By Raven Grimassi
The Four Ritual Tools
In modern Witchcraft (and Wicca) we often find the inclusion of what is commonly referred to as the "four tools of Western occultism." These are the pentacle, wand, dagger, and chalice. It is interesting to note that in the ancient cult of Mithras we find the use of ritual tools known as the wand of command, the libation cup, the crescent-shaped blade, and the platter. In the book The Cults of the Roman Empire, by Robert Turcan, the author also notes the presence of a ritual sword and a scourge known as the sun's whip. These Aegean/Mediterranean tools bear a striking resemblance to those that later appear in Gardnerian Wicca. One possible explanation for this theme is that the Cult of Mithras was spread to the British Isles by the Roman legions, which occupied Britain for several centuries.
It is noteworthy to find the appearance of the blade, cup, pentacle, and wand displayed together in a magical/ritual context in the symbolism of the early Italian Renaissance period. This image of the traditional tools of Western Occultism is captured in the 15th century Visconti Cary-Yale tarot deck, the oldest known extant deck. The Visconti Magician card depicts a man standing before a table. In his left hand he holds a wand. On the table itself is set a large chalice, a sword, and a pentacle. Stuart Kaplan, an acknowledged expert on the Tarot, says that all Tarot symbolism as we know it today evolved from the Italian Tarot.
Source: The Encyclopedia of the Tarot, U.S. Games Inc., Stamford 1978.
The Book of Shadows
Italian Witches were hand copying from the Key of Solomon in the 17th century, and mixing it with spells and rituals in their private hand written books.*
Francesco Guazzo wrote in his 17th century Italian Witch Hunter's Guide that witches use a black book from which they read during their religious rites. **
Sources: *Journal of Social History, volume 28, 1995, article by Sally Scully, Department of History at San Francisco University. **Compendium Maleficarum 1608.
Drawing Down The Moon
In the writings of the ancient Roman poet Horace (Epode 17) we find these words (addressed to Canidia): (the Witch Canidia replies) ... must I, who can move waxen images and draw down the moon from the sky by my spells, who can raise the vaporous dead, and mix a draught of love lament the effect of my art, availing nothing upon you?"
The Four Elements
Empedocles (a student of the teachings of Pythagoras) was historically the first person known to have taught the concept of the Four Elements as a single cohesive doctrine. He lived around 475 BC in his native homeland of Sicily where he presented the teachings concerning the four elements as the four-fold root of all things.
Source: Ancient Philosophy, Mystery, and Magic; Empedocles and the Pythagorean Tradition by Peter Kingsley, Oxford University Press 1995.
The Elementals
In book one, chapter 18 , of the Compendium Maleficarum by Francesco Guazzo (1609) we read that Italian witches work with spirits of certain specific natures. Guazzo lists these as: fiery, aerial, terrestrial and water. Here, of course, are the elemental creatures also related to modern Wiccan beliefs.
Source: Compendium Maleficarum, 1608
The Ritual Circle
Italian witches employed beech twigs to trace ritual circles in the ground. Such a circle is depicted in a 17th century Italian woodcut by Francesco Guazzo.
Sources: Compendium Maleficarum, 1608.
Duotheism
In classic Roman and Greek concepts we find the Divine Couple imagery in such matings as Jupiter and Juno, Zeus and Hera. At the second lectisternium in 217 BC, for the first time in their history, the Romans selected a dozen deities and grouped them together into couples according to the Hellenic pattern. From this celebration arose the Roman version of the Twelve Principle Deities in Roman Mythology. Folklorist Charles wrote if Italian Witches who worshipped Diana and her consort the Roman god Lucifer, the morning star.
Sources: Etruscan Roman Remains. Roman and European Mythologies compiled by Yves Bonnefoy, University of Chicago Press, 1992.
The Watchers
In Italian Witchcraft the beings known as the Grigori (Watchers) are an integral aspect of the belief system. Over the course of many centuries the initiates of Italian Witchcraft have developed various signs and gestures that are recognized by the Grigori and indicate the presence of a trained witch of the Old Religion. This intimate relationship between Grigori and initiate has been forged and nurtured by the Strega for countless generations. The ritual display of prescribed signs and gestures at the appropriate quarter grants passage by the Grigori and allows the initiate to gain access to the portals that lead directly into the Otherworld realms.
As guardians of the portals to such realms as the astral plane, the Grigori can negate magickal energy from manifesting there. This results in a failed magickal work or spell. The reasons why the guardians might intercede in such a manner are varied, but the Grigori bear the title "guardians" for good reason. Non-initiates of authentic forms of Italian Witchcraft, and those to whom these inner mysteries have yet to reveal themselves, often dispute the role of the Grigori (if not their existence itself).
Another erroneous claim made by non-initiates is that initiates of Italian Witchcraft believe their actions are "judged" by the Grigori, which is untrue and is based upon ignorance of authentic Italian witch beliefs and practices. The appearance of the essential Grigori or Watcher concept, in the literature on Italic paganism, dates back to archaic Roman religion, which itself is derived from the Etruscans. Ovid, in his work titled Fausti, calls the Lare the "night watchmen." In archaic Roman religion small towers were built at the crossroads and an altar was set before them upon which offerings were given to the Lare. The Lare were guardian spirits associated with these towers and with demarcation in general, as well as seasonal themes related to agriculture.
In the early Stellar Cults of Mesopotamia there were four "royal" stars called the Watchers. Each one of these stars "ruled" over one of the four cardinal points common to Astrology. This particular system would date from approximately 3000 BC. The Star Aldebaran, when it marked the Vernal Equinox, held the position of Watcher of the East. Regulus, marking the Summer Solstice, was Watcher of the South. Antares, marking the Autumn Equinox, was Watcher of the West. Fomalhaut, marking the Winter Solstice, was Watcher of the North.
In Charles Leland's book Aradia he recounts the tale of "The Children of Diana, or how the fairies were born," in which it is stated that Diana created "the great spirits of the stars." In this book we also find a reference to an elder race: "...Then Diana went to the Fathers of the Beginning, to the Mothers, the Spirits who were before the first spirit, and lamented unto them that she could not prevail with Dianus. And they praised her for her courage; they told her that to rise she must fall; to become the chief of goddesses she must become a mortal."
Sources: Dumezil, Georges. Archaic Roman Religion. Baltimore and London: John Hopkins University Press, 1996, volume 1, page 343-344).
The Lure of the Heavens; A History of Astrology by Donald Papon, Weiser 1972.
Star Names; Their Lore and Meaning by Richard Allen, Dover Publications 1963.
Aradia, Gospel of the Witches by Charles Leland. 1963.
Three Degrees of Initiation
Italian Masonic group known as the Carbonari (circa 1820) had three degrees of initiation marked by colored cords or ribbons: blue, red and black. A triangle marked the first degreelevel. The Carbonari claimed to have been based upon the Mystery Cult of Mithra.
Source: A History of Secret Societies by Arkon Daraul, Citadel Press 1961.
Structure of the Circle Ritual
It is interesting to note that in the Essay on the Mysteries of Eleusis, by M. Ouvaroff, we find passages from the ancient philosopher Porphyry who reveals that the symbols of the Greek and Roman Eleusinian Mysteries included the circle, triangle and cone which are all aspects of Wiccan rites. Source: The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly Hall, Philosophical Research Society 1962. The Northern Orientation of Ritual The Etruscans who occupied central Italy (from whom the Romans borrowed heavily) placed their deities into quarter associations. To the north was the chief god Tinia (and his consort Uni) who was king of the gods. The north was divided up into four sections which spanned from the north to the east quarter. In the east (the furthest extension of the northeast placement) dwelled the twelve major gods and goddesses of Etruscan religion. In the south were placed the lesser gods and nature spirits. In the west were placed the deities of Death and the Underworld. In this Etruscan view of the Cosmos we have the earliest account of Italic beliefs associated with the four quarters.
Source: Roman and European Mythologies complied by Yves Bonnefoy, University of Chicago Press 1992.
Conduct of the Ritual by a Priest, Priestess and Maiden
Stucco relief from the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii Italy depicts a woman leading a blindfolded initiate assisted by a silenus priest and a female attendant (relief from the Farnesina 30-25 BC Rome, National Museum). The ancient cults of Roman typically involved both priests and priestesses with their attendant maidens. The Mystery Cult of Dionysus at Pompeii is a classic example depicted on murals.
Source: Mystery Religions in the Ancient World by Joscelyn Godwin, Harper & Row 1981.
The Descent of the Goddess to the Underworld
The Eleusinian Mysteries, originating in Greece, involve themes of descent and ascent, loss and regain, light and darkness, and the cycles of life and death. Author Manly Hall, the author tells that the rites associated with these Mysteries were performed at midnight during the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes. Hall reports that the Eleusinian Mysteries spread to Rome and Britain where initiations into this cult were performed in both countries. The Eleusinian Cult contained the Greater Mysteries and the Lesser Mysteries. The Lesser dealt with the abduction of Persephone by the Underworld God, a classic descent myth. The Greater Mysteries dealt with the Quest for the return of the Goddess, and the rites were performed in honor of Ceres (an Agricultural Goddess who was Patron of the Mysteries). In the general mythos, Persephone descends into the Underworld and encounters its Lord. The life of the world disappears with Her and the first autumn and winter befalls the earth. The Lord of the Underworld falls in love with the Goddess and wants to keep Her in His realm. Ceres intervenes on Her behalf and pleads with the Underworld Lord to release Persephone. At first He refuses because Persephone has eaten the seeds of the pomegranate, an ancient symbol of the male seed (as we see in the Wiccan Descent Legend they loved and were One). Eventually He agrees on the condition that She returns again to His realm for half of each year (cycle of the seasons).
Source: The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly Hall, Philosophical Research Society 1962.
Lunar Orientation and Full Moon Meetings
The writings of the ancient Roman poet Horace give us perhaps the earliest accounts of Italian Witches and their connection to a lunar cult. In the Epodes of Horace, written around 30 BC, he tells the tale of an Italian Witch named Canidia. Horace says that Proserpine and Diana grant power to witches who worship them, and that witches gather in secret to perform the mysteries associated with their worship. He speaks of a Witches' book of Incantations (Libros Carminum) through which the Moon may be "called down" from the sky. Other ancient Roman writers such as Lucan and Ovid produced works which clearly support the same theme. In Charles Leland's Aradia; Gospel of the Witches (1890) we also find a reference to Italian Witches gathering for lunar rites:
"Whenever ye have need of anything, once in the month and when the moon is full, ye shall assemble in some secret place, or in a forest all together join to adore the potent spirit of your queen, my mother, great Diana. She who fain would learn all sorcery yet has not won its deepest secrets, them my mother will teach her, in truth all things as yet unknown. And ye shall be freed from slavery, and so ye shall be free in everything; and as a sign that ye are truly free, ye shall be naked in your rites, both men and women also..."
