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Basic
Principles
A
Little Less Misunderstanding |
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Open
Letter To A Witch |
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Basic
Principles of the Craft |
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The
Golden Rule |
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The
Witches Creed
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~~o00o~~
A
Little Less Misunderstanding
(What
Christians Don't Understand about Neopaganism)
by
J. Brad Hicks
Q:
Are you a witch?
A:
That's actually a tricky question to answer, so let me go about it
in a round-about way. What I am is a Neopagan.
Neopaganism is a beautiful, complex religion that is not in
opposition to Christianity in any way - just different. However,
some of the people that the Catholic church burned as
"witches" were people who practiced
the same things that I do.
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In
identification with them and the suffering that they went through,
some of us (Neopagans) call ourselves witches. One expert, P.E.I.
Bonewits, says that there are actually several kinds of groups who
call themselves "witches." Some are people whose
ancestors were the village healers, herbalists, midwives, and
such, many of whom had (or were ascribed to have) mental, psychic,
or magical powers, which were passed down through
the family in the form of oral tradition, and
Bonewits calls them "Traditional Witches." Some are
people who have deliberately used the term to oppose themselves to
Christianity, are practicing "Satanists," and practice
(deliberately) most of the practices invented by the Inquisitors.
Bonewits calls them "Gothic" or "Neo-Gothic
Witches." Of a different kind are some radical
feminist groups, who call themselves witches because they
believe that the original Inquisition
was primarily anti-female; some of these also practice magic, many
of them do not - Bonewits calls them "Feminist Witches."
But the vast majority of modern witches are harmless people who
worship God in many forms, including the Lord of the Dance, the
Lady, and the Mother Earth. These are the people that Bonewits
(and I) call"Neopagan Witches" - and this is what I am.
I hope that this helps more than it confuses.
Q:
Are you a devil worshipper?
A:
I'm tempted to just say, "No!" and leave it at that, but
that probably isn't enough. Devil worship (including Satanism) is
really a Christian heresy. (If you don't believe me, ask an expert
- say, any well-read pastor or theology professor.) In order to
worship Satan, you have to believe in him - and there are no
references to Satan outside of the Christian Bible. So to be a
Satanist or a devil worshipper, you have to believe in the
accuracy of the Christian Bible, then identify yourself with God's
Enemy, proclaim that you are "evil," and then try to
"fight against Jesus" or similar nonsense. Neopagans do
not accept the Christian Bible as a source of truth. As a source
of some beautiful poetry, sometimes, or as a source of myth, but
not as a source of truth. Emphatically, we do not believe that God
has an Opposite, an evil being trying to destroy God, the world,
man, or whatever. So it is non-sensical to say that Neopagans
worship Satan. Of course, many people insist that any god other
than JHVH/Jesus (and his other Biblical names) is a demon or an
illusion created by Satan. Well, you're welcome to believe that if
you like - but over half of the world's population is going to
be unhappy at you. Jews and followers of Islam are just as
confident that they worship the True
God as you are, and resent being called devil worshippers. So do
I.
Q:
What do Neopagans believe about God?
A:
Neopaganism is a new religion with very, very old roots. It harks
back to the first religions that man ever practiced (based on the
physical evidence). Neopagans worship a variety of symbols from
the Old Religions - the practices of the ancient Celts, the
Greeks, the Egyptians, the Romans - and differ with each other
over what those symbols really represent. What I (and many others)
believe is that they are all aspects of God (or maybe, the Gods)-
some kind of beautiful, powerful, and loving being or force that
ties all of life together and is the origin of all miracles
including miracles such as written language, poetry, music, art
...
Q:
Do Neopagans have a Bible?
A:
Not most of us. The closest analogue
would be a witch's Book of Shadows, which is a sort of notebook of
legends, poetry, history, and magic ritual which is copied by
every newly-initiated witch, then added to. But on the whole, even
a Book of Shadows isn't what Christians think of as a Bible. It's
not infallible (couldn't be, they've been brought to us via
hastily-copied texts under trying circumstances), it doesn't
prescribe a specific code of morality (except for a few general
guidelines), and it doesn't claim to be dictated by God - except
for a few, debatable parts. Those of us who aren't witches don't
even have that much. Neopaganism is a religious system that relies
more on the individual than on the Book or the Priest. One of the
principal beliefs of Neopaganism is that no one, not Pope nor
Priest nor Elder, has the right to interfere
with your relationship to God. Learn from whomever you want, and
pray to whatever name means the most to you.
Q:
Did you say magic? Do Neopagans believe in the occult?
