198 lines
9.2 KiB
Plaintext
198 lines
9.2 KiB
Plaintext
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THE ANCIENT ART
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Once upon a time, a long time ago, there were people who believed
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in laughter, joy and love. They believed in many deities, but
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the most important to them was their Great Mother Goddess. They
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believed in and lived with the powers of Nature. They reveled in
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the Wind, the Rain, the Snow and the Sunlight. They marveled at
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and revered the changing of the seasons and saw therein great
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excitement and wisdom to be gained. They knew that if they
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tended, cared for and loved the Earth, in return She would
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provide for, care for and love them. They saw that all around
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them the world was filled with Life, much as their own but in
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many different and wonderful forms. They felt the life of the
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flowers, plants and trees and respected them for that life
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essence. They looked about and observed all the many types of
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animals and saw that they were kindred to them and loved them.
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They felt and observed the great Love of the Goddess all about
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them and knew kinship with the Moon. They were practioners of
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The Old Religion, worshipers of The Great Mother.
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Witch! The very word instantly invokes visions for each of us,
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visions which vary greatly from individual to individual. Many
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of these visions, however, are quite false, brought about by many
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centuries of severe persecutions, mis-representations, prejudice
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and, in recent years, lack of knowledge. Witchcraft! What is it
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really?
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Witchcraft is the oldest, most irrepressible religion in the
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world because it stimulates the intellect, promotes a simple,
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practical way of life and, most importantly, is emotionally
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satisfying. Its roots lie in the ancient Matriarchal systems of
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Goddess worship. A religion of Nature in which the primary
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deity is female (The Essence of Femininity, The Earth Mother,
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The Great Mother, etc.).
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It was easy for the Wise Ones to look at the world around them
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and see the great importance of Feminine Principle. The female
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was, indeed, the one who bore the young, perhaps the most
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magickal of all events to ancient man. Then, she played by far
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the most important role in rearing the young, being totally
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responsible for feeding, for without her milk there was no life
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past birth. She was responsible for the teaching and early care
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of the young. In all youths the greatest comfort and nurturing
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love were connected with the mother. These revelations and
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experiences could hardly lead to any other choice than the total
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reverence and deification of the female.
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Although The Great Mother is the most important deity, Witches
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do, generally, recognize many Goddessess and/or Gods and are,
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therefore, polytheistic. The tenets of Witchcraft are few but
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all-encompassing, for with three simple Universal Observations
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all of life can be explained and understood:
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1) Reincarnation - Mortality
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2) Cause & Effect - Magick
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3) Retribution - Morality
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Reincarnation enlightens the Witch to the fact that, as we come
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to this material world over and over in a series of learning
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periods, or lifetimes, we will eventually have to experience all
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things, be all things, understand all things. This creates a
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great tolerance for other viewpoints in the Witch.
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Cause & Effect, and an understanding of it, allows the Witch to
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see what makes the world work and how to live most efficiently.
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It gives them a great advantage in that it explains the working
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of Magick.
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Retribution shows the Witch, in graphic terms, that every thought
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one might have, every action one may take, is returned in like
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kind. This realization forms the basis of the Moral Code of the
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Witch.
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The Patriarchal Societies which evolved in later times had no
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tolerance for the Goddess religions and systematically set out to
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destroy the material vestiges, kill or convert the adherents and
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wipe out all knowledge of them. They destroyed the temples and
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other places of worship, desecrated the sacred groves and
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magickal places, attempted to pervert the old deities, mutilated
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and totally suppressed sacred art, tore down libraries and burned
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books, tortured and killed the practitioners of the Old
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Religions, demeaned, persecuted and oppressed women in general
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and passed strictly enforced laws which made theirs the State
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Religion and forbade all other viewpoints.
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Despite the centuries of insidious persecution, deliberate
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destruction and perversions at the hands of the Christian
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Conspirators, Witchcraft has survived.
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COMMON INQUIRIES
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I've heard the terms 'White Witch' and 'Black Witch'. Can you
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explain?
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In this connotation, white is referring to Positive, Black is
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referring to Negative. A White Witch then is someone who tries
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to do Positive or Good things. Black Witch could be a term used
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to describe someone who deliberately does Negative or Bad things.
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A True Witch believes in the Law of Retribution and would never
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deliberately harm anyone or anything or participate in Negative
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or Destructive acts.
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Is it possible for me to practice Witchcraft and remain a
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Christian?
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No. The Christian Doctrine states, unequivocally, that
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Christians shall have no other Gods before the Christian God.
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Christian Doctrine says to believe in any other deities or to
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practice any other religion is not only evil but should be
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punished by death, specifically naming Witchcraft. The Christian
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Doctrine also denies Reincarnation and prescribes punishment for
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those who practice Magick.
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Devil worship?
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Witches do not worship the Devil. Witchcraft predates
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Christianity and does not incorporate a belief in the Christian
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Devil.
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The Wise Ones did deify the Masculine Principle and quite often
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He was depicted as The Great Horned God; Pan, Cernunnos, the
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Great Stag, The Green Man. To the Traditional Witch, the
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Masculine Deity (the Goddess' Consort) is very important, revered
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and loved. He is the perfect Father, the Lord Protector. The
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Horned God of the Witches is loving, kind and good.
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Don't men have difficulty with a supreme female deity? There are
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some groups which give equal status to the female and male
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deities.
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Neo-Pagans are, by definition, people who attempt to live with
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the Old Country Ways in a new, modern day manner. And while, in
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this modern era, equal status for the deities may be popular, as
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it relates to Witchcraft it is historically incorrect.
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Therefore, a group which does not recognize the Goddess as
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primary deity is not practicing The Ancient Art. Indeed, they,
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generally, know very little about Witchcraft, despite their
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claims. Traditional Dualistic Witches do most emphatically
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believe that women and men are equal, but have no trouble
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relating to the Goddess. The Male Witch finds great comfort and
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solace in his Great Mother.
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Do I have to join a Coven?
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No. It is not necessary nor is it desirable for a great many
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people. Some people enjoy the support and companionship a Coven
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provides, others enjoy solitary worship. The Coven, which is an
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extremely close knit worship group, may not be possible for some
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because of location, family climate, availability, etc.
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Why is Witchcraft secretive?
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The horror of the 'Burning Time' is still very real to the Witch.
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The past persecutions were severe. Even so, in today's more
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enlightened society the need for complete secrecy has lessened
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and many are able to share their beliefs openly. Very few,
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however, are willing to expose their very personal and private
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religious expressions to others who may not understand.
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What do I have to do to become a Witch?
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The answer to this question is very simple. To become a Witch
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one must follow the religion of Witchcraft. To do this one must
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believe in the Goddess as primary deity and follow the three
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basic tenets. How simple! How uncomplicated! How Pagan!
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Everything else concerning witchcraft is simply minor details.
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Details that vary from Aspect to Aspect, Coven to Coven and
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individual to individual. The details are relatively personal.
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They should not become more important than the basic tenets. If
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you do not understand, believe and practice Witchcraft, you are
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not a Witch. No one can make you a Witch. Reading about it can
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not make you a Witch. An Initiation can not make you a Witch.
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Saying you are a Witch, one thousand and fifty two times, can not
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make you a Witch.
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In the search for your individual path beware of those who would
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take advantage of you. Do not fall prey to the unscrupulous
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charlatans who would swindle you in a monetary sense (mail-order
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courses, charges for teaching or initiations, vows of poverty,
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etc.), exploit you sexually or manipulate you for their own
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personal ego-trips.
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