58 lines
3.1 KiB
QBasic
58 lines
3.1 KiB
QBasic
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A Witch is a practicioner of the religion/craft of Wicca. Wicca as
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it is practiced today is a religion which draws upon certain ideas
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which predate Christianity, but also draws on modern thinking as
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well. It is often refered to as a neo-pagan religion, since it is
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generally a reconstruction and/or modification of some ancient
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beliefs.
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There are hundreds of different branches of Wicca, each with its
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own beliefs, central ideas, area of importance, ideals, etc.
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Anyone can create their own new branch of Wicca if their beliefs
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dont quite match up with that of an established coven - most
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practicioners do not see their way as being the ONLY way (I
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certainly dont - religion is a personal thing, and no two persons
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are the same...). There are a number of common beleifs and views,
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of which few, some, most, or all may be shared by any given coven.
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1. The existance of a supreme entity/entities - often considered
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benevolent, though sometimes neutral.
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2. The supreme entitiy/s are often divided into both male and
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female aspects. Some covens only recognize one gender,
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however (usually the Goddess aspect)
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3. The practicioners honer these deities on certain occasions,
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sometimes refered to as Sabbats and/or Esbats.
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4. These gods/goddess may have one or several names, one or
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several aspects.
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5. The practitioners recognize the existance of a power that
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exists all about us, and are often trained in how to recognize
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and manipulate such energies to various effects.
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6. Most (if not all...) true covens adhere to a particualar creed
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- 'So long as it harms noone, not even yourself, do what you
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will'. There are many variences to the wording and intent.
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7. Practitioners may be trained in how to understand certain
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symbological figures that affect both their craft work and
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their daily lives.
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8. The number of members in a coven may vary from one to twelve
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or thirteen, or perhaps even higher - as a general rule,
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though, it often is a very small, private, personal religion.
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9. Many covens have a heirarchy of degrees, the lowest generally
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being an 'initiate' or 'novice', the highest being a 'high
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priest' or 'high priestess'. There may be 3 levels, or more. A
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person who is recognized as being a 'priest' in one coven may
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or may not be necessarily recognized within another. The
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degrees usually reflect the amount of training a person has
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within his own particualr coven and in the religion in
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general.
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10. Many covens do not recognize the existance of a supreme entity
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of evil - there is no 'Satan' as it is for most all members.
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Satanists and witches are COMPLETELY seperate fields (in fact,
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not all Satanists beleive in a supremem entity of evil
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either...).
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I could go on, but that covers a lot of basic ground. As you can
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see, I've purposely tried to leave out absolutes, because the
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religion is so unique to each person and group. I've been taught
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to recognize most all branches of Wicca, known and unknown, and I
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hope my definition is somewhat fitting (if somewhat vague!)
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Silvernote
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