167 lines
9.3 KiB
Plaintext
167 lines
9.3 KiB
Plaintext
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*From:THE DRUIDS PROGRESS, Report #6. The DRUIDS PROGRESS is *
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*published seminannually (Gods Willing) and is sent primarily to *
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*the subscribing members of ADF. For Further information write: *
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* ADF, PO Box 1022, Nyack, NY USA 10960-1022 (include a SASE). *
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*All Items acredited to "the Archdruid" have been written by and *
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*are (C) 1990 by P.E.I. Bonewits. All items created by other *
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*parties are (C) 1990 by them. All opinions expressed, save those *
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*specifically attributed to the Board of Trustees, are the opinions *
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*of the individuals expressing them and are Not official ADF *
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*policy. *
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* Reprint Procedure: Neopagan, Druidic, Midievalist and all *
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*cultural publications may reprint any material written by P.E.I. *
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*Bonewits, but his copyright notice must appear in full. If more *
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*than 250 words are excerpeted, one cent per word should be donated *
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*to ADF. *
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**********************************************************************
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THEALOGY OF WITCHCRAFT: OBJECTIONS TO TEMPLE RELIGIONS
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By Maphis and Leokadia
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There exists in Toronto, as in several other cities around North
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America, a large Wicca-based Church. This churcj is very similar to
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most mainstream Christian churches in its style of operation, how it
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views itself, and in its goals. It holds large Circles which are open
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to the public, offers classes in various aspects of the Craft, in
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mythologies, and in other related topics, and it exhibits a
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differentiation between the clergy and laity. It has a strong desire
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to be treated as a "Church like any other Church" by goverments and
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society.
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The number of Wicca-based groups wishing to become Temple churches
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is growing. While none of the others is as large as the organization
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in Toronto, they all seek its large membership, priesthood/congregation
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structure and "respectability."
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The coven is teh traditional structure for Wicca-based groups. As a
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coven grows and matures, it spawns other covens. Each coven is autonomous.
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The thealogy inherant to coven-bsed structure has been taken for granted
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and has not been articulated. It is the emergence of the Temple-church
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groups which challenges us to examine the thealogy underlying the coven
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and the Temple structures.
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We fundimentally disagree with the Thealogy inherent in a Temple church
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structure. We feel that a Temple structure warps Wicca into something
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it is not. We do not know if the Temple religionsists are consciously
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choosing to become more like what our society says is the "proper" way
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to organize a religious group, to behave in ritual, or to think about
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the divine - whether through choice or just 'going with the flow' it is
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not consistant with the thealogy of Wicca.
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The coven structure is not systematically hierarchial. The divine may
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be experienced directly by any member of any coven, initiate or not,
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through revelation, trance (especially possesion trance), ecstatic states,
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or magic. The sacredness of women, sex, Nature Herself, and our bodies
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are central. The role of priesthood and the style of ritual differ
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dramatically from that practiced by Temple religionists, be they Wicca-based
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or Christian.
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Religious organizations are channels for the divine and both shape and
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reflect their members' experience of the divine. Ideas and experiences
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that are inconsistant with the shape of the structure are often not allowed.
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THese experiences are disregarded or relegated to a lower level of the
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organization's system of values. In our opinion, the thealogy and
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organizational forms adopted from the Christian churches are leading the
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Temple religionists to discard the central, most distinctive features of
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Witchcraft.
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The following chart illustrates the thealogical differences which we
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see between Witchcraft covens and Wicca-based churches, on a number of key
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issues.
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_________________________CHART___________________________________________
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IDEA TEMPLE GROUP WITCHCRAFT
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---- ------------ ----------
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Revelation does not happen, or only rarely happens frequently to us all
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to "properly prepared and but person may need help
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initiated person," dangerous interpreting it.
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to the unwary.
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Ecstacy distrusted sought out as a great source
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of understanding.
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Magic distrusted, glamourized (see frequently practiced, see
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revelation) revelation.
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Training High degree of training needed High degree of ability and
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for initiation training needed for initiation
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Size oriented to large groups oriented to small groups
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Priesthood glamourized, made much of, teacher, first amoung equals
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highly trained formally
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Hierarchy Yes, institutional model no formal elders model and
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situational hierarchy
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Ritual liturgic, static, and mostly inspired, fluid, participatory
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non-participatory basic patterns & guidelines
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Consistency inconsistancy between life consistancy between life
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and religion - eg. sexist practice and belief
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behavior from Goddess
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worshippers...
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Energy Flow inward toward maintaining and outward toward involvement in
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expanding the organization the world
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Power hierarchic and Patruarchal enpower the individual
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Trust Low trust, low vulnerability, high trust, high vulnerability
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very high degree of roleplaying low degree of roleplaying
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Openess low high; self-disclosure essential
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Realization minimal because of the power coinsiderable - the emphasis
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and role games on enpowerment and revelation
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insures growth.
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Interdependence minimal High, through the creation
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of a group soul and the ability
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through trust to go higher and
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deeper.
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Thealogy ideological, dogmatic, a matter lived, dynamic, a matter of
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facts and ideas experiences
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___________________________________________________________________________
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The central differences which emerge from the above comparison can be
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loosely grouped under one or two of the following general themes:
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a) the function and view of the priesthood
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b) The relationship which the individual has with the divine, as
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directly experienced or as manifested in others; and
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c) the relationship which the individual has with the world.
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in Temple religion the relationsip between the individual and the divine
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is mediated by the Priesthood - so the Priesthood is built up, training is
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extensive and formalized, the congregation is divided from the Priesthood,
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ritual becomes static and non-participatory, and so on.
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In Witchcraft divine revelation is key. Personal encounters with the
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divine can come to each individual through trance, possesion by the
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Goddess or God through Drawing Down the Moon or Sun, vision, by working
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magic, or in other ways. The role of Priesthood is training the individual
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to understand revelation when it comes, not to stand between her and her
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experience.
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So on the one hand teh hierarchial, clerical, Patriarchal Temple religion
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and on the other the fluid, experiential, enpowering Witchcraft traditions.
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It is true that the Craft and Temple groups have common thealogical roots.
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We observe, however, that the Temple groups de-emphasize the
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"non-respectable" elements of the Craft both in published explorations and
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in ritual. There is no nudity, possesion trance, ritual sex, much less
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emphasis on ecstaitc states, and no celebration of the wonderful variety
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of humanity outside the norm - of gayness, 'insanity', and cultural variety.
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They de-emphasize the Horny/Wild Man nature of the God and prefer not to
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use the word Witch as a self-description.
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In the past the differences between radical Witches and the Temple
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religions were put simply in political terms. Our growing awareness that
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our politics and spirituality were inextricably bound up in each other,
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that our relationship with the Goddess mandated political action and that
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political action, in turn, nurtured our spirituality, has forced us to
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ask; what is the thealogical contant to what we are doing, and to what the
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Temple religionists are doing?
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Our conclusion is that there are groups based on Witchcraft who are
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moving toward the norms of society in politics and in their veiw of the
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divine, and other groups who are developing on the basis of the differences
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Witchcraft has with the Patriarchal norms. The Temple religionists are not
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practicing the Craft but are moving away from it.
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