finding mutual respect and harmony. My brothers and I were also allowed to make our own mistakes. Sure, we had rules to live by, but my parents have never stuck their noses in where they are not wanted. They offer advice in a calm manner, then just sit back and try to relax. They don't always do a good job of relaxing, particularly if they know we are going to mess up big time, but they know that if they keep out of all the messy stuff, they can be what parents are really for - the loving shoulder to cry on, when you REALLY need someone to turn to.

I've only "tuned in" properly to my beliefs in the last two or three years. I'm still learning at a rapid yet comfortable rate and haven't had much chance to actually do any magic. But again, this is something I've always known is there. I've had many instances where I have unwittingly been in contact with the spirit world, had precognitive dreams and have always had a fascination with things like the planets and their movements. And above everything else, the one thing I hold true to my heart, no matter what happens, is something my mother taught me, which I was later to find is key to the Pagan beliefs - everything moves in cycles, life is a cycle and in bad times there is no need to worry excessively, as good times are never more than a turn of the wheel away.

If you would like to contact me, you can email me at JoanneMarriott21@hotmail.com, this is also my messenger if you have MSN and would like to chat.

Cheers and blessed be,

Silver Raven. xx

email   Silver Raven