Sources: Epodes of Horace, 30 BC. Aradia, Gospel of the Witches, Charles Leland.
Showing posts with label Wicca. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wicca. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Gods of the Wicca
This is borrowed from Wicca Explained, one of the best and most factual representations of the religion I have yet seen. The site belongs to Spunky and Luthaneal and I urge each of you to check it and their forum out as there is a lot of good information there.
The Triple Goddess
The deities of Wicca are a balance of masculine and feminine, with a God and a Goddess.
The Goddess, also commonly referred to as The Lady or the Triple Goddess, is followed by many people, both Wiccan and otherwise.
She has been an inspiration to many people and many Pagan paths.
Like the Horned God, her true name is revealed to Wiccans after initiation, but this in no way stops people from getting to know her and form a close, personal relationship with her in their own way.
Who is the Triple Goddess?
The Triple Goddess is the divine personification of nature itself. Her identity has been inspired by many Goddesses throughout history and across many cultures. She exists as part of the “Great Goddess” tradition that exists in many cultures, from the Celts, to North Africa and even as far away as China and Japan. In this way she is both an old and new Goddess, given form in modern culture as the Triple Goddess, but at the same time being the embodiment of certain ideas and impressions that have been expressed as part of the human condition for thousands of years and variously expressed through many different Goddesses across the world.
As a Great Goddess she stands as head of her pantheon alongside her Lord, the Horned God. She is the creatrix that brings the world into being and the womb that gives birth to her divine companion.
She is nature itself, present in all things and as such we may view her as inseparable from the body of the Earth. She is there in the firmament below us and the sky above us, giving life to everything and changing with the seasons.
Goddess of the Esbat
As the God is connected with the Sun, so the Goddess is embodied by the Moon. The Moon guides the tides and shows us the silvery light that may guide us through the darkness, just as she may guide each seeker through the Mysteries of her faith.
Each month Wiccans covens gather at meetings which are often called “Esbats”. These Esbats commonly occur at the Full Moon and are traditionally celebrations of the Goddess, where she herself is called to manifest in person before the coven.
The Goddess is often seen to present herself in three aspects, hence being a Triple Goddess. These three forms are Maiden, Mother and Crone, the life of woman which is also represented in the changing cycle of the Moon.
Maiden
As the Maiden she is portrayed in the power of the waxing moon, which starts unseen and then grows in power and brightness.
Here she is the young, innocent Goddess.
Mother
In the Full Moon we see the fertility of the young Goddess reach its climax as she is made full and pregnant. The Moon is at its brightest and filled with power.
She is a provider, protector and teacher for her children.
Crone
As the Moon wanes we see the face of the Goddess as Crone, the post-menopausal old women who has passed through youth and motherhood and emerged richer and wiser. She is declining and approaching death, but what she has to offer is the valuable secrets of experience.
The Horned God
The consort of the Goddess is commonly referred to as The Horned God, by those who follow him, whether Wiccan or not.
The true name of this God as used by Wiccans is a guarded secret that is only revealed after initiation. But not knowing the name of The Horned God does not stop people knowing who he is and the role he may take in our lives. More importantly, this is the first step to achieving a relationship with him.
Who is the Horned God?
The personage of The Horned God has been inspired by the myths of many Gods from around the world, as well as various fictional works that are often noted as milestones to modern Paganism.
World mythology has many Gods with horns, wear horned headdresses or otherwise have horns as a symbol to represent them. The Horned God of the Wicca follows in this tradition. It should be noted though, that The Horned God is more rightly viewed as an Antlered God, rather than literal horns, making him synonymous with the noble stag and the way in which deer grow and shed their antlers with the change of the seasons. This too is part of his imagery and a note to his British heritage.
The Horned God is a diune God, meaning that he exists in two primary elements, which in his case are the God of Life, and the God of Death. These two identities are different sides of who he is – aspects of his personality which become evident as the seasons change and the God engages in his continuous cycle of life, death and rebirth.
As he moves between his dark and light aspects, The Horned God adopts different roles which reflect his duties in the changing seasons of the world. To make these roles easier to understand, they have been divided below into who he is according to the four great Sabbats and who he is in the imagery of the Solstices & Equinoxes.
The God of the Sabbats
The Young God
From the Yule to Midsummer the God progresses from a child to a man. This part of his life, as a youth, is best represented in the Sabbats of Imbolg and Bealtaine.
At Imbolg we see the young God as a child playing merrily in the newly born natural world. He is taking his first steps into the forest, which will someday rule as a king. But for now he is a child, revealing in the joys of the fields and the forests.
As we move to Bealtaine he has grown into a strong and virile youth, romantically frolicking with the Goddess in the forest that he has now claimed for his own. He is like the stag, walking tall and proud, and assuming sexual dominance in his territory.
The Corn King
When the Sabbat of Lughnassadh comes round, it is the beginning of the Harvest time. By now the Horned God is old and this is his time of sacrifice. The God is one with the land and so he willingly gives his life in the grain harvest so that his people will be able to eat in the coming cold seasons.
This is the Horned God in the role of The Corn King, the lord of the fields whose body is the food of the community. He is a willing sacrifice and the harvests mark his transition from God of Life to God of Death.
The Lord of the Underworld
With Autumn and Winter the Horned God has taken up his throne in the Underworld. He is the Dark God of death, and ruler of the realm of spirits. He opens the door between life and death on Samhain and then is protector of the Goddess as she passes through the Underworld to emerge as the new world on the other side of death, path which time she will prepare for the rebirth of the God on Yule.
The Imagery of the Solstices and Equinoxes
The Solstices and Equinoxes are events in the passage of the Sun, marking the shortest day, longest day and the times when night and day equal.
Yule: The shortest day and longest night. This is the rebirth of the Sun and likewise, the rebirth of the Horned God into this world.
Spring Equinox: The nights have shortened and the days have lengthened, now they stand in balance, with night and day equal.
Midsummer: The longest day of the year and the shortest night. The height of the Sun’s power and likewise the height of the God’s strength in this world.
Autumn Equinox: As the world wanes back towards the cold seasons, night and day once more equalise.
As one can see, these holidays demonstrate the growth of The Horned God (as God of the Sun) as he grows, matures and then recedes. Effectively, the Sabbats marks the significant events in the life of The Horned God, whereas the Solstices demonstrate his growth and power.
The Oak King and Holly King
Two other identities that are sometimes associated with the Horned God are the Oak King and the Holly King.
The Oak King is the representation of the Horned God as Lord of the living forest. He is the King of life and is represented by the mighty Oak tree, which I green through Spring and Summer, and one of the mightiest trees in the forest.
The Holly King is the representation of the Horned God as Lord of death and the slumbering forest. He is represented by the Holly bush, which remains green all year round, but most significantly it continues to grow unstoppably in the Autumn and Winter. At this time the Holly becomes the crown of the forest.
The Oak King and Holly King enter the mythology of the Wicca at Midsummer, where they become identities for the dark and light sides of the God’s character. At this time, the Sun is at it’s most powerful, but being as this is the longest day of the year, after this the days will start to reduce and the night will become longer. So it is here that the Oak King and Holly King are seen to do battle. The Oak King reaches the Height of his power, but ultimately he is slain by the Holly King, who then assumes the throne of the forest and begins to usher in the time of the growing night and the coming of the cold seasons.
The Triple Goddess
The deities of Wicca are a balance of masculine and feminine, with a God and a Goddess.
The Goddess, also commonly referred to as The Lady or the Triple Goddess, is followed by many people, both Wiccan and otherwise.
She has been an inspiration to many people and many Pagan paths.
Like the Horned God, her true name is revealed to Wiccans after initiation, but this in no way stops people from getting to know her and form a close, personal relationship with her in their own way.
Who is the Triple Goddess?
The Triple Goddess is the divine personification of nature itself. Her identity has been inspired by many Goddesses throughout history and across many cultures. She exists as part of the “Great Goddess” tradition that exists in many cultures, from the Celts, to North Africa and even as far away as China and Japan. In this way she is both an old and new Goddess, given form in modern culture as the Triple Goddess, but at the same time being the embodiment of certain ideas and impressions that have been expressed as part of the human condition for thousands of years and variously expressed through many different Goddesses across the world.
As a Great Goddess she stands as head of her pantheon alongside her Lord, the Horned God. She is the creatrix that brings the world into being and the womb that gives birth to her divine companion.
She is nature itself, present in all things and as such we may view her as inseparable from the body of the Earth. She is there in the firmament below us and the sky above us, giving life to everything and changing with the seasons.
Goddess of the Esbat
As the God is connected with the Sun, so the Goddess is embodied by the Moon. The Moon guides the tides and shows us the silvery light that may guide us through the darkness, just as she may guide each seeker through the Mysteries of her faith.
Each month Wiccans covens gather at meetings which are often called “Esbats”. These Esbats commonly occur at the Full Moon and are traditionally celebrations of the Goddess, where she herself is called to manifest in person before the coven.
The Goddess is often seen to present herself in three aspects, hence being a Triple Goddess. These three forms are Maiden, Mother and Crone, the life of woman which is also represented in the changing cycle of the Moon.
Maiden
As the Maiden she is portrayed in the power of the waxing moon, which starts unseen and then grows in power and brightness.
Here she is the young, innocent Goddess.
Mother
In the Full Moon we see the fertility of the young Goddess reach its climax as she is made full and pregnant. The Moon is at its brightest and filled with power.
She is a provider, protector and teacher for her children.
Crone
As the Moon wanes we see the face of the Goddess as Crone, the post-menopausal old women who has passed through youth and motherhood and emerged richer and wiser. She is declining and approaching death, but what she has to offer is the valuable secrets of experience.
The Horned God
The consort of the Goddess is commonly referred to as The Horned God, by those who follow him, whether Wiccan or not.
The true name of this God as used by Wiccans is a guarded secret that is only revealed after initiation. But not knowing the name of The Horned God does not stop people knowing who he is and the role he may take in our lives. More importantly, this is the first step to achieving a relationship with him.
Who is the Horned God?
The personage of The Horned God has been inspired by the myths of many Gods from around the world, as well as various fictional works that are often noted as milestones to modern Paganism.
