My RELIGION is Wicca; my LIFE-STYLE is Witchcraft! I believe in a supreme being that is both Immanent and Transcendent, that is expressing itself within AND without. However, I also believe that trying to define / describe such an infinite Divine Being in finite terms to be a waste of time and energy. I CAN describe my perceptions of the Ultimate in terms of the energies that I work with and find significant in my daily living. My style and methods of relating to what I can perceive of these Divine Energies are what I describe as my RELIGION. How I apply these insights gained via my religious practices, I term my CRAFT.
The name for my religion is derived from the Saxon root "wicce" (pronounced "witchy") and is loosely translated as "Wise". The word "Wicca" was first used in modern times in England by Gerald B. Gardner to describe / define an attempt at restoring "the old wisdom" of pre- Christian beliefs and practice into a modern context in the 1940's. Ergo, I could call my religion "wisdom" and my style of application of this wisdom "wise-craft" or more simply, "The Craft of the Wise".
For the sake of convenience and easy understanding, I divide the expressions of the Divine Energies into two groups; that of the active positive (symbolically "male") energies represented to me by the stag horned Lord of the Forest, and those of a more passive, nurturing, or "negative" polarity represented to me by the Threefold Goddess. Approaching my perceptions of the universe and its energies in this way allows me to break them down into "bite sized chunks", applicable to my daily life in a mundane world, and what good is ANY belief system if it is not of immediate and practical use here and now?
So what are some of the beliefs and practices of this religion called Wicca, and how do I apply them to my daily life? What does it all mean? The following explanation is based on a press statement released by the American Council of Witches released in the early 1970's, with some editing on my part to reflect my own beliefs and practices.
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE CRAFT
- The first principle is that of love, and it is
expressed in the ethic,
"AN IT HARM NONE, DO AS THOU WILL" - love is not emotional in its essence, but is an
attribute of the individual as expressed in relation
to other beings;
- harming others can be by thought, word, or deed.
Thought is included here, because for the Witch,
"thoughts are things" and every action, even thoughts,
can become magical actions, whether consciously intended
or not;
- it is to be understood the "none" includes oneself,
though it is permissable to harm self in helping others,
should one so choose;
- 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 personal defense or defense of another WHEN REQUESTED.
- love is not emotional in its essence, but is an
attribute of the individual as expressed in relation
to other beings;
- 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 its opposite; for every action there is a reaction;
all can be categorized as either active or reactive in
relation to other things.
- The Infinite and Ultimate Godhead is one unique and
transcendent wholeness, beyond any limitations or expressions;
thus, it 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 its attributes and operation.
- One of 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.
- Harmony does not consist of the pretty and the nice,
but the balanced, dynamic, poised co-operation and
co-relationship.
- The Infinite and Ultimate Godhead is one unique and
transcendent wholeness, beyond any limitations or expressions;
thus, it 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 its attributes and operation.
- The Witch must recognize, and operate within the
framework of the Law of Cause and Effect; every action has
its reaction, and every effect has its 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 its
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
its own manifestation. This, many feel, is further reason
for the oath of secrecy.
- Since the universe is the body of the One, possessing
many of the same attributes as the One, its 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. By experiencing the Mysteries
a person can truly LEARN more about the One. Thus the Craft is a
natural religion as well as a MYSTERY religion, seeing in Nature
the expression and revelation of Divinity.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
-
Because of this principle, all things are sacred to the Witch, for all partake of the one Life.
- Therefore the Witch is a natural ecologist, for Nature
is part of us as we are a part of Nature.
-
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 its names, ours may easily seem
equally less expressive).
- 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.
- 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.
-
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.
- 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. Many of us believe
in a "waiting place" sometimes called Summerland where we rest,
recuperate and prepare for our next sojurn in the earth. "Death
is not followed by punishment or reward, but by life and the
continuing personal evolution of our human potential.
- 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 its ensouling Spark of the Divine Fire.
-
- 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 its existence changes. We know that this
spark of the life-force returns to manifestation again and
again in order to fully realize and actualize its
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 its 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.
- 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.
- 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 its 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. The reasoning behind this
apparent limitation is that we are endowed with Free Will,
and what the Gods themselves hesitate to infringe upon, is
best left alone by us "mere" mortals.
- 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.
