To Main Page 301 MACCULLOCH, JOHN ARNOTT; "Religion of the Ancient Celts", Folcroft Library, 1977rep. MACCULLOCH, JOHN ARNOTT; "The Mythology of all Races in Thirteen volumes; Celtic, Volume III.", Cooper Square Pub. 1967 MACLENNAN, MALCOLM; "A Promouncing & Emtylogical Dictionary of the Gaelic Language", (Scots Gaelic) Aberdeen Univ. Press 1979 MACMANUS, SEUMAS; "The Story of the Irish Race", Devin-Adair Co. 1981 MACNEILL, MAIRE; "The Festival of Lughnasa", Oxford, 1962 *** MARKALE, JEAN; "Women of the Celts", Inner Traditions International Ltd. 1986 MARRIS, RUTH; "The Singing Swans & Other Irish Stories", Fontana Lions 1978 MARSH, HENRY; "Dark Age Britain", Dorset Press 1970 MATTHEWS, CAITLIN; "The Elements of The Goddess", Element Books 1989 MATTHEWS, CAITLIN; "The Elements of The Celtic Tradition", Element Books 1989 McNEIL, F. MARTIN; "The Silver Bough, Vol 1.: Scottish Folklore & Beliefs", Cannon Gate Classic 1956/1989 O'BRIEN, CHRISTIAN; "The Megalithic Odyssey", Turnstone 1983 O'CONNOR, FRANK; "Short History of Irish Literature", Capricorn Books 1967 O'CONNOR, NORREYS; "Battles & Enchantments", Books for Libraries Press 1922/1970 O'DRISCOLL, ROBERT; "The Celtic Consciousness", George Braziller 1982 O'SULLIVAN, DONALD; "Carolan: The Life & Times & Music of an Irish Harper", Vol 1 & 2, Celtic Music 1983 PEPPERS & WILCOCK; "A Guide to Magical & Mystical Sites - Europe & the British Isles", Harper Colophon Books 1977 POWELL, T.G.E.; "The Celts", Thames & Hudson 1980 Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 302 QUILLER, PETER & COURTNEY DAVIS; "Merlin, The Immortal", Spirit of Celtia 1984 REES, ALWEN & BRINLEY; "Celtic Heritage", Oxford 1971 *** RHYS, JOHN; "Celtic Folklore, Welsh & Manx, Vol.I" ROLLESTON, T.W.; "Myths & Legends - Celtic", Avenel Press 1985 ROSS, ANNE; "Pagan Celtic Britian", Rudledge & Kegen Paul 1967 *** ROSS, ANNE, & DON ROBBINS; "The Life & Death of A Druid Prince", Summit 1989 *** RUTHERFORD, WARD; "Celtic Mythology", Aquarian Press 1987 RUTHERFORD, WARD; "The Druids, Magicians of the West", Aquarian Press 1978 *** SEYMOUR, ST. JOHN; "Irish Witchcraft and Demonology", 1913 SHARKEY, JOHN; "Celtic Mysteries", Thames & Hudson 1975/1987 SJOESTEDT, MARIE-LOUISE; "Gods and Heroes of the Celts", Methven & Co. Ltd. 1949 *** SMITH, LESLEY M.; "The Dark Age: The Making of Britian", Schocker Books 1984 SPENCE, LEWIS; "The Minor Traditions of British Mythology", Rider & Co. 1948 SPENCE, LEWIS; "The Magic Arts in Celtic Britain", Anchor Press SPENCE, LEWIS; "British Fairy Origins", Aquarian Press 1946 SQUIRE, CHARLES; "Celtic Myth & Legend, Poetry & Romance", Newcastle 1975 *** STEWART, R.J.; "Book of Merlin", Blandford Press 1988 STEWART, R.J., ed.; "Merlin & Woman", Blandford Press 1988 STEWART, R.J.; "Mystic Life of Merlin", Arcana Press 1986 Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 303 STEWART, R.J.; "The Underworld Tradition", Aquarian Press 1985 SUTHERLAND, ELISABETH; "Ravens & Black Rain", Corgi Books 1985 *** THURNEYSON; "Old Irish Reader", Dublin Institut for Advanced Studies 1968 TOULSON, SHIRLEY; "The Winter Solstice", Jill Norman & Hobhouse 1981 *** WHITE, CAROLYN; "A History of Irish Fairies", Mercier Press 1976 *** WHITLOCK, RALPH; "In Search of Lost Gods", Phaidon Press 1979 WILDE, LADY; "Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, & Superstitions of Ireland With Sketches of the Irish Past" Chatto & Windus 1925 WILLIAMS, GWYNN A.; "Madoc, The Legend of the Welsh Discovery of America", Oxford Univ. Press 1987 WILLIAMSON, JOHN; "The Oak King, the Holly King & the Unicorn", Harper & Row 1974 *** WOOD-MARTIN, W. G.; "Traces of the Elder Faiths of Ireland, Vols 1 & 2", Kennicat Pub. 1902/1970 *** YEATS, W.B.; "Fairy & Folktales of Ireland", Pan Books 1882 & 1882/ 1973 YEATS, W.B. & LADY GREGORY; "Irish Myth, Legend, & Folklore", Avenel Press 1986 YOUNG, ELLA; "The Wondersmith and His Son", David McKay Co. 1927 Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 304 THE COVENANT OF THE GODDESS PURPOSE The Covenant of the Goddess was founded in 1975 to increase cooperation among Witches, and to secure for Witches and covens the legal protection enjoyed by members of other religions. FUNCTIONS The Covenant publishes a newsletter; issues ministerial credentials on request to qualified persons; sponsors a national festival each summer; and encourages networking nationally, as well as regionally through local councils. STRUCTURE The Covenant is incorporated as a non-profit religious organization in California, though it has grown to be a nationwide organization. It is a confederation of covens and solitaires of various traditions, who share in the worship of the Goddess and the Old Gods and subscribe to a common code of ethics. The Covenant holds a Grand Council annually to elect national officers, set a budget, and decide matters which require deliberation by the full membership. Decisions are usually made by consensus. CODE OF ETHICS * An ye harm none, do as ye will. * Since our religion and arts and practices peculiar to it are the gift of the Goddess, membership and training in a local coven or tradition are bestowed free, as gifts, and only on those persons who are deemed worthy to receive them. However, a coven may expect each of its members to bear a fair share of its ordinary operating expenses. * All persons have the right to charge reasonable fees for the services by which they earn a living, so long as our religion is not thereby exploited. * Every person associated with this Covenant shall respect the autonomy and sovereignty of each coven, as well as the right of each coven to oversee the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical development of its members and students in its own way, and shall exercise reasonable caution against infringing upon that right in any way. * Members of this Covenant shall respect the traditional secrecy of our religion. * Members of this Covenant should ever keep in mind the underlying unity of our religion as well as the diversity of its manifestations. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 305 * These ethics shall be understood and interpreted in light of one another, and especially in light of the traditional laws of our religion. CONFIDENTIALITY All information give to the Covenant of the Goddess or any of its officials is considered strictly confidential, unless you indicate otherwise. No information about members is published or given out without explicit written permission. Direct access to the Covenant's mailing list is limited to the Board of Directors. Maximum privacy is assured. NEWSLETTER At every Sabbat the Covenant publishes a newsletter of Craft and Pagan news, original articles, poetry, humor, rituals and announcements. Member covens receive the newsletter automatically. Individual coveners and non-members who donate a suitable tax-deductible gift will also be placed on the mailing list, to receive the newsletter and other mailings. Circulation is limited to members and friends of the Covenant. FINANCES An annual membership tithe is set every year by the Grand Council to cover bare expenses, based on the previous year's expenses and any projected cost increases. The annual financial statement is published in the newsletter. Other activities are supported by fund-raising. All contributions to the Covenant of the Goddess are greatly appreciated and are tax-deductible. APPLYING FOR MEMBERSHIP Any Goddess-supporting coven or solitaire can be eligible for membership in the Covenant of the Goddess if certain criteria and requirements are met. All inquiries into membership should be sent to the National Credentials Officer. If the coven or solitaire is in an area near a local council, the National Officer will forward the inquiry to the local Credentials Officer, who will respond. A member can apply in person at a council meeting, or by filling out the appropriate form and sending it in with the initial membership tithe. GENERAL CRITERIA FOR COVEN MEMBERSHIP * Generally focus thealogy and ritual, etc., around worship of the Goddess and the Old Gods (or the Goddess alone). * Believe and follow a code of ethics compatible with that of the Covenant. * Have been meeting monthly or oftener for at least six months. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 306 * Have three more members who have been formally accepted into the clergy. * Be a cohesive, self-perpetuating group. REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP Full Membership: The applicant must be recommended without reservation by two active members of the Covenant. Provisional Membership: The applicant may be recommended by one member; and then within a year and a day make a viable effort to get to know other members, in order to achieve Full Member status. The appropriate Credentials Officer (National or local) shall verify information regarding criteria and credentials. COVEN-AT-LARGE This is the term we use to represent the many Witches who are solitaires, i.e. practicing alone. Each local council may devise its own standards for admission of coveners-at-large, in harmony with national guidelines. LOCAL COUNCILS A local council is a smaller branch of the Covenant, consisting of at least three member covens of at least two different traditions, in reasonably close geographic proximity to each other. The local councils generally meet more often than the national organization. They may initiate independent projects, sponsor local festivals and workshops, and generally work together for common goals close to home. As the Covenant continues to grow, we encourage new member covens close to one another to form their own local councils. VOTING When a matter requiring a decision is presented before the Covenant in council, it is discussed by the members in attendance until a consensus is reached. If a consensus cannot be reached, then a vote is taken. A coven holding a current Full Membership is entitled to one vote. Each such coven also holds the power to veto, though this is exercised only in extreme cases. A coven with Provisional Membership is entitled to one vote, but does not hold veto power. A coven-at-large is entitled to one vote if, and only if, three individuals are physically present at the council and unanimous in their choice of vote. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 307 MINISTERIAL CREDENTIALS In order to receive Ministerial Credentials as a Priestess or Priest, a person shall: 1. Be an active member of a coven which is a Full Member of the Covenant. 2. Have been "confirmed" to taking on the full commitment to the requirements of that coven's Tradition of our religion. 3. Have undergone at least a full year of active training for the ministry of that Tradition. These credentials shall remain valid only so long as the person remains an active member of the coven which remains an active member of the Covenant. In order to be eligible to receive Ministerial Credentials as an Elder, a person shall: 1. Satisfy (2.) and (3.) above. 2. Have undergone an additional full year of active training for the ministry. 