World mythology has many Gods with horns, wear horned headdresses or otherwise have horns as a symbol to represent them. The Horned God of the Wicca follows in this tradition. It should be noted though, that The Horned God is more rightly viewed as an Antlered God, rather than literal horns, making him synonymous with the noble stag and the way in which deer grow and shed their antlers with the change of the seasons. This too is part of his imagery and a note to his British heritage.
The Horned God is a diune God, meaning that he exists in two primary elements, which in his case are the God of Life, and the God of Death. These two identities are different sides of who he is – aspects of his personality which become evident as the seasons change and the God engages in his continuous cycle of life, death and rebirth.
As he moves between his dark and light aspects, The Horned God adopts different roles which reflect his duties in the changing seasons of the world. To make these roles easier to understand, they have been divided below into who he is according to the four great Sabbats and who he is in the imagery of the Solstices & Equinoxes.
The God of the Sabbats
The Young God
From the Yule to Midsummer the God progresses from a child to a man. This part of his life, as a youth, is best represented in the Sabbats of Imbolg and Bealtaine.
At Imbolg we see the young God as a child playing merrily in the newly born natural world. He is taking his first steps into the forest, which will someday rule as a king. But for now he is a child, revealing in the joys of the fields and the forests.
As we move to Bealtaine he has grown into a strong and virile youth, romantically frolicking with the Goddess in the forest that he has now claimed for his own. He is like the stag, walking tall and proud, and assuming sexual dominance in his territory.
The Corn King
When the Sabbat of Lughnassadh comes round, it is the beginning of the Harvest time. By now the Horned God is old and this is his time of sacrifice. The God is one with the land and so he willingly gives his life in the grain harvest so that his people will be able to eat in the coming cold seasons.
This is the Horned God in the role of The Corn King, the lord of the fields whose body is the food of the community. He is a willing sacrifice and the harvests mark his transition from God of Life to God of Death.
The Lord of the Underworld
With Autumn and Winter the Horned God has taken up his throne in the Underworld. He is the Dark God of death, and ruler of the realm of spirits. He opens the door between life and death on Samhain and then is protector of the Goddess as she passes through the Underworld to emerge as the new world on the other side of death, path which time she will prepare for the rebirth of the God on Yule.
The Imagery of the Solstices and Equinoxes
The Solstices and Equinoxes are events in the passage of the Sun, marking the shortest day, longest day and the times when night and day equal.
Yule: The shortest day and longest night. This is the rebirth of the Sun and likewise, the rebirth of the Horned God into this world.
Spring Equinox: The nights have shortened and the days have lengthened, now they stand in balance, with night and day equal.
Midsummer: The longest day of the year and the shortest night. The height of the Sun’s power and likewise the height of the God’s strength in this world.
Autumn Equinox: As the world wanes back towards the cold seasons, night and day once more equalise.
As one can see, these holidays demonstrate the growth of The Horned God (as God of the Sun) as he grows, matures and then recedes. Effectively, the Sabbats marks the significant events in the life of The Horned God, whereas the Solstices demonstrate his growth and power.
The Oak King and Holly King
Two other identities that are sometimes associated with the Horned God are the Oak King and the Holly King.
The Oak King is the representation of the Horned God as Lord of the living forest. He is the King of life and is represented by the mighty Oak tree, which I green through Spring and Summer, and one of the mightiest trees in the forest.
The Holly King is the representation of the Horned God as Lord of death and the slumbering forest. He is represented by the Holly bush, which remains green all year round, but most significantly it continues to grow unstoppably in the Autumn and Winter. At this time the Holly becomes the crown of the forest.
The Oak King and Holly King enter the mythology of the Wicca at Midsummer, where they become identities for the dark and light sides of the God’s character. At this time, the Sun is at it’s most powerful, but being as this is the longest day of the year, after this the days will start to reduce and the night will become longer. So it is here that the Oak King and Holly King are seen to do battle. The Oak King reaches the Height of his power, but ultimately he is slain by the Holly King, who then assumes the throne of the forest and begins to usher in the time of the growing night and the coming of the cold seasons.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wicca and Initiation
There is often a great deal of dissension over the issue of Wicca and initiation. Many people believe that you can be a Wiccan without initiating or that a person can perform a "self-initiation", while others (mostly Wiccan) declare that initiation is definitely needed and that self-initiation is generally a ridiculous concept.
So which is it, really?
In many ways a lot of this really does just boil down to one question:
Do you believe Gardner?
Once that question is answered, all other questions and answers slide firmly into place. Though it is ironic and perhaps somewhat fitting, that whether your answer is “yes” or “no”, we still arrive to the same destination. All that differs is the journey that is taken in getting there.
So, we’ll begin with this question and start of at the easiest answer:
Do you believe Gardner?
“No.”
If you don’t believe that Gardner was really initiated into a coven of witches, with reference to Wica, as he claimed, then the situation automatically becomes very simple to resolve. For if he wasn’t really initiated, then that would mean that he created the entire religion himself (though using other sources as influences) and that there was no Wicca/Wica before him.
If this is the case then what can we take away from that? Well first of all we immediately get a distinct view onto what Gardner’s intentions for the religion really were. After all, he created it and he could make it anything he wanted. But in this scenario he made it a mystery religion, in which the only way to practice it was through initiation.
Obviously this is no accident. On the contrary, it is a direct reference for what he intended the religion to be and what he wanted it to be. If he wanted to make it open to everyone, then he could do, but he didn’t. He knew full well what a mystery religion was and had connections to a good few other initiatory organisations.
So from the view of Wicca originating only from Gardner, we can see directly that it was only ever intended for initiates.
But, we can’t just end it there. Though we will take a brief intermission to acknowledge that it is among the foremost opinions that Gardner was probably not initiated into a witch cult as he described and that he instead created Wicca from a combination of the folklore he knew, the influence of the works of Margaret Murray, the influence of OTO teachings, his personal interest in naturalism, Thelema and no doubt a good few other sources that I have neglected here.
It’s worth mentioning this here, as the works of scholars such as Ronald Hutton are not to be absently ignored. Indeed, Prof. Hutton has done extensive research in this area and indeed, in the area of studying historical witchcraft in general and remains the foremost expert on the subject today.
For further references to this line of enquiry and an examination of Prof. Hutton’s work, read his book “Triumph of the Moon”.
Now, with that said, lets try and tackle the more difficult subject of examining Gardner’s intentions for Wicca, while allowing for the possibility that his own claims to initiation into a witch cult were true.
When approaching this, there are several angles that need to be considered:
Who were these supposed witches and what was the nature of their craft?
What was Gerald Gardner’s relationship to them?
What was their view/tradition regarding initiation and the Wicca?
This last question is very relevant in that its answer will help us to understand not only the traditions that Gardner may have been following, but also the beliefs regarding initiation that were held by the first traceable followers of Wicca and just what initiation may have meant to them. Unfortunately we have no direct words from these witches (at least, not on matters of witchcraft) but we do have the words of Gardner and what he told us about them. But this will be sufficient, as we can all agree that Gardner is the root of the issue and it is his handed down practices that are being followed today.
But before anything, we must tackle that first question:
Who were these supposed witches and what was the nature of their craft?
The identity of the people of the New Forest Coven, to whom Gardner claimed his initiation, cannot be determined with absolute certainty. But although researchers both within and without Wicca have provided us with some very likely candidates, I’ll not spend too much time arguing the different ideas about who was who. For our purposes here it is enough to say that these witches, according to Gardner, had known him for a quite a while and that they lived in or around the area of the New Forest and Christchurch.
But what of their practices? Well Gardner has given us a fair amount of insight into their workings, from his initiation and onwards. For this we can refer to Gardner’s account per Bracelin:
“Gardner felt delighted that he was being let into their secret. Thus it was that, a few days after the war had started, he was taken to a big house in the neighbourhood. This belonged to ‘Old Dorothy’….
….it was in this house that he was initiated into witchcraft. He was very amused at first, when he was stripped naked and brought into a place ‘properly prepared’ to undergo his initiation.
It was half way through when the word Wica was first mentioned: “and I (Gardner) knew that that which I had thought burnt out hundreds of years ago still survived.
… I soon found myself in the circle and took the usual oaths of secrecy which bound me not to reveal any secrets of the cult.”
In just this short account we are able to gather a wealth of information to help us.
We know from this that the practices of these witches were kept secret, so much so in fact that Gardner didn’t even know what he was being initiated into until he was already half way into initiation. We now also know that if these witches existed as Gardner claims, then they definitely had rites of initiation that were needed to be undergone in order to be “let into the secret”. Perhaps more significant though, is that these witches referred to themselves as Wica.
Now, Gardner’s reaction to the word shows us that he was familiar with the old term and its connotations. However, it also implies that both he and they were unaware of how it was pronounced back in the Anglo-Saxon. This leads us to one of two possible conclusions here:
1) Either the pronunciation of the word had changed among this line of witches, so that now it was a different and new word, which now obviously only referred to them.
2) Or, that the word Wica, as used by them, didn’t actually have any connection to the old Anglo-Saxon and so it was still only relevant to them and their practices.
Either way we have a situation in which we have already established that their practices were secret and required initiation, and that the word Wica/Wicca can only refer to their secret hereditary practices.
One could use this alone as a case to drop the subject here and now, acknowledging that Gardner simply maintained this tradition of initiation and secrecy. But there is a lot more information available to us with which we can build a more complete picture as to exactly what their practices were in regards to initiation.
But first, let us stay on the matter of secrecy and examine the answer to our second question:
What was Gerald Gardner’s relationship to these witches?
Well, if we take Gardner at his word, then we already know that he was initiated by them and so thusly he and they were coven mates. But before we look into Gardner’s relationship with them as an initiate, we would probably do well to take a moment to examine their relationship before initiation. As Bracelin records:
“… I would have gone through Hell and high water even then for any of them.”
-Gerald Gardner on his feelings for the New Forest Coven even before being initiated into them (source: Gerald Gardner: Witch, by Jack Bracelin).
Obviously Gardner felt very strongly for these people and as researchers like Phillip Hessleton have shown us in their works, Gardner had a long association with these witches and that this close relationship was built over time. But exactly how close was this relationship?
“I fell in love with a witch when we were fire-watching together during the war.”
-Gerald Gardner to Ralph Merrifield, Deputy Director of the Museum of London, upon asking Gardner where he had learnt his witchcraft.
