188 lines
8.9 KiB
Plaintext
188 lines
8.9 KiB
Plaintext
[As with most viewpoints on the Craft, some will find this
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enlightening, and others completely bogus. Also as with most points of
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view, it contains some elements that might be useful, so read and
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enjoy]
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THE ANCIENT ART
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Once upon a time, a long time ago, there were people who believed in
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laughter, joy and love. They believed in many deities, but the most
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important to them was their Great Mother Goddess. They believed in
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and lived with the powers of Nature. They reveled in the Wind, the
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Rain, the Snow and the Sunlight. They marveled at and revered the
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changing of the seasons and saw therein great excitement and wisdom to
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be gained. They knew that if they tended, cared for and loved the
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Earth, in return She would provide for, care for and love them. They
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saw that all around them the world was filled with Life, much as their
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own but in many different and wonderful forms. They felt the life of
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the 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 animals
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and saw that they were kindred to them and loved them. They felt and
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observed the great Love of the Goddess all about them and knew kinship
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with the Moon. They were practioners of The Old Religion, worshipers
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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 of
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these visions, however, are quite false, brought about by many
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centuries of severe persecutions, mis-representations, prejudice and,
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in recent years, lack of knowledge. Witchcraft! What is it really?
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Witchcraft is the oldest, most irrepressible religion in the world
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because it stimulates the intellect, promotes a simple, practical way
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of life and, most importantly, is emotionally satisfying. Its roots
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lie in the ancient Matriarchal systems of Goddess worship. A religion
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of Nature in which the primary deity is female (The Essence of
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Femininity, The Earth Mother, The Great Mother, etc.).
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It was easy for the Wise Ones to look at the world around them and see
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the great importance of Feminine Principle. The female was, indeed,
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the one who bore the young, perhaps the most magickal of all events to
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ancient man. Then, she played by far the most important role in
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rearing the young, being totally responsible for feeding, for without
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her milk there was no life past birth. She was responsible for the
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teaching and early care of the young. In all youths the greatest
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comfort and nurturing love were connected with the mother. These
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revelations and experiences could hardly lead to any other choice than
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the total reverence and deification of the female.
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Although The Great Mother is the most important deity, Witches do,
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generally, recognize many Goddessess and/or Gods and are, therefore,
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polytheistic. The tenets of Witchcraft are few but all-encompassing,
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for with three simple Universal Observations all of life can be
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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 to
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this material world over and over in a series of learning periods, or
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lifetimes, we will eventually have to experience all things, be all
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things, understand all things. This creates a great tolerance for
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other viewpoints in the Witch.
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Cause & Effect, and an understanding of it, allows the Witch to see
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what makes the world work and how to live most efficiently. It gives
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them a great advantage in that it explains the working of Magick.
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Retribution shows the Witch, in graphic terms, that every thought one
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might have, every action one may take, is returned in like kind. This
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realization forms the basis of the Moral Code of the 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 wipe
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out all knowledge of them. They destroyed the temples and other
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places of worship, desecrated the sacred groves and magickal places,
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attempted to pervert the old deities, mutilated and totally suppressed
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sacred art, tore down libraries and burned books, tortured and killed
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the practitioners of the Old Religions, demeaned, persecuted and
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oppressed women in general and passed strictly enforced laws which
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made theirs the State Religion and forbade all other viewpoints.
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Despite the centuries of insidious persecution, deliberate destruction
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and perversions at the hands of the Christian Conspirators, Witchcraft
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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 to do
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Positive or Good things. Black Witch could be a term used to describe
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someone who deliberately does Negative or Bad things. A True Witch
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believes in the Law of Retribution and would never deliberately harm
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anyone or anything or participate in Negative or Destructive acts.
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Is it possible for me to practice Witchcraft and remain a Christian?
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No. The Christian Doctrine states, unequivocally, that Christians
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shall have no other Gods before the Christian God. Christian Doctrine
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says to believe in any other deities or to practice any other religion
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is not only evil but should be punished by death, specifically naming
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Witchcraft. The Christian Doctrine also denies Reincarnation and
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prescribes punishment for those who practice Magick.
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Devil worship?
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Witches do not worship the Devil. Witchcraft predates Christianity
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and does not incorporate a belief in the Christian Devil.
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The Wise Ones did deify the Masculine Principle and quite often He was
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depicted as The Great Horned God; Pan, Cernunnos, the Great Stag, The
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Green Man. To the Traditional Witch, the Masculine Deity (the
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Goddess' Consort) is very important, revered and loved. He is the
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perfect Father, the Lord Protector. The Horned God of the Witches is
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loving, kind and good.
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Don't men have difficulty with a supreme female deity? There are some
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groups which give equal status to the female and male deities.
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Neo-Pagans are, by definition, people who attempt to live with the Old
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Country Ways in a new, modern day manner. And while, in this modern
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era, equal status for the deities may be popular, as it relates to
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Witchcraft it is historically incorrect. Therefore, a group which
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does not recognize the Goddess as primary deity is not practicing The
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Ancient Art. Indeed, they, generally, know very little about
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Witchcraft, despite their claims. Traditional Dualistic Witches do
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most emphatically believe that women and men are equal, but have no
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trouble relating to the Goddess. The Male Witch finds great comfort
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and 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 people.
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Some people enjoy the support and companionship a Coven provides,
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others enjoy solitary worship. The Coven, which is an extremely close
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knit worship group, may not be possible for some because of location,
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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. The
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past persecutions were severe. Even so, in today's more enlightened
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society the need for complete secrecy has lessened and many are able
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to share their beliefs openly. Very few, however, are willing to
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expose their very personal and private religious expressions to others
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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 one
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must follow the religion of Witchcraft. To do this one must believe
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in the Goddess as primary deity and follow the three basic tenets.
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How simple! How uncomplicated! How Pagan! Everything else
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concerning witchcraft is simply minor details. Details that vary from
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Aspect to Aspect, Coven to Coven and individual to individual. The
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details are relatively personal. They should not become more
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important than the basic tenets. If you do not understand, believe
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and practice Witchcraft, you are not a Witch. No one can make you a
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Witch. Reading about it can not make you a Witch. An Initiation can
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not make you a Witch. Saying you are a Witch, one thousand and fifty
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two times, can not make you a Witch.
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In the search for your individual path beware of those who would take
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advantage of you. Do not fall prey to the unscrupulous charlatans who
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would swindle you in a monetary sense (mail-order courses, charges for
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teaching or initiations, vows of poverty, etc.), exploit you sexually
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or manipulate you for their own personal ego-trips.
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-------------------------------------------------------------
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EARTH-RITE/ Mission San Jose, CA/ 415-651-9496
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Copyright (c) 1981 The Witching Well Education & Research
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Center. Used by Permission
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