About Naya

I am Naya Ærodiode, named after the serpent energy that is coiled within, the kundalini that invigorates our spirits, the life force, the dance of the Universe.  I am my own Goddess - within me and without me - and my path is one that seeks to develop and hone this understanding through a constant bettering of my mind, body, and heart. My curious and hungry mind seeks to learn from so many sources: Traditional Witchcraft, Chaos, Kabbalah, Tantra, Thelema, Hermeticism, and many others.  I constantly marvel at the way all of these paths weave together, and all offer profound insights.  I keep heading up this path, collecting gem upon gem as I seek. 

I have a long history of occult study and practice - since 1993, I have been devoted to this path. For a large chunk of my life, I have been a Witch, and I found a home for that practice in British Traditional Wicca.  I have followed the ways of the Wica since joining up with my first coven in my early 20's. From them, I received my first, second and third degrees. This creates a strong grounding for my spiritual work.  I am now building to pass along along the excellent training and historical knowledge I received in my parent coven by working with my consort and partner in an outer court and coven for this tradition in my current city of Memphis, TN.

I am a Chaote because my mind grasps many possibilities, approaches, and methods and weaves them together into the right formula for the job.  I am a skeptic, to keep my left brain's logical side content.  I approach Magic with the precision of a scientist.  I train my mind into a Magical mindset so that I am constantly weaving the optimized methods together to create maximum effect and benefit in all things I do.  Chaos magic is particularly suited to this facet of my practice.

I ground a lot of my practice in traditional Western occultism.  The study of the workings of mages of the past has given me many levels of insight and inspiration, and help me to understand my own practice better.  British Traditional Wicca often incorporates a number of practices from ceremonial magic.  As such, I have strongly felt that a study of these practices, to know and understand them, has been important in my development.  Likewise, the wisdom of practices such as Kaballah and Hermeticism is unparalleled.

I seek from Eastern paths as well, where the non-dualistic ideas help break down those self-imposed barriers between Self and Divine.  When we realize that the barriers were false all along, we can tap into our true natures and achieve more and greater things than we thought possible.  Practices such as Yoga and Tantra teach a balance of body and mind, heart and head, and are invaluable to my Great Work. I am a fractal which contains the whole of creation within my form.

I encompass many roles in my life. I am a daughter, a sister, and the consort to the most wonderful man ever. I am a brunette with fake red hair, I am a loudmouth at times, and I like to slip in naughty and bawdy comments into conversations just to see if anyone else catches it.  I like world beat dance music, They Might Be Giants, gypsy punk rock, and crunk rap. I drink good bourbon straight, I like red meat on the grill, and I try to take good care of my body.

I am a computer geek, a web developer, a graphic designer and videographer, making my money primarily by creating graphics, video and web sites. I develop my web sites with many degrees of interactivity and functionality, while adding the stylistic touches of a designer’s hand. My work extends beyond the web, and into print, digital graphics, videography, animation, and digital photography. I was called by a former employer once a “geek of all trades,” and I decided that title applied quite nicely indeed.

I am an artist, whose work ranges from very mundane to the very strange. I apply my talents practically toward the renovation of an old Midtown home in Memphis, Tennessee. I create clothing of luxurious silks and velvets, of airy and light cottons and gauzes. I hand dye my fabrics in brilliant colors and lush patterns. I create costumes, jewelry, accessories, evening wear, and daily wear. I also paint, draw, airbrush, and make furniture. While not doing all of these, I’m constantly learning and bettering my skills as an artist of many trades.

I am a teacher, a student, and a lover of knowledge.  I am a dancer, an actor, and a passionate voice.  I am a lover, a dreamer, a sigh-er and a magic-bean buyer.  I am a skeptic, a thinker, and a debunker of superstition.  I am building my dreams in this world, and believe that the glory of life should be celebrated in every moment.

I am a being of infinite potential, as we all are.