3. Be fully able to form a coven, admit members, and train them in the tenets and practices of that Tradition. These credentials shall remain valid for life, unless specifically revoked, so long as the person remains in contact with the Covenant. THE NATIONAL FESTIVAL The annual Grand Council or national business meeting is held as part of a national festival, which is open to the whole membership as well as Pagans and Witches who are not part of the Covenant. The festival is usually held at a secluded campground or resort, and moves to a different area of the country each summer. In addition to the council meeting, the program includes workshops on magick and the Craft, concerts, a potluck feast, a talent show, and the opportunity to purchase (or barter for) art, crafts and ritual tools by Pagan artisans. Registration information is available in the newsletter. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Write to: Covenant of the Goddess, P.O. Box 1226, Berkeley, CA 94704. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 308 A Pledge to Pagan Spirituality I am a Pagan andI dedicate Myself tochanneling the Spiritual Energy of my Inner Self to help and to heal myself and others. * I know that I am a part of the Whole of Nature. May I grow in understanding of the Unity of all Nature. May I always walk in Balance. * May I always be mindful of the diversity of Nature as well as its Unity and may I always be tolerant of those whose race, appearance, sex, sexual preference, culture, and other ways differ from my own. * May I use the Force(psychic power) wisely and never useit for aggression nor for malevolent purposes. May I never direct it to curtail the free will of another. * May I always be mindfulthat I create my own reality and that I have the power within me to create positivity in my life. * May I always act in honorable ways: being honest with myself and others, keeping my word whenever I have given it, fulfilling all responsibilities and commitments I have taken on to the best of my ability. * May I always remember that whatever is sent out always returns magnified to the sender. May the Forces of Karma move swiftly to remind me of these spiritual commitments when I have begin to falter from them, and may I use this Karmic feedback to help myself grow and be more attuned to my Inner Pagan Spirit. * May I always remain strong and committed to my Spiritual ideals in the face of adversity and negativity. May the Force of my Inner Spirit ground out all malevolence directed my way and transform it into positivity. May my Inner Light shine so strongly that malevolent forces can not even approach my sphere of existence. * May I always grow in Inner Wisdom & Understanding. MayI see every problem that I face as an opportunity to develop myself spiritually in solving it. * May I always act out ofLove to all other beings on this Planet -- to other humans, to plants, to animals, to minerals, to elementals, to spirits, and to other entities. * May I always be mindful that the Goddess and God in all their forms dwell within me and that this divinity is reflected through my own Inner Self, my Pagan Spirit. * May I always channel Love and Light from my being. May my Inner Spirit, rather than my ego self, guide all my thoughts, feelings, and actions. SO MOTE IT BE Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 309 The Craft (Witchcraft - NOT to be confused with Satanism. A true Witch has nothing to do with this, even though there are some Satanists who (unright-fully) call themselves "Witch".) contains a large number of groups with bonds to each other, for the most part, which are looser than those you will find between Christian churches. Each has it's own traditions, it's own beliefs, it's own pantheon, etc. So just WHAT is it that, overall, a Witch believes in? The American Council of Witches was formed to determine what it was that all Witches have in common, belief-wise. In the early 1970's, a paper was released with their findings, and gives a good overall picture of it. The following is the text of that paper. ====================================================================== BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE CRAFT 1. The first principle is that of love, and it is expressed in the ethic, "DO AS YOU WILL, SO LONG AS YOU HARM NONE" a)love is notemotional in it'sessence, but isan attribute of the individual as expressed in relation to other beings; b) harming others can be by thought, word, or deed; c> it is to be understood the "none" includes oneself; d) theharm which isto be regardedas unethical isgratuitous harm; war, in general, is gratuitous harm, although it is ethical to defend oneself and one's liberty when threatened by real and present danger, such as defense against invasion. 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) Godhead is one unique and transcendent wholeness, beyond any limitationsor 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) 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-relation. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 310 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. b) These powers can be awakened through the various techniques of theMysteries, and,although they areonly 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, then, is further reason for the oath of secrecy. c) Since the universe is the body of the One, possessing 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. Thus the Craft is a natural 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 ourselves. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 311 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. Astrology can be useful in marking and interpreting the flow and ebb of the tides of our solar system, and thus of making use of those tides; astrology should not be debased into mere fortune-telling. 8. 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 t h e 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. a) In keeping with the Law of Polarity, these god-forms are brought into harmony by the one great Law whichstates: All Gods are oneGod. All Goddesses areone 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 ofmany of the differencesbetween thevariousTraditions oftheCraft. EachTraditionuses theforms,andthusthenames,which to thatTradition bestexpress and awakenan understandingofthe forcerepresented,accordingto the areas of emphasis of the Tradition. c) Because we know that differing names or representations arebutexpressionsofthesamedivineprinciplesand forces,werequire ourmemberstoswearthat theywill nevermockthenames bywhichanotherhonors theDivine, eventhough thosenames bedifferentfrom andseemingly lessexpressive thanthe namesand godforms usedby our Tradition(for tothe membersof anotherTradition, using it's names, oursmay easily seemequally less expressive). Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 312 9. 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 consequences of them; guilt is rejected as inhibiting to one's self-actualization, and replaced by the efforts of the Witch to obey the teachings of harmlessness, responsibility for t h e consequences of one's actions, and the goal of actualizing the full powers of the individual. a) We refuse to believe that a human being is born innately sinful,and recognizetheconcepts ofsinandguilt aretremendouslyinhibitingto thehumanpotential;the consequencesof theLawof CauseandEffect,called karma bysome, arenot punishment,but therecurrences of situations andtheir effectsbecause theindividualas notgained the Wisdomneeded tohandle or avoidsuch situations. b) There is no heaven except that which we ourselves make of ourlifeonEarth,andlikewisethereisnohellexcept theeffectsofourunwiseactions.Deathisnotfollowed bypunishmentorreward,but bylifeandthecontinuing evolution of the human potential. c) One cannot damn the divine in oneself; one can, however, cutoneselfofffromitthroughthe rejectionofwisdom anda refusaltostrive forself-realization. This cutting off does not lead to personal suffering in"hell", forthereisnoSelftosufferifthetieto one'sown divinityhasbeensevered;whatremainsis merelyanemptyshell,a"personality"orthought-form devoid of it's ensouling Spark of the Divine Fire. 10. 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. 11. This process of evolution through successive incarnations in manifest form works through the utilizations of wisdom gained, t h e essence of the life-experience. This essence of experience, o r Wisdom, is an attribute of the spark of life itself, one and inseparable (see 9a). Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 313 12. 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 t h e i r express permission; unless such non-interference would be inhibiting to our own, ethical existence and development -- and even then the responsibilities and consequences must be understood and accepted. This, then, is one of the important reasons for the communal life the Witches under the guidance of t h e Priesthood: That the group may be guided by wisdom and experience, with the aid and support of one's peers; and that one's actions may be guided by the influence of the ethical life of the group as a whole. 13. Harmony with, and utilization of, the great natural forces of the universe is called magick. By magick we speak, not of the supernatural, 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 thegains of theself, and thereforemust 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. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 314 This article is excerpted from the Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal. Each issue of the Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal is published by High Plains Arts and Sciences; P.O. Box 620604, Littleton Co., 80123, a Colorado Non-Profit Corporation, under a Public Domain Copyright, which entitles any person or group of persons to reproduce, in any form whatsoever, any material contained therein without restriction, so long as articles are not condensed or abbreviated in any fashion, and credit is given the original author.! IN GRANDMOTHER'S LAP Copyright 1987, RMPJ "Morals are the nagging fear that somebody somewhere may be having a good time." --H. L. Mencken What is the difference between one of us and Oral Roberts? Well, hopefully there are lots of differences, but the top one on my list is that I work on being ethical and he is a moralist. The moralist knows how everybody else should behave in order to be a good person, avoid Hell, fit into decent society, etc., etc. He is quite likely to feel that he is a valid exception to all his own rules, since he can handle temptation and control his outcomes. His main characteristic is frantic paranoid distrust of other people. No one should be seen nude, for instance, because this would be un-bearably sexually arousing and lead to promiscuity, neglect of ordinary duties, etc. He knows he can control himself, but everybody else has to be "protected" from their evil impulses. His major defence is projection: "I'm not oversexed, and of course I'd never want to be or want to be unfaithful to my wife, but that woman in the (name situation or article of clothing) sure is asking for it. Ultimate expressions of this type of thinking are wife-beating -- one man said, "When I walked into the self-help group I thought that when they heard what I'd had to put up with they'd con-gratulate me for not having killed her." -- and witch-burning -- "I am a good person. Bad things do not happen to good people. A bad thing has happened to me. Somebody did it! Kill them!" In essence, the moralist is saying "It can't be my fault (I'm not able to face the idea that it might be my fault). It must be somebody else's fault. If people would just follow these few simple rules, which I'll be glad to explain to them, nothing would go wrong and I wouldn't have to feel anxious. But since they won't all follow my rules, everything is their fault, not mine, and I don't have to feel anxious." Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 315 To me this is nauseating. I have no idea how you "should" behave; who are you? What's the situation? Who else is affected? Even then, the best I could offer would be some suggestions of courses of action which might have good results -- but I don't believe there are any simple rules for human conduct which are always "right." What I do believe is that ethical behavior consists of choosing your actions such that you can look at yourself in the mirror in the morning without flinching. Which means I can see a Corsican being ethical and killing another person as part of a feud; a gypsy being ethical and defrauding a gaujo. I suspect that what I mean here is that ethics impel you to be true to your own values, while morals make you want to a) control others, and b) not get caught yourself. But being ethical implies that they are your own values, which you have thought through and decided to accept, and not just the ones you have swallowed whole from your family or culture. Marjoe, a famous evangelist who later went straight, described preaching hellfire and damnation and then going back to the motel and making love to his girlfriend of the moment -- who had to be flown in from New York so the locals wouldn't know what he was doing. Oral Roberts says people have to give him $8 million, or God will "call him home." These are examples of people whose highest priority is influencing others, making the right kind of impression - the actuality doesn't seem to be really relevant to their choice-making process. The ethical person, on the other hand, may not care at all about the impression he is erig; he will say in total sincerity "I know I look like a fool for doing it, but I couldn't have lived with myself if I hadn't." Or even harder, "I know you think I'm being hard and cruel, but I honestly believe this is the best solution in the circumstances." Next issue (are you holding your breath?) the difference be- tween act idealism and absolute idealism, or how to tell a witch from a fundamentalist without a score card. The Spinster Aunt .......... FROM RMPJ, 2/3/1987 Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 316 EXEGESIS ON THE WICCAN REDE by Judy Harrow originally published in HARVEST - Volume 5, Number 3 (Oimelc, 1985) second publication: THE HIDDEN PATH - Volume X, Number 2 Beltane, 1987) All religions began with somebody's sudden flashing insight, enlightenment, a shining vision. Some mystic found the way and the words to share the vision, and, sharing it, attracted followers. The followers may repeat those precise and poetic words about the vision until they congeal into set phrases, fused language, repeated by rote and without understanding. Cliches begin as great wisdom - that's why they spread so fast - and end as ritual phrases, heard but not understood. Living spirituality so easily hardens to boring religious routine, maintained through guilt and fear, or habit and social opportunism - any reason but joy. We come tothe Craft witha first generation'sjoy ofdiscovery, and a first generation's memory of bored hours of routine worship in our childhood. Because we have known the difference, it is our particular challenge to find or make ways to keep the Craft a living, real experience for our grandchildren and for the students of our students. I think the best ofthese safeguards is already builtinto the Craft as we know it, put there by our own good teachers. On our Path, the mystic experience itself is shared, not just the fruits of mysticism. We give all our students the techniques, and the protective/supportive environment that enable almost every one of them to Draw the Moon and/or Invoke the God. This is an incredibly radical change from older religions, even older Pagan religions, in which the only permissible source of inspiration has been to endlessly reinterpret and reapply the vision of the Founder (the Bible, the Book of the Law, the Koran, ... ). The practice of Drawing the Moon is the brilliant crown of the Craft. But notice how often, in the old myths, every treasure has its pitfalls? I think I'm beginning to see one of ours. Between the normal process of original visions clotting into cliche, and our perpetual flow of new inspiration, we are in danger of losing the special wisdom of those who founded the modern Craft. I do not think we should assiduously preserve every precious word. My love for my own Gardnerian tradition does not blind me to our sexist and heterosexist roots. And yet, I want us to remain identifiably Witches and not meld into some homogeneous "New Age" sludge. For this, I think we need some sort of anchoring in tradition to give us a sense of identity. Some of the old sayings really do crystallize great wisdom as well, life-affirming Pagan wisdom that our culture needs to hear. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 317 So I think it's time for a little creative borrowing from our neighbors. Christians do something they call "exegesis;" Jews have a somewhat similar process called "midrash." What it is something between interpretation and meditation, a very concentrated examination of a particular text. The assumption often is that every single word has meaning (cabalists even look at the individual letters). Out of this inspired combination of scholarship and daydream comes the vitality of those paths whose canon is closed. The contemporary example, of course, is Christian Liberation Theology, based on a re-visioning of Jesus that would utterly shock John Calvin. Althoughour canon is not closed - andthe day it is the day I quit - I'm suggesting that we can use a similar process to renew the life of the older parts of our own still-young heritage. So, I'dlike totry doingsome exegesison anessential statement of the Craft way of life. Every religion has some sort of ethic, some guideline for what it means to live in accordance with this particular mythos, this worldview. Ours, called the Wiccan Rede, is one of the most elegant statements I've heard of the principle of situational ethics. Rather than placing the power and duty to decide about behavior with teachers or rulebooks, the Rede places it exactly where it belongs, with the actor. eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: AN IT HARM NONE, DO WHAT YOU WILL. I'd like to start with the second phrase first, and to take it almost word by word. Do what YOU will. This is the challenge to self-direction, to figure out what we want, and not what somebody else wants for us or from us. All of us are subject to tremendous role expectations and pressures, coming from our families, our employers, our friends, society in general. It's easy to just be molded, deceptively easy to become a compulsive rebel and reflexively do the opposite of whatever "they" seem to want. Living by the Rede means accepting the responsibility to assess the results of our actions and to choose when we will obey, confront or evade the rules. Do what you WILL. This is the challenge to introspection, to know what we really want beyond the whim of the moment. The classic example is that of the student who chooses to study for an exam rather than go to a party, because what she really wants is to be a doctor. Again, balance is needed. Always going to the library rather than the movies is the road to burnout, not the road to a Nobel. What's more, there are others values in life, such as sensuality, intimacy, spirituality, that get ignored in a compulsively long-term orientation. So, our responsibility is not to mechanically follow some rule like "always choose to defer gratification in your own long-term self interest," but to really listen within, and to really choose, each time. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 318 DO what you will. This is the challenge to action. Don't wait for Prince Charming or the revolution. Don't blame your mother or the system. Make a realistic plan that includes all your assets. Be sure to include magic, both the deeper insights and wisdoms of divination and the focusing of will and energy that comes from active workings. Then take the first steps right now. But, beware of thoughtless action, which is equally dangerous. For example, daydreaming is needed, to envision a goal, to project the results of actions, to check progress against goals, sometimes to revise goals. Thinking and planning are necessary parts of personal progress. Action and thought are complementary; neither can replace the other. When youreally lookat it, wordby word, itsounds likea subtle and profound guide for life, does it not? Is it complete? Shall "do what you will" in fact be "the whole of the law" for us? I think not. The second phrase of the Rede discusses the individual out of context. Taken by itself, "DO WHAT YOU WILL" would produce a nastily competitive society, a "war of each against all" more bitter than what we now endure. That is, it would if it were possible. Happily, it's just plain not. Pagan myth and modernbiology alike teach us that ourEarth is one interconnected living sphere, a whole system in which the actions of each affect all (and this is emphatically not limited to humankind) through intrinsic, organic feedback paths. As our technology amplifies the effects of our individual actions, it becomes increasingly critical to understand that these actions have consequences beyond the individual; consequences that, by the very nature of things, come back to the individual as well. Cooperation, once "merely" an ethical ideal, has become a survival imperative. Life is relational, contextual. Exclusive focus on the individual Will is a lie and a deathtrap. The qualifying "AN IT HARM NONE," draws a Circle around the individual Will and places each of us firmly within the dual contexts of the human community and the complex life-form that is Mother Gaia. The first phrase of the Rede directs us to be aware of results of our actions projected not only in time, as long-term personal outcomes, but in space - to consider how actions may effect our families, co-workers, community, and the life of the Earth as a whole, and to take those projections into account in our decisions. But, like the rest of the Rede, "an it harm none" cannot be followed unthinkingly. It is simply impossible for creatures who eat to harm none. Any refusal to decide or act for fear of harming someone is also a decision and an action, and will create results of some kind. When you consider that "none" also includes ourselves, it becomes clear that what we have here is a goal and an ideal, not a rule. The Craft,assuming ethical adulthood,offers us norote rules. We will always be working on incomplete knowledge. We will sometimes just plain make mistakes. Life itself, and life-affirming religion, still demands that we learn, decide, act, and accept the results. Judy Harrow Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 319 The Witches' Creed Hear Now the words of the witches, The secrets we hid in the night, When dark was our destiny's pathway, That now we bring forth into light. Mysterious water and fire, The earth and the wide-ranging air, By hidden quintessence we know them, And will and keep silent and dare. The birth and rebirth of all nature, The passing of winter and spring, We share with the life universal, Rejoice in the magical ring. Four times in the year the Great Sabbat Returns, and the witches are seen At Lammas and Candlemas dancing, On May Eve and old Hallowe'en. When day-time and night-time are equal, Whensun is at greatest and least, The four Lesser Sabbats are summoned, And Witches gather in feast. Thirteen silver moons in a year are, Thirteen is the coven's array. Thirteen times at Esbat make merry, For each golden year and a day. The power that was passed down the age, Each time between woman and man, Each century unto the other, Ere time and the ages began. When drawn is the magical circle, By sword or athame of power, Its compass between two worlds lies, In land of the shades for that hour. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 320 This world has no right then to know it, And world of beyond will tell naught. The oldest of Gods are invoked there, The Great Work of magic is wrought. For the two are mystical pillars, That stand at the gate of the shrine, And two are the powers of nature, The forms and the forces divine. The dark and the light in succession, The opposites each unto each, Shown forth as a God and a Goddess: Of this our ancestors teach. By night he's the wild wind's rider, The Horn'd One, the Lord of the Shades. By day he's the King of the Woodland, The dweller in green forest glades. She is youthful or old as she pleases, She sails the torn clouds in her barque, The bright silver lady of midnight, The crone who weaves spells in the dark. The master and mistress of magic, That dwell in the deeps of the mind, Immortal and ever-renewing, With power to free or to bind. So drink the good wine to the Old Gods, And Dance and make love in their praise, Till Elphame's fair land shall receive us In peace at the end of our days. And Do What You Will be the challenge, So be it Love that harms none, For this is the only commandment. By Magic of old, be it done! Doreen Valiente, "Witchcraft For Tomorrow" pp.172-173 Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 321 Hill Country Pagan Grove Austin, Texas, U.S.A. Published December 1982 by C.C.C. Creative Cooperative Consolidated 12611 Research Blvd. Number 125 Austin, Texas 78759 U.S.A. First edition, December 1982 Second edition, revised, April 1983 PREFACE Some have asked how this little booklet came into being. It's all very straightforward: as the most visible representatives of paganism here in Austin, Texas, I and my consort, Arnthor Phalius, are asked often to appear in public to talk about witchcraft. The questions included here are those most often asked, along with the answers we give. Of course we cannot pretend to speak for all Pagans, only for ourselves. But the little booklet has been well-received as a non-threatening method of getting to know a subject like Wicca. Occasionally we will find someone who has had negative experiences with persons who call themselves Wiccans or Witches, and in those cases they expressed relief on find that `other types' of Pagans existed than those which had given them their initial bad impressions. The Directory* is an individual effort at networking in the Sunbelt. Here in Texas there are many traditions and varieties of Paganism, and if one isn't to be alone, one must learn that there are more similarities than differences in Paganism and the other major religions. Pagans have always known this, but for various reasons, have not stepped forward as representatives of this view. I (Merlana) am a mystic who responds to the Universal Mind as it is expressed in Nature. It is my deep belief that persons who reverence these principles are unified at bottom, and separated only by the illusion of words, which are not reality. Sometimes words aren't even adequate representations of `Reality`! It is my intention in this little booklet to re-define some issues and terms in the way that my tradition sees them. It so happens that much of the rest of Paganism falls within this general framework. (NOTE: A `tradition' is a varietal type, like `denomination'). If youalready know the subject and wish to differ, your comments are welcome. If you are new to the subject, perhaps here you'll find some questions answered, and (if wanted) fellowship with others who are on similar paths. Directory* listings are free to those in the Sunbelt of the USA (South and Southwest.) New editions are published irregularly. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 322 If you don't live in the Sunbelt, but have goods or services which interest Pagans, you may also put an ad into the Directory.* Write for details. Blessed be, Merlana April 1983 1. WHAT IS WICCA? `Wicca' (pronounced Wick-ah) is one name given to the Nature religions practiced in Northern Europe and the Middle East from the times of the ice ages. It is one spiritual path out of many in a group of spiritual practices known as NeoPaganism. NeoPaganism is currently in a world-wide revival, led by persons and groups in the United States and Britain. 2. HOW DO WICCA AND NEOPAGANISM FIT TOGETHER? Wicca is one subsidiary form, or `tradition,' similar to the way Christianity has many forms. One can be a Christian and still be Baptist, Methodist or Roman Catholic. In the same way, one can be a Pagan but ascribe to another, more specific, sub-variety of philosophy. 3. IS IT THE SAME AS WITCHCRAFT? One linguistic theory has the word Wicca coming from Olde English `Wicca-Craeft', meaning `craft of the wise ones.' Most followers of Wicca (and most Pagans) prefer not to use the terms `witchcraft' or `witch' because of the emotional connotations these words carry in our society. Generally, one who calls him or herself a `witch' without further qualifications is seeking notoriety and special attention. Those of us who guard the portals of personal Power (like Carlos Casteneda's character Don Juan) are normally hard to find or engage in discussion. Our Mysteries are carefully hidden from the world, and from those who might be tempted to misuse them. 4. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE ABOUT GOD? Although Pagans generally agree that one God exists and is the same regardless of name, they vary in specific concepts about God, as in other religions. What an individual Pagan holds is strictly a matter of personal belief. However, occasionally a tradition will teach highly-specific concepts, structures and mythologies. If one finds oneself in disagreement, the best policy is `voting with the feet', or withdrawing to find another group who better agrees. NOTE: Sometimes it may be easierto gather together a group of people who believe as you do to form an entirely new group. That's the purpose of networking, or what the booklet is designed for. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 323 Most Wiccans divide the Godhead (generally conceived of as Mother Nature) into two forces. One force is male and the other female. They are called respectively: The God and The Goddess. Between them, these two divinities create balance and harmony in the Eternal Dance. They represent the forces of birth, death and regeneration symbolized in the change of the seasons. Wiccans call 5this cycle The Wheel Of The Year. Most rituals celebrate the Wheel Of The Year and our deep, meaningful participation in natural cycles of change. Because the male force has been in ascendancy for thousands of years due to the Christian, Moslem and Jewish religions, there is presently a tendency to emphasize The Goddess, especially by feminists (or by those whose personal concept of God happens to be female). We also believe in Magick, which is a partnership between humanity and the Universal Mind. This partnership creates changes in what we normally call `reality', i.e., change accomplished with prayer. These changes can seem miraculous or merely coincidental, and always include personal effort. Magick is not the same as `wishing.' 5. WHAT HAPPENS AT A WICCAN CEREMONY? There are several types of get-togethers that Pagans of all traditions attend. The most available and open is called a `Grove,' where those who wish may study both spiritual and ceremonial topics. Most groves emphasize fellowship and harmony of mind between their members. You should choose one as much for how you blend with the personalities of the members as for a particular brand of teaching. Eight times a year, at the solstices and equinoxes, May Day, Halloween, and other points on the lunar calendar, Pagans gather together (usually outdoors under trees) to celebrate Nature and the turn of the seasons. These celebrations consist of dancing, prayer, invocations, and rituals passed down from the many traditions through the ages. We also urge participants to develop and use their own original rituals and to share them with others. Because we dance and pray in a standing Circle (or sometimes a spiral), and because we draw at these times from the Universe spherical energies of protection and power - these meetings are called (appropriately enough!) Circles. 6. HOW CAN I ATTEND A GROVE OR CIRCLE? Wiccans and Pagans tend to be very private, and do not advertise their faith at publicly as some others might. This is mainly because of past persecutions. However, for those who are sincerely interested, there always exist persons with whom to visit and explore that interest. Check the Directory* at the back of this booklet for names of others who are open to contacts. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 324 If you are sincere and rally want to setout upon the Pagan path, the first step is to find a Grove to study with. After a Grove accepts you, eventually you will attend Circles. 7. DO I HAVE TO GIVE UP MY OTHERSPIRITUAL PATHS TO BECOME A WICCAN? That will depend on the tradition and the teacher. In general, Pagans are most tolerant of any philosophical structure, and ask only that the tolerance be returned. You will not be requested to do anything that differs with your beliefs and spiritual needs. 8. DOES BEING PAGAN MAKE A PERSON SPECIAL OR DIFFERENT? Well yes, of course. But the special qualities are available to everybody. Everything that Pagans do with Magick is done in other religions by other names. It is only that we have found that these particular formulas, beliefs, and celebrations work best for us. These are varying approaches to (and grasps of) personal Power. One way of recognizing someone who is truly Powerful is to note whether he or she seems to need control or influence over others. True personal power is content to control only the self, and personal reality. 