The Basics
Of Wicca.
The Craft 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 panthion, 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.
1. The Basics Of Wicca - 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 Basics Of Wicca - 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 transcendant 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
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 reac- tion; 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 transcendant 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 godforms,
is a potent method for contacting and utilizing the forces
they represent. Thus the Gods are both natural and truely
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 godforms, 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 godforms used by our Tradition (for to
the members of another Tradition, using it's names, ours may
easily seem equally less expressive).
9. The Basics Of Wicca - 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 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 as 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 be-ing. 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. The Basics Of Wicca - 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 physicaly
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. The Basics Of Wicca - 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.
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