98 lines
6.1 KiB
Plaintext
98 lines
6.1 KiB
Plaintext
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DEGREES OF INITIATION
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06/24/86
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SPARROW SONG
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ALL
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Degrees
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What do the three ( or four ) degrees of Wicca entail?
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Sparrow Song
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06/24/86
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SEA HAWK
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SPARROW SONG
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Degrees
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Well, as I see it, the (in my case) three degrees reflect
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levels of competency. You have to know and maybe even be
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able to teach various things to be upped a degree. Also,
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I see the degrees as much like Church hierarchy. First
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degree makes you a priest/priestess, and makes you
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responsible for a small part of the lay community. Second
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degree is kinda like being a bishop -- that's also when
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you become an "Elder" -- and makes you responsible for
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lay community and what first degrees are in your group.
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In other words, 2nd degree has more and greater attendant
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responsibilities (which is as it should be, no?). In
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my tradition, 3rd degree is given when it looks like the
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person is ready to go off and found a coven of his/her
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own (preferably with his/her mate -- they like to give
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thirds in pairs), which the person then should do (cause
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there shouldn't be more than one set of 3rds in a coven).
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3rd is rather closer to 2nd than 2nd is to 1st, as I see
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it. And in the way of what one must know, well, it seems
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to consist of memorising a basic ritual and knowing why
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it works, plus various other things too numerous and eclectic
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to mention here. Ultimately, I think, advancement is
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according to the whim of the High Priestess & Priest.
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Yea, it's a pain, but if you don't like it you can always
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"invent yer own grandmother" and start off on your own.<grin>
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After all, that's one of the good things about this
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religion: its flexibility. And as long as you don't
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dismember animals and children, you may even be
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recognised and acknowledged! (mostly joking)
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Seriously, I've been finding the whole degree system
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a pain lately, a source of unfair manipulation along
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the carrot-and-stick lines, so I'm somewhat bitter
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about it all. Brighit (are you out there?) may be
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better able to explain it, since she's a HPs herself,
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and of a very formalised tradition...
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B*B
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SeaHawk
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07/08/86
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BRIGHIT BRIGHIT
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ALL
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Several
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Seems that while I've been gone there have been one or two
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requests for me to comment on things ...
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First, on degree systems:
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Yes, SeaHawk is right, we Gardnerians do have a fairly
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rigid system although each coven interprets it slightly
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differently. In Tobar Bhride [my coven] our first de-
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gree is NOT considered clergy nor is it eligible for
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CoG credentials because it is considered an acknowledge-
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ment of one's commitment to the Craft and the Coven, but
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not necessarily a commitment to clerical responsibility.
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First degrees are considered competent to do a circle
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for themselves only -- and given only that part of the
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Book which is relevant to that scope of practice.
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Second degree Priest/ess/es are considered teachers, and
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in our particular coven must have taught us, as a coven,
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something before elevation to that degree is considered.
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They are eligible to lead group celebrations and also
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eligible for CoG Ministerial Credentials. Elders, Third
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Degree Witches, in Tobar Bhride, are those with direct
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experience of deity through a formalized ritual of
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possession. This experience, and a year of service to
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Tobar Bhride, are the requirements for Third Degree.
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I agree with SeaHawk about the sometimes arbitrary
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forces at work in initiation and elevation.
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Unfortunately in many covens the HP & HPs feel themselves
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oathbound to be arbitrary, authoritarian and autocratic,
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and absolutely not subject to any constraint or needing
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any consensus whatsoever. Or in some covens they will
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agree to consensus on the little things and arbitrarily
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disperse the big ones <listening, SeaHawk? *wink*>.
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In Tobar Bhride, to avoid this, we have made a rule for
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ourselves: if a person fulfills all the paper require-
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ments for initiation/elevation and does not receive
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that degree within two Sabbats' time, the Council of
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Elders is FORCED to explain why to the petitioner.
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This seems to curb the temptation to such authoriarian
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use of power ...
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I hope this gives another view of the degree system as
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practiced in some circles. Kyril, if you're on here
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yet, perhaps you would comment on how things are in
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YOUR circle???
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Brightest blessings,
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Brighit
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HPs, Coven Tobar Bhride
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