125 lines
6.1 KiB
Plaintext
125 lines
6.1 KiB
Plaintext
GETTING STARTED IN THE CRAFT
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by Fiona Oceanstar (fi@whittaker.rice.edu)
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Western vs. Eastern mystery traditions --> one of the first
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things you need to conceptualize, if you're interested in
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witchcraft, is that it's a WESTERN mystery tradition. The
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important dichotomy here is outer-vs.-inner. In the Eastern
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traditions, the adept commonly seeks some sort of mystical union
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with the great Oneness, which implies a withdrawal from the
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common, everyday life of human beings, and a focus on one's
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internal processes. In the Western traditions, the adept is very
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much a part of the activities and community of humankind. A witch
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does indeed have a special awareness of their inner world and
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their connection with the all-permeating Oneness (Goddess), but a
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witch is also a member of society--a farmer, a healer, a parent, a
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warrior, a writer, a scientist, an artist, a computer programmer,
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etc. In becoming a witch, you don't dissociate your spiritual
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life from the rest of your life--rather, you apply the principles
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of the Craft in everything you do. You seek to take what you have
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learned on an inner level and MANIFEST that awareness on an outer
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level. This is not to be confused with the Christian dichotomy of
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works vs. faith. Witches don't have to BELIEVE in anything--they
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are much too concrete, too practical for such notions. The
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rituals of the Craft all get down to the same thing: sanctifying
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the everyday activities of your life. When a witch makes love,
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writes a program, cooks a meal, rides a bike, these are all the
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rituals of the Goddess.
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What to do:
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--learn some simple form of meditation, and practice it often,
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the idea being to master the art of a QUIET MIND. In order to be
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attentive to the world around you, you have to learn to let go of
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the inner chattering.
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T.S. Eliot (in "East Coker") puts it this way:
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"...the mind is conscious, but conscious of nothing--
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I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope
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For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love
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For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith
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But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the
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waiting.
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Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought:
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So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the
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dancing."
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Listen to everything. Above all, listen to your body.
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Starhawk recommends a regular program of exercise, and I agree.
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Again, it quiets the mind.
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--get in touch with the movements of the Earth and the Moon.
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Get a calender that has Moon phases, and make a point of knowing
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what phase you're in, at all times. Notice the differences
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between the dark of the moon (empty but ready for new birth), the
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new moon (time for initiating things), the waxing moon (growing in
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power), the full moon (peak of intensity), and the waning moon
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(fading, turning inward, consolidating gains). If you are a
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woman, pay attention to your menstrual cycle, and how it matches
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up with the phases of the moon. If you are a man, get in touch
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with the cycle of a female friend or lover. Get out under the
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moon as much as possible. When She is full, lie in a grassy field
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or on a rooftop and LISTEN to her.
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--pay attention to the natural world: the seasons, the plants,
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the insects, everything around you. If you can, go out hiking and
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camping as much as possible--alone, or with someone else who can
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be silent and observant. Even in the city, even in a very
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restricted urbanized environment, you can see things of nature all
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around you. Try to walk to work, if possible. Go out in your
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back yard and sit on the grass and look at the world close up.
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When inside, observe your pets and your fellow human beings. We
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are all flesh: we have smells, we have appetites. When you have
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sex, try to forget the cultural context (lace underwear, etc.) and
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focus instead on the body, the pleasures of the body. When you
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play music, let your body dance.
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What to read:
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--for the rational side of you --> Margot Adler's _Drawing
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Down the Moon_ (a good overview of many pagan systems)
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--for the spiritual side --> Starhawk's _Spiral Dance_
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But reading is less important than observing. You will be
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tempted to try to become a witch by reading, because those of us
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w/ big brains and big educations always operate that way. Try to
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keep a balance between hours spent reading, and hours spent
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walking in the woods.
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Other references:
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--Joseph Campbell's PBS series on mythology is now available
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on video. He's a good storyteller and has a wonderful philosophy
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of how to incorporate myth into your life.
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Objects/tools/toys:
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--anything can be a tool for working magic and gaining
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understanding (a leaf, a stone, a pen, a plastic dinosaur)--it's
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all in what you invest it with
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--be slow to acquire toys (blades, wands, etc.)--it's better
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if they find you, then your finding them
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--more important than a lot of gidgets, is setting aside a
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special place in your home as an altar. Start with candles and
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incense, and invent simple rituals: lighting a candle while you
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read, burning incense while you meditate.
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--because it's nonverbal in form, the Tarot is actually a
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better source for learning about the Craft, than any book. Seek
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out one of the less Christianized decks--I personally like the
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Barbara Walker and the Motherpeace.
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Sacred space:
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--the first formal "magic" you should learn, is how to set
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aside sacred space. Pick a place in your home or your yard where
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you will practice this, and practice often, even if at first it
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makes you feel self-conscious.
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I realize that a lot of this sounds terribly vague. I used to
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get frustrated when I read books about the Craft, and they didn't
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have, like, RECIPES to perform. The hard part of it is, that you
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learn more from the Goddess, than you do from any human being.
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But that doesn't mean you can't do some simple spells, right from
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the very beginning: both Adler's and Starhawk's books have some
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straightforward descriptions of working magic.
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Don't get hung up on issues of reality, or the unknown, or the
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verifiable, or whatever. Just DO. It's far more important to TRY
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things, than it is to READ about them. |