I started writing
something the other day with the sentence “Wicca is First and Foremost a
Religion.” This is true—but the more I sat with it, the more it felt
uncomfortable as my truth—that is to say, the more I saw with it, the less
I felt the label Wiccan applied to me.
This is a very
strange revelation, but it fits with the work I’ve been doing lately (a
re-examining of my Self through the Tenants, a set of principles set to paper
by Sybil Leek; I have worked through the Tenants once before, but I find myself
at an odd place in life where lots of things no longer fit the way they used
to, so I decided it was time to check back in with my Self and see where I am).
And so, here I am,
not Wiccan. It feels a little weird.
I still believe in
much of what Wicca has to teach about the universe. I believe that it is a good
idea not to go about causing malicious harm without just cause—although “just
cause” is a mighty subjective term. Still, I think a lot of things are
universal. I certainly believe in Four Elemental system that acknowledges
Earth, Air, Fire, and Water; I still prefer to work in a Circle, because it’s
something I’ve done for nearly 30 years and it is part of my comfort zone. I
still believe in reincarnation, although I never had a full grasp on it, or how
to reconcile all the various beliefs about life after death (I have a better
grasp now, I think). I believe in the importance of things like Ritual Bath,
purifying the space, I still us an athame (ironically, the same athame made for
me by an avowed Norseman—lookin’ at you, Artos!).
I still call
myself a witch, although that title is hardly unique to Wicca.
So what changed?
#1:
After careful
thought and consideration, mediation, pondering, contemplation, observation,
practice, prayer, and thought, I am without
a doubt a polytheist. I say that not to mean I don’t believe there isn’t
room for other “eisms”; panentheism, atheism, monotheism, pantheism are all
perfectly and absolutely valid. Just not for me. My experience of and relationships with the Gods is
polytheistic. End-stop. Isis is Isis.
Hela is Hela. Loki is Loki. Osiris is Osiris. Hera is Hera. There may be some
overlap between Isis and Hera or Hermes and Oðinn, but at the end of the day,
that overlap is more like the overlap between one family’s fast-talking, gender-bendy
cousin and another family’s fast-talking gender-bendy cousin. They share similar
qualities, but just because you’re drinking buddies with one doesn’t mean the
other one is going to like you or appreciate it if you call him up in the middle
of the night, especially if you haven’t even been properly introduced! They are
two different people—two different Gods.
And yes, of course,
your mileage may vary. We’re talking about my mileage and why I can no longer
use the word Wiccan to describe myself, because Wiccan philosophy holds that “All
Gods are One God; All Goddesses are One Goddess; All come from the Same Source”.
#2
I can no longer
identify as Wiccan because while am a CIS female, I cannot identify with a
strictly binary world-view. I’m not saying it’s wrong or bad or that every group
doesn’t have the absolute sovereign right to worship the Gods they choose (or
who choose them) as they see fit (you should have heard me yelling at the
laptop as I watched the taped lecture of a person who wants to change Gardnerian
Wicca to include the gender-queer and gender-fluid—those are NOT
Gardnerian world- or Deity-views; if your world-view and Gods are
absolutely non-binary, you should probably go and find a religion that fits;
please do not try to make the religion you are in fit you). Oops. I think I
might have digressed….let’s get back on track, shall we?
In recent years, the idea of binary gender has
(rightly) been challenged; we, as human beings are more than simply “male” or “female”.
We are both. We are neither. We are
fluid. We are questioning, questing, unsure, and happily exploring.
Gender-identity is a brilliant rainbow and there are more expressions of sexual
orientation than heterosexuality. That does not fit with the traditional Wiccan
view which tells us:
A) 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.
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.
That view, while valid for those who believe
in it, does not allow for the experiences of the Polytheist or
for the experiences of the non-binary witch, the gender-fluid,
gender-questioning, gender-queer, gender-non-conforming, the third-gender, or
the asexual witch; it does little to address the experiences of the transgender
witch, or the gay and lesbian witch, or even the bi- or pansexual witch. For
while we do, indeed, all come from a sperm (male) and egg (female), the
complexities of gender and sexuality are only yet being unraveled.
To say that the archetypal Goddess and God,
the Mother and Father, are “the nearest we can approach to understanding
Divinity” does not allow for the
vast experiences and expressions of the human condition and seems (to me) an
excuse to justify the (fictionally ancient) Religion of the Great Mother and
Her Horned Consort.
Although let me say it again: it is within the right of the senior
members of any given Tradition to choose their Tradition’s Gods and to specify
the way in which They will be worshipped within the Tradition. Don’t join a
Wiccan Coven and expect them to change to suit your world-view; in joining, you
agree to accept theirs.
That’s it. There are only Two Things, but they
are Very Big Things. I believe in doing my best to live my truth, walk my talk,
and be myself. And after nearly 30 years of practice, that Self is no longer
Wiccan.
For those who may still labor under the odd
belief that Wicca is a willy-nilly sort of religion, here are the general principles
that Wiccans subscribe to; though there is no High Authority, no Book, no
(real) organization, once upon a time (back in the early 1970’s) a group of prominent
Wiccans got together and hammered out what Wiccans believe. I think they did a
pretty good job.
The 13 Principles of Wiccan Belief:
1. We practice rites
to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases
of the Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarters.
2. We recognize that
our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with nature in
ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an
evolutionary concept.
3. We acknowledge a
depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary it is
sometimes called ‘supernatural’, but we see it as lying within that which is
naturally potential to all.
4. We conceive of
the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity – as
masculine and feminine – and that this same Creative Power lies in all people
and functions through the interaction of the masculine and the feminine. We value neither above the other knowing each
to be supportive of the other. We value
sex as pleasure as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources
of energy used in magical practice and religious worship.
5. We recognize both
outer worlds and inner, or psychological worlds sometimes known as the
Spiritual World, the Collective Unconsciousness, the Inner Planes etc – and we
see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal
phenomena and magical exercises. We
neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our
fulfillment.
6. We do not
recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect
those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who
have courageously given of themselves in leadership.
7. We see religion,
magick and wisdom in living as being united in the way one views the world and
lives within it – a world view and philosophy of life which we identify as
Witchcraft – the Wiccan Way.
8. Calling oneself
‘Witch’ does not make a Witch – but neither does heredity itself, nor the
collecting of titles, degrees and initiations.
A Witch seek to control the forces within her/himself that make life
possible in order to live wisely and without harm to others and in harmony with
nature.
9. We believe in the
affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of evolution and
development of consciousness giving meaning to the Universe we know and our
personal role within it.
10.Our only animosity
towards Christianity, or towards any other religion or philosophy of life, is
to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be ‘the only way’ and have
sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious
practice and belief.
11. As American
Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the craft, the
origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different
traditions. We are concerned with our
present and our future.
12.We do not accept
the concept of absolute evil, nor do we worship any entity known as ‘Satan’ or
‘the Devil’ as defined by Christian tradition.
We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor accept that personal
benefit can be derived only by denial to another.
13.We believe that we should seek within
Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.
There
is a second set of Principles that mirrors and expands upon the first;
this second set is actually what I learned first (both can be found at Sacred Texts.com)
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 its 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 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 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 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. 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. 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.