It is clear to see that Gardner had very strong feelings for the first of these witches that he encountered and although it seems reasonably clear that no lasting romance existed between himself and the afore mentioned witch (probably Edith Woodford Grimes), we do know that he did maintain an extremely close friendship with her and her family, even giving away her daughter at her daughter’s wedding. This event is listed in official records.
It is important to understand at this point that Gardner’s initiation wasn’t taken lightly. No, these witches had known him for a long time and never even mentioned the Craft to him. They kept him in the dark all the while.
We have a picture being painted here. Gardner kept it no secret that he had an interest in the occult and folklore, yet these witches never at any point before initiation even so much as mentioned the Wicca to their good friend. This alone speaks to its secrecy, but it also speaks of what is required for initiation, both then and now. The witches needed to be absolutely comfortable with him and to truly feel that they could bring him into the fold.
Initiation requires trust and love. These things develop over time.
But the nature of their relationship remains an important key in many regards, even after his initiation.
We have seen that secrecy is a necessity to these witches and that oaths were taken that their secret information should not be revealed. But as we know from the existence of his books, Gardner (already a published author), wished to share the existence of the cult with other people via his books.
By all accounts it seems to have been Gardner who broached the subject with them, regarding publishing information on the Wicca and by all accounts they were apposed to the idea.
“…I wanted to tell of my discovery. But I was met with a determined refusal. ‘The Age of Persecution is not over’, they told me, ‘give anyone half a chance and the fires will blaze up again’. When I said to one of them, ‘Why do you keep all these things so secret still? There is no persecution nowadays!’ I was told, ‘Oh, isn’t there? If people knew what I was, every time a child in the village was ill, or somebody’s chickens died, I should get the blame for it. Witchcraft doesn’t pay for broken windows.”
-Gerald Gardner, Witchcraft Today
However, there was eventually a compromise made, as Gardner was given permission to publish some information, but only if it was in the form of fiction. This, of course, leads us to his first book on Wicca, which was called “High Magic’s Aid”.
The witches seemed to be okay with this work of fiction and so followed his book “Witchcraft Today”.
By his own account he went to great lengths to keep secret information out of the book, not just because it was a matter of oath, but because he had so much love and respect for his friends in the New Forest Coven:
“In writing this book, I soon found myself between Scylla and Charybdis. If I said too much, I ran the risk of offending people I had come to highly regard as friends. If I said too little, the publishers would not be interested. In this situation I did the best I could.”
-Gerald Gardner, The Meaning of Witchcraft, referring to his earlier book, Witchcraft Today.
It would seem that the witches were pleased enough with High Magic’s Aid and that later they allowed for a little more flexibility when he came to write Witchcraft Today. However, they were also adamant that no secrets were to be revealed in the book. Perhaps they had seen that his works could be a positive medium to keep their name clean. Gardner quotes of them:
“Write and tell people we are not perverts. We are decent people, we only want to be left alone.”
Anonymous witch, quoted by Gerald Gardner in Witchcraft Today.
Gardner seems more than happy to honour this request, both to give Wicca a good name and to ensure that they are just left alone. Indeed, Gardner never personally reveals the identity of any member of the New Forest Coven, except by using pseudonyms.
“Now, I simply wont let my friends, the people who trusted me, be bothered and badgered about…”
-Gerald Gardner, 1952 (source: Wiccan Roots, by Philip Hesselton)
This, once more, goes to show the close levels of trust and respect that exist within a coven, but it also goes to show that Gardner had respect for their tradition of secrecy and understood their need for it.
But it is deeper than that. In Witchcraft Today, Gardner informs us that in the beliefs of the Wicca, the need for initiation and secrecy goes far beyond a simple fear of persecution:
“…witches have a firmly rooted belief in their own powers, and the danger of these being misused if uninitiated people learn the methods. Also, they reverence their Gods, and do not wish their names to be known, or bandied about and mocked.”
-Gerald Gardner, Witchcraft Today
Indeed, even today the names of the Wiccan God and Goddess are not revealed to the uninitiated and they are not known to the public. One could argue that this alone makes for a difficult case in regard to uninitiated practice. Fore it is difficult to worship the deities of the Wicca, when you don’t even know who they are…
So we can see that the need for initiation exist as an act of devotion and respect for the Gods of the Wicca, but also in order to keep their magical secrets and rites from being practiced by those who may misuse them.
I am reminded of the Wiccan Rede: “An it harm none, do as thou will.”
Gardner tells us this is the morality of the witches and so it would seem that initiation is also a means to limit potential magical harm.
“…they do not wish it to be known how they raise power.”
-Gerald Gardner, Witchcraft Today
It would seem fair to conclude that this reverence for the divine and desire to do no harm is as true today as was in Gardner’s day. So it is no great surprise that the tradition of initiation is maintained and the inner mysteries of the Wicca remain hidden.
“If I were to disclose all their rituals, I think that it would be easy to prove that witches are not diabolists; but the oaths are solemn and the witches are my friends. I would not want to hurt their feelings. They have secrets which to them are sacred. They have good reason for their secrecy.”
-Gerald Gardner, Witchcraft Today
Good reason indeed. And as a man who was more than familiar with mystery religions, he surely understood better than most.
But as a friend and initiate himself, he respected these secrets and maintained them.
Okay, so we have established quite well that secrecy and initiation were very sacred to the Wicca (assuming they existed before Gardner), but we can even go deeper than that.
Earlier I asked the question: What was their view/tradition regarding initiation and the Wicca?
Well we have already explored a lot of their views and traditions in this regard, but the views so far regard the meaning of being initiated as opposed to being uninitiated. But through Gardner’s words we can also explore the meaning and purpose of initiation within the Wicca. Gardner tells us:
“We ever pick out those who have a little inherent power and teach them, and they practice one with the other and they develop their powers.”
Anonymous witch, quoted by Gerald Gardner in Witchcraft Today.
“…it is no use trying to develop these powers unless you have time and a suitable partner..”
-Gerald Gardner, Witchcraft Today
“They say that witches by constant practice can train their wills to blend this nerve force, or whatever it is, and that their united wills can project this as a beam of force, or that they can use it in other ways to gain clairvoyance, or even to release the astral body.”
-Gerald Gardner, Witchcraft Today
“Being initiated into the witch cult does not give a witch supernatural powers as I reckon them, but instructions are given, in rather veiled terms, in processes that develop various clairvoyant and other powers, in those who naturally possess them slightly. If they have none they can create none. Some of these powers are akin to magnetism, mesmerism and suggestion, and depend on the possibility of forming a sort of human battery, as it were, of combined human wills working together to influence persons or events at a distance. They have instructions in how to learn to do this by practice. It would take many people a long time, if I understand the directions aright… to a witch it is all MAGIC [Gardner’s emphasis], and magic is the art of getting results. To do this certain processes are necessary and the rites are such that these processes may be used. In other words, they condition you. This is the secret of the cult.”
-Gerald Gardner
Gardner quite implicitly tells us that one of the key parts of Wicca involves working with your coven and that this is the belief of the witches who initiated him. Indeed, he lets us know quite clearly that not only does the Wicca have secrets, but that their secret practices require a coven - they cannot be done without one.
”To do this certain processes are necessary and the rites are such that these processes may be used. In other words, they condition you. This is the secret of the cult.”
The secret rites of Wicca open up a person’s personal power and unite it with that of their coven. These rites teach and condition the individual to become stronger and more capable in this regard. To practice them requires a coven and these practices remain a secret of the Wiccan priesthood.
Okay, so we have explored the beliefs of Gardner as they were allegedly handed down to him by the New Forest Coven, and they quite clearly state that one must be initiated. The reasons for this are due to reverence for the Gods, personal protection, limiting potential harm and also because the rites of the Wicca are specifically designed to be utilised by a coven.
We also established earlier that “Wicca”, as a word, can only possibly apply to these practices. But when considering these practices in the way that we are, it would be sensible to consider whether any other witches out there may have passed down the teachings of the Wicca.
Again, we can explore Gardner’s own words:
“They are the people who call themselves the Wica, the ‘wise people’, who practice the age-old rites and who have, along with much superstition and herbal knowledge, preserved an occult teaching and working process which they themselves think to be magic or witchcraft.”
Gerald Gardner, Witchcraft Today
Okay, so according to Gardner the witches of the New Forest were following a religious path that had been handed down for a very long time. It would be fair to assume that over the course of that tradition, that religion had undergone some gradual changes that would make it unique, even if other lines existed elsewhere. The two would now be separate and different. Prof. Ronald Hutton does well to evidence that the existence of hereditary witchcraft dating back to ancient times is utterly unlikely and more than not such claims can be seen to be inaccurate at best, or just untrue at worst. So the idea of one such tradition surviving like this to modern day is unlikely, let alone several identical traditions spanning from the same source.
But we need not speculate about this, once more we can quote Gardner:
“To them the cult has existed unchanged from the beginning of time, though there is also a vague notion that the old people came form the East…”
-Gerald Gardner, 1954 (source: Wiccan Roots, by Philip Hesselton)
Here we can see that although they claim to have practiced an unbroken tradition, things have definitely been lost along the way, if only with regard to history.
Gardner also says:
“My great trouble in discovering what their beliefs were is that they have forgotten practically all about their God; all I can get is from the rites and prayers addressed to him.”
-Gerald Gardner, 1954 (source: Wiccan Roots, by Philip Hesselton)
Of course, Gardner is not implying that these witches do not know about their own God or that they don’t know who he is. Indeed, in the same quote Gardner is confirming that the passed down rites and prayers reveal who he is.
What Gardner is referring to is the history of the God and the religion. The witches essentially don’t know where they came from or who the first people were that worshipped their God. He confirms this later as he continues to explore their beliefs:
“The witches do not know the origin of their cult.”
-Gerald Gardner, 1954 (source: Wiccan Roots, by Philip Hesselton)
It is actually interesting to note that Gardner tends to move back and forth between the words “cult” and “religion” when he speaks of the Wicca. But it isn’t very hard to see why. He reveals to us in Witchcraft Today that he believes the Wicca to be a dieing cult and by all accounts it seems he was probably correct. Those identified as his coven mates were aging quickly and in no rush to initiate others into their line. By all accounts it seems that Gardner’s initiation was a rarity and that Wiccan covens were where few and on the decline, with members dieing within his lifetime.
He has been quoted as saying:
“How wonderful to think that these things still survive”
-Gerald Gardner (Source: Gerald Gardner: Witch, by Bracelin)
However, he was of the opinion that its survival was coming to an end and the idea of that was something that he didn’t want to entertain. This was the reason that he wanted to make the existence of the Wicca publicly known, so that he could quicken it.
