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Blog Posts of Note:
*Magic, Witches and the Bible
*A brief History of Wicca
*Wicca 101 part 1
*Wicca 101 part 2
*Spells and the Modern Witch
*Do Witches Worship Satan?
*Religious View
*Interview with a Witch
*A Witch's Story of Creation
*One Definition of the Divine
*I am a Witch
* Original Sin, from a Witches point of View
*Why a Witch Could care less about Harry Potter
*Satan is not my Sidekick
*The other people: Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the Bible
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| Basic Wicca 101 |
| 03.09.05 (10:44 am) [edit] |
Ever wonder just what this zany witchy stuff is all about? Read on Mac Duff and expand your knowledge. (I don't know what that Mac Duffy thing means, it's something my grandmam says)Part I: Definition of words Pagan: L. paganus a countryman, peasant, villager, a pagan, fr. paganus of or pertaining to the country. Or, adj: not acknowledging the God of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Heathen: of the heath or hearth one who lives in the country or on the heaths and in the woods. One who adheres to the religion of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. The heathen, as the term is used in the Scriptures, defines heathen as all people accept the Jews; now used of all people except Christians, Jews, and Mohammedans. Witch: see Wicca, although some witches call themselves Wiccan, not all do and vice versa, again will get back to that. Wicca: A polytheistic Neo-Pagan nature religion inspired by various pre-Christian Western European beliefs, whose central deity is a mother goddess and which includes the use of herbal magic and benign witchcraft, (From Dictionary. com).
Christianity: a monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as saviour. 2: the collective body of Christians throughout the world and history (found predominantly in Europe and the Americas and Australia); "for a thousand years the Roman Catholic Church was the principal church of Christendom" [syn: Christendom, Christianity] The Craft: another name for Witchcraft, or Wicca Prayer: The act of addressing supplication to a divinity, especially to the true God; the offering of adoration, confession, supplication, and thanksgiving to the Supreme Being; as, public prayer; secret prayer. Magic: Magic is the technique of creation. Magic is a method of creating, changing, or affecting circumstances through the manipulation of energy. Magic is accomplished through the focus of will power and emotion, which shape energy. Magic is best used for self improvement, prosperity, and healing. (Correllian def.) Spells: the ritual practice of magic. Ritual: the practice of honouring the God/dess usual on specific holidays. It can, but does not always, include spells, meditation, prayer, or divination. Goddess: the female supreme deity. Views of such depend greatly on specific tradition one follows. God: the male supreme deity. Views of such depend greatly on specific tradition one follows. Together the Goddess and God create an equal partnership therefore creating balance within the universe. Depending on ones tradition, how they are represented can differ greatly. See below. Pentagram: a five sided star. Each point of the star represents one of the five elements, Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit, as well as the five directions, North, South, East, West, and As above, So below. Pentacle: a five sided star surrounded by a circle. See above. The circle represents all elements contained within, creating completeness. It also represents Earth and North on the altar. Cauldron: a container, often cast iron in which food maybe cooked, or small fires are created for the ritual burning of plant material, incense or paper. Represents Water and West. Wand: a stick or rod made out of wood, glass, or any other material that has meaning to the owner. Used in ritual to direct energy. It represents Air and East on the altar. Athame: a black handled ritual knife. It is symbolic and usually blunt. Also used to direct energy specifically the casting of a circle. It represents Fire and South. Altar: a raised structure on which gifts to a God/dess are made. Usually faces North or East in a sacred circle. Energy: is the basic substance from which the Universe/ matter is made. It responds to thought and emotion, which give it shape and form. (Healing with hands) Most commonly, Energy is used as a battery that is to add extra energy to workings. Sacred circle: also called magic circle. It is the scared space created for the purpose of ritual. Like a sanctuary of a church, yet it is not a concrete place. It is created though the direction of energy, and dismantled the same way. Creating a circle connects the mundane world with the spirit, focuses thought and creates a protective barrier in which do perform ritual. Coven: a group of like minded people who practice together. It does not have to be 13 or any specific number. It is dependant of traditions or coven’s specific rules. Sometimes called a circle, study group, working group. Traditions: a term used to describe what Wiccan path one follows. The same as belonging to The United Church, or Lutheran or Anglican. There are many paths, some are passed from family to family others are created by one person or a group and are open to anyone interested. They do not all follow the same belief structures so it is often very confusing to someone new to the craft. Try not to confuse it with Traditional Witchcraft, , which is defined below. There