210 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
210 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
The Craft (Witchcraft - NOT to be confused with Satanism. A true Witch has
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nothing to do with this, even though there are some Satanists who (unright-
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fully) call themselves "Witch".) contains a large number of groups with bonds
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to each other, for the most part, which are looser than those you will find
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between Christian churches. Each has it's own traditions, it's own beliefs,
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it's own panthion, etc. So just WHAT is it that, overall, a Witch believes in?
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The American Council of Witches was formed to determine what it was that all
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Witches have in common, belief-wise. In the early 1970's, a paper was released
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with their findings, and gives a good overall picture of it. The following is
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the text of that paper.
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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 ethic,
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"DO AS YOU WILL, SO LONG AS YOU HARM NONE"
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a) love is not emotional in it's essence, but is an attribute of the
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individual as expressed in relation to other beings;
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b) harming others can be by thought, word, or deed;
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c> it is to be understood the "none" includes oneself;
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d) the harm which is to be regarded as unethical is gratuitous harm; war,
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in general, is gratuitous harm, although it is ethical to defend
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oneself and one's liberty when threatened by real and present danger,
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such as defense against invasion.
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2. The Witch must recognize and harmonize with the forces of the universe, in
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accord with the Law of Polarity: everything is dual; everything has two
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poles; everything has it's opposite; for every action there is a reaction;
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all can be categorized as either active or reactive in relation to other
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things.
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a) Godhead is one unique and transcendant wholeness, beyond any
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limitations or expressions; thus, it is beyond our human capacity to
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understand and identify with this principle of Cosmic Oneness, except
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as It is revealed to us in terms of It's attributes and operation.
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b) The most basic and meaningful attribute of the One that we, as humans,
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can relate to and understand, is that of polarity, of action and reac-
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tion; therefore Witches recognize the Oneness of the Divinity, but
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worship and relate to the Divine as the archetypal polarity of God and
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Goddess, the All-Father and the Great Mother of the universe. The
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Beings are as near as we can approach to the One within our human
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limitations of understanding and expression, though it is possible to
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experience the divine Oneness through the practices of the Mysteries.
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c) Harmony does not consist of the pretty and the nice, but the balanced,
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dynamic, poised co-operation and co-relation.
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3. The Witch must recognize, and operate within the framework of the Law of
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Cause and Effect; every action has it's reaction, and every effect has
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it's cause. All things occur according to this law; nothing in the
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universe can occur outside this law, though we may not always appreciate
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the relation between a given effect and it's cause. Subsidiary to this is
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the Law of Three, which states that whatever goes forth must return
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threefold, whether of good or ill; for our actions affect more than people
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generally realize, and the resulting reactions are also part of the
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harvest.
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4. As Above, So Below. That which exists in the Macrocosm exists, on a
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smaller scale and to a lesser degree, in the Microcosm. The powers of the
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universe exist also in the human, though in general instance they lie
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dormant. The powers and abilities can be awakened and used if the proper
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techniques are practiced, and this is why initiates of the Mysteries are
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sworn to guard the secrets from the unworthy: Much harm can be done by
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those who have power without responsibility, both to others and to
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themselves according to the Laws of Cause and Effect and of Threefold
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Return.
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a) Since our philosophy teaches that the universe is the physical
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manifestation of the Divine, there can be nothing in the universe which
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does not partake of the nature of the Divine; hence, the powers and
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attributes 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 techniques of the
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Mysteries, and, although they are only capable of small effects in and
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of themselves, it is possible to use them in order to draw upon the
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forces of the universe. Thus humanity can be the wielders of the power
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of the Gods, a channel for Godhead to act within It's own
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manifestation. This, then, is further reason for the oath of secrecy.
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c) Since the universe is the body of the One, possessing the same
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attributes as the One, it's Laws must be the principles through and by
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which the One operates. By reasoning from the known to the unknown,
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one can learn of the Divine, and thus of oneself. Thus the Craft is a
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natural religion, seeing in Nature the expression and revelation of
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Divinity.
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5. We know that everything in the universe is in movement or vibration and is
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a function of that vibration. Everything vibrates; all things rise and
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fall in a tidal system that reflects the motion inherent in the universe
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and also in the atom. Matter and energy are but two poles of one
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continuous phenomenon. Therefore the Witch celebrates, harmonizes with,
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and makes use of the tides of the universe and of life as expressed
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through the cycle of the seasons and the motion of the solar system.
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These ritual observances are the eight great Festivals of the Year,
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referred to as the Wheel of the Year. Further, the Witch works with the
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forces and tides of the Moon, for this body is the mediator of much energy
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to our planet Earth and thus to ourselves.
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6. Nothing is dead matter in the universe. All things exist, therefore all
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things live, though perhaps in a different manner from that which we are
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used to calling life. In view of this, the Witch knows that there is no
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true death, only change from one condition to another. The universe is
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the body of Godhead, and therefore possesses one transcendant
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consciousness; all things partake of the consciousness, in varying levels
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of trance/awareness.