A:
Cringe. What a badly worded question - but I hear it all the time.
Neopagans as a rule don't "believe in the occult" - we
practice magic. Magic is simply a way to focus the mental
abilities that you were born with, and use them to change the
world in positive ways. Magic can also be mixed with worship; in
which case it differs very little from Christian prayer.
Q:
But I thought that you said that you weren't a demon-worshipper?
A:
That's right. Magic and demonology are two different things. Magic
you also know as "psychic powers" or "mentallics"
or even as "the power of positive thinking" - in
essence, the magical world view holds that "reality" is
mostly a construct of the human mind, and as such, can be altered
by the human mind. That's all there is to it.
Q:
How do you become a Neopagan?
A:
In a very real sense, nobody every
"becomes" a Neopagan. There are no converts, as no
conversion is necessary. Neopaganism is an attitude towards
worship, and either you have it or you don't. My case is not
atypical. All of my life, I have been fascinated by the old
mythologies. I have always found descriptions of the Greek Gods
fascinating. If I had any religious beliefs as a child, it was
that somewhere, there was a God, and many people worship Him, but
I had no idea what His name was. I set out to find Him, and
through an odd combination of circumstances, I because convinced
that his Name was Jesus. But seven years later, I had to admit to
myself that Whoever God is, he answers non-Christians' prayers as
well as those in the name of Jesus. In either case, true miracles
are rare. In both cases, the one praying has a devout experience
with God. After searching my soul, I admitted that I could not
tell that I was better off than when I believed in the Old Gods.
And in the mean time, I had found out that other people also loved
the Old Gods - and that they call themselves Neopagans. When I
realized that what I believed was little or no different that what
they believed, I called myself a Neopagan, too. The common element
for nearly all of us is that nearly all of us already believed
these things, before we found out that anyone else did.
"Becoming" a pagan is never a conversion. It's usually a
home-coming. No one ever "brainwashed" me. I finally
relaxed, and stopped struggling against my own self.
Q:
I've heard about witches holding orgies and such. Do you?
A:
No, that sort of thing doesn't appeal
to me. Most of the crap that you've heard about "witch
orgies" is nonsense made up by the National Enquirer to sell
magazines. But I shouldn't be flippant about this, because it
underlies a serious question - what kind of morality do Neopagans
hold to?
"Eight
words the Wiccan Rede fulfill:
An
it harm none, do what thou will!"
from
an old Book of Shadows
That about sums it all
up. Neopaganism teaches that it is harmful to yourself (and
dangerous) to harm others. It also teaches that trying to impose
your moral standards on somebody else's behavior is (at least)
foolish - and probably dangerous, as you run some serious chance
of hurting that person. Perhaps in a sense Neopagans don't have
morality, for as R. A. Wilson said, "There are no
commandments because there is no Commander anywhere," but
Neopagans do have ethics - standards for behavior based on honor
and mutual benefit.
Q:
I saw on the news that Neopagans use a star in a circle as their
emblem. Isn't that a Satanic symbol?
A:
A pentacle (that's what it's called)
is a Satanic symbol in precisely same sense that the cross is a
Nazi symbol. The German National Socialist Party used an
equal-armed cross with four flags attached to it as their emblem.
(Yes, I know - that's a swastika. Well, before the Nazis made the
word common knowledge, people just called it a "bent
cross" - it's an old heraldic symbol, and it means the same
thing that a normal cross does). That doesn't make the Nazis good
Christians, and it doesn't make Christians into Nazis. In the same
sense, Satanists (and some rock groups) use a type of pentacle as
their emblem. That doesn't make them Neopagans, nor does it mean
that Neopagans are Satanists (or even rock-and-rollers).
Q:
Are Neopagans opposed to Christianity?
A:
Some Neopagans are ex-Christians, and I'm not going to deny that
some of them have a grudge against the Church because of what they
perceived as attempts to control their minds. Further, many
Neopagans are suspicious of the Church, because it was in the name
of Jesus Christ that nine million of our kind were murdered.
Neopagans are opposed to anyone who uses force to control
the minds of others. Does that include you? If not, then it means
that Neopagans as such are not opposed to you. Do you work for the
benefit
of mankind, are you respectful to the Earth? Then it makes us
allies, whether or not either of us wants to admit it.