is no one book, such as the Bible or Koran, which all traditions have faith in. Each tradition and even covens within that tradition many have their own Book. Examples of traditions and beliefs : Traditional Witchcraft is a term, which has come into vogue to describe the practice of Witchcraft before Gardner (see below.) Traditional Witchcraft is made up of Family Traditions, which come from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Some of these Family Traditions –like the Correllian- consider their practices religious in nature, with an element of magic. Other Family Traditions view their practice as being purely magical in nature, with little or no religious component. This difference in viewpoint comes from the fact that the different Traditions within Traditional Witchcraft come from a variety of cultural and historical origins. There has been considerable tension between the Traditional and Gardnerian branches of Wicca, and some people consider them separate movements today –the Correllian Tradition rejects this view however. Gardnerian: The Gardnerian Tradition of Wicca is named for Gerald B. Gardner, who first brought Wicca to public knowledge in 1951. Since that time, Wicca has become immensely popular in many different manifestations, most of which bear only a vague resemblance to the original. (http://www.gardnerian.com/) He, in some circles, is considered the father of Modern Wicca. Many also state that all branches of modern witchcraft stem from him. Many others dispute that. Dianic: Sometimes called Feminist Dianic Witchcraft, focus exclusively on the Goddess and consists of women-only covens and groups. These tend to be loosely structured and non-hierarchical, using consensus- decision- making and simple, creative, experimental ritual. They are politically feminist groups, usually very supportive, personal and emotionally intimate. (http://www.geocities.com/West...) Correllianism: does put an unusually strong emphasis on the philosophical aspects of Wicca, and on the spirituality and inner mysteries of the Wiccan religion, but liturgically the beliefs do not especially differ from those of other Wiccan Traditions. Rather it is the attitudes toward the Pagan community and its future, that tend to set them apart. The Correllian Tradition is dedicated to the advancement of the Pagan people. They believe strongly in the need for increased communication and co-operation between Pagans everywhere, from all Traditions. The Correllian Nativist Tradition is founded upon the teachings of the High-Correll family. The Correllian Tradition is dedicated to fostering communication and co-operation between Pagan peoples everywhere, and to improving and securing the status and legal rights of Pagans as an ethnic group. The teachings of Correllian Nativism derive from the blv. Orpheis Caroline High Correll, an American woman of mixed racial and cultural descent, who taught that Pagan (Native) peoples around the world could only survive through united action against religious/cultural imperialism. (http://www.correlliantraditio...) Solitary: one who does not belong to any group but practices alone or with one or two other people. Usually Eclectic. Eclectic: If you were to meet a witch out on the street, it is very likely they would fall under this category, thought they might have their own term for it. This term is used to describe someone of no specific tradition but looks to all or some for guidance. They also usual create their own as the go along drawing on different sources. Eclectics will often be forerunners in new/ personal/family/ or coven traditions. Kitchen witch: someone who cooks and bakes their magic. They often express their spirituality though the cooking or making of food and other kitchen activities. Green Witch or hedge witch: one who uses herbals/ flowers and other plants in most or all of their practices. May be an herbalist, may not. Satanism: Is NOT witchcraft or Wiccan! See “Do Witches Worship Satan?” http://www.tblog.com/template... It is a religion and a philosophy based on man as he really is: a carnal being free from the fiction that is spirituality and one who champions total responsibility, pragmatism, and the here-and-now. It has been referred to as an "unreligion" in the sense that it does not subscribe to the notion of an anthropomorphic deity and, by extension, some being who must be worshiped, it’s most common misconception. Others say that Satanism is challenging popular notions of how 'religion' is defined, as it is not content with the dictates of Judeo-Christian strictures. But for those who feel that deity worship and religion must be and always have been inextricably bound, it should be noted that Satanism's lack of deity belief and deity worship is not singular as Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism (all considered religions the world over) also share this viewpoint. (http://www.satanism101.com/) Satanists might be Pagan, Not all Pagans are Satanists. Just as all United Church followers are Christians, not all Christians are members of the United Church. The same can be said for Wicca. All Wiccan’s are Pagan, but not all Pagans are Wiccan. Those are but a few Traditions in Witchcraft. There are 1000’s more, Fairy Wicca, Celtic Wiccan, Norse Wicca, even Christian Wicca, which will be discussed in a later posting. The next posting will be about the Beliefs that many Witches follow. |
posted by: almsthvn (reply)
post date: 03.09.05 (10:58 am)
Keen! I'll have to come back and peruse more carefully, but I love learning new stuff.