But as we can see above, there were certain problems. Firstly the witches didn’t want too much to be known about their ways (a wish that Gardner honoured) and secondly they didn’t have a very clear understanding of their own history. Indeed, Gardner is quoted by Doreen Valiente as saying that the teachings that were handed down to him were fragmented and that he filled in the gaps himself. (Source: Witchcraft For Tomorrow, by Doreen Valiente).
However, we can see that Gardner (if he is taken at his word) had a strong motivation to reveal the existence of Wicca to the world, but he was also obliged to keep it a secret. So we have a rock and a hard place situation.
But as he says in Witchcraft Today, he worked with what he could, revealing a few basics of the religion, but making initiation a necessity to maintain its secrets – just as it was taught to him.
Gardner even goes to great lengths to maintain the traditional practices of initiation:
“The witches tell me: “The law always has been that power must be passed from man to woman or from woman to man, the only exception being when a mother initiates her daughter or a father his son, because they are part of themselves”. (The reason is that great love is apt to occur between people who go through the rites together.)”
Man to woman and woman to man remains the tradition by which initiations take place. But in this quote is also outlines another belief that makes initiation important. It is a transference of power – an energy exchange. The power of one witch to another.
Gardner effectively made the change from cult to religion. Although the beliefs of the Wicca before Gardner (still assuming there were any) would technically be defined as religious beliefs, the actual religion had been denigrated to the status of a small cult and a dieing one at that. Gardner revived it and took in from the status of cult up to recognised religion.
But we have to remember that regardless of anything, it is his religion. As has been shown, the teachings were fragmented, the history has been lost and all the original members from before Gardner are now long dead. All that remains is what Gardner learnt and what Gardner created from it. So nobody can lay claims to the teachings of Wicca, unless they came via him.
Gardner made Wicca initiatory and he made it so that the real teachings would only ever be revealed to those that were initiated. This practice maintains today by all those that have followed him in his lineage.
But this is not merely a matter of protecting secrets. No, it is also a matter of keeping a promise that Gardner made long ago. If the New Forest Coven existed, Gardner swore oaths to them that he would keep their secrets. This was the promise of a witch, but more importantly, it was the promise of a friend.
Initiation honours this promise and honours the promise of every Wiccan that has ever been initiated. With each new person the promise grows as each new person takes on the responsibility of upholding it. It is an issue of trust and of love.
Eclectic Wicca?
It’s established then, I feel, that the case has been made for the necessity of initiation in Wicca, whether based on pre-Gardnerian ideas or just upon those of Gardner. But how then to address the idea of “eclectic Wicca” and “self initiation”.
Well, let’s deal with the easy one first: Self Initiation.
“Self-initiation” is technically an incorrect term, but it is one that you may run into from time to time.
Initiation is a gift of acceptance. To be Initiated means that that a group that you don’t belong to is welcoming you into their fold. It is the opening of a door by another person and inviting you to step through.
You couldn’t declare yourself a Catholic Priest and you couldn’t give yourself a Knighthood. Initiation is the same; it is something that other people give to you, not something that you can give to yourself.
What people often refer to as “self-Initiation” is more correctly termed as a Dedication. This is when a person in a solitary capacity declares that they are going to follow a certain path or certain Gods, often by performing a personal ritual.
Dedication Rituals are absolutely fine for the solitary practitioner and a very good way to give your path a sense of personal meaning and structure, as well as an outspoken declaration to the Gods.
But a dedication like this does not make one a member of Wicca.
Referring back to Gardner, it is interesting to note that he doesn’t really refer to Wicca as a religion, instead he tends to refer to Wicca as a group of people.
This is actually very true to form for both Gardner and ancient Pagan religions. Today “Wicca” is often applied offhandedly to name or describe the religion, but in the strictest sense the religion itself doesn’t really have a name. Although Gardner may reference to Wicca and its beliefs, his implication is that Wicca is the people, not the beliefs and that those who are initiated become Wicca.
As I mentioned, this mirrors the practices of older Pagan religions. In ancient times, it was quite rare to name a religion, however certain groups within that religious community would have names. For example, the Celts didn’t really have a collective name for their religion, however the Druids acted as priests. Not everyone following those Gods and those practices was a Druid. No, Druids were specifically a priesthood of law keepers, lore keepers and advisers. The other people simply went by the name of their tribe. Equally, all of Athens may have paid worship to Dionysus, but there was no name for this “religion”. However, there was the Eleusian Mysteries, but that was a title specifically for the initiated members of that sect.
Wicca is the same. “Wicca” isn’t really the name of the religion, per sé, that is just simply how the religion has become known through ease of speech. But the word “Wicca” is a specific name for that priesthood. In all truth those outside the priesthood that choose to follow the same Gods, don’t actually have a name, but that doesn’t mean that they can just offhandedly take the name of the Priesthood if they aren’t in it.
A Wiccan is a member of the Wicca priesthood.
Gardner certainly seemed to recognised the distinction. When he spoke of Wicca, he did so not in a reference to a religion, but in regards to the people who were initiated into it and that practiced the initiatory rites of that priesthood.
Of course, there are those who, when considering solitary or eclectic practice, like to bring up the root word of “wicca” and “wicce”.
I’ve explained before why these words aren’t really applicable in the sense of Wicca, but of course people can be free to use them at their leisure.
These words are simply the old Anglo Saxon for “witch” and although it would be very odd to regress back into such a linguistic anachronism, it is the choice of the inidivual to do so if they so choose.
However, it must be pointed out that the words “wicca” and “wicce” are not the same as Wicca and do not mean the same thing. Fistly, both words are pronounced “witch-a” and not “wicka”, so when saying these words you sound totally different. Secondly, if you are using the words properly, then only a male can use the word “wicca” and a female has to use the word “wicce” when writing them. They are the sexual definers of the word and the correct way to use them.
But again, neither “wicca” nor “wicce” are in any way the same as Wicca, nor do they in any way imply a practice that is similar to Wicca. In actuality, the implication is that they describe something totally different from Wicca, as one would expect that if an old word is being used, then it is being used to describe something old. Wicca isn’t old and so the words “wicca” and “wicce” can’t be describing it.
Moving onto the subject of “eclectic Wicca” it is proper to examine the grammar of such a phrase.
The word “Wicca” is a noun. It is the name of a priesthood.
The word “eclectic” is an adjective and in this case defines the way in which one approaches Wicca, or implies that Wicca is the sphere within which one is eclectic.
Eclectic means to borrow freely from many different sources. That isn’t what Wicca is. Wicca is a defined religion that exists within a structure of practices and beliefs. Wicca is not eclectic.
If the term is taken to mean that one is eclectic within the confines of Wicca, then that becomes extremely problematic for the non-initiate. Being as there is only a very small amount of Wicca available to the public and it is often mixed up with things that aren’t Wicca at all, it becomes very hard to pick and choose eclectically and still retain a viable practice that is even slightly like Wicca. Basically, you would be taking a very small amount of available information and then skimming it down to even less. This would effectively make it even less Wicca than it was before.
In short, the term is a grammatical anomaly and makes no great sense.
It’s surely hard enough to practice a religion when you don’t know what it is. Practicing such a religion eclectically only makes it further from the target.
Evolution in Wicca
I have seen that there is common habit to suggest that non-initiated Wicca is in some way an evolution of Wicca, making it better and more than it was. Perhaps this is an ironic statement, being as non-initiatory practices only remove from Wicca and in actuality what they remove is the vast majority of the religion’s teachings and beliefs.
It is very difficult to see this as a positive evolution.
But the other problem with this view of Wicca “evolving” outside of initiation is that it completely reveals the ignorance of the real evolution that Wicca is undergoing by somehow suggesting that initiatory traditions are in some way static and unchanging. But the reality is quite to the contrary. That much is clearly evident by the fact that there are now initiated traditions beside Gardnerian Wicca, even though they all derive from Gardnerian Wicca through initiation.
But of course, the other evolutions within Wicca would require an intimate understanding of the real religion.
But we can once again to the words of Gerald Gardner, via Fred Lamond, to gain a little understanding as to how the priesthood progresses together:
“Gerald was always at pains to tell us: “The Book of Shadows’ is not a Bible or Koran, but a personal ‘cookbook’ or spells that the individual witch has found to work. I (Gerald) am giving you my book to copy to get you started: it contains the spells and rituals that worked for me. As you gain in experience, add the successful spells that you have made up, and discard those that didn’t work for you!”
-Fred Lamond, 50 Years of Wicca
I feel it is important at this point to explain what is being said here.
As has been discussed earlier, Gardner’s Book of Shadows is a secret text that defines the core of Wicca and every initiate copies it. It is the basis of Wiccan practice, beliefs, ritual, magic and tradition. As such it is the “core book” if you will and remains unchanged and the fundamental basis for all Wiccans within a coven.
The last line in the quote explains the practice of forming your own coven workings and magics, experimenting with the inner secrets of Wicca and finding what works for you. These things are recorded in a Wiccan’s personal Book of Shadows and those things that did not work a left out of their personal Book of Shadows. Again, the Gardnerian Book of Shadows is not changed, it forms the basis of the religious rites and the starting point for the individual within a coven and the coven entire.
Without access to the Book of Shadows and a coven with which to practice the rites within it, one cannot practice Wicca. As Gardner explained in our earlier quotes, a coven is necessary and the rites rely on a coven.
Wicca is also an experiential religion and requires the group on that level, as the rites are performed.
It has already been outlined that the rites that make up the core basis of what Wicca is, require a coven in order to be performed. But in this the coven becomes doubly significant. As an experiential religion the understanding of the mysteries derives from group practice and communal sharing.
The ritual space is sacred and those within it in many ways become one in their workings. Each person in the coven is an intrinsic part of the whole and each adds their energy, mind, power and understanding to the rites, then through this combined essence and inner unity, the mysteries become manifest and are explored.
The group is essentially a singular and united consciousness that exchanges freely between those within it and in that they become of the same essence.
This is the truth of Wicca, whether one believes it was created by Gardner or not. These are the practices, these are the beliefs. The secrets and majority of the religion are hidden and no one on the outside can practice them because of this. No one on the outside is Wiccan.
Wicca is the named priesthood of this faith. This is how it was created, either by tradition or intent, and this is how it remains today.
© Luthaneal Adams 2008
So which is it, really?
In many ways a lot of this really does just boil down to one question:
Do you believe Gardner?