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to top
~~o00o~~
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An
Open Letter to a Witch
(Anonymous)
I do not know
what Tradition you follow. That does not matter. Indeed, for all I
know, you may not follow any of the traditions. You may be one of
those many lonely ones who, for whatever reason, must worship by
'feel' rather than through any formal coven training or
participation. But whoever you are, and however you worship, all
that matters to me is that you hold true to the God and the
Goddess. My purpose in writing this letter is to enjoin your aid
in destroying that which cripples our Craft. Dissension is
the disease. It is not a cancer,
for it can be cured; and, as with most herbal cures, the best
treatment is that administered internally.
Friend, help spread
the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of the Craft. do not seek to
establish a scale of Wicca purism, (for no two Witches will ever
agree on the relative positions on the scale of even their own
tradition.) There is no one religion for all people, and THERE IS
NO ONE TRADITION FOR ALL WITCHES! Let this be understood, and
accepted. Choose your own path and leave your neighbor to choose
his. Remember the primary tenet: "AN IT HARM NONE, DO WHAT
THOU WILT."
Yet never forget:
"An it harm none..." If your path leads to sex rites, to
homosexuality, to phallic-initiation...do not put it forward as
"THE WICCAN WAY". It is only A Wiccan way, one of MANY.
And by the same token, if a path so presented is not your way, do
not decry it simply because it is not your way. Who are you to say
another is wrong, so long as it harms none.
Strive for honesty,
friend. Do not make false Craft claims, whether of position,
heredity, lineage, or whatever. If you have a quarrel with
someone, seek out the one you disagree with, rather than utilize
perhaps unreliable intermediaries. Do not spread unfound rumors
and question those who do so. News of battle makes more exciting
reading than news of peace. Why, then, provide battle news for
publication when the serenity of the Craft is what we should be
showing?
We have come a long
way, my friend, in a few short years. Let us move on along our
chosen paths till we emerge - as we will - accepted and respected
by ALL as a religion in our own right.
Help us bring an end
to washing our dirty linen in public. There will always be
disagreements, there will always be those who cannot tolerate
others, but they are in the minority and so they should remain, if
you wish. But do not deny them their right to those
differences.
Friend, we are
Children of the Universe, and Children of the God and the Goddess.
Let us try to remember that, and live in Peace.
Blessed Be, and Merry
Part!
Back
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~~o00o~~
Basic
Principles of the Craft
The
Craft (Witchcraft - NOT to be confused with Satanism. A true Witch
has nothing to do with this, even though there are some Satanists
who (unright-fully) call themselves "Witch".) contains a
large number of groups with bonds to each other, for the most part,
which are looser than those you will find between Christian
churches. Each has it's own traditions, it's own beliefs, it's
own pantheon, etc. So just WHAT is it that, overall, a Witch
believes in? The American Council of Witches was formed to determine
what it was that all Witches have in common, belief-wise. In the
early 1970's, a paper was released with their findings, and gives a
good overall picture of it. The following is the text of that
paper.
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE CRAFT
1. The first principle is that of love, and it is expressed in the
ethic,
"DO AS YOU WILL, SO LONG AS YOU HARM NONE"
a) love is not emotional in it's essence, but is an attribute
of the individual as expressed in relation to other beings;
b) harming others can be by thought, word, or
deed;
c) it is to be understood the "none" includes
oneself;
d) the harm which is to be regarded as unethical is
gratuitous harm; war, in general, is gratuitous harm, although it is
ethical to defend oneself and one's liberty when threatened by real
and present danger, such as defense against invasion.
2. The Witch must recognize and harmonize with the forces of the
universe, in accord with the Law of Polarity: everything is dual;
everything has two poles; everything has it's opposite; for every
action there is a reaction; all can be categorized as either active
or reactive in relation to other things.
a) Godhead is one unique and transcendent wholeness,
beyond any limitations or expressions; thus, t is beyond our human
capacity to understand and identify with this principle of Cosmic
Oneness, except as It is revealed to us in terms of It's attributes
and operation.
b) The most basic and meaningful attribute of the One
that we, as humans, can relate to and understand, is that of
polarity, of action and reaction; therefore Witches recognize the
Oneness of the Divinity, but worship and relate to the Divine as the
archetypal polarity of God and Goddess, the All-Father and the Great
Mother of the universe. The Beings are as near as we can approach to
the One within our human limitations of understanding and
expression, though it is possible to experience the divine Oneness
through the practices of the Mysteries.
c) Harmony does not consist of the pretty and the nice,
but the balanced, dynamic, poised co-operation and
co-relation.
3. The Witch must recognize, and operate within the framework of the
Law of Cause and Effect; every action has it's reaction, and every
effect has it's cause. All things occur according to this law;
nothing in the universe can occur outside this law, though we may
not always appreciate the relation between a given effect and it's
cause. Subsidiary to this is the Law of Three, which states that
whatever goes forth must return threefold, whether of good or ill;
for our actions affect more than people generally realize, and the
resulting reactions are also part of the harvest.
