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There are basically two ways to know God. The first is by
way of reason or logic and second, by way of intuitive knowledge
or gnosis. We shall see in following paragraphs how the former
method may help us in understanding the problems we are faced
with in our attempts to know God, and many will see, also, how
severelylackingthe pathof logiccan becomparedto that of
the
gnostic path.
In studying the problem of `logical proofs' of God's
existence I have come across several historical arguments of
which I have grouped into what I call "The Seven Arguments and
the General Argument for the Existence of the Almighty." I have
labeled these arguments the Ideological (ideo as in idea), the
Etiological ( `aetio' meaning cause), the Teleological (`teleo'
meaning final outcome), the Cosmological (`cosmo' meaning
universal), the Ontological (`onto' meaning being), the
Pantheological (`pantheo' as in `pantheism'), and the
Psychological (`psyche' meaning soul) Arguments. I will provide
a brief discussion of each.
1] The Psychological Argument
Before anything can be said concerning the reality of
God or of anything else for that matter. One must take a
skeptical stance. A skeptical stance would be that of doubting
the reality of absolute or universal truths. In other words one
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could say that the certainty of knowledge is impossible and that
onecan achieve only `probable' knowledge, i.e., ideas
whose
validity is highly probable. An example of this would be to say
that it is only highly probable that you are reading this page,
but that neither you nor I can be absolutely certain of this.
Yet probable knowledge implies the existence of absolute
knowledge. For instance a skeptic could deny that the objects of
his perceptions exist, but he could not deny that his perceptions
exist. St. Augustine stated that the person who doubts all truths
is caught in a logical dilemma, for he must exist in order that
he may doubt. As Descartes, put it "I think, therefore I am.". In
the act of doubting one establishes the absolute reality of one's
own consciousness or "psykhei".
For Augustine the "psykhei" comprises the entire
personality of the living being, who becomes aware through
self-consciousness not only that he or she is a real
integrated
existing person but also that he knows with absolute certainty
his own activities and powers of memory, intellect, and will.
Thus the being `remembers' what it is doing in the act of
self-doubt; it understands or knows the immediate experience; and
it can will to act or not to act as it does. Hence three aspects
of the individual "psykhei" may be described as powers of memory,
intellect, and will, or as activities of being, knowing, and
willing.
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2] The Ideological Argument
Prior to the history of any object the ideal had to exist as
the source imparting reality to the particular object. Humanity
must exist as a universal ideal before any individual human being
can possibly exist. An object's essence (ideal) must be a reality
before the particular object can come into existence.
Many people, when first confronted by this argument fail to
understand it. One fellow thought the argument was preposterous,
because he thought it somehow denied that things could be
discovered by accident. He gave a convoluted example involving a
chemist seeking to invent a glue and in the course of his
research accidently discovering a cure for cancer. What this
fellow failed to realize is that the notion of a death dealing
disease such as cancer and the idea of a needed cure for cancer
existed long before this bumbling chemist started on his glue
project. Both the psychological and ideological arguments are
really not arguments for the existence of God, but are intended
as an introduction to the following arguments.
3] The Etiological Argument
God, by definition, must have existed as a first cause
because every effect requires a cause and this must have been
true ofentire universe. Thematerial world iscontingent,
unable
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to create itself, hence requires something else, a necessary,
spiritually uncreated Being to bring it into existence and impel
it to continue its progress.
The same fellow who debated the ideological argument said
that the etiological argument "hurt his head" and that it
reminded him of "the old chicken and the egg argument". The key
wordsinthis argumentare"contingent" (meaning,"dependent
on
chance"; "conditional"), "necessary", and "uncreated" (see the
General Argument below). The cosmological argument is almost
identical to the etiological argument, yet the wording is quite
different.
4] The Cosmological Argument
There must have been a time when the universe did not exist,
for all things in the universe are mere possibilities dependent
on some other objects for their being and development; the fact
that the universe does exist implies that a necessary or
noncontigent Being exists who was capable of creating the
universe.
5] The Ontological Argument
Since we possess an idea of a perfect Being (and we can
think of nothing greater or more perfect), such a Being must
necessarily exist because perfection implies existence. Any idea
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that is lacking in reality (any concept which has no objective
reality of its own) would be imperfect, whereas one of the
attributesofa perfectBeingis actualexistence(not merely
an
idea in any person's mind, but real existence external to any
mind which happens to conceive of it).
The ontological argument is possibly the oldest argument and
dates back to the 4th C. of the present era. This argument has
caused a great debate that rages to this day in the pages of
modern textbooks on philosophy and theology. The key to this
argument is "perfection" and the statement: "any concept which
has no objective reality of its own would be imperfect" (and
therefore not exist) is the thin thread upon which the validity
of argument hangs.
6] The Teleological Argument
The presence of design in the world, the fact that objects
are designed with a purpose, to function for a given end, implies
the existence of an intelligent, competent designer, who planned
the purpose of each thing that exists.
The teleological argument posses problems of its own. The
same fellow who debated the previous arguments insisted that he
needed proof of a design to the world and that everything has a
purpose. The problem in replying to his argument is that I can
not think of one useless thing existing in the universe. My mind
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draws a blank in this respect and I would invite anyone to show
me one thing that exists in this universe which is without design
or purpose.
7] The Pantheological Argument
God, the supreme unity, the original Being, and the Ideal of
all ideals, has caused all things to become manifest by means of
a logical unfolding of particulars from their ideals. To speak of
creation is to speak of particularization, a process of
unfolding that makes individual objects out of ideals.
Conversely,
immortality is an opposite process whereby the particulars return
to their universal essence or archetypes. Immortality means the
return of things to God (apocatastasis), that is their
deification, so that there is complete unity of all things in
God; pantheism.
The Pantheological vision of God is negative in the sense
that God can be characterized only in terms of comparison on the
ground that the infinite is beyond human comprehension; however
not beyond human contemplation. When speaking of the nature of
God and using the terms of argument #1 in speaking of the nature
of the psyche as that which possess memory, intellect, and will,
one may say that God is Omniscient, possessing absolute memory
and intellect; Omnipotent, possessing absolute will; and in the
terms of the pantheological argument, Omnipresent, possessing
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pure randomness and non-localized in time and space.
The General Argument for the Existence of the Almighty is as
follows and derived in part from the argument as put forth in How
to Think About God by Mortimer J. Adler:
1. The existence of an effect requiring the concurrent existence
and action of an efficient cause implies the existence and action
of that cause.
2. The cosmos as a whole exists.
3. If the existence of the cosmos as a whole is radically
contingent, which is to say that, while not needing an efficient
cause of its coming to be, since it is everlasting, then it
nevertheless does need a efficient cause of its continuing
existence, to preserve it in being and prevent it from being
replaced by nothingness.
or
3a. If the cosmos which now exists is only one of many possible
universes that might have existed in the infinite past, and that
might still exist in the infinite future, and if a cosmos which
can be otherwise is one that also can not be; and conversely, a
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cosmos that is capable of not existing at all is one that can be
otherwise than it now is, then the cosmos, radically contingent
in existence, would not exist at all were its existence not
caused.
4. If the cosmos needs an efficient cause of its existence or of
its continuing existence to prevent its annihilation, then that
cause must be one the existence of which is uncaused, and one
which has reason for being in and of itself; i.e. The ultimate
cause and being of the cosmos.
5. If the ultimate cause and being of the cosmos is that about
which nothing greater can be thought, that being must be thought
of as omnipotent, possessing absolute will; omniscient,
possessing absolute knowledge; and omnipresent; non-localized in
time and space.
PART TWO
Intuition differs from reason in that as man is a finite
beingpossessing limitedsensualcontactwiththeuniverse;it
is
impossible for man to fully understand God through his senses or
by empirical means. This, therefore, involves the understanding
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of abstract concepts. We must understand the universe as being
"conceptusensual"; that parallel to the objective universe there
is a universe made up of abstracts. This abstract universe is
viewable to us through means of symbols; objects not
possessing
objectivity. These symbols cannot be known by means of empirical
reasoning, but by means of gnosis; without the conscience use of
reasoning, immediate apprehension or understanding.
It should be realized that while this abstract universe,
that sits parallel to the material universe, and is sometimes
referredto asthespiritual worldor heaven,isbeyond logic
and
reasoning; it is supported by logic and reasoning. You will
recall that imperfection or "degrees of perfection" implies the
existence of perfection (cf. Arg #3 and Arg #5). Perfection is an
abstract ideal having no analog in our material world, yet it is
intuitively known to exist.
Just as there are degrees of knowledge concerning mundane
truths in the material world, there are degrees of gnosis
concerning revealed truths in the spiritual world. Because man in
his human form is by nature limited there is a certain limit to
his understanding and knowledge. Yet as all things are in a
constant state of flux and change, man's knowledge is constantly
growing. For everythingthat is knownobjectively thereis
an
abstract idea that precedes the object.
The Scriptures speaks about angels and devils, the creation
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of the world in seven days, etc., and many Christian sects
require of their followers acceptance of these "revealed truths"
by way of faith or trust. Many speak of the Bible as being
infallible and without error even when portions are contradictory
or counter to logic. I, however, assert that the Bible is first
and foremost an anthology of religious/philosophical tradition
compiled over the centuries from about 750 BCE to around 150 BCE.
It should, in no way, be advertised as a "closed canon" or a
compilation of the sum of man's knowledge of truth, revealed or
otherwise. The Bible was written by men and is therefore subject
to human error. This does not, however, discount the presence of
revealed truths within the Bible or within any scripture
(religious writings).
If any of the above arguments fall short of convincing an
individual of God's existence, the one argument that cannot be
denied is the argument which provides for the proof of one's own
existence (cf. Arg #1). Here we spoke of "taking a skeptical
stance"; one of doubting one's own existence. Through the
process of self-doubt we become faced with the reality of our
existence; we cannot deny the object of our perceptions-
ourselves.
The question, then, is raised concerning "life and death".
One may wonder: "If I exist now, was there ever a time when I did
not exist and will there be a time when I will not exist?" We can
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limit this by asking: "Did I exist before this lifetime and will
I exist after this life?" Perhaps before these questions can be
broached more should said concerning the subject of gnosis.
As stated above, the Apostle Paul spoke of ignorance of God
as being a form of slavery; and told us that it was our purpose
to know (gnosis) and obey God1. This is reiterated in his first
epistle to the Corinthians, when Paul gave "thanks to God... that
in every way [they] were enriched in [Christ] with all speech and
all knowledge"2.
In John's first epistle, we are told that we may come to
know (gnosis) God, if we keep God's Law and "walk in the same way
in which [Christ] walked3. This echoed in John's Gospel chapter
14, verses 20-21; and at verse 26 he adds that the Holy Spirit
will be sent to "teach [us] all things, and bring to [us]
remembrance all that [Christ had] said to [us]." I have
emphasized the word "remembrance" as an important part of the
process of gnosis. This will be discussed in detail below.
In another epistle Paul spoke of the "riches of assured
understanding and knowledge (epi-gnosis) of God's mystery, of
1 See above p. 4
2 1 Cor. 1:4-5
3 1 Jn 2:3-4
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Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge"1. In the seventeenth chapter of John's Gospel, Christ
tells us that gnosis, knowing God, is equivalent to eternal
life2; and in his epistle to the Philippians, Paul tells us that
gnosis supersedes all3.
In Matthew's Gospel we are told that spiritual knowledge
comes to us through Christ:
"I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent
and revealed them unto the little ones; yes, Father, for
such was thy great pleasure. All things have been delivered
to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the
Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any
one whom the Son chooses to reveal him.4"
When we read the thirteenth chapter of Paul's first epistle
1 Col 2:2-3
2 Jn 17:3
3 Phil 3:8-10
4 Matt 11:25-27 & Lk 10:21-22
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to the Corinthians, we learn that "love" is the key to
maintaining spiritual knowledge (gnosis) and faith (pistis)1; and
in John's first letter we are told that "he who does not love,
does not know God; for God is love"2.
Besides the necessity of loving God, we are told that
knowledge of truth equals knowledge of God. In Paul's letter to
Titus, Paul greets his "child in common faith" by describing
that, as an apostle of Christ, his main purpose is to "further
the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth which
accords with godliness"3. In John's Gospel we are told that the
Holy Spirit is the "Spirit of truth, whom the (material) world
cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you
know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you"4. Jesus
tells us: "If you continue in my word, you are truly my
disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make
you free"5.
1 1 Cor 13
2 1 Jn 4:7-8
3 Titus 1:1
4 Jn 14:17
5 Jn 8:31-32
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Atsomepointsthissavingknowledgeisreferredtoas
a
secret knowledge. In his closing remarks to his disciple,
Timothy, Paul tells him to guard closely the knowledge that has
been entrusted to him and to avoid those who "chatter" about
false knowledge1; and in first Corinthians, he speaks of those
who imagine that they know, yet do not know as they ought to
know2. In second Corinthians, Paul tells us that the mystery of
the Gospel is "veiled" to those who have been blinded by the god
of this world3. This concept of the "hardening the hearts" and
"shutting the eyes"of the peoplecan befound in Isaiah4,
Mark5,
Luke6, and Acts7. Paul speaks of the process of gnosis as
spiritual maturity when he tells the Corinthians that they were
"fed with milk, not solid food; for [they] were not ready for
1 1 Tim 6:20-21
2 1 Cor 8:2
3 2 Cor 4:3-6
4 Isaiah 6:9-10
5 Mark 8:17-18
6 Lk 10:23
7 Acts 28:26-27
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it."
We are told that Jesus spoke in parables because "seeing
they do not see, and hearing they do not hear"1; and that "not
all men can receive this [knowledge] but only those to whom it is
given (revealed)"2. He said that in order that those who could
not understand, be allowed to understand that they would have to
"turn again" and be forgiven3. This "turning again" or being
"reborn" will be discussed in greater detail below.
In Colossians, Paul speaks of this mystery as having been
hidden from angels and men (aeons and generations)4. There is
evidence in many of the books of the Bible that books which are
known to authors have either been lost or intentional kept out of
the Bible for a variety reasons. In his epistles, Paul speaks of
epistles that do not appear in Bible. There is evidence of a
third epistle to the Corinthians; perhaps one that went between
the first and second epistles5; and in his closing remarks to the
1 Matt 10:13-17
2 Matt 19:11
3 Mk 4:11-12
4 Col 1:26
5 1 Cor 5:9 & 2 Cor 2:3-9; 7:10
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Colossians, Paul speaks of an Epistle to the Laodiceans1. First
Chronicles speaks of the Book of Nathan and the Book of Gad2;
while Second Chronicles, also, speaks of a Book of Nathan and a
Book of Shemaiah the Prophet3. In Jude's Epistle there is a quote
from the Book of Enoch!4 Could these books have contained
"secret knowledge" that could not be understand by all?
Turning to the "apocrypha", those books which are not
considered by some Christian sects to be a part of the "closed
canon" of the Bible, we are able to discover a possible answer to
our question. The Apocrypha, or "hidden" books, were never really
hidden, but were kept apart from the Bible. Each Christian sect
has a different "list" of books that belong in their individual
"canon" and because those "lists" overlap each other many
Christians today are quite familiar with a majority of the books
contained in the Apocrypha.
One book contained in the Apocrypha, 2 Esdras, a book that
is found in many Roman Catholic Bibles, has the following
information to impart to us concerning "hidden books":
1 Col 4:16
2 1 Chr 29:29
3 2 Chr 9:29; 12:15
4 Jude 9 quotes Enoch 1:9
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"Therefore write all these things that you have seen in
book, and put it in a hidden place; and you shall teach them
to the wise among your people, whose hearts you know are
able to comprehend and keep these secrets.1"
(It is curious to note that this portion of 2 Esdras was
added to original sometime in the third century AD; when at
the same time Gnostic Christians were compiling the Nag
Hammadi in Egypt!)2
Yet it seems that nothing can remain hidden forever. In
Luke's Gospel Jesus prophesies that "nothing is hid that shall
not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known
and come to light"3. Perhaps this prophecy came true when,
following the dreadful destruction of WW II, two astonishing
discoveries of hidden works were made; the first at Nag Hammadi,
Egypt in December of 1945, and the second at Q'umran, Palestine
1 2 Esdras 12:37-38, cf. 2 Esdras 14:37-48
2 see introduction to "The Second Book of Esdras" in the
New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha; Apoc p 23
3 Lk 8:17
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in 1947.
PART THREE
Even in the Bible itself there is found "secret knowledge"
that is never spoken of amongst the christian sects that consider
themselves to be "orthodox". The best example of this is in the
creation account of the Book of Genesis. The opening line of the
first book of the Bible has been translated throughout history to
read: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth1."
Yet if we translate the first verse literally we find it to read:
"When the Elohim began to create the heavens and the earth2."
The term "Elohim" should not be translated directly to read
"God" or "god", because it is the feminine plural of god (Eloah)
and should probably be translated "goddesses" or "offspring of
the Goddess" . Now, to many "orthodox" christians the notion that
there exists "gods", in the polytheistic sense, most likely is a
bizarre notion. Yet the early Hebrews were not "monotheistic",
that is, a person who believes in the existence of one God, as is
usually thought; but, rather, they were "henotheistic", and while
believing in a multitude of gods, they focused all their worship
1 Gen 1:1
2 Cf. p 3 note 1
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on their "national god". Examples of Hebrew henotheism can be
found in throughout the Old Testament. In 1 Kings, chapter 18
there is an account of the prophet Elijah, a prophet of the
Israelite god Yahweh, engaged in a contest with the prophets of
the god Ba'al and the goddess Asherah (Ishtar)1. In 2 Kings,
chapter 3 we are told that when Mesha, king of the Moabites,
sacrificed his son to the Moabite god Chemosh "there came a great
wrath upon " the army of the Israelites2. Further on in 2 Kings
there is the story of Naaman, a Syrian general who is afflicted
with leprosy. Following a raid in Israel, Naaman is told by one
of his captives that there is a prophet living in Samaria who has
the power to cure leprosy. Naaman then visits Elisha, where he is
told to go and bathe in the Jordan river. After bathing seven
times in the Jordan, Naaman is cured of leprosy, and as a result
he converts and becomes a worshiper of Yahweh, god of the
Israelites. He is now faced with a dilemma; as he must return to
Syria, he must take "two mule's burden" of Israelite soil back
with him. This is done so that he may have a plot of Yahweh's
land upon which to offer sacrifice to the Israelite god. Elisha
does not argue this matter with Naaman, but only tells him to "go
in peace"3.
1 1 Kngs 18:19
2 2 Kngs 3:27
3 2 Kngs 5:1-19
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Perhaps the strongest suggestion of Hebrew henotheism is
contained in line from Ezekiel that tells of the women weeping
for the Sumerian harvest god, Tammuz1. The Jewish calendar
contains the month of Tammuz (usually in the summer) and one of
the titles for Tammuz, "Adonai", was adopted by the Hebrews as a
title for their god. The phrase "Adonai Elohim" is translated in
the english Bible to read "Lord of Hosts". The Greeks, also,
adopted "Adonai" and called him "Adonis"; a term used today in
the english language to describe a good looking young man.
In the New Testament, we are told by Saint Paul that there
are "many gods and many lords"2. In Colossians, he refers to them
as the "elemental spirits of the universe" or Archons3. Could it
be that the Archons and the Elohim were one and the same:
"elemental spirits of the universe"? In Ephesians, he refers to
them as the "world rulers of the present darkness"4. In John's
Gospel, Jesus puts us on equal footing with the Archons by
quoting Psalms5; and in Acts we are called "God's offspring"6.
1 Ezekiel 8:14
2 1 Cor 8:5
3 Col 2:8
4 Eph 6:12
5 Jn 10:34 & Ps 82:6
6 Acts 17:27-29
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The scriptures in places speak of the concept of pre-
existence. God tells Jeremiah, "before I formed you in the womb I
knew you"1. In Ephesians, we are told that God "chose us in him
before the foundation of the world"2.
Could it be that the "secret message" that the Scriptures
have to impart to us is that we and the Elohim are one and the
same? That we were present at the creation? That we created our
own universe under God's guidance, but because we were not in
harmony with each other, because a few us tried to "lord" over
the others, because we were not in agreement on how to go about
making the universe, and instead of making the universe according
to God's design, we made it according to our design, in "our
image"; could this be why the universe is such an imperfect
place?