Once that question is answered, all other questions and answers slide firmly into place. Though it is ironic and perhaps somewhat fitting, that whether your answer is “yes” or “no”, we still arrive to the same destination. All that differs is the journey that is taken in getting there.
So, we’ll begin with this question and start of at the easiest answer:
Do you believe Gardner?
“No.”
If you don’t believe that Gardner was really initiated into a coven of witches, with reference to Wica, as he claimed, then the situation automatically becomes very simple to resolve. For if he wasn’t really initiated, then that would mean that he created the entire religion himself (though using other sources as influences) and that there was no Wicca/Wica before him.
If this is the case then what can we take away from that? Well first of all we immediately get a distinct view onto what Gardner’s intentions for the religion really were. After all, he created it and he could make it anything he wanted. But in this scenario he made it a mystery religion, in which the only way to practice it was through initiation.
Obviously this is no accident. On the contrary, it is a direct reference for what he intended the religion to be and what he wanted it to be. If he wanted to make it open to everyone, then he could do, but he didn’t. He knew full well what a mystery religion was and had connections to a good few other initiatory organisations.
So from the view of Wicca originating only from Gardner, we can see directly that it was only ever intended for initiates.
But, we can’t just end it there. Though we will take a brief intermission to acknowledge that it is among the foremost opinions that Gardner was probably not initiated into a witch cult as he described and that he instead created Wicca from a combination of the folklore he knew, the influence of the works of Margaret Murray, the influence of OTO teachings, his personal interest in naturalism, Thelema and no doubt a good few other sources that I have neglected here.
It’s worth mentioning this here, as the works of scholars such as Ronald Hutton are not to be absently ignored. Indeed, Prof. Hutton has done extensive research in this area and indeed, in the area of studying historical witchcraft in general and remains the foremost expert on the subject today.
For further references to this line of enquiry and an examination of Prof. Hutton’s work, read his book “Triumph of the Moon”.
Now, with that said, lets try and tackle the more difficult subject of examining Gardner’s intentions for Wicca, while allowing for the possibility that his own claims to initiation into a witch cult were true.
When approaching this, there are several angles that need to be considered:
Who were these supposed witches and what was the nature of their craft?
What was Gerald Gardner’s relationship to them?
What was their view/tradition regarding initiation and the Wicca?
This last question is very relevant in that its answer will help us to understand not only the traditions that Gardner may have been following, but also the beliefs regarding initiation that were held by the first traceable followers of Wicca and just what initiation may have meant to them. Unfortunately we have no direct words from these witches (at least, not on matters of witchcraft) but we do have the words of Gardner and what he told us about them. But this will be sufficient, as we can all agree that Gardner is the root of the issue and it is his handed down practices that are being followed today.
But before anything, we must tackle that first question:
Who were these supposed witches and what was the nature of their craft?
The identity of the people of the New Forest Coven, to whom Gardner claimed his initiation, cannot be determined with absolute certainty. But although researchers both within and without Wicca have provided us with some very likely candidates, I’ll not spend too much time arguing the different ideas about who was who. For our purposes here it is enough to say that these witches, according to Gardner, had known him for a quite a while and that they lived in or around the area of the New Forest and Christchurch.
But what of their practices? Well Gardner has given us a fair amount of insight into their workings, from his initiation and onwards. For this we can refer to Gardner’s account per Bracelin:
“Gardner felt delighted that he was being let into their secret. Thus it was that, a few days after the war had started, he was taken to a big house in the neighbourhood. This belonged to ‘Old Dorothy’….
….it was in this house that he was initiated into witchcraft. He was very amused at first, when he was stripped naked and brought into a place ‘properly prepared’ to undergo his initiation.
It was half way through when the word Wica was first mentioned: “and I (Gardner) knew that that which I had thought burnt out hundreds of years ago still survived.
… I soon found myself in the circle and took the usual oaths of secrecy which bound me not to reveal any secrets of the cult.”
In just this short account we are able to gather a wealth of information to help us.
We know from this that the practices of these witches were kept secret, so much so in fact that Gardner didn’t even know what he was being initiated into until he was already half way into initiation. We now also know that if these witches existed as Gardner claims, then they definitely had rites of initiation that were needed to be undergone in order to be “let into the secret”. Perhaps more significant though, is that these witches referred to themselves as Wica.
Now, Gardner’s reaction to the word shows us that he was familiar with the old term and its connotations. However, it also implies that both he and they were unaware of how it was pronounced back in the Anglo-Saxon. This leads us to one of two possible conclusions here:
1) Either the pronunciation of the word had changed among this line of witches, so that now it was a different and new word, which now obviously only referred to them.
2) Or, that the word Wica, as used by them, didn’t actually have any connection to the old Anglo-Saxon and so it was still only relevant to them and their practices.
Either way we have a situation in which we have already established that their practices were secret and required initiation, and that the word Wica/Wicca can only refer to their secret hereditary practices.
One could use this alone as a case to drop the subject here and now, acknowledging that Gardner simply maintained this tradition of initiation and secrecy. But there is a lot more information available to us with which we can build a more complete picture as to exactly what their practices were in regards to initiation.
But first, let us stay on the matter of secrecy and examine the answer to our second question:
What was Gerald Gardner’s relationship to these witches?
Well, if we take Gardner at his word, then we already know that he was initiated by them and so thusly he and they were coven mates. But before we look into Gardner’s relationship with them as an initiate, we would probably do well to take a moment to examine their relationship before initiation. As Bracelin records:
“… I would have gone through Hell and high water even then for any of them.”
-Gerald Gardner on his feelings for the New Forest Coven even before being initiated into them (source: Gerald Gardner: Witch, by Jack Bracelin).
Obviously Gardner felt very strongly for these people and as researchers like Phillip Hessleton have shown us in their works, Gardner had a long association with these witches and that this close relationship was built over time. But exactly how close was this relationship?
“I fell in love with a witch when we were fire-watching together during the war.”
-Gerald Gardner to Ralph Merrifield, Deputy Director of the Museum of London, upon asking Gardner where he had learnt his witchcraft.
It is clear to see that Gardner had very strong feelings for the first of these witches that he encountered and although it seems reasonably clear that no lasting romance existed between himself and the afore mentioned witch (probably Edith Woodford Grimes), we do know that he did maintain an extremely close friendship with her and her family, even giving away her daughter at her daughter’s wedding. This event is listed in official records.
It is important to understand at this point that Gardner’s initiation wasn’t taken lightly. No, these witches had known him for a long time and never even mentioned the Craft to him. They kept him in the dark all the while.
We have a picture being painted here. Gardner kept it no secret that he had an interest in the occult and folklore, yet these witches never at any point before initiation even so much as mentioned the Wicca to their good friend. This alone speaks to its secrecy, but it also speaks of what is required for initiation, both then and now. The witches needed to be absolutely comfortable with him and to truly feel that they could bring him into the fold.
Initiation requires trust and love. These things develop over time.
But the nature of their relationship remains an important key in many regards, even after his initiation.
We have seen that secrecy is a necessity to these witches and that oaths were taken that their secret information should not be revealed. But as we know from the existence of his books, Gardner (already a published author), wished to share the existence of the cult with other people via his books.
By all accounts it seems to have been Gardner who broached the subject with them, regarding publishing information on the Wicca and by all accounts they were apposed to the idea.
“…I wanted to tell of my discovery. But I was met with a determined refusal. ‘The Age of Persecution is not over’, they told me, ‘give anyone half a chance and the fires will blaze up again’. When I said to one of them, ‘Why do you keep all these things so secret still? There is no persecution nowadays!’ I was told, ‘Oh, isn’t there? If people knew what I was, every time a child in the village was ill, or somebody’s chickens died, I should get the blame for it. Witchcraft doesn’t pay for broken windows.”
-Gerald Gardner, Witchcraft Today
However, there was eventually a compromise made, as Gardner was given permission to publish some information, but only if it was in the form of fiction. This, of course, leads us to his first book on Wicca, which was called “High Magic’s Aid”.
The witches seemed to be okay with this work of fiction and so followed his book “Witchcraft Today”.
By his own account he went to great lengths to keep secret information out of the book, not just because it was a matter of oath, but because he had so much love and respect for his friends in the New Forest Coven:
“In writing this book, I soon found myself between Scylla and Charybdis. If I said too much, I ran the risk of offending people I had come to highly regard as friends. If I said too little, the publishers would not be interested. In this situation I did the best I could.”
-Gerald Gardner, The Meaning of Witchcraft, referring to his earlier book, Witchcraft Today.
It would seem that the witches were pleased enough with High Magic’s Aid and that later they allowed for a little more flexibility when he came to write Witchcraft Today. However, they were also adamant that no secrets were to be revealed in the book. Perhaps they had seen that his works could be a positive medium to keep their name clean. Gardner quotes of them:
“Write and tell people we are not perverts. We are decent people, we only want to be left alone.”
Anonymous witch, quoted by Gerald Gardner in Witchcraft Today.
Gardner seems more than happy to honour this request, both to give Wicca a good name and to ensure that they are just left alone. Indeed, Gardner never personally reveals the identity of any member of the New Forest Coven, except by using pseudonyms.
“Now, I simply wont let my friends, the people who trusted me, be bothered and badgered about…”
-Gerald Gardner, 1952 (source: Wiccan Roots, by Philip Hesselton)
This, once more, goes to show the close levels of trust and respect that exist within a coven, but it also goes to show that Gardner had respect for their tradition of secrecy and understood their need for it.
But it is deeper than that. In Witchcraft Today, Gardner informs us that in the beliefs of the Wicca, the need for initiation and secrecy goes far beyond a simple fear of persecution:
“…witches have a firmly rooted belief in their own powers, and the danger of these being misused if uninitiated people learn the methods. Also, they reverence their Gods, and do not wish their names to be known, or bandied about and mocked.”
-Gerald Gardner, Witchcraft Today
Indeed, even today the names of the Wiccan God and Goddess are not revealed to the uninitiated and they are not known to the public. One could argue that this alone makes for a difficult case in regard to uninitiated practice. Fore it is difficult to worship the deities of the Wicca, when you don’t even know who they are…
So we can see that the need for initiation exist as an act of devotion and respect for the Gods of the Wicca, but also in order to keep their magical secrets and rites from being practiced by those who may misuse them.
I am reminded of the Wiccan Rede: “An it harm none, do as thou will.”
Gardner tells us this is the morality of the witches and so it would seem that initiation is also a means to limit potential magical harm.