4. As Above, So Below. That which exists in the Macrocosm exists, on
a smaller scale and to a lesser degree, in the Microcosm. The powers
of the universe exist also in the human, though in general instance
they lie dormant. The powers and abilities can be awakened and used
if the proper techniques are practiced, and this is why initiates of
the Mysteries are sworn to guard the secrets from the unworthy: Much
harm can be done by those who have power without responsibility,
both to others and to themselves according to the Laws of Cause and
Effect and of Threefold Return.
a) Since our philosophy teaches that the universe is the
physical manifestation of the Divine, there can be nothing in the
universe which does not partake of the nature of the Divine; hence,
the powers and attributes of the Divine exist also in the manifest,
though to much smaller degree.
b) These powers can be awakened through the various
techniques of the Mysteries, and, although they are only capable of
small effects in and of themselves, it is possible to use them in
order to draw upon the forces of the universe. Thus humanity can be
the wielders of the
power of the Gods, a channel for Godhead to act within It's own
manifestation. This, then, is further reason for the oath of
secrecy.
c) Since the universe is the body of the One, possessing
the same attributes as the One, it's Laws must be the principles
through and by which the One operates. By reasoning from the known
to the unknown, one can learn of the Divine, and thus of oneself.
Thus the Craft is a
natural religion, seeing in Nature the expression and revelation of
Divinity.
5. We know that everything in the universe is in movement or
vibration and is a function of that vibration. Everything vibrates;
all things rise and fall in a tidal system that reflects the motion
inherent in the universe and also in the atom. Matter and energy are
but two poles of one continuous phenomenon. Therefore the Witch
celebrates, harmonizes with, and makes use of the tides of the
universe and of life as expressed through the cycle of the seasons
and the motion of the solar system. These ritual observances are the
eight great Festivals of the Year, referred to as the Wheel of the
Year. Further, the Witch works with the forces and tides of the
Moon, for this body is the mediator of much energy to our planet
Earth and thus to ourselves.
6. Nothing is dead matter in the universe. All things exist,
therefore all things live, though perhaps in a different manner from
that which we are used to calling life. In view of this, the Witch
knows that there is no true death, only change from one condition to
another. The universe is the body of Godhead, and therefore
possesses one transcendent consciousness; all things partake of the
consciousness, in varying levels of trance/awareness.
a) Because of this principle, all things are sacred to
the Witch, for all partake of the one Life.
b) Therefore the Witch is a natural ecologist, for
Nature is part of us as we are a part of Nature.
7. Astrology can be useful in marking and interpreting the flow and
ebb of the tides of our solar system, and thus of making use of
those tides; astrology should not be debased into mere
fortune-telling.
8. Throughout the development of the human race, civilizations have
seen and worshipped many and various attributes of the Divine. These
universal forces have been clothed in forms which were expressive to
the worshipper of the attribute of the Godhead which they expressed.
Use of these symbolic representations of the natural and
divine forces of the universe, or god forms, is a potent method for
contacting and utilizing the forces they represent. Thus the Gods
are both natural and truly divine, and man-made in that the forms
with which they are clothed are products of humanity's striving to
know the Godhead.
a) In keeping with the Law of Polarity, these god-forms
are brought into harmony by the one great Law which states: All Gods
are one God. All Goddesses are one Goddess. There is one Initiator.
This law is an expression of our understanding that all of the
forces of the universe, by
whatever ethnic god-form is chosen to clothe and relate to whichever
force, can be resolved into the fundamental polarity of the Godhead,
the Great Mother and the All-Father.
b) It is the use of differing god forms, of differing ethnic
sources or periods, which is the basis of many of the differences
between the various Traditions of the Craft. Each Tradition uses the
forms, and thus the names, which to that Tradition best express and
awaken an understanding of the force represented, according to the
areas of emphasis of the Tradition.
c) Because we know that differing names or representations are but
expressions of the same divine principles and forces ,we require our
members to swear that they will never mock the names by which
another honors the Divine, even though those names be different from
and seemingly less expressive than the names and god forms used by
our Tradition (for to the members of another Tradition, using it's
names, ours may easily seem equally less expressive).
9. A Witch refuses to allow her/himself to be corrupted by the great
guilt neuroses which have been foisted on humanity in the name of
the Divine, thus freeing the self of the slavery of the mind.