9. DO YOU CAST SPELLS ON OTHER PEOPLE? The major law in our religion is: "Do what you will, an it hurt no other." (The Golden Rule) In other words, no one is prevented from exploration of God and GodSelf as long as others are not harmed. We do believe in directing the energies of the universe toward accomplishment of certain ends, but magick is never effective on another person unless the person specifically requests it and takes responsibility for that request. Attempts at so-called `black' magick, or use of the universal energies for negative or harmful purposes, only result in karmic backlash magnified at least threefold on the unfortunate would-be black magician. Our tradition does not believe in the possibility of `psychic attack', and hence does not teach methods for combating it. Our philosophy tells us that to raise a force against `psychic attack' is only to create that which you fear. 10. ARE PAGANS ANTI-CHRISTIAN? No. But many Christians are anti-Pagan. Historically there has existed an adversary relationship between Christianity and the Nature Religions (largely created by Christians.) It takes much universal love not to strike back when attacked, and occasionally a Pagan might seem bitter or afraid as the result of anti-Pagan treatment. This is only a personal reaction, not a characteristic of the religion itself. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 325 It is also true that Wiccans and Pagans have suffered dismissal from jobs and worse simply from their religious affiliation being revealed. Events like these lead to a certain caution and sometimes even an attitude approaching mild paranoia. 11. WHO IS IN CHARGE OF PAGANISM? Each person is in charge of him or herself, responsible totally to Godd/ess. One might hear an individual called High Priestess, or Priest, but this title has more to do with the role played in ceremonies than with status in any formal hierarchy. Groves and teaching groups sometimes have various levels of initiation, but again, these are individual to each tradition. 12. WHAT MAKES WICCA DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PATHS THAT BELIEVE IN THE PSYCHIC POWERS? We usually find that people most often comment on the robes and the tools. Traditionally we wear special garments while engaging in devotions, as a male Jew wears prayer shawl and skullcap. The garments have symbolisms, and stand for beliefs of the person wearing them. The tools are: a cup, knife, staff (or wand), and the pentacle, a 5-pointed star with 5th point upward, enclosed in a circle. For those familiar with the tarotcards, this was the original source of the tarot suits as well as many meanings and symbolisms in the tarot deck. 13. WHAT IS DONE WITH THE TOOLS? They are used, along with other objects, like candles, bells, and incense to focus energies and influence Universal forces with our prayers. If the format reminds you of Roman Catholic mass, that's because much of the indigenous Nature Religion's mysteries were `adopted' when Christianity moved into Northern Europe -- into England, Scotland, Ireland and Scandinavia ... the lands of the Celts. Also, if the tools and concepts seem to resemble elements in Rosicrucianism, the Caballa, and the Masonic Temple, it is because the latter paths drew and adopted Pagan rituals and forms for other uses. Since ours was an oral tradition we gratefully acknowledge the role these organizations played in bringing to modern times knowledge and insights which have otherwise been lost. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 326 Here's a bit of trivia: Although the Founding Fathers of the U.S.A. generally held indifferent attitudes about Christianity they were all thirty-third degree Masons. Obviously they sought to incorporate their high ideals into writing our first constitution. This odd fact explains to some people why fundamentalist Christians and the constitution occasionally seem to be at cross-purposes. 14. HOW LARGE IS THE RELIGION? Since Wicca, or Paganism, is an alternative religion uninterested in power or clout, we measure our `size' usually only by spiritual growth. There is a national newspaper published quarterly by which many Pagans keep in touch. 15. WHAT ABOUT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY? That's magick, too! Craft practitioners of old WERE the scientists ... there was need for healers and herbalists, agriculture and astronomy experts. The scientific method has now made teaching these subjects respectable in universities. But in the process we have lost the lore's former integration of the spiritual relationship between God Expressed As Nature and ourselves. Manyof us are scientifically trained and hold technological jobs and interests. This does not interfere with but only adds to a desire for ritual celebration and union with Godd/ess. Also many of us are ourselves practicing psychics, or are interested in extrasensory perception (ESP) and its uses. Paganism makes available a philosophical structure for all of these ends utilized effectively for millennia. It urges individuals to develop their personal powers within that structure and to use them thereafter in a responsible way. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 327 16. THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE: WHY DON'T I EVER HEAR OR READ ABOUT PAGAN CHARITIES OR GOOD WORKS? Good news makes terrible press. News media and supermarket tabloids would much rather print scandal and controversy. How many times have you seen a headline that attributed a person's conduct to his/her belief in Witchcraft? Do you ever see the same types of stories about Moslems, Jews or Christians? In addition, organized charity can only be accomplished undercertain forms of organized religious structures. That takes leadership, delegation of powers, community resources and accumulation of money and collective wealth. We focus instead on personal responsibility and the necessity of reflecting Godd/ess in our characters and lives. Occasionally persons in the Craft will join together to change a situation or to help someone, but this is always done quietly and with the full knowledge and permission of those for whom the help of change in requested. It is always done without taking public credit. We feel that Godd/ess knows, and that is all we need. 17. HOW CAN WE SUM THIS UP IN A FEW WORDS? Wicca, a branch of the spiritual movement called Neopaganism (or Paganism) is primarily a religion of personal, mystical relationship between the Universal Mind as expressed in Nature and the individual. It believes in Magick, or positive change wrought by prayer and ceremonial ritual. It brings its practitioners the joy of union and harmony with Godd/ess as expressed in Nature as well as fellowship with other persons who are on similar paths. Personal responsibility and growth are stressed, dogma and rigid beliefs are discouraged. MAY GODD/ESS SPEAK TO YOU IN THE VOICE YOU HEAR BEST. BLESSED BE! Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 328 A LITTLE LESS MISUNDERSTANDING (What Christians Don't Understand about Neopaganism) by J. Brad Hicks Q: Are you a witch? A: That's actually a tricky question to answer, so let me go about it in a round-about way. What I am is a Neopagan. Neopaganism is a beautiful, complex religion that is not in opposition to Christianity in any way - just different. However, some of the people that the Catholic church burned as "witches" were people who practiced the same things that I do. In identification with them and the suffering that they went through, some of us (Neopagans) call ourselves witches. One expert, P.E.I. Bonewits, says that there are actually several kinds of groups who call themselves "witches." Some are people whose ancestors were the village healers, herbalists, midwives, and such, many of whom had (or were ascribed to have) mental, psychic, or magical powers, which were passed down through the family in the form of oral tradition, and Bonewits calls them "Traditional Witches." Some are people who have deliberately used the term to oppose themselves to Christianity, are practicing "Satanists," and practice (deliberately) most of the practices invented by the Inquisitors. Bonewits calls them "Gothic" or "Neo-Gothic Witches." Of a different kind are some radical feminist groups, who call themselves witches because they believe that the original Inquisition was primarily anti-female; some of these also practice magic, many of them do not - Bonewits calls them "Feminist Witches." But the vast majority of modern witches are harmless people who worship God in many forms, including the Lord of the Dance, the Lady, and the Mother Earth. These are the people that Bonewits (and I) call"Neopagan Witches" - and this is what I am. I hope that this helps more than it confuses. Q: Are you a devil worshipper? A: I'm tempted to just say, "No!" and leave it at that, but that probably isn't enough. Devil worship (including Satanism) is really a Christian heresy. (If you don't believe me, ask an expert - say, any well-read pastor or theology professor.) In order to worship Satan, you have to believe in him - and there are no references to Satan outside of the Christian Bible. So to be a Satanist or a devil worshipper, you have to believe in the accuracy of the Christian Bible, then identify yourself with God's Enemy, proclaim that you are "evil," and then try to "fight against Jesus" or similar nonsense. Neopagans do not accept the Christian Bible as a source of truth. As a source of some beautiful poetry, sometimes, or as a source of myth, but not as a source of truth. Emphatically, we do not believe that God has an Opposite, an evil being trying to destroy God, the world, man, or whatever. So it is non-sensical to say that Neopagans worship Satan. Of course, many people insist that any god other than JHVH/Jesus (and his other Biblical names) is a demon or an illusion created by Satan. Well, you're welcome to believe that if you like - but over half of the world's population is going to be unhappy at you. Jews and followers of Islam are just as confident that they worship the True God as you are, and resent being called devil worshippers. So do I. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 329 Q: What do Neopagans believe about God? A: Neopaganism is a new religion with very, very old roots. It harks back to the first religions that man ever practiced (based on the physical evidence). Neopagans worship a variety of symbols from the Old Religions - the practices of the ancient Celts, the Greeks, the Egyptians, the Romans - and differ with each other over what those symbols really represent. What I (and many others) believe is that they are all aspects of God (or maybe, the Gods) - some kind of beautiful, powerful, and loving being or force that ties all of life together and is the origin of all miracles - including miracles such as written language, poetry, music, art ... Q: Do Neopagans have a Bible? A: Not most of us. The closest analogue would be a witch's Book of Shadows, which is a sort of notebook of legends, poetry, history, and magic ritual which is copied by every newly-initiated witch, then added to. But on the whole, even a Book of Shadows isn't what Christians think of as a Bible. It's not infallible (couldn't be, they've been brought to us via hastily-copied texts under trying circumstances), it doesn't prescribe a specific code of morality (except for a few general guidelines), and it doesn't claim to be dictated by God - except for a few, debatable parts. Those of us who aren't witches don't even have that much. Neopaganism is a religious system that relies more on the individual than on the Book or the Priest. One of the principal beliefs of Neopaganism is that no one, not Pope nor Priest nor Elder, has the right to interfere with your relationship to God. Learn from whomever you want, and pray to whatever name means the most to you. Q: Did you say magic? Do Neopagans believe in the occult? A: Cringe. What a badly worded question - but I hear it all the time. Neopagans as a rule don't "believe in the occult" - we practice magic. Magic is simply a way to focus the mental abilities that you were born with, and use them to change the world in positive ways. Magic can also be mixed with worship; in which case it differs very little from Christian prayer. Q: But I thought that you said that you weren't a demon-worshipper? A: That's right. Magic and demonology are two different things. Magic you also know as "psychic powers" or "mentallics" or even as "the power of positive thinking" - in essence, the magical world view holds that "reality" is mostly a construct of the human mind, and as such, can be altered by the human mind. That's all there is to it. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 330 Q: How do you become a Neopagan? A: In a very real sense, nobody every "becomes" a Neopagan. There are no converts, as no conversion is necessary. Neopaganism is an attitude towards worship, and either you have it or you don't. My case is not atypical. All of my life, I have been fascinated by the old mythologies. I have always found descriptions of the Greek Gods fascinating. If I had any religious beliefs as a child, it was that somewhere, there was a God, and many people worship Him, but I had no idea what His name was. I set out to find Him, and through an odd combination of circumstances, I because convinced that his Name was Jesus. But seven years later, I had to admit to myself that Whoever God is, he answers non-Christians' prayers as well as those in the name of Jesus. In either case, true miracles are rare. In both cases, the one praying has a devout experience with God. After searching my soul, I admitted that I could not tell that I was better off than when I believed in the Old Gods. And in the mean time, I had found out that other people also loved the Old Gods - and that they call themselves Neopagans. When I realized that what I believed was little or no different that what they believed, I called myself a Neopagan, too. The common element for nearly all of us is that nearly all of us already believed these things, before we found out that anyone else did. "Becoming" a pagan is never a conversion. It's usually a home-coming. No one ever "brainwashed" me. I finally relaxed, and stopped struggling against my own self. Q: I've heard about witches holding orgies and such. Do you? A: No, that sort of thing doesn't appeal to me. Most of the crap that you've heard about "witch orgies" is nonsense made up by the National Enquirer to sell magazines. But I shouldn't be flippant about this, because it underlies a serious question - what kind of morality do Neopagans hold to? "Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: An it harm none, do what thou will!" from an old Book of Shadows That about sums it all up. Neopaganism teaches that it is harmful to yourself (and dangerous) to harm others. It also teaches that trying to impose your moral standards on somebody else's behavior is (at least) foolish - and probably dangerous, as you run some serious chance of hurting that person. Perhaps in a sense Neopagans don't have morality, for as R. A. Wilson said, "There are no commandments because there is no Commander anywhere," but Neopagans do have ethics - standards for behavior based on honor and mutual benefit. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 331 Q: I saw on the news that Neopagans use a star in a circle as their emblem. Isn't that a Satanic symbol? A: A pentacle (that's what it's called) is a Satanic symbol in precisely same sense that the cross is a Nazi symbol. The German National Socialist Party used an equal-armed cross with four flags attached to it as their emblem. (Yes, I know - that's a swastika. Well, before the Nazis made the word common knowledge, people just called it a "bent cross" - it's an old heraldic symbol, and it means the same thing that a normal cross does). That doesn't make the Nazis good Christians, and it doesn't make Christians into Nazis. In the same sense, Satanists (and some rock groups) use a type of pentacle as their emblem. That doesn't make them Neopagans, nor does it mean that Neopagans are Satanists (or even rock-and-rollers). Q: Are Neopagans opposed to Christianity? A: Some Neopagans are ex-Christians, and I'm not going to deny that some of them have a grudge against the Church because of what they perceived as attempts to control their minds. Further, many Neopagans are suspicious of the Church, because it was in the name of Jesus Christ that nine million of our kind were murdered. Neopagans are opposed to anyone who uses force to control the minds of others. Does that include you? If not, then it means that Neopagans as such are not opposed to you. Do you work for the benefit of mankind, are you respectful to the Earth? Then it makes us allies, whether or not either of us wants to admit it. - - - - - - - - - - There are manyother misconceptions in the popularmind about the Neopagan religion. Unless you've studied it, read about it from sympathetic sources, then you really don't know anything about Neopagan history, beliefs, practices, customs, art, science, culture, or magic. But it would take several entire books to teach you, and I already fear that I will be accused of trying to win converts (despite what I've said above). If you are curious and willing to learn, try some of the following books: Margot Adler, _Drawing Down the Moon_ Starhawk, _The Spiral Dance_ P.E.I. Bonewits, _Real Magic_ Stewart Farrar, _What Witches Do_. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 332 NEOPAGANISM By Eric S. Raymond I. Introduction The neopagan phenomenon is a loose collection of religious movements, experiments and jokes that offers a healthy alternative to the dogmatism of the Judeo/Christian/Islamic mainstream (on the one hand) and the mushy-mindedness of most 'New Age' groups (on the other). This article,prepared atthe requestof anumber ofcurious net. posters, offers a brief description of neopagan thought and practice. A list of good sources for further study are listed at the end. II. What is a neopagan? I used the term 'religious' above, but as you'll see it's actually more than somewhat misleading, and I (like many other neopagans) use it only because no other word is available for the more general kind of thing of which the neopagan movement and what we generally think of as 'religion' are special cases. Neopaganism is 'religious' in the etymological sense of 're ligare', to rebind (to roots, to strengths, to the basics of things), and it deals with mythology and the realm of the 'spiritual'. But, as we in the Judeo/Christian West have come to understand 'religion' (an organized body of belief that connects the 'supernatural' with an authoritarian moral code via 'faith') neopaganism is effectively and radically anti-religious. I emphasize this because it is important in understanding what follows. Common characteristics of almostall the groups that describe themselves as 'neopagan' (the term is often capitalized) include: 1. Anti-dogmatism Neopagan religions are religions of practice, pragmatism and immediate experience. The emphasis is always on what they can help the individuals in them to *do* and *experience*; theology and metaphysics take a back seat, and very little 'faith' or 'belief' is required or expected. In fact many neopagans (including yours truly) are actively hostile to 'faith' and all the related ideas of religious authority, 'divine revelation' and the like. 2. Compatibility with a scientific world-view This tends to follow from the above. Because neopaganism is centered in experiences rather than beliefs, it doesn't need or want to do vast overarching cosmologies or push fixed Final Answers to the Big Questions -- understanding and helping human beings relate to each other and the world as we experience it is quite enough for us. Thus, we are generally friendly to science and the scientific world-view. Many of us are scientists and technologists ourselves (in fact, by some counts, a plurality of us are computer programmers!). Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 333 3. Reverence for nature, sensuality, and pleasure Mostneopaganisms makeheavy use ofnature symbolismand encourage people to be more aware of their ties to all the non-human life on this planet. Explicit worship of 'Gaia', the earth ecosphere considered as a single interdependent unit, is common. Veneration of nature deities is central to many traditions. Ecological activism is often considered a religious duty, though there is much controversy over what form it should take. Bypreference, mostneopagans holdtheir ceremoniesoutdoors under sun or moon. Seasonal changes and astronomical rhythms (especially the solstices, equinoxes and full and new moons) define the ritual calendar. Ritual and festivenudity arecommon; to benaked before natureis often considered a holy and integrating act in itself. Sex is considered sacramental and sexual energy and symbolisms permeate neopagan practice (we like to contrast this with Christianity, in which the central sacrament commemorates a murder and climaxes in ritual cannibalism). 4. Polytheism, pantheism, agnosticism Most neopaganisms are explicitly polytheistic -- that is, they recognize pantheons of multiple deities. But the reality behind this is more complex than it might appear. First, many neopagans are philosophical agnostics or even atheists; there is a tendency to regard 'the gods' as Jungian archetypes or otherwise in some sense created by and dependent on human belief, and thus naturally plural and observer-dependent. Secondly, asin many historicalpolytheisms, there isan implicit though seldom-discussed idea that all the gods and goddesses we deal with are 'masks', refractions of some underlying unity that we cannot or should not attempt to approach directly. And thirdly, there is a strong undercurrent of pantheism, the belief that the entire universe is in some important sense a responsive, resonating and sacred whole (or, which is different and subtler, that it is proper for human beings to view it that way). Many neopagans hold all three of these beliefs simultaneously. 5. Decentralized, non-authoritarian organization; no priestly elite Neopagans have seen what happens when a priesthood elite gets temporal power; we want none of that. We do not take collections, build temples, or fund a full-time clergy. In fact the clergy-laity distinction is pretty soft; in many traditions, all members are considered 'in training' for it, and in all traditions every participant in a ritual is an active one; there are and can be no pew-sitting passive observers. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 334 Mostneopagan traditionsare (dis)organizedashorizontal networks of small affinity groups (usually called 'circles', 'groves', or 'covens' depending on the flavor of neopagan involved). Priests and priestesses have no real authority outside their own circles (and sometimes not much inside them!), though some do have national reputations. Many of us keep a low profile partly due to a real fear of persecution. Too many of our spiritual ancestors were burned, hung, flayed and shot by religions that are still powerful for a lot of us to feel safe in the open. Down in the Bible Belt the burnings and beatings are still going on, and the media loves to hang that 'Satanist' label on anything it doesn't understand for a good juicy story. Also, we never proselytize. This posting is about as active a neopagan solicitation as anyone will ever see; we tend to believe that 'converts' are dangerous robots and that people looking to be 'converted' aren't the kind we want. We have found that it works quite well enough to let people find us when they're ready for what we have to teach. 6. Reverence for the female principle Oneof the most striking differencesbetween neopagan groups and the religious mainstream is the wide prevalence (and in some traditions dominance) of the worship of goddesses. Almost all neopagans revere some form of the Great Mother, often as a nature goddess identified with the ecosphere, and there are probably more female neopagan clergy than there are male. Most neopagan traditions are equalist (these tend to pair the Great Mother with a male fertility-god, usually some cognate of the Greek Pan). A vocal and influential minority are actively feminist, and (especially on the West Coast) there have been attempts to present various neopagan traditions as the natural 'women's religion' for the feminist movement. The effects of this kind of politicization of neopaganism are a topic of intense debate within the movement and fuel some of its deepest factional divisions. 7. Respect for art and creativity Neopaganism tends to attractartists and musicians as muchas it attracts technologists. Our myth and ritual can be very powerful at stimulating and releasing creativity, and one of the greatest strengths of the movement is the rich outgrowth of music, poetry, crafts and arts that has come from that. It is quite common for people joining the movement to discover real talents in those areas that they never suspected. Poets and musicians have the kind of special place at neopagan festivals that they did in pre-literate cultures; many of our best-known people are or have been bards and songsmiths, and the ability to compose and improvise good ritual poetry is considered the mark of a gifted priest(ess) and very highly respected. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 335 8. Eclecticism "Steal from any source that doesn't run too fast" is aneopagan motto. A typical neopagan group will mix Greek, Celtic and Egyptian mythology with American Indian shamanism. Ritual technique includes recognizable borrowings from medieval ceremonial magic, Freemasonry and pre-Nicene Christianity, as well as a bunch of 20th-century inventions. Humanistic psychology and some of the more replicable New Age healing techniques have recently been influential. The resulting stew is lively and effective, though sometimes a bit hard to hold together. 9. A sense of humor Neopagans generally believethat itis more dangerousto takeyour religion too seriously than too lightly. Self-spoofery is frequent and (in some traditions) semi-institutionalized, and at least one major neopagan tradition (Discordianism, known to many on this net) is *founded* on elaborate spoofery and started out as a joke. Oneof the most attractive features of the neopagan approach is that we don't confuse solemnity with gloom. Our rituals are generally celebratory and joyous, and a humorous remark at the right time need not break the mood. We generally feel that anyreligion that can't stand tohave fun poked at it is in as sad shape as the corresponding kind of person. III. What kinds of neopagan are there, and where did they come from? Depending onwho you talkto and whatdefinitions you use,there are between 40,000 and 200,000 neopagans in the U.S.; the true figure is probably closer to the latter than the former, and the movement is still growing rapidly following a major 'population explosion' in the late '70s. The numericallylargest and most influentialneopagan group is the 'Kingdom of Wicca' -- the modern witch covens. Modern witchcraft has nothing to do with Hollywood's images of the cackling, cauldron-stirring crone (though wiccans sometimes joke about that one) and is actively opposed to the psychopathic Satanism that many Christians erroneously think of as 'witchcraft'. Your author is an initiate Wiccan priest and coven leader of long standing. Otherimportant subgroupsinclude thoseseeking torevive Norse, Egyptian, Amerind, and various kinds of tribal pantheons other than the Greek and Celtic ones that have been incorporated into Wicca. These generally started out as Wiccan offshoots or have been so heavily influenced by Wiccan ritual technique that their people can usually work comfortably in a Wiccan circle and vice-versa. There arealso the variousorders of ceremonialmagicians, most claiming to be the successors to the turn-of-the-century Golden Dawn or one of the groups founded by Alesteir Crowley during his brilliant and notorious occult career. These have their own very elaborate ritual tradition, and tend to be more intellectual, more rigid, and less nature-oriented. They are sometimes reluctant to describe themselves as neopagans. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 336 The Discordians (and, more recently, the Discordian-offshoot Church of the Sub-Genius) are few in number but quite influential. They are the neopagan movement's sacred clowns, puncturing pretense and adding an essential note to the pagan festivals. Many Wiccans, especially among priests and priestesses, are also Discordians and will look you straight in the eye and tell you that the entire neopagan movement is a Discordian hoax... Neopaganism used to be largely a white, upper-middle-class phenomenon, but that has been changing during the last five years. So called 'new-collar' workers have come in droves during the eighties. We still see fewer non-whites, proportionately, than there are in the general population, but that is also changing (though more slowly). With the exception of a few nut-fringe 'Aryan' groups detested by the whole rest of the movement, neopagans are actively anti-racist; prejudice is not the problem, it's more that the ideas have tended to be accepted by the more educated segments of society first, and until recently those more educated segments were mostly white. OntheEastCoast, ahigher-than-general-populationpercentage of neopagans have Roman Catholic or Jewish backgrounds, but figures suggest this is not true nationwide. There is also a very significant overlap in population with science-fiction fandom and the Society for Creative Anachronism. Politically, neopagans are distributed about the same as the general population, except that whether liberal or conservative they tend to be more individualist and less conformist and moralistic than average. It is therefore not too surprising that the one significant difference in distribution is the presence of a good many more libertarians than one would see in a same-sized chunk of the general population (I particularly register this because I'm a libertarian myself, but non-libertarians have noted the same phenomenon). These complexities are obscured by the fact that the most politically active and visible neopagans are usually ex-hippie left-liberals from the '60s. I think the most acute generalization made about pagans as a whole is Margot Adler's observation that they are mostly self-made people, supreme individualists not necessarily in the assertive or egoist sense but because they have felt the need to construct their own culture, their own definitions, their own religious paths, out of whatever came to hand rather than accepting the ones that the mainstream offers. IV. Where do I find out more? I have deliberatelynot said much aboutmythology, or specific religious practice or aims, or the role of magic and to what extent we practice and 'believe' in it. Any one of those is a topic for another posting; but you can get a lot of information from books. Here's a basic bibliography: Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 337 Adler, Margot _Drawing_Down_the_Moon_ (Random House 1979, hc) This book is a lucid and penetrating account of who the modern neo-pagans are, what they do and why they do it, from a woman who spent almost two years doing observer-participant journalism in the neo-pagan community. Especially valuable because it combines an anthropologist's objectivity with a candid personal account of her own feelings about all she saw and did and how her ideas about the neo-pagans changed under the impact of the experiences she went through. Recommended strongly as a first book on the subject, and it's relatively easy to find. There is now a revised and expanded second edition available. Starhawk _The_Spiral_Dance_ An anthology of philosophy, poetry, training exercises, ritual outlines and instructive anecdotes from a successful working coven. First-rate as an introduction to the practical aspects of magick and running a functioning circle. Often findable at feminist bookstores. Shea, Robert and Wilson, Robert Anton _Illuminatus!_ (Dell, 1975, pb) This work of alleged fiction is an incredible berserko-surrealist rollercoaster that _will_ bend your mind into a pretzel with an acid-head blitzkrieg of plausible, instructive and enlightening lies and a few preposterous and obscure truths. Amidst this eccentric tale of world-girdling conspiracies, intelligent dolphins, the fall of Atlantis, who _really_ killed JFK, sex, drugs, rock and roll and the Cosmic Giggle Factor, you will find Serious Truths about Mind, Time, Space, the Nature of God(dess) and What It All Means -- and also learn why you should on no account take them Seriously. Pay particular attention to Appendix Lamedh ("The Tactics of Magick"), but it won't make sense until you've read the rest. This was first published in 3 volumes as _The_Eye_In_The_Pyramid_, _The_ Golden_Apple_ and _Leviathan_, but there's now a one-volume trade paperback carried by most chain bookstores under SF. Campbell, Joseph W., _The_Masks_of_God_ (Viking Books, 1971, pb) One of the definitiveanalytical surveys of world mythography-- and readable to boot! It's in 4 volumes: I. _Primitive_Mythology_ II. _Oriental_Mythology_ III. _Occidental_Mythology_ IV. _Creative_Mythology_ The theoretical framework of these books is a form of pragmatic neo-Jungianism which has enormously influenced the neopagans (we can accurately be described as the practice for which Campbell and Jung were theorizing). Note especially his predictions in vols. I & IV of a revival of shamanic, vision-quest-based religious forms. The recent Penguin pb edition of this book should be available in the Mythology and Folklore selection of any large bookstore. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 338 Bonewits, Isaac, _Real_Magic_ (Creative Arts Books, 1979, pb) A fascinating analytical study of the psychodynamics of ritual and magick. This was Bonewits's Ph.D. thesis for the world's only known doctorate in Magic and Thaumaturgy (UCLA Berkeley, 1971). Hardest of the five to find but well worth the effort -- an enormously instructive, trenchant and funny book. V. Will there be more net.info on this topic? I am also available to answer questions by email or phone. Be warned that I will probably tell you to go off and study some more, rather than referring you to a group, if you haven't read at least two out of the five above or else good equivalents like Michael Harner's _Way_Of_The_Shaman_ (Castaneda, UFOlogy books and anything on astrology or the Great Pyramid will *not* count! Grrr...!). No fooling, learning to do this stuff right is hard work and demands a lot more rigor and clear thinking than most people associate with 'occultism'. But it's also fun and empowering and could turn out to be one of the couple most important things you do with your life. If response to this posting is heavy, I may post some stuff on Wiccan ritual practice and theology, that being what I know best. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 339 W H A T I S W I C C A ? An Introduction to "The Old Religion" of Europe and its Modern Revival by Amber K, High Priestess Our Lady of the Woods P.O. Box 176 Blue Mounds, Wisconsin 53517 (This leaflet may be reproduced and distributed exactly as-is, without further permission from the author, provided it is offered free of charge. Changes in the text, however, must be approved in advance by the author. Thank you!) WICCA (sometimes called Wicce, The Craft, or The Old Religion by its practitioners) is an ancient religion of love for life and nature. In prehistoric times, people respected the great forces of Nature and celebrated the cycles of the seasons and the moon. They saw divinity in the sun and moon, in the Earth Herself, and in all life. The creative energies of the universe were personified: feminine and masculine principles became Goddesses and Gods. These were not semi-abstract, superhuman figures set apart from Nature: they were embodied in earth and sky, women and men, and even plants and animals. This viewpoint is still central to present-day Wicca. To most Wiccans, everything in Natures -- and all Goddesses and Gods -- are true aspects of Deity. The aspects most often celebrated in the Craft, however, are the Triple Goddess of the Moon (Who is Maiden, Mother, and Crone) and the Horned God of the wilds. These have many names in various cultures. Wicca had its organized beginnings in Paleolithic times, co- existed with other Pagan ("country") religions in Europe, and had a profound influence on early Christianity. But in the medieval period, tremendous persecution was directed against the Nature religions by the Roman Church. Over a span of 300 years, millions of men and women and many children were hanged, drowned or burned as accused "Witches." The Church indicted them for black magic and Satan worship, though in fact these were never a part of the Old Religion. The Wiccan faith went underground, to be practiced in small, secret groups called "covens." For the most part, it stayed hidden until very recent times. Now scholars such as Margaret Murray and Gerald Gardner have shed some light on the origins of the Craft, and new attitudes of religious freedom have allowed covens in some areas to risk becoming more open. How do Wiccan folk practice their faith today? There is no central authority or doctrine, and individual covens vary a great deal. But most meet to celebrate on nights of the Full Moon, and at eight great festivals or Sabbats throughout the year. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 340 Though some practice alone or with only their families, many Wiccans are organized into covens of three to thirteen members. Some are led by a High Priestess or Priest, many by a Priestess/Priest team; others rotate or share leadership. Some covens are highly structured and hierarchical, while others may be informal and egalitarian. Often extensive training is required before initiation, and coven membership is considered an important commitment. There are many branches or "traditions" of Wicca in the United States and elsewhere, such as the Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Welsh Traditional, Dianic, Faery, Seax-Wicca and others. All adhere to a code of ethics. None engage in the disreputable practices of some modern "cults," such as isolating and brainwashing impressionable, lonely young people. Genuine Wiccans welcome sisters and brothers, but not disciples, followers or victims. Coven meetings include ritual, celebration and magick (the "k" is to distinguish it from stage illusions). Wiccan magick is not at all like the instant "special effects" of cartoon shows or fantasy novels, nor medieval demonology; it operates in harmony with natural laws and is usually less spectacular -- though effective. Various techniques are used to heal people and animals, seek guidance, or improve members' lives in specific ways. Positive goals are sought: cursing and "evil spells" are repugnant to practitioners of the Old Religion. Wiccans tend to be strong supporters of environmental protection, equal rights, global peace and religious freedom, and sometimes magick is used toward such goals. Wiccan beliefs do not include such Judeao-Christian concepts as original sin, vicarious atonement, divine judgement or bodily resurrection. Craft folk believe in a beneficent universe, the laws of karma and reincarnation, and divinity inherent in every human being and all of Nature. Yet laughter and pleasure are part of their spiritual tradition, and they enjoy singing, dancing, feasting, and love. Wiccans tend to be individualists, and have no central holy book, prophet, or church authority. They draw inspiration and insight from science, and personal experience. Each practitioner keeps a personal book or journal in which s/he records magickal "recipes," dreams, invocations, songs, poetry and so on. To most of the Craft, every religion has its own valuable perspective on the nature of Deity and humanity's relationship to it: there is no One True Faith. Rather, religious diversity is necessary in a world of diverse societies and individuals. Because of this belief, Wiccan groups do not actively recruit or proselytize: there is an assumption that people who can benefit from the Wiccan way will "find their way home" when the time is right. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 341 Despite the lack of evangelist zeal, many covens are quite willing to talk with interested people, and even make efforts to inform their communities about the beliefs and practices of Wicca. One source of contacts is The Covenant of the Goddess, P.O. Box 1226, Berkeley, CA 94704. Also, the following books may be of interest: (Ask your librarian.) DRAWING DOWN THE MOON by Margot Adler THE SPIRAL DANCE by Starhawk POSITIVE MAGIC by Marion Weinstein WHAT WITCHES DO by Stewart Farrar WITCHCRAFT FOR TOMORROW by Doreen Valiente Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 342 CULT DANGER EVALUATION FRAME ~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ (with apologies to P.E.I. Bonewitz) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 low middle high Rate these 15 criteria according to the amount of it you perceive in a given group/religious organization. Higher scores usually mean a higher danger of mind control or brainwashing. 1.) HOW MUCH CONTROL DO THE LEADER(S) OF THE ORGANIZATION HAVEOVER ITSMEMBERSHIP?............................___________ 2.) HOW MUCH WISDOM AND/OR INFALLIBILITY IS CLAIMED BY THELEADER(S)OFTHEORGANIZATION?...................___________ 3.) HOW MUCH WISDOM AND/OR INFALLIBILITY DO THE MEMBERS OF THE ORGANIZATION CREDIT TO THEIR LEADER(S)?.......___________ 4.) HOW INFLEXIBLE IS THE ORGANIZATION ON INTERPRETATION OF DOCTRINE/REALITY CONCEPTS?........................___________ 5.) HOW IMPORTANT IS RECRUITING/PROSELYTIZING TO THE ORGANIZATION?........................................___________ 6.) HOW MANY FRONT GROUPS DOES THE ORGANIZATION OPERATE UNDER?...............................................___________ 7.) HOW MUCH EMPHASIS DOES THE GROUP PLACE ON DONATIONS? HOW IS MONEY USED WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION? ARE THE LEADER(S) VISIBLY WEALTHIER THAN THE RANK-AND-FILE MEMBERSOF THEORGANIZATION?........................____________ 8.) HOW MUCH POLITICAL POWER EXISTS WITHIN THE ORGANIZATIONORIS DESIREDBYTHE ORGANIZATION?.....____________ 9.) IS THERE SEXUAL MANIPULATION BEING USED IN THE GROUP? (HARASSMENT/LEADER(S) ASKING OR GETTING SEXUALFAVORSFROMTHEMEMBERS).....................____________ 10.) HOW MUCH ACCESS TO AND TOLERANCE OF OTHER IDEAS DO THE LEADER(S) ACCORD MEMBERS? HOW MUCH DO MEMBERS KNOWOFOUTSIDE OPINIONSOFTHE ORGANIZATION?.......____________ 11.) HOW INTENSE ARE EFFORTS DIRECTED AT PREVENTING OR RE-INDOCTRINATING DROPOUTS?.........................____________ 12.) DOES THE ORGANIZATION ENDORSE VIOLENCE ON BEHALF OF ITOR ITSLEADERS?..................................____________ 13.) HOW MUCH PARANOIA DOES THE ORGANIZATION EXHIBIT TOWARDSTHE"OUTSIDE WORLD?"........................____________ 14.) HOW MUCH DISAPPROVAL DOES THE ORGANIZATION HAVE OF JOKES ABOUTIT,ITS DOCTRINES,OR ITSLEADER(S)?....____________ 15.) HOW TIGHT IS DISCIPLINE INSIDE THE ORGANIZATION? (FOR EXAMPLE, ARE THOSE WHO DISAGREE WITH DOCTRINAL POINTS OR LEADERSHIP DECISIONS OSTRACIZED OR SHUNNED?).........................................._____________ Questions number 9 and 12 are pretty much yes or no questions, so give a 1 if no, a 10 if yes. 7 is an iffy one, if it looks like the leader or leaders of the group are living a lot higher on the hog than their "flock", or that the leader(s) skim liberally from the "collection box" and use that to live in luxury, then you should give the group an automatic 9 or 10 in that department. I hope this is of use to all in regards to figuring out whether or not a group is truly a "cult" or not. It's YOUR mind...USE IT!!!!!!! Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 343 RE-THINKING THE WATCHTOWERS or 13 Reasons Air should be in the North ======================================= by Mike Nichols copyright 1989 by Mike Nichols (fondly dedicated to Kathy Whitworth) INTRODUCTION It all started 20 years ago. I was 16 years old then, and a recent initiate to the religion of Wicca. Like most neophytes, I was eager to begin work on my Book of Shadows, the traditional manuscript liturgical book kept by most practicing Witches. I copied down rituals, spells, recipes, poems, and tables of correspondences from every source I could lay hands on. Those generally fell into two broad categories: published works, such as the many books available on Witchcraft and magic; and unpublished wor