Note: When you are reading the following paragraphs please remember the following statement.
08/02/2002
Greetings,To Main Page
On a fluke I did a search on my name and found your site with a very old
reference to a situation that happened in the early 1990's. A member of a
group which goes by the initials ADF visited a lecture that I was
participating in. Following the lecture, this person and her group,
through mis-information and the skillful use of the internet, tried very
hard to distroy the organization I represent. While the first few years
were quite painful, we did survive and flourish. The Divine Circle of the
Sacred Grove currently maintains active groves throughour the US, as well
as a Sanctuary in northern Arizona.
The reason I am writing is that the reference to this matter appears in
several places on the internet. All are the same or similar document,
which appears to have been submitted to as many places as possible. If you
would be kind enough to either note the article or have it removed I would
sincerely appreciate it. The originator of the troubles no longer is a
part of ADF, and the accusations were and are groundless.
If you would like to follow up on this with me, please don't hesitate to
contact me.
Thanks for your help,
Kal M.
Executive Director
1501
Susan Gale, a Philadelphia wife and mother and self-described
"radical feminist witch not yet out of the broom closet" in her
neighborhood: "There's a pain that's in young women even a decade
after feminism. I was raised in a tough poor working-class neighbor-
hood. My mother was a German Protestant, my father an Italian Catho-
lic. I was raised as a very religious Presbyterian, but it didn't
matter that I was the most brilliant student in my religion class -
there wasn't a place for me as a minister. Deacons and ministers were
men. And a lot of it rubbed me the wrong way: the anti-sexuality,
anti-sensuality, the guilt and sin and punishment rather than joy.
From the time I was a little kid, I couldn't accept redemptive suffer-
ing. Why is the central metaphor of most religions the bloody violent
death of a male? Why is it not birth?"
Invoking the Spirit
Starhawk signs her books"Blessed be." It is alsoher greeting
and her Amen.
In alarge room set up withflowers, crystals, trinkets and copies
of her books, she presided recently at a women's ritual at the Univer-
sity of Pennsylvania's Christian Association.
"Where would you likethe altar?" asked a participantbefore the
candles encased in glass were set on a brightly colored cloth in the
center of the room.
Two hundred womenof similarmind-sets - butvarying ages,religi-
ons, occupations and sexual orientations - were ready to join Starhawk
at the three-hour, $40 event. Another couple of hundred men and women
arrived later that evening for Starhawk's lecture.
People like GeelaRazael Raphael,a rabbinical studentwho wasone
of the event's organizers. "Starhawk is a spiritual leader, a women's
spirituality leader," says Raphael. "As a potential rabbi wanting to
be a spiritual leader, I want to see as many role models as I can. Her
form of non-hierarchical religion can be used in more traditional
practice."
In person, the 40ishpriestess looks not unlike theonetime tall
Jewish girl from Los Angeles she used to be. But her soft-voiced,
authoritative presence and staccato chanting and drumming command her
sessions with surprising power.
Women wear comfortable clothing: jeans, skirts, sweaters, tie-dye
revisited. A majority tend to be of a certain size - the goddess
religion rejoices in the female body. There are many embraces. Net-
working materials are exchanged. Before casting the formal circle that
so many women's rituals start out with, Starhawk encourages the
youngest and strongest in the group to form an inner circle around the
altar.
Starhawk warms up the group with physical and vocal stretches. As
participants form a larger ring around the inner one, she "casts" the
ritual circle, theoretically making the space within it a special
place. Candles representing the four directions and the Earth's center
are lit. Earth, air, fire and water are invoked.
Women stand and sway as she drums, urging them to find their
centers, their connectedness, often against the background of a simple
chant:
"Rising, rising, the earth is rising.
Turning turning, the tide is turning.
Changing changing, she changes everything she touches.
Changing, changing, and everything she touches changes."
1502
Like many women's ritualleaders, Starhawk uses such chantsas a
kind of surrogate liturgy. Presented at different moments that morn-
ing, the lilting song she teaches is used as a blessing, a uniting
force, a backdrop to movement and dance.
Starhawk leads the groupthrough a series ofactivities - somethat
draw upon the circle as a whole, some small group discussions, guided
visualizations. "What kind of a body are you in?" she asks. "Look at
your body. How does it feel?"
Some people writhe. Others beat time to the drums. Some stand
awkwardly (earlier she assured them not to worry if they feel ill at
ease). Some look dubious.
Tofocus the visualization evenmore, Starhawk takesthe group to
an imaginary crossroads in the sky. "Close your eyes," she says.
"Reach out and feel and touch and smell these roads until you find one
that feels like a road in the future. Go down the road. Know you can
come back to this place of power because it is you. And remember there
are many roads to the future. The road you chose is only one pos-
sibility."
The session endswith a grandfinale "spiral dance"- clockwiseto
invoke, then counterclockwise to release. "Anything you want to do
involves both," she says.
A giftedspeaker with an easysense of humor, Starhawkis equally
at home beating time in the center of a ritual or working the crowd at
the podium of a lecture hall. She is also at home with what she calls
the "W" word ("witch"). "Unless we understand it, we don't know why a
powerful woman is so threatening and so frightening," she says. "There
was a 400-year reign of terror particularly directed against women who
were then burned alive," she says, likening the witch hunts to the
African slave trade, the Holocaust.
Starhawk became interested in witchcraft in her late teenswhen
she and a friend did a student seminar on the subject at UCLA. Now she
is at the forefront of a movement to reclaim the word for positive
use. (Male witches also use the word rather than warlock, which means
traitor.)
For mostpeople, of course,the word "witch" conjuresup an image
of a crinkled old woman you wouldn't want your children to talk to.
But the picture of the craft that emerges within today's women's
spirituality movement (and that is reinforced by Starhawk's Philadel-
phia ritual) is a combination of group therapy, positive thinking,
stretching exercises, guided visualization, song and dance - and even
pot luck.
Its goddess- and nature-orientedprecepts are similar tothe Old
Religion of prehistoric times and societies that fell victim to the
witch hunts and persecutions of medieval and renaissance Europe. It is
earth-centered, individualistic and peace-loving.
Starhawk spends about a third of her time teaching ritual and
spreading the
faith at college campuses and other forums around the country, and in
Canada. She feels that people crave it. "Even people who live in
cities - like most of us - are still connected to the cycles of
nature," she says. "Doing ritual that helps you affirm that helps us
not to feel cut off from the larger life around us, the actual life
support systems that sustain our lives."
1503
Women's Rites
Spring,with itsvivid reminders ofthe cycle ofbirth and death
andrebirth, is a fertile time for the rituals of women's spirituality.
Look at some recent manifestations in the Washington area:
Last month, attracted by a flier heralding a celebration of the
goddess ("dancing, singing, drumming, healing, creativity, inspira-
tion, discovery, nurturing and goddess games"), 21 women gathered in a
conference center in Potomac in honor of the spring equinox. "The day
was designed for women who wanted to bring out the goddess within
them," says organizer Nancy Smith, a seminar leader who specializes in
stress management and massage therapy.
120 men, women and children turned up last month for a feminist
Seder (for Holy Thursday as well as Passover) put on by the Silver
Spring-based WATER. Now a place where Christian and Jewish women can
come together for a feminist interpretation of religious rituals,
WATER was created by Diann Neu and Mary Hunt, two Catholic theologian-
s, in 1983. They send out 10,000 newsletters, stage workshops, con-
ferences and lectures, hold ecumenical monthly breakfasts for women in
ministry, publish books and act as an all-purpose feminist resource.
On April 14, the new moon heralded the Jewish celebration of Rosh
Hodosh. A group of women interested in finding or creating ritual
specifically for Jewish women gathered in a Silver Spring home in
honor of the occasion. Instead of going ahead with their scheduled
topic - the redefinition of God in non-masculine terms - the group
(representing a 30-year age span) shared its feelings and prayed (to
the feminine aspect of god) about the recent death of a 42-year-old
friend.
Atthe All Souls Church in the District a smaller group of women is
currently investigating women's religious history each Sunday after-
noon through "Cakes for the Queen of Heaven," a 10-part correspondence
course available through the Unitarian Universalist Church. Bev Tubby,
who took the course last year, is one of the conveners this year. "In
spite of everything that's been written about feminism and role
differences, women really do bring a wonderfully strong view to this
world," she says. "We do have a different perspective - it has to do
with the human context and human relationships. If women are not
cognizant of their spiritual history, they are missing out on a more
complete identity that can help form our ideas of who we are and what
we want to do in this world and how we're going to do it."
And June 6, "Kestryl & Company," the first of six biweekly talk
shows about contemporary witchcraft will air on Arlington Community
Cable, Channel 33. Produced by Cheryl Ann Costa, a computer program-
mer and third-degree Wicca high priestess, and moderated by Erica
Angell (known as Kestryl), a housewife and second-degree high pries-
tess, the show will feature high priests, magical tool makers, tarot
experts and pagan bards. "Many people are looking for a way to plug
into The Craft," says Costa. This is an easy way to do it.
Havingcast their lotwith an enlargedview ofthe sacred, these
women, like many others all over the country, are looking to the
spiritual as a hope for the future.
"It's life-giving for me to be a part of it, and tocreate it,"
says WATER's Neu.
"What I keep coming back to is that there is a growing power
within women. We are breaking all kinds of silences. Things are
happening because there are more and more groups where women feel
safe. My hope is that we'll keep creating these safe spaces where
being together as men and women is possible."
1504
The 12 steps and Shamanism
by Matrika co-sysop of PAN - the Psychic Awareness Network at
1-703-362-1139 copyright by PAN and Harvest ( a pagan newsletter at
box 228 S. Framinham MA 01701 - $13. per year)
Author's note - this article was first published by me under the name
JUKNO in Harvest's Yule edition, 1989.
Recently a local charecter in Alcoholics Anonymous here in the Wor-
cester MA. area died. His name was "John the Indian" (he identified
himself this way) and he was well-known as an AA speaker all over the
world, although he lived near central Massechusetts. John had about
thirty years of sobriety and was a great power of example to many
people including Betty Ford who told him she had listened to tapes of
his talks while she was in detox.
John's story intrigued many people. An Indian who had been orphaned
on the reservation when Tuberculosis wiped out his familly, he had
ended up on skid row after serving in the Canadian army during World
War II as a dishwasher. He came to AA in his mid-twenties, an il-
literate wine. ( my note - this is NOT to imply that most alcoholics
are on skid row. In fact most of them are people with nice famillies,
a place to live, a car or even two, a job, etc. etc. etc. Less that
2% of the alcoholics in this country are on skid row) He ended up
owning his own construction business after learning to read (from a
elderly woman in AA who was a school teacher) and marrying a lady in
AA with whom he raised a lovely familly.
Because John had inspired me and so affected my life with his gift of
simplicity, I was inspired to do a shamanic-style rite in his memory.
I had always felt sorry for John because, in the process of his
recovery, he seemed to have lost touch with the beauty of this herita-
ge. Then it hit me; John WAS a shaman and anyone who truly worked a
12-step program was one too.
In BIRTH OF A MODERN SHAMAN by Cynthia Bend and Tayja Wiger (Llewelyn
Publication box 64383, St. Paul MN. 1988 ) it states
" A shaman is hard to define. There are no two alike..... what
happens, a shaman goes through a catastrophe or a string of
catastrophes that enhance certain abilities within him ( or her! )
.....Most often theShaman has togo through a severetrauma, a
severe illness or a severe psychosis and recover from it before he
learns the recovery process that he can use."
The authors are quoting Tsonkawa, Tayja's teacher on the Shamanic
path. (a Native American Medicine person)
Many other authors on Shamanism; Sunbear, Lynn Andrews, Amber Wolfe
and Micheal Harner, to name a few: echo this truth. A shaman is a
person who goes through great suffering, usually in the form of a
mental or physical illness, and then goes on to heal himself or her-
self. They are then able to use that same process to heal others.
This is what happens in a twelve-step fellowship. Through the process
of healing ourselves, we come to the point where we can help others hy
"carrying the message" after having had a "spiritual awakening" as the
result of taking the first eleven steps.
1505
Here are some books that can help any Pagan, Shaman, Druid, Witch,
Practitioner of Feminist Spirituality, or other Magickal folk as they
walk the steps in the process of recovering, while retaining their own
unique spiritual path.
TRUTH OR DARE by Starhawk (San Francisco, Harper and Row, 1987) This
contains many references to the 12-step programs, especially Alcohol-
ics Anonymous and Adult Children of Alcoholics, in a work on Wicca by
a well-known priestess of the Craft who is also a psychotherapist.
CRYSTAL CLEAR by Connie Church (Bew York, Willard books 1987) It
contains a good section on how to use quartz crystals to help in
relieving yourself of bad habits, compulsions, and obsessions, specif-
ically for use with the various twelve-step programs. (note - amethyst
is traditionally said to help in all these areas)
BIRTH OF A MODERN SHAMAN, mentioned above, tells the story of a blind
Native American woman who was a survivor of Child abuse and had been
Psycotic as well as Alcoholic. This is the story of her complete
recovery, including her eyesight, (documented by doctors) and the
discovery of her Psychic gifts with her Native roots. Her healing
occured through a process that began for her in Alcoholics Anonymous.
THE TWELVE STEPS FOR EVERYONE published by Compcare (Minneapolis MN.)
this is a non-sexist book on the steps by a grateful recovering member
of Emotional Health Anonymous written in non-sexist language. The
author draws heavily on the Eastern traditions of spirituality as well
as the traditional Western monotheistic ones.
EVERYDAY A NEW BEGINNING Published by Hazelden corp. (Also in Min-
neapolis, MN. I believe) This is a daily meditation guide BY women in
Anonymous fellowships and FOR women in these same self-help groups.
Unlike the TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY book (published by the same company
and widely used in AA) it doesn't use quotes from the Bible. Instead
it uses quotes from various women authors. Many men also claim to
have benefitted from it due to it's non-religious approach.
PAGANS IN RECOVERY a networking newsletter for Magickal folk, Shamans,
Druids, Feminist Priestesses, Witches, Pagans, Pantheists, etc. who
are in recovery via a 12-step fellowship of any type. It has con-
tacts, reviews, articles, recovery techniques and more. It is a great
source of support and inspiration to any Pagan in any of the Anonymous
support groups. It is $8.00 a year and the address is P.I.R. c/o
Bekki 6500 S.R. 356 New Marshfield, OHIO 45766
1506
ADDITION TO READING LIST
REFLECTIONS IN THE LIGHT by Shakti Gawain, published by New World
Library, San Rafael, California 1978. While not ONLY for the 12-step
programs this book does go into the problems of addictions in light of
the New-Age, Psychic Awareness as well as many other subjects. It
provides a inspirational message and/or a creative visualization
exercise with a non-sectarian affirmation for each day. The book is
neither sexist nor sectarian and is truly a beautiful aid to anyone
seeking to work the program of recovery. It is also a great way to
share what you are doing with friends who share your spirituality but
not your program, as it makes no direct references to the 12-step
groups at all. It is very useful to those of us who prefer a daily
meditation to the "prayer" people in the monotheistic Churches and
Synagogues tend to use in their application of the program to their
lives.
1507
Divine Circle of The Sacred Grove ***SCAM**
Office of the Preceptor
P.O. Box 66311, Seattle, WA, U.S.A. 98166
THE FOLLOWING IS FOR PUBLICATION;
To the Pagan Community:
In July of 1991, ADF sent out a Druid Alert about an
organization called the Divine Circle of the Sacred Grove. ADF
began investigating this group because they were using ADF
letterhead, membership forms, advertising copy, and other
materials with their names substituted for ours. Prior to raising
any public issues, ADF's Preceptor, Domi O'Brien called the group
and talked to their Scribe, Kal Mannis. Mr. Mannis told her that
if she had questions, she could come to a public meeting on July
2nd, 1991, in Seattle, and ask them there.
Domi, Bwca, Erynn and members of 4 other Traditions and
organizations attended their talk. We noted with increasing
amazement their claims and their views of the interrelationship
of Druidism and Wicca, and after they mentioned Isaac Bonewits,
Domi challenged some of their staements, as the ADF Preceptor.
The DCSG literature going back to 1988 was examined, along with
other staements which have been made to us or others. Janette
Laverna Garcia a/k/a Gordon a/k/a Copeland, born 2/9/1942,
Houston TX,; Richard Norman Ian Garcia a/k/a Gordon a/k/a
Copeland, born 8/12/1940, Prescott, AZ; Jerry Eugene Everett
Wayne Reamer a/k/a Prophet, born 8/12/1948, Pottstown, PA; Kalman
Mannis, Nancy Brown, Brenda Matarazzo, David Trippey, Donovan
Cotton; Dr. Jay Tibbles, Mary Ernst, and others affiliated with
their group were examined for legitamate mundane and magickal
credentials. The only person whose credentials we were able to
verify was Dr. Jay Tibbles.
Janette's claims, as given in her various peices of
literature, and as made to us, or to persons whose credentials we
were able to verify, include: Hereditary Witch and Druid; Pipe
Carrier for the Lumbee, the Sioux, the Cherokee, and the Chumash;
member of the MotherGrove and Board of Directors of the ADF, as
well as group marriage to the entire ADF Board of Directors;
membership and 3rd Circle status in the British Circle of the
Universal Bond; training by Ross Nichols, 3rd Degree Celtic and
Egyptian Priestess; 3rd Degree Alexandrian Priestess, New York,
1973; 3rd Degree Gardinarian Priestess, New York, 1965;
incorporation of her organization in 14 states; training by
Rhuddlwm Gawr, and training by Grandmaster Eli (Barney Taylor, of
the Druidic Craft of the Wise), marriage to Eli, as well as being
both Eli's daughter and graddaughter. She has also claimed to be
a registereed nurse, a cosmetologist; a paralegal; a professional
writer of romance novels, and a Vietnam Veteran. Ms. Copeland (?)
claims that she has 10,000 people on her mailing list, groves all
over the United States, and that she was born in London during
the Blitz, although she has alos claimed that she was born in
Houston TX. Ms Garcia (?) claims that her father, a U.S. Army
Major on Eisenhower's staff during WW II (not, by the way,
Grandmaster Eli), and her mother, a nurse now resident in
Atlanta, were both members of the Circle of the Universal Bond.
She claims that she was raised by a Cherokee grandfather. She
claims to have been teaching Wicca, which she says is a
simplified version of Druidism for the masses, since 1954, when
she was 12 years old.
1508
Ms Gordon(?) took Lady Sabrin's course from Our Lady of
Enchanment in 1987 and 1988, giving totally different information
about herself then she gives now. According to Lady Sabrina,
Janette has been selling Sabrina's courses as her own ever since.
We have examined lessons from Janette's and Sabrina's courses,
and they are indeed substantially identical, except that Sabrina
can spell.
Janette joined ADF in 1987, giving yet another set of data
about herself, claiming no leadership positions, newsletters, or
other affiliations. A check of the material on her application
shows it to be substantially false.
In checking Janette's claims, we contacted the Secretary of
state, and Board of Nursing Registrations in the 14 states in
which she claimed incorporation. Her organization is incorporated
only in Washington and California. She is not listed as a
registered nurse anywhere we checked. She and her group were
offering BA's, MA's, and PhD's in Washington State until directed
to cease and desist by the Higher Education Coordinating Board.
They later obtained a religious exemption by saying that they
were offering degrees only in Divinity and Theology. Former
mebers of their organization state that most of their claims in
their catalog as to available courses and faculty credentials are
false.
In examining their other claims we contacted over two
hundred persons and groups in this country and abroad in an
effort to authenticate their initiations and organizational
affiliations.
No one we contacted verified any of the DCSG's claims. All
stated that they had never trained or initiated any known
officers or members of the DCSG. Most had never even heard of
them. Furthur, former members of her organization have mentioned
paying thousands of dollars for courses, and additional thousands
paid out on "tithes" -- 10% of their annual income to support the
work of the Order of Melchizadek (demanded in the middle of their
initiation or elevation rituals). We have also been contacted by
Social Serrvices, Education, Law Enforcement and other
authorities for other information about DCSG, and/or its members.
ADF and some other Pagan groups and organziations are
cooperating fully with these investigations, and have made it
clear to the investigators that we do not regard these people as
legitamate members of the Pagan community, since none of their
alleged training and initiations can be verified, and may have
been directly disproven. As Pagans, whatever our path, we can
ill-afford to remain silent while groups knowingly steal and sell
courses written by others, claiming training ties to the most
senior and respected members of our community that they do not
have, and engage in questionable behaviour presenting themselves
as our kin, elders, and representatives to the world at large.
Domi O'Brien T. Bwca Erynn Darkstar
DTG Priestess Elder, NECTW Greenleaf Coven
CWO Priestess Inis Glas
Preceptor/Vice ArchDruid, ADF
1509
By: Domi O
To: Lewis Stead
Re: Details, please.
Lady Sabrina was initiated by Bob Moshier and Dorothy Trion in
Tuscon Arizona in 1978, according to what she says. She was in
Danville, California for a
while, near San Franscisco; and was in COG (I have not checked
this); she then studied with Gavin and Yvonne in New Bern for 1 and
a half years; then moved to Billerica, Mass; then to Hudson, NH;
then Nashua, NH. I was in Epping, NH when a Gardnerian friend and
fellow NH College administrator, Gerry Reilly, introduced me to
Sabrina. Since I am Daughters of the Triple Goddess and Celtic
Wiccan Order trained, Gerry's brand of witchcraft and Sabrina's
struck me equally weird.
I talked to Gavin and Yvonne last week; they feel Sabrina has
borrowed heavily from them but they don't have an issue with it and
they don't consider their organisation and hers to be connected.
In 1987 Geraldine Gumm aka Gerri Garcia aka Queen Druid aka Laura
Copeland aka Janette Gordon aka Janette Copeland aka Laverna Gordon
aka Laverna Copeland aka Gerry Garcia aka Gerri Gunn aka Gerri Teah
Garcia aka Jerry Leah Garcia took Sabrina's course; in winter of
1989 she began advertising a coorespondence course in Wicca, which
according to Sabrina is Sabrina's. I've looked at them; they are
very much alike. The Frosts and Sabrina both teach non-mainstream
Wicca and charged for Craft when no one was doing that. I have
heard far more negative things about some far more mainstream
figures; both the Frosts and Sabrina are very public and really
seem to have nothing to hide. What they teach isn't my Craft, but
I will defend their right to practice their version and teach it
as they see fit. Or did you mean something else ?
Domi of ADF
By: Domi O
To: Corwynt
Re: ADF letter
Indeed it is from us. Since then, we have gotten "Janette's" arrest
and conviction records from New Mexico and word from a usually
reliable source that her real name may be Geraldine Gumm, and real
date of birth may be 2-9-40. I am also informed by a law
enforcement source that she has other records in several states.
These range from child neglect to unlawful touching of dead bodies
to kidnapping.
Her group was investigated in 1975 in Arizona for dead bodies and
missing persons, moved a bit over a hundred miles as the crow
flies, and she and her husband were arrested in New Mexico in 1978.
The children involved were returned to their parents, two being
kept in social service custody while it was determined to whom they
belonged, and two members of the group were "deprogramed" by Ted
Patrick. She was calling herself "Queen Druid" then and initiating
folks as "WI" or "witch one". I have a lovely pile of court papers
and newspaper clippings I will gladly share with anyone who'd like
to send me $4 for photocopying and postage...
Domi O'Brien
Box 66311
Seattle, WA 98166
1510
The Rede of the Wicca
(Being known as the Counsel of the Wise Ones:)
Bide the Wiccan laws ye must
in Perfect Love and Perfect Trust
Live and let live
Freely take and freely give
Cast the circle thrice about
To keep all evil spirits out
To bind the spell every time
Let the spell be spake in rhyme
Soft of eye and light of touch
Speak little, listen much
Deosil go by the waxing moon
Sing and dance the Wiccan rune
Widdershins go when the moon doth wane
And the werewolf howls by the dread wolfsbane
When the Lady's moon is new
Kiss thy hand to her times two
When the moon rides at her peak
Then your heart's desire seek
Heed the northwind's mighty gale
Lock the door and drop 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
When the west wind blows o'er thee
Departed spirits restless be
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
Let the Beltain fires burn
When the wheel has turned to Yule
Light the log and let Pan rule
Heed ye flower, bush and tree
By the Lady, Blessed be
Where the rippling waters go
Cast a stone and truth ye'll know
1511
The Rede of the Wicca
(Being known as the Counsel of the Wise Ones:)
(continued from previous page)
When ye have a need
Hearken not to others' greed
With the fool no season spend
Nor be counted as his friend
Merry meet and merry part
Bright the cheeks and warm the heart
Mind the Threefold Law ye should
Three times bad and three times good
When misfortune is enow
Wear the blue star on thy brow
True in love ever be
Unless thy lover's false to thee
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill
An' it harm none, do what ye will
1512
"Dryghten" Blessing Prayer (Gardnerian)
By: David Piper
The only published copy of the Blessing Prayer that I know of is in
the book "Witch Blood! The Diary Of A Witch High Priestess!" by
Patricia Crowther in chapter four (paperback edition 1974, House Of
Collectibles, Inc.).
"In the name of Dryghtyn, the Ancient Providence,
Who was from the beginning and is for eternity,
Male and Female, the Original Source of all things;
all-knowing, all-pervading, all-powerful;
changeless, eternal.
"In the name of the Lady of the Moon,
and the Lord of Death and Resurrection.
"In the name of the Mighty Ones of the Four Quarters,
the Kings of the Elements.
"Blessed be this place, and this time,
and they who are now with us."
Life, Light, Love!
Blessed Be!