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a) Because of this principle, all things are sacred to the Witch, for all
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partake of the one Life.
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b) Therefore the Witch is a natural ecologist, for Nature is part of us as
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we are a part of Nature.
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7. Astrology can be useful in marking and interpreting the flow and ebb of
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the tides of our solar system, and thus of making use of those tides;
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astrology should not be debased into mere fortune-telling.
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8. Throughout the development of the human race, civilizations have seen and
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worshipped many and various attributes of the Divine. These universal
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forces have been clothed in forms which were expressive to the worshipper
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of the attribute of the Godhead which they expressed. Use of these
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symbolic representations of the natural and divine forces of the universe,
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or godforms, is a potent method for contacting and utilizing the forces
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they represent. Thus the Gods are both natural and truely divine, and
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man-made in that the forms with which they are clothed are products of
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humanity's striving to know the Godhead.
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a) In keeping with the Law of Polarity, these god-forms are brought into
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harmony by the one great Law which states: All Gods are one God. All
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Goddesses are one Goddess. There is one Initiator. This law is an
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expression of our understanding that all of the forces of the universe,
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by whatever ethnic god-form is chosen to clothe and relate to whichever
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force, can be resolved into the fundamental polarity of the Godhead,
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the Great Mother and the All-Father.
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b) It is the use of differing godforms, of differing ethnic sources or
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periods, which is the basis of many of the differences between the
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various Traditions of the Craft. Each Tradition uses the forms, and
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thus the names, which to that Tradition best express and awaken an
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understanding of the force represented, according to the areas of
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emphasis of the Tradition.
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c) Because we know that differing names or representations are but
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expressions of the same divine principles and forces, we require our
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members to swear that they will never mock the names by which another
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honors the Divine, even though those names be different from and
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seemingly less expressive than the names and godforms used by our
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Tradition (for to the members of another Tradition, using it's names,
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ours may easily seem equally less expressive).
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9. A Witch refuses to allow her/himself to be corrupted by the great guilt
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neuroses which have been foisted on humanity in the name of the Divine,
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thus freeing the self of the slavery of the mind. The Witch expresses
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responsibility for her/his actions, and accepts the consequences of them;
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guilt is rejected as inhibiting to one's self-actualization, and replaced
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by the efforts of the Witch to obey the teachings of harmlessness,
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responsibility for the consequences of one's actions, and the goal of
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actualizing the full powers of the individual.
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a) We refuse to believe that a human being is born innately sinful, and
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recognize the the concepts of sin and guilt are tremendously inhibiting
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to the human potential; the consequences of the Law of Cause and
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Effect, called karma by some, are not punishment, but the recurrences
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of situations and their effects because the individual as not gained
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the Wisdom needed to handle or avoid such situations.
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b) There is no heaven except that which we ourselves make of our life on
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Earth, and likewise there is no hell except the effects of our unwise
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actions. Death is not followed by punishment or reward, but by life
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and the continuing evolution of the human potential.
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c) One cannot damn the divine in oneself; one can, however, cut oneself
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off from it through the rejection of wisdom and a refusal to strive for
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self-realization. This cutting off does not lead to personal suffering
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in "hell", for there is no Self to suffer if the tie to one's own
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divinity has been severed; what remains is merely an empty shell, a
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"personality" or thought-form devoid of it's ensouling Spark of the
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Divine Fire.
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10. 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 of
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the life-force returns to manifestation again and again in order to fully
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realize and actualize it's potential, evolving finally to the peak and
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essence of existence which is pure be-ing. 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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11. This process of evolution through successive incarnations in manifest form
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works through the utilizations of wisdom gained, the essence of the
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life-experience. This essence of experience, or Wisdom, is an attribute
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of the spark of life itself, one and inseparable (see 9a).
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12. We must care for the body, for it is the vehicle of the spark of life, the
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form by which we attain. Thus we must heal the body of it's ills and keep
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it a tuned and perfected tool; so must we heal others (both physicaly and
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psychologically) as far as it is within our power to do so. However, we
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cannot interfere with the life of another, even to heal, except at their
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request or with their express permission; unless such non-interference
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would be inhibiting to our own, ethical existence and development -- and
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even then the responsibilities and consequences must be understood and
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accepted. This, then, is one of the important reasons for the communal
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life the Witches under the guidance of the Priesthood: That the group may
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be guided by wisdom and experience, with the aid and support of one's
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peers; and that one's actions may be guided by the influence of the
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ethical life of the group as a whole.
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13. Harmony with, and utilization of, the great natural forces of the universe
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is called magick. By magick we speak, not of the supernatural, but of the
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superbly natural, but whose laws and applications are not as yet
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recognized by the scientific establishment. The Witch must strive to
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recognize these forces, learn their laws, attune her/himself to them, and
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make use of them. The Witch must also be aware that power corrupts when
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used _only_ for the gains of the self, and therefore must strive to serve
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humanity: Either through the service in the Priesthood, or by example and
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effects of his/her life on others. The choice must be made in accord with
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the true nature of the Witch.
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