“…they do not wish it to be known how they raise power.”
-Gerald Gardner, Witchcraft Today
It would seem fair to conclude that this reverence for the divine and desire to do no harm is as true today as was in Gardner’s day. So it is no great surprise that the tradition of initiation is maintained and the inner mysteries of the Wicca remain hidden.
“If I were to disclose all their rituals, I think that it would be easy to prove that witches are not diabolists; but the oaths are solemn and the witches are my friends. I would not want to hurt their feelings. They have secrets which to them are sacred. They have good reason for their secrecy.”
-Gerald Gardner, Witchcraft Today
Good reason indeed. And as a man who was more than familiar with mystery religions, he surely understood better than most.
But as a friend and initiate himself, he respected these secrets and maintained them.
Okay, so we have established quite well that secrecy and initiation were very sacred to the Wicca (assuming they existed before Gardner), but we can even go deeper than that.
Earlier I asked the question: What was their view/tradition regarding initiation and the Wicca?
Well we have already explored a lot of their views and traditions in this regard, but the views so far regard the meaning of being initiated as opposed to being uninitiated. But through Gardner’s words we can also explore the meaning and purpose of initiation within the Wicca. Gardner tells us:
“We ever pick out those who have a little inherent power and teach them, and they practice one with the other and they develop their powers.”
Anonymous witch, quoted by Gerald Gardner in Witchcraft Today.
“…it is no use trying to develop these powers unless you have time and a suitable partner..”
-Gerald Gardner, Witchcraft Today
“They say that witches by constant practice can train their wills to blend this nerve force, or whatever it is, and that their united wills can project this as a beam of force, or that they can use it in other ways to gain clairvoyance, or even to release the astral body.”
-Gerald Gardner, Witchcraft Today
“Being initiated into the witch cult does not give a witch supernatural powers as I reckon them, but instructions are given, in rather veiled terms, in processes that develop various clairvoyant and other powers, in those who naturally possess them slightly. If they have none they can create none. Some of these powers are akin to magnetism, mesmerism and suggestion, and depend on the possibility of forming a sort of human battery, as it were, of combined human wills working together to influence persons or events at a distance. They have instructions in how to learn to do this by practice. It would take many people a long time, if I understand the directions aright… to a witch it is all MAGIC [Gardner’s emphasis], and magic is the art of getting results. To do this certain processes are necessary and the rites are such that these processes may be used. In other words, they condition you. This is the secret of the cult.”
-Gerald Gardner
Gardner quite implicitly tells us that one of the key parts of Wicca involves working with your coven and that this is the belief of the witches who initiated him. Indeed, he lets us know quite clearly that not only does the Wicca have secrets, but that their secret practices require a coven - they cannot be done without one.
”To do this certain processes are necessary and the rites are such that these processes may be used. In other words, they condition you. This is the secret of the cult.”
The secret rites of Wicca open up a person’s personal power and unite it with that of their coven. These rites teach and condition the individual to become stronger and more capable in this regard. To practice them requires a coven and these practices remain a secret of the Wiccan priesthood.
Okay, so we have explored the beliefs of Gardner as they were allegedly handed down to him by the New Forest Coven, and they quite clearly state that one must be initiated. The reasons for this are due to reverence for the Gods, personal protection, limiting potential harm and also because the rites of the Wicca are specifically designed to be utilised by a coven.
We also established earlier that “Wicca”, as a word, can only possibly apply to these practices. But when considering these practices in the way that we are, it would be sensible to consider whether any other witches out there may have passed down the teachings of the Wicca.
Again, we can explore Gardner’s own words:
“They are the people who call themselves the Wica, the ‘wise people’, who practice the age-old rites and who have, along with much superstition and herbal knowledge, preserved an occult teaching and working process which they themselves think to be magic or witchcraft.”
Gerald Gardner, Witchcraft Today
Okay, so according to Gardner the witches of the New Forest were following a religious path that had been handed down for a very long time. It would be fair to assume that over the course of that tradition, that religion had undergone some gradual changes that would make it unique, even if other lines existed elsewhere. The two would now be separate and different. Prof. Ronald Hutton does well to evidence that the existence of hereditary witchcraft dating back to ancient times is utterly unlikely and more than not such claims can be seen to be inaccurate at best, or just untrue at worst. So the idea of one such tradition surviving like this to modern day is unlikely, let alone several identical traditions spanning from the same source.
But we need not speculate about this, once more we can quote Gardner:
“To them the cult has existed unchanged from the beginning of time, though there is also a vague notion that the old people came form the East…”
-Gerald Gardner, 1954 (source: Wiccan Roots, by Philip Hesselton)
Here we can see that although they claim to have practiced an unbroken tradition, things have definitely been lost along the way, if only with regard to history.
Gardner also says:
“My great trouble in discovering what their beliefs were is that they have forgotten practically all about their God; all I can get is from the rites and prayers addressed to him.”
-Gerald Gardner, 1954 (source: Wiccan Roots, by Philip Hesselton)
Of course, Gardner is not implying that these witches do not know about their own God or that they don’t know who he is. Indeed, in the same quote Gardner is confirming that the passed down rites and prayers reveal who he is.
What Gardner is referring to is the history of the God and the religion. The witches essentially don’t know where they came from or who the first people were that worshipped their God. He confirms this later as he continues to explore their beliefs:
“The witches do not know the origin of their cult.”
-Gerald Gardner, 1954 (source: Wiccan Roots, by Philip Hesselton)
It is actually interesting to note that Gardner tends to move back and forth between the words “cult” and “religion” when he speaks of the Wicca. But it isn’t very hard to see why. He reveals to us in Witchcraft Today that he believes the Wicca to be a dieing cult and by all accounts it seems he was probably correct. Those identified as his coven mates were aging quickly and in no rush to initiate others into their line. By all accounts it seems that Gardner’s initiation was a rarity and that Wiccan covens were where few and on the decline, with members dieing within his lifetime.
He has been quoted as saying:
“How wonderful to think that these things still survive”
-Gerald Gardner (Source: Gerald Gardner: Witch, by Bracelin)
However, he was of the opinion that its survival was coming to an end and the idea of that was something that he didn’t want to entertain. This was the reason that he wanted to make the existence of the Wicca publicly known, so that he could quicken it.
But as we can see above, there were certain problems. Firstly the witches didn’t want too much to be known about their ways (a wish that Gardner honoured) and secondly they didn’t have a very clear understanding of their own history. Indeed, Gardner is quoted by Doreen Valiente as saying that the teachings that were handed down to him were fragmented and that he filled in the gaps himself. (Source: Witchcraft For Tomorrow, by Doreen Valiente).
However, we can see that Gardner (if he is taken at his word) had a strong motivation to reveal the existence of Wicca to the world, but he was also obliged to keep it a secret. So we have a rock and a hard place situation.
But as he says in Witchcraft Today, he worked with what he could, revealing a few basics of the religion, but making initiation a necessity to maintain its secrets – just as it was taught to him.
Gardner even goes to great lengths to maintain the traditional practices of initiation:
“The witches tell me: “The law always has been that power must be passed from man to woman or from woman to man, the only exception being when a mother initiates her daughter or a father his son, because they are part of themselves”. (The reason is that great love is apt to occur between people who go through the rites together.)”
Man to woman and woman to man remains the tradition by which initiations take place. But in this quote is also outlines another belief that makes initiation important. It is a transference of power – an energy exchange. The power of one witch to another.
Gardner effectively made the change from cult to religion. Although the beliefs of the Wicca before Gardner (still assuming there were any) would technically be defined as religious beliefs, the actual religion had been denigrated to the status of a small cult and a dieing one at that. Gardner revived it and took in from the status of cult up to recognised religion.
But we have to remember that regardless of anything, it is his religion. As has been shown, the teachings were fragmented, the history has been lost and all the original members from before Gardner are now long dead. All that remains is what Gardner learnt and what Gardner created from it. So nobody can lay claims to the teachings of Wicca, unless they came via him.
Gardner made Wicca initiatory and he made it so that the real teachings would only ever be revealed to those that were initiated. This practice maintains today by all those that have followed him in his lineage.
But this is not merely a matter of protecting secrets. No, it is also a matter of keeping a promise that Gardner made long ago. If the New Forest Coven existed, Gardner swore oaths to them that he would keep their secrets. This was the promise of a witch, but more importantly, it was the promise of a friend.
Initiation honours this promise and honours the promise of every Wiccan that has ever been initiated. With each new person the promise grows as each new person takes on the responsibility of upholding it. It is an issue of trust and of love.
Eclectic Wicca?
It’s established then, I feel, that the case has been made for the necessity of initiation in Wicca, whether based on pre-Gardnerian ideas or just upon those of Gardner. But how then to address the idea of “eclectic Wicca” and “self initiation”.
Well, let’s deal with the easy one first: Self Initiation.
“Self-initiation” is technically an incorrect term, but it is one that you may run into from time to time.
Initiation is a gift of acceptance. To be Initiated means that that a group that you don’t belong to is welcoming you into their fold. It is the opening of a door by another person and inviting you to step through.
You couldn’t declare yourself a Catholic Priest and you couldn’t give yourself a Knighthood. Initiation is the same; it is something that other people give to you, not something that you can give to yourself.
What people often refer to as “self-Initiation” is more correctly termed as a Dedication. This is when a person in a solitary capacity declares that they are going to follow a certain path or certain Gods, often by performing a personal ritual.
Dedication Rituals are absolutely fine for the solitary practitioner and a very good way to give your path a sense of personal meaning and structure, as well as an outspoken declaration to the Gods.
But a dedication like this does not make one a member of Wicca.
Referring back to Gardner, it is interesting to note that he doesn’t really refer to Wicca as a religion, instead he tends to refer to Wicca as a group of people.
This is actually very true to form for both Gardner and ancient Pagan religions. Today “Wicca” is often applied offhandedly to name or describe the religion, but in the strictest sense the religion itself doesn’t really have a name. Although Gardner may reference to Wicca and its beliefs, his implication is that Wicca is the people, not the beliefs and that those who are initiated become Wicca.
As I mentioned, this mirrors the practices of older Pagan religions. In ancient times, it was quite rare to name a religion, however certain groups within that religious community would have names. For example, the Celts didn’t really have a collective name for their religion, however the Druids acted as priests. Not everyone following those Gods and those practices was a Druid. No, Druids were specifically a priesthood of law keepers, lore keepers and advisers. The other people simply went by the name of their tribe. Equally, all of Athens may have paid worship to Dionysus, but there was no name for this “religion”. However, there was the Eleusian Mysteries, but that was a title specifically for the initiated members of that sect.