I think the old readers were by McGuffy - maybe the saying came from there?
http://www.harvested.com/Homeschool/ClassicCurriculum.html
posted by: LynnKramer (reply)
post date: 03.09.05 (11:41 am)
Fairmoon
I am sure you would be interested in what the Modern Catholic Church knows about WICCA
do a search for
How Old is the "Old Faith?"-- the modern origins of Wicca
posted by: Fairmoon (reply)
post date: 03.09.05 (12:12 pm)
Reply to: LynnKramer
thanks for the heads up. when i have the time I'll read it.
posted by: LynnKramer (reply)
post date: 03.09.05 (1:15 pm)
We have to remember that as Catholics, we do not adhere to Scripture
Alone (Sola Scriptura). Sola Scriptura is what Protestants believe.
For us Catholics, there are two other factors besides Scripture.
These are *Sacred Tradition* and the *Magisterim.* Sacred Tradition
is the second stream of divine revelation besides Sacred Scripture
(not to be confused with tradition with a small 't' such as the
Rosary or how Mass is said).
Sacred Tradition contains teachings such as the Immaculate
Conception of Mary (that Mary was conceived with no original sin at
all), and the Assumption, body and soul, of the Blessed Virgin into
heaven. Also included would be the fact that only a priest, with the
sacrament of Holy Orders, can change bread and wine into the body
and blood of Christ.
The Magisterium is the infallible teaching authority of the Church.
This is the Pope and the bishops united with him, when they teach
bindingly and authoritively to the whole Church on matters of Faith
and morals. It is the Magisterium that is the infallible interpreter
of both Scripture and Sacred Tradition. That has been established by
Christ Himself.
We can see that such an infallible Magisterium is needed.
Protestants rely of private interpretation (as Martin Luther
taught). It is presumed that the believer, reading Scripture
himself, can understand what it means.
We can see the result of that. Today, there are roughly 30,000
Protestant denominations that claim to be following what the Bible
teaches, but they contradict each other on numerous points.
No matter how clear a passage of Scripture seems, we can never be
completely sure that we are not making a mistake in interpretation
(Scripture is far deeper than we imagine). Only the Magisterium has
the infallible power to tell us exactly what it means without error.
posted by: shayno (reply)
post date: 03.09.05 (5:44 pm)
very informative post i look forward to reading more.
posted by: Fairmoon (reply)
post date: 03.10.05 (7:16 am)
Reply to: pantheist
thanks! I agree with you! we're not all going to agree! :-) funny that sentance. Thanks for adding your post. I appreciate it.
FM
Demystifying Misconceptions
This Blog chronicles the journey of one woman as she attempts to define her faith and place in the universe.
I'm a geeky sort of Fae most of the time
Blog Posts of Note:
*Christian and Wiccan at The Same Time
*A Walk with Jesus’ Mom
*Finding God in Wicca
*Universal Myth and Personal Myth- Definitions in Consensus Reality
The Matrix: Systems Healing and Thinking, an Introduction
*Magic, Witches and the Bible
*A brief History of Wicca
*Wicca 101 part 1
*Wicca 101 part 2
*Spells and the Modern Witch
*Do Witches Worship Satan?
*Religious View
*Interview with a Witch
*A Witch's Story of Creation
*One Definition of the Divine
*I am a Witch
* Original Sin, from a Witches point of View
*Why a Witch Could care less about Harry Potter
*Satan is not my Sidekick
*The other people: Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the Bible