The Witch expresses responsibility for her/his actions, and accepts
the consequences of them; guilt is rejected as inhibiting to one's
self-actualization, and replaced by the efforts of the Witch to obey
the teachings of harmlessness, responsibility for the
consequences of one's actions, and the goal of actualizing the full
powers of the individual.
a) We refuse to believe that a human being is born innately sinful,
and recognize the concepts of sin and guilt are tremendously
inhibiting to the human potential; the consequences of the Law of
Cause and Effect, called karma by some, are not punishment ,but the
recurrences of situations and their effects because the individual
has not gained the Wisdom needed to handle or avoid such
situations.
b) There is no heaven except that which we ourselves make of our
life on Earth, and likewise there is no hell except the effects of
our unwise actions. Death is not followed by punishment or
reward, but by life and the continuing evolution of the human
potential.
c) One cannot damn the divine in oneself; one can, however, cut
oneself off from it through the rejection of wisdom and a refusal to
strive for self-realization. This cutting off does not lead to
personal suffering in "hell", for there is no Self to
suffer if the tie to one's own divinity has been severed; what
remains is merely an empty shell, a "personality" or
thought-form devoid of it's ensouling Spark of the Divine
Fire.
10. We know of the existence of the life-force which ensouls all
living things, that is, all that exists. We know that a spark of
this Divine Fire is within each and every thing that exists, and
that it does not die; only the form of it's existence changes. We
know that this spark of the life-force returns to manifestation
again and again in order to fully realize and actualize it's
potential, evolving finally to the peak and essence of existence
which is pure being. In this process of reincarnation each form
returns in the same type of form, though it's ever-increasing
actualization may lead to higher levels of existence of that form.
Man returns as man, cat as feline, mineral as mineral, each class of
form evolving as the individual forms of that class evolve.
11. This process of evolution through successive incarnations in
manifest form works through the utilizations of wisdom gained, the
essence of the life-experience. This essence of experience, or
Wisdom, is an attribute of the spark of life itself, one and
inseparable (see 9a).
12. We must care for the body, for it is the vehicle of the spark of
life, the form by which we attain. Thus we must heal the body of
it's ills and keep it a tuned and perfected tool; so must we heal
others (both physically and psychologically) as far as it is within
our power to do so. However, we cannot interfere with the life of
another, even to heal, except at their request or with their express
permission; unless such non-interference would be inhibiting to our
own, ethical existence and development -- and even then the
responsibilities and consequences must be understood and accepted.
This, then, is one of the important reasons for the communal life
the Witches under the guidance of the Priesthood: That the
group may be guided by wisdom and experience, with the aid and
support of one's peers; and that one's actions may be guided by the
influence of the ethical life of the group as a whole.
13. Harmony with, and utilization of, the great natural forces of
the universe is called magick. By magick we speak, not of the
supernatural, but of the superbly natural, but whose laws and
applications are not as yet recognized by the scientific
establishment. The Witch must strive to recognize these forces,
learn their laws, attune her/himself to them, and make use of them.
The Witch must also be aware that power corrupts when used
only for the gains of the self, and therefore must strive to
serve humanity: Either through the service in the Priesthood, or by
example and effects of his/her life on others. The choice must be
made in accord with the true nature of the Witch.
Back
to top ~~o00o~~ The
Golden
Rule (from
Cassandra Eason's Psychic Development)
"The golden rule is: do not try to harness powers other than
those of the natural world and your own inner energies. Do
not use a ouija board. Do not call down spirits into the
candle flame or hold seances in which you summon the
dead. Talking in a positive, gentle way to a
beloved mother or grandfather who has departed is very different
from trying to invoke ghosts or spirits as a way of demonstrating
or testing psychic ability. Mediumship involving contacting
the deceased on behalf of others should only be attempted in a
controlled situation with the help of a trained medium. This
is not a game and I have known very gifted psychics to be driven
insane by thinking that they can control spirits, send demons
against enemies or manipulate magical powers.
Innate abilities are quite safe. Magic is safe, but if you
ever feel that you are becoming obsessed with it, to the exclusion
of the everyday world, that your mind is being controlled by
outside forces, earthly or otherwise, or that you cannot close
down your energies, this is the time to stop and perhaps seek
advice from an experienced healer and medium. Like all
gifts, psychic powers are not intrinsically good or evil but can
be used either positively or negatively. You may instantly
sense whether a psychic group of individual has darkness all
around them. Avoid them and contact one of the reputable
organisations, whether Christian or Pagan, for reliable and benign
contacts."
Back
to top ~~o00o~~ The
Witches Creed (Anonymous)
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