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*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- Part Two |
| 03.11.05 (11:23 am) [edit] |
Part II, BeliefsThere are specific beliefs to each tradition. They do not all follow the same book or teaching. Although there are a few concepts common to most, if not all, traditions, they are as follows: Do As Thy will, But Harm None -The Wiccan Rede, the great law of Wicca. Because what you do comes back to you -through Karma- magic and all other actions should be used for constructive purposes only. Using ones actions for harm is wrong and will only bring harm to you in the end. Law of Three -Most Wiccan’s believe in the “Law of Three,” that is that what you do -good or bad- comes back to you multiple times. Some mean this literally, others mean it symbolically: that you will repeat the experience as many times as necessary to learn the lesson it offers, “three” here simply meaning “multiple times”. The Correllian Tradition holds to the latter view. The true meaning of the Law of Three has nothing to do with the number of times, but with the concept that Karma is about learning rather than simply balancing out ones acts. These two beliefs are paramount to Wiccan practices. They create the perimeters in which magic and spells cast. The claims of “witches are putting spells on them” or “cursing them” are impossible because of these beliefs. Witches, if they follow the Rede, cannot do spells for others unless permission is given or the spell will only improve the other situation. As well cursing another is also frowned upon for these same reasons. Magic performed by modern witches are beneficial and benign in nature. Of course, as with all religions, atrocities can occur ‘in the name of’ a religion. Nevertheless as with all religions, they are acceptations and not the norm. As Above So Below -The ancient maxim “As Above, So Below” is attributed to the Egyptian spiritual Master Hermes Trismagistus, What is meant by this phrase is that all of creation, whether great or small, reflects the same Divine Nature, or plan. As all things, which exist, are emanations of the Goddess through the God, all things naturally mirror and reflect Their Divine qualities. For this reason, the same Truth will be discerned in a galaxy of stars, and in a single grain of sand, if one is open to it. It is ultimately on this principle that all forms of divination are based. Wiccan’s all generally follow the same holidays, they are approx. six weeks apart and as wiccan roots are earth based the holiday and rituals are very crop and harvest based. Wheel of The Year -The Wheel of the Year refers to the yearly cycle of the Seasons, and to the sacred festivals, which celebrate them. Esbat -An Esbat is a monthly ceremony or ceremonies, usually tied to the cycle of the Moon. Esbats are commonly held at the New or Full Moon, but can also be held at the Dark Moon. Sabbat -A Sabbat is a major Wiccan Festival. There are four Grand Sabbats, whose energy is primarily feminine. These are: Samhain or Halloween, Nov 1, Wiccan New Year and a time to honour ancestors Imbolc or Candlemas, Feb 1, celebration of the return of light Beltane or May Day, May 1, honours the fertility of earth and blessing for crops Lughnassadh or Lammas, Aug 1. the first harvest and honouring of earth bounty There are four Lesser Sabbats as well, whose energy is primarily masculine. These are: Spring Equinox or Ostara, March 22 approx. welcoming spring Summer Solstice or Litha, June 21 approx, celebrates new growth Fall Equinox or Mabon Sept 21 approx last harvest honours earth’s bounty, Winter Solstice or Yule Dec 21 approx. celebrates the resting part of the year These festivals describe the process of Involution and Evolution on personal, seasonal, and Divine levels. There are a number allegorical stories that are often considered cornerstones of Wiccan belief. Although they are not considered Divine, or even considered by some sects, they are well respected in the Wiccan community. One describes the Divine process of the Wheel of the Year. It begins at Yule when the God is born to the Goddess. Imbolc in Feb celebrates his venture into boyhood. Ostara marks him becoming a man. At May Day, he unites with the Goddess and she becomes pregnant. At the Summer Solstice, her bounty grows and shows the world her fertility. At Lammas, the God’s energy is waning and the Goddess full of vibrant life is coming into her own. At Mabon, she is almost ready to give birth. At Samhain, the old God dies to make room for the new. And at Yule, the cycle begins again. This story is allegorical and quite common among many earth based religions and ancient mythologies. Gaia in Greek myth gives birth to Cronos and then with him fathers the Titian and humans. In some interpretations of this story, the God is separated into two. The God of the waxing year, (Yule to Midsummer) is called the Oak king and then during the waning year (Midsummer to Yule) the Holly king. the Holly king slays the Oak king, only to die himself at Yule when the new Oak King is born. That story has always confused me, and I do not truly understand it. Masculine and Feminine Energies Most witches believe in the dualistic nature of the Divine. They separate the universal energy into male and female aspects. The Sun is male, and the moon is Female. The sun, male energy, spring equinox to autumn equinox (or in different traditions May Day to autumn equinox) rules the light half of the year. The moon, female energy, rules the dark half of the year autumn equinox to spring equinox. This creates balance, and equality. Vangello Delle Streghe is an Aradian Wiccan scripture containing the creation story, the Charge of the Goddess, and a collection of other myths deriving from Italian Witchcraft. It was published by Charles Leland in 1899 AD under the title “Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches”. Although some groups consider it a cornerstone of Wiccan Thought it does not hold the same reverence that the Bible does to most Christians. Not all Wiccan’s acknowledge its importance. Universal Deity Because each Wiccan has a different view of Higher power, the term Universal Deity or just Deity is often used. This way each person can interpret it as they see fit. Some Wiccan’s acknowledge Goddess and God as equal, some only the Goddess, some honour an entire pantheon such as Egyptian or Greek. “All of the faces of Deity in the end reflect the same universal power, as in fact do we and all of creation. That universal power is infinite and beyond our power to know in its totality, so we make understandable images through which we may interface with it. That infinite power is Universal Deity -the spirit of Deity that is beyond all names and images.” from the Correllian Tradition. It is important to point out that not all Wiccan’s witches, believe all of this, or follow these practices. Nor is this a definitive work on beliefs in the Craft. The Craft is not an organized religion, but rather a spiritual faith open to the interpretation of each person following the faith. The Craft teaches that people can connect directly to the Divine in a way that is right for them. There is no one doing the thinking for them, deciding what is right and wrong. We learn that we were made in the image of the Divine therefore Divine unto ourselves. We each see the world with a different perspective and have different life experiences to draw from. We know that we each walk the path to the Divine a different way, and though the paths may differ it is more important to see the similarities as apposed to differences. |
posted by: allythebabe (reply)
post date: 03.15.05 (7:53 am)
wow this is amazing
are you wiccan yourself??
i am and i love it!!
posted by: Fairmoon (reply)
post date: 03.15.05 (1:42 pm)
Reply to: allythebabe
MM
yes I am. I'm glad that you liked the articles.
Blessings,
FM
posted by: gonzoid (reply)
post date: 03.16.05 (12:07 pm)
so mote it be.
posted by: Fairmoon (reply)
post date: 03.16.05 (12:31 pm)
Reply to: gonzoid
blessed be
posted by: altricial (reply)
post date: 03.19.05 (6:31 am)
Great info. Thanks for the education!
posted by: Fairmoon (reply)
post date: 03.19.05 (3:31 pm)
Reply to: altricial
glad you liked 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