Wicca is the same. “Wicca” isn’t really the name of the religion, per sé, that is just simply how the religion has become known through ease of speech. But the word “Wicca” is a specific name for that priesthood. In all truth those outside the priesthood that choose to follow the same Gods, don’t actually have a name, but that doesn’t mean that they can just offhandedly take the name of the Priesthood if they aren’t in it.
A Wiccan is a member of the Wicca priesthood.
Gardner certainly seemed to recognised the distinction. When he spoke of Wicca, he did so not in a reference to a religion, but in regards to the people who were initiated into it and that practiced the initiatory rites of that priesthood.
Of course, there are those who, when considering solitary or eclectic practice, like to bring up the root word of “wicca” and “wicce”.
I’ve explained before why these words aren’t really applicable in the sense of Wicca, but of course people can be free to use them at their leisure.
These words are simply the old Anglo Saxon for “witch” and although it would be very odd to regress back into such a linguistic anachronism, it is the choice of the inidivual to do so if they so choose.
However, it must be pointed out that the words “wicca” and “wicce” are not the same as Wicca and do not mean the same thing. Fistly, both words are pronounced “witch-a” and not “wicka”, so when saying these words you sound totally different. Secondly, if you are using the words properly, then only a male can use the word “wicca” and a female has to use the word “wicce” when writing them. They are the sexual definers of the word and the correct way to use them.
But again, neither “wicca” nor “wicce” are in any way the same as Wicca, nor do they in any way imply a practice that is similar to Wicca. In actuality, the implication is that they describe something totally different from Wicca, as one would expect that if an old word is being used, then it is being used to describe something old. Wicca isn’t old and so the words “wicca” and “wicce” can’t be describing it.
Moving onto the subject of “eclectic Wicca” it is proper to examine the grammar of such a phrase.
The word “Wicca” is a noun. It is the name of a priesthood.
The word “eclectic” is an adjective and in this case defines the way in which one approaches Wicca, or implies that Wicca is the sphere within which one is eclectic.
Eclectic means to borrow freely from many different sources. That isn’t what Wicca is. Wicca is a defined religion that exists within a structure of practices and beliefs. Wicca is not eclectic.
If the term is taken to mean that one is eclectic within the confines of Wicca, then that becomes extremely problematic for the non-initiate. Being as there is only a very small amount of Wicca available to the public and it is often mixed up with things that aren’t Wicca at all, it becomes very hard to pick and choose eclectically and still retain a viable practice that is even slightly like Wicca. Basically, you would be taking a very small amount of available information and then skimming it down to even less. This would effectively make it even less Wicca than it was before.
In short, the term is a grammatical anomaly and makes no great sense.
It’s surely hard enough to practice a religion when you don’t know what it is. Practicing such a religion eclectically only makes it further from the target.
Evolution in Wicca
I have seen that there is common habit to suggest that non-initiated Wicca is in some way an evolution of Wicca, making it better and more than it was. Perhaps this is an ironic statement, being as non-initiatory practices only remove from Wicca and in actuality what they remove is the vast majority of the religion’s teachings and beliefs.
It is very difficult to see this as a positive evolution.
But the other problem with this view of Wicca “evolving” outside of initiation is that it completely reveals the ignorance of the real evolution that Wicca is undergoing by somehow suggesting that initiatory traditions are in some way static and unchanging. But the reality is quite to the contrary. That much is clearly evident by the fact that there are now initiated traditions beside Gardnerian Wicca, even though they all derive from Gardnerian Wicca through initiation.
But of course, the other evolutions within Wicca would require an intimate understanding of the real religion.
But we can once again to the words of Gerald Gardner, via Fred Lamond, to gain a little understanding as to how the priesthood progresses together:
“Gerald was always at pains to tell us: “The Book of Shadows’ is not a Bible or Koran, but a personal ‘cookbook’ or spells that the individual witch has found to work. I (Gerald) am giving you my book to copy to get you started: it contains the spells and rituals that worked for me. As you gain in experience, add the successful spells that you have made up, and discard those that didn’t work for you!”
-Fred Lamond, 50 Years of Wicca
I feel it is important at this point to explain what is being said here.
As has been discussed earlier, Gardner’s Book of Shadows is a secret text that defines the core of Wicca and every initiate copies it. It is the basis of Wiccan practice, beliefs, ritual, magic and tradition. As such it is the “core book” if you will and remains unchanged and the fundamental basis for all Wiccans within a coven.
The last line in the quote explains the practice of forming your own coven workings and magics, experimenting with the inner secrets of Wicca and finding what works for you. These things are recorded in a Wiccan’s personal Book of Shadows and those things that did not work a left out of their personal Book of Shadows. Again, the Gardnerian Book of Shadows is not changed, it forms the basis of the religious rites and the starting point for the individual within a coven and the coven entire.
Without access to the Book of Shadows and a coven with which to practice the rites within it, one cannot practice Wicca. As Gardner explained in our earlier quotes, a coven is necessary and the rites rely on a coven.
Wicca is also an experiential religion and requires the group on that level, as the rites are performed.
It has already been outlined that the rites that make up the core basis of what Wicca is, require a coven in order to be performed. But in this the coven becomes doubly significant. As an experiential religion the understanding of the mysteries derives from group practice and communal sharing.
The ritual space is sacred and those within it in many ways become one in their workings. Each person in the coven is an intrinsic part of the whole and each adds their energy, mind, power and understanding to the rites, then through this combined essence and inner unity, the mysteries become manifest and are explored.
The group is essentially a singular and united consciousness that exchanges freely between those within it and in that they become of the same essence.
This is the truth of Wicca, whether one believes it was created by Gardner or not. These are the practices, these are the beliefs. The secrets and majority of the religion are hidden and no one on the outside can practice them because of this. No one on the outside is Wiccan.
Wicca is the named priesthood of this faith. This is how it was created, either by tradition or intent, and this is how it remains today.
© Luthaneal Adams 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Choosing a Craft Name
It is traditional to choose a name when entering the Craft. This needs to be a name that you feel is completely you (especially, magickally speaking). It is not necessary that it match your birth number, that is a preference left up to individuals. In some cases, if a candidate for initiation does not pick a name, the initiator may choose one, under the guidance of the gods, of course.
A Craft name is a symbol of your re-birth into the Craft. It is a sign of all you are and all you aspire to be, so think on it carefully. There are some Witches who keep their name secret, revealing it only to coven-mates or other trusted Witch friends (because many believe that to know someone’s true name is to have power over them). There are others who openly use their Craft name among the general Pagan populace. There are still others who take two different names, a private Craft name and a public one (Inner Circle and Outer Circle names).
One of the origins of taking a new name, according to Craft lore, was to ensure secrecy and safety. If no one in the coven knew anyone else’s true name, it made it impossible to betray them to the Witch-finders.
Symbolic Meaning of Names
Symbolic Meanings of Names
Afghani
Badria: Moonlike
Mallalai: Beautiful
Palwasha: Spark of light
Roxanna: Sparkling
Shahla: Beautiful eyes
Arabian
Akilah ("ah KEE lah"): Intelligent
Anan: Clouds
Falak: Star
Fatin ("FAH teen"): Captivating
Hana: Happiness
Hilel: The new moon
Sabir: Patient
Shadi: Singer
Talib: Seeker
Umm: Mother
Armenian
Anahid: Goddess of the moon
Astrid: Star
Nairi: Land of canyons
Siran: Lovely
Basque
Izar: Star
Lur: Earth
Nora: Greek, Light
Pellkita: Latin, Happy
Burmese
Mima: Woman
Mya: Emerald
Cambodian
Chan: Sweet-smelling tree
Chantrea ("CHAN thee ay"): Moonshine
Dara: Stars
Danish
Asta: Greek, Star
Ethiopian
Desta: Happiness
Fannah: Fun
Seble: Autumn
Finnish
Ametisti ("AH may tis tea"): Amethyst
Eeva : Life
Haltijatar ("HAHL ti yah tahr"): Fairy
Haukka ("HOUK kah"): Hawk
Joki ("YOA key"): River
Jumalatar ("YOU mah lah tar"): Goddess
Kalevi ("KAHL ev ee"): Hero
Kesa ("KAY sah"): Summer
Kevat ("KAY vaht"): Spring
Kuu ("KOO"): The moon
Lilja ("LEEL yah"): Lily
Linna: Castle
Luuta: Broom
Maaginen ("MAA gi nayn"): Magic
Metsa ("MAYT sa"): Forest
Noita ("NOI tah"): Witch
Moituus ("NOI tooss"): Witchcraft, magic
Onnellinen ("OAN nayl li nayn"): Happy
Onyksi ("OA newk si"): Onyx
Satu ("SAH too"): Fairy tale
Syksy ("SEWK sew"): Autumn
Talvi ("TAHL vi"): Winter
Timantti ("TI mahnt ti"): Diamond
Vesiputous ("VAY si poo toa ooss"): Waterfall
French
Artur: Celtic, Noble, Bear man
Blaise: Latin, Stammerer
Candide: Pure white
Demitri: Greek, Goddess of the harvest
Denis: Greek, God of wine
Fantine: Childlike
Gustave: Teutonic, Staff of Gods
Isidore: Greek, A gift of ideas
Marlon: Little falcon
Morgance/Morgane: Sea-dweller
Natacha/Nathalie: Born at Yule
Sylvie/Sylvianne: From the forest
Tatiana: Russian, Fairy queen
Vivien/Vivienne: Lively
Greek
Aretha: Nymph
Calandra: Lark
Charis ("KAHR is"): Love
Cloris: Goddess of flowers
Damia: Goddess of the forces of nature
Delia: Goddess of the moon
Kalliope ("kahl ee O pee"): Beautiful voice
Medea: Part Goddess, part sorceress
Silas/Silvanos: Forest
Thea: Goddess
Vanessa: Butterfly
Hawaiian
Haimi: The seeker
Kahoku ("kuh HOH koo"): The star
Kaili ("kah EE lee"): Hawaiian deity
Kala ("kuh LAH"): Sun, Princess
Kalama: Flaming torch
Kali ("KAH lee"): Spear carrier
Kele: Seahorse
Kolika: From the ocean
Konane ("ko NAH neh"): Bright as moonlight
Laka: Goddess of the hula
Lani: Sky
Leilani: Sky child
Lono: God of peace and farming
Luana: