278 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
278 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
MY WICCA
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By Durwydd MacTara
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My RELIGION is Wicca, my LIFE-STYLE is Witchcraft! I believe in
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a supreme being that is both Immanent and Transcendent, that is
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expressing itself within AND without. However, I also believe that
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trying to define/describe such an infinite Divine Being in finite terms
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to be a waste of time and energy. I CAN describe my perceptions of the
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Ultimate in terms of the energies that I work with and find significant
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in my daily living. My style and methods of relating to what I can
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perceive of these Divine Energies are what I describe as my RELIGION.
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How I apply these insights gained via my religious practices, I term my
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CRAFT.
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The name for my religion is derived from the Saxon root "wicce"
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(pronounced "witchy") and is loosely translated as "Wise". The word
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"Wicca" was first used in modern times in England by Gerald B. Gardner
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to describe/define an attempt at restoring "the old wisdom" of pre-
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Christian beliefs and practice into a modern context in the 1940's.
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Ergo, I could call my religion "wisdom" and my style of application of
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this wisdom "wise-craft" or more simply, "The Craft of the Wise".
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For the sake of convenience and easy understanding, I divide the
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expressions of the Divine Energies into two groups; that of the active
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positive (symbolically "male") energies represented to me by the stag
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horned Lord of the Forest, and those of a more passive, nurturing, or
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"negative" polarity represented to me by the Threefold Goddess.
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Approaching my perceptions of the universe and its energies in this way
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allows me to break them down into "bite sized chunks", applicable to my
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daily life in a mundane world, and what good is ANY belief system if it
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is not of immediate and practical use here and now?
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So what are some of the beliefs and practices of this religion
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called Wicca, and how do I apply them to my daily life? What does it
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all mean? The following explanation is based on a press statement
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released by the American Council of Witches released in the early
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1970's, with some editing on my part to reflect my own beliefs and
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practices.
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=================================
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BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE CRAFT
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1. The first principle is that of love, and it is expressed in the
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ethic,
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"AN IT HARM NONE, DO AS THOU WILL"
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a) love is not emotional in it's essence, but is an
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attribute of the individual as expressed in relation
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to other beings;
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b) harming others can be by thought, word, or deed.
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Thought is included here, because for the Witch,
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"thoughts are things" and every action, even thoughts,
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can become magical actions, whether consciously intended
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or not;
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c> it is to be understood the "none" includes oneself,
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though it is permissable to harm self in helping others,
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should one so choose;
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d) the harm which is to be regarded as unethical is
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gratuitous harm; war, in general, is gratuitous harm,
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although it is ethical to defend oneself and one's
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liberty when threatened by real and present danger,
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such as personal defense or defense of another WHEN REQUESTED.
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2. The Witch must recognize and harmonize with the forces of the
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universe, in accord with the Law of Polarity: everything is dual;
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everything has two poles; everything has it's opposite; for every action
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there is a reaction; all can be categorized as either active or reactive
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in relation to other things.
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a) The Infinite and Ultimate Godhead is one unique and
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transcendent wholeness, beyond any limitations or expressions;
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thus, it is beyond our human capacity to understand and identify
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with this principle of Cosmic Oneness, except as It is
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revealed to us in terms of It's attributes and operation.
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b) One of the most basic and meaningful attribute of the One
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that we, as humans, can relate to and understand, is
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that of polarity, of action and reaction; therefore
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Witches recognize the Oneness of the Divinity, but
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worship and relate to the Divine as the archetypal
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polarity of God and Goddess, the All-Father and the
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Great Mother of the universe. The Beings are as near as
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we can approach to the One within our human limitations
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of understanding and expression, though it is possible to
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experience the divine Oneness through the practices of the
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Mysteries.
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c) Harmony does not consist of the pretty and the nice,
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but the balanced, dynamic, poised co-operation and
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co-relationship.
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3. The Witch must recognize, and operate within the framework of the
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Law of Cause and Effect; every action has it's reaction, and every
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effect has it's cause. All things occur according to this law; nothing
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in the universe can occur outside this law, though we may not always
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appreciate the relation between a given effect and it's cause. Sub-
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sidiary to this is the Law of Three, which states that whatever goes
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forth must return threefold, whether of good or ill; for our actions
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affect more than people generally realize, and the resulting reactions
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are also part of the harvest.
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4. As Above, So Below. That which exists in the Macrocosm exists, on
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a smaller scale and to a lesser degree, in the Microcosm. The powers
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of the universe exist also in the human, though in general instance they
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lie dormant. The powers and abilities can be awakened and used if the
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proper techniques are practiced, and this is why initiates of the
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Mysteries are sworn to guard the secrets from the unworthy: Much harm
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can be done by those who have power without responsibility, both to
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others and to themselves according to the Laws of Cause and Effect and
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of Threefold Return.
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a) Since our philosophy teaches that the universe is the
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physical manifestation of the Divine, there can be
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nothing in the universe which does not partake of the
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nature of the Divine; hence, the powers and attributes
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of the Divine exist also in the manifest, though to much
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smaller degree.
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b) These powers can be awakened through the various
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techniques of the Mysteries, and, although they are only
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capable of small effects in and of themselves, it is
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possible to use them in order to draw upon the forces of
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the universe. Thus humanity can be the wielders of the
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power of the Gods, a channel for Godhead to act within
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It's own manifestation. This, many feel, is further reason
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for the oath of secrecy.
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c) Since the universe is the body of the One, possessing
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many of the same attributes as the One, it's Laws must be the
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principles through and by which the One operates. By
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reasoning from the known to the unknown, one can learn
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of the Divine, and thus of oneself. By experiencing the Mysteries
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a person can truly LEARN more about the One. Thus the Craft is a
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natural religion as well as a MYSTERY religion, seeing in Nature
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the expression and revelation of Divinity.
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5. We know that everything in the universe is in movement or vibration
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and is a function of that vibration. Everything vibrates; all things
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rise and fall in a tidal system that reflects the motion inherent in the
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universe and also in the atom. Matter and energy are but two poles of
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one continuous phenomenon. Therefore the Witch celebrates, harmonizes
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with, and makes use of the tides of the universe and of life as
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expressed through the cycle of the seasons and the motion of the solar
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system. These ritual observances are the eight great Festivals of the
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Year, referred to as the Wheel of the Year. Further, the Witch works
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with the forces and tides of the Moon, for this body is the mediator of
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much energy to our planet Earth and thus to ourselves.
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6. Nothing is dead matter in the universe. All things exist,
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therefore all things live, though perhaps in a different manner from
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that which we are used to calling life. In view of this, the Witch
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knows that there is no true death, only change from one condition to
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another. The universe is the body of Godhead, and therefore
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possesses one transcendent consciousness; all things partake of the
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consciousness, in varying levels of trance/awareness.
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a) Because of this principle, all things are sacred to
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the Witch, for all partake of the one Life.
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b) Therefore the Witch is a natural ecologist, for Nature
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is part of us as we are a part of Nature.
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7. Throughout the development of the human race, civilizations have
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seen and worshipped many and various attributes of the Divine. These
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universal forces have been clothed in forms which were expressive to the
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worshipper of the attribute of the Godhead which they expressed. Use of
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these symbolic representations of the natural and divine forces of the
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universe, or god forms, is a potent method for contacting and utilizing
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the forces they represent. Thus the Gods are both natural and truly
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divine, and man-made in that the forms with which they are clothed are
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products of humanity's striving to know the Godhead.
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a) In keeping with the Law of Polarity, these god-forms
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are brought into harmony by the one great Law which
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states: All Gods are one God. All Goddesses are one
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Goddess. There is one Initiator. This law is an
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expression of our understanding that all of the forces of
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the universe, by whatever ethnic god-form is chosen to
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clothe and relate to whichever force, can be resolved
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into the fundamental polarity of the Godhead, the Great
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Mother and the All-Father.
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b) It is the use of differing god forms, of differing
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ethnic sources or periods, which is the basis of many of
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the differences between the various Traditions of the
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Craft. Each Tradition uses the forms, and thus the names,
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which to that Tradition best express and awaken an
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understanding of the force represented, according to the
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areas of emphasis of the Tradition.
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c) Because we know that differing names or
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representations are but expressions of the same divine
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principles and forces, we require our members to swear
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that they will never mock the names by which another
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honors the Divine, even though those names be different
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from and seemingly less expressive than the names and god
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forms used by our Tradition (for to the members of
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another Tradition, using it's names, ours may easily seem
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equally less expressive).
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8. A Witch refuses to allow her/himself to be corrupted by the great
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guilt neuroses which have been foisted on humanity in the name of the
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Divine, thus freeing the self of the slavery of the mind. The Witch
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expresses responsibility for her/his actions, and accepts the consequen-
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ces of them; guilt is rejected as inhibiting to one's self-actualiza-
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tion, and replaced by the efforts of the Witch to obey the teachings of
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harmlessness, responsibility for the consequences of one's actions, and
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the goal of actualizing the full powers of the individual.
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a) We refuse to believe that a human being is born
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innately sinful, and recognize the concepts of sin and
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guilt are tremendously inhibiting to the human potential;
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the consequences of the Law of Cause and Effect, called
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karma by some, are not punishment, but the recurrences of
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situations and their effects because the individual has
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not gained the Wisdom needed to handle or avoid such
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situations.
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b) There is no heaven except that which we ourselves make
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of our life on Earth, and likewise there is no hell
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except the effects of our unwise actions. Many of us believe
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in a "waiting place" sometimes called Summerland where we rest,
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recuperate and prepare for our next sojurn in the earth. "Death
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is not followed by punishment or reward, but by life and the
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continuing personal evolution of our human potential.
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c) One cannot damn the divine in oneself; one can,
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however, cut oneself off from it through the rejection of
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wisdom and a refusal to strive for self-realization.
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This cutting off does not lead to personal suffering in
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"hell", for there is no Self to suffer if the tie to
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one's own divinity has been severed; what remains is
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merely an empty shell, a "personality" or thought-form
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devoid of it's ensouling Spark of the Divine Fire.
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9. We know of the existence of the life-force which ensouls all living
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things, that is, all that exists. We know that a spark of this Divine
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Fire is within each and every thing that exists, and that it does not
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die; only the form of it's existence changes. We know that this spark
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of the life-force returns to manifestation again and again in order to
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fully realize and actualize it's potential, evolving finally to the peak
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and essence of existence which is pure being. In this process of
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reincarnation each form returns in the same type of form, though it's
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ever-increasing actualization may lead to higher levels of existence of
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that form. Man returns as man, cat as feline, mineral as mineral, each
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class of form evolving as the individual forms of that class evolve.
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10. This process of evolution through successive incarnations in
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manifest form works through the utilizations of wisdom gained, the
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essence of the life-experience. This essence of experience, or Wisdom,
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is an attribute of the spark of life itself, one and inseparable.
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11. We must care for the body, for it is the vehicle of the spark of
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life, the form by which we attain. Thus we must heal the body of it's
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ills and keep it a tuned and perfected tool; so must we heal others
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(both physically and psychologically) as far as it is within our power
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to do so. However, we cannot interfere with the life of another, even
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to heal, except at their request or with their express permission. The
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reasoning behind this apparent limitation is that we are endowed with
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Free Will, and what the Gods themselves hesitate to infringe upon, is
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best left alone by us "mere" mortals.
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13. Harmony with, and utilization of, the great natural forces of the
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universe is called magick. By magick we speak, not of the super-
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natural, but of the superbly natural, but whose laws and applications
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are not as yet recognized by the scientific establishment. The Witch
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must strive to recognize these forces, learn their laws, attune
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her/himself to them, and make use of them. The Witch must also be aware
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that power corrupts when used _only_ for the gains of the self, and
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therefore must strive to serve humanity: Either through the service in
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the Priesthood, or by example and effects of his/her life on others.
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The choice must be made in accord with the true nature of the Witch.
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