Between chapters 16 and 19 of the Book of Genesis there is
a curious exchange that deserves to be followed. In chapter 16 we
are told the story of Hagar, the mother of Ishmael. Hagar, one of
Abraham's concubines, is sent out into desert by Sarai, the first
wife of Abraham. At verse seven Hagar is met by an "angel of the
1 Jeremiah 1:4-5
2 Eph 1:4
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Lord". Later, after conversing with this "angel of the Lord", she
refers to the angel as a "god of vision". She is shocked to think
that she has actually seen "God" and has lived1. In the next
chapter, Abraham is visited by a being who describes himself as
"El Shaddai"2. Most english language Bibles translate this to
read "God Almighty", but a literal translation would render it
"El, one of the gods". In chapter 18 Abraham, we are told, is
visitedagain by the"Lord", and upon looking up he sees
"three
men". The persons that appear to Abraham in this chapter of
Genesis are usually described as being God and two of his angels,
yet strangely enough the one who is thought to be God, the
Almighty (omniscient and omnipresent) does not know what's going
in a city on the planet Earth and remarks: "I will go down to see
whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which
has come to me; and if not, I will know"3. After wrangling with
Abraham over whether or not he would destroy the cities of Sodom
and Gomorrah, we are told that "the Lord rained... fire from the
Lord out of heaven"4.
1 Gen 16:7-14
2 Gen 17:1
3 Gen 18:21
4 Gen 19:24
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The "main of event" occurs in the first chapters of Genesis.
Here is where the Elohim see light for the first time1, and go
about the process of the first creation2, that of "calling and
creating" the material world3. The Elohim cause a separation to
be made between the spiritual world, "the waters which were above
the firmament, and the material world, "the waters which were
under the firmament"4. Genesis 1:9-31 details this "ordering" of
the material world.
In Genesis 1:27, we are told that the Elohim created, or
developed the idea of mankind in an image that the Elohim
perceived. According to Rabbinic tradition this image was the
image of the Higher God that the Elohim saw reflected in the
firmament which they took to be that of their own. In the second
creation, that of "making and forming" the material world in the
"day that the Lord made the earth and the heavens"5, we are told
that the Elohim actually "formed" man out of dust, but it was
1 Gen 1:4
2 Gen 1:1 - 2:3
3 Isaiah 43:7
4 Gen 1:7
5 Gen 2:4
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only after the Elohim breathed into man's nostrils the "breath of
life", did man become a living being1.
Yet it seems that the Elohim had made a mistake. In Genesis
1:28, we are told that the Elohim had created man as an
androgynous being, "male and female [they] created them." Most
Gnostic Christians take this to mean that we were originally
intended to posses both soul and spirit combined. It appears the
Elohim had made a mistake and formed a "sleeping" soul which they
attempted to manipulate2, and when they realized that they were
mistaken they found it necessary to pull the "spirit" (Eve) out
of the soul (Adam) in order to bring it to life; hence Adam calls
Eve "the Mother of the living"3.
The events that follow in the third chapter of Genesis
deserve to be looked at in detail. In chapter 2, verse 9 we have
been told that there are two trees in the center of the Garden of
Eden; the tree of life and the tree of knowledge. In verse 17 of
that same chapter we were told that the Creator had ordered Adam
not to eat of the tree of knowledge, for if Adam were to eat from
that tree he would die. In chapter three a serpent appears to Eve
1 Gen 2:7
2 Gen 2:16-17
3 Gen 2:21
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and the following exchange takes place:
Serpent: "Did [the Creator] say, `You shall not eat of any
tree in the garden'?"
Eve: "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden;
but [the Creator] said, `You shall not eat of the
fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the
garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.' "
Serpent: "You will not die. For [the Creator] knows that
when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and
you be like [the gods] knowing good and evil."
Later, after eating from the tree, and, by the way, not
dying, Adam and Eve "heard the sound of the Lord God walking in
the garden"1. It is curious to note that from the exchange that
follows that the Creator does not seem to know what has taken
place in their "absence", just as they did not seem to know what
was happening inSodom andGomorrah orwhat occurredto
Cain's
brother, Able2. Upon learning what has transpired the Creator
1 Gen 3:8
2 Gen 4:9
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then put a curse upon the serpent, Eve, and Adam. We then learn
that the Creator had lied to Adam and Eve when they told them
that they would die and in remarking reveal: "Behold, the man
has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest
he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat,
and live forever..."1. This speaking in the plural is echoed in
the Tower of Babel incident: "Come, let us go down and there
confuse their language"2.
Throughout time the serpent has stood as symbol of
immortality. Many ancient cultures upon seeing the shed skin
of a snake believed that the snake never died; only shedding one
body for a new one. In Greek mythology the god Prometheus is
often depicted as a winged serpent bringing the gift of fire to
man. Later Prometheus was replaced by the image of the wing-
footed Hermes holding aloft the caduceus or "serpent entwined
staff" as he brought the secret knowledge of the gods to mankind.
These images of winged and fiery serpents can be found in
the Old Testament. In Numbers "the Lord sent fiery serpents among
the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of
Israel died"3. To counteract this attack, Moses is told to "make
1 Gen 3:22
2 Gen 11:7
3 Num 21:6
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a fiery serpent and set it on a pole" so that when the people see
the "brazen serpent" they would not die1. This symbolic gesture
of the serpent lifted up in the wilderness is reminiscent not
only of the serpent in the garden, but that of Jesus on the
cross2. In Isaiah's vision of God, he describes the throne of
God as being surrounded by "seraphim". Seraphim may be defined as
"fiery winged serpents". In 2 Kings we are told that the "brazen
serpent" survived down into reign of Ahaz, king of Israel. It
seems Ahaz did some house cleaning and broke the "brazen serpent"
into pieces and threw it out. Is this some how a prophetic
gesture of Israel's rejection of the Messiah3?
CONCLUSION
It should be remembered that when approaching the subject of
"hidden works" or "secret knowledge" that "there is nothing hid,
1 Num 21:8-9
2 Jn 3:14-15
3 2 Kngs 18:4
34
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except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to
come to light"1. In other words, there is nothing hidden that
cannot, or will not, be found. Christ extols us to seek and
find, and that when we knock at the door of mystery it will be
opened to us2. It can be found that God has a "divine plan" in
which God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the
knowledge of the truth"3. In Acts we are told that the end of
time will not come until all things have been restored to God.
This "restoration of all things" became known to the early
christians as the Doctrine of Apocatastasis4. Ephesians speaks of
the "plan for the fullnessof time,to uniteall thingsin
him,
things in heaven and things on earth"5.
Yet what happens to us when we die in a pre-gnostic state
before the Apocatastasis? In Mark's Gospel, we are told to take
heed of what we hear in the message, for "the measure you give
will be the measure you get"6. This is the Doctrine of
1 Mark 4:22
2 Matt 7:7-8
3 1 Tim 2:4
4 Acts 3:21
5 Eph 1:10
6 Mk 4:24
35
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Metrethesis; the "measure for measure" spoken of in Matthew 7:2
and the "sowing" and "reaping" in Galatians 6:71. This is the
plan by which God allows all souls in the universe to eventually
redeem themselves in the prison of Metempsychosis.
Metrethesis and Metempsychosis are doctrines that are not
unique to Christian Gnosticism. In Buddhism and the Vedic
religions these doctrines are known as
[The text is lost at this point.]
730
The Manifestation of Kali in Universe as an Astrophysical Anomaly
By Persona Navitae 353.
There is no light, nor any motion.
There is no mass, nor any sound.
Still, in the lampless heart of the ocean,
Fasten me down and hold me drowned
Within thy womb, within thy thought,
Where there is naught-where there is naught!
From "Kali", by Aleister Crowley
In the beginning was the KAOS water, the pure creative force
of undivided being. Crowley called this "Nuit", which seems to be
the combination of the sky goddess "Nut" with the chaos God "Nu",
or "Nun". This was the potential for manifestation before the
dream of Siva, before the suffering of Sophia that coalesced into
the mist of dark reality. This primal force exits in a perpetual
state of non-being, always edging toward being. A binary movement
sets up from this tension of pre-creation, from a state of
collapsed oneness, to a state of open potential. This is the
struggle between Siva; the force of perfect order, and Sakti; the
force of pure chaos. In Siva is the need to collapse to stable
systems, the continual drive for one-ness that uni-fests as the
point monad of Kether on the Tree of Life. In Sakti is the need
for continual creation, the pure fertile need to populate
Universe with the divine sparks of mani-fested intelligence. From
these two forces arises the numinous Androgyne. This force exists
at the beginning of physical creation, from its parthenogenic
fullness it emanates across the Pleroma of the void, and down the
Tree to Malkuth.
This mythos is at the core of the unconscious and of many
creation theories. From the bliss of Androgyny comes the
suffering of Maya, illusion. This is the illusion of multi-
verse. Sophia, the divine mother of the Gnostics, was conceived
of as Androgynous but she broke away from her partner and
conceived the physical universe as a polarized order. The result
was the creation of ignorance, the demiurge Yahweh.
From the primal Nuit is created Babylon, and from her is Isis,
but what of Nepthys? She is hidden; present but unseen. Felt but
rarely named. In Indian theosophy divine Sakti exists as the
primal energy behind the static monad, Siva. She is Nuit in
Thelema, and her creation on the mundane level is Kali. In many
systems they are considered one, which is rightly so. The job of
Kali is to devour the ignorance of static non-creation and re-
create Universe with new potential for mani-festation. Left to
its own, Siva would freeze up Universe in a cage of entropy. This
is known to physicists as the "Heat death of Universe". Heat is
not a substance, not an energy. It is a process, "The
transference of energy by virtue of a difference in temperature".
When all forms of energy, Sakti/Kali, have been equilibrated
then no more growth is possible. Any divine sparks left in such a
state would no longer develope, all life would stop.
731
The Heat Death is only one scenario. It would seem possible
that Universe could go on perpetually if there were some way to
re-create it. All matter/energy would have to be sucked back in
and thrust out in another "Big bang". This "devouring" is well
known to devotees of Kali. In early myths she is known to devour
the demons who would upset the balance of space-time. Kali is the
Goddess of time, Kala. In time all things die and are re-born. In
time all ignorance is replaced by divine Gnosis, if we accomplish
nothing else in life we cannot help but learn. Experience is the
great teacher. At the end of time there is no manifested
existence, just the Satchidananda of bliss-being-consciousness.
Kali offers the bliss of Gnosis with one hand which holds the
Sangrail, freedom from fear with another raised, with a third she
holds the sword that destroys Universe, and with a forth she
holds a head to remind us that all situations will change, death
is the constant force of new life. She is naked because she has
no veils of illusion, and to remind us that the secret of
re-creation is in sexual bliss. She is black because she is
beyond human comprehension, this also ties in with the freudian
devouring mother, who is in the realm of shadow, we all will be
swallowed by Kali in the little death and the greater ones. She
dances on the corpse of Siva, who has over extended himself in
the attempt for divine Order. However, her dance has aroused him
even in death and she stands over his erect penis to accept the
seed of new creation.
In the early 1930's Edwin Hubble concluded that Universe is
expanding, and even in the 1920's evidence existed of such
expansion. It has been postulated that if there is not enough
mass in Universe then it will eventually suffer the heat death of
Siva. If there is enough however, then it is possible that the
expansion will slow down due to the drag of continual gravitational
forces that all matter possesses, and eventually return to a
single point where the explosive forces of the dynamic interplay
of matter/energy will cause a new expansion.
One method to determine if Universe has enough matter to halt
the expansion is to add up all the luminous matter. Matter exits
in particular, stable energy states. If extra energy is added to
a system, then the matter present would tend to jump to a higher
energy state. Every element has very particular states it prefers
and will not reside in any others. This is the rule of the Siva-
Order force in Universe. All chaotic energy states will either
jump to a higher state, and stay there as long as the extra
energy does, or it will ignore the extra force. When there isn't
enough energy to maintain the element in this state, it drops to
a specific lower state and sheds the excess energy. When this
happens we see it as a burst of light which will be specific to
each particular element. By examining the luminous evidence,
astrophysicists can determine how much matter is shedding light.
According to older theories all matter radiates light, and this
could be used to determine how much matter was in Universe.
Through these studies, it was found that there is only about 2%
of the necessary amount for re- creation.
732
In 1933, Fritz Zwicky discovered that galaxies were moving
much faster than they should according to the accepted theories.
Speculating from the amount of matter found through the
luminosity present, he found that galaxies should be breaking up.
The obvious conclusion is that there is more matter present than
can be seen. This substance became known as Dark Matter. Since
then numerous experiments have been devised to test this theory.
Vera Rubin showed that galaxies rotate as fast at the outer rim,
or faster, as they do in the inner. If they are less dense at the
outer edges, as the luminosity indicates, then they should move
slower. Jeremiah Ostriker and James Peebles showed that without
extra matter, galaxies would develope gravitational anomalies
that would cause them to collapse into other forms than the
spiral we usually see. It seems likely that there is Dark Matter
in Universe, and estimates now indicate that it could make up as
much as 95% of all physical creation.
What is this Dark Matter? Nobody knows, but there are many
theories. Sub-atomic particles, so small they don't radiate
visible energy, Neutrinos, Magnetic Monopoles (one sided
magnets), and Gravitinos (bundles of gravity, in the same sense
that Photons are bundles of light) are prime candidates. So far
neither Magnetic Monopoles, nor Gravitinos have been found.
Arcane knowledge provides some answers assuming we ask the
questions. If Isis is "Infinite Stars, Infinite Space", then
what is Nepthys? Being the opposite side of Isis we have to
assume she plays a part in Universe. And, if Kali's re-creation
of Universe is possible, then can we see it in the process? The
answer to both of these lies in the Dark Matter. In "Mumbo Jumbo"
Ishmael Reed referred to "Dark Isis". I found this very
intriguing at the time, and later found the connection in Isis's
dark twin, Nepthys. She is dark (like Kali) because she is
hidden, manifested but unseen. In his book, Reed speculated that
she became dominant when Isis was shedding lunar blood (sacred to
Kali), this is when the unfertile seeds are being discarded. For
the aspirant this is a time of great power, and danger. Nepthys
is the goddess of the night magicks, the red magick of Vamamarg
sometimes referred to as the "left hand path". Hers is the force of
re-creation which is so vital to the growth of the aspirant. IAO,
Isis-creator, Apophis (Set, husband of Nepthys)-destroyer, and
Osiris-re-creator. In Tantra, Kali is all three. She gives birth
to Universe, devours it when all life has expended its energy,
and re-creates it from the seeds of the old Universe.
It's uncertain whether there is enough Dark Matter to cause
the collapse of Universe, but clearly if there is a chance, it is
in this manifestation of the Dark Goddess. Her body is the body
of matter that lies "between" known spaces and stars, her power
is felt in the pull of matter itself, "Love is the law, love
under will" is the axion of gravity where all particles seek to
unite with all others. Her books are written in the night sky,
her rites are the rites of ancient humans awed by the power of
the Great Sleep, and equally awed by it's power of re-creation.
If Kali/Nepthys manifests at the end of time, it will be as the
mouths of numerous black holes, each larger one devouring the
smaller, uniting in one undifferentiated monad of space-time,
not only matter sucked in but the net of creation on which it
resides as well. In the Dark Matter is the new creation.
733
A SAMPLING OF HIDDEN CODES IN THE TORAH
=======================================
Here is a sampling of some of the hidden words in the Torah. Since the
Hebrew cannot be uploaded, the transliteration is as follows:
Aleph = A Bet = B Gimel = G Dalet = D Hey = H Vav = V
Zayin = Z Chet = Kh Tet = T Yod = Y Kaf = Ch Kaf Sofit =
Ch:
Lamed = L Mem = M Mem Sofit = M: Nun = N Nun Sofit = N:
Samech = $ Ayin = E Pei = P Phei = Ph Phei Sofit = Ph:
Tzadi = Tz Kuf = Q Reish = R Shin = Sh Sin = S Tav =Th
The chart below works as follows:
The first column is the hidden word. Second column is the location of
the starting letter. The third column is the word in the sentence which
"houses" the starting letter of the hidden word. The letter enclosed <X> is
the first letter of the hidden word. If the housing word appears more than
once in the same sentence, the number of the correct word appears here in
parentheses.
The fourth column indicates spacing, i.e., 49 indicates there are 49
letters BETWEEN the letters of the hidden word. An "R" in the fifth column
indicates the hidden word is spelled out in reverse. The last column is
just a transliteration of the first column for ease of comprehension.
."AMTh" Genesis 1:1-5 BRAShY<Th> 50 R Emet (Truth)
."ThVRH" Genesis 1:1-5 BRAShY<Th> 49 Torah
."ThVRH" Genesis 49:28-30 VZA<Th> 49 Torah
."ThVRH" Exodus 1:1-7 ShMV<Th> 49 Torah
."ThVRH" Exodus 39:8-13 ThChL<Th> 49 Torah
."ThVRH" Numbers 1:1-3 MSh<H> 49 R Torah
."ThVRH" Numbers 34:9-12 Z<H> 49 R Torah
."ThVRH" Deut. 1:5-8 <H>ThVRH 48 R Torah
."ThVRH" Deut. 32:3-7 LAL<H>YNV 48 R Torah
."ALHYM" Genesis 1:7-9 <A>Th 26 Elokim
."Y-VH" Genesis 1:8-9 AL<H>YM 26 R The Name
."QYN" Genesis 4:13-15 <Q>YN 49 Cain
."HBL" Genesis 4:23-25 OD<H> 49 Abel
."MLACh" Genesis 2:1-2 V<Ch>L 26 R Malach
."ShBTh" Exodus 34:35- M<Sh>H (2) 49 Shabat
."ShBTh" Exodus 35:3-5 A<Sh> 49 Shabat
."ABRHM" Genesis 1:22-26 <A>LHYM 49 1 Avraham
."Y-VH" Levit 1:1 V<Y>QRA 7 The Name
."Y-VH" Levit. 1:2-3 <Y>QRYB 21 The Name
."Y-VH" Levit. 1:3- <Y>QRYBNV 13 The Name
."Y-VH" Levit. 1:3 YQR<Y>BNV 34 The Name
."MThThYHV" Deut. 34:5-10 <M>ShH 49 Matityahu
."YSRAL" Genesis 1:30-2:3 E<L> 49 R Yisrael
."YSRAL" Genesis 1:31-2:1 HShSh<Y> 7 Yisrael
."LAH" Genesis 28:2-6 <L>Ch: 49 2 Leah
."RKhL" Genesis 28:5-6 A<R>M: 49 2 Rachel
."YHVDH" Genesis 49:8-11 YHVD<H> 49 R,2 Yehuda
."MShH" Genesis 50:24:25 V<H>ELH 49 R,2 Moshe
."MShH" Exodus 13:18-19 ALHY<M> 49 2 Moshe
."ThVRH" Genesis 28:13-16 A<Th>NNH 26 Torah
."MQDSh" Genesis 28:15:16 VH<Sh>BThYCh:26 R Mikdash(Temple)
734
."HMVEDYM" Genesis 1:8-16 ShMY<M> 70 R HaMoadim
."Y-VH(Y)" Genesis 1:25-27 V<Y>ES 26 The Name
."(Y)-VHY" Genesis 1:25-27 H<Y>M: 26 R The Name
."ERBH" Genesis 1:11-15 V<E>Tz: 49 Arava
."LVLB" Exodus 2:7-11 HE<L>MH 49 Lulav
."HD$" Numbers 4:28-32 ShN<H> 49 Hadas
."AThRG" Deut. 1:32-37 L<A>MR 49 Etrog
."BRChH Deut. 1:1-32 HD<B>RYM 613 Bracha
."RMBM" Exodus 11:9-12:13 <R>BVTh Init 3 Rambam
."MShNH" Exodus 11:9-12:13 <M>ShH 49 3 Mishneh
."ThVRH" Exodus 11:9-12:13 A<Th>V 49 3 Torah
."NTzY" Deut. 28:63-64 V<N>$KhThM: 49 Nazi
."HShVAH" Deut. 31:16-18 MSh<H> 49 HaShoah
."HYTLR" Genesis 8:21 <H>ADMH 31 R Hitler
."H$" Genesis 8:1 BThB<H> 31 Hess
."RVML" Genesis 8:20 HTHV<R> 31 Rommel
."BQ" Genesis 8:22 V<Q>R 31 R Beck
."DNYTz:" Genesis 8:21 EV<D> 31 Danitz
."MVTh" Genesis 8:3 H<M>YM:(2) 31 R Mavet
."HShVAH" Genesis 8:14 <H>ARTz: 62 2x31 HaShoah
1) "ABRHM" begins with the Aleph <A> of ALHYM and ends about 250 letters
later on the Mem <M> of ALHYM.
2) Note the section of Torah this word is embedded in.
3) Rambam appears as the initial letters of "Rabos Mofsai B'eretz
Mitzrayim. If one begins in the same pasuk on the Mem of Moshe, the Word
"Mishneh" is spelled out. If one starts at the same Mem and counts 613
letters, one then Reaches a Tav, which is the first letter of the hidden
word "Torah", thus completing Mishneh Torah, Rambam's famous work about the
613 Mitzvos.
735
An Introduction to Traditional Wicca
c. 1987, Keepers of the Ancient Mysteries ( .K.A.M. )
Often Traditional Wiccans are asked to describe our religion and
beliefs for interested people, who may or may not have confused
us with other Pagan religions, with inversions of
Christian/Islamic religions like Satanism, or with purely magical
traditions with no religious base. There is a lot of flexibility
in the ways that we describe ourselves, and one characteristic of
Wicca is a large degree of personal liberty to practice as we
please. Still, there is an outline that can be described in
general terms. Many traditions will depart from one particular or
another, but groups departing from all or most of these features
are probably non-Wiccan Traditions attempting to stretch or
distort the Wiccan name to cover what they want to do.
Mysteries and Initiation
Wicca is an Initiatory religion descended from the Ancient
Mystery Religions. A mystery religion is not like Catholicism
where a Priest is the contact point between the worshiper and the
Deity, nor like Protestantism where a sacred Book provides the
contact and guidelines for being with the divine. Rather a
Mystery Religion is a religion of personal experience and
responsibility, in which each worshiper is encouraged, taught and
expected to develop an ongoing and positive direct relationship
with the Gods. The religion is called a "Mystery" because such
experiences are very hard to communicate in words, and are
usually distorted in the telling. You have to have been there in
person to appreciate what is meant. Near and far-Eastern
religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and Shinto are probably
Mystery traditions, but Wicca is very western in cultural flavor
and quite different than eastern religions in many ways.
A Blend of Pagan Roots
Most Wiccan Traditions, .K.A.M. included, have particular roots
in the British Mystery Traditions. This includes traditions of
the Picts who lived before the rise of Celtic consciousness, the
early Celts, and some selected aspects of Celtic Druidism.
American Wicca is directly descended from British Wicca, brought
in the late 1950's by English and American Initiates of
Gardnerian, Alexandrian and Celtic Wicca. These traditions are a
little like the denominations in Christianity, but hopefully far
more harmonious.
While British Traditions are very strong in Wicca, or the Craft
as it is sometimes called, other Western Mystery traditions
feature prominently, including the ancient Greek Mysteries of
Eleusis, Italian Mysteries of Rome, Etruria and the general
countryside, Mysteries of Egypt and Persia before Islam, and
various Babylonian, Assyrian and other mid-eastern Mysteries that
flourished before the political rise of the advocates of "one
god".
736
What's In a Name
Wicca, Witchecraft, and "The Craft" are used interchangeably at
times by many kinds of people. It is fair to say that all Wiccans
are Witches, and many of us believe we are the only people
entitled to the name. It is important to know that many people
call themselves witches who are not in the least Wiccan, and that
Masons also refer to themselves as "Craft", with good historical
precedent. Carefully question people on the particular things
they do and believe as part of their religion rather than relying
on labels. Any real Wiccan would welcome such honest inquiry.
Traditions and Flavor
There are specific Wiccan beliefs and traditions, including
worship of an equal and mated Goddess and God who take many forms
and have many Names. Groups who worship only a Goddess or only a
God are not traditional Wicca however they may protest, although
they may be perfectly good Pagans of another sort. The Wiccan
Goddess and God are linked to nature, ordinary love and children
-- Wicca is very life affirming in flavor.
Because we have and love our own Gods, Wiccans have nothing to do
with other people's deities or devils, like the Christian God or
Satan, the Muslim Allah or the Jewish Jehovah (reputedly not his
real name). Christians often deny this fact because they think
that their particular god is the only God, and everybody else in
the whole world must be worshipping their devil. How arrogant.
They're wrong on both counts.
Traditional Wicca is a religion of personal responsibility and
growth. Initiates take on a particular obligation to personal
development throughout their lives, and work hard to achieve what
we call our "True Will", which is the best possibility that we
can conceive for ourselves. Finding your Will isn't easy, and
requires a lot of honesty, courage and hard work. It is also very
rewarding.
Wicca is generally a cheerful religion, and has many holidays and
festivals. In fact, most of the more pleasant holidays now on our
calendar are descended from the roots Wicca draws on, including
Christmas, May Day, Easter and Summer Vacation. Wicca is
definitely not always serious. Dancing, feasting and general
merriment are a central part of the celebrations.
Wiccan Ethics
Wiccans have ethics which are different in nature than most
"one-god" religions, which hand out a list of "do's and don'ts".
We have a single extremely powerful ethical principal which
Initiates are responsible for applying in specific situations
according to their best judgment. That principle is called the
Wiccan Rede (Old-English for rule) and reads:
"An (if) it harm none, do as ye Will"
737
Based on the earlier mention of "True Will", you will understand
that the Rede is far more complex than it sounds, and is quite
different than saying "Do whatever you want as long as nobody is
hurt". Finding out your Will is difficult sometimes, and figuring
out what is harmful, rather than just painful or unpleasant is
not much easier.
Initiation into Wicca
People become Wiccans only by Initiation, which is a process of
contacting and forming a good relationship with the Gods and
Goddesses of Wicca. Initiation is preceded by at least a year and
a day of preparation and study, and must be performed by a
qualified Wiccan Priestess and Priest. The central event of
Initiation is between you and your Gods, but the Priestess is
necessary to make the Initiation a Wiccan one, to pass some of
her power onto you as a new-made Priestess or Priest and to
connect you to the Tradition you're joining.
Women hold the central place in Wicca. A Traditional Coven is
always headed by a High Priestess, a Third Degree female Witch
with at least three years and three days of specific training. A
Priest is optional, but the Priestess is essential. Similarly, a
Priest may not Initiate without a Priestess, but a Priestess
alone is sufficient. Women are primary in Wicca for many reasons,
one of which is that the Goddess is central to our religion.
One Religion at a Time
People often ask "Can I become a Wiccan and still remain a
Christian, Muslim, practicing Jew, etc. The answer is no. The
"one god" religions reject other paths besides their own,
including each other's. "One-god" religions also do not exalt the
Female as does Wicca, and mixing two such different traditions
would water them both down. Besides, you'd have to ask how
serious a person who practiced two religions was about either
one. Being Jewish is an exception, since it is a race and culture
as well as a religion. There are many Wiccan Jews, but they
practice Wicca, not Judaism.
Magick and Science
People interested in Wicca are usually curious about the magick
that Wiccans can do. While magick (spelled with a "k" to
distinguish from stage conjuring) is not a religion in itself, it
is related to our religious beliefs. Wiccans believe that people
have many more abilities than are generally realized, and that it
is a good idea to develop them. Our magick is a way of using
natural forces to change consciousness and material conditions as
an expression of our "True Wills". Part of becoming a Wiccan is
training in our methods of psychic and magickal development.
738
Because we believe that everything a person does returns to them
magnified, a Wiccan will not work a magick for harm, since they
would pay too high a price. But a helpful magick is good for both
the giver and receiver! Wicca is entirely compatible with the
scientific method, and we believe all the Gods and forces we work
with to be quite natural, not supernatural at all. We do not,
however, hold with the kind of scientific dogma or pseudoreligion
that sees everything as dead matter and neglects its own method �v܌by
trumpeting "facts" without honest examination of evidence.
Priestesses at Large?
Long ago the spiritual (and sometimes physical) ancestors of
Wiccans were Priestesses and Priests to the Pagan culture as well
as devotees of their Mystery. Now that a Pagan culture is rising
again, some ask if today's Wiccans could resume that role. This
seems unlikely.
Today's Pagan culture is very diverse and more interested in
exploring and creating new forms than in building on existing
traditions. A public role would either dilute our traditions or
force them on an unwilling audience. The neo-Pagan community
generally prefers "media figures" and rapid membership and
growth. This is not compatible with our slow methods of training
and Initiation, the insistence that livelihood come from work
outside the Craft, or our needs for privacy. Our religion is not
accepted in the American workplace or political system, and may
never be. The most powerful Priestesses are often unknown to all
but their Coveners. While all Wiccans are Pagans, all Pagans are
not Wiccan, and it is best that it remain so.
739
The Henge of Keltria--a Neo-pagan Druidic organization
What is The Henge of Keltria?
The Henge of Keltria is a positive path Druidic tradition
dedicated to protecting the Earth, honoring our ancestors,
revering the spirits of nature and worshipping the Keltic
Deities. Our focus is on spiritual development achieved through
the study and practice of the Druidic Arts and Keltic Magick.
Through training, networking, resources, ritual and
communications we strive to provide a religious and spiritual
framework through which each individual can reach his of her own
full potential.
What does the Henge offer?
Currently the Henge of Keltria Publishes "Keltria: A Journal of
Druidism and Keltic Magick" on a quarterly basis, and an
introductory 31 page booklet "The Henge: An Introduction to
Keltrian Druidism." Classes in neo-pagan Druidism are offered
in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area on an ongoing basis.
Campouts and workshops are held on an irregular basis in
Northwestern Wisconsin. Future plans include a book of ritual,
bardic songbook, correspondence courses, theological journal and
membership directory.
For more info, send a business sized SASE to:
The Henge of Keltria
P.O. Box 33284
Coon Rapids, MN 55433
740
ISHTAR: IN HER PRAISE, IN HER IMAGE
-----------------------------------
By Pauline Campanelli
(Originally published in Circle Network News, under the column PANTHEON;
She was called Ishtar by the Babylonians, Inanna by the Sumerians,
Astarte by the Greeks, and Ashtoreth by the Hebrews. She is a Goddess of
Love and beauty, The Giver of All Life, The Maiden, The Mother, The Crone.
As the maiden hymns were sung to her beauty and her love:
"Praise the Goddess, most awesome
of the Goddesses,
Let one revere the mistress of the
people, the greatest of the Gods.
Praise Ishtar, the most awesome of
the Goddesses,
Let one revere the Queen of Women,
the greatest of the Gods.
She is clothed with pleasure and
love.
She is laden with vitality, charm
and voluptuousness.
In lips she is sweet; life is in
her mouth.
At her appearance rejoicing
becomes full.
She is glorious; veils are thrown
over her head.
Her figure is beautiful; her eyes
are brilliant."
--from a First Dynasty Babylon text, circa 1600 BCE
741
TheGoddess has her darkside too. In thisportion of a Sumerian prayer
to Inanna from Ur, circa 2300 BCE, she is the bringer of death. In the
following lines, "the Powers" refer to the powers and duties assigned to
the various cosmic entities at the moment of creation:
"My Queen, You who are guardian
of all the great Powers,
You have lifted the Powers, have
tied them to your hands,
Have gathered the Powers, pressed
them to your breasts.
You have filled the land with
venom like a serpent.
Vegetation ceases when you thunder
like Ishkur.
You who bring down the flood from
the mountains,
Supreme One who are the Inanna of
Heaven and Earth."
In the Epic of Gilgamesh,it is the word of Ishtar thatcauses Enlil to
bring the Deluge upon her Children, and in the same legend she brings death
not only to her people but her lover too: "When the glorious Ishtar raised
an eye at the beauty of Gilgamesh, she said, 'Come, Gilgamesh, be thou my
lover! Do but grant me thy fruit. Thou shalt be my husband, and I will be
thy wife.'" But the hero refuses her, listing the fates of her other
lovers:
"For Tamuz, the lover of thy
youth,
Thou has ordained wailing year
after year.
Having loved the dappled
Shepherd-bird,
Thou smotest him, breaking his
wing.
In the grove he sits crying, 'My
wing!'
Then thou lovedst a lion, perfect
in strength.
Seven pits and seven didst thou
dig for him.
Then a stallion didst Thou love,
famed in battle.
The whip, the spur, the lash Thou
ordainedst for him."
And ratherthan marry Ishtar, Gilgameshwent in searchof immortality on
his own.
Images of this Great Goddess from the land of theTigris and Euphrates
appear in many shapes and forms. Some of the earliest may be the clay or
limestone figures discovered at the site known as Mureybit in what is today
Syria. These figurines from hunter-gatherer villages of 8000 BCE range
from the crude and stylized to the highly naturalistic. Like later images
of Ishtar, these female divinities are depicted with their hands to their
breasts. These ancient images of a goddess are not joined by a male God
until a thousand years later and then he remains less important.
742
One common characteristicof the early imagesof Ishtar is thebird-like
facial features. These features are also seen on images of the Goddess
from the Thracian culture of what is today Bulgaria, the Vinca culture of
the Central Balkans, and the Tisza culture of northeastern Hungary, circa
6000-5000 BCE. This bird Goddess of ancient eastern Europe, and the
closely related Snake Goddess are frequently associated with the baking of
sacred bread. Miniature temples made in the form of the Goddess contain
scenes of baking bread being presided over by a priestess. Later,
miniature Minoan temples contain images of a Goddess with the same
bird-like features. The Greek Aphrodite is often associated with doves
which are her symbol also. Like Aphrodite's consort was the Grain God
Adonis, Ishtar is the consort of Tamuz, God of Grain and of bread. The
"wailing year after year," in the above text refers to the annual death and
subsequent resurrection of Tamuz the Grain God, the Mesopotamian equivalent
of Adonis and Attis.
The pierced crown and earsof figures are also reminiscent ofimages in
bone and clay from Bulgaria that date to 5000 BCE (Similar piercing can be
seen on bird-faced figures of the Machalilla culture of ancient Ecuador and
some of the Chancay "Moon Goddess" figures of central Peru). The pierced
crown is repeated in the headdress of figures from Mycenae Greece. When
Dr. Heinrich Schleimann discovered figures like these, some had their arms
upraised while others had their hands to their hips forming a circular
outline. He thought they might represent two phases of the moon. Dr.
Schleimann was probably right. The arms of the figure from a tomb form the
crescent of the New Moon rising, an ancient symbol of Ishtar in her aspect
as the moon Goddess. They also repeat the design of the Assyrian Moon
Tree. These upraised arms from ancient Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia.
LikeCybele and Attis, Demeterand Persephone, Aphroditeand Adonis, and
Isis and Osiris; Ishtar sought to retrieve her lover from the "house
wherein the entrants are bereft of light, where dust is their fare and clay
their food." When she arrived at the gate She demanded to be let in. The
Gatekeeper at the command of Allatu, Queen of the Underworld and sister of
Ishtar, allowed her to enter. As she passed thru the first gate, however,
she was told she must remove her crown as "that is the custom of Allatu".
At the second gate she had taken the pendants from her ears; at the third
the chains from her neck; at the fourth the ornament from her breast; at
the fifth the Girdle of birthstones from her hips; at the sixth her
bracelets and anklets; and at the seventh she had the garment removed from
her body.
Allatu imprisoned Ishtar in teh Underworld and because of her absence
from the World of the living, "the bull springs not upon the cow, the ass
impregnates not the jenny, the man lies in his own chamber and the maiden
lies on her side." Because of this, the God Ea sent a messenger to Allatu
and caused Allatu to sprinkle Ishtar with the waters of life. As Ishtar
passed thru each of the seven gates on her ascent, Her garments and her
jewels were returned to her.
As for Tamuz, her beloved, his fate is not known according to the
Summerian myth because the last tablet of the text is missing. In a
Babylonian version of the myth, however, the Gatekeeper is told "Wash him
with pure water, anoint him with sweet oil, clothe him with a red garment,
and let him play on a flute of lapis." As the knowledge of her brought
death, so death brought resurrection.
"On the day that Tamuz comes up
743
to me
When with him the lapis flute and
the carnelian ring come up to me,
When with him the wailing men and
the wailing women come up to me,
May the dead rise and smell the
incense!"
She was worshipped as a Goddess of Loveand Beauty, a bringer of death
and the mother of all life:
"She is sought after among the
Gods, extraordinary is her station,
Respected is her word, it is
supreme over them.
Ishtar among the Gods,
extraordinary is her station.
Respected is her word, it is
supreme over them."
--from a first Dynasty Babylonian text, circa 1600 BCE
Thepriestesses of Her temples were "harlots" detested by the Hebrews,
but, in the words of The Great Goddess, "All acts of love and pleasure are
my rituals." Ishtar is one of the earliest manifestations of The Great
Goddess and the geographic boundaries of her worship may be far greater
than is currently believed.
744
FIVE FOLD KISS FEMALE
The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and gives her the
Five Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees, womb, both
breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. He says, as he
does this:
"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."
For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length-to-length, with their feet
touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she spreads her arms wide,
and
the same after the kiss on the lips.
FIVE FOLD KISS MALE
The High Priestess kneels before the High Priest and gives him the
Five Fold Kiss; that is, she kisses him on both feet, both knees, phallus,
both breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. she says,
as she does this:
"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
Blessed be thy phallus, without which we would not be.
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in strength.
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."
For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length-to-length, with their feet
touching each others. When she reaches the phallus, he spreads his arms
wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips.
Farrar, Janet and Stewart; "Eight Sabbats For Witches"; Robert Hale 1983
Transcribed to computer file by Seastrider
745
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| RITUAL BATH |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
The purpose of a ritual bath is to cleanse Yourself,
from the inside and out, of negative energies and prepare
your Physical, Mental and Spiritual Self for Circle. A
ritual bath is a rite in and of itself. The rite is ideally
done just prior to Circle, but this is not always the case.
[An example of such is if you have to travel to the meeting
place.] After the rite is completed and you must travel to
another place for Circle, try to keep your mind in a
Spiritual frame as this will aid you in Circle.
The bath water should be infused with salts, herbs oils
and colors that are harmonious with the work to be done in
Circle. To prepare for the bath:
Select the Herbs, [it is best to have your herbs in a
satchel for easier clean-up] oils and salts [of the same
color as the candle] that you will be using.
Have a censer and charcoal block ready to burn a
corresponding incense on.
Anoint a candle of appropriate color [Possibly using
the same oil as you are using in the bath water.] If you
have a shrine set up in your bathroom there should be a
Goddess and God candle present.
Have some Holy Water ready. [Holy Water is made from:
1/3 sea-water {river-water with sea-salt added will do if
sea-water is unavailable}; 1/3 river-water; 1/3 spring-water
{store bought is OK}.]
Have a tape recorder with meditation music in the
bathroom with you, as its aid to visualization and
meditation is invaluable. [Be cautious to have the tape
recorder far away from any water and DO NOT TOUCH IT WHILE
YOU ARE STILL WET.]
A glass of wine is also needed for consumption upon
completion of the rite. And your libation dish for the
libation to the Gods.
To begin turn out the lights and light the candle(s)
and incense, turn on tape, fill the tub with warm water and
add herbs, oils, salts and a cup or so of Holy Water. With
your Athame draw and visualize a Water or Banishing
Pentagram over the bath water. All of these tools represent
the four Elements; Air/the incense and the scents from the
bath, Fire/the heat of the bath, Water/the bath and Holy
Water and, Earth/the herbs and oils.
746
Lower yourself into the water and visualize it
cleansing you of all negativity. Know that these energies
are flowing from your Physical, Mental and Spiritual Self
into the water. Relax and enjoy the warmth of the water,
the scents in the air and the feeling of being cleansed of
all negativity, let yourself drift. Now concentrate and
visualize on the purpose of the coming ritual and know that
you are truly prepared. When you feel you are ready, pull
the plug and stay in the tub until all the water has
drained. As the water is draining visualize and know that
the negative energies that are now in the water are going
into the Earth and are grounded.
Rise up out of the tub and do a Self Blessing like the
following:
Anoint each area while saying aloud:
Blessed be my Mind, that learns of Your ways
[anointing your forehead]
Blessed be my eyes, that have seen this day.
Blessed be my lips,
That utter Your names and keep Your secrets.
Blessed be my breast(s), formed in strength (Beauty).
Blessed be the phallus (Womb),
For without which I would not be.
Blessed be my knees, that shall kneel at thy Sacred Altar.
Blessed be my feet, that have brought me in these ways.
Pour a libation to the Gods and drink the wine. When
dried, robe, clean-up the bathroom and take the libation
outside to return it to the Earth. The rite is ended.
So Mote it Be!
747
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Triskelion Rite of Tea |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
Purpose: The purpose of this working is to pay homage
to the Gods and to reflect on Their blessings
upon this your life.
Tools: * Herb(s) for tea
* Container for herb(s)
* Cup(s) and Tea Pot
* Decanter of Pure Spring Water
* Brewing dish with candle
* Scrying Candle
Prepare By: Placing a small table or platform in the
center of your working space and arranging
the Brewing dish, herbs, cup(s), Tea Pot and
spoon on the table. Also place the cauldron
with scrying candle within for use during the
meditation. (Use the diagram, which follows,
as a guide for arranging of the tools.)
Prior to casting the Circle, light candle and
fill the Brewing dish with Spring Water from
a decanter. Keep the Brewing Dish covered
during the Casting, as I have found this
helps the water to heat faster and hotter.
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Blessing of the Herbs |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
With the tip of your Athame touching the Herbs, intone
this blessing:
Thou has grown by favor of the Sun,
The Moon, and of the dew.
I make this intercession, ye herb:
I beseech thee to be of benefit to me and my rite,
For thy virtues are unfailing.
Thou art the Dew of all the Gods,
The Eye of the Sun,
The Light of the Moon,
The Beauty and Glory of the Sky,
The Mystery of Terra.
I purify thee so that
Whatever is wrought by me with thee may,
In all its powers,
Have a good and speedy effect with good success.
Be purified by my prayer and be powerful!
So mote it be!
When water is hot enough, place the herbs in the Tea
Pot and add water from the brewing dish, give it a couple of
stirs.
748
While the tea is steeping, intone this Prayer.
Earth Mother
Giver of life
Strengthen me during my life-long strife.
Teach me Your ways of perfect love,
Peace, and wisdom true.
Spawn from my purest heart
These words to You
May this prayer help me to better
Myself in word and deed,
To a higher plane I shall succeed.
Beautiful Light of Goodness Fair
Lore of old we both do share
A Witch's brew, I drink to You
My love for You, by day, by night
In thought and in sight
Will my soul learn
The meaning of this life again.
Pour out a cup for all present, including one for the
Gods, and enjoy.
Sit before the table and meditate on the blessings that
the Gods have bestowed upon your life. You may use the
scrying candle here to focus upon for your meditation. If
the Gods so choose They may give you a Message or Vision
through the blessings of the Sight.
You may relax now and finish off the pot. (Note: this
rite is not to take the place of The Feast, but is to be
used as a time of blessing and communing with the Goddess)
749
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Scorpio Dragon |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
I am Scorpio and I can fly as high as the noble eagle or
play it down and dirty, stinging as if a scorpion, both of
which symbolize my zodiacal sign. I have been told so many
times that I am passionate, intense, can be green with envy,
can be vindictive that I almost begin to believe some of
these appellations. If I took seriously what is said and
written, I would be making love all night and planning
insurgencies all day.
I am drawn to the Occult, I am competitive, I desire victory
but I also insist on fair play. It is not easy to defeat me
because, like the fabled Phoenix, I rise from my own
ashes...I come alive when most people would consider me dead
and buried. I adore secrets, I am sensual, my psychic
impressions usually are accurate, my dreams are prophetic
and I am an incurable romantic.
I delve deep, I reject superficial responses, I am the
probing editor, psychoanalyst, finder of lost persons,
purveyor of arcane aspects of the law, knowledgeable about
taxes and various aspects of inheritance.
I can be jealous, will fight for what is right, seldom do
anything halfway, can fall madly in love and I can also be
completely vulnerable. Yes, I can be hurt, but I also
possess retaliatory weapons that might give as adversary
fits. I tear down for the ultimate purpose of rebuilding on
a more suitable base. I am creative, rebellious, can be
fixed in my views, am willing to take a gamble but prefer a
sure thing.
I am tormented by the fact that evil exists. Maybe that is
why I seem to be a natural healer. I abhor suffering and
will risk my own skin to save others. Oh, yess, I can be
evangelistic. I am dynamic and dedicated when the cause is
right.
In the Chinese Astrology, I am an unquenchable fire, the
center of all energy, the stout heroic heart. I am truth
and light, I hold power and glory in my sway. My presence
disperses dark clouds. I have been chosen to tame the
Fates. I AM THE DRAGON!
Now, listen. If I tell you anymore, you might know
everything and then lose interest. And that would devastate
me!
Blessed Be!.........Sewna, The Scorpio Dragon
750
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Legend of the descent of the Goddess |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
Now our Lady the Goddess had never loved, but She would
solve all the Mysteries, even the Mystery of Death; and so
She journeyed to the Underworld.
The Guardians of the Portals challenged her: "Strip off
thy garments, lay aside thy jewels; for naught mayest thou
bring with the into this our land."
So She laid down her garments and her jewels, and was
bound, as are all who enter the Realms of Death, the Mighty
One.
Such was her beauty, that Death himself knelt and
kissed her feet, saying: "Blessed be thy feet, that have
brought thee in these ways. Abide with me; but let me place
my cold hand on thy heart."
She replied: "I love thee not. Why dost thou cause all
things that I love and take delight in to fade and die?"
"Lady," replied Death, "tis age and fate, against which
I am helpless. Age causes all things to wither; but when
men die at the end of time, I give them rest and peace, and
strength so that they may return. But thou! Thou art
lovely. Return not; abide with me!"
But She answered: "I love thee not."
Then said Death: "An thou receivest not my hand on thy
heart, thou must receive Death's scourge."
"It is fate - better so," She said. And She knelt, and
Death scourged her tenderly. And She cried, "I feel the
pangs of love."
And Death said, "Blessed Be!" and gave her the Fivefold
Kiss, saying: "Thus only mayest thou attain to joy and
knowledge." And he taught her all the Magicks.
For there are three great events in the life of man:
Love, Death, and Resurrection in the new body; and Magick
controls them all. For to fulfil love you must return again
at the same time and place as the loved one, and you must
remember and love them again. But to be reborn you must die
and be ready for a new body; and to die you must be born;
and without love you may not be born; and this is all the
Magicks.
751
MY CRAFT ETHICS
Copyright by James T. Crowley III 1986
This article may be reproduced for personal
use as long as it is complete and un edited
There aredoubtlesslyreaders ofthisarticle thatbelieveI have
no ethics. Those readers are entitled to there opinion however
shallow I may feel that opinion is.
Iam theHigh Priestof CovenantOfThe Doves,the commentsI make
hereare necessarilymy personalethicsand viewpointand notthat
of my High Priestess or members of the Coven. Even as a leader
of a coven, I have no right or power to speak for another
person. They do however necessarily govern my actions as a High
Priest.
The only way I know to state my ethical viewpoint is by a
annotated recitationof theLawsof theCraft ofthe Wiseasthey
pertain to ethics and have been revealed to me by my teachers,
thewritings ofothers andthatwhich theLord andLady havemade
clear to me through their visions and actions.
I bear the mundane name Crowley that has a certain significance
in the craft community beyond my personal contributions. Yes, I
amprovedof thelegacy ofthat nameas membersof myfamily have
played important parts in history. Aleister Crowley was by no
means the most important of them nor the least.
Aleister Crowley, the Current Lord Crowley and myself all bear
common ancestorstoSir AmbroseCrowley,Lord MayorofLondon (at
the time of Cromwell) and author of the 'Law Book of the Crowley
Iron Works' which is considered to be the bases of British
statutory law. This, I hope will clear up confusion about my
relationship to Aleister Crowley.
The name Hearth Witch is far more dear to me than Crowley, as it
represents a true understanding of what the WICCA is. When an
astronaut looks out of the window of his space capsule and sees
the body of our Lady looking back at him. The astronaut knows,
in that moment that technology, and the centuries of mans' labor
that put him there, are pale when compared to the wonders of our
Lady.
752
MY CRAFT ETHICS BY JAMES CROWLEY III 12/19/86
I feel that it is necessary to explain some of the structure of
the Covenant of the Doves. We say that we have one degree but
that is not strictly true. There are 4 things that happen to a
person on the pathway. We cannot call them degrees as they do
not happen in the same order to each person.
1. Dedication to the coven.
2. Initiation by the God and Goddess
3. Worldly recognition of their Initiation by the Gods
and their ability to act as a Priest or Priestess
4. Birth or Adoption into the family which is as permanent
and unrevokable as the Initiation of the Lord and Lady.
THE WITCH 'LAW'
Do not what you desire -
do what is necessary.
Take all you are given -
give all of yourself.
"What I have - - - I hold."
When all else is lost, and not until then,
prepare to die with dignity.
There are two kinds of law, Law of Tribe and the Law of Goddess
(ie: natural law). The Law of Tribe requires the services of a
Priesthood. The Law of the Goddess require no Priesthood as they
are self-enforcing. If you see an apparent violation of the law
of the Goddess, there are only two possible explanations. The
law is not of the Goddess but of man, or you do not understand
that law of the Goddess. If you see a ball fall up, either
someone is deceiving you, or you are in a spacecraft or similar
artificial environment that is manifesting some of the "fine
print" in the law of the Goddess. This partial telling of the
laws contain both the law of the tribe and that of the Goddess.
It is left to the wisdom of the student to learn which is which.
THE LEADERSHIP OF THE COVEN
The High Priestess must be an ordained Nymph or a Crone.
The High Priest must be an ordained Magician.
The High Priestess is the final word on the quality of Worship as
the High Priest is the final word on the quality of Magick within
the WICCA Circles.
The High Priest's relationship is: Father, Brother, and Lover.
The Priestess's relationship is: Mother, Sister, and Lover.
753
THE PRIEST AND PRIESTESS ARE THE LEADERS OF THE COVEN IN THE
MUNDANE WORLD, NOT IT'S DICTATORS. MEMBERS MUST BE GIVEN A VOICE
IN THE ACTIONS OF THE COVEN.
The Covenant of the Doves is necessarily a theocracy not a
democracy. Meetings are opened to all who are dedicated and
sometimes to concerned outsiders. Whatever the business, it is
open to discussion by all. There are no votes taken because when
it is all said and done, there are only two people in the coven
that bear the responsibility for the actions of this coven, the
High Priestess and the High Priest. So, the final decision is
theirs ALONE.
When the Circle is cast by The Priest and Priestess, they are
necessarily the ABSOLUTE RULERS OF THE COVEN. No witch shall
enter the Circle with out PERFECT LOVE AND PERFECT TRUST in all
members of the Circle. The only question of the order of the
Priest or Priestess is: if told to jump, it is permissible to ask
how high -- on the way up.
IFONEDISAGREES WITHTHE DECISIONOF THELEADERSOF ANYCOVEN OR
CIRCLE. IT IS THERERIGHT AND DUTYTO LEAVE THECOVEN. THEREIS
NO OTHER LAWFUL RECOURSE.
LEADERS MUST BE EVER MINDFUL THAT MEMBERS WILL SOON LEAVE AN
UNJUST LEADER.
THE LAW OF THE COVEN
THE CIRCLE IS A PLACE THAT IS NOT A PLACE, BETWEEN THE WORLDS.
A COVEN IS A FULLY AUTONOMOUS UNIT ANSWERABLE TO NO POWER BEYOND
ITS OWN, SAVE THE LORD AND LADY.
IN ANY DISPUTE WITHIN THE FAMILY (COVEN) OR TRIBE, NO ONE MAY
INVOKE ANY LAW BUT THOSE OF THE FAMILY AND TRIBE.
It being known that the Circle is a "place that is not a place,
between the worlds", and that what is between the Worlds does not
concern the World. Discussion of actions taking place within a
consecrated circle is appropriate for discussion only within that
Circle, or by Elders of the Craft in a Council of Elders Convened
by the High Priest and High Priestess of the coven involved as
only Elders can or should have any direct knowledge of actions
that take place within the Circle of another Coven.
With the fragmentation of the WICCA since the burning times, the
identification of Elders of the Craft is at best ambiguous. The
only working definition that I can feel comfortable with is:
Those members of the WICCA community that the High Priest and
High Priestess of the Coven recognize as their peers regardless
of what rank they hold in other circles.
754
THE WORD OF A WITCH NEED NO BOND OR CONTRACT. IT IS NECESSARILY
TRUE AND FREE OF EQUIVOCATION.
We make it clear to all around us that we do not tolerate lying.
If it is on the part of a friend or an acquaintance, we will
cease contact with them, if necessary. If it is a member of the
craft, we do not willingly stand in the same circle with them.
If they are a student, this is one of the few areas that we will
invoke banishment as a punishment (or, if there are extenuating
circumstancesand thepersonis ofextremevalue tothe covenand
the Craft, we will consider corporal punishment or an equivalent
alternative proposed by the student to balance the wrong done to
the Coven, in lieu of banishment). If they are an Initiate, it
is necessarily more harmful to the family, and therefore, more
serious.
PERFECT LOVEANDPERFECT TRUST(my fingerswantedto typelove is
the law)
Perfect love and perfect trust are not words spoken in blind
faith. They do not mean a blanket trust. Perfect love and
perfect trust are what was in the hearts of the few, and most
dear, that when they heard rumors, first came to us and said
"what are these rumors about...". These people knew that as
fallible as we are, these rumors were not a reflection of our
will. These people sought to know what happened, not to satisfy
any of their own devices or to judge us, but to share our pain
and the load. These people are of different traditions and
levels of worldly Craft learning, but these people will always
hold a place in my heart second only to my brothers and sisters
that are literally of the My Family.
THERE ARE THREE KINDS OF SECRETS IN THE WICCA CIRCLE AND ALL ARE
INVIOLATE EXCEPT IN AN ELDER CIRCLE, AND THEN ONLY TO THE EXTENT
THAT THEY ARE RELATIVE TO CRAFT BUSINESS AND HELD IN THAT ELDER
CIRCLE.
1. Secrets that are within the Circles that are private
to the members of that coven.
(ie: when Charlie has a few drinks he.....
2. The secret held by the High Priestess and High Priest of
the inside and outside Circle affairs of the coven members,
due to their office.
3. The social and magick practices of the Craft that cannot be
talked of outside of the Wicca without being taken out of
context and sensationalized.
755
THERE ARE AS MANY WAYS TO LOVE THE GODDESS AS SHE HAS NAMES.
All ways of loving the Goddess are correct. None are Wrong as
long as they are based in love.
Say not "they are wrong" say "they are a different path from
mine".
Until you know in your heart that you have found your path, do
not deny any wicca path that you have not walked.
When you find your path, still walk other paths with your
brothers and sisters in joy and love.
"THE WICCA SHALL BE NAKED IN THERE RITE"
All mankind is naked before God and Goddess.
NO STRANGER NOT BORN IN THE FAMILY SHALL LEAD THE FAMILY OR A
TOTEM OF THE FAMILY.
NO ONE WHO RALLIES AGAINST HIS FAMILY OR TRIBE SHALL BE KEPT IN
BANISHMENT PAST 14 YEARS AFTER THE EVENT, IF THAT UNDO THE HARM
CAUSED.
NO ONE WHO EXTENDED THEMSELVES IN THE SUPPORT OF THEIR FAMILY OR
TRIBE SHALL BE BANISHED FOR OLD AGE OR THE ACTIONS OF INFIRMITY.
IT IS NECESSARY THAT SCRYING, VISIONS, ASPECTING AND ALL OTHER
APPARENT VISIONS OF OUR LORD AND LADY BE QUESTIONED. IT IS
ESSENTIAL TO OUR REBIRTH THAT WE KNOW THAT THEY ARE NOT OUR OWN
WISHFUL THINKING OR PRIDE, IF THERE BE THE LEAST DOUBT, THE
VISION MUST BE DENIED.
If a true vision is denied by the initiated, the Lady will
underline the truth in the vision in an unquestionable form. If
this underlining comes as a punishment, it is still a small price
to pay when compared to the consequences of a false vision.
IFEVER ANYOF THETRIBE NEEDA HOUSEOR LANDAND NONEWILL SELL,
THEN CRAFTMAY BEUSED TO INCLINETHE OWNERS TOSELL, PROVIDEDIT
HARMETH HIM NOT, AND THE FULL PRICE IS PAID WITHOUT HAGGLING.
NEVER BARGAIN OR CHEAPEN ANYTHING YOU BUY BY THE ART.
NOMAN,WOMAN, HIGHPRIESTESS,OR HIGHPRIEST CANSAYWHAT "HARMS
NONE".
The answer to this is for the Gods, not man. A just action may
well harm someone in some way in the mundane world (every action
has an equal and opposite reaction). It is always best to give
the action and the power to the Goddess, and abide by her will.
If it cannot be given to her after due consideration, then one
must actin themostjust formthat ispossible, freelytakingon
to our selves all adverse reaction of an error in judgment.
756
NO ONE MAY DO ANYTHING WHICH WILL ENDANGER ANY OF THE TRIBE OR
BRING THEM INTO CONTACT WITH THE LAW OF THE LAND.
THE ART MAY ONLY BE USED IN ERNEST AND NEVER FOR SHOW OR VAIN
GLORY.
NO PERSON MAY BE WARNED OF HIS FATE MORE THAN THREE TIMES.
MAIDEN: (Youngsters still new to the Craft, or older ones who do
ritual work and do not mind publicity.) Young people oriented to
cope with, and the ability to handle publicity. Some knowledge
of occult and the Craft both in its practical and religious
aspects is necessary. Childless women, virgins; Warm friendly
people with good powers of projection.
NYMPHS - (Do the bulk of ritual work, young adults.) Creative
people, artists, dancers, singers, etc. Very mature, rational
and responsible. Intuitive and uninhibited. Knowledge of Craft
and occultism, etc. necessary. Dislikes publicity.
CRONES: (executive branch - teachers of neophytes, makes judg-
ments, etc.) Must be sober and serious, but with a sense of
humor, very mature in most all ways, intuitive of the true nature
and inner working of things. Older folks, intellectual, Masters
of there Craft, and dislike publicity.
No woman shall be a Maiden who has not been in her courses.
No woman shall be ordained unless she has passed her 17th year,
nor shall she have her ordination recognized until that time.
No woman shall have her ordination recognized unless she is in
her courses, has ten fingers, ten toes, two eyes, two ears, a
nose. Her generative organs and breasts must be complete. The
honorable loss of limbs or the effects of torture following
ordination shall not invalidate the ordination.
No woman shall be a Nymph who has not coupled.
No woman shall be a Crone who has not given birth.
No man shall be a Magician who has not healed.
No man shall be ordained unless he has passed his 33rd year, nor
shall he have his ordination recognized until that time.
No man shall have his ordination recognized unless he is the
father of a living child, has ten fingers and ten toes, two eyes,
two ears and a nose and generative organs complete. The
honorable loss of limbs or the effects of torture following
ordination shall not invalidate the ordination.
In their youth, let those who cannot swing the axe till the
field. Those who cannot till the field carry water. Those who
cannot carry water, nor till the field, nor chase, nor battle,
nor be of service to their family or tribe, let them leave it.
757
None shall be kept as a child forever. Better that they be
banished if they cannot grow in mind.
INITIATION
NO PERSON MAY BE CALLED TO INITIATION MORE THAN THREE TIMES.
NO PERSON MAY BE INITIATED WHO HAS LESS THAN 20 YEARS OF LIFE
LEFT TO THEM AT THE TIME OF INITIATION.
No High Priestess or High Priest of the WICCA can cause an
initiationto takeplace. Initiation isinthe handsof theLord
and Lady. The teachercan only providethe environmentthat will
aide in the initiation if the God and Goddess so will it.
If one questions the validity of their own initiation, there can
be but one answer, the initiation did not take place. An
initiation by the Gods will be remembered.
Letyour judgmenton matterswhich youmake befit tothesize of
the case, not to your feelings. Let your heart not rule your
mind, nor mind your heart, but bear a balance as has been taught
you.
Not all are chosen for the tribe, nor are all in the tribe of one
family, nor are all in the family to be initiated, nor are all
the initiated to be ordained. Your yoke is to be as strong as
you can bear, but no stronger.
James Crowley
P. O. Box 16025
North Hollywood, CA
91615-6025
758
Computer Blessing
Blessings on this fine machine,
May its data all be clean.
Let the files stay where they're put,
Away from disk drives keep all soot.
From its screen shall come no whines,
Let in no spikes on power lines.
As oaks were sacred to the Druids,
Let not the keyboard suffer fluids.
Disk Full shall be nor more than rarity,
The memory shall not miss its parity.
From the modem shall come wonders,
Without line noise making blunders.
May it never catch a virus,
And all its software stay desirous.
Oh let the printer never jam,
And turn my output into spam.
I ask of Eris, noble queen,
Keep Murphy far from this machine.
1988 Zhahai Stewart
759
Charge of The Phone Goddess
Listen to the words of the Phone Goddess, who in days of old was
called Mama Cass, Ma Barker, Moms Mabley, the last of the Red Hot
Mamas, and by many other names not mentionable in mixed company.
Whenever you have need to make a call, preferably long distance,
and better it be when the rates are high, then shall ye assemble your
funds in some convenient place to pay me, who am Queen of all Highway
Robbery. These ye shall assemble, ye who are fain to bankruptcy yet
have not sent me all your earnings. To these shall I send bills as are
yet unheard of. Ye shall be free from bank accounts, as a sign that
ye be truly free ye shall be naked from my rates. And ye shall sing,
talk, shout, trade gossip and love, all at your own expense. Let your
fingers do the walking through my yellow pages. Let none stop you or
turn you aside, just call information. For mine is the dial tone that
opens upon the busy signal of life, which is the princess phone of
immorality. Mine is the poverty of the masses, and call now, pay
later. For my law is profit before people. Today I give knowledge of
facts you do not wish to have, and tomorrow calls that will sell you
things you do not wish to own. For behold, I demand everything in
sacrifice. I am the next best thing to being there, and my bills are
sent out upon the earth. (- Magenta G. and Steve P-C, 1982)
760
This article is excerpted from the Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal.
Each issue of the Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal is published by
High Plains Arts and Sciences; P.O. Box 620604, Littleton Co.,
80123, a Colorado Non-Profit Corporation, under a Public Domain
Copyright, which entitles any person or group of persons to
reproduce, in any form whatsoever, any material contained therein
without restriction, so long as articles are not condensed or
abbreviated in any fashion, and credit is given the original
author.!
THE MEN'S CIRCLE
(c)1986, by Robin
The Rocky Mountain Men's Group has put in a good deal of
time the past two or three months working on a Manhood Ritual for
initiating young males into adulthood. We still don't have a
complete ritual that we are all satisfied with, but a good start
has been made. Some of the approaches taken in creating this
kind of ritual have drawn upon traditional tribal rites of
passage. Some of these tribal manhood rituals include taking the
young candidate abruptly away from his family to an isolated
spot, where he must remain for a long period of time, usually
blindfolded and bound in the dark. Part of the ritual may
involve physical pain such as tattooing, circumcision or
ceremonial infliction of cuts that leave characteristic scars.
Even leaving out the physical cutting, these rites deliberately
put the young candidate through frightening, isolating and
painful experiences.
No one has seriously proposed any ritual that leaves
permanent scars on the candidate's body, but even so some feel
that putting an innocent youngster through a traumatic experience
is insensitive. It seems to me that this attitude misses the
point. It is not a lack of compassion that is being expressed.
There is no single word for it in English, it is a willingness to
inflict (or at least allow) pain in order to teach a necessary
lesson that cannot be conveyed in any other way. As sensitivity
is usually considered a light feminine quality, so this
complement is a dark masculine quality.
Is this dark masculine quality desirable - or even ethical?
I think it is. There are elements of it in the Wiccan Initiation
Rituals and the symbolism of the Scourge. It partially explains
some of the Legend of the Descent of the Goddess into the
Underworld - where the Goddess only learns to love the God after
being scourged by Him. "Remember this - that you must suffer in
order to learn". Although many people are put off by the dark
quality of this particular attribute of the Masculine, it is
important to remember that although not pretty, it is necessary.
Perhaps the following story will illustrate this point.
761
A boy around eight or nine years old once found a very large
caterpillar. It was dark green, as long and thick as a man's
finger, and decorated with curious stalky and warty protuberances
in blue, red, and bright yellow. Since it was nearly the end of
summer, he took it home and put it in a large open jar, and kept
it supplied with leaves of the type he had seen it eating. After
a couple of months it began to spin a cocoon about itself. He
watched this with fascination, and when the cocoon was complete,
he put the jar on a shelf of his screened back porch, where it
remained through the winter. When the days began to lengthen and
the weather grew warmer he checked the jar every morning and
afternoon, waiting for a little miracle of rebirth. One Saturday
morning his patience was rewarded. There was movement within the
cocoon and a small hole had appeared. The boy watched in
fascination as the hole became larger and the reborn creature
inside struggled to emerge. The struggle went on for what seemed
to the boy a long time and he began to feel sorry for the trapped
insect. Out of compassion, he ran off and returned with a pair
of his mother's smallest, finest, scissors. Carefully he
enlarged the hole, and then stood back to watch a beautifully
patterned moth emerge into the light of day. The moth spread its
folded wings, moving them gently to dry in the air. Their tan-
and-gray markings seemed to the boy to be one of the most
beautiful things he had ever seen. When the moth's wings seemed
dry, he carefully held the jar to the outside of the porch screen
so that it could crawl out. He planned to watch it until it flew
away to find a mate. The moth crawled onto the screen and
perched there. It flapped its wings from time to time but did
not fly. When evening came, several male moths came and
fluttered about the female clinging to the screen, but although
she seemed to be trying to fly off and join them, she never moved
from where she was. She stayed where she was for three or four
days, and finally died and fell to the ground. The boy later
learned that the struggle to emerge from the cocoon is so
prolonged for moths and butterflies because the long effort
serves to pump necessary fluids into their wings and strengthen
them for flight. By shortening this process, to spare the moth
pain, he had prevented her wings from fully developing and so she
could never fly and mate and lay the eggs of the next generation.
......Robin
......from RMPJ Oct. '86
762
COVEN OFFICES
Leadership in a mixed coven:
1. High Priestess - Coordinates ritual leadership, counseling,
teaching, and administration duties, in company with the High
Priest. Chief representative of the Goddess energies at rituals.
Badge of office: crescent Moon crown or coronet of candles.
2. High Priest - See above. Chief representative of the God
energies at rituals. Badge of office: horned headdress or animal
mask.
3. Maiden - Understudy to the High Priestess, and substitutes for
her when necessary. Badge of office may be a simple silver
circlet or tiara.
4. Summoner - Understudy to the High Priest, who substitutes for
him when necessary. Main administrative deputy, passing out
information, collecting dues, letting people know when to meet and
what to bring, etc. Also called the "Man in Black," "Black Rod,"
or "Verdelet." Badge of office may be a blackthorn staff.
Leadership in an all-woman's coven:
One pattern: No hierarchy or titles at all: ritual leadership
rotates, other jobs are carried out by anyone capable and willing.
Another pattern:
1. Maiden - Understudy to the Mother, and chief administrative
deputy (see Summoner's duties above)
2. Mother - Coordinates ritual leadership and administration,
guides coven projects and activities. She does not necessarily do
these jobs herself always, but has the responsibility to see that
they are apportioned fairly and done effectively.
3. Crone - Chief counselor to the Mother, and does a large share
of teaching and individual counseling. May perform divination on
questions of concern to the coven. Possibly a former "Mother" or
High Priestess, experienced and skilled in magick, herbalism, etc.
For both mixed and single-sex coven:
Council of Elders - A gathering of all the higher-rank initiates
in the coven. They may function as advisors to the coven leaders,
or may actually set policy, establish the budget etc. In the
latter case, coven leaders are essentially executives responsible
to the Elders.
763
Other possible officers in mixed or single-sex covens:
1. Scribe (secretary) - Keeps minutes of business meetings, handles
correspondence under the direction of coven leaders.
2. Pursewarden (treasurer) - collects dues, keeps accounts, makes
purchases, coordinates fund-raising projects.
3. Archivist (historian) - Keeps the coven Book of Shadows or "Witch Book"
up to date, keeps files of coven projects and activities, rituals. These
functions may be combined with the
Scribe's job.
4. Bard (music director) - Collects songs and chants, leads the coven in
them, provides musical accompaniment; collects ballads and legends,
preserves the old lore and coven history in original songs.
5. Watchman (sergeant-at-arms) - Assists in initiation rituals; in charge
of safety & security at meetings and rituals. Indoors, checks locks and
closes curtains; outdoors, finds safe places for rituals and posts
sentries to warn off strangers approaching. Sets wards and arranges other
magickal protection. Knows laws regarding freedom of religion and
assembly, trespass ordinances etc.
6. Mistress-of, Master-of- (resource persons and teachers) - Any
individual who has achieved great competency in a magickal skill may
earn this title. They serve as a resource for the coven, and teach
others. An initiate may choose to apprentice with any Mistress or
Master. Fields:
* Divinatory Arts (or sub-category, such as Tarot, Astrology, I
Ching, Lithomony, Dreamcraft, Scrying, Radiesthesia etc.)
* Herbalism (for healing, amulets/talismans, oils, incense)
* Healing Arts (including herbal healing, psychic healing, aromatherapy,
Bach remedies, polarity balancing, healing with stones, color therapy,
chakras etc.)
* Familiar Arts (magickal work with animals, totems, elementals,
shapeshifting)
* Talismanic Arts (designing & creating talismans & amulets)
* Ritual Toolcraft (designing & creating ritual tools)
* Runecraft (use of magickal alphabets)
* Necromancy (communication with, or evocation of, the dead)
* Psychic Skills (astral travel, telepathy, telempathy, clairvoyance,
clairaudience, telekinesis, teleportation)
* Incantation (Words of Power, charms, chants, mantras)
* Fascination (trancework, hypnosis)
764
ODINISM, WHAT IS IT?
1. What do you mean by Odinism?
Odinism isthe indigenous religiousfaith of theScandinavian, British
and other peoples of Northern Europe; it is an amalgam of attitudes, ideas
and behavior, both a personal faith and a communal way of life. In its
beginnings Odinism is probably as old as our race. Historically it may be
divided into three periods:
A. Before the coming of Christianity
B. Its gradual merging with Christianity and the ensuing Period of
Dual Faith, and
C. Its efforts in the present century to free itself of Christian
influences and to reassert its ancient independence.
2. How have the tenets of Odinism been preserved?
Is there an Odinist holy book?
The ancient oral traditions of Odinism were during the Middle Ages
embodied in writings, the Odinist books of wisdom, the principle of which
are the Eddas. The poetic Elder Edda presents the Odinist cosmogony, the
mythological lays and the heroic lays, including the story of Sigurd and
Brynhild which were in later times moulded into the Lay of the Nibelungs.
The Younger Edda is a prose synopsis of the Odinist faith.
3. When did Britain and the rest of Europe cease to be Odinist?
The first of our Northern countries to succumb to the false promises of
the new religion were the Goths, in the fourth century of the Christian
era; the Icelanders became Christians by official decree in the year 1000
CE, to be followed by the Scandinavian countries over the next two hundred
years. England was "converted" between 597 and 686 CE and Scotland somewhat
earlier (although some of the people of Ross-shire were still worshipping
the old Gods as late as the seventeenth century). Ireland, when Patrick the
Proselytizer landed there in the year 432, was described as "a heathen
land"; Dublin and the other principal Irish towns were actually founded by
Odinist Vikings, who dedicated the country to the god Thor.
4. Well, the people were converted to Christianity.
Would you have denied them their freedom of choice?
They had no choice. Most of those who were "converted" had little
knowledge of Christian doctrine; the new religion was imposed on them by
sword and sermon. The Revd S. C. Olland's Dictionary of English Church
History is explicit: "The adoption of Christianity generally depended
upon State action: the king and his nobles were baptized and the people
largely followed their example. . . . .The wholesale conversions. . . . .
could not have implied individual conviction." On one day alone in the
year 598 more than ten thousand English "converts" were baptized in a mass
ceremony; it is unlikely that they had received a great deal of instruction
in the Christian faith. Even in the twentieth century the vast majority of
Christians are still quite ignorant of Christian doctrine. It was always
so.
765
5. Why do you say that Odinism was practiced in the Church
during what you have called "the Period of Dual Faith"?
We can see the evidence everywhere, even today. When the foreign
missionaries subverted Britain what they could they repressed and what
they could not they ignored or adopted. The ancient spring renewal festival
of Summer Finding was transformed into the Christian feast of the
resurrection; the Mid-winter festival of Yule became Christmas. Not only
the folk festivals connected with the great changes of season - May Day and
Midsummer and Harvest - but numerous customs associated with life's
milestones, birth and marriage and death, all showed that the old Gods
lived on in the life and in the language of the people. Many of the
external signs of the ancient faith were retained: water was consecrated
and wood was blessed. A Christian writer, Professor P. D. Chantepie de la
Saussaye DD, has said, "We recognize in this folklore a form of historical
continuity, the bond of union between the life of the people in pagan and
In Christian times." Even today when we say, "Touch wood!" we are recalling
the sacred nature of an important symbol of our ancient religion; and how
many people are aware that they are paying unconscious tribute to the Gods
of Odinism when they light their Christmas or Paschal candles or their
bonfire on the fifth of November? Or that the very "Christmas tree" is
itself the World Ash of Odinism? Even the sign of the cross is really the
sign of Thor's hammer!
6. How long did the Period of Dual Faith last?
The period during which Odinism was actually practiced within the
Church extended in Britain from about the seventh century CE right down to
the 1930's, when the purity of ancient worship was revived by a number of
groups working outside the Church for the first time for more than a
thousand years.
7. But the adoption of Christianity, a creed that preaches peace on earth
and the equality of all men was, surely you must agree, a step forward in
the civilizing of our people?
Odinists were happy enough to put up with the new doctrines so long as
they were allowed to go on practicing their own faith in peace. But the
inherent contradiction at the heart of Christianity is that it denies in
action the faith that it professes verbally. There is no history of
religious warfare in Europe before the coming of Christianity. It is ironic
indeed that the message of peace on earth has been propagated with so much
bloodshed. As for the equality of all men, we just do not believe in it;
and even the Christian god has his "chosen people".
8. Why is it now necessary to reassert what you describe as Odinism's
ancient independence? Why can you not , in the present unsettled state
of society, leave well alone. Surely we should be getting together, not
creating more divisions amongst ourselves?
First of all it is necessary to state that because of its organic
origins and development Odinism is a religion of visual truth.
Nevertheless,for just so long as Christian and Odinist ethics coincided -
even superficially - it was possible for Odinists to worship the Gods under
their Christian designations; but only for so long as they remained
adequate interpretations of the true divinities of Odinism (the nature of a
god being of greater importance than his name).
766
The Churches are today opposed to many of the things that Odinists hold
sacred: they sin against nation and people by espousing causes whose
ultimate aim is our destruction; they condone legislation that has given
statutory approval to unnatural sexual deviance and perversion; they
encourage criminal activities by calling for the exemption from punishment,
or even prosecution, of whole categories of lawbreakers; they provide
financial aid for revolutionary propaganda and even terrorist activities
against our own people; they remain totally indifferent to the rape of our
countryside in the short-term interests of economic gain and technology;
and they have successfully divided the people of our own islands against
themselves (eg, in Ireland). Life in Northern Europe is today, after
fifteen hundred years of Christianity, almost entirely concerned with
material wealth and self-indulgence and the Christian clergy have largely
forsaken their spiritual vocations in order to preach the causes of
subversion and revolution.
The people yearn for spiritual bread but have been offered by the
Churches only a political stone. It is no longer possible for anyone who is
aware of his debt to our past or who has concern for the future of our
nation and race to remain within the Christian Church. This must not,
however be taken to imply that Odinists bear hatred towards Christians; we
recognize that there are many good and sincere people within the Christian
community from whose example Odinists themselves could not fail to profit.
But the Church is itself largely responsible for the "present unsettled
state of society". Odinists see it as their duty to oppose those who menace
the things that they regard as holy. If we cannot in justice always blame
the sheep we should and do attack the shepherds.
9. But surely it would be preferable to have one god for all mankind?
Why? One god or many Gods, it really does not matter. Our true Gods are
actually worshipped by peoples all over the world, using their own
mythologies and adapting their worship to local cultures and conditions.
We prefer to worship the Gods in our own way with people of our own kind.
And we respect the right of others to their own beliefs. It was an Odinist
gothi (priest), Sigrith, who told the foreign missionaries, "I must not
part from the faith which I have held, and my forefathers before me; on the
other hand I shall make no objection to your believing in the god that
pleases you best."
10. You have mentioned the "Gods of Nature". Does this mean that Odinists
are nature-worshippers?
Odinists recognize man's spiritual kinship with Nature, that within
himself are in essence all that is in the greater world, which perform
within him the same functions as in the world. Thus there are in man the
four elements, the vegetative life of plants, an ethereal body - the god-
soul - corresponding to the heavens, the sense of animals, of spiritual
things and reason and understanding. Because in this way man comprises
all the parts of the world within himself he is thus a true image of the
Gods.
767
Also containing the essence of the universe within themselves, the Gods
are everywhere and in everything: they show themselves to us as fire, as a
flower, as a tree. Odinists believe that all life should be lived in
communion and in accord with the mind of the Gods. Christianity turned away
from Nature and concentrated its adherents' attention on the human soul and
became obsessed with the fall of man, by which it was implied that man had
brought all Nature down into sin with him. Christian teaching encouraged
man to see Nature only in her physical form whereas Odinists regard Nature
as a true manifestation of the divine. "We and the cosmos are one," wrote
D. H. Lawrence, "The cosmos is a vast living body, of which we are still
part. The sun is the great heart whose tremors run through our smallest
veins. The moon is a great gleaming nerve-centre from which we quiver
forever. . . . Now all this is literally true, as men knew in the great
past and as they will know again." Whoever shall properly know himself and
all things in himself shall know the Gods. The Odinist, because of his
awareness of his relationship with Nature, is able to feel a consanguineous
kinship with plants and animals and the land - a complete oneness.
11. You speak of "the Odinist mythology". Do you really expect anyone to
believe in a myth?
Every religion is mythical in its development. Mythology is the
knowledge that the ancients had of the divine; it is religious truth
expressing in poetical terms mankind's desire for personal and visible
gods. The mythology of Odinism consists of a group of legends, fables and
tales relating to The Gods, heroes, demons and other beings whose names
have been preserved in popular belief. Our object must be to discover, with
the help of our mythology, the Gods who manifest themselves throughout
Nature: in the streets and in the trees and in the rocks, in the running
streams and in the heavy ear of grain, in the splendor of the sun by day
and in the star-strewn sky at night. But it is not the myth that Odinists
believe in but the Gods whom that myth helps us to understand.
12. What, then, is the Odinist mythology?
Briefly, our mythology unfolds in five acts (which may be compared to
the evolution of the seasons of the year):
A. the Creation (spring)
B. the time preceding the death of Balder (summer)
C. the death of Balder (summer's end)
D. the time immediately after the death of Balder (autumn)
E. Ragnarok, the decline and fall followed by the regeneration of
the world (winter and spring)
The first effort of speculative man has always been to solve the
mystery of existence, to ask what was in the beginning. The condition
of things before the world's creation is expressed in the Eddas
negatively; there was nothing of that which sprang into existence:
Nothing was
Neither land nor sea,
Nor cool waves.
Earth was not ,
Sky was not,
But a gaping void
And no grass.
768
Ymir was a frost-giant, eg chaotic matter:
From Ymir's flesh
The world was made,
And from his blood the sea.
Mountains from his bones,
Trees from his hair,
And the welkin from his skull.
There were as yet no human beings upon the earth when one dayas the
Gods Odin, Hoener and Loder were walking along the seashore they saw two
trees from which they created the first human pair. Odin gave them life and
spirit, Hoener endowed them with reason and the power of motion and Loder
gave them blood, hearing, and a fair complexion. The man they called Ask
ash)--and the woman Embla (elm). As their abode the newly-created pair
received from the Gods Midgarth and from them is descended the whole human
race.
Balder is the godof the summer, the favorite god ofall Nature and a
son of Odin; he is one of the wisest and most eloquent of the Gods and his
dwelling is in a place where nothing impure can enter. The story of Balder,
well-known in the Northern countries, finds explanation in the seasons of
the year, in the change from light to darkness; he represents the bright
and clear summer and his death is the impermanent victory of darkness over
light, of winter over summer, of death over life. When Balder is dead, all
Nature mourns. His death presages the disaster of Ragnarok, the
consummation of the world, followed by its cleansing and return to the
primal state.
Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods, represents a great conflict between
good and evil powers. The idea is already suggested in the story of the
Creation in which the Gods are represented as proceeding from giants, that
is from an evil and chaotic force. And whatever can be born must surely
die. In the seasons and activities of Nature we see a constantly recurring
picture of the necessity for death and the equal certainty of its being
overcome. At Ragnarok all the worlds of Nature will be destroyed and even
the giants must die. But from that catastrophe will emerge a renewed world
and the Gods themselves will be born again. We see this drama enacted
every year in miniature when autumn heralds the period of decline and decay
until with the spring we witness the magic of resurrection and new life.
This, briefly told, is the myth that explained to our ancestors their
origin and the origin of the world, the creation of life from chaos and the
mergence of evolution and harmony.
13. Who is Odin?
Odinis the first and eldest ofthe Gods, the all-pervading spirit of
the sun, the moon, the stars, the hills, the plains and of man. With his
help were made heaven and earth and the first man and woman. All knowledge
came from him; he is the inventor of poetry and discovered the runes; he
governs all things, protects the social organization influences the human
mind, avenges murder and upholds the sanctity of the oath. He is well
named Allfather. And because he chooses to surround himself with a
bodyguard of those who have fallen in battle he is also known as
Valfather, Father of the Slain.
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In the mythology Odin's single eye (the other he sacrificed in exchange
for wisdom) is the sun, his broad-brimmed hat the arched vault of heaven,
his blue cloak the sky. A conspicuous passage in the Edda is Odin's
sacrifice of himself to himself:
I know I hung
on the windy tree
nine nights through:
I know I hung
I know I hung
myself to myself,
on the tree
that springs
from roots unknown.
Order is the basis of Odin's government. Nature the garment by which he
manifests himself. Odinism says: study the natural laws, conform to them
and you will prosper; ignore them or violate them and you must suffer.
Just so far as you study and obey Nature exactly so far will Nature reward
or punish you. For under Odin the government of Nature is harmonious and
unchangeable.
14. Who are the other Gods of Odinism? What kind of Gods are they?
We have already spoken of Odin and Balder. Of the other Gods the best-
known is Thor, the most famous story concerning whom tells of this
Warrior-God crushing the powers of chaos. He rules over clouds and rain
and makes his presence known in the lightning's flash. He is the protector
of the farm worker, the chief god of agriculture, a helpful deity who makes
the crops grow and who also blesses the bride with fertility. In the words
of Professor P. V. Glob, " He wishes all men well and stands by them in
face of their enemies and against the new God, Christ." Tyr is the God of
martial honor, the most daring and intrepid of the Gods. He dispenses
justice in time of peace and valor in war. He it was who sacrificed a hand
when overpowering the evil Fenris Wolf, showing us that we ourselves must
be prepared to make sacrifices in order to protect ourselves and our kin
from those who seek to cast our society into anarchy and chaos.
Frey is God of the harvest and is therefore also a God of fecundity and
growth; some authorities believe that he and Christ may have become
blended, in England at least, in so a God of fecundity and growth; some
authorities believe that he and Christ may have become blended, in England
at least, in the new religion of Christianity. Freya is a Goddess of love
and the sister of Frey: barren women may invoke her and she is also the
Goddess of death for all women. Another God, Vali, is called he Avenger
because when he was yet only one night old he avenged Balder's death, thus
demonstrating the moral obligation we have of punishing society's enemies.
Other Gods include Brage, Heimdal, Vidar, Frigg and Forsete.
770
The Gods of Odinism are the ordaining powers of Nature clothed in
personality. They direct the world which they themselves created. They are
referred to collectively as the Aesir, of whom every living thing forms a
part (thus not all the Gods are necessarily good ones). Objects and
phenomena that are regarded as greater or lesser Aesir are qualities such
as thought and memory, and natural things such as the sun, rivers,
mountains and trees as well as animals and ancestral spirits. There are
also the guardian Gods of the land, of skills and occupations and the
spirits of national heroes, the Einheriar and other men and women whose
outstanding deeds and virtues have contributed to our civilization,
culture and well-being.
15. Is there a table of commandments that sets out the rules to be
followed by Odinists?
The main rules of Odinist conduct are listed in the Nine Charges which
are:
1. To maintain candor and fidelity in love and devotions to the tried
friend: though he strike me I will do him no scathe.
2. Neverto make a wrongsome oath: for great andgrim is the reward
for the breaking of plighted troth.
3. To deal not hardly with the humble and lowly.
4. To remember the respect that is due great age.
5. To suffer noevil to go unremedied andto fight against the
enemies of family, nation, race and faith: my foes will I fight
in the field nor be burnt in my house.
6. To succor thefriendless but to putno faith in the pledgedword
of a stranger people.
7. If I hear the fool's word of a drunken man I will strive not: for
many a grief and the very death groweth out of such things.
8. To give kind heedto dead men: straw-dead, sea-dead or
sword-dead.
9. To abide by the enactments of lawful authority and to bear with
courage and fortitude the decrees of the Norns.
The Chargesare based on the rules oflife indicated by the High Song
of Odin and in the Lay of Sigurd in which the Valkyrie gives counsel to
Sigurd. They may be summarized as demanding in the struggle for life a
self-reliance which should be earned by a love of learning and industry, a
prudent foresight in word and deed, moderation in the gratification of the
senses and in the exercise of power, modesty and politeness in intercourse
and a desire to earn the goodwill of our fellow men.
16. The first four Charges seem fairly innocuous, but I must say the
Fifth Charge sounds rather sinister! Isn't it all very violent and
retributive?
771
"To suffer no evil to gounremedied," does appear to run contrary to
the trends of modern progressive thinking. And the idea of fighting
"against the enemies of family, nation, race and faith" would be anathema
to many people. Unlike the Christian, whose duty it is to "turn the other
cheek" (advice that is more often observed ub tge breach than otherwise)
and to be patient and long-suffering under the most grievous attacks, it is
the duty of the Odinist to punish wrongs and above all those wrongs offered
to his own family and kin. Society's enemies already know the basic law of
life: that the race is to the strong and that the meek will inherit th
earth only when the earth inherits them dust to dust. Others should also
learn to recognize this truth.
17. What do you mean by "kinship loyalty"?
We mustof course give loyal service to anyoneor any concept to whom
or to which loyalty is due. But we owe our loyalty in the fullest degree to
our immediate family and to those who are related to us by blood-ties or
blood-brotherhood. A husband owes loyalty to his wife, for instance, and
vice versa, just as a son owes loyalty to his parents to a greater extent
than to anyone outside the immediate family circle. Beyond that we owe
allegiance to our own country and racial kindred before we can even
consider giving it to strangers who must therefore have the last call upon
us. But there may be occasions when loyalty to nation and kin must
transcend even our loyalty to our own family.
This concern for kin is an essential part of Odinist teaching. More
than twelve centuries ago the Christian proselytizer, Boniface, wrote of
the Odinists, "Have pity on them, because even they themselves are
accustomed to say, "We are of one blood and one bone". Filial love,
patriotism and kinship loyalty are religious principles still adhered to by
Odinists. In the words of the Edda:
We shall help our kinsmen as foot helps foot. . .
If one foot stumbles then shall the other restore balance.
18. You seem to have an exaggerated respect for things like law and order!
What about unjust laws?
No, not an "exaggerated respect for law and order"; just regard for
the rules by which civilized man must live. But laws, to be just, must
apply equally to all citizens and groups without discrimination. Odinists
certainly have a duty to oppose what they regard as unjust laws but in
doing so they accept the consequences of their opposition and do not expect
to be given exemption or favorable treatment.
19. What view do Odinists take of modern, enlightened substitutes for
traditional, repressive forms of punishment? Do you agree that the
wrong-doer in our society is more often than not the victim of his
environment and that we are thus all guilty?
772
Odinists refuse to accept responsibility for the actions of others.
Just as it would be wrong to accept credit for another person's merits so
it is wrong to relieve the wrong-doer of responsibility for his actions.
"Crime should be blazoned abroad by its retribution," wrote Tacitus.
Punishment should be an unpleasant and memorable experience. Those in
authority who neglect to punish the criminal adequately place themselves in
the position of being accessories after the fact. Odinists believe that
anyone who seriously or continually flouts the law should forfeit for a
period of time his rights to protection under that law; enemies of the
community should not be permitted to run with the hare and hunt with the
hounds!
20. The Sixth Charge speaks about putting no faith in the pledged word of
a stranger people. What is meant by "a stranger people"?
By "a strangerpeople" we mean those from differentcultures than our
own. It is a warning that words often mean different things to different
peoples, that their standards are not always the same as our own. It is
simply one of those things in life that ought to be widely known and
appreciated but does not seem to be!
21. Please explain the Ninth Charge, which speaks of "the decrees of the
Norns". Who or where are the Norns?
The Norns are the three Fates of Northern mythology, the Goddesses of
time. They are named Urd (the past), Verdande (the present) and Skuld (the
future). They watch over man; they spin his thread of fate at his birth
and mark out with it the limits of his sphere of action through life;
their decrees are inviolable destiny, their dispensations inevitable
necessity. Urd and Verdande, the past and present, may be seen as
stretching a web from the radiant dawn of life to the glowing sunset,
while Skuld, the future tears it to pieces!
Man's fate must be met but the way in which it is met rests with the
individual; and by the way in which he meets his fate man is able to
demonstrate his free will. This important principle shows a man that it is
worth while fighting life's battles courageously while at the same time
fate's inexorable nature allows no room for careful weighing of arguments
for and against or for anxiety about the nature of things that are in any
case destined to happen.
22. What other aspects of human behavior are admired by Odinists?
The Noble Virtues are held in high esteem. They are:
Courage
Truth
Honor
Fidelity
Discipline
Hospitality
Industriousness
Self-reliance
Perseverance
773
The Odinist must do what lies before him without fear of either foes,
friends or the Norns. He must hold his own council, speak his mind and
seek fame without respect of persons; be free, independent and daring in
his actions; act with gentleness and generosity towards friends and
kinsmen but be stern and grim to his enemies (but even towards the latter
to feel bound to fulfill necessary duties); be as forgiving to some as he
is unyielding and unforgiving to others. He should be neither trucebreaker
nor oathbreaker and utter nothing against any person that he would not say
to his face. These are the broad principles of Odinist behavior, features
of the spirit that made our Northern peoples great.
23. You call industriousness a Noble Virtue? What is so spiritual about
that?
Industriousness is a virtue which, partly inherited, is nevertheless
acquired largely through training and self-discipline; it is at once
something we owe to ourselves, to our family and to the community. There
is a time for relaxation as there is a time for most things but it is not,
for instance, during our working hours; neither should it be at the expense
of other members of the community by way of the so-called welfare state.
24. What about material possessions?
A principle of Odinism is the realization of the worthlessnessand
fleeting nature of worldly possessions. Enough should be enough. Adam of
Bremen, a Christian, remarked how Odinists with whom he had come into
contact "lack nothing of what we revere except our arrogance. They have no
acquisitive love of gold, silver, splendid chargers, the furs of beaver and
marten or any of the other possessions we pine for". One thing alone is
worth while in this life: the stability of a well-earned reputation.
"Goods perish, friends perish, a man himself perishes," says the Edda "but
fame never dies to him that hath won it worthily."
25. You describe self-reliance as one of the Noble Virtues. Surely even
you must admit that none of us is, or can be, self-reliant in these
days?
Self reliance does not, as you appear to suggest, imply selfishness or
mean that a man must live in isolation from his fellows. We recognize that
men are dependent upon Nature and on the community of which he forms part;
he has obligations to that community as well as to his employer (or
employees). He receives from society and he owes a debt to society.
Odinism teaches that people must be encouraged to stand on their own feet
and not to ask continually, "When is somebody going to do something for
me?"
774
26. Do Odinists believe in prayer?
Odinism is not a philosophy invented to ease mankind's comfort or to
assuage his fears; that kind of religion acts against rather than in man's
interests because it takes from him his independence and self-respect and
makes of him a humble supplicant by encouraging him to shed his
responsibilities. The person who prays to a saint or God asking for help
or guidance is seeking to shift the responsibility from his own shoulders,
surrendering his own faculties of thought and physical action, unless he
also does something to help himself. To pray is to beg and plead; it is
self-abasement ("we worms of the earth"). That is not the object of true
religion which, as Carlyle has told us, is "transcendent wonder": wonder
without limit or measure, reverent admiration alike for the immensity of
creation, the inspiration of the human heart and the capability of the
human brain.
Odinists in theirinveitan (praise); singular, inveita) callupon the
Aesir to approach them in their thoughts as they themselves strive towards
the Aesir. Through increased understanding is achieved wholeness, a unity
with the Gods that helps us to think out our problems and how they may be
overcome. We project the Gods within ourselves and that, externally
realized, speaks to the divine in others. Through their invetian Odinists
express gratitude for life and the world they live in and resolve to try
to make it better - not just to leave it to "someone up there" or hope for
something better in the next world.
27 How do Odinists regard good and evil?
Evil of itself cannot originatein man but must always beregarded as
an intruder, like an illness or an affliction; as such it must be opposed
and expelled. Good and evil are relative: there can be no absolute norm
and actions must depend upon circumstances and motives as well as time and
place. The ethical standards relating to custom and tradition are flexible
and responsive to the specific demands of different ages, so that moral
judgments of what is right and wrong cannot be placed in a fixed system
of standards but must vary according to time and situation. Just as the
world is constantly changing so are values constantly changing, so that
nothing can be regarded as unconditionally good or evil in all ages. In
general, that which disturbs the social order and peaceful evolution and
causes unhappiness - including such natural disasters as floods and
earthquakes, disease and pollution - obstructs the natural development of
the world and must be regarded as evil. As for sin, Odinism knows but two
major sins - perjury and murder: that is sin against the Gods and sin
against one's fellow man.
28. Do you believe in Original sin?
Man is inherently good andthe world in which he livesis good. There
is no sin in man which has been inherited from his first, or any other,
ancestor; it is enough that he should be held responsible for his own
actions. But a lthough his spirit is good, his flesh and his senses may
succumb to evil, especially when by neglecting his own spiritual well-
being he has left his defenses weakened. So it is necessary for him to be
able to distinguish between what is good and what is evil.
775
29 What do Odinists believe about marriage - and divorce?
Odinists support theinstitution of marriageand marital fidelity.But
a broken marriage is and unhappy marriage and traditional Odinic law allows
great latitude to separation of husband wife, at the will of both parties,
if a good reason exists for the desired change. It is recognized that the
worst possible service is rendered to those who are forced to live together
against their will; but it must be borne in mind that marriage is basically
a solemn exchange of vows between two people and as such can only be ended
by agreement between the same two people.
30. Does Odinism offer salvation to those who believe?
Odinism offers no salvation in the sense in which that term is used by
Christians. Instead, the Odinist seeks liberation by bringing the Aesir
into the world of man and into his daily life - whether at home or at work.
Liberation refers to the human condition as we know it, which is subject to
birth and death and decay. It is not, " the kingdom of God which is with in
you," but the Gods themselves which exist within man.
31. Does man possess an immortal soul? Is there a life after death and
will people go to Odin in heaven?
Odinists believe that man consists of body (i.e. matter) and spirit or
soul. Physical man is born, produces young and eventually dies. But the
whole of Nature shows us that death is not final: the material body
decomposes and recombines, it is regenerated and lives again. As it was in
the beginning so it is now; every atom continues to exist and must exist
as in the beginning. There is nothing new under the sun and what we call
death is really nothing more than transformation.
Spiritual man is divided into two distinct souls, one passive, the
other active, the divine and the human, which we call God-soul and
human-soul. The first is in the fullest sense a divine being, contemplating
a past eternity and a future immortality, occupying itself in contemplation
rather than in action and to be regarded as a kind of guardian spirit.
Although the God-soul and the material body are associated in this life,
the former is not bound to man in the way that, say, a limb is (it may
indeed absent itself from his body during sleep or periods of
unconsciousness). Without the spirit there can be no motivation: when the
physical change (i.e. death) takes place the God-soul passes to another
living organism -a human being, a tree, an animal, perhaps a bird. This
is the element that gives man his mystical attachment to a particular
district or country (which is what we call patriotism): because it is
where the God-souls of countless generations of ancestors dwell. It is
because of this that man is compelled to nurture, love and defend his
country, which is, in the purest sense, a holy land. The philosopher
Fichte said, "Death is the ladder by which my spiritual vision rises to
anew life and a new nature." This is also the reason why Odinists regard
all life as sacred and unnecessary violence as criminal.
776
The human-soul (or self-soul), is essentially individual to a
particular person. It may be likened to his personality, his fame or his
infamy. Because the whole of man's life is a continuing struggle of the
good and light Gods on the one hand and the offspring of chaotic matter
(the giants, Nature's disturbing forces) on the other, the human-soul is
extremely active. It is involved in a struggle that extends to man's
innermost being: both the human-soul and the God-soul proceed from the
Gods; but the body be longs to the world of giants and they struggle for
supremacy. If the human-soul conquers by virtue and courage then it goes
after death to Valhalla, to fight in concert with the Gods against the
evil powers. If on the other hand the body conquers and links the spirit
to itself by weakness then after man's death the human-soul sinks to the
world of the giants and joins itself with the evil powers in their warfare
against the Gods. Long after his individual identity has been forgotten a
man's human-soul, absorbed into the corporate spirit of the regiment,
college, village, nation or other group, continues to demonstrate its
immortality by inspiring future generations to noble deeds - or to acts of
degradation.
32. If the God-soul migrates to other living things after death, how can
you square this with, for example, the need to slaughter livestock in
order to sustain human life? Isn't it rather like killing a God?
The God-soul must not be confused with the being that it inhabits.
Animals, birds and trees have always been regarded by Odinists with
respect; it is indeed probable that the domestication of some creatures
arose from their former sacred character. Every living thing is a
manifestation of the divine and its spirit is immortal: every time a tree
is felled or an animal slaughtered it is indeed a kind of sacrifice. But
the tree or the animal is only a temporary dwelling-place for the immortal
God. Everything in Nature has a purpose and it is necessary in order that
life may be sustained in others for such "sacrifices" to be made. Such an
attitude encourages consideration and reverence for Nature and discourages
its wanton despoliation. It is the unnecessary, cruel or unnatural killing
of animals (or of human beings), the unjustifiable destruction of trees or
landscape and the defiling of natural resources, that is wrong.
33. You have mentioned "ancestral spirits". Does this mean that Odinists
believe in ancestor-worship?
The human-souls of one's own family ancestors provide us with moral
strength and inspiration. Just as we received our spirit from Odin, so we
received our physical being through our parents and our ancestors from
time memorial. Our respect for ancestors maintains the continuity of the
family, the kin and the race. We have a duty to try to attain the ideals
of our ancestors and an equal duty of cherishing our descendants so that
they in their turn will come to understand and realize our own hopes and
ideals. Life is continuing process: we must try to visualize ourselves as
ancestors; for ancestors and descendants are genealogically one. Edmund
Burke once remarked that society was a partnership between those who were
living, those who are dead and those yet to be born; past and present and
future are seen as a continuing evolvement and must be looked upon as
complete being.
777
34. What kind of status do women have within the Odinist community?
Odinists do not need reminding of women's rights! Our religion
anciently held women in high honor: not only are Goddesses included in the
Odinist pantheon, but, when the Odinist priesthood is restored, all offices
will be open to women just as they were before the Christian usurpation
relegated them to permanent backbenches of religious life.
35. What are the chief festivals of the Odinic Rite?
In ancient times there were three great festivals: Yule (the Mid-Winter
Festival), Summer Finding (or spring equinox) and Winter Finding (autumn
equinox). To these we nowadays add the Midsummer Festival.
Yule, the popularFestival ofMid-Winter (sometimescalled theFestival
of Light), heralds the beginning of the Odinist year. It is the birthday of
the unconquered sun, which at this time begins to new vigor after its
autumnal decline when, having descended into darkness, it pauses, kindles
the fire of germination and ascends renewed with the fruit of hope. The
Mid-Winter Festival includes the Twelve Nights of Yule, encapsulating the
twelve months of the year in miniature, and culminates in the celebration
of Twelfth Night.
Summer Finding, in March, is the Festival of Odin. It celebrates the
renewal, or resurrection, of Nature after the darkness of winter. It was
transformed by the Christians into their Easter (named after the Odinist
Goddess of the Saxons, Ostara), Rogation and Whitsun and was also recalled
in folk custom by the festivities of May Day.
The Midsummer Festival, theFeast of Balder, is thegreat celebration
of the triumph of light and the sun.
Winter Finding mourns the death of summer and heralds the coming of
autumn. It is dedicated to the god Frey, patron of the harvest, and is
also sometimes called the Charming of the Fruits of Earth, when we render
thanks for the years supply of life-giving foods.
36. What other Odinist festivals are there?
Besides the great festivalsthere are a number ofsecondary festivals
and also some commemorations of local Gods or various aspects of life.
The secondary festivals of the Odinic Rite are:
The Charming of the Plough, January 3
The festival ofVali, Febuary 14, whichcommemorates the family andis
an occasion for betrothals, the renewal of marriage vows and vows of
kinshiployalty.
The festival of the Einheriar on November 11, known asHeroes' day,
which honors the dead.
778
37. What is the Odinist Committee?
The committee for the Restoration of the Odinic Rite (to give its full
title) was set up on April 23, 1973 with the limited objects of restoring
Odinist ritual and ceremonies, to define Odinist faith and doctrine and to
constitute a teaching order of gothar (singular: gothi, meaning priest of
teacher). When these immediate objects have been achieved the Committee
will disband. In the past not a great deal of attention was paid to
systemizing the doctrinal aspects of Odinism and consequently the body of
writing on the subject has remained limited and uneven. The Odinist
Committee will place the worship of the Aesir on a more formal and
permanent basis.
38. How do I go about becoming an Odinist?
First of all by understanding, thenby believing. You do not have to
"be born again" but you are expected to live your whole life according to
the Odinist precepts. There is a ceremony of reception (or initiation) into
the Odinist community for those who wish it. The secretary of the Odinist
Committee, 10 Trinity Green, London, E1, will be able to tell you whether
there is an Odinist group in your neighborhood or, if there is not one,
how you may form one.
39. Can the Odinist Committee supply me with a list of Odinist temples
and shall I be permitted to attend some of the inveitan?
There are at presentno Odinist hofs (temples) in Great Britain open
for public worship. Odinism starts with the individual and extends, through
the family, to the community and the world. So with worship, which is at
present practiced mostly at family level, the festivals of the Odinist
year being celebrated in the home, with friends and other Odinist
sometimes being invited to participate. But it is expected that various
regional meeting places will be authorized when eventually the ritual of
Odinist worship has been fully restored and gothar licensed by the
successor body to the Odinist committee.
These things are thought the best:
Fire, the sight of the sun,
Good health with the gift to keep it,
And a life that avoids vice.
The High Song of Odin *
* The verse from The High Song of Odin is from Paul B. Taylor and W H
Auden's translation of The Elder Edda and is reproduced by permission of
Messrs Faber and Faber. Other quotations from the Eddas in the foregoing
pages are from the translation by Rasmus B. Anderson.
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779
STRINGS ON THE WINDS
by Taliesyn map Avaon
...And it came to pass that into this time of great turmoil,
there came a man clad simply and carrying unto himself little
else than a harp, the likes of which I have yet to see.His
name was Ahrian and he made known that he was Bard.He went
unto the house of a village elder, asked lodging, and was
granted it.There he stayed and he sang from the green and
played the songs which drifted into the air as if they were
the air itself.
One afternoon I made to inquire of him his whereabouts and
what was Bard. He said unto me: 'You speak little else to me
but nonsense. Speak clearly and I shall answer as I can.'
He took the harp into his lap. 'What then is your trade?'
'I am Bard. Mine is the way of music, song, and tale. In
this lies my being.'
'Then you are a minstrel or story-teller?'
'I am both and neither. I am minstrel and story-teller in
what I do, but I am Bard in what I am.'
'I do not understand.'
'Then listen and I shall make it known to you. Music lies
at the base of the world. It is magick in itself, and it
contains other things that are it's nature. I am Bard and bound
to the music, as it is my existence. I work the music as a fine
silversmith works the silver into a cup. So I work the music
into a fine remembrance of the past. Or time hence. Or man and
woman present. So the music works for me and does my bidding,
as I in turn do its bidding in the working.'
'You speak of magick as the music and music as the magick.
Which is it then? Is music the cause of the magick, or is
magick the cause of the music?'
'Both are true. In playing the song I am working in the
magick, and in working in the magick I am drawn to work a song.
Such is my call.'
'What of tales then?'
'They are great and beauteous. In splendor they cannot be
equalled, for the Gods run thru them as the maids run through
fields of grass in the Spring.'
'What Gods are these of which you speak?'
'All Gods to some, and none to others. It is as you see.
And then it is as it is.'
780
'What of these do you worship?'
'I worship none and I worship all. I worship not, and
devoutly pray unto the Muses. Mine is not the way of the zealot,
but of the song.'
'How then do you work your magick if the Gods are not yours?'
'Ahh, but they are mine. I do not see the Gods as they appear
to others, but as they are in the song of a bird in summer, or
a stream in the Spring. My magick is not of them, but is them of
their essence. It aids them to survive and pierces their
nature as the light pierces the darkness.'
...And so I bid him let me rest, that I might ponder and
inquire further on the morrow. As I left him, I heard a sweet
melody drift into the hollows...
********************************
In this age of rebirth for many of the ways of the Craft,
it has often come to my attention that there is not a similar
revival of the Bardic arts in force. However, as we move into
a New Age, it is distressing to see so few wielding the candle
to light the path. Thus armed with this dearth of those
practicing the Bardic Way, I have decided to set forth some
illumination into the subject of Bardism.
In the classical concept, the Bard was many things: a
musician, a songster, a story-teller, a historian, a collector
of lore both magickal and mundane. He also served the
community in announcing through his arts the coming Circles.
However, should he attend this Circle, he would be little else
than a minion of the Watchtower's guardians.
Of all these things, I must point out that he was a magickal
individual, whose concerns tended not towards ritual, but
application. His song was his work of magick, and could either
be loving and compassionate or cold and harsh as the case
warranted. He was restricted in many ways in the expression
of his duties inherent in the office and title he carried.
The title 'Bard' was (and is) worn with pride for it was a
religious indication and a general term for a way of life.
This introduction leaves us with one nagging question:
What is the Bard of today? It is this question that I shall
address in full in coming articles. Each will contain a
conversation with Ahrian (an actual 15th century Scots Bard)
and a discussion of the concepts involved. Later, I will include
samples of the Bard's art by my hand and that of Seamus Myrick,
an Irish Bard I know personally.
Blessed Be!
Mike Nichols
781
A Circle Purification that doesn't use Incense:
for asthmatics, those with allergies, and those with other pulmonary
disorders
by Matrika, co-sysop of
PAN- the Psychic Awareness Network, 300/1200/2400 baud at 1-703-362-1139
This ritual was inspired when someone in our circle back in Central
Massachusetts started dating a young woman who was a great herbalist,
knowledgeable about crystal healing, a competent tarot-reader and a
beginning astrologer. She had read "Spiral Dance" by Starhawk on the Craft
of the Wise (Wicca) and wore a pentagram around her neck, but couldn't try
circle work because she was allergic to smoke and had a serious asthma
problem.
So, heres the rite. You prepare your altar as usual, with the exception of
the incense and incense burner. 5 non-electric pot-pouri burners filled
with water and an appropriately scented pot-pouri should be on or near the
altar with 5 candles. Be sure that you use the correct type of candles for
your pot-pouri burners, as other types can destroy the burners. Put these
on the altar, which should be at the center of the circle and facing North
or East according to your custom. If they do not fit without obstructing
the work, place them in a semi-circle at the foot of the altar. Have
matches there to light the candles under them at the proper time.
The rite
(Leader 1 should be a male, if possible. Leader 2 should be a female, if
possible.)
Leader 1 - blessing the water and herbal mixture in each pot-pouri burner
with the wand. a long-stem rose with the thorns removed can be used for a
wand if you do not yet have one. Of course, this must be replaced each
time you do a ritual -
"By Fire and By Air
By Water and by Earth
by the Lady and the Lord
I conjure thee to purify our circle this night"
all- " So mote it be"
He takes one of the burners and the matches to the North where he lights
it. Leader 2 accompanies him with her wand, after he lights it she raises
her wand and says
Leader 2 - "By fire and air
By water and by earth
Let us purify the
Northern Quarter of our circle"
782
There is a pause during which everyone visualizes (vividly imagining in
every detail from a relaxed, meditative state) an arc of rainbow light
forming that quarter of the circle then, when she lowers the wand, everyone
responds.
all - "So Mote It Be"
Leader 1 returns to the central altar and gets the next burner, placing it
in the East and lighting it. Leader 2 continues in the same way as above.
This procedure is then repeated in the South and then in the West. Each
time the invocation is changed to reflect the direction they are in. Each
time the group visualizes the rainbow arc of light. And after each
direction, Leader 1 returns to the center to get the burner for the next
direction ready. By constantly returning to the center each time, the
emphasis is placed there. After the Western quarter is lit, Leader 1
places the final burner on the altar, between the candles, where the
incense burner would be if there was one and lights it. Leader 2 stands
before the altar, raises her wand and says
Leader 2 - "By Fire and by air
By water and by earth
Let us purify the sacred center of our circle
where Heaven and Earth Unite
and
Where the Lord and Lady are joined in love."
While her wand is raised, everyone visualizes the rainbow light from the
outer circles flooding in to the center and filling the circle with
harmonious vibrations and energies. After a few moments, she lowers her
wand and everyone responds.
all- "SO mote it be"
The circle casting is continued as usual with the invocations of the
elements at the 4 corners, according to your tradition. Then the actual
circle-casting is done as usual. After this do whatever rite and/or magick
you would usually do and close in the usual manner. Be sure to snuff the
candles and not to blow them out. Use a silver teaspoon to do this, if you
don't have a snuffer. This ceremony ONLY replaces the part of the rite
where you sprinkle with salt-water and then cense the circle to purify it
in PREPARATION for the actual circle casting. It is NOT the full casting
of the circle. (Some traditions purify with all 4 elements separately,
sprinkling salt on the floor for earth, water on the floor for itself,
censing the circle for air, and carrying a candle around for fire. Either
way this rite replaces the elemental purification, as the burners embody
all 4 elements - the water for itself, the candle for fire, the herbs for
earth, and the scent the steam gives off for air.)
OF course the pot-pouri burners used for this should only be used in your
psychic work and should have been consecrated or smudged (by someone who
can deal with the smoke) in preparation for this ritual.
783
To prepare appropriate pot-pouri scents for the purpose of your rites, use
the directions for making the various home-made herbal incenses traditional
in Witchcraft and in Magick; however, don't grind them with a mortar and
pestle as you would in making incense. If you do not know the recipes for
these, any of the Scott Cuningham books on making incenses would provide
them for you. They are available from Llewelyn Publishing, box 64383 St.
Paul Minnesota. (They will send you a free catalogue on request)
Despite the initial cost involved in obtaining the 5 burners, it is highly
suggested you do it that way for two reasons"
1. In anything but a very small and enclosed space, you will not get
enough scent to represent the air element sufficiently for magickal and
ritual working.
and
2. To represent all 4 elements in EACH of the quarters and in the center
of the circle is very important in establishing the traditional boundaries
between the worlds (the ordinary and non-ordinary or shamanic realities)
that is the purpose of casting the circle and creating sacred space.
ALSO IF YOU TRY TO CARRY A POT-POURI BURNER THAT IS LIT AND HOT ENOUGH TO
BE GIVING OFF THE SCENTED STEAM AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE CIRCLE, YOU
WILL CERTAINLY BURN YOUR FINGERS BADLY. (It is not appropriate to bring a
pot holder into circle to carry it either! PLEASE!)
I hope this is helpful to those who have breathing problems and wish to
perform magick.
(submitted to Harvest newsletter, under JUKNO)
784
MONROE TECHNIQUES FOR ASTRAL PROJECTION
Note: After having studied many methods of Astral
Projection, I have found that this is the easiest to do.
Monroe teaches these techniques in a week, but they can be
easily done in a day, with proper devotion. I feel that this
technique is superior to others because it doe not require
intense visualization, which many people cannot do.
enjoy!
(Taken from Leaving The Body: A Complete Guide to Astral
Projection, D. Scott Rogo, prentice Hall Press)
One of the chief barriers people learning to project face is
fear. Many are afraid that they may die, or be harmed in some
way as a result of their projection. Nothing could be farther
from the truth. The Canterbury Institute, renowned for its
occult studies, executed an experiment in projection involving
over 2,000 people. None of them were hurt in any way by this,
and now, three years later, none have complained of any newly
arising problems.
Once you are aware that you cannot be harmed by projecting,
you should begin monroe's techniques, step by step.
Step one:
Relax the body. According to Monroe, "the ability to relax
is the first prerequisite, perhaps even the first step itself"
to having an OBE. (out of body experience) This includes both
physical and mental relaxation. Monroe does not suggest a
method of attaining this relaxation, although Progressive
Muscle relaxation, coupled with deep breathing exercises
(inhale 1, exhale 2, inhale 3.... until 50 or 100) are known
to work well.
Step two:
Enter the state bordering sleep. This is known as the
hypnagogic state. Once again, Monroe doesn't recommend any
method of doing this. One way is to hold your forearm
up, while keeping your upper arm on the bed, or ground. As you
start to fall asleep, your arm will fall, and you will awaken
again. With practice, you can learn to control the Hypnagogic
state without using your arm. Another method is to
concentrate on an object. When other images start to enter
your thoughts, you have entered the Hypnagogic state.
Passively watch these images. This will also help you
maintain this state of near-sleep. Monroe calls this Condition
A.
Step three:
Deepen this state. Begin to clear your mind. observe your
field of vision through your closed eyes. Do nothing more
for a while. Simply look through your closed eyelids at the
blackness in front of you. After a while, you may notice
light patterns. These are simply neural discharges. They
have no specific effect. Ignore them. When they cease, one
785
has entered what Monroe calls Condition B. From here, one
must enter an even deeper state of relaxation which Monroe
calls Condition C-- a state of such relaxation that you lose
all awareness of the body and sensory stimulation. You are
almost in a void in which your only source of stimulation will
be your own thoughts.
The ideal state for leaving your body is Condition D.
This is Condition C when it is voluntarily induced from a
rested and refreshed condition and is not the effect of normal
fatigue. To achieve Condition D, Monroe suggests that you
practice entering it in the morning or after a short nap.
Step Four:
Enter a state of Vibration. This is the most important
part of the technique, and also the most vague.
Many projectors have noted these vibrations at the onset
of projection. They can be experienced as a mild tingling, or
as is electricity is being shot through the body. /their
cause is a mystery. It may actually be the astral body trying
to leave the physical one.
For entering into the vibrational state, he offers the
following directions:
1. Remove all jewelry or other items that might be touching
your skin.
2. Darken the room so that no light can be seen through your
eyelids, but do not shut out all light.
3. Lie down with your body along a north-south axis, with your
head pointed toward magnetic north.
4. Loosen all clothing, but keep covered so that you are
slightly warmer than might normally be comfortable.
5. Be sure you are in a location where, and at a time when,
there will be absolutely no noise to disturb you.
6. Enter a state of relaxation
7. Give yourself the mental suggestion that you will remember
all that occurs during the upcoming session that will be
beneficial to your well-being. Repeat this five times.
8. Proceed to breath through your half-open mouth.
9. As you breath, concentrate on the void in front of you.
10. Select a point a foot away from your forehead, then change
your point of mental reference to six feet.
11. Turn the point 90 degrees upward by drawing an imaginary
line parallel to your body axis up and above your head. Focus
there and reach out for the vibrations at that point and
bring them back into your body.
Even if you don't know what these vibrations are, you
will know when you have achieved contact with them.
Step five:
Learn to control the vibrational state. Practice
controlling them by mentally pushing them into your head, down
to your toes, making them surge throughout your entire body,
and producing vibrational waves from head to foot. To produce
this wave effect, concentrate of the vibrations and mentally
push a wave out of your head and guide it down your body.
Practice this until you can induce these waves on command.
Once you have control of the vibrational state, you are
786
ready to leave the body.
Step six:
Begin with a partial separation. The key here is thought
control. Keep your mind firmly focused on the idea of leaving
the body. Do not let it wander. Stray thought might cause you
to lose control of the state.
Now, having entered the vibrational state, begin exploring
the OBE by releasing a hand or a foot of the "second body".
Monroe suggests that you extend a limb until it comes in
contact with a familiar object, such as a wall near your bed.
Then push it through the object. Return the limb by placing it
back into coincidence with the physical one, decrease the
vibrational rate, and then terminate the experiment. Lie
quietly until you have fully returned to normal. This exercise
will prepare you for full separation.
Step seven:
Dissociate yourself from the body. Monroe suggests two
methods for this. One method is to lift out of the body. To
do this, think about getting lighter and lighter after
entering this vibrational state. Think about how nice it
would be to float upward. Keep this thought in mind at all
costs and let no extraneous thoughts interrupt it. An OBE will
occur naturally at this point.
Another method is the "Rotation method" or "roll-out"
technique. When you have achieved the vibrational state, try
to roll over as if you were turning over in bed. /do not
attempt to roll over physically. Try to twist your body from
the top and virtually roll over into your second body right
out of your physical self. At this point, you will be out of
the body but next to it. Think of floating upward, and you
should find yourself floating above the body.
Monroe suggests you begin with the lift-out method, but
argues that both are equally efficacious.
If, after all this, you still can't project, I recommend
purchasing Leaving The Body, by R. Scott Rogo. It only costs
$7.95 and contains another eight or so techniques. Not all
techniques work for everyone, but chances are you'll find one
that works for you in this book. Good luck!
787
History
(c) 1988, by Weyland Smith and
The Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal
"Mommy, how old are we?" Does our faith come down to us in
Apostolic succession from "that time whereof the memory of man
runneth not to the contrary", or was our religion dreamed up in
the nineteenfortiesbyaretiredBritishcivilservantwiththe
collaboration ofa dyingheroin addictandpoet? Does itreally
matter?
To
whatextent
themodern
practitionersof
paganismmay
lay
ajust claimto themantleof theirpredecessorsfrom thetwelfth
centuryhas beena matterof greatdebate bothwithin andwithout
the Craft community almost from the moment Gerald Gardner
published _Witchcraft Today in 1954.*1* Though the debate is
continued with somewhat less fervor today than it was in the
1960s,ithasnever whollyceasedanditcontinuesto beaCrisis
of Faith which besets many practitioners of paganism every year.
Itcan
beatroubling
questionto
face,especiallyif
one's
early teachers tried to justify their credentials by claiming
that what they taught had great antiquity. The question isn't
any easier to answer with truth or objectivity when there is a
bunch
ofradicalfundamentalistsrunningaroundseekingtoclaim
that we aren't really a religion and so of course we aren't
entitled to protection under the First Amendment.
It is a sign of progress, I think, that there seems to be
less of that sort of teaching today than there was when I began
my studies. Today most of the teachers that I know are secure
enough in their religion that they can face the staggering
thought that the ethical and philosophical system that guides
their lives may indeed be younger than some of them are. The
plain fact is that we simply don't know.
Gerald
Gardnerand
CharlesLeland*2*
mayhave
triedto
palm
fiction off on the world as fact. It's certainly been tried
before--and since. On the other hand, they may each have been
reporting the truth as they found it. It certainly is a fact
thatnoone Iknowhasever comeacrossany BookofShadowsthat
dates before the beginning of this century. Presumably, if one
exists,sayintheBritishMuseum, itwouldhavebecomeknownto
scholars looking into the subject over the last half century.
GrantedthattherewaslessburninginEnglandthan elsewherein
Europe, but there was enough that surely some physical evidence
would have survived in the hands of the government if nowhere
else.
The
VaticanLibrary,of
coursemayyet
turnup
sucharelic.
Theirfailure todosoat thistimecanbeexplained aseasilyby
the lack of such a document as by a possible desire to suppress
it. We may never know that one, but when push comes to shove,
does it really matter?
Thomas
Jefferson,
speakingon
the
questionof
whether
black
colonial slaves were Americans or not is said to have remarked
788
"They're people and they're here. If there's any other
requirement,Ihaven'theardofit."Perhapswemightparaphrase
Jefferson a bit and remark that the modern practitioners of
Witchcraft are undeniably here and a large number of them are
sincere intheirbeliefs. Thatinitselfshouldqualify usasa
religion.
Perhaps as important as the legal question is our own self
image. Would a "real witch" from the middle ages recognize or
disownone ofhersisters oftoday? Wouldshewant togowith a
"New Age" circle, a Dianic grove, a Gardnerian coven, or would
she laugh hysterically at the bunch of us and walk off into the
sunset?
While the antiquity of our current practice of witchcraft
shouldn't be a matter of serious concern, to us _or to our
detractors,itsauthenticityshouldbe.Thesearchforourroots
must continue to be pursued by serious scholars and magicians
alike in order that we may come as close as possible to the
ideals andpurposesofourancientpredecessors.Thereisavery
practical reason why this is so. That reason is tied up in
somethingcalledan_egregore. Onthesubjectofan egregore,I
would like to quote extensively from a recent article in _Gnosis
by Gaetan Delaforge:
..."An egregore is a kind of group mind which is created when
peopleconsciouslycometogetherforacommonpurpose.Whenever
people gather together to do something and egregore is formed,
butunlessanattemptismadetomaintain itdeliberatelyitwill
dissipaterather quickly.Howeverifthe peoplewishtomaintain
it and know the techniques of how to do so, the egregore will
continue to grow in strength and can last for centuries.
An egregore has the characteristic of having an effectiveness
greater than the mere sum of its individual members. It
continuously interacts with its members, influencing them and
being influenced by them. The interaction works positively by
stimulating and assisting its members but only as long as they
behaveand actinlinewith itsoriginalaim.It willstimulate
both individually and collectively all those faculties in the
groupwhichwillpermittherealizationoftheobjectivesof its
original program. If this process is continued a long time the
egregore will take on a kind of life of its own, and can become
so strong that even if all its members should die, it would
continue to exist on the inner dimensions and can be contacted
even centuries later by a group of people prepared to live the
livesoftheoriginalfounders,particularlyiftheyarewilling
to provide the initial input of energy to get it going again.
789
If the egregore is concerned with spiritual or esoteric
activities its influence will be even greater. People who
discoverthekeyscantapinonapowerfulegregorerepresenting,
for example, a spiritual or esoteric tradition, will, if they
follow the line described above by activating and maintaining
suchanegregore,obtainaccesstotheabilities,knowledge,and
driveofall thathasbeen accumulatedin thategregoresince its
beginnings. Agroup ororder whichmanages to dothis can,with
a clear conscience, claim to be an authentic order of the
tradition represented by that egregore. In my view this is the
only yardstick by which a genuine Templar order should be
measured."*3*
Mr.
Delaforgewas
writingabout
theKnights
Templarand
the
various groupsclaimingto representitin moderntimes, butthe
parallel with ancient witchcraft and the many diverse groups
claimingto representittodayisobvious. Ihopethebenefitto
be gained by reconstructing as faithfully as possible the
attitudes and goals of our ancient brethren is equally obvious.
In her books "The Sea Priestess" and "Moon Magic", Dion
Fortune was demonstrating this technique. Vivien LeFay Morgan
wasattemptingnothinglessthanthe
reactivationoftheegregore
of the Atlantean priesthood.