Dianis Lucien
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(120) Tue 17 Nov 92 21:12
By: Airmid
To: David Piper
Re: Monism/monotheism
St:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
@INTL 93:9500/0 93:9500/0
DP> When you examine the "Blessing Prayer" of English Trad
Wicca however, the Dryghtyn is obviously more than just a unifying
essence since It is called: "the original source of all things;
all-knowing, all-pervading, all-powerful; changeless, eternal." It
describes the Ultimate, the Absolute, the Godhead of which the God and
the Goddess are at one and the same time, both Its Polarities and also
Its first Manifestations.
Dryghtyn is also the name used for JHVH in some old English bibles. I
think that was where the term actually originated. I think I saw a
passing reference to it in some boxed comparative translated text in
"In Search of the Indo-Europeans."
1513
===================================
BASIC MEDITATION TECHNIQUES
by
Bill Witt
===================================
The course is devided into three sections. Section one deals with
what meditation is and how it plays a part in the lives of those who
use it. Section two will go into the techniques and tools of medita-
tion. Section three gives suggestions on how to use what you've
learned, in everyday life. A list of books for further reading on the
subject, will be given at the end of section three.
Webster defines meditation as "The act of meditating; close or con-
tinued thought; the revolving of a subject in the mind."
To meditate is to focusmentally on one thought, idea, orconcept.
It may also mean, to revolve an idea in your mind so as to change the
way in which you think of that idea. Meditation is therefore, a tool
with which you may manipulate thought in an organized manner.
Many people view meditationas a very difficult thing tolearn. In
reality though, we do it often without even knowing it. When you
daydream or find your mind fixed on one thought, that is a form of
meditation. Have you ever watched a bird in flight, or stared up at
the clouds in the sky, or maybe even found yourself watching a stream
of water flow by? If you have and at that moment the rest of the world
around you has seemed removed, then you were in a state of meditation.
The real key to this practice, is to be able to exercise control over
your thoughts and awareness of the world around you.
There are manygroups of people for whom meditationis an everyday
ritual. Others use it at special times as a means of relaxation and
"mental house cleaning." It allows the individual a freedom unlike no
other freedom. The freedom to look inside oneself and learn just who
you are. Some use it as a way of being closer to nature or God. No
matter how you wish to use it, you will find it a healthy and very
rewarding experience.
Most all religions practice meditation in one way or another.
Eastern philosophies such as Yoga, and Buddism are not the only ones
to view meditation as a way of looking for the Truth found in one's
own consciousness. Even in Christianity meditation finds a place of
value. The Bible itself mentions the value of meditation. In writing
to the Phillippians, the Apostle Paul tells them this. "Finally,
brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever
things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be
any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
(Phil. 4.8)
So you ask,what can it do for me. Well, beyond just being a good
way to really relax, which we can all use in this hectic world, it can
be a doorway to the Truth inside yourself. It is a way of gaining
wisdom. Knowledge has always been fairly easy to come by. Wisdom on
the other hand, is a bit harder to grasp onto.
1514
In "The Task" by William Cowper, the following line is found.
"Knowledge dwells in heads replete with thoughts of other men: Wisdom,
in minds attentive to their own."
For me, meditaion becomesa way of "grounding" myself,of reaching
a place of peace and stability, where I can find how I fit into the
universe.
Inmany philosophies, meditaion isviewed as anecessary skill. All
those who are students of these philosophies must learn the ways of
meditaion early in their training. Although the techniques may vary
from one group to another, the most basic concepts remain the same.
The ability to be able to focus on one thought and selectively block
out all others is the foundation upon which many more advanced skills
will be built. These skills may range from telepathy to the ability to
move objects with only the mind.
It is well known that Yogi adepts can lower their breathing and
heart rates to near death levels. This is something you should not try
as it takes years of practice to learn and can be quite dangerous.
Still, these yogis are proof of the type of power the mind can exer-
cise over the body through meditation.
In some cultures, the use of drugs to achieve a meditative state is
encouraged. The american indians for example, used drugs derived from
various plants to put themselves into an altered state of concious-
ness. This was usually done as a religious practice and as an event
marking the change from one state of life to another. A good example
would be the ceremony marking the coming into manhood of a young boy.
Today there are still many, who advocate the use of drugs to achieve
these altered states. It is my opinion that such measures are neither
necessary nor good. You can reach an altered state of conciousness
without the use of drug induced "highs". It takes practice, but
it can be done.
In New Age philosophy, theart of meditaion is highlyvalued. We
also find another well developed skill which is called "creative
visualization". This is the idea of visualising what you want to the
point of it becoming reality. A good example would be a salesman
visualizing himself as successful and prosperous. The concept is
simple, if you can visualize a personal reality, you can change or
bring that reality into being. "Positive Thinking" is a very
similar idea. The technique of creative visualization goes beyond
positive thinking however. It deals with the premise that we all
create our own reality and therefore have the power to change many
aspects of that reality. The idea of "personal reality" is a lengthy
one and we do not have enough room to cover it in this course.
So far we have lookedbriefly at what meditation is and how it is
used. By no means have we touched on all the aspects of this practice.
There are many books on the subject which cover it in much more
detail. My purpose is to give you an overview of the many facets of
meditation in the hope that you will wish to learn more.
1515
BASIC MEDITATION TECHNIQUES
===================================
This is the second part of a three part online course in Basic
Meditation Techniques
Thecourse is devided into three sections. Section one deals with
what meditation is and how it plays a part in the lives of those who
use it. Section two will go into the techniques and tools of medita-
tion. Section three gives suggestions on how to use what you've
learned, in everyday life. A list of books for further reading on the
subject, will be given at the end of section three.
In thissecond section ofthe "Basic MeditationTechniques" course,
we will discuss various relaxation procedures and how they will aid
you in entering a trance or meditative state. You will also be given
some ideas about types of music and other "tools" which can help you
achieve these relaxed states of mind. Let's begin.
First, let's set thestage for our meditation practice.You should
pick a place which is as private and safe as possible. An altered
state of mind, as in meditation, lessens your awareness of the outside
world. For this reason, it is not advisable to practice these techni-
ques in a public place where there is a chance of being mugged,
robbed, or molested. If you are at home, with other family members or
friends present, ask that you not be disturbed and that all other
noise in the house be kept to a minimum. When you have found a place
suitable for meditation, you may begin.
"The seekers of new mind states-the mind control devotees, the
encounter group enthusiasts, the drug takers, the psychics, the
meditators - all are on a journey into the interior universe trying to
burst the limits of the socially conditioned mind. Weither acceptable
or unacceptable, moral or immoral, wise or foolish, the mind of man is
stirring toward a new evolution."
Dr. Barbara Brown (1)
As Isaid in section one,trance or meditaive states,alter the way
your mind deals with the realities it accepts as normal. Things which
are experienced in a trance state are often not easily expressed in
everyday language. You will at some level, experience a heightened
state of awareness. Colors, smells, and sounds may seem amplified
from what they normally are.
People who can acheivevery deep statesof trance often leavetheir
bodies in astral projection, or have psychic experiences.
I highly recommend, that if you wish to enter deep states of
meditation, you do so under the guidance and teaching of someone who
is well trained in the practice of such techniques. The key thing to
remember is that it's not what level your working on as much as what
you are learning. There is alot to be gained in wisdom and knowledge
at all levels of trance.
Now let's learn some simple and usefull relaxation exercises.
1516
You want to besure that the timeyou pick to practice yourmedita-
tion is a time when you are least likely to be disturbed. You should
not be overly tired or have just finished eating as both of those
conditions may cause you to fall asleep. Even though you wish to
acheive an altered state of consciousness, you do want to remain
conscious to some degree. If you fall asleep when you are meditating,
no harm is done and you will awaken quite refreshed and rested.
Unfortunately though, you may not be able to recall all the things you
experienced while in trance.
If you are lying down, be sure your back and neck are properly
supported so as not to fatigue the body. If you are sitting, be sure
that both feet are flat on the floor and that you are sitting as erect
as possible without being too stiff or strained. You should have your
arms resting comfortably in your lap with palms up.
In eithercase, it is important thatyour body not become strained
or fatigued for at least thirty minutes. This is a good length of
time to begin with as it should put neither a physical or mental
strain on your being.
Next, visualize a yourself in a cocoon of whitelight. You should
surround yourself completely. See the light as bright and warm. You
may play with this sphere of light making it bigger or smaller until
it "feels" right for you. Say to yourself, "I am protected by the
pure white light of all that is good and truthfull. I am surrounded by
the pure light which keeps out all unwanted and evil influences."
Thisis a good ideato do for several reasons.There are those, and
I am one of them, who believe that each of generates an aura which
protects us from outside influences when we are in trance. This aura
may be strengthened by visualizing the light as growing brighter at
our command. Even if you do not accept this idea, the practice lends a
feeling of safety and security to you. Nothing which is outside of
you may enter or touch you without your permission.
Learning tocontrol and pay attentionto your breathing isthe next
step. You should start by taking a deep breath in through your nose,
hold it for the mental count of 4 and then let it all out slowly
through your mouth. Repeat this until you begin to feel at rest and
relaxed. Allow your breathing to settle into a steady, rythmic rate.
Just this simple technique can relax and refresh you at any time. When
you are only doing the breathing exercise, it is not necessary to go
through the white light sphere visualization. Some people use a
muffled metronome or recording of some other rythmic sound, such as
ocean waves, to aid them in setting the pace of their breathing. A
good source of recorded sounds which can help you in meditation is a
series of records and tapes which have been produced under the title
"ENVIRONMENTS".
Now, as you are breathing,see yourself lying in the warmlight of
the sun. The light is warm and pleasant to be in. Starting with the
tips of your toes, feel the light warming all of your body, slowly
moving up into your legs, your trunk, and then into your arms and
fingers. As you feel this warming become more and more relaxed, going
deeper and deeper into a calm and quiet place.
1517
Whenyou fell totally relaxed andat peace, bring a single thought
into your mind. It should be of a pleasant experience or of an idea
such as love, joy, peace, or compassion. Focus on this one thought and
if some other thought should try to intrude, picture it as being
written on a clear board between you and your focal thought. Then
picture it being erased from that board as it might be from a piece of
paper. Deal with any thought, other than your focal thought, quickly.
Try to maintain concentration on your focal thought for at least five
minutes. Picture it as being real and experience it as if it were.
When you are able to do this and can exclude all other thoughts as
they attempt to enter your mind, you will have learned the single most
important technique of meditation.
It isnow time to begincoming back tonormal consciousness. slowly
let the thought fade from your mind and again become aware of the warm
light of the sun. As you fell the light bathing you in its' warmth,
start to reconnect your mind with the physical sensations of your
body. Become aware of your breathing and the room around you. Do this
slowly and calmly. When you are fully aware of your surroundings, open
your eyes slowly. Enjoy the sense of calm and peace.
If you succeeded in doing this exercise, you should feel more
relaxed and calm than normal. It is important to remember that you are
comparing it to normal for you, not to what you think others would or
should feel.
If you do not feel you succeeded try again in a day or two. Between
meditaion sessions, practice your deep breathing exercises. If you
keep trying, you will soon reach a calm and meditative state. Do not
attempt to meditate when you are ill, tired, or hungry. Those feelings
only serve to make your efforts more difficult. A very important part
to remember is that you can not force yourself into a meditative
state. You must flow into it and surrender to it calmly.
Some things which are found to be helpfull in meditation follow.
Tryconcentrating on theflame of a candlewhen focusing. You could
also use a crystal ball. The later is rather exspensive but small
crystal window ornaments or pyramids also work well and cost much
less.
Music is also anaid to some. The music shouldbe quiet and rhyth-
mic. It should bring on feelings of peace and comfort. Such music may
range from New Age recordings to classical.
Anotherusefull device is to focus ona symbol which holds special
meaning for you. It may be an well known symbol or one you design
yourself. As long as it holds a special meaning or expresses a special
concept, it is a usefull focusing tool.
This brings section twoof this course toa close. In the nextpart
I will give you some pratical ways in which to use what you have
learned.
1518
The mostobvious use ofthe techniques you havelearned, is relaxa-
tion. During the course of the day, many of us have moments when the
pressure becomes almost to much. When this happens, we often can't
deal with other people or projects the way we should. The breathing
exercises you learned in section two can help at these times.
It doesn't require alot of time or absolute quiet as does your
meditation practice. All that is required is about five minutes and
relative privacy. At these times, begin doing your rhythmic breathing
and visualize a place which is calm and refreshing. This simple and
quick exercise, can work wonders to help you regain control in a
hectic situation.
Another way in which meditation is used is in the development of
psychic powers. There are several books on the subject, listed at the
end of this section. Most of those who teach about the use and develo-
pment of these abilities, agree that meditation is necessary to any
such study. Again the reason for this is that meditation allows you to
reach an altered state of conciousness. In this altered state your
mind is more open to such phenomenon as telepathy. If you should
decide to persue studies in this direction, please seek the help of
someone trained in these areas.
One final use I will suggest is visualization. Meditation can be
used as a tool for problem solving. While in a meditative state of
mind, you have the ability to take any situation and manipulate it. By
that I mean you can mentally play the out the situation using several
different solutions. Then, you can pick the one which seems to best
solve the problem. While the use of meditation can help you deal with
problem solving more effectively, it is not infallible. All it can do
is allow you to think more clearly and concisely about the problem at
hand.
Well that concludes this study on meditation. I hope you have
gained something usefull from this course. It has been by no means, a
full explanation of the subject. There is much more to learn than
could be covered in this short series and It is my hope that you will
want to continue your studies into this fascinating and usefull skill.
More studiesof this type willbe developed in thenear future. The
New Atlantis BBS will continue to post these studies as an ongoing
service to it's users. Please feel free to leave suggestions on the
BBS about subjects you would like to see covered.
1519
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
list of books for further reading will be included.
References:
(1) Dr. Barbara Brown
"New Mind, New Body"
New York, Bantam Books, 1975
Page 17
Miriam Simos (Starhawk)
The Spiral Dance
New York
Harper & Row; 1979
W.E. Butler
How To Read The Aura, Practice
Psycometry, Telepathy and
Clairvoyance
New York
Destiny Books; 1978
Melita Denning & Osborne Phillips
The Development of Psychic Powers
St. Paul, MN
Llewellyn Publications; 1985
NEW ATLANTIS BBS
301-632-2671
Member of the ParaNet system
End Of File
-----------------------------------
Changes in format by the magician. 02/26/89 Crystal Cave 719-391-1092
1520
The following is from Magickal Blend Magazine, a
bay-area periodical that publishes four editions a year.
The magazine deals with many branches of the magickal world
and can be useful to all aspiring magicians. Subscriptions
cost $12 per year. They can be reached at:
Magickal Blend
P.O. Box 11303
San Francisco, Ca. 94101-7303
WHEN MAGIC DOESN'T WORK
by Van Ault
Every magician has occasions in which the magic he is directing
does not seem to work. The desired result, whether internal or
external, does not come into manifestation. These occasions are
opportunities for greater developement in the magical arts, and by
working through the disappointment and discouragement, he can reach
greater self-knowledge and technical expertise in the art.
I believe that magic always works. Magic is a tool, a reality
shaper. Like any tool, however, its ability is limited to the operat-
or's knowledge and skill. For an illustration, let's use the bow and
arrow. Your intention is the arrow and your magical technique for
directing that intention is the bow. You use the bow/technique to
poise, balance and guide the intention/arrow with the strength of
your arms and hands/ determination and will.
What happens when thisall works together optimally? The will
firmly grasps the clear intention, balances it upon the technique, you
gather your emotional and mental force, and then fire the intention
into the invisible world to be made manifest. In its own time and
way, your wish materializes.
Conversely,if you haven't got theskill to bring all of these
efforts together, things can go askew. Your arrow can veer and stray,
or it may travel a few feet before losing power. Your bow can break,
or not be strong enough to propel the arrow. Or, you may find that
you've got your bow and arrow ready to use, but you haven't got
sufficient strength to manipulate it.
I offer thefollowing meditationprocess for thosetimes whenit
seems that your magic doesn't work. When you've tried all the techni-
ques, when you've gotten no results, when you're wondering if any of
this matters at all, the process in this meditation can produce
miracles and create a sense of completion. You can read the script
into a tape, or have a friend lead you through it.
1521
RIVER OF LIFE MEDITATION
Find a comfortable placewhere you can relax andbe completely
quiet...relax...allow your thought snow to just come and go...come and
go...and take a deep breath in and hold it...(pause)...now gather up
the tension in your body, and release it as you exhale...take another
deep breath, and as you exhale, let go of anybody else's energy or
thoughts you may be carrying....and breathe in new energy...breathe in
new possibilities...and allow your body to fill with lightness...feel
it becoming lighter and lighter as you relax more and more...relaxing
deeply...going deeper...feeling very light now...so light you could
almost float away..........
And asyou relax,imagine abeautiful coloredmist is swirlingup
around you, billowing up around you into a cushiony, soft, cloud of
energy...and you are resting completely upon this cloud...and you are
safe...as you breathe in and out, let your thoughts just come and
go...relaxing more and more...and the cloud of energy now lifts you up
into the air and carries your down into your own inner world...down
between the boundaries of time and space...to a place of timeless
beauty and infinite possibilites...floating down now, going deeper and
deeper,leaving the outer world and its concerns far behind, as you
drift and float on this beautiful cloud....going further and further-
...down below you is a rock, a giant rock...and the cloud gently and
effortlessly lands upon the rock and you step off it, as the cloud
swirls back into a mist and disappears for now...
Stand upon thisrock now, andfeel the strengthof it underyour
feet...and as you turn around, you look out upon a great river...flo-
wing as far as you can see...seeming to come from some infinite
place...and disappearing into an infinite place,,,a flowing,endless
river of energy...this is the river of all life waters...all of life
draws upon the lifeforce that moves through its steaming currents...
look closely at the water...what color is it? it may look like liquid
light to you...look deeply into it, and sense the power and depth of
the river...what sound does it make as it courses through its chan-
nels?...as you stand securely upon your rock, notice and fragrance
...and bend down and cup your hands in the living water,and splash
some of it on your face...feel the life giving force on your skin...
take a sip of the water...allow the river of life to nourish you....
Now relaxa moment upon therock...and bring into yourmind the
magical intention that never seemed to go anywhere...what were you
trying to accomplish?...what was the basic intention you had?...what
was the emotion behind the intention?...feel the energy of that
emotion moving onto the palms of your hands now...feel the energy
glowing...pulsating...breathe and allow your intention that you're
still clinging to externalize...the energy of it is now shimmering,
glowing...swirling into a sphere...allow all of your desire to flow
into this sphere...and allow this sphere to appear to you however it
appears...and just observe what you see...you may see pictures or
symbols emerging within the sphere...whatever you see is fine...
1522
When your sphere is completely filled with the last of your
desire,emotion,and intention, hold it aloft...feel the power of it in
you hands,a globe of power that you can now release...and look out
into the river of life...watch as its currents of possibility flow for
ever and ever,as far as you can see...and whenever you're ready,with
as much and as little force as you need, throw the pulsating sphere
into the river...and give this intention to the life force of this
great river...watch as the sphere touches the water...and gradually
disappears into the current...
Take a deepbreath... as the spheredisappears the last ofyour
intention and emotion and desire merges with the source of all life,
from which it orriginally came...and leaves you...
Nowcomplete any business herethat you needto finish...take a
few moments to enjoy the flowing river of life,and know that the
possibilities it nourishes can bring miracles into you life too...
Takeanother deep breath, and notice tha colored mist is once
again swirling around you...billowing up underneath you to form a
beautiful cloud of cushiony energy, which is lifted up into the air,
with you upon it...relaxing into the cloud you are returning the way
you came...lifting up up through time and space, coming back from the
inner world...coming up... further and further...floating and drifting
back...coming back...bringing you all the way back into your body now,
into this room...brining your attention completely back into this time
and place...take a deep breath and begin to re-orient yourself to the
outer world...and when you're ready, count to three..., and on the
count of three open your eyes,and return feeling relaxed,alert and at
peace.
* * *
As always, change any of the wording or images in this
meditation if it suits your purpose better. The
important part is just to finally and completely let go
of your intention, so that the energy can be recycled in
whatever form the creative force and your own
consciousness will allow. Out of this release, new
lives, new opportunities, and new magical opportunities
are born!
MONISM, One Wiccan Perspective
Copyright 11/24/92
Durwydd MacTara
"Henotheism n. Belief in one god without denying the existence of others."
(American Heritage Second College Dictionary)
"Monism n. philos. A metaphysical system in which reality is conceived as a
unified whole." (American Heritage Second College Dictionary)
"Monotheism n. The belief or doctrine that there is only one God." (Amer-
ican Heritage Second College Dictionary)
"Pantheism n. 1. The doctrine identifying the Deity with the various forces
and workings of nature. 2. Belief in and worship of all gods." (American
Heritage Second College Dictionary)
"Polytheism n. The worship of or belief in more than one god." (American
Heritage Second College Dictionary)
"To witches, deities manifest in different ways and can be
worshipped and contacted through any form suitable to local
conditions and personal needs. Wicca does not believe, as
do the patriarchal monotheisms, that there is only one
correct version of God and that all other God forms are
false: the Gods of Wicca are not jealous Gods. We there-
fore worship the personification of the male and female
principles, the God and the Goddess, recognizing that Gods
are aspects of the One God and all Goddesses are different
aspects of the one Goddess, and that ultimately these two
are reconciled in the one divine essence."
(Vivianne Crowley, WICCA: The Old Religion in The New Age,-
pp. 11-12)
Vivianne Crowley, a very capable spokesperson for British Traditional
Wicca, identifies the core belief of Wicca (at least BTW) as Monism in the
piece quoted above. However, she also opens the door to defining Wicca as
duotheistic in principle with the subdivision of the monist reality into
the praxis of worshiping both Lord and Lady.
However, there is yet a THIRD level of obscurity in Wiccan Praxis! Most
Wiccans worship a threefold Goddess (Maid, Mother, and Crone) and many also
worship at least a twofold God. So, are the Wicca REALLY polytheists or
perhaps pantheists or even modified Henotheists as some have claimed? Or,
perhaps, a new category altogether needs to be invented to accurately
describe Wiccan belief and practice.
1524
One suggestion has been made to add a word to our Thea/Theo-logical
lexicon, perhaps "Cthonotheism" (provided we MUST have a "Theism") to
describe "Theistic Wicca". One advantage is that it makes the assumption
of worshipping that which was there to be found and worshipped, NOT a Deity
or deities invented in 1939! (More on this later.)
The following is the only published copy of the (Gardnerian) Blessing
Prayer that I know of.
"In the name of Dryghtyn, the Ancient Providence,
Who was from the beginning and is for eternity,
Male and Female, the Original Source of all things;
all-knowing, all-pervading, all-powerful;
changeless, eternal.
"In the name of the Lady of the Moon,
and the Lord of Death and Resurrection.
"In the name of the Mighty Ones of the Four Quarters,
the Kings of the Elements.
"Blessed be this place, and this time,
and they who are now with us."
("Witch Blood! The Diary Of A Witch High
Priestess!" by Patricia Crowther in chapter
four (paperback edition 1974, House Of Col-
lectibles, Inc.).) Courtesy of David Piper
Airmid (aka Erynn Darkstar), a contemporary craft scholar and researcher
says of this new (to most of us) name of Ultimate Deity:
"Dryghtyn is also the name used for JHVH in some old
English bibles. I think that was where the term ac-
tually originated. I think I saw a passing reference
to it in some boxed comparative translated text in "In
Search of the Indo-Europeans."
Grendel, an Asatruar from Seattle suggests the "Dryghtyn" may be an
alternative spelling of the Teutonic "Drighten" meaning "Lord". I admit
this is interesting, to me, as the closeness of the linguistic link between
the Old English and Old German languages has been a scholarly "fact" widely
known for many years.
As a side issue, this might be some evidence that runs contrary to the
thesis put forth by Aidan Kelly that Gerald Gardner "manufactured" Wicca in
1939. From personal experience, I have found that one unique distinction
of the non BTW strains of Witchcraft (some times called "FamTrads" of
Family Traditions) is the incorporation of old Christian Imagery, often
including ArchAngels for the four directions or elements. Though this
instance does not include Archangels, it DOES include archaic (and rel-
atively unknown) Christian terminology. If Gardner did discover a remnant
of the Old Religion upon which he based his modern reconstruction effort,
it is this sort of linguistic "artifact" which would have survived.
Perhaps a more scholarly investigation than mr. Kelly's will "turn up" more
evidence?
1525
Jim Taylor, an Eastern Orthodox Theologian, also makes two (to me) il-
luminating statements, concerning "The Dryghtyn Prayer":
1. "'In the name of Dryghtyn, the Ancient Providence,
Who was from the beginning and is for eternity,
Male and Female, the Original Source of all things;
all-knowing, all-pervading, all-powerful;
changeless, eternal.'
This would be, entirely, an acceptable way of describing God, both for most
Jews and for most Christians."
AND
2. "'In the name of the Lady of the Moon,
and the Lord of Death and Resurrection.'
The Lord of Death and Resurrection would seem, to any Christian to refer to
Jesus Christ."
This evidence of a possible mixing of an older (unrecorded) Christian
Prayer may lend further credence to Gardners' claims of building on an
older, hidden, traditional remnant.
I, personally, also agree with Mr. Taylors' statement that "the idea of
Wicca being 'manufactured' in 1939 is far too pat, and ignores a great deal
which ought not to be ignored. At the very least, some degree of recog-
nition should be accorded to the obvious fact that most Wiccan practices
and attitudes predate Wicca by considerable periods of time--possibly even
millennia".
The existence of Monism, Duotheism, and Polytheism simultaneously in the
belief structure of Wicca is one good example of one of the Five Mysteries
of Wicca, that of Union. Wicca is a mystery religion, a PARTICIPATORY
religion, and much of its symbology must be lived and practiced to have
meaning because much of the real (some say hidden meaning is based on the
knowledge of experience and not the intellectual knowledge of mere logic
and conscious thought processes.
I am an eclectic Wiccan with strong ties in my beliefs and practice to
British Traditional Wicca. I am a Monist, yet I have had strong direct
experience with Brigid, Danu, and the Morrigan as well as the Earth Mother
and the Horned Lord of the Forests. So my personal answer to the question
of "What kind of Theism fits Theistic Wicca?" is "several, or none; it is
not really a valid question in those limited terms"! But perhaps the
concept of "Chthonotheism" would give a better label to this concept when
attempting to discuss the idea of the peculiar theism unique to Wicca?
Blessed Be,
Durwydd MacTara
1526
Wedding Ceremony
The Bard
THE ORDER OF SOLEMNIZATION OF MARRIAGE (GENERAL)
The Altar shall be dressed with a white cloth, with a Cup, and an un-
sheathed Sword. A small lectern should be provided to the Minister,
that he may hold the Sword and read the ceremony. One candle shall be
unlit upon the altar, and two lit candles shall be provided, to either
side.
Smaller candles shall be provided to at least the wedding party, and
to the whole congregation, if possible.
% Ministers take Altar
% Groom and attendants take altar
% Processional music starts
% Bridesmaids process
% Bride and father process
% Bride and father take altar
MINISTER: Dearly beloved, today you are surrounded by your family,
your friends, and your loved ones, all of whom have gathered here
today in the sight of the ONE to share your joy and witness
your marriage.
Who gives this woman to be wed?
FATHER: I do.
% (the Bride's father shall give the Bride's hand to the
Groom, and then take his seat)
MINISTER 2: This most sacred of bonds is not to be entered into
lightly, but soberly and advisedly, with openness and honesty. I
require and charge you both now, upon your honors, to disclose
any reason or impediment why you may not be lawfully joined
this day.
BRIDE/GROOM: By our honors, there are none.
% (The Minister shall turn to the congregation and say:)
MINISTER: Likewise, I charge all of you now, upon your honors, that if
any know a reason that these two may not be lawfully joined
this day, to speak now or forever hold your peace.
% (There shall be a short pause for any response)
MINISTER: (N) and (N), life has no singular meaning so much as it is
made up of many meaningful events, some of which may be
specified and planned for. One of these is Marriage. As you know,
no minister, no priest, no rabbi, no public official can marry
you; you can only marry yourselves. By a mutual commitment to
love each other and to create an atmosphere of considera-
tion and respect, you can make your marriage come to life.
1527
MINISTER 2: On this, the day of your marriage, you stand somewhat
apart from all other human beings. You stand within the
charmed Circle of your love, and this is as it should be, b u t
love is not meant to be the possession of two people alone.
Rather it should serve as a source of common energy, a form in
which you can find the strength to live your lives w i t h
courage. From this day onward, you must come closer together
than ever before, yet your love should give you the strength
to stand apart; to seek out your own unique des tinies, and to
make your own special contribution to that which is always a
part of us, and more than us.
MINISTER: A marriage that lasts is one which is continually develop
ing, in which each person is continually developing while
growing in understanding of the other. Deep knowledge of
another is not something that can be achieved in a short time.
Real understanding can only develop fully with years of in-
timacy. This wonderful knowledge of another grows out of really
caring for the other so much, that one wants to understand as
completely as possible the intricacies of the other.
MINISTER 2: May you be blessed with this deep knowledge of each other
through all the days of your lives.
Would you now give your vows?
BRIDE/GROOM: We will.
MINISTER: What tokens do you give that you will keep these vows?
BRIDE/GROOM: We give these rings.
% (The rings shall be given to the Minister, who shall take
them in hand.)
MINISTER 2: The ring is used in this ceremony because the Circle is
our symbol for Spirit; that which was in the Beginning, is now,
and ever shall Be, Love, without end. In this ceremony, it is
that love which is deathless and eternal.
% (Both Ministers shall join hands, holding the Rings, and
shall say:)
MINISTER: We ask now the Blessing of the One upon these rings. They
are bands of silver with the Tree of Life cast in relief upon
their surfaces. Let the bands represent eternity, love
without end, and let the trees represent the nurturement you will
share in that Love, now and always.
BOTH: And so it is.
% (The Rings shall be taken by the second Minister.)
% (And if it is a Swordfasting, then the Minister shall take
up the Sword, and flourish it aloft, and then place it
point-down in front of him.)
1528
% (The Bride and Groom shall face each other, and place their
% hands upon the Sword's pommel, with both Ministers placing %
their hands over the Bride and Groom's.)
% (the Minister #2 shall turn to the Groom, and say:)
MINISTER 2: (N), repeat after me:
(N), I take you as my wife.
I pledge to share my life openly with you
To speak the truth to you in love
And to honor and cherish you all the days of our lives.
I promise to love and tenderly care for you
For better and for worse
For richer and for poorer
In sickness and in health
In all storms and fair days we may weather together
For as long as we both shall live.
I promise to respect your needs,
To support you in your endeavors
And encourage you as an individual
Through all the changes of our lives.
With these words, I pledge my love.
% (The Groom shall take the Ring)
And with this ring I seal my vows
Now and forever.
% (The Groom shall place the Ring upon the Bride's finger.)
% (The Minister shall then turn to the Bride, and say:)
MINISTER: (N), repeat after me:
(N), I take you as my husband.
I pledge to share my life openly with you
To speak the truth to you in love
And to honor and cherish you all the days of our lives.
I promise to love and tenderly care for you
For better and for worse
For richer and for poorer
In sickness and in health
In all storms and fair days we may weather together
For as long as we both shall live.
I promise to respect your needs,
To support you in your endeavors
And encourage you as an individual
Through all the changes of our lives.
With these words, I pledge my love.
% (The Bride shall take the Ring)
And with this ring I seal my vows
Now and forever.
% (The Bride shall place the Ring upon the Groom's finger.)
1529
% (Both Ministers shall then say:)
MINISTER: May you never hunger.
MINISTER #2: May you never thirst.
% (Here there may be an interlude of music)
MINISTER 2: At this time, I would like to speak of some of the things
that many of us wish for you.
First,wewish foryou aLove thatmakes youboth better
people, That continues always to give you joy
And a zest for living,
Andprovidesyouwith theenergytoface theresponsibili
ties of life.
Wewish foryoua Home,notaplace ofstoneor wood,butan
island of serenity and sanity.
Wehopethat thisHome isnot justaplace ofprivate joy
and retreat, But rather serves as a Castle wherein the
values of your life and family are generated and upheld.
We hope your home stands as a symbol of humans living
together in Love and peace, Seeking Truth and nurturement
through each other.
We hope that it has within it the elements of Simplicity,
Exuberance,Beauty,Silence,Colorandaconcordancewith
the Rhythms of Life.
We wishforyou aHomewith Books,Poetryand Music,Fora
home with all the things that represent the highest striv ings
Of men and women.
Finally, we wish that your lives be blessed with Spiritual
Abundance, and that your spiritual involvement be enhanced
through This marriage.
% (The Minister shall turn to the congregation, and shall
say:)
MINISTER: Let us all stand together for the closing benediction, and
the passing of the Light.
% (The congregation shall stand. The Bride and Groom shall go
% to the Altar and light the single candle from their candles,
% and then shall light their attendant's candles, and shall %
light the candles of the first person in each row of the %
congregation. They shall then return to the altar, and %
extinguish their candles, placing them on the altar, and %
return to their place before the Ministers.)
MINISTER 2: May we all recognize that the Presence of the One has
already blessed you with the presence of each other. Keep in your
rememberance the sacredness of this trust and the love that
knows no end. May that Peace, which passes all human
understanding abide with you now, and for always.
BOTH: And so it is.
1530
MINISTER 2: And forasmuch as (N) and (N) have expressed their desire
to be husband and wife, showing their love and affection by
joining hands, and have made promises of faith and devotion, each
to the other, and have sealed these promises by giving a n d
receiving of rings:
MINISTER: In the presence of this company of witnesses, by virtue of
my sacred stewardship and the power vested in me by the State
of Arizona, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife.
You may kiss the Bride.
% (The Bride and Groom shall then recess from the altar, %
followed by their attendants. The congregation shall be %
released by rows.)
% (Here ends the Order Of Solemnization Of Marriage (General)
1531
Weasel Wicca: a Toon Trad
by fara Shimbo, Diane Darling and the European Land Otters
(Green Egg, Issue 95, Yule '91, p. 21.)
The Great Mothers of this tradition are Galanthus, who was
turned into a weasel for lying to Juno; and Eris, both Goddess and
Ferret incarnate, who are IN CHARGE.
This is the Holy Sacred Oath of the Weasel Tradition:
"I don'tbelieve anythingunless Iwant to.Mymind issubject
to change within reason and without notification at any time. We will
always have Paris. (But not paris of sox.) I can do without my socks.
Other than that there are absolutely no absolutes."
Sacred Objects of the Weasel tradition include:
* A Floppy Witch Hat (double sided, single density)
* The nearest operational refrigirator
* Dirty Socks
* Tubes made of cardboard or plastic
* Rubber erasers and squeaky toys
* Loud plastic bag and ping pong balls
* The Golden Apple of Eris
* Silk Top hat.
In order tobe initiated into the WeaselTradition, a new ber-
serker must:
* Co-habit with a Ferret; at least one.
*Acquireyourtoolsin
asomewhatless-than-entirely-scrupul-
ous manner- stopping short of Genuine Theft. Use your imagination.
*Sacrifice aSock toGalanthus. Itmust bea goodSock, one
you wouldn't otherwise throw away, and you must have the other one in
your possession.
* Bake some holyFhood, with Weasel Help,which includes
raisins and chocolate chips.
*Write aritual containingat leastthree thingswhich are
obviously or blatantly lifted, word for word, from somewhere else.
Anywhere else.
* Let a weasel lick your lips while you sing:
The Weasel Help Song:
Everyone needs Weasel help,
Weasel Help, Weasel Help
Everyone needs Weasel help,
to get them through the day!
I don't need no Weasel Help,
Weasel Help, Weasel Help,
I don't need no Weasel Help,
no matter what you say!
The Sacred Holidays of the Weasel tradition are any holidays
which have even the slightest thing to do with Fhood.
1532
A Weasel Wiccan Witual
======================
Participants infloppy witch hatsenter, bearing theHoly Fhood
and Drinkh. Arrange tastefuly around altar area. Prominent should be
the Golden Apple of Eris, which is set upon the altar by itself.
Call Watchtowers, lighting quarter candles at each. Suggestion
invocations:
EAST,being Air,signifies mediaand masscommunications. Invite
the Marx brothers, Firesign Theatre, Douglas Adams, and Robert Anton
Wilson, and, of course, the Illuminati, as representatives of Chaos.
(Squeeze squeaky toys)
SOUTH, for Fire, signifies fidelityto ideals. I suggest John
Lennon and our witch ancestors, whose bravery in defense of the Sacred
Right To Be Strange led to the ultimate sacrifice. May we be as brave,
but luckier. (Hide the Matches.)
WEST,for Water, signifies herethe Waters ofLife, ie: Bhooze.
Invite W.C. Fields along with Dionysius and Osiris (inventors of wine
and beer, respectively.) (Slug some eggnog.)
NORTH, for Earth, signifies the Ultimate Mystery: Life, the
Universe and Everything. Toast the Mystery itself and invite it to
relax, take off its cloak and join us for awhile. (Hide a cookie.)
And to provide a fifth point: SKY, for Eris, Our Mother,Lady
Luck Herself, Lady of Chaos and Dealer of the Inside Straight. Hold up
the Golden Apple, hail Her enthusiastically and invite Her to the
party.
Close theCircle, whichis,of course,semi-permiable toweasel--
kind.
Lightaltarcandle; assume*ahem* seriousdemeanor. Whoeveris to
read, don silk hat and drape a sock for a priest's vestement. Proceed:
"For unto us is born a Saviour, who is Coyote, Pan, loki, Raven,
Dionysius, and Robin Hood; to save us all from Santa's power when we
have come to play, o tiding of chocolate and toys. And Io, neither is
his Mother a Virgin, for She believeth in a good time. And when He
came forth, She wrapped him in a National Enquirer and cradled him in
her top hat, which holdeth all the stars of all the skies plus 500
foolproof card tricks; and the Wise came to Marvel (and to DC) because
indeed and forsooth, they knew trouble when they beheld it."
And Eris, the Great and Terrible, said to her son:
"Kid, this is a special occasion; how should we celebrate?"
And the TinyOne spoke, surprising all butthe Mother of the
Unexpected:
"let's have lots of Fhood, and create the most chaotic and
demented animal of all to play with. And since I have a feeling that
this party will be repeated many, many times, let's make that a rule:
anyone celebrating My birthday should do the same. For I am the Glitch
and the Song and the Gambler's Luck, and I love Surprises--which will
never be lacking with Them around. Let them do this in honor of Me."
1533
And Eris was pleased and created The Weasel (hold one up).
"This is the SacredWeasel, beloved little monster, honored
pest, dearest of Holy Terrors and Agent of Entropy Everywhere. May it
always remind us that Eris and the Kid love Surprises."
(Holdup plateof cookies:)"This isthe HolyFhood; weshare it
in Their names, and with the wish that we should always keep Life as
interesting and strange as possible."
(Hold upHoly Bhooze:)"This isthe HolySpikedEggnog; weshare
in with the understanding that reality can always use a little bend-
ing."
Share all,generalhailing,toasts,silliness,woozlesnoozling,
tricks and demonstration of weasel arranging. Guard honored guests of
all species from overindulging in and/or diving into eggnog. Songs
excellent idea.
Open circle whenever you feel like it.
=================================================================
Fara Shimbo, an ethologist living outside Boulder, Colorado with her
husband Robert, ferret, Ruby, Siamese cat, mong, and Thoroughbred
Hunter, Oficial Dude (AKA Chewie). She is main honcho of _Ferret unity
and Registration Organization (FURO)_, a weasle warrior of reknown and
author of "The Ferret Book" (see review GE83) and, with Bill Phillips,
of _Ferrets and the New Inquisition_, published by the California
Domestic Ferret Association (Box 1861, healdsburg, CA 95448. She is
editor-in-chief of _The Weasle Help Monthly_, (wonderful!) newsmagazi-
ne of FURO, available by joining FURO, PO Box 18193, greensboro, NC
27419.
1534
This is the story of Rabbit.
A long time ago- No one knows how long ago it was-- rabbit was a brave
and fearless warrior. Rabbit was befriended by Eye Walker, a witch.
The witch and Rabbit spent much time together sharing and talking.
One day EyeWalker and rabbitwere walking alongand thesat
down on the trail to rest. Rabbit said "I'm thirsty." Eye Walker
picked up a leaf and blew on it... it turned into a gourd of water...
he handed it to Rabbit. Rabbit drank the water and didn't say any-
thing. Than he said "I am hungry"
Eyewalker pickedup astone andblew onit... itturned intoa
turnip. She gave the turnip to Rappit... He tasted it and than ate
the turnip with relish... but didn't say anything.
Thetwo continued along thetrail, which ledinto the moun-
tains. Near the top, rabbit tripped and fell and rolled almost to the
bottom. Rabbit was in very sad condition when Eye Walker got to him.
She used a magick salve on Rabbit to heal his great pain and mend his
broken bones. Rabbit didn't say anything.
Several days laterEye Walkerwent searchingfor herfriend.
She searched high and love but Rabbit was nowhere to be found.
Finally Eye Walkergave up.She met Rabbitquite byaccident
one day. "Rabbit, why are you hiding and avoiding me?" the witch
asked.
"becauseI amafriad ofyou. I amafraid ofmagick," Answered
Rabbit, cowering in fear. "Leave me alone!"
"I see." SaidEye Walker. "I haveused my magical powerson
your behalf and now you turn on me and refuse my friendship."
"I wantnothing more to dowith you oryour powers," Rabbit
countered. He did not even see the tears his words were bringing to
Eye Walkers eye's. "I hope we never meet and that I never see you
again." Rabbit continued.
"Rabbit" Eye walker said. "We oncewere great friends and
companions, but no more. It is within my power to destroy you, but
because of the past and the medicines we have shared together I will
not do this. But from this day on I lay a curse on you and your tribe.
From now on, you will call fears and your fears will come to you. Be
on your way, for the sweet medicines that bound us together as friends
are now broken."
1535
Modern Wiccan Concepts based in Literary Satanism
By: Diane Vera
As I pointed out to Warren Grant in the PAGAN echo recently, Charles
G. Leland mentions Michelet in the Appendix to _Aradia:_
_Gospel_of_the_Witches_: "Now be it observed, that every leading
point which forms the plot or centre of this _Vangel_ [...] had
been told or written out for me in fragments by Maddalena (not to
mention other authorities), even as it had been chronicled by Horst
or Michelet" (pp.101-102, 1974 Weiser paperback edition).
.
In _A_History_of_Witchcraft_, Jeffrey B. Russell writes:
"Michelet's argument that witchcraft was a form of social protest
was adapted later by Marxists; his argument that it was based on a
fertility cult was adopted by anthropologists at the turn of the
century, influenig Sir James Frazer's _Golden_Bough_, Jessie
Weston's _From_Ritual_to_Romance_, Magaret Murray's _Witch-
Cult_in_Western_Europe_, and indirectly T.S. Eliot's
_The_Waste_Land_" (_A_History_of_Witchcraft_, p.133).
.
Russell states further: "Neopagan witchcraft has roots in the
tradition of Michelet, who argued that European witchcraft was the
survival of an ancient religion. This idea influenced Sir James
Frazer and a number of other anthropologists and writers in the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The publication of
Charles Leland's _Aradia_ in 1899 was an important step in the
evolution of the new religion of witchcraft. [...] The doctrines
and practices of the witches as reported by Leland are a melange of
sorcery, medieval heresy, witch-craze concepts, and political
radicalism, and Leland reports ingenuously that this is just what he
expected, since it fitted with what he had read in Michelet"
(Russell, p.148).
.
As far as I know, it's possible that Michelet's influence on Gardner
was only indirect, via the other above-named writers. This would
not invalidate my point, which is that Michelet played a key role in
the development of the ideas in question.
.
Michelet has had a more direct influence on feminist Goddess
religion than on Wicca proper. Michelet's _La_Sorciere_
(_Satanism_and_Witchcraft_) is listed in the bibliography of
_Woman,_Church,_and_State_ by Matilda Gage (19th-century Women's
Suffrage leader and the founder of pre-Wiccan feminist Goddess
religion) and, more recently, in _Witches,_Midwives,_and_Nurses:_
_A_History_of_Women_Healers_ by Barbara Ehrenreich and Dierdre
English (1973).
.
In my opinion, Michelet's most important contribution to both Wicca
and feminist Goddess religion was that, as far as I know, he was the
first well-known writer (in recent centuries, anyway) to use the
word "Witch" (capital W) with its present-day positive connotations
of healing and opposition to tyranny.
1536
Intro to Satanism
By: Diane Vera
As promised in the PAGAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES echo, here's my brief
introductory essay on Satanism (though Corwynt won't be seeing it,
alas). I'll confine myself to discussing _serious_occultists_ who
identify as Satanists. I have no interest in the teen-age glue-
sniffing "Satin rulz" crowd, who are into "Satanism" as a way to
shock the grown-ups, and who usually (as far as I know) outgrow it.
Nor am I interested in criminals who say the Devil made them do it
(often, I suspect, as a way to get themselves declared insane).
.
Since I don't know how much you don't know, perhaps I should start
with the usual elementary disclaimers:
.
(a) Most Satanists do not think of themselves as "worshipping evil".
Satan is associated with a variety of human traits and magic(k)al
energies which Christianity traditionally considers "evil", but
which the Satanists themselves do not consider "evil" -- though some
Satanists may describe themselves as "evil" in an ironic sense.
.
(b) In what there is of a Satanist subculture (for serious
occultists), nobody advocates sacrificing animals or babies,
sexually abusing children, or other horrific activities described in
fundamentalist propaganda. As Anton LaVey explains in
_The_Satanic_Bible_, such activities serve no useful magic(k)al
purpose.
.
(c) Although Satan is, obviously, a figure from Christian mythology
(derived from Judaism and Zoroastrianism), Satanism is not just
"reverse Christianity". I have yet to meet even one Satanist who
believed in Christian theology, or a simple reversal thereof. (I've
heard that such Satanists do exist, but they don't seem to be part
of the organized Satanist scene.) All Satanists I've ever
encountered have some alternative explanation of who/what Satan is.
.
There are many alternative explanations and, correspondingly, many
different kinds of Satanism. Following is a list of _some_ of the
many different possible interpretations of who/what Satan is:
.
(1) Satan is the Christian-era guise of some pre-Christian deity,
e.g. Set or Pan.
.
(2) Satan is not a real entity at all, but just a symbol of human
individuality, pride, thinking for oneself, sensuality, etc.
.
(3) Satan is an actual discarnate intelligence, and is the bringer
of wisdom in a form of Gnosticism with the Christian "God" cast as
the Demiurge. This idea is based on a form of Gnosticism that
actually existed in the early centuries C.E., which venerated the
serpent of the Garden of Eden myth.
.
(4) Satan is not an actual discarnate, sentient being, but is more
than just a symbol. Satan is, at the very least, today's most
powerful magic(k)al egregore. "Satan" is present-day society's
number-one magic(k)al Name of Power.
1537
(5) Satan is an impersonal "Dark Force in Nature".
.
(6) Satan is one of many gods, all of whom are in some sense real.
There is no one all-powerful "God" like the Christian idea of "God".
There are many gods who are powerful, but not all-powerful.
.
Of the above possiblities, my own personal beliefs lean toward a
combination of interpretations #4, 5, and 6. The Church of Satan,
founded in 1966 C.E. by Anton LaVey, usually espouses interpretation
#2 and sometimes #5. The Temple of Set is into _something_like_
(but not quite) a combination of #1 and #3.
La> If you haven't been around other satanists, how do you know
La> what is being practiced, is what you would do? I could call
La> myself a Dianic Wiccan, but what I might practice is not what
La> is generally practiced...and there is no way for me to really
La> learn "right way" from "wrong way".
.
It doesn't matter. Satanism isn't really just one religion, but a
category of religions, some of which are radically different from
each other. (See my message to Deborah Kest on "Satanism 101".)
Since most forms of Satanism do celebrate individuality, the lack of
standardization is just fine, in my opinion. The only "right way"
or "wrong way" has to do with _what_works_, and this will vary from
one individual to another.
.
La> The reason you are being "punished" I think ostracized is
La> a better word, is that most Satanists, and people who follow
La> left-handed Magick/spirituality (folks I know it is not a fair
La> term, but it works for this arguement) are considered by many
La> of us the true enemies of Spiritualism that we would practice.
.
The term "Left-Hand Path" is OK. We use it too. You and I would
probably define it very differently, however. What's your
definition?
.
La> Even more than Christaniaty folks who follow your system of
La> believes are very differnt than we. Pagan and Christanity,
La> have very similar ideas and ethics, and while not at all
La> tolerant of each other (generally) can live and let live.
La> Satanists et.all on the other hand, have such a different view
La> of life, love and the pursuit of the Divine, it is hard for us
La> to accept you into our midsts.
.
Could you please be more specific? _What_ do you see as the
similarities between neo-Paganism and Christianity?
.
I too see some profound differences between Satanism and neo-
Paganism. And I too see enough similarities between neo-Paganism
and Christianity that one can meaningfully use a term like "Right-
Hand Path", which includes both Christianity and neo-Paganism but
not Satanism.
1538
But I _also_ see some profound similarities between Satanism and
neo-Paganism (especially Wicca) as well, which set them both apart
from Christianity. For example, Satanism and Wicca-based Paganism
are both much more tolerant toward sexual variety than Christianity
traditionally is. (To be more exact, Wicca is _now_ tolerant toward
sexual variety, though there was a time when it was quite
homophobic.) And in general, Satanism and Wicca-based Paganism both
emphasize individuality in ways that Christianity doesn't.
.
Also, as I've discussed at length both here and in the PAGAN and
PAGAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES echoes, Satanism and most forms of neo-
Paganism (especially Wicca) are both part of the family of modern
Western magic(k)al religions, with many common roots and many basic
magic(k)al concepts in common. We have natural reasons to be part
of the same magic(k)al community (e.g. occult bookstores and this
computer network). It would be much more pleasant for everyone
concerned if neo-Pagans could get used to Satanists, because you are
going to keep running into more and more of us whether you like it
or not.
1539
Satanism, A Personal Definition
By Delphine
Please keep in mind that Satanism is a *very* individualistic
religion, and if you asked 50 Satanists what Satanism is, you'd
probably get 60 different responses. As a solitaire Satanist, I'll
have a go at this.. but I'm pretty bad at trying to summarize what I
believe, so please feel free to ask me questions.
For me, these are the most important things I believe as a Satanist:
*I believe in Satan as a literal entity. Many other Satanists do not,
esp. those from the LaVey school of thought.
*Satan is NOT a fallen angel, or a lesser created being, but instead a
deity with as much power (for lack of a better word) as any other. He
is the Shadow, a Destroying Deity.. and by such destruction,he purif-
ies, for death of anything leads the way for rebirth. He is a symbol
of rebellion, of pride, and of righteous anger. He brings freedom, in
many different ways.
* My first care is to myself, for if I am unable to serve myself, I
have no basis by which to judge the actions of others. I strive for
excellence, in a sense, very close to what Setians call "Xeper".
*I believe in free will, with the understanding that "with freedom
comes responsibility". I do not accept the threefold law, or any
specific prohibitions like "harm none". In relating to others, I use
the rule "do unto others AS they do unto you". If I am harmed or
treated with dishonor, I will not continue to treat such persons in a
way that is more than they deserve. Revenge, at the proper time and in
a fitting manner, is acceptable behavior. If there are consequences to
such revenge, I will accept them responsibly.
*I will endeavor to be honorable about my own actions, and I will
expect the same behavior from others.
*I see Satan in Nature, in the floods, hurricanes, volcanoes, and
tidal waves. I see fundamental laws in Nature, that death is as
necessary as life. I am humbled and empowered by this, for though it
blindly destroys, it is yet a part of me, as deity is immanent and
transcendant to me. Satan the transcendant is that excellence that I
strive for, Satan the immanent is the spark in me that strives.
* I am polytheistic. The divine, to me, is like a jewel with many
facets, each a part of us, each with something to teach us. No such
lesson, to me , is greater or lesser than any other; but are instead
more or less appropriate for a person at a given time.
There is a great deal more I could say, and in greater detail, but
this covers a large part of Satanism to me. Of course, I'm sure that
Diane Vera, Sheryl, Balanone, and others will have different beliefs
than I do. It seems that individualism and personal pride seem to be
the link between most serious Satanists.
-Qapla'
Delphine
1540
The Wiccan Rede (WCC)
Bide ye Wiccan laws ye must,
in perfect love and perfect trust
Live ye must and let to live,
fairly take and fairly give
Form the circle thrice about,
to keep unwelcome spirits out
To bind the 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,
sing and dance the Wiccan rune
Widdershins go by the waning moon,
chanting out the baleful tune
When the Lady's moon is new,
kiss the hand to her times two
When the moon rides at Her peak,
then the heart's desire seek
Heed the north wind's mighty gale,
lock the door and trim the sail
When the wind comes from the south,
love will kiss kiss thee on the mouth
When the wind blows from the west,
departed souls will have no rest
When the wind blows from the east,
expect the new and set the feast
Nine woods in the cauldron go,
burn them quick and burn them slow
Elder be the Lady's tree,
burn it not or cursed you'll be
When the wheel begins to turn,
soon the Beltain fires will burn
When the wheel has turned to Yule,
light the log the Horned One rules
Heed ye flower, bush and tree,
by the Lady blessed be
Where the rippling waters flow,
cast a stone and the truth you'll know
When you have and hold a need,
hearken not to others' greed
With a fool no season spend,
nor be counted as his friend
Merry meet and merry part,
bright the cheeks and warm the heart
Mind the threefold law ye should,
three times bad and three times good
When misfortune is anow,
wear the star upon thy brow
True in love you must ever be,
lest thy love be false to thee
These eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill,
An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will
1541
Orphic invocations of Goddess & God
Bright Blessings to all...
Here are invocations to the Goddess and God that I have used
quite successfully in ritual. They are from the Orphic Hymns,
for those who like historical accuracy, but have been updated just
a tad, for those who like ritual with modern applications.
Hope you enjoy them.
Invocation to the Goddess
Divine are Your honors, Oh Mother of the Gods and Nurturer of All.
Yoke your swift chariot drawn by bull-slaying lions and,
O Mighty Goddess who brings things to pass, join our prayers.
Many named and reverend, You are the Queen of the Sky.
In the cosmos, Your throne is above all others, for You are
Queen of the Earth, and You give gentle nourishment to mortals.
Goddesses, Gods, and mortals were born of You,
And You hold sway over the rivers and all of the sea.
Hestia, Gaia, Demeter, Inanna, Isis, Astarte, Ishtar, Persephone,
Diana,
Giver of prosperity who bestows upon mortals all manner of gifts,
Come to this Rite, Queen whom the drum delights.
Honored and loving Nurturer of Life,
Joyfully and graciously visit our deeds of piety.
Blessed Be.
Invocation to the God
Hear Our Prayer, O best and Many-Named God.
Fine-haired, solitary, and full of lovely song;
Many shaped and noble nurturer of all,
Maiden and yout in one, unwithering bloom, O Adonis
You vanish and grow again in the fair seasons' turn.
Kurnunnos, Pan, Myrddhn, two horned Spirit of growth and blooming;
Much loved and wept for are you,
O Fair and Youthful Hunter of the luxuriant mane.
Desire is in Your mind and You come to the Goddess
in reverence and respect,
in sensuous joy is your desire fulfilled
You are the seed planted in the depths of the Underworld
That springs forth, the Green God, that we may sustain our lives.
You sacrifice Yourself in gentleness when you are grown.
Come Kind-Hearted One, Come Blesseed God,
and bring much joy to all.
Blessed Be.
Hope you find these beneficial...
Briget Bless...Phaedra.
1542
EAST
(INVOCATION)
Facing East:
Guardians of the watchtower of the east, we do summon, stir, and
call thee up to protect us in our rite. Come to us now on the cool
breath of Autumn's sigh which
heralds the advent of Winter and the close of harvest time. Breathe
into us the spirit of the pure joy of life. So mote it be!
Responsorial: So mote it be!
AIR (invocation)
(Celebrant with the incense burner symbolizing the element of air) :
"I am everywhere. I fill the fleshy pouches of your lungs, I
stir all things from the smallest blade of grass to the tallest tree.
I cool you with my breezes and
destroy you with my storms.
Without me you would die. Am I not holy and worthy of praise? "
EAST
(BANISHMENT)
Facing East:
"Guardians of the watchtower of the east, return now to the brisk
Autumn breezes which are brimming with the excitement of the year's
climax. Take with you our
blessings and thanks. Hail and
farewell!
Responsorial: Hail and farewell!
1543
SOUTH (invocation)
Facing South:
Guardians of the watchtower of the south, we do summon, stir, and
call thee up to protect us in our rite. Come forth from the cook
fires and smokehouses where food is being made ready for the coming
cold months. Kindle within us the flame of spiritual awakening. So
mote it be!
Responsorial: So Mote it Be!
FIRE (invocation)
(Celebrant with the candle symbolizing the element of fire):
"I live in the guarded embers of campfires and the pilot lights
of stoves, I spring from the lightning and the hands of men, I warm
you and I destroy you. Without me you would die. Am I not holy and
worthy of praise? "
SOUTH (banishing)
Facing South:
"Guardians of the watchtower of the south, return now to the
dying fires of Autumn's heat soon to give way to Winter's chill. Take
with you our blessings and thanks. Hail and farewell!
Responsorial: Hail and farewell
1544
WEST (invoking)
Facing West:
Guardians of the watchtower of the west, we do summon, stir, and
call thee up to protect us in our rite. Come forth from the rainbow
hued morning dew that covers the fields, and is soon to be frost.
Asperge us with your diadems and water our deepest roots that we may
find peace of mind. So mote it be!
Responsorial: So mote it be!
WATER (invocation)
(Celebrant with the water vessel symbolizing the element of water):
"I rise from the moist crevices of the Earth, I beat on the shores of
Her body, I fall from the skies in silver sheets. Without me you would
die. Am I not holy and worthy of praise? " (Celebrant asperges the
circle with water)
WEST (banishing)
Facing West:
"Guardians of the watchtower of the west, return now to the
Autumn rains which cool the Earth's fevered brow baked in the heat of
Summer afternoons. Take with you our blessings and thanks. Hail and
farewell!
Responsorial: Hail and farewell!
1545
NORTH (invoking)
Facing North:
Guardians of the watchtower of the north, we do summon, stir, and
call thee up to protect us in our rite. Come forth from the fertile
bosom of our Blessed Mother Earth, and nourish us so that our hopes
may grow to fruition. So mote it be!
Responsorial: So mote it be!
EARTH (invocation)
(Celebrant with the salt vessel symbolizing the element of earth):
"I am your Mother. From me come the fruit and grain and animals
which feed you. I am your support, and my pull on your bodies keeps
you held firmly to me. Without me you would die. Am I not holy and
worthy of praise? "
NORTH (banishing)
Facing North:
Guardians of the watchtowers of the north, return now to the
Earth where worms burrow deeper and seeds nestle awaiting the long
sleep of Winter. Take with you our
blessings and thanks. Hail and farewell!
Responsorial: Hail and farewell!
1546
Wiccan History
Wicca is a relatively modern attempt (approximately 50 years old)
at reviving and reconstructing the old pre-Christian religions of
Europe. In a mythopoetic sense it is many centuries old. However,
the Witch of 200 years ago would not recognize what is called "witch-
craft" today. Modern Wicca may have some of its roots in some of the
local folk-magic and "family witchcraft" of mid 20th Century England.
It does have traceable roots in the Golden Dawn magical society of
late 19th century England, some of Aleister Crowley's magickal work
and some Ceremonial Magic dating back to Elizabethan times. For a
modern history of English Wicca, the reader can most profitably
consult the works of Janet and Stuart Farrar and Doreen Valiente.
PREHISTORY
Up until recently, the earliest known remnants of human society
that give us any clues to the spiritual dimension of prehistoric man
are those belonging to the Gravettian-Aurignacian cultures of 2500-
1500 B.C.E. This is called the Upper Paleolithic Period. Though most
of the sites so far discovered have been found in Europe, a very
important site in Anatolia (modern Turkey) has also been found and is
the (so far) the first or oldest City of Catal Huyuk (pronounced
chatal Hoo-Yook),they form a conjectural foundation for the religion
of the goddess as it emerged in the later Neolithic Age of the Near
East. There have been numerous studies of these Paleolithic cul-
tures, including extensive explorations of the sites occupied by these
peoples, including the apparent rites connected with the disposal of
their dead.
The earliest remains of ancient civilization indicating some form
of Goddess worship were in the caves in Lascaux, France. Here, the
first and earliest non-anthropomorphic divine figures were symbolized
by the horse for female Divinity and the Bison as the male divine
influence. This portion of the cave was painted in approximately
17,000 B.C.E. and sealed approximately 10,000 B.C.E. The anthropo-
morphic Goddess figures appear sometime approximately 7,000 B.C.E. The
earliest remains in Catal Huyuk have been reliably carbon dated to
6,500 B.C. and show some interesting parallels in that the horse was
replaced with an anthropomorphic goddess and the Bison (an ice age
animal) has been replaced with the aurochs bull, ancestor of modern
cattle. The anthropomorphic Goddess is an Earth Mother and the nearby
volcanoes (then active) were considered her breasts.1
One major conjecture has been that the concept of the creator of
all human life may have been formulated by the clan's image of women.
The reasoning behind this conjecture lies in the observations in this
century of the few remaining Paleolithic type cultures. These Paleo-
lithic cultures tend to be woman centered since it is from the women
that babies come and the women are absolutely essential for the
continuation of the tribe or clan. Current information also indicates
that it is also probable that the mother was regarded as the sole (or
at least primary) parent of children in this culture, and that there
was a definite pattern of ancestor worship. It is also very probable
that ancestry was matrilineal.
1547
The most tangible evidence that these very ancient cultures and
their predecessors worshipped a goddess is the numerous sculptures of
women found throughout most of Europe and the Near east. Some of
these sculptures date as far back as 25,000 B.C.E.! Small female
figurines, made of stone, bone and clay (most seemingly pregnant) have
been found throughout the widespread Gravettian-Aurignacian sites as
far apart as Spain, France, Germany, Austria, and Russia spanning an
apparent period of at least 10,000 years. Erich Neumnann, in "The
Great Mother" (p.95) says- "Of the Stone Age sculptures known to us,
there are fifty-five female figures and only five male figures. The
male figures, of youths, are atypical and poorly executed, hence it is
certain that they had no significance for the cult. This fits in with
the secondary character of the male godhead, who appeared only later
in the history of religions and derived his divine rank from his
mother, the Goddess."
Johannes Maringer, in his book the "Gods of Prehistoric Man"
says- "it appears highly probable then that the female figurines were
idols of a Great Mother cult, practiced by the non-nomadic Aurignacian
mammoth hunters who inhabited the immense Eurasian territories that
extended from Southern France to Lake Baikal in Siberia." It was
from the Lake Baikal area in Siberia that tribes are believed to have
migrated across the Bering land bridge to North America about this
time period, and formed the nucleus of what was to become the race of
North American Indians. In some primitive societies known to history,
the male role in procreation was not known. Intercourse and pregnancy
both begin with puberty, and there was no evident reason to regard one
as the cause of the other. Women were believed to conceive from the
light of the moon or from ancestral spirits.
Neolithic cultures have left a bit more evidence for study and
the images are a bit clearer and less speculative. One good instance
of this is the stone age painting of a priestess officiating over a
group of worshippers along with a male wearing a horned headdress. An
interesting point here is that the priestess pictured is wearing a
garter and wielding a ceremonial dagger, much like the ones used in
modern witchcraft. Of course much has been made of this, including a
lot of unfounded speculations on the "ancient connections" of modern
witchcraft, but that is a topic beyond the scope of the present work.
The beginnings of Roman religion are sure to have been based on the
Etruscan culture. Ancestor worship was the earliest form of religion
in Rome. Another interesting fact relating to ancient Matrilineal
forms influencing present society is reflected in the Jewish custom
current today that membership comes from the mother's side of a
marriage.
The above mentioned goddess images, some as old as 7000 BC, offer
silent testimony to the most ancient worship of a great goddess in the
land that is most often remembered today as the homeland of Judaism
and Christianity. In exploring the influence and importance of the
worship of the Goddess in Canaan in biblical times, we find that as
Ashtoreth, Asherah (perhaps the origin of the tribe of Asher?),
Astarte, Attoret, Anath, or simply as Elat or Baalat, she was the
principal deity of such great Canaanite cities as Tyre, Sidon, Asca-
lon, Beth Anath, Aphaca, Byblos, and Ashtoreth Karnaim.
1548
In Egypt, the Hebrews had known the worship of the Goddess as
Isis or Hathor. For four generations they had been living in a land
where women held a very high status and the matrilineal descent system
continued to function at most periods.
Judging from the number of Hebrews who emerged from Egypt in
the Exodus, as compared with the family of the twelve sons who sup-
posedly entered it four generations earlier, it seems likely that a
great number of those Hebrews known as Israelites may actually have
been Egyptians, Canaanites, Semitic nomads and other Goddess-worshipp-
ing peoples who had joined together in Egypt. Archaeological records
and artifacts reveal that the religion of the Goddess still flourished
in many of the cities of Canaan long after the Hebrews invaded.
What are some of the modern day applications of this long history
of Goddess worship? For an answer to this, let's look at an encap-
sulation of the "herstory" of the legend of the Universal Goddess as
taught to the new entrants to the Faerie Tradition in 20th Century
America.
According to the legends of the Faerie, Witchcraft and magick
began more than 35 thousand years ago, when the last ice age in europe
began and small bands of nomadic hunters followed the free-running
reindeer and bison herds. They were armed with but primitive weapons
( Stone Age, remember?), and had to lure or chase the animals over a
cliff or into a pit to kill and eat them. As Starhawk says,"...some
among the clans were gifted, could "call" the herds to a cliff side or
a pit, where a few beasts,in willing sacrifice, would let themselves
be trapped."
As the last ice age retreated the tribes of nomadic hunters
worshipped the Goddess of the Wild Things and Fertility and the God of
the Hunt.Semipermanent homes were set up in caves carved out by the
glaciers. Shamans and Shamanka conducted rites within hard to reach
portions of the caves, which were painted with scenes of the hunt,
magical symbols and the tribes totem animals.
The transition from Hunter-Gatherers to agriculturists was
reflected in the change of the "Lady of the Wild Things and Fertility"
to the "Barley Mother" and the "God of the Hunt" to the "Lord of the
Grain". The importance of the phases of the moon and the sun was
reflected in the rituals that evolved around sowing, reaping, and
letting out to pasture.
Villages grew into towns and cities and society changed from
tribal to communal to urban. Paintings on the plastered walls of
shrines depicted the Goddess giving birth to the Divine Child - Her
son, consort and seed. The Divine Child was expected to take a
special interest in the city dwellers, just as His Mother and Father
had taken an interest in the people who lived away from the cities.
Mathematics, astronomy, poetry, music, medicine, and the understanding
of the workings of the human mind, developed side by side with the
lore of the deeper mysteries.
1549
Far to the east, nomadic tribes devoted themselves to the arts of
war and conquest. Wave after wave of invasion swept over Europe from
the Bronze Age onward. Warrior gods drove the Goddess' people out
from the fertile lowlands and the fine temples, into the hills and
high mountains, where they became known as the Sidhe, the Picts or
Pixies, and the Fair Folk or the Fairies. The mythological cycle of
Goddess and Consort, Mother and Child, which had held sway for 30,000
years was changed to conform to the values of the conquering patriar-
chies.
In Canaan, Yahweh fought a bloody battle to ensure that his
followers had "no other gods before me." The Goddess was given a
masculine name and assigned the role of a false god. Along with the
suppression of the Goddess, women lost most of the rights they had
previously enjoyed.
In Greece, the Goddess in Her many aspects, was "married" to the
new gods resulting in the Olympic Pantheon. The Titans, who the
Olympians displaced were more in touch with the primal aspects of the
Goddess.
The victorious Celts in Gaul and the British Isles, adopted many
features of the Old Religion and incorporated them into the Druidic
Mysteries. The Faerie, breeding cattle in the stony hills and living
in turf-covered round huts preserved the Craft. They celebrated the
eight feasts of the Wheel of the Year with wild processions on horse-
back, singing and chanting along the way and lighting ritual bonfires
on the mountaintops. It was said that the invaders often joined in
the revels and many rural families, along with some royalty, could
claim to have Faerie blood. The College of the Druids and the Poetic
Colleges of Ireland and Wales were said to have preserved many of the
old mysteries. ***
In the late 1400's the Catholic Church attempted to obliterate
its competitors, and the followers of the Old Religion were forced to
"go underground." They broke up into small groups called Covens and,
isolated from each other, formed what would later be known as the
Family Traditions. Inevitably, parts of the Craft were forgotten or
lost and what survives today is fragmentary.
After nearly five centuries of persecution and terror, came the
Age of Disbelief. Memory of the True Craft had faded as non-members
who could remember how they once had met openly died and those who
came after never knew of them. All that was left were the hideous
stereotypes which were ludicrous, laughable or just plain tragic.
With the repeal of the last Witchcraft Act in England in 1954, the
Craft started to re-emerge as an alternative to a world that viewed
the planet as a resource to be exploited.
1550
Janet and Stewart Farrar, in the introduction to The Witches
Goddess say of the modern re-emergence of the Goddess " ..may well
prove to be one of the most significant spiritual, psychic and psycho-
logical developments of our lifetime". They have since done a wonder-
ful job of presenting an overview of the ascendancy and history of the
expression of the masculine principle of deity as e pressed by Male
God-forms and Gods with their book The Witches' God. What do the
Farrars consider this "masculine principle" to be? "...it represents
the linear-logical,analyzing, fertilizing aspect, with its emphasis on
Ego-consciousness and individuality, while the feminine principle
represents the cyclical-intuitive, synthesizing, formative, nourishing
aspect, with its emphasis on the riches of the unconscious, both
Personal and Collective, and on relatedness."
As mankind started to develop his cultures in directions that
were more male dependent in the nature of the cultures, the emphasis
in religion shifted to become more male god than female goddess
oriented. As this happened, the Goddess(es) lost ground to the
God(s). At first, the female aspect merely became secondary to the
male, but eventually the male took over and dominated to the total
exclusion of the female, particularly in western society as we know it
today. "The first major god-form to claim a monopoly of divinity was
the Hebrew Yahweh, from which in due course sprang the Christian and
Moslem forms." "Dr. Raphael Patai, in his books Man and Temple and
The Hebrew Goddess shows that the Goddess Asherah was worshipped
alongside Yahweh as his wife and sister in the Temple at Jerusalem for
240 of the 360 years the temple complex existed, and her image was
publicly displayed there." There is also evidence that the Jewish
community at elephantine in egypt acknowledged two goddess-wives of
Yahweh, and also there still remains in Ezekiel (xxiii)a metaphorical
reference to a pair of wives, where Yahweh condemns the "whoredom" of
two sisters who "became mine and bore me sons and daughters".
1551
MY WICCA
By Durwydd MacTara
My RELIGION is Wicca, my LIFE-STYLE is Witchcraft! I believe in
a supreme being that is both Immanent and Transcendent, that is
expressing itself within AND without. However, I also believe that
trying to define/describe such an infinite Divine Being in finite
terms to be a waste of time and energy. I CAN describe my perceptions
of the Ultimate in terms of the energies that I work with and find
significant in my daily living. My style and methods of relating to
what I can perceive of these Divine Energies are what I describe as my
RELIGION. How I apply these insights gained via my religious prac-
tices, I term my CRAFT.
The name for my religion is derived from the Saxon root "wicce"
(pronounced "witchy") and is loosely translated as "Wise". The word
"Wicca" was first used in modern times in England by Gerald B. Gardner
to describe/define an attempt at restoring "the old wisdom" of pre-
Christian beliefs and practice into a modern context in the 1940's.
Ergo, I could call my religion "wisdom" and my style of application of
this wisdom "wise-craft" or more simply, "The Craft of the Wise".
For the sake of convenience and easy understanding, I divide the
expressions of the Divine Energies into two groups; that of the active
positive (symbolically "male") energies represented to me by the stag
horned Lord of the Forest, and those of a more passive, nurturing, or
"negative" polarity represented to me by the Threefold Goddess.
Approaching my perceptions of the universe and its energies in this
way allows me to break them down into "bite sized chunks", applicable
to my daily life in a mundane world, and what good is ANY belief
system if it is not of immediate and practical use here and now?
So what are some of the beliefs and practices of this religion
called Wicca, and how do I apply them to my daily life? What does it
all mean? The following explanation is based on a press statement
released by the American Council of Witches released in the early
1970's, with some editing on my part to reflect my own beliefs and
practices.
=================================
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE CRAFT
1. The first principle is that of love, and it is expressed in the
ethic,
"AN IT HARM NONE, DO AS THOU WILL"
a) love is not emotional in it's essence, but is an
attribute of the individual as expressed in relation
to other beings;
b) harming others can be by thought, word, or deed.
Thought is included here, because for the Witch,
"thoughts are things" and every action, even thoughts,
can become magical actions, whether consciously intended
or not;
c> it is to be understood the "none" includes oneself,
though it is permissable to harm self in helping others,
should one so choose;
d) the harm which is to be regarded as unethical is
gratuitous harm; war, in general, is gratuitous harm,
1552
although it is ethical to defend oneself and one's
liberty when threatened by real and present danger,
such as personal defense or defense of another WHEN REQUESTED.
2. The Witch must recognize and harmonize with the forces of the
universe, in accord with the Law of Polarity: everything is dual;
everything has two poles; everything has it's opposite; for every
action there is a reaction; all can be categorized as either active or
reactive in relation to other things.
a) The Infinite and Ultimate Godhead is one unique and
transcendent wholeness, beyond any limitations or expressions;
thus, it is beyond our human capacity to understand and identify
with this principle of Cosmic Oneness, except as It is
revealed to us in terms of It's attributes and operation.
b) One of the most basic and meaningful attribute of the One
that we, as humans, can relate to and understand, is
that of polarity, of action and reaction; therefore
Witches recognize the Oneness of the Divinity, but
worship and relate to the Divine as the archetypal
polarity of God and Goddess, the All-Father and the
Great Mother of the universe. The Beings are as near as
we can approach to the One within our human limitations
of understanding and expression, though it is possible to
experience the divine Oneness through the practices of the
Mysteries.
c) Harmony does not consist of the pretty and the nice,
but the balanced, dynamic, poised co-operation and
co-relationship.
3. The Witch must recognize, and operate within the framework of
the Law of Cause and Effect; every action has it's reaction, and
every effect has it's cause. All things occur according to this law;
nothing in the universe can occur outside this law, though we may not
always appreciate the relation between a given effect and it's cause.
Subsidiary to this is the Law of Three, which states that whatever
goes forth must return threefold, whether of good or ill; for our
actions affect more than people generally realize, and the resulting
reactions are also part of the harvest.
4. As Above, So Below. That which exists in the Macrocosm exists, on
a smaller scale and to a lesser degree, in the Microcosm. The powers
of the universe exist also in the human, though in general instance
they
lie dormant. The powers and abilities can be awakened and used if the
proper techniques are practiced, and this is why initiates of the
Mysteries are sworn to guard the secrets from the unworthy: Much harm
can be done by those who have power without responsibility, both to
others and to themselves according to the Laws of Cause and Effect and
of Threefold Return.
a) Since our philosophy teaches that the universe is the
physical manifestation of the Divine, there can be
nothing in the universe which does not partake of the
nature of the Divine; hence, the powers and attributes
of the Divine exist also in the manifest, though to much
smaller degree.
1553
b) These powers can be awakened through the various
techniques of the Mysteries, and, although they are only
capable of small effects in and of themselves, it is
possible to use them in order to draw upon the forces of
the universe. Thus humanity can be the wielders of the
power of the Gods, a channel for Godhead to act within
It's own manifestation. This, many feel, is further reason
for the oath of secrecy.
c) Since the universe is the body of the One, possessing
many of the same attributes as the One, it's Laws must be the
principles through and by which the One operates. By
reasoning from the known to the unknown, one can learn
of the Divine, and thus of oneself. By experiencing the Mysteries
a person can truly LEARN more about the One. Thus the Craft is a
natural religion as well as a MYSTERY religion, seeing in Nature
the expression and revelation of Divinity.
5. We know that everything in the universe is in movement or vibration
and is a function of that vibration. Everything vibrates; all things
rise and fall in a tidal system that reflects the motion inherent in
the universe and also in the atom. Matter and energy are but two
poles of one continuous phenomenon. Therefore the Witch celebrates,
harmonizes with, and makes use of the tides of the universe and of
life as expressed through the cycle of the seasons and the motion of
the solar system. These ritual observances are the eight great
Festivals of the Year, referred to as the Wheel of the Year. Further,
the Witch works with the forces and tides of the Moon, for this body
is the mediator of much energy to our planet Earth and thus to oursel-
ves.
6. Nothing is dead matter in the universe. All things exist,
therefore all things live, though perhaps in a different manner from
that which we are used to calling life. In view of this, the Witch
knows that there is no true death, only change from one condition to
another. The universe is the body of Godhead, and therefore
possesses one transcendent consciousness; all things partake of the
consciousness, in varying levels of trance/awareness.
a) Because of this principle, all things are sacred to
the Witch, for all partake of the one Life.
b) Therefore the Witch is a natural ecologist, for Nature
is part of us as we are a part of Nature.
7. Throughout the development of the human race, civilizations have
seen and worshipped many and various attributes of the Divine. These
universal forces have been clothed in forms which were expressive to
the worshipper of the attribute of the Godhead which they expressed.
Use of these symbolic representations of the natural and divine forces
of the universe, or god forms, is a potent method for contacting and
utilizing the forces they represent. Thus the Gods are both natural
and truly divine, and man-made in that the forms with which they are
clothed are products of humanity's striving to know the Godhead.
1554
a) In keeping with the Law of Polarity, these god-forms
are brought into harmony by the one great Law which
states: All Gods are one God. All Goddesses are one
Goddess. There is one Initiator. This law is an
expression of our understanding that all of the forces of
the universe, by whatever ethnic god-form is chosen to
clothe and relate to whichever force, can be resolved
into the fundamental polarity of the Godhead, the Great
Mother and the All-Father.
b) It is the use of differing god forms, of differing
ethnic sources or periods, which is the basis of many of
the differences between the various Traditions of the
Craft. Each Tradition uses the forms, and thus the names,
which to that Tradition best express and awaken an
understanding of the force represented, according to the
areas of emphasis of the Tradition.
c) Because we know that differing names or
representations are but expressions of the same divine
principles and forces, we require our members to swear
that they will never mock the names by which another
honors the Divine, even though those names be different
from and seemingly less expressive than the names and god
forms used by our Tradition (for to the members of
another Tradition, using it's names, ours may easily seem
equally less expressive).
8. A Witch refuses to allow her/himself to be corrupted by the great
guilt neuroses which have been foisted on humanity in the name of the
Divine, thus freeing the self of the slavery of the mind. The Witch
expresses responsibility for her/his actions, and accepts the conse-
quences of them; guilt is rejected as inhibiting to one's self-actual-
ization, and replaced by the efforts of the Witch to obey the teach-
ings of harmlessness, responsibility for the consequences of one's
actions, and the goal of actualizing the full powers of the individ-
ual.
a) We refuse to believe that a human being is born
innately sinful, and recognize the concepts of sin and
guilt are tremendously inhibiting to the human potential;
the consequences of the Law of Cause and Effect, called
karma by some, are not punishment, but the recurrences of
situations and their effects because the individual has
not gained the Wisdom needed to handle or avoid such
situations.
b) There is no heaven except that which we ourselves make
of our life on Earth, and likewise there is no hell
except the effects of our unwise actions. Many of us believe
in a "waiting place" sometimes called Summerland where we rest,
recuperate and prepare for our next sojurn in the earth. "Death
is not followed by punishment or reward, but by life and the
continuing personal evolution of our human potential.
1555
c) One cannot damn the divine in oneself; one can,
however, cut oneself off from it through the rejection of
wisdom and a refusal to strive for self-realization.
This cutting off does not lead to personal suffering in
"hell", for there is no Self to suffer if the tie to
one's own divinity has been severed; what remains is
merely an empty shell, a "personality" or thought-form
devoid of it's ensouling Spark of the Divine Fire.
9. We know of the existence of the life-force which ensouls all
living things, that is, all that exists. We know that a spark of
this Divine Fire is within each and every thing that exists, and that
it does not die; only the form of it's existence changes. We know that
this spark of the life-force returns to manifestation again and again
in order to fully realize and actualize it's potential, evolving
finally to the peak and essence of existence which is pure being. In
this process of reincarnation each form returns in the same type of
form, though it's ever-increasing actualization may lead to higher
levels of existence of that form. Man returns as man, cat as feline,
mineral as mineral, each class of form evolving as the individual
forms of that class evolve.
10. This process of evolution through successive incarnations in
manifest form works through the utilizations of wisdom gained, the
essence of the life-experience. This essence of experience, or Wisdom,
is an attribute of the spark of life itself, one and inseparable.
11. We must care for the body, for it is the vehicle of the spark of
life, the form by which we attain. Thus we must heal the body of it's
ills and keep it a tuned and perfected tool; so must we heal others
(both physically and psychologically) as far as it is within our power
to do so. However, we cannot interfere with the life of another, even
to heal, except at their request or with their express permission.
The reasoning behind this apparent limitation is that we are endowed
with Free Will, and what the Gods themselves hesitate to infringe
upon, is best left alone by us "mere" mortals.
13. Harmony with, and utilization of, the great natural forces of the
universe is called magick. By magick we speak, not of the super-
natural, but of the superbly natural, but whose laws and applications
are not as yet recognized by the scientific establishment. The Witch
must strive to recognize these forces, learn their laws, attune
her/himself to them, and make use of them. The Witch must also be
aware that power corrupts when used _only_ for the gains of the self,
and therefore must strive to serve humanity: Either through the
service in the Priesthood, or by example and effects of his/her life
on others. The choice must be made in accord with the true nature of
the Witch.
1556
MONISM, One Wiccan Perspective
Durwydd MacTara
"Henotheism n. Belief in one god without denying the existence of
others." (American Heritage Second College Dictionary)
"Monism n. philos. A metaphysical system in which reality is conceived
as a unified whole." (American Heritage Second College
Dictionary)
"Monotheism n. The belief or doctrine that there is only one God."
(American Heritage Second College Dictionary)
"Pantheism n. 1. The doctrine identifying the Deity with the various
forces and workings of nature. 2. Belief in and worship o f
all gods." (American Heritage Second College Dic tionary)
"Polytheism n. The worship of or belief in more than one god." (Ameri
can Heritage Second College Dictionary)
"To witches, deities manifest in different ways and can be
worshipped and contacted through any form suitable to local
conditions and personal needs. Wicca does not believe, as do
the patriarchal monotheisms, that there is only one correct
version of God and that all other God forms are false: the
Gods of Wicca are not jealous Gods. We therefore worship the
personification of the male and female principles, the God and
the Goddess, recognizing that Gods are aspects of the One God
and all Goddesses are different aspects of the one Goddess,
and that ultimately these two are reconciled in the one divine
essence."
(Vivianne Crowley, WICCA: The Old Religion in The New Age,pp.
11-12)
Vivianne Crowley, a very capable spokesperson for British Traditional
Wicca, identifies the core belief of Wicca (at least BTW) as Monism in
the piece quoted above. However, she also opens the door to defining
Wicca as duotheistic in principle with the subdivision of the monist
reality into the praxis of worshiping both Lord and Lady.
However, there is yet a THIRD level of obscurity in Wiccan Praxis!
Most Wiccans worship a threefold Goddess (Maid, Mother, and Crone) and
many also worship at least a twofold God. So, are the Wicca REALLY
polytheists or perhaps pantheists or even modified Henotheists as some
have claimed? Or, perhaps, a new category altogether needs to be
invented to accurately describe Wiccan belief and practice.
One suggestionhas beenmade toadd aword to ourThea/Theo-logi-
cal lexicon, perhaps "Cthonotheism" (provided we MUST have a "Theism")
to describe "Theistic Wicca". One advantage is that it makes the
assumption of worshipping that which was there to be found and wor-
shipped, NOT a Deity or deities invented in 1939! (More on this
later.)
1557
The following is the only published copy of the (Gardnerian) Blessing
Prayer that I know of.
"In the name of Dryghtyn, the Ancient Providence,
Who was from the beginning and is for eternity,
Male and Female, the Original Source of all things;
all-knowing, all-pervading, all-powerful;
changeless, eternal.
"In the name of the Lady of the Moon,
and the Lord of Death and Resurrection.
"In the name of the Mighty Ones of the Four Quarters,
the Kings of the Elements.
"Blessed be this place, and this time,
and they who are now with us."
("Witch Blood! The Diary Of A Witch High
Priestess!" by Patricia Crowther in chapter
four (paperback edition 1974, House Of Collec-
tibles, Inc.).) Courtesy of David Piper
The Gawain Poet (the poet who wrote Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight in Middle English) used the term 'Dryghtyn' to refer to the
Lord God.
At the start of fit IV -
"Now neghes the Newe Yere and the night passes,
The day drives to the derk, as Dryghtyn biddes."
("Now approaches the New Year and the night passes,
The daylight comes up on the darkness, as the Lord God bids."
or from Brian Stowes verse translation (Penguin Classics, 1974) -
"Now the New Year neared, the night passed,
Daylight fought darkness as the Deity ordained.")
Grendel Grettison, an Asatruar from Seattle suggests the "Dryghtyn"
may be an alternative spelling of the Teutonic "Drighten" meaning
"Lord". I admit this is interesting, to me, as the closeness of the
linguistic link between the Old English and Old German languages has
been a scholarly "fact" widely known for many years. Supporting this
view, the Anglo-Saxon (Old English) word was actually 'dryhtin', meant
'lord, the Lord' and is linguistically related to 'dreogan' meaning
'to perform, to serve'.
1558
As a side issue, this might be some evidence that runs contrary to the
thesis put forth by Aidan Kelly that Gerald Gardner "manufactured"
Wicca in 1939. From personal experience, I have found that one unique
distinction of the non BTW strains of Witchcraft (some times called
"FamTrads" of Family Traditions) is the incorporation of old Christian
Imagery, often including ArchAngels for the four directions or elem-
ents. Though this instance does not include Archangels, it DOES
include archaic (and relatively unknown) Christian terminology. If
Gardner did discover a remnant of the Old Religion upon which he based
his modern reconstruction effort, it is this sort of linguistic
"artifact" which would have survived. Perhaps a more scholarly
investigation than mr. Kelly's will "turn up" more evidence?
Jim Taylor, an Eastern Orthodox Theologian, also makes two (to me)
illuminating statements, concerning "The Dryghtyn Prayer":
1. "'In the name of Dryghtyn, the Ancient Providence,
Who was from the beginning and is for eternity,
Male and Female, the Original Source of all things;
all-knowing, all-pervading, all-powerful;
changeless, eternal.'
This would be, entirely, an acceptable way of describing God, both for
most Jews and for most Christians."
AND
2. "'In the name of the Lady of the Moon,
and the Lord of Death and Resurrection.'
The Lord of Death and Resurrection would seem, to any Christian to
refer to Jesus Christ."
This evidence of a possible mixing of an older (unrecorded) Christian
Prayer may lend further credence to Gardners' claims of building on an
older, hidden, traditional remnant.
I, personally, also agree with Mr. Taylors' statement that "the idea
of Wicca being 'manufactured' in 1939 is far too pat, and ignores a
great deal which ought not to be ignored. At the very least, some
degree of recognition should be accorded to the obvious fact that
most Wiccan practices and attitudes predate Wicca by considerable
periods of time--possibly even millennia".
The existence of Monism, Duotheism, and Polytheism simultaneously in
the belief structure of Wicca is one good example of one of the Five
Mysteries of Wicca, that of Union. Wicca is a mystery religion, a
PARTICIPATORY religion, and much of its symbology must be lived and
practiced to have meaning because much of the real (some say hidden
meaning is based on the knowledge of experience and not the intellec-
tual knowledge of mere logic and conscious thought processes.
I am an eclectic Wiccan with strong ties in my beliefs and practice to
British Traditional Wicca. I am a Monist, yet I have had strong
direct experience with Brigid, Danu, and the Morrigan as well as the
Earth Mother and the Horned Lord of the Forests. So my personal
answer to the question of "What kind of Theism fits Theistic Wicca?"
is "several, or none; it is not really a valid question in those
limited terms"! But perhaps the concept of "Cthonotheism" would give
a better label to this concept when attempting to discuss the idea of
the peculiar theism unique to Wicca?
Blessed Be,
Durwydd MacTara
1559
Air Meditation
(taken from the WICCA echo on Sun 24 Jan 93 22:17)
It is dawn. I find myself in a forest filled with Aspen trees.
I raise my eyes and look for the sky, but the boughs looming
overhead hide it from my view. As I look up, feel the cool
breeze of spring brush my face, and hear the sound of the
rustling leaves. Blowing, laughing from the east, Eurus brings
thoughts of renewal and life. I follow the wind further into the
soft shadows of the forest, inhaling deeply the strong scent of
the trees. I smell, too, the wafting hints of fragrant incense.
I follow where my senses lead me and come to a small clearing
circled by burning censers filled with sweet-smelling oils.
Toward the east end of the circle is a staff. I walk over to the
place and sit on the ground before it. I take the staff into my
hands and close my eyes. First come swirling colors of white
then yellow then fading darker into lavender. Then, out of the
swirling fog of colors come dozens of small, lithe figures who
swirl around as if carried on the wind itself. They dance around
my head and body, swirling around as if caught in a dance to
unheard music. Then, taking my attention from the spirits of the
air, I look up to find further figures emerging from the mist.
First comes a woman with the beauty of the dawn. As she steps
forward, each of the four winds, in turn, hasten from around here
and fly, one to each of the four corners of the earth. As she
fades, there comes another whose form seems insubstantial, and
seems to constitute both the image of a woman and a cow at the
same time. I look closely the attempt to solidify one form, but
I cannot. As this image fades, I am presented with the forms of
two women who immediately remind me of the nighttime sky. One
glows with the pale light of the full moon, and her eyes hold the
fullness of hidden knowledge. The other, whom also seems to
radiate cool starlight, seems to embody the possibilities of many
lifetimes. In due course, these figures too fade and I am left
with only the mist of the elemental world of air. Suddenly,
three male figures issue from the mist. They seem to be three
aspects of one man, but each's attributes differ. The first
glows with the light of the moon, seeming to be its protector.
The second and third appear almost identical, except that one has
a winged helmet and shoes. As I sit and study the sameness and
difference of the three, they begin to fade, as does the fog.
When the mist clears, I find myself sitting within the circle
still clutching the staff in my hands. I place the staff once
again on the ground and rise. I thank the element of air, and
all it is associated with for sharing with me its wisdom, and
leave the circle.
Charis
---
* PALLAS ATHENA, Atlanta, Georgia 404-920-1349 (93:9603/0)
1560
Re: Symbolism
Classification: IT.IV.C.2.e
Title: Symbolism
Author: Grand Master of the Order of Shuti
Temple of Set
Date: December, XXIV
Published: Dialogues I.3
(The section on "Neters" was published in
issue I.4)
Subject: Symbolism
Reading List: 2L, 2V
[copyright 1989, Temple of Set. Permission for electronic distr-
ibution by echo and on PODS has been given by the author. Do not copy
or distribute further without permission of the author or the Temple
of Set.]
The first session of the year-XXIV Order of Shuti Workshop discussed
symbolism.
While the study of symbolism itself is not a primary concern of the
Order of Shuti, several of the Order's activities do involve working
with forms of symbolism, or are discussed using various symbols.
The symbols of the twin lion gods, Shu and Tefnut, who together are
Shuti, are obviously of importance in understanding the activities
of the Order. The topic of symbolism was therefore chosen for the
introductory session of the workshop.
Application
In discussing this session and what would be discussed, the Grand
Master stressed that symbolism wasn't to be discussed simply as an
intellectual exercise, but that all participants should try to
apply the Setian yardstick of "application" to this discussion.
Each and every topic of this session (and all sessions in the
workshop) should be measured by the questions of a) Can it be
applied? b) Is it useful? c) Does it work?
What is symbolism?
One answer suggested by workshop participants is that symbolism is
a language of the unconscious.
It is a dynamic language in which one image, a single symbol, can
conjure up archetypical impressions, complex or complete concepts
and/or meanings, rather than being a structured language in which
many words and/or several sentences are needed to put together an
equivalent concept or meaning.
Another purpose of symbolism offered by the participants is to
serve as a metalanguage which has two levels or multiple levels of
meaning.
1561
Each symbol or set of symbols can have one meaning to the
initiated, and another meaning to the uninitiated. That symbol or
set of symbols could also have /different/ meanings to the
initiated, depending upon how the symbols are communicated, and how
they are mixed with other symbols. A statement in a symbolic
language could even have multiple meanings communicated at the same
time to the same person.
A lot of the symbols Setians use in our writings are like that.
When we read through the _Scroll of Set_ or the jewelled Tablets,
those of us who have been using the language of the Temple of Set
for a while will see certain words, and will know just from the way
the words are used that the author is writing symbolically as well
as grammatically, and he therefore means "this type of thing".
This symbolic use of language lets us add meaning to an article
without adding substantially to the size of that article.
Those who haven't been in the Temple of Set long enough to pick up
on that symbolic use of language will miss almost all of that
meaning on their first reading.
This is one of the reasons why we all find it useful to reread past
issues of the _Scroll_ and to reread Tablet articles. It enables
us to read meaning in an article that we may have missed on an
earlier reading.
It sometimes happens that "unintended" meaning is found in an
article during such a rereading.
Even though the author may not have consciously intended to convey
a certain meaning, that author's Higher Self may have influenced
the writing in such a way as to symbolically give a specific
message in the writing. These messages remain hidden except for
those who can perceive and understand them.
On the other side of the scale, if our writings are read by someone
totally unfamiliar with occult symbolism, then the message can be
totally lost, and the reader may never see it.
Symbolism can be visual (examples are the Pentagram of Set,
pictures of the Egyptian Neters, etc), and verbal (the closing we
use on our letters, "Xeper and Remanifest", is a statement and
reminder of our dedication to this Formula, a way of developing and
keeping the habit of Xeper and Remanifestation going strong).
Each Word itself is a symbol (Xeper, Indulgence, Thelema, etc.),
as is each Neter (Shu, Tefnut, Sekhmet, Bast). A lot of principles
can be used as symbols which have more meaning to the initiated
than they do to those who just read about them in a dictionary.
Visual and verbal/written symbols involve just one of our senses
(sight). If you include verbal/spoken symbols, we then involve a
second sense (hearing). We then asked the question, "Are there
symbols which are perceived and communicated through each of our
other senses?"
1562
The first examples offered by workshop participants were incense
and music: Incense can bring about different emotions and responses
through the sense of smell. Music can bring about different
responses through the sense of hearing, in ways totally different
than the verbal symbols do (the difference between right brained
behavior and left brained behavior).
Where does symbolism come from?
When dealing with incense and music, we are leaving the mental
processes and intellectual reactions that visual symbols will
evoke, and going instead to the more reactive, bodily, reactions.
We react to the smell of bodily feces with distaste because of the
body's reaction to that sort of an input. We find the fragrance
of a rose very pleasing.
One of the reasons we use fragrant incenses during a ritual is to
bring about bodily reactions which enhance a ceremony because of
the smells and our reactions to the smells.
The discussion of one question leads to another. We learn the
reactions / interpretations / meanings of visual and verbal symbols
(at least those discussed above). Do we also learn reactions to
incenses and music, or are those reactions more innate?
The first response was that our reactions and interpretations, even
our likes and dislikes of music are learned.
The example given was classical music, which strikes some people
as very soothing and relaxing, and which is likely to put these
people to sleep. But others who are aware of the intelligent
dynamics and many other ingredients of classical music will find
the same music very stimulating.
(We believe that the workshop participant was thinking about the
lighter classical pieces, such as "Tales from the Vienna Woods,"
and not the more active pieces such as "Night on Bald Mountain.")
The second response disagreed with the first, pointing out that
regardless of whether they are used in classical, modern, or any
other form of music, harps and strings tend to evoke emotional
(peaceful) moods, while drums are more primal and physical, evoking
more active responses.
The next example we discussed referred to the sense of smell. To
a farmer, feces and fertilizer are pleasing and filled with
promise, a smell of promised growth and life, a totally different
reaction than most people will have (especially after scraping a
dog's refuse off the bottom of one's shoe).
Similarly, an inlander's first pleasant reaction to sea gulls on
wing, grace in motion, can be compared to the reaction of those who
live on the beach and have to live with the noise and the mess and
the droppings left behind by those very same sea gulls.
These examples tend to support the theory that we learn our
interpretations of the sounds and smells around us.
1563
It seems from these examples that our reactions to inputs are
learned, or at least they arise from our experiences. The question
then becomes, can symbols have innate visceral responses, or is the
response to a symbol necessarily a learned one?
To look at innate responses, the original responses to stimuli, we
necessarily looked at children.
For instance, children generally have no innate response to feces,
and will often eat them until they learn not to. They later learn
to either react with disgust to feces, or to view them as
fertilizer and the source of life.
The first example of a possibly innate response brought to the
discussion was that of the ephemeral beauty of a butterfly on the
wing. None of the participants could envision any child's reaction
other than awe and delight at such beauty (or at least none would
admit to any other vision).
This brought forth remarks concerning innate childish "awe", where
almost everything is new and wonderful.
Children as they begin to distinguish between the multiple events
and objects in their world are simply delighted at the beauty and
diversity they find around them. There is no "evil" during this
time -- only the beauty of nature.
Few of us have any reason to unlearn this initial response to the
butterfly. These reactions can therefore be considered innate,
stemming from the earliest days of our consciousness. Other
reactions, unpleasant reactions and also more complex reactions,
seem to be learned over time.
Therefore, there's some of both types of reactions. People will
have initial reactions to many meaningful symbols and inputs, but
their reactions can be modified by their experience and training.
This discussion raised yet more questions, for which no answers
were attempted during this workshop. The questions were, how much
of our symbolism is learned, and how much of our symbolism is
innate? And if some form of consciousness or memory can survive
from one life to another, then how much might be remembered from
past lives?
Symbols may or may not come to one's attention. An extremely
visually-oriented person may not notice or respond to other types
of symbols, such as a room's smell, or a background level of music,
while those who are oriented towards those senses will respond to
those inputs, but perhaps not to others.
Symbolism may have personal and/or experiential meaning (such as
the manure used to plant your garden or that you step in), or
symbolism may be abstract (learned and used in writing, teaching,
or jewelry, but not something that's impacted upon you in the
past). This is the difference between a) the visceral response,
which may be innate and may also be a learned response, modified
through experience or training, and b) the mental response which
must always be learned or developed.
1564
The Grand Master wishes to note that the discussion at this point
had unintentionally left the strict topic of symbolism, and was
dealing instead with experience and reaction to stimuli, on the
unspoken assumption that these reactions applied to our use of
symbolism.
We feel this to be a valid assumption, since the pleasant reaction
we have to a butterfly or to a unicorn extends to and impacts our
use of those images as symbols. Those with differing reactions to
sea gulls as described above would similarly have different
reactions to Johnathon Livingston Seagull's story.
Also, by concentrating on experience and reaction rather than
symbolism, we temporarily lost sight of the most important measure
of symbolism -- that of meaning.
Yes, music has impact, but that music is symbol only if its impact
includes meaning, such as the sense of freedom and power that
accompanies the visual image of the "Flight of the Valkyries" and
similar images of meaning those who are familiar with the movie
will get from various pieces in the sound track from 2001.
Likewise incense is symbol only if its impact includes meaning.
That meaning may be supplied by the smell, or that meaning may be
supplied by knowledge of the ingredients within the incense.
Meaning may also be supplied by the words used during the censing
of the chambre. Without some meaning, incense is not symbol, but
only smell.
Closely related to the sense of smell is the sense of taste, and
it's fairly easy to see that certain tastes can have meaning as
well.
During Passover Seder, a ritual meal of thanksgiving and freedom
(celebrating the Exodus), Jews will dip greens into salt water and
eat the salty greens, to remind them of tears shed by the Jews in
bondage. They will eat bitter herbs to remind them of the
bitterness of slavery.
Likewise, there can be kinesthetic symbols as well.
We feel different when we hold a sword in ritual as opposed to when
we hold a dagger. We feel different when we are standing up than
we feel when we are sitting down, and different still when we are
kneeling or laying down. We feel different in charged rooms, dry
rooms, wet rooms, hot rooms, cold rooms, still rooms, breezy rooms.
Uncontrolled, these latter experiences are just stimuli.
Controlled and used meaningfully, these latter experiences can be
symbols, manipulated and understood as such.
How should symbolism be used?
The first obvious use of symbolism is in the communication of
ideas, whether written, spoken, or communicated through one or more
other senses.
1565
Based on the idea that a single symbol can have a whole galaxy of
meaning, a useful communications skill is the ability to use
symbols in the proper places, in the proper ways, to communicate
more meaning in a smaller package (with fewer words).
Perhaps of greatest importance within the Temple of Set are the
magical aeonic Words: Xeper, Remanifestation, and Xem, and the
preceding Words of Indulgence and Thelema. By using these Words
in writing or other forms of communication, we communicate the
meanings associated with those Words.
If I say the word "Xeper" to an initiate, it means something
totally different than it would mean to someone off the street, and
it means something totally different to a Setian than it would mean
to an Egyptologist who /thinks/ he knows the Egyptian god Xepera.
Our use of the Word is quite different and the symbol carries so
much more meaning than just the word "Xeper" would carry in a
modern Egyptian dictionary.
This use of symbolism doesn't apply just to magical Words or
Formulae, but applies to symbols of many different kinds, in many
different uses.
You'll sometimes find certain words capitalized in text, as are
"Words" and "Formulae" above. When not overly used, this is a
clear indication that the author wishes you to view these words
with their symbolic meanings, rather than their normal meanings.
During group ritual, certain words will be spoken more
flamboyantly, perhaps louder, perhaps longer, and often with more
gesturing. These words are then generally being used symbolically,
with special meaning at least to the speaker, if not to other
participants.
Symbolism can also be used in Lesser Black Magic, as tools to
influence certain people (singular or multiple) in certain ways.
The magician (or politician or religious leader or arts director
or other manipulator) will use lighting, music, fragrance, and
other symbols in ways particular to their audience's response to
the symbols.
Symbolism can be used upon ourselves in a similar manner, to bring
out responses from us that we want to bring out, as in ritual or
as an aid to Xeper.
Words which have become symbols to us can be used as a means of
increased concentration, as a visual mantra or as a sensual mantra.
Such mantras can be used in ritual, in nonritual meditation, or
whenever we choose to remind ourselves of the principles carried
within that symbol.
Over time, some symbols can become richer and can carry more and
more meaning to those people who work with the symbol.
These symbols can become "magnetic", in that each use of the symbol
brings forth yet another repetition of the symbol. Each reference
brings forth a constellation of meaning, with one meaning and use
leading to another. Each use of the symbol sparks, or attracts,
another use of the symbol.
1566
In these cases the symbols will often be repeated over and over
throughout a conversation or other communication, each time
exercising one or more of those meanings, and through the course
of the communication this symbol can almost hold or reflect an
entire world view. This is the way the people influenced by the
symbol see their world.
At a political rally the symbol might be "America", "Democracy",
or "the Party" (citizens of other countries may substitute those
symbols meaningful in your domain). To some, the symbol might be
"the Environment".
The symbol "Xeper" has a similar impact within the Setian culture.
Group consensus is important for communication through symbols.
Different groups can have differing uses of symbols, and attempts
to communicate between these groups using the symbols particular
to one group (or those symbols which are viewed differently by
different groups) can result in confusion or worse.
Because Setians come from such diverse backgrounds, we have various
communication problems related to these diverse backgrounds.
Members from the O.T.O. may know all of the Qabalic
correspondences, while members from the Wiccan background couldn't
care less about the Qabalic attributions, and have correspondences
which are totally different. Numerologists apply different
meanings to their numbers than do the Qabalists. And all of these
symbolic systems work.
But very, very few of them work for all Setians.
Qabalists within the Temple of Set who write articles and/or
letters steeped in Qabalic symbolism find that very few others care
enough about their symbols to wade through the text. Those from
other backgrounds with intensive use of symbols similarly find
difficulty communicating within the Temple of Set, since our
symbolic vocabulary is so much less cohesive.
This lack of similarity in symbolism affects not only written
communication, but also ritual activity.
Each pylon seems to develop its own pattern of symbolism, and
inter-pylon rituals can at times be very difficult. Fitting many
diverse magicians with their diverse backgrounds into one
meaningful ceremony can be a challenge, a challenge faced at each
Conclave, and at each activity like the Order of Shuti Workshop.
1567
Language of the Unconscious?{fn 1}
The first question asked by the Grand Master was, "What is
symbolism?" The first answer received was, "A language of the
unconscious."
Parts of the workshop's discussion might seem to support this
definition, while others contradict it. So let the Grand Master
speak:
Symbols have many attributes. Among the more important of these
attributes is their ability to cause reaction in their audience,
visceral if not innate reactions, as discussed above.
Elizabeth S. Helfman, in her book _Signs and Symbols around the
World_, defines symbol as being: "anything that stands for
something else."
Look in your dictionary. Mine includes several definitions of
symbol and symbolism, including:
>> Symbol: 2: something that stands for or suggests something
else
by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental
resemblance. 5: an act, sound, or object having cultural
significance and the capacity to excite or objectify a response.
>> Symbolism: 1: the art or practice of using symols esp. by
investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the
invisible or intangible by means of visible or sensuous
representations; as a: the use of conventional or traditional
signs
in the representation of divine beings and spirits, b: artistic
imitation or invention that is a method of revealing or
suggesting
immaterial, ideal, or otherwise intangible truth or states. 2: a
system of symbols or representations.
Symbolism is an art, a practice, something which is done. It is
used to communicate meaning. It is a language.
Our visceral responses to symbolism may be unconscious, but if
that's all there is, then have we received and/or responded to
meaning?
The transmission and communication of *Meaning* requires some
form
of consciousness.
Let's use the word /Awake/ to mean the highest form of
consciousness. Remember -- the capital letter indicates I'm
using
a symbol; Setian use of this specific symbol (Awake) most often
refers to Ouspenski's heightened state of consciousness and
awareness, a state of being totally awake.
1568
For simplicity, let's assign a whole range of various levels of
conscious awareness to the name "conscious". This name can apply
to heightened states of consciousness which those we would call
Awake, those that barely miss being Awake, down to the almost
somnabulent states in which most of mankind spends their day.
Finally, I would call the preconscious state one of consciousness
in this case, a state in which meaning can be received,
interpreted, and acted upon, without the individual being
"consiously" aware that this has happened. But if the
individual's
attention is brought to the subject, then the symbol and its
meaning can be recalled and the process repeated without any
difficulty.
If symbols are generated and communicated, if they are
transmitted
and received, in one of these three states, then I believe we can
correctly talk about symbolism, about language.
However, if the generation and/or reception of the symbol is
unconscious, and/or totally unintended, then I propose that that
instance is not an example of symbolism, not language or
communication, but rather the accidental generation of and/or
visceral response to sensory input.
[Now let us return to the discussion as it took place in the
workshop...]
Planetary Symbol System?
We know there are differences in the meanings of many symbols.
"Patriotism" can be exceedingly important to a Republican and
also
to a Libertarian, but the meanings that this symbol will have can
be quite different in many ways.
This leads us to ask the question of whether there might perhaps
be a "planetary symbol system" in which some symbols at least can
be found commonly used in many or all cultures.
The cross, square, circle, and most or all simple symbols have
been
found in use all over the earth. We therefore can ask whether
their meanings are similar, or are the symbols used simply
because
they are simple geometric figures, but with meanings arbitrarily
assigned by the individual cultures?
One participant brought forth Ouspenski's example that "Table"
has
a function, an innate form or essence, which can be perceived
beyond words, and beyond a learned experience.
"Table" provokes an image, feeling, or essence that is evoked
through a willed perception that extends beyond the actual set of
tables that a person may have ever experienced.
1569
Ouspenski claims that at a certain state of consciousness the
Aware
individual can see this deeper meaning or essence, and that this
deeper meaning or essence can be commonly perceived by all who
reach this level of consciousness.
Similar ideas were offered by Plato, and the concept of Platonic
Forms is very prevalent throughout the Setian use of symbolism.
We often speak of the Egyptian Neters as being Forms, the
original or specific essence of an Ideal.
This is certainly an area that needs deeper investigation. The
workshop session discussion however left the topic of abstract
Forms, and instead investigated the historic use of symbols in
various cultures.
Looking first at the more complex god forms, it seems each major
culture has a "trickster" god: Coyote fills this niche in several
Amerindian cultures, Loki in the Norse mythos, and Thoth (Hermes
and Mercury) in the Egyptian (Greek and Roman) mythologies.
The Trickster is that Spirit who makes you Think. He is the Spirit
who is unpredictable in his actions or reactions, who gets himself
and everyone else into trouble. In the process of doing so -- most
often after everyone is already in trouble -- he makes people
Think, and in the end he generally gets everyone out of trouble by
thinking.
To represent the Trickster, each culture used that type of symbol
or god form which for them was most appropriate for that type of
character.
The coyote is a fairly independent and hard to track animal in
America, requiring more than the usual amount of intelligence and
stealth to catch. Monkeys similarly were appreciated for their
seeming intelligence and playfulness, and so Egyptians assigned the
Trickster attribute and the monkey's form to Thoth.
The question becomes ... is this type of being, this symbol,
something which is universal, cross-cultural, or is it something
which happens in just a few cases, and many other societies never
had any use for it?
Jung was exploring this area. He defined specific symbols which
he felt were common to many or all cultures. They were fairly
common within his culture and Jung did manage to validate them with
some cross-cultural study.
We still need to ask how complete his studies were, how extensive
and wide spread.
Given people in extremely different environments, such as the
Eskimo, Hawaiian, Indian, Tibetan, etc., cultures where the people
have many different experiences, totally different social and
physical environments, it can be expected that these people would
have very different reactions to the symbols that Jung thought he
had commonality on.
1570
Jung's _Man and his Symbol_ was recommended by one participant as
containing documentation on his cross-cultural studies in this
area.
Not having access to any resource materials that would answer our
questions at the time, the workshop session then proceeded into the
topic of Egyptian Neters and the use of Neters in symbolism.
Neters
The Workshop discussion of Egyptian Neters started with a brief
discussion of the Egyptian languages.
The ancient Egyptians used three different written languages, the
hieroglyphic, hieratic, and demotic.
The demotic language was a mostly alphabetic language used for
common communications among those who could read and write. Its
primary uses were for social and business reasons.
The hieratic language was a pictographic language related to the
hieroglyphic, but in which the pictographs were abbreviated and
simplified to speed writing. It was used for important state
documents and many later religious texts.
The hieroglyphic language was the most ornate of the three
languages, the most ancient of the three languages, and the most
symbolic. It was used for the most important religious and
philosophical statements, and for the most important state
declarations.
Many of the symbols used to form the hieroglyphic language had
assigned sounds, and many others did not. In addition to the
sounds and symbols used to form words, the Egyptians used
determinatives, signs added to specifically identify each word.
Through the use of the determinative, it was impossible to mistake
one written word for another, even if verbal sounds were the same,
even if the letters used were the same.
This use of a purely symbolic, picture-oriented language encouraged
the ability in the learned ancient Egyptians to think with right
brained methods while doing the left brain activity of reading.
It also encouraged these educated and intelligent Egyptians to work
with symbols as they worked with language. They were able to
communicate ideas and ideals in a language particularly well suited
to this purpose.
Setians use the ancient Egyptian neters as symbols, representing
aspects of the world, or aspects of the individual. We feel this
is very close to the way the higher initiates of the ancient
Egyptian Temples, the priests of the Temples, and the smarter
pharaohs used and viewed their neters. The neters were concepts
that could be communicated to and shared among the initiated,
rather than being actual gods and goddesses.
1571
The common man may very well have believed in the literal existence
of his many gods and goddesses, but we believe the elite of the
Egyptian society understood that these neters were purely symbols.
When the Egyptian elite paid homage to the neters, they paid homage
to the aspects of the universe or of the self represented by those
neters.
One neter of obvious importance is Set. In dealing with this
symbol, we try to identify the original meaning of the symbol, and
try to eliminate the corruptions of the symbol imposed by the later
rule of Osirian religion.
Rather than take space here to discuss the corruptions and
distortions that were applied to the symbol of the neter Set
through the Osirian culture, we'll simply refer the interested
student to appropriate books in the reading list: 2A, 2E, 2G, 2W,
and 2AA.
It is rather clear that the use and peripheral meanings of the
neter Set changed over time. The study of Set must therefore
include the careful consideration of the source of whatever
writings are being studied. Fortunately most other Egyptian
symbols/god forms did not change significantly over time, and such
care need not be used in studying and working with them.
The neters were used and viewed as symbols. But the Egyptian
temples _were_ temples, and were recognized as religions, not
simply as centers of enlightened philosophy. This brings up the
question: Do/did the Egyptian Neters actually exist? Were these
religions founded to worship or work with beings that actually
existed? Or were they simply the creations of the ancient Egyptian
priesthoods?
Rather than tackle immediately the question of whether the Neters
actually existed, workshop participants first chose to examine ...
Egyptian Priesthoods
The first statement made about these priesthoods was that each
temple in Egypt taught a different area of philosophy or knowledge.
Those temples dedicated to a major neter or god taught that their
primal Form was the First Cause. These were the major temples of
the land, and an initiate who studied at temple after temple would
be presented with the opposing claims that each god was the god,
The Creator.
We noted in our discussion that the priesthoods of several of the
"minor" neters did not make any such claims. Thoth as a single
neter never seemed to be treated as the creator god; nor was Geb.
However, many of the major neters were treated as creator gods, and
many gods were intentionally combined into units (such as
Amon-Thoth-Ra) in order to form a god which would be powerful
enough to qualify as The creator god.
1572
Neters as Symbols
We returned to discussing the neters as ways of viewing possibility
and potentiality, and ways of viewing different aspects of the
universe and of the individual.
For example, Ra, the sun god, was a most pervasive and powerful
being, since every single day, there he is in the sky. Ra was
consistent, reliable, and therefore powerful.
Similarly each force in nature was given a personality, because
each force in nature has a personality (or seems to, to those who
humanize such things). This is the basic principle behind most
spirits of most animistic religions.
These personalities are generally reliable. A rain cloud is going
to rain; it isn't going to add to the day's heat. The Nile was not
going to dry up -- it was going to overflow once a year, and
deposit good, rich, fertile earth upon the ground. Each force of
nature, each personality, was given a name, a face, and a story.
The most powerful stories, faces, and names are those that belong
to the creator gods. There are so many creator gods, that it's
really difficult to pin down an actual order of precedence.
This brings up the fact that there are many apparently conflicting
stories within the Egyptian mythology.
The Grand Master pointed out that in several Egyptian myths, Shu
and Tefnut are self-created. In others they were created by tears
of the master creator god (whoever he happened to be according to
the story teller). In yet others they were created by the master
god's masturbation.
Shu and Tefnut by definition are the first male and female. The
master god's masturbation in these latter stories was always male
masturbation, but Shu is the first male. Shu and Tefnut begat Geb
and Nut, but Nut was the all-pervasive universal sky that preceded
the first god...
This confusion is the result of centuries of Egyptian story
telling, and while some of it appears to be contraditory, most of
it is useful. We certainly must hesitate to consider this
mythology as one consistent symbolism, and must be careful if we
wish to communicate consistent meanings using these symbols, but
we have found value in this mythology.
Each story is a different way of looking at the world, a different
way of looking at the first cause, and of looking at the symbols.
By using these symbols, we can then indicate not only a symbol, but
also which way we are looking at the world.
Hence, if in ritual or other communication we call upon
Ptah-Geb-Nu, we are calling upon the creator of the earth and sky,
the god who created the physical universe. If instead we call upon
the Neter Ra-Ptah-ankh, we are calling upon the god who brought
light and life to this planet.
1573
Having discussed these differing views of the world as expressed
by the many symbolic neters, we felt that this was a good point
from which to launch into a discussion of one of the ways in which
we look at Neters.
Set, the prime source of intelligence and the ageless intelligence
himself, is a wee bit complex for someone a mere 20 or even 200
years old to understand, regardless of whether we look at Set as
an actually existing being or instead as a master symbol.
So rather than try to encompass all of Set, intellectually or
emotionally, rather than try to understand all of Set, we can work
with neters which are facets of Set's being, facets of Set's
symbolism. Each neter can be thought of as a specific element of
Set.
As examples, Shu is one set of symbolism, one set of ideas, that
an initiate can work with to "get somewhere" with, to accomplish
certain initiatory goals. Tefnut is another set of ideas, as is
Geb, Isis, etc.
Rather than trying to encompass and work with the entire universe
simultaneously, grab whatever you can hold onto, work with that
handful, study that symbol or symbols, and see what it leads to.
We had originally intended to discuss whether or not the Neters
might or might not exist in their own right. Having discussed the
above, it seemed somewhat unimportant as to whether the Neters
actually exist. That topic will be left for a later discussion.
Bibliography
While the following books and papers were not necessarily discussed
nor referenced during the workshop discussion (or in completing
this article), the initiate interested in studying symbolism as a
subject on its own would be well advised to begin with this
bibliography. Additions to this bibliography are welcome, and
should be sent to the Grand Master. (_RT_ entries are from _The
Ruby Tablet of Set_.)
Barrett, Ronald K., "Book of Opening the Way (Key #4)". _RT_
IT.II.A.5.b.(1).(d).
Barrett, Ronald K., "Stele of Xem". _RT_ IT.II.A.4.a.(3).
Cavendish, Richard, _The Black Arts_. 4C (TS-3).
Crowley, Aleister, _The Book of Thoth_. 9L (TS-4).
De Lubicz, Isha Schwaller, _Her-Bak_. 2L (TS-1).
De Lubicz, Isha Schwaller, _Symbol and the Symbolique_. 2V (TS-4).
Fisher, Leonard Everett, _Symbol Art: Thirteen Squares, Circles,
and Triangles from Around the World_. NY: Four Winds Press,
MacMillan Publishing Company, 1985.
Helfman, Elizabeth S., _Signs and Symbols Around the World_. NY:
Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co., 1967.
1574
Jung, Carl G., _Man and his Symbols_. Garden City: Doubleday &
Co., 1964, 1968. Also NY: Dell Publishing Co., 1968, and London:
Aldus Books, 1964.
Menschel, Robert, "Remanifestation: A Symbolic Syntheses", _RT_
IT.II.B.3.e.(2).
Menschel, Robert, "Tarot Primer", _RT_ IT.II.B.3.e.(3).
Norton, Lynn, "Golden Section Tarot Working", "Atu XV: The Devil",
and "The Dialogue". _RT_ IT.II.A.3.k.(1), 4.h.(1), and 4.h.(2).
Regardie, Israel, _777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister
Crowley_. 9M (TS-4).
Schaefer, Heinrich, _Principles of Egyptian Art_. 2R (TS-4).
=========
Footnote:
=========
1. The Grand Master wishes to digress temporarily from the
workshop's discussion, and to comment at this time on one of the
first statements offered during this discussion.
1575
***********************************************************
INVESTIGATOR'S GUIDE TO ALLEGATIONS OF "RITUAL" CHILD ABUSE
***********************************************************
January 1992
Kenneth V. Lanning
Supervisory Special Agent
Behavioral Science Unit
National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime
Federal Bureau of Investigation
FBI Academy
Quantico, Virginia 22135
*************************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction.
2. Historical Overview.
-- a. "Stranger Danger".
-- b. Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse.
-- c. Return to "Stranger Danger".
-- d. The Acquaintance Molester.
-- e. Satanism: A New Form of "Stranger Danger".
3. Law Enforcement Training.
4. Definitions.
-- a. What is Ritual?
-- b. What is "Ritual" Child Abuse?
-- c. What Makes a Crime Satanic, Occult, or Ritualistic?
5. Multidimensional Child Sex Rings.
-- a. Dynamics of Cases.
---- (1) Multiple Young Victims.
---- (2) Multiple Offenders.
---- (3) Fear as a Controlling Tactic.
---- (4) Bizarre or Ritualistic Activity.
-- b. Characteristics of Multidimensional Child Sex Rings.
---- (1) Female Offenders.
---- (2) Situational Molesters.
---- (3) Male and Female Victims.
---- (4) Multidimensional Motivation.
---- (5) Pornography and Paraphernalia.
---- (6) Control through Fear.
-- c. Scenarios.
---- (1) Adult Survivors.
---- (2) Day Care Cases.
---- (3) Family/Isolated Neighborhood Cases.
---- (4) Custody/Visitation Disputes.
-- d. Why Are Victims Alleging Things that Do Not Seem to be True?
6. Alternative Explanations.
-- a. Pathological Distortion.
-- b. Traumatic Memory.
-- c. Normal Childhood Fears and Fantasy.
-- d. Misperception, Confusion, and Trickery.
-- e. Overzealous Intervenors.
-- f. Urban Legends.
-- g. Combination.
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7. Do Victims Lie About Sexual Abuse and Exploitation?
-- a. Personal Knowledge.
-- b. Other Children or Victims.
-- c. Media.
-- d. Suggestions and Leading Questions.
-- e. Misperception and Confusion.
-- f. Education and Awareness Programs.
8. Law Enforcement Perspective.
9. Investigating Multidimensional Child Sex Rings.
-- a. Minimize Satanic/Occult Aspect.
-- b. Keep Investigation and Religious Beliefs Separate.
-- c. Listen to the Victims.
-- d. Assess and Evaluate Victim Statements.
-- e. Evaluate Contagion.
-- f. Establish Communication with Parents.
-- g. Develop a Contingency Plan.
-- h. Multidisciplinary Task Forces.
-- i. Summary.
10. Conclusion.
11. References.
12. Suggested Reading.
1. INTRODUCTION
Since 1981 I have been assigned to the Behavioral Science Unit at
the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and have specialized in
studying all aspects of the sexual victimization of children. The
FBI Behavioral Science Unit provides assistance to criminal justice
professionals in the United States and foreign countries. It
attempts to develop practical applications of the behavioral
sciences to the criminal justice system. As a result of training and
research conducted by the Unit and its successes in analyzing
violent crime, many professionals contact the Behavioral Science
Unit for assistance and guidance in dealing with violent crime,
especially those cases considered different, unusual, or bizarre.
This service is provided at no cost and is not limited to crimes
under the investigative jurisdiction of the FBI.
In 1983 and 1984, when I first began to hear stories of what sounded
like satanic or occult activity in connection with allegations of
sexual victimization of children (allegations that have come to be
referred to most often as "ritual" child abuse), I tended to believe
them. I had been dealing with bizarre, deviant behavior for many
years and had long since realized that almost anything is possible.
Just when you think that you have heard it all, along comes another
strange case. The idea that there are a few cunning, secretive
individuals in positions of power somewhere in this country
regularly killing a few people as part of some satanic ritual or
ceremony and getting away with it is certainly within the realm of
possibility. But the number of alleged cases began to grow and grow.
We now have hundreds of victims alleging that thousands of offenders
are abusing and even murdering tens of thousands of people as part
of organized satanic cults, and there is little or no corroborative
evidence. The very reason many "experts" cite for believing these
allegations (i.e. many victims, who never met each other, reporting
the same events), is the primary reason I began to question at least
some aspects of these allegations.
1577
I have devoted more than seven years part-time, and eleven years
full-time, of my professional life to researching, training, and
consulting in the area of the sexual victimization of children. The
issues of child sexual abuse and exploitation are a big part of my
professional life's work. I have no reason to deny their existence
or nature. In fact I have done everything I can to make people more
aware of the problem Some have even blamed me for helping to create
the hysteria that has led to these bizarre allegations. I can accept
no outside income and am paid the same salary by the FBI whether or
not children are abused and exploited - and whether the number is
one or one million. As someone deeply concerned about and
professionally committed to the issue, I did not lightly question
the allegations of hundreds of victims child sexual abuse and
exploitation.
In response to accusations by a few that I am a "satanist" who has
infiltrated the FBI to facilitate cover-up, how does anyone (or
should anyone have to) disprove such allegations? Although reluctant
to dignify such absurd accusations with a reply, all I can say to
those who have made such allegations that they are wrong and to
those who heard such allegations is to carefully consider the
source.
The reason I have taken the position I have is not because I support
or believe in "satanism", but because I sincerely believe that my
approach is the proper and most effective investigative strategy. I
believe that my approach is in the best interest of victims of child
sexual abuse. It would have been easy to sit back, as many have, and
say nothing publicly about this controversy. I have spoken out and
published on this issue because I am concerned about the credibility
of the child sexual abuse issue and outraged that, in some cases,
individuals are getting away with molesting children because we
can't prove they are satanic devil worshippers who engage in
brainwashing, human sacrifice, and cannibalism as part of a large
conspiracy.
There are many valid perspectives from which to assess and evaluate
victim allegations of sex abuse and exploitation. Parents may choose
to believe simply because their children make the claims. The level
of proof necessary may be minimal because the consequences of
believing are within the family. One parent correctly told me, "I
believe what my child needs me to believe."
Therapists may choose to believe simply because their professional
assessment is that their patient believes the victimization and
describes it so vividly. The level of proof necessary may be no more
than therapeutic evaluation because the consequences are between
therapist and patient. No independent corroboration may be required.
A social worker must have more real, tangible evidence of abuse in
order to take protective action and initiate legal proceedings. The
level of proof necessary must be higher because the consequences
(denial of visitation, foster care) are greater.
1578
The law enforcement officer deals with the criminal justice system.
The levels of proof necessary are reasonable suspicion, probable
cause, and beyond a reasonable doubt because the consequences
(criminal investigation, search and seizure, arrest, incarceration)
are so great. This discussion will focus primarily on the criminal
justice system and the law enforcement perspective. The level of
proof necessary for taking action on allegations of criminal acts
must be more than simply the victim alleged it and it is possible.
This in no way denies the validity and importance of the parental,
therapeutic, social welfare, or any other perspective of these
allegations.
When, however, therapists and other professionals begin to conduct
training, publish articles, and communicate through the media, the
consequences become greater, and therefore the level of proof must
be greater. The amount of corroboration necessary to act upon
allegations of abuse is dependent upon the consequences of such
action. We need to be concerned about the distribution and
publication of unsubstantiated allegations of bizarre sexual abuse.
Information needs to be disseminated to encourage communication and
research about the phenomena. The risks, however, of intervenor and
victim "contagion" and public hysteria are potential negative
aspects of such dissemination. Because of the highly emotional and
religious nature of this topic, there is a greater possibility that
the spreading of information will result in a kind of self-
fulfilling prophesy.
If such extreme allegations are going to be disseminated to the
general public, they must be presented in the context of being
assessed and evaluated, at least, from the professional perspective
of the disseminator and, at best, also from the professional
perspective of relevant others. This is what I will attempt to do in
this discussion. The assessment and evaluation of such allegations
are areas where law enforcement, mental health, and other
professionals (anthropologists, folklorists, sociologists,
historians, engineers, surgeons, etc.) may be of some assistance to
each other in validating these cases individually and in general.
2. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
In order to attempt to deal with extreme allegations of what
constitute child sex rings, it is important to have an historical
perspective of society's attitudes about child sexual abuse. I will
provide a brief synopsis of recent attitudes in the United States
here, but those desiring more detailed information about such
societal attitudes, particularly in other cultures and in the more
distant past, should refer to Florence Rush's book _The Best Kept
Secret: Sexual Abuse of Children_ (1980) and Sander J. Breiner's
book _Slaughter of the Innocents_ (1990).
Society's attitude about child sexual abuse and exploitation can be
summed up in one word: *denial*. Most people do not want to hear
about it and would prefer to pretend that child sexual victimization
just does not occur. Today, however, it is difficult to pretend that
it does not happen. Stories and reports about child sexual
victimization are daily occurrences.
1579
It is important for professionals dealing with child sexual abuse to
recognize and learn to manage this denial of a serious problem.
Professionals must overcome the denial and encourage society to deal
with, report, and prevent sexual victimization of children.
Some professionals, however, in their zeal to make American society
more aware of this victimization, tend to exaggerate the problem.
Presentations and literature with poorly documented or misleading
claims about one in three children being sexually molested, the $5
billion child pornography industry, child slavery rings, and 50,000
stranger-abducted children are not uncommon. The problem is bad
enough; it is not necessary to exaggerate it. Professionals should
cite reputable and scientific studies and note the sources of
information. If they do not, when the exaggerations and distortions
are discovered, their credibility and the credibility of the issue
are lost.
-- a. "STRANGER DANGER".
During the 1950s and 1960s the primary focus in the literature and
discussions on sexual abuse of children was on "stranger danger" -
the dirty old man in the wrinkled raincoat. If one could not deny
the existence of child sexual abuse, one described victimization in
simplistic terms of good and evil. The "stranger danger" approach to
preventing child sexual abuse is clear-cut. We immediately know who
the good guys and bad guys are and what they look like.
The FBI distributed a poster that epitomized this attitude. It
showed a man, with his hat pulled down, hiding behind a tree with a
bag of candy in his hands. He was waiting for a sweet little girl
walking home from school alone. At the top it read: "Boys and Girls,
color the page, memorize the rules." At the bottom it read: "For
your protection, remember to turn down gifts from strangers, and
refuse rides offered by strangers." The poster clearly contrasts the
evil of the offender with the goodness of the child victim.
The myth of the child molester as the dirty old man in the wrinkled
raincoat is now being reevaluated, based on what we now know about
the kinds of people who victimize children. The fact is a child
molester can look like anyone else and even be someone we know and
like.
There is another myth that is still with us and is far less likely
to be discussed. This is the myth of the child victim as a
completely innocent little girl walking down the street minding her
own business. It may be more important to dispel this myth than the
myth of the evil offender, especially when talking about the sexual
exploitation of children and child sex rings. Child victims can be
boys as well as girls, and not all victims are little "angels".
1580
Society seems to have a problem dealing with any sexual abuse case
in which the offender is not completely "bad" or the victim is not
completely "good". Child victims who, for example, simply behave
like human beings and respond to the attention and affection of
offenders by voluntarily and repeatedly returning to the offender's
home are troubling. It confuses us to see the victims in child
pornography giggling or laughing. At professional conferences on
child sexual abuse, child prostitution is almost never discussed. It
is the form of sexual victimization of children most unlike the
stereotype of the innocent girl victim. Child prostitutes, by
definition, participate in and often initiate their victimization.
Furthermore child prostitutes and the participants in child sex
rings are frequently boys. One therapist recently told me that a
researcher's data on child molestation were misleading because many
of the child victims in question were child prostitutes. This
implies that child prostitutes are not "real" child victims. In a
survey by the _Los Angeles Times_, only 37 percent of those
responding thought that child prostitution constituted child sexual
abuse (Timnik, 1985). Whether or not it seems fair, when adults and
children have sex, the child is always the victim.
-- b. INTRAFAMILIAL CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE.
During the 1970s, primarily as a result of the women's movement,
society began to learn more about the sexual victimization of
children. We began to realize that most children are sexually
molested by someone they know who is usually a relative - a father,
step-father, uncle, grandfather, older brother, or even a female
relative. Some mitigate the difficulty of accepting this by adopting
the view that only members of socio-economic groups other than
theirs engage in such behavior.
It quickly became apparent that warnings about not taking gifts from
strangers were not good enough to prevent child sexual abuse.
Consequently, we began to develop prevention programs based on more
complex concepts, such as good touching and bad touching. the
"yucky" feeling, and the child's right to say no. These are not the
kinds of things you can easily and effectively communicate in fifty
minutes to hundreds of kids packed into a school auditorium. These
are very difficult issues, and programs must he carefully developed
and evaluated.
In the late 1970s child sexual abuse became almost synonymous with
incest, and incest meant father-daughter sexual relations.
Therefore, the focus of child sexual abuse intervention became
father-daughter incest. Even today, the vast majority of training
materials, articles, and books on this topic refer to child sexual
abuse only in terms of intrafamilial father-daughter incest.
Incest is, in fact, sexual relations between individuals of any age
too closely related to marry. It need not necessarily involve an
adult and a child, and it goes beyond child sexual abuse. But more
importantly child sexual abuse goes beyond father-daughter incest.
Intrafamilial incest between an adult and child may be the most
common form of child sexual abuse, but it is not the only form.
1581
The progress of the 1970s in recognizing that child sexual abuse was
not simply a result of "stranger danger" was an important
breakthrough in dealing with society's denial. The battle, however,
is not over. The persistent voice of society luring us back to the
more simple concept of "stranger danger" may never go away. It is
the voice of denial.
-- c. RETURN TO "STRANGER DANGER".
In the early 1980s the issue of missing children rose to prominence
and was focused primarily on the stranger abduction of little
children. Runaways, throwaways, noncustodial abductions, nonfamily
abductions of teenagers - all major problems within the missing
children's issue - were almost forgotten. People no longer wanted to
hear about good touching and bad touching and the child's right to
say "no". They wanted to be told, in thirty minutes or less, how
they could protect their children from abduction by strangers. We
were back to the horrible but simple and clear-cut concept of
"stranger danger".
In the emotional zeal over the problem of missing children, isolated
horror stories and distorted numbers were sometimes used. The
American public was led to believe that most of the missing children
had been kidnapped by pedophiles - a new term for child molesters.
The media, profiteers, and well-intentioned zealots all played big
roles in this hype and hysteria over missing children.
-- d. THE ACQUAINTANCE MOLESTER.
Only recently has society begun to deal openly with a critical piece
in the puzzle of child sexual abuse - acquaintance molestation. This
seems to be the most difficult aspect of the problem for us to face.
People seem more willing to accept a father or stepfather,
particularly one from another socio-economic group, as a child
molester than a parish priest, a next-door neighbor, a police
officer, a pediatrician, an FBI agent, or a Scout leader. The
acquaintance molester, by definition, is one of us. These kinds of
molesters have always existed, but our society has not been willing
to accept that fact.
Sadly, one of the main reasons that the criminal justice system and
the public were forced to confront the problem of acquaintance
molestation was the preponderance of lawsuits arising from the
negligence of many institutions.
One of the unfortunate outcomes of society's preference for the
"stranger danger" concept is what I call "say no, yell, and tell"
guilt. This is the result of prevention programs that tell potential
child victims to avoid sexual abuse by saying no, yelling, and
telling. This might work with the stranger hiding behind a tree.
Adolescent boys seduced by a Scout leader or children who actively
participate in their victimization often feel guilty and blame
themselves because they did not do what they were "supposed" to do.
They may feel a need to describe their victimization in more
socially acceptable but sometimes inaccurate ways that relieve them
of this guilt.
1582
While American society has become increasingly more aware of the
problem of the acquaintance molester and related problems such as
child pornography, the voice calling us back to "stranger danger"
still persists.
-- e. SATANISM: A NEW FORM OF "STRANGER DANGER".
In today's version of "stranger danger", it is the satanic devil
worshipers who are snatching and victimizing the children. Many who
warned us in the early 1980s about pedophiles snatching fifty
thousand kids a year now contend they were wrong only about who was
doing the kidnapping, not about the number abducted. This is again
the desire for the simple and clear-cut explanation for a complex
problem.
For those who know anything about criminology, one of the oldest
theories of crime is demonology: The devil makes you do it. This
makes it even easier to deal with the child molester who is the
"pillar of the community". It is not his fault; it is not our fault.
There is no way we could have known; the devil made him do it. This
explanation has tremendous appeal because, like "stranger danger",
it presents the clear-cut, black-and-white struggle between good and
evil as the explanation for child abduction, exploitation, and
abuse.
In regard to satanic "ritual" abuse, today we may not be where we
were with incest in the 1960s, but where we were with missing
children in the early 1980s. The best data now available (the 1990
_National Incidence Studies on Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and
Thrownaway Children in America_) estimate the number of
stereotypical child abductions at between 200 and 300 a year, and
the number of stranger abduction homicides of children at between 43
and 147 a year. Approximately half of the abducted children are
teenagers. Today's facts are significantly different from
yesterday's perceptions, and those who exaggerated the problem,
however well-intentioned, have lost credibility and damaged the
reality of the problem.
3. LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING
The belief that there is a connection between satanism and crime is
certainly not new. As previously stated, one of the oldest theories
concerning the causes of crime is demonology. Fear of satanic or
occult activity has peaked from time to time throughout history.
Concern in the late 1970s focused primarily on "unexplained" deaths
and mutilations of animals, and in recent years has focused on child
sexual abuse and the alleged human sacrifice of missing children. In
1999 it will probably focus on the impending "end of the world".
Today satanism and a wide variety of other terms are used
interchangeably in reference to certain crimes. This discussion will
analyze the nature of "satanic, occult, ritualistic" crime primarily
as it pertains to the abuse of children and focus on appropriate
*law enforcement* responses to it.
1583
Recently a flood of law enforcement seminars and conferences have
dealt with satanic and ritualistic crime. These training conferences
have various titles, such as "Occult in Crime", "Satanic Cults",
'Ritualistic Crime Seminar", "Satanic Influences in Homicide",
"Occult Crimes, Satanism and Teen Suicide", and "Ritualistic Abuse
of Children".
The typical conference runs from one to three days, and many of them
include the same presenters and instructors. A wide variety of
topics are usually discussed during this training either as
individual presentations by different instructors or grouped
together by one or more instructors. Typical topics covered include
the following:
-- Historical overview of satanism, witchcraft, and paganism from
ancient to modern times.
-- Nature and influence of fantasy role-playing games, such as
"Dungeons and Dragons".
-- Lyrics, symbolism, and influence of rock and roll, Heavy Metal,
and Black Metal music.
-- Teenage "stoner" gangs, their symbols, and their vandalism.
-- Teenage suicide by adolescents dabbling in the occult.
-- Crimes committed by self-styled satanic practitioners, including
grave and church desecrations and robberies, animal mutilations, and
even murders.
-- Ritualistic abuse of children as part of bizarre ceremonies and
human sacrifices.
-- Organized, Traditional, or Multigenerational satanic groups
involved in organized conspiracies, such as taking over day care
centers, infiltrating police departments, and trafficking in human
sacrifice victims.
-- The "Big Conspiracy" theory, which implies that satanists are
responsible for such things as Adolph Hitler, World War II,
abortion, illegal drugs, pornography, Watergate, and Irangate, and
have infiltrated the Department of Justice, the Pentagon, and the
White House.
During the conferences, these nine areas are linked together through
the liberal use of the word "satanism" and some common symbolism
(pentagrams, 666, demons, etc.). The implication often is that all
are part of a continuum of behavior, a single problem or some common
conspiracy. The distinctions among the different areas are blurred
even if occasionally a presenter tries to make them. The information
presented is a mixture of fact, theory, opinion, fantasy, and
paranoia, and because some of it can be proven or corroborated
(symbols on rock albums, graffiti on walls, desecration of
cemeteries, vandalism, etc.), the implication is that it is all true
and documented. Material produced by religious organizations,
photocopies and slides of newspaper articles, and videotapes of
tabloid television programs are used to supplement the training and
are presented as "evidence" of the existence and nature of the
problem.
1584
All of this is complicated by the fact that almost any discussion of
satanism and the occult is interpreted in the light of the religious
beliefs of those in the audience. Faith, not logic and reason,
governs the religious beliefs of most people. As a result, some
normally skeptical law enforcement officers accept the information
disseminated at these conferences without critically evaluating it
or questioning the sources. Officers who do not normally depend on
church groups for law enforcement criminal intelligence, who know
that media accounts of their own cases are notoriously inaccurate,
and who scoff at and joke about tabloid television accounts of
bizarre behavior suddenly embrace such material when presented in
the context of satanic activity. Individuals not in law enforcement
seem even more likely to do so. Other disciplines, especially
therapists, have also conducted training conferences on the
characteristics and identification of "ritual" child abuse. Nothing
said at such conferences will change the religious beliefs of those
in attendance. Such conferences illustrate the highly emotional
nature of and the ambiguity and wide variety of terms involved in
this issue.
4. DEFINITIONS
The words "satanic", "occult", and "ritual" are often used
interchangeably. It is difficult to define "satanism" precisely. No
attempt will be made to do so here However, it is important to
realize that, for some people, any religious belief system other
than their own is "satanic". The Ayatollah Khomeini and Saddam
Hussein referred to the United States as the "Great Satan". In the
British Parliament a Protestant leader called the Pope the
Antichrist. In a book titled _Prepare For War_ (1987), Rebecca
Brown, M.D. has a chapter entitled "Is Roman Catholicism
Witchcraft?" Dr. Brown also lists among the "doorways" to satanic
power and/or demon infestation the following: fortune tellers,
horoscopes, fraternity oaths, vegetarianism, yoga, self-hypnosis,
relaxation tapes, acupuncture, biofeedback, fantasy role-playing
games, adultery, homosexuality, pornography, judo, karate, and rock
music. Dr. Brown states that rock music "was a carefully
masterminded plan by none other than Satan himself" (p. 84). The
ideas expressed in this book may seem extreme and even humorous.
This book, however, has been recommended as a serious reference in
law enforcement training material on this topic.
1585
In books, lectures, handout material, and conversations, I have
heard all of the following referred to as satanism:
-- Church of Satan
-- Ordo Templi Orientis
-- Temple of Set
-- Demonology
-- Witchcraft
-- Occult
-- Paganism
-- Santeria
-- Voodoo
-- Rosicrucians
-- Freemasonry
-- Knights Templar
-- Stoner Gangs
-- Heavy Metal Music
-- Rock Music
-- KKK
-- Nazis
-- Skinheads
-- Scientology
-- Unification Church
-- The Way
-- Hare Krishna
-- Rajneesh
-- Religious Cults
-- New Age
-- Astrology
-- Channeling
-- Transcendental Meditation
-- Holistic Medicine
-- Buddhism
-- Hinduism
-- Mormonism
-- Islam
-- Orthodox Church
-- Roman Catholicism
At law enforcement training conferences, it is witchcraft, santeria,
paganism, and the occult that are most often referred to as forms of
satanism. It may be a matter of definition, but these things are not
necessarily the same as traditional satanism. The worship of lunar
goddesses and nature and the practice of fertility rituals are not
satanism. Santeria is a combination of 17th century Roman
Catholicism and African paganism.
Occult means simply "hidden". All unreported or unsolved crimes
might be regarded as occult, but in this context the term refers to
the action or influence of supernatural powers, some secret
knowledge of them, or an interest in paranormal phenomena, and does
not imply satanism, evil, wrongdoing, or crime. Indeed,
historically, the principal crimes deserving of consideration as
"occult crimes" are the frauds perpetrated by faith healers, fortune
tellers and "psychics" who for a fee claim cures, arrange
visitations with dead loved ones, and commit other financial crimes
against the gullible.
1586
Many individuals define satanism from a totally Christian
perspective, using this word to describe the power of evil in the
world. With this definition, any crimes, especially those which are
particularly bizarre, repulsive, or cruel, can be viewed as satanic
in nature. Yet it is just as difficult to precisely define satanism
as it is to precisely define Christianity or any complex spiritual
belief system.
-- a. WHAT IS RITUAL?
The biggest confusion is over the word "ritual". During training
conferences on this topic, ritual almost always comes to mean
"satanic" or at least "spiritual". "Ritual" can refer to a
prescribed religious ceremony, but in its broader meaning refers to
any customarily-repeated act or series of acts. The need to repeat
these acts can be cultural, sexual, or psychological as well as
spiritual.
Cultural rituals could include such things as what a family eats on
Thanksgiving Day, or when and how presents are opened at Christmas.
The initiation ceremonies of fraternities, sororities, gangs, and
other social clubs are other examples of cultural rituals.
Since 1972 I have lectured about sexual ritual, which is nothing
more than repeatedly engaging in an act or series of acts in a
certain manner because of a *sexual* need. In order to become
aroused and/or gratified, a person must engage in the act in a
certain way. This sexual ritual can include such things as the
physical characteristics, age, or gender of the victim, the
particular sequence of acts, the bringing or taking of specific
objects, and the use of certain words or phrases. This is more than
the concept of M.O. (Method of Operation) known to most police
officers. M.O. is something done by an offender because it works.
Sexual ritual is something done by an offender because of a need.
Deviant acts, such as urinating on, defecating on, or even
eviscerating a victim, are far more likely to be the result of
sexual ritual than religious or "satanic" ritual.
From a criminal investigative perspective, two other forms of
ritualism must be recognized. The _Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders_ (DSM-III-R) (APA, 1987) defines "Obsessive-
Compulsive Disorder" as "repetitive, purposeful, and intentional
behaviors that are performed in response to an obsession, or
according to certain rules or in a stereotyped fashion" (p. 247).
Such compulsive behavior frequently involves rituals. Although such
behavior usually involves noncriminal activity such as excessive
hand washing or checking that doors are locked, occasionally
compulsive ritualism can be part of criminal activity. Certain
gamblers or firesetters, for example, are thought by some
authorities to be motivated in part through such compulsions. Ritual
can also stem from psychotic hallucinations and delusions. A crime
can be committed in a precise manner because a voice told the
offender to do it that way or because a divine mission required it.
1587
To make this more confusing, cultural, religious, sexual, and
psychological ritual can overlap. Some psychotic people are
preoccupied with religious delusions and hear the voice of God or
Satan telling them to do things of a religious nature. Offenders who
feel little, if any, guilt over their crimes may need little
justification for their antisocial behavior. As human beings,
however, they may have fears, concerns, and anxiety over getting
away with their criminal acts. It is difficult to pray to God for
success in doing things that are against His Commandments. A
negative spiritual belief system may fulfill their human need for
assistance from and belief in a greater power or to deal with their
superstitions. Compulsive ritualism (e.g., excessive cleanliness or
fear of disease) can be introduced into sexual behavior. Even many
"normal" people have a need for order and predictability and
therefore may engage in family or work rituals. Under stress or in
times of change, this need for order and ritual may increase.
Ritual crime may fulfill the cultural, spiritual, sexual, and
psychological needs of an offender. Crimes may be ritualistically
motivated or may have ritualistic elements. The ritual behavior may
also fulfill basic criminal needs to manipulate victims, get rid of
rivals, send a message to enemies, and intimidate co-conspirators.
The leaders of a group may want to play upon the beliefs and
superstitions of those around them and try to convince accomplices
and enemies that they, the leaders, have special or "supernatural"
powers.
The important point for the criminal investigator is to realize that
most ritualistic criminal behavior is not motivated simply by
satanic or any religious ceremonies. At some conferences, presenters
have attempted to make an issue of distinguishing between "ritual",
"ritualized", and "ritualistic" abuse of children. These subtle
distinctions, however, seem to be of no significant value to the
criminal investigator.
-- c. WHAT IS "RITUAL" CHILD ABUSE?
I cannot define "ritual child abuse" precisely and prefer not to use
the term. I am frequently forced to use it (as throughout this
discussion) so that people will have some idea what I am discussing.
Use of the term, however, is confusing, misleading, and
counterproductive. The newer term "satanic ritual abuse"
(abbreviated "SRA") is even worse. Certain observations, however,
are important for investigative understanding.
Most people today use the term to refer to abuse of children that is
part of some evil spiritual belief system, which almost by
definition must be satanic.
Dr. Lawrence Pazder, coauthor of _Michelle Remembers_, defines
"ritualized abuse of children" as "repeated physical, emotional,
mental, and spiritual assaults combined with a systematic use of
symbols and secret ceremonies designed to turn a child against
itself, family, society, and God" (presentation, Richmond, Va., May
7,1987). He also states that "the sexual assault has ritualistic
meaning and is not for sexual gratification".
1588
This definition may have value for academics, sociologists, and
therapists, but it creates potential problems for law enforcement.
Certain acts engaged in with children (i.e. kissing, touching,
appearing naked, etc.) may be criminal if performed for sexual
gratification. If the ritualistic acts were in fact performed for
spiritual indoctrination, potential prosecution can be jeopardized,
particularly if the acts can be defended as constitutionally
protected religious expression. The mutilation of a baby's genitals
for sadistic sexual pleasure is a crime. The circumcision of a
baby's genitals for religious reasons is most likely *not* a crime.
The intent of the acts is important for criminal prosecution.
Not all spiritually motivated ritualistic activity is satanic.
Santeria, witchcraft, voodoo, and most religious cults are not
satanism. In fact, most spiritually- or religiously-based abuse of
children has nothing to do with satanism. Most child abuse that
could be termed "ritualistic" by various definitions is more likely
to be physical and psychological rather than sexual in nature. If a
distinction needs to be made between satanic and nonsatanic child
abuse, the indicators for that distinction must be related to
specific satanic symbols, artifacts, or doctrine rather than the
mere presence of any ritualistic element.
Not all such ritualistic activity with a child is a crime. Almost
all parents with religious beliefs indoctrinate their children into
that belief system. Is male circumcision for religious reasons child
abuse? Is the religious circumcision of females child abuse? Does
having a child kneel on a hard floor reciting the rosary constitute
child abuse? Does having a child chant a satanic prayer or attend a
black mass constitute child abuse? Does a religious belief in
corporal punishment constitute child abuse? Does group care of
children in a commune or cult constitute child abuse? Does the fact
that any acts in question were performed with parental permission
affect the nature of the crime? Many ritualistic acts, whether
satanic or not, are simply not crimes. To open the Pandora's box of
labeling child abuse as "ritualistic" simply because it involves a
spiritual belief system means to apply the definition to all acts by
all spiritual belief systems. The day may come when many in the
forefront of concern about ritual abuse will regret they opened the
box.
When a victim describes and investigation corroborates what sounds
like ritualistic activity. several possibilities must be considered.
The ritualistic activity may be part of the excessive religiosity of
mentally disturbed, even psychotic offenders. It may be a
misunderstood part of sexual ritual. The ritualistic activity may be
incidental to any real abuse. The offender may be involved in
ritualistic activity with a child and also may be abusing a child,
but one may have little or nothing to do with the other.
The offender may be deliberately engaging in ritualistic activity
with a child as part of child abuse and exploitation. The
motivation, however, may be not to indoctrinate the child into a
belief system, but to lower the inhibitions of, control, manipulate,
and/or confuse the child. In all the turmoil over this issue, it
would be very effective strategy for any child molester deliberately
to introduce ritualistic elements into his crime in order to confuse
the child and therefore the criminal justice system. This would,
however, make the activity M.O. and not ritual.
1589
The ritualistic activity and the child abuse may be integral parts
of some spiritual belief system. In that case the greatest risk is
to the children of the practitioners. But this is true of all cults
and religions, not just satanic cults. A high potential of abuse
exists for any children raised in a group isolated from the
mainstream of society, especially if the group has a charismatic
leader whose orders are unquestioned and blindly obeyed by the
members. Sex, money, and power are often the main motivations of the
leaders of such cults.
-- c. WHAT MAKES A CRIME SATANIC, OCCULT, OR RITUALISTIC?
Some would answer that it is the offender's spiritual beliefs or
membership in a cult or church. If that is the criterion, why not
label the crimes committed by Protestants, Catholics, and Jews in
the same way? Are the atrocities of Jim Jones in Guyana Christian
crimes?
Some would answer that it is the presence of certain symbols in the
possession or home of the perpetrator. What does it mean then to
find a crucifix, Bible, or rosary in the possession or home of a
bank robber, embezzler, child molester, or murderer? If different
criminals possess the same symbols, are they necessarily part of one
big conspiracy?
Others would answer that it is the presence of certain symbols such
as pentagrams, inverted crosses, and 666 at the crime scene. What
does it mean then to find a cross spray painted on a wall or carved
into the body of a victim? What does it mean for a perpetrator, as
in one recent case profiled by my Unit, to leave a Bible tied to his
murder victim? What about the possibility that an offender
deliberately left such symbols to make it look like a "satanic"
crime?
Some would argue that it is the bizarreness or cruelness of the
crime: body mutilation, amputation, drinking of blood, eating of
flesh, use of urine or feces. Does this mean that all individuals
involved in lust murder, sadism, vampirism, cannibalism, urophilia,
and coprophilia are satanists or occult practitioners? What does
this say about the bizarre crimes of psychotic killers such as Ed
Gein or Richard Trenton Chase, both of whom mutilated their victims
as part of their psychotic delusions? Can a crime that is not
sexually deviant, bizarre, or exceptionally violent be satanic? Can
white collar crime be satanic?
1590
A few might even answer that it is the fact that the crime was
committed on a date with satanic or occult significance (Halloween,
May Eve, etc.) or the fact that the perpetrator claims that Satan
told him to commit the crime. What does this mean for crimes
committed on Thanksgiving or Christmas? What does this say about
crimes committed by perpetrators who claim that God or Jesus told
them to do it? One note of interest is the fact that in handout and
reference material I have collected, the number of dates with
satanic or occult significance ranges from 8 to 110. This is
compounded by the fact that it is sometimes stated that satanists
can celebrate these holidays on several days on either side of the
official date or that the birthdays of practitioners can also be
holidays. The exact names and exact dates of the holidays and the
meaning of symbols listed may also vary depending on who prepared
the material The handout material is often distributed without
identifying the author or documenting the original source of the
information. It is then frequently photocopied by attendees and
passed on to other police officers with no one really knowing its
validity or origin.
Most, however, would probably answer that what makes a crime
satanic, occult, or ritualistic is the motivation for the crime. It
is a crime that is spiritually motivated by a religious belief
system. How then do we label the following true crimes?
-- Parents defy a court order and send their children to an
unlicensed Christian school.
-- Parents refuse to send their children to any school because they
are waiting for the second coming of Christ.
-- Parents beat their child to death because he or she will not
follow their Christian belief.
-- Parents violate child labor laws because they believe the Bible
requires such work.
-- Individuals bomb an abortion clinic or kidnap the doctor because
their religious belief system says abortion is murder.
-- A child molester reads the Bible to his victims in order to
justify his sex acts with them.
-- Parents refuse life-saving medical treatment for a child because
of their religious beliefs.
-- Parents starve and beat their child to death because their
minister said the child was possessed by demonic spirits.
Some people would argue that the Christians who committed the above
crimes misunderstood and distorted their religion while satanists
who commit crimes are following theirs. But who decides what
constitutes a misinterpretation of a religious belief system? The
individuals who committed the above-described crimes, however
misguided, believed that they were following their religion as they
understood it. Religion was and is used to justify such social
behavior as the Crusades, the Inquisition, Apartheid, segregation,
and recent violence in Northern Ireland, India, Lebanon and Nigeria.
1591
Who decides exactly what "satanists" believe? In this country, we
cannot even agree on what Christians believe. At many law
enforcement conferences The _Satanic Bible_ is used for this, and it
is often contrasted or compared with the Judeo-Christian Bible. The
_Satanic Bible_ is, in essence, a short paperback book written by
one man, Anton LaVey, in 1969. To compare it to a book written by
multiple authors over a period of thousands of years is ridiculous,
even ignoring the possibility of Divine revelation in the Bible.
What satanists believe certainly isn't limited to other people's
interpretation of a few books. More importantly it is subject to
some degree of interpretation by individual believers just as
Christianity is. Many admitted "satanists" claim they do not even
believe in God, the devil, or any supreme deity. The criminal
behavior of one person claiming belief in a religion does not
necessarily imply guilt or blame to others sharing that belief. In
addition, simply claiming membership in a religion does not
necessarily make you a member.
The fact is that far more crime and child abuse has been committed
by zealots in the name of God, Jesus, Mohammed, and other mainstream
religion than has ever been committed in the name of Satan. Many
people, including myself, don't like that statement, but the truth
of it is undeniable.
Although defining a crime as satanic, occult, or ritualistic would
probably involve a combination of the criteria set forth above, I
have been unable to clearly define such a crime. Each potential
definition presents a different set of problems when measured
against an objective, rational, and constitutional perspective. In a
crime with multiple subjects, each offender may have a different
motivation for the same crime. Whose motivation determines the label
for the crime? It is difficult to count or track something you
cannot even define.
I have discovered, however, that the facts of so-called "satanic
crimes" are often significantly different from what is described st
training conferences or in the media. The actual involvement of
satanism or the occult in these cases usually turns out to be
secondary, insignificant, or nonexistent. Occult or ritual crime
surveys done by the states of Michigan (1990) and Virginia (1991)
have only confirmed this "discovery". Some law enforcement officers,
unable to find serious "satanic" crime in their communities, assume
they are just lucky or vigilant and the serious problems must be in
other jurisdictions. The officers in the other jurisdictions, also
unable find it, assume the same.
5. MULTlDlMENSlONAL CHILD SEX RINGS
Sometime in early 1983 I was first contacted by a law enforcement
agency for guidance in what was then thought to be an unusual case.
The exact date of the contact is unknown because its significance
was not recognized at the time. In the months and years that
followed, I received more and more inquiries about "these kinds of
cases". The requests for assistance came (and continue to come) from
all over the United States. Many of the aspects of these cases
varied, but there were also some commonalties. Early on, however,
one particularly difficult and potentially significant issue began
to emerge.
1592
These cases involved and continue to involve unsubstantiated
allegations of bizarre activity that are difficult either to prove
or disprove. Many of the unsubstantiated allegations, however, do
not seem to have occurred or even be possible. These cases seem to
call into question the credibility of victims of child sexual abuse
and exploitation. These are the most polarizing, frustrating, and
baffling cases I have encountered in more than 18 years of studying
the criminal aspects of deviant sexual behavior. I privately sought
answers, but said nothing publicly about those cases until 1985.
In October 1984 the problems in investigating and prosecuting one of
these cases in Jordan, Minnesota became publicly known. In February
1985, at the FBI Academy, the FBI sponsored and I coordinated the
first national seminar held to study "these kinds of cases". Later
in 1985, similar conferences sponsored by other organizations were
held in Washington, D.C.; Sacramento, California; and Chicago,
Illinois. These cases have also been discussed at many recent
regional and national conferences dealing with the sexual
victimization of children and Multiple Personality Disorder. Few
answers have come from these conferences. I continue to be contacted
on these cases on a regular basis. Inquiries have been received from
law enforcement officers, prosecutors, therapists, victims, families
of victims, and the media from all over the United States and now
foreign countries. I do not claim to understand completely all the
dynamics of these cases. I continue to keep an open mind and to
search for answers to the questions and solutions to the problems
they pose. This discussion is based on my analysis of the several
hundred of "these kinds of cases" on which I have consulted since
1983.
-- a. DYNAMICS OF CASES.
What are "these kinds of cases"? They were and continue to be
difficult to define. They all involve allegations of what sounds
like child sexual abuse, but with a combination of some atypical
dynamics. These cases seem to have the following four dynamics in
common: (1) multiple young victims, (2) multiple offenders, (3) fear
as the controlling tactic, and (4) bizarre or ritualistic activity.
---- (1) MULTIPLE YOUNG VICTIMS.
In almost all the cases the sexual abuse was alleged to have taken
place or at least begun when the victims were between the ages of
birth and six. This very young age may be an important key to
understanding these cases. In addition the victims all described
multiple children being abused. The numbers ranged from three or
four to as many as several hundred victims.
---- (2) MULTIPLE OFFENDERS.
In almost all the cases the victims reported numerous offenders. The
numbers ranged from two or three all the way up to dozens of
offenders. In one recent case the victims alleged 400-500 offenders
were involved. Interestingly many of the offenders (perhaps as many
as 40-50 percent) were reported to be females. The multiple
offenders were often family members and were described as being part
of a cult, occult, or satanic group.
1593
---- (3) FEAR AS CONTROLLING TACTIC.
Child molesters in general are able to maintain control and ensure
the secrecy of their victims in a variety of ways. These include
attention and affection, coercion, blackmail, embarrassment,
threats, and violence. In almost all of these cases I have studied,
the victims described being frightened and reported threats against
themselves, their families, their friends, and even their pets. They
reported witnessing acts of violence perpetrated to reinforce this
fear. It is my belief that this fear and the traumatic memory of the
events may be another key to understanding many of these cases.
---- (4) BIZARRE OR RITUALISTIC ACTIVITY.
This is the most difficult dynamic of these cases to describe.
"Bizarre" is a relative term. Is the use of urine or feces in sexual
activity bizarre, or is it a well-documented aspect of sexual
deviancy, or is it part of established satanic rituals? As
previously discussed, the ritualistic aspect is even more difficult
to define. How do you distinguish acts performed in a precise manner
to enhance or allow sexual arousal from those acts that fulfill
spiritual needs or comply with "religious" ceremonies? Victims in
these cases report ceremonies, chanting, robes and costumes, drugs,
use of urine and feces, animal sacrifice, torture, abduction,
mutilation, murder, and even cannibalism and vampirism. All things
considered, the word "bizarre" is probably preferable to the word
"ritual" to describe this activity.
When I was contacted on these cases, it was very common for a
prosecutor or investigator to say that the alleged victims have been
evaluated by an "expert" who will stake his or her professional
reputation on the fact that the victims are telling the "truth".
When asked how many cases this expert had previously evaluated
involving these four dynamics, the answer was always the same: none!
The experts usually had only dealt with one-on-one intrafamilial
sexual abuse cases. Recently an even more disturbing trend has
developed. More and more of the victims have been identified or
evaluated by experts who have been trained to identify and
specialize in satanic ritual abuse.
-- b. CHARACTERISTICS OF MULTIDIMENSIONAL CHILD SEX RINGS.
As previously stated, a major problem in communicating, training,
and researching in this area is the term used to define "these kinds
of cases". Many refer to them as "ritual, ritualistic, or ritualized
abuse of children cases" or "satanic ritual abuse (SRA) cases". Such
words carry specialized meanings for many people and might imply
that all these cases are connected to occult or satanic activity. If
ritual abuse is not necessarily occult or satanic, but is "merely"
severe, repeated, prolonged abuse, why use a term that, in the minds
of so many, implies such specific motivation?
Others refer to these cases as "multioffender/multivictim cases".
The problem with this term is that most multiple offender and victim
cases do not involve the four dynamics discussed above.
1594
For want of a better term, I have decided to refer to "these kinds
of cases" as "multidimensional child sex rings". Right now I seem to
be the only one using this term. I am, however, not sure if this is
truly a distinct kind of child sex ring case or just a case not
properly handled. Following are the general characteristics of these
multidimensional child sex ring cases as contrasted with more common
historical child sex ring cases [see my monograph _Child Sex Rings:
A Behavioral Analysis] (1989) for a discussion of the
characteristics of historical child sex ring cases].
---- (1) FEMALE OFFENDERS.
As many as 40-50 percent of the offenders in these cases are
reported to be women. This is in marked contrast to historical child
sex rings in which almost all the offenders are men.
---- (2) SITUATIONAL MOLESTERS.
The offenders appear to be sexually interacting with the child
victims for reasons other than a true sexual preference for
children. The children are substitute victims, and the abusive
activity may have little to do with pedophilia [see my monograph
_Child Molesters: A Behavioral Analysis_ (1987) for a further
explanation about types of molesters].
---- (3) MALE AND FEMALE VICTIMS.
Both boys and girls appear to be targeted, but with an apparent
preference for girls. Almost all the adult survivors are female, but
day care cases frequently involve male as well as female victims.
The most striking characteristic of the victims, however, is their
young age (generally birth to six years old when the abuse began).
---- (4) MULTIDIMENSIONAL MOTIVATION.
Sexual gratification appears to be only part of the motivation for
the "sexual" activity. Many people today argue that the motivation
is "spiritual" - possibly part of an occult ceremony. It is my
opinion that the motivation may have more to do with anger,
hostility, rage and resentment carried out against weak and
vulnerable victims. Much of the ritualistic abuse of children may
not be sexual in nature. Some of the activity may, in fact, be
physical abuse directed at sexually-significant body parts (penis,
anus, nipples). This may also partially explain the large percentage
of female offenders. Physical abuse of children by females is well-
documented.
---- (5) PORNOGRAPHY AND PARAPHERNALIA.
Although many of the victims of multidimensional child sex rings
claim that pictures and videotapes of the activity were made, no
such visual record has been found by law enforcement. In recent
years, American law enforcement has seized large amounts of child
pornography portraying children in a wide variety of sexual activity
and perversions. None of it, however, portrays the kind of bizarre
and/or ritualistic activity described by these victims. Perhaps
these offenders use and store their pornography and paraphernalia in
ways different from preferential child molesters (pedophiles). This
is an area needing additional research and investigation.
1595
---- (6) CONTROL THROUGH FEAR.
Control through fear may be the overriding characteristic of these
cases. Control is maintained by frightening the children. A very
young child might not be able to understand the significance of much
of the sexual activity but certainly understands fear. The stories
that the victims tell may be their perceived versions of severe
traumatic memories. They may be the victims of a severely
traumatized childhood in which being sexually abused was just one of
the many negative events affecting their lives.
-- c. SCENARIOS.
Multidimensional child sex rings typically emerge from one of four
scenarios: (1) adult survivors, (2) day care cases, (3)
family/isolated neighborhood cases, and (4) custody/visitation
disputes.
---- (1) ADULT SURVIVORS.
In adult survivor cases, adults of almost any age - nearly always
women - are suffering the consequences of a variety of personal
problems and failures in their lives (e.g., promiscuity, eating
disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, failed relationships, self-
mutilation, unemployment). As a result of some precipitating stress
or crisis, they often seek therapy. They are frequently hypnotized,
intentionally or unintentionally, as part of the therapy and are
often diagnosed as suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder.
Gradually, during the therapy, the adults reveal previously
unrecalled memories of early childhood victimization that includes
multiple victims and offenders, fear as the controlling tactic, and
bizarre or ritualistic activity. Adult survivors may also claim that
"cues" from certain events in their recent life "triggered" the
previously repressed memories.
The multiple offenders are often described as members of a cult or
satanic group. Parents, family members, clergy, civic leaders,
police officers (or individuals wearing police uniforms), and other
prominent members of society are frequently described as present at
and participating in the exploitation. The alleged bizarre activity
often includes insertion of foreign objects, witnessing mutilations,
and sexual acts and murders being filmed or photographed. The
offenders may allegedly still be harassing or threatening the
victims. They report being particularly frightened on certain dates
and by certain situations. In several of these cases, women (called
"breeders") claim to have had babies that were turned over for human
sacrifice. This type of case is probably best typified by books like
_Michelle Remembers_ (Smith & Pazder, 1980), _Satan's Underground_
(Stratford, 1988), and _Satan's Children_ (Mayer, 1991).
1596
If and when therapists come to believe the patient or decide the law
requires it, the police or FBI are sometimes contacted to conduct an
investigation. The therapists may also fear for their safety because
they now know the "secret". The therapists will frequently tell law
enforcement that they will stake their professional reputation on
the fact that their patient is telling the truth. Some adult
survivors go directly to law enforcement. They may also go from
place to place in an effort to find therapists or investigators who
will listen to and believe them. Their ability to provide verifiable
details varies and many were raised in apparently religious homes. A
few adult survivors are now reporting participation in specific
murders or child abductions that are known to have taken place.
---- (2) DAY CARE CASES.
In day care cases children currently or formerly attending a day
care center gradually describe their victimization at the center and
at other locations to which they were taken by the day care staff.
The cases include multiple victims and offenders, fear, and bizarre
or ritualistic activity, with a particularly high number of female
offenders. Descriptions of strange games, insertion of foreign
objects, killing of animals, photographing of activities, and
wearing of costumes are common. The accounts of the young children,
however, do not seem to be quite as "bizarre" as those of the adult
survivors, with fewer accounts of human sacrifice.
---- (3) FAMILY/ISOLATED NEIGHBORHOOD CASES.
In family/isolated neighborhood cases, children describe their
victimization within their family or extended family. The group is
often defined by geographic boundary, such as a cul-de-sac,
apartment building, or isolated rural setting. Such accounts are
most common in rural or suburban communities with high
concentrations of religiously conservative people. The stories are
similar to those told of the day care setting, but with more male
offenders. The basic dynamics remain the same, but victims tend to
be more than six years of age, and the scenario may also involve a
custody or visitation dispute.
---- (4) CUSTODY/VISITATION DISPUTE.
In custody/visitation dispute cases, the allegations emanate from a
custody or visitation dispute over at least one child under the age
of seven. The four dynamics described above make these cases
extremely difficult to handle. When complicated by the strong
emotions of this scenario, the cases can be overwhelming. This is
especially true if the disclosing child victims have been taken into
the "underground" by a parent during the custody or visitation
dispute. Some of these parents or relatives may even provide
authorities with diaries or tapes of their interviews with the
children. An accurate evaluation and assessment of a young child
held in isolation in this underground while being "debriefed" by a
parent or someone else is almost impossible. However well-
intentioned, these self-appointed investigators severely damage any
chance to validate these cases objectively.
1597
-- d. WHY ARE VICTIMS ALLEGING THINGS THAT DO NOT SEEM TO BE TRUE?
Some of what the victims in these cases allege is physically
impossible (victim cut up and put back together, offender took the
building apart and then rebuilt it); some is possible but improbable
(human sacrifice, cannibalism, vampirism ); some is possible and
probable (child pornography, clever manipulation of victims); and
some is corroborated (medical evidence of vaginal or anal trauma,
offender confessions).
The most significant crimes being alleged that do not *seem* to be
true are the human sacrifice and cannibalism by organized satanic
cults. In none of the multidimensional child sex ring cases of which
I am aware have bodies of the murder victims been found - in spite
of major excavations where the abuse victims claim the bodies were
located. The alleged explanations for this include: the offenders
moved the bodies after the children left, the bodies were burned in
portable high-temperature ovens, the bodies were put in double-
decker graves under legitimately buried bodies, a mortician member
of the cult disposed of the bodies in a crematorium, the offenders
ate the bodies, the offenders used corpses and aborted fetuses, or
the power of Satan caused the bodies to disappear.
Not only are no bodies found, but also, more importantly, there is
no physical evidence that a murder took place. Many of those not in
law enforcement do not understand that, while it is possible to get
rid of a body, it is even more difficult to get rid of the physical
evidence that a murder took place, especially a human sacrifice
involving sex, blood, and mutilation. Such activity would leave
behind trace evidence that could be found using modern crime scene
processing techniques in spite of extraordinary efforts to clean it
up.
The victims of these human sacrifices and murders are alleged to be
abducted missing children, runaway and throwaway children,
derelicts, and the babies of breeder women. It is interesting to
note that many of those espousing these theories are using the long-
since-discredited numbers and rhetoric of the missing children
hysteria in the early 1980s. Yet "Stranger-Abduction Homicides of
Children", a January 1989 _Juvenile Justice Bulletin_, published by
the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the
U.S. Department of Justice, reports that researchers now estimate
that the number of children kidnapped and murdered by nonfamily
members is between 52 and 158 a year and that adolescents 14 to 17
years old account for nearly two-thirds of these victims. These
figures are also consistent with the 1990 National Incident Studies
previously mentioned.
We live in a very violent society, and yet we have "only" about
23,000 murders a year. Those who accept these stories of mass human
sacrifice would have us believe that the satanists and other occult
practitioners are murdering more than twice as many people every
year in this country as all the other murderers combined.
1598
In addition, in none of the cases of which I am aware has any
evidence of a well-organized satanic cult been found. Many of those
who accept the stories of organized ritual abuse of children and
human sacrifice will tell you that the best evidence they now have
is the consistency of stories from all over America. It sounds like
a powerful argument. It is interesting to note that, without having
met each other, the hundreds of people who claim to have been
abducted by aliens from outer space also tell stories and give
descriptions of the aliens that are similar to each other. This is
not to imply that allegations of child abuse are in the same
category as allegations of abduction by aliens from outer space. It
is intended only to illustrate that individuals who never met each
other can sometimes describe similar events without necessarily
having experienced them.
The large number of people telling the same story is, in fact, the
biggest reason to doubt these stories. It is simply too difficult
for that many people to commit so many horrendous crimes as part of
an organized conspiracy. Two or three people murder a couple of
children in a few communities as part of a ritual, and nobody finds
out? Possible. Thousands of people do the same thing to tens of
thousands of victims over many years? Not likely. Hundreds of
communities all over America are run by mayors, police departments,
and community leaders who are practicing satanists and who regularly
murder and eat people? Not likely. In addition, these community
leaders and high-ranking officials also supposedly commit these
complex crimes leaving no evidence, and at the same time function as
leaders and managers while heavily involved in using illegal drugs.
Probably the closest documented example of this type of alleged
activity in American history is the Ku Klux Klan, which ironically
used Christianity, not satanism, to rationalize its activity but
which, as might be expected, was eventually infiltrated by
informants and betrayed by its members.
As stated, initially I was inclined to believe the allegations of
the victims. But as the cases poured in and the months and years
went by, I became more concerned about the lack of physical evidence
and corroboration for many of the more serious allegations. With
increasing frequency I began to ask the question: "Why are victims
alleging things that do not *seem* to be true?" Many possible
answers were considered.
The first possible answer is obvious: clever offenders. The
allegations may not seem to be true but they are true. The criminal
justice system lacks the knowledge, skill, and motivation to get to
the bottom of this crime conspiracy. The perpetrators of this crime
conspiracy are clever, cunning individuals using sophisticated mind
control and brainwashing techniques to control their victims. Law
enforcement does not know how to investigate these cases.
It is technically possible that these allegations of an organized
conspiracy involving taking over day care centers, abduction,
cannibalism, murder, and human sacrifice might be true. But if they
are true, they constitute one of the greatest crime conspiracies in
history.
1599
Many people do not understand how difficult it is to commit a
conspiracy crime involving numerous co-conspirators. One clever and
cunning individual has a good chance of getting away with a well-
planned interpersonal crime. Bring one partner into the crime and
the odds of getting away with it drop considerably. The more people
involved in the crime, the harder it is to get away with it. Why?
Human nature is the answer. People get angry and jealous. They come
to resent the fact that another conspirator is getting "more" than
they. They get in trouble and want to make a deal for themselves by
informing on others.
If a group of individuals degenerate to the point of engaging in
human sacrifice, murder, and cannibalism, that would most likely be
the beginning of the end for such a group. The odds are that someone
in the group would have a problem with such acts and be unable to
maintain the secret.
The appeal of the satanic conspiracy theory is twofold:
---- (1) First, it is a simple explanation for a complex problem.
Nothing is more simple than "the devil made them do it". If we do
not understand something, we make it the work of some supernatural
force. During the Middle Ages, serial killers were thought to be
vampires and werewolves, and child sexual abuse was the work of
demons taking the form of parents and clergy. Even today, especially
for those raised to religiously believe so, satanism offers an
explanation as to why "good" people do bad things. It may also help
to "explain" unusual, bizarre, and compulsive sexual urges and
behavior.
---- (2) Second, the conspiracy theory is a popular one. We find it
difficult to believe that one bizarre individual could commit a
crime we find so offensive. Conspiracy theories about soldiers
missing in action (MlAs), abductions by UFOs, Elvis Presley
sightings, and the assassination of prominent public figures are the
focus of much attention in this country. These conspiracy theories
and allegations of ritual abuse have the following in common: (1)
self-proclaimed experts, (2) tabloid media interest, (3) belief the
government is involved in a coverup, and (4) emotionally involved
direct and indirect victim/witnesses.
On a recent television program commemorating the one hundredth
anniversary of Jack the Ripper, almost fifty percent of the viewing
audience who called the polling telephone numbers indicated that
they thought the murders were committed as part of a conspiracy
involving the British Royal Family. The five experts on the program,
however, unanimously agreed the crimes were the work of one
disorganized but lucky individual who was diagnosed as a paranoid
schizophrenic. In many ways, the murders of Jack the Ripper are
similar to those allegedly committed by satanists today.
If your child's molestation was perpetrated by a sophisticated
satanic cult, there is nothing you could have done to prevent it and
therefore no reason to feel any guilt. I have been present when
parents who believe their children were ritually abused at day care
centers have told others that the cults had sensors in the road,
lookouts in the air, and informers everywhere; therefore, the
usually recommended advice of unannounced visits to the day care
center would be impossible.
1600
6. ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS
Even if only part of an allegation is not true, what then is the
answer to the question "Why are victims alleging things that do not
*seem* to be true?" After consulting with psychiatrists,
psychologists, anthropologists, therapists, social workers, child
sexual abuse experts, and law enforcement investigators for more
than eight years, I can find no single, simple answer. The answer to
the question seems to be a complex set of dynamics that can be
different in each case. In spite of the fact that some skeptics keep
looking for it, there does not appear to be one answer to the
question that fits every case. Each case is different, and each case
may involve a different combination of answers.
I have identified a series of possible alternative answers to this
question. The alternative answers also do not preclude the
possibility that clever offenders are sometimes involved. I will not
attempt to explain completely these alternative answers because I
cannot. They are presented simply as areas for consideration and
evaluation by child sexual abuse intervenors, for further
elaboration by experts in these fields, and for research by
objective social scientists. The first step, however, in finding the
answers to this question is to admit the possibility that some of
what the victims describe may not have happened. Some child
advocates seem unwilling to do this.
-- a. PATHOLOGICAL DISTORTION.
The first possible answer to why victims are alleging things that do
not *seem* to be true is *pathological distortion*. The allegations
may be errors in processing reality influenced by underlying mental
disorders such as dissociative disorders, borderline or histrionic
personality disorders, or psychosis. These distortions may be
manifested in false accounts of victimization in order to gain
psychological benefits such as attention and sympathy (factitious
disorder). When such individuals repeatedly go from place to place
or person to person making these false reports of their own
"victimization", it is called Munchausen Syndrome. When the repealed
false reports concern the "victimization" of their children or
others linked to them, it is called Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. I
am amazed when some therapists state that they believe the
allegations because they cannot think of a reason why the "victim",
whose failures are now explained and excused or who is now the
center of attention at a conference or on a national television
program, would lie. If you can be forgiven for mutilating and
killing babies, you can be forgiven for anything.
Many "victims" may develop pseudomemories of their victimization and
eventually come to believe the events actually occurred. Noted
forensic psychiatrist Park E. Dietz (personal communication, Nov.
1991) states:
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