When Gerald Gardner published "Witchcraft Today", he
embarked upon the outward steps of his part of the reactivation
of the egregore of the old witch cult in western Europe. The
inward steps were probably begun by one or more of the magical
lodgesof
theearlytwentiethcentury,mostlikelyDionFortune's
Society of the Inner Light during its "pagan phase" in the late
twentiesandthirties.*4*Gardner'spublic
worksservedtobring
the reactivated egregore into contact with an increasingly
receptive populace where it could gather unto itself the
additionalpsychicenergyitneededtobecomeonceagainaviable
force in the world. How well it has achieved this end is to be
observed by anyone with the eyes to see.
I personally think that our job in this generation is to
deepen and strengthen our ties with this newly reawakened force
in the world; to learn from it and to draw inspiration from it,
and to bring the Craft back from the status of a "cult" to that
of a genuine religion. To do this we must learn more of the
goals,ideals,andambitionsofourbrothersandsisterswhohave
gone before--as they really were, not as we would like them to
have been.
790
Please
notethat
theidea
isnot
necessarilyto
recreatethe
_practices of our predecessors, particularly if we are talking
about things like blood sacrifice. One should note that this
practicewasfollowedby thejewsinbiblicaltimes,but thatin
moderntimes theydon't doit. This doesnot keepthemodern jew
frominteracting withthe egregoreof hisancient faith. Judaism
has surely progressed since the time of the Ceasars, so has the
Craft. The idea, when activating and interacting with an
egregore is to re-create the _goals and _attitudes of the
founders. That doesn't freeze the practitioner into practices
which have long since been outgrown.
WhatI
thinkweneednow
ismorerealscholarship.
Whatdid
Samhainreallymean toourpredecessors;or Beltane;orImbolc?
Not only howdid theycelebrate it,but how didthey _feelabout
it? Platitudes about"fruitfulness and fertility"are simplytoo
superficial. This is not madeany easier by the factthat these
observances were pastoral and agricultural while most of us are
city dwellers who do well to keep a potted plant alive through
one summer.
An attempt in this direction was made by the Holy Order of
SaintBrigitnearFortMorgan,Coloradoabout tenyearsago.The
farm is gone now and its residents are scattered, yet it cannot
be said to have entirely failed of its purpose. Many of the
former participants in the experiments can be found today,
quietly practicing the Craft.
This is not to say that we all should sell our goods, quit our
jobs, and move out into communes somewhere, but we must at the
leastestablishcloseenoughcontactwiththeharshrealitiesof
this world that we can appreciate how frightening the onset of
winter must have been to those who had no central heating, food
storesorwelfare tofallback upon.Whenwe havedonethis, we
will,perhaps,be ableto recapturethemindset ofthePriestess
at Samhain.
These truths are not to be found in the Fantasy fiction
sectionofB.Dalton's,butinthehistoryandanthropologylibr-
aries of our local universities. The reading is much dryer and
lessfun,but ittalksaboutthe peopleasthey reallywere.It
isn't afantasy worldto hidefromreality in,but neitheris it
a dead end. It can take us back in time and forward in our
understandingsothatwemayreallycontacttheancientreligion
of witchcraft as it was, learn from it, and pass it on,
rejuvenated and strengthened to our children.
791
Notes
1. Gerald B. Gardner, _Witchcraft _Today, (London: Rider and
Company, 1954) reprinted (New York: Citadel Press, 1971)
2. Charles Godfrey Leland, _Aradia, _or _Gospel _of _the
_Witches, (London: David Nutt, 1899; reprinted (New York:
Samuel Weiser, 1974)
3.GaetanDelaforge,_Gnosis,"TheTemplarTradition:
yesterday
and today", No. 6, (Winter 1988), pp 8-13.
4. Alan Richardson, _Dancers _to _the _Gods, (London: The
Aquarian Press, 1985)
792
History of Witchcraft
As I am trying to put this all together, I hope to bring about an
understanding that Witchcraft, like any religion, has undergone
it's changes throughout the centuries. It is my personal
feeling, however, that the religion of Witchcraft has undergone
far fewer changes than any other in history.
As the song sung by Neil Diamond starts:
" Where it began, I can't begin to knowin..."
Witchcraft, sorcery, magic, whatever can only begin to find its
roots when we go back as far as Mesopotamia. With their deities
for all types of disasters, such as Utug - the Dweller of the
Desert waiting to take you away if you wandered to far, and
Telal - the Bull Demon, Alal - the destroyer, Namtar -
Pestilence, Idpa - fever, and Maskim - the snaresetter; the days
of superstitution were well underway.
It was believed that the pharaohs, kings, etc. all imbued some
power of the gods, and even the slightest movement they made
would cause an action to occur. It was believed that a picture,
or statue also carried the spirit of the person. This is one of
the reasons that they were carried from place to place, and also
explains why you see so many pictures and statues of these
persons with their hands straight to their sides.
In the Bible, we find reference to "The Tower of Babel" or The
Ziggurat in Genesis 11. "Now the whole world had one language and
a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in
Shinar (Babylonia) and settled there. They said to each other,
`Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They used
brick instead of stone, and tar instead of mortar. Then they
said, `Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that
reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves
and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.' But the
Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were
building. The Lord said,`If as one people speaking the same
language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do
will be impossible for them. Come let us go down and confuse
their language so they will not understand each other.'" It goes
on to say that the tower was never finished.
In other references, we find that the "Tower" was in fact
finished, and that it was a tower that represented the "stages"
between earth and heaven (not a tower stretching to the heaven in
the literal sense.) From this reference, it was a tower built in
steps. A hierarchy on which heaven and hell were based. It was
actually a miniature world representing the Mountain of Earth.
793
Each stage was dedicated to a planet, with its angles symbolizing
the four corners of the world. They pointed to Akkad, Saburtu,
Elam, and the western lands. The seven steps of the tower were
painted in different colors which corresponded to the planets.
The "Great Misfortune:, Saturn, was black. The second was white,
the color of Jupiter. The third, brick-red, the color of
Mercury, followed by blue, Venus; yellow, Mars, gray or silver
for the moon. These colors boded good or evil, like their
planets.
For the first time, numbers expressed the world order. A legend
depicts Pythagoras traveling to Babylon where he is taught the
mystery of numbers, their magical significance and power. The
seven steps often appear in magical philosophy. The seven steps
are: stones, fire, plants, animals, man, the starry heavens, and
the angels. Starting with the study of stones, the man of wisdom
will attain higher and higher degrees of knowledge, until he will
be able to apprehend the sublime, and the eternal. Through
ascending these steps, a man would attain the knowledge of God,
whose name is at the eighth degree, the threshold of God's
heavenly dwelling.
The square was also a "mystical" symbol in these times, and
though divided into seven, was still respected. This correlated
the old tradition of a fourfold world being reconciled with the
seven heavens of later times.
It is thought that here was the start to numerology, but for this
to have developed to the point where they had taken into
consideration the square as the fourfold world, it would have had
to have developed prior to this.
From Mesopotamia lets move over to Persia.
Unlike the Mesopotamians, and Egyptians, who believed that all
was done with either the favor or lack thereof of the Gods, the
Chaldean star religion taught that luck and disaster were no
chance events, but were controlled from the heavenly bodies
(planets/stars) which send good and bad according to mathematical
laws. It was their belief that man was incapable of fighting the
will of the planet divinities. Though, the more this system
evolved, the more the wise men read ethical values into man's
fate. The will of the stars was not completely separate from
man's behaviors. The stars were important, but not omnipotent in
deciding man's fate. It was believed that the star Sirius would
carry messages to the higher gods and he returned to announce
their will.
Around the 7th Century B.C. Zoroaster, the Median prophet was
preaching the doctrines that evil could be avoided and defeated.
He brought about the principles of the good and evil spirits.
Below, we will look at the beliefs and influences of this man's
life which created the religion named after him.
794
The first of the belief structure had to do with Ormazd (Ahura-
Mazda) king of light, and his twin brother Ahriman (Anro-Mainyu)
prince of darkness.
Zoroaster brought about the belief in the "holy war" (that
between good and evil.) In this faith, the archangels (the
spirits of Divine Wisdom, Righteousness, Dominion, Devotion,
Totality, and Salvation) and the demons (the spirits of Anarchy,
Apostasy, Presumption, Destruction, Decay, and Fury) were
constantly at battle with one another. The archangels were
controlled by Ormazd and the demons by Ahriman.
This religion had it's belief that in the end, Ormazd and his
demons would prevail, but until then, Ormazd would keep the world
safe.
It is interesting that the last of the demons (the demon of Fury)
holds such a hard and fast thought that it was incorporated into
the Hebrew and Christian belief structure. The last archdemon's
name is Aeshma Daeva also know to the Hebrews as Ashmadai and to
Christians as Asmodeus.
Asmodeus was the "chief of the fourth hierarchy of evil demons",
called "the avengers of wickedness, crimes and misdeeds." He
appears with three heads, a bull's, human, and a ram. He has
goose feet, and a snake's tail. To appear more frightening, he
also exhales fire and rides upon a dragon of hell.
It is said that Asmodeus is not to be feared. When you say to
him: "In truth thou art Asmodeus," he will give you a wonderful
ring. He will teach you geometry, arithmetic, astronomy and
mechanics. When questioned, he answers truthfully.
The other demons tempt people away from the true worship of
Mazda. They are Paromaiti - Arrogance, Mitox - The Falsely
Spoken Word, Zaurvan - Decrepitude, Akatasa - Meddlesomeness,
Vereno - Lust.
Much of the current day Christian beliefs were taken from this
man's religion. (That of good and evil forces, the redemption,
the "savior" factor, etc.)
From here, let us move on to Egypt where we will look at other
mystical symbols and more history of magic and the craft.
The Sphinx was a mythological creature with lion's body and human
head, an important image in Egyptian and Greek art and legend.
The word sphinx was derived by Greek grammarians from the verb
sphingein (to bind or squeeze), but the etymology is not related
to the legend and is dubious.
The winged sphinx of Boeotian Thebes, the most famous in legend,
was said to have terrorized the people by demanding the answer to
a riddle. If the person answered incorrectly, he or she was eaten
by the sphinx. It is said that Oedipus answered properly where
upon the sphinx killed herself.
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The earliest and most famous example in art is the colossal
Sphinx at Giza, Egypt. It dates from the reign of King Khafre
(4th king of 4th dynasty; c. 2550 b.c.)
The Sphinx did not occur in Mesopotamia until around 1500 b.c.
when it was imported from the Levant. In appearance, the Asian
sphinx differed from its Egyptian model mostly in the addition of
wings to the leonine body. This feature continued through its
history in Asia and the Greek world.
Another version of the sphinx was that of the female. This
appeared in the 15th century b.c. on seals, ivories and
metalworkings. They were portrayed in the sitting position
usually with one paw raised. Frequently, they were seen with a
lion, griffin or another sphinx.
The appearance of the sphinx on temples and the like eventually
lead to a possible interpretation of the sphinx as a protective
symbol as well as a philosophical one.
The Sphinx rests at the foot of the 3 pyramids of Khufu, Khafre,
and Menkure. It talons stretch over the city of the dead as it
guards its secrets.
The myth goes that a prince who later became Thutmose IV, took a
nap in the shadow of the half-submerged Sphinx. As he slept, the
Sun-god (whom the Sphinx represents, appeared to him in a dream.
Speaking to him as a son, he told the prince that he would
succeed to the throne and enjoy a long and happy reign. He urged
the prince to have the Sphinx cleared of the sand.
In his book on Isis and Osiris, Plutarch (A.D. 45-126) says that
the Sphinx symbolizes the secret of occult wisdom, though
Plutarch never unveiled the mysteries of the Sphinx. It is said
that the magic of the Sphinx lies within the thousands of hands
that chiseled at the rock. The thoughts of countless generations
dwell in it; numberless conjurations and rites have built up in
it a mighty protective spirit, a soul that still inhabits this
time-scarred giant.
Another well know superstition of the peoples of Ancient Egypt
was that regarding their dead.
They believed that in the West lies the World of the Dead, where
the Sun-god disappears every evening. The departed were referred
to as "Westerners." It was believed that, disguised as birds, the
dead soar into the sky where in his heavenly barge Ra, the Sun-
god, awaits them and transforms them into stars to travel with
him through the vault of the heavens.
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The cult of the dead reached it's height when it incorporated
the Osiris myth. Osiris was born to save mankind. At his
nativity, a voice was heard proclaiming that the Lord had come
into the world (sound familiar?). But his brother/father Seth
shut him up in a chest which he carried to the sea by the
Tanaitic mouth of the Nile. Isis brought him back to life. Seth
then scattered his body all over the place. It is said that Isis
fastened the limbs together with the help of the gods Nephtis,
Thoth, and Horus, her son. Fanning the body with her wings, and
through her magic, Osiris rose again to reign as king over the
dead.
The Egyptian believed that a person had two souls. The soul
known as Ba is the one that progressed into the afterlife while
the Ka remains with the mummy. The Ka is believed to live a
magical life within the grave. Thus the Egyptians placed
miniature belongings of the deceased into the tomb. Such items as
images, statuettes, imitation utensils, and miniature houses take
the place of the real thing. They believed that the Ka would use
these as the real item because the mortuary priests possessed
magic that would make them real for the dead.
The priests believed that the gods could be deceived, menaced and
forced into obedience. They had such trust in the power of
magic, the virtue of the spoken word, the irresistibility of
magic gestures and other ritual, that they hoped to bend even the
good gods to their will. They would bring retribution to the
deities who failed to deal leniently with the dead. They
threatened to shoot lightning into the are of Shu, god of the
air, who would then no longer be able to support the sky-goddess,
and her star-sown body would collapse, disrupting the order of
all things.
When Ikhnaton overthrew the Egyptian gods and demons, making the
cult of the One God Aton, a state religion, he also suppressed
mortuary magic. Ikhnaton did not believe in life after death.
As Christianity became a part of this nation, there is much
evidence to show where the Christians of the time, and the pagans
lived peacefully together.
In theology, the differences between early Christians, Gnostics
(members - often Christian - of dualistic sects of the 2nd
century a.d.), and pagan Hermeticists were slight. In the large
Gnostic library discovered at Naj'Hammadi, in upper Egypt, in
1945, Hermetic writings were found side by side with Christian
Gnostic texts. The doctrine of the soul taught in Gnostic
communities was almost identical to that taught in the mysteries:
the soul emanated from the Father, fell into the body, and had to
return to its former home.
It was not until later in Rome that things took a change for the
worse. Which moves us on to Greece.
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The doctrinal similarity is exemplified in the case of the pagan
writer and philosopher Synesius. When the people of Cyrene
wanted the most able man of the city to be their bishop, they
chose Synesius, a pagan. He was able to accept the election
without sacrificing his intellectual honesty. In his pagan
period, he wrote hymns that follow the fire theology of the
Chaldean Oracles. Later he wrote hymns to Christ. The doctrine
is almost identical.
To attempt to demonstrate this...let's go to some BASIC tenets
and beliefs of the two religions:
Christian Beliefs
The 10 Commandments
1.) You shall have no other gods before me.
To the Christian, this means there will be no other God. Yet, in
the bible, the phrase is plural. I does not state that you will
not have another god, it says that you will have no other gods
before the Christian God.
In the case of the later, it could be interpreted to mean that
whereas other gods can be recognized, as a Christian, this person
should place YHVH ahead of all gods recognizing him/her as the
supreme being of all.
2.) You shall not worship idols
Actually, what it says in the New International Version is "You
shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You
shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your
God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the
fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
but showing love to thousands who love me and keep my
commandments.
3.) You shall not take the name of the lord in vain.
This one is pretty self explanatory. When a person is calling on
the lord he/she is asking the lord for guidance or action. Thus,
the phrase "God damn it!" can be translated into a person asking
the lord to condemn whatever "it" is to hell. The phrase "To
damn" means to condemn to hell. In modern society, several
phrases such as the following are common usage:
"Oh God!", "God forbid!", "God damn it!", "God have mercy!"
Each of these is asking God to perform some act upon or for the
speaker with the exception of "Oh God!" which is asking for Gods
attention.
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4.) Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
Depending on which religion you are looking at (i.e. Jewish, from
which the 10 commandments come; or Christianity, which adapted
them for their use as well.) the Sabbath is either Saturday or
Sunday. You may also take a look at the various mythological
pantheons to correlate which is the first and last days of the
week...(i.e. Sun - Sunday.. Genesis 1:3 "And God said, "Let there
be light,' and there was light., Moon - Monday.. Genesis 1:14
"And God said,"Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to
separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to
mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the
expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16
God made two great lights - the greater light to govern the day
and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the
stars." Thus the Sun was created first. With the day of the Sun
being the first in the week, then Saturday would be the 7th or
Sabbath.
5.) Honor thy mother and thy father.
This is another that is fairly self explanatory. It is any
parent's right after spending the time to raise you to expect
that you respect them.
6.) You shall not murder.
This does not say "You shall not murder...except in my name." It
says YOU SHALL NOT MURDER. PERIOD. Out of the 10 commandments, I
have found that over the course of history, this one has been the
most ignored. As we look as the spread of Christianity from
around 300 A.D. forward, we find that as politics moved into the
church and those in charge of man's "souls" were given more
control that this one commandment sort of went out the window.
We see such things as the Crusades, the inquisition, and the
dominating fear that was placed into the Christian "psyche" that
one should destroy that which is not like you.
Even though we here stories about the "witch trials", and the
"witch burnings" etc....There were actually very few "Witches"
tried or burned. Most of these poor souls were that of
Protestant beliefs (Against the Catholic Church) yet still
maintained that they were Christians. But...more on this later.
7.) You shall not commit adultery.
You can look up the meaning in the dictionary, and this one
becomes pretty self-evident. What it comes down to is that no
person who has ever been divorced can marry again, and you don't
have sex with someone that you are not married to.
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8.) You shall not steal.
Again, enough said. However...don't go looking at Constantine to
be obeying this one! The Pagan temples were looted to make his
coinage.
9.) You shall not give false witness against thy neighbor
Again, during the times of the inquisition, this also went out
the window. Such tools as torture were used to pull confessions
from these poor people who then signed statements that the
inquisitors had written up saying that they freely signed this
document. Of course...the inquisitors stated that this person
was not tortured, but it was his clever wit that had extracted
this confession.
It was also during this time that persons, refusing to take
responsibility for their own actions or accept that nature does
in fact create strange circumstances...(i.e. drought, flood,
etc.) and the resulting illness and bug infestations. Very
often, as the Witch-craze developed stronger, the one neighbor
would accuse another of Witchcraft and destroying the fields or
making their child sick, or whatever.
10.)You shall not covet your neighbor.
On the surface, this one is pretty self explanatory. Don't
crave your neighbor's possessions. Yes...I can relate this back
to the inquisitional times as well since most of the accused's
property reverted back to the Catholic church at this
time...there were several accused and convicted of Witchcraft
simply because they would not sell their property to the church.
However...How does this effect persons today? How far do we
carry the "Thou shalt not covet..."? This can be even so much as
a want, however is it a sin to want a toy like your neighbor has?
If so...we're all in trouble. How many of us "want" that Porsche
that we see driving down the road? Or how about that beautiful
house that we just drove past? Do we carry this commandment to
this extreme? If so...I pity the person that can live by it for
what that would say is "Thou shalt not DREAM."
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Wiccan Beliefs
Since the religion of Wicca (or Witchcraft) is so diverse in it's
beliefs, I have included several documents here that encompass
the majority of the traditions involved. Again, this is simply a
basis...NOT the be all and end all.
Wiccan Rede
Bide ye wiccan laws you must,
in perfect love and perfect trust
Live ye must and let to live,
fairly take and fairly give
For the circle thrice about
to keep unwelcome spirits out
To bind ye spell well every time,
let the spell be spake in rhyme
Soft of eye and light of touch,
speak ye little, listen much
Deosil go by the waxing moon,
chanting out ye baleful tune
When ye Lady's moon is new,
kiss ye hand to her times two
When ye moon rides at her peak,
then ye heart's desire seek
Heed the north winds mighty gale,
lock the door and trim the sail
When the wind comes from the south,
love will kiss thee on the mouth
When the wind blows from the east,
expect the new and set the feast.
Nine woods in the cauldron go,
burn them fast and burn them slow
Elder be ye Lady's tree,
burn it not or cursed ye'll be
WHen the wheel begins to turn,
soon ye Beltane fires will burn
When the wheel hath turned a Yule
light the log the Horned One rules
Heed ye flower, bush and tree,
by the Lady blessed be
Where the rippling waters go,
cast a stone, the truth ye'll know
When ye have and hold a need,
harken not to others greed
With a fool no season spend,
or be counted as his friend
Merry meet and merry part,
bright the cheeks and warm the heart.
Mind ye threefold law ye should
three times bad and three times good
When misfortune is enow,
wear the star upon thy brow
True in love my ye ever be,
lest thy love be false to thee
These eight words the wiccan rede fulfill;
An harm ye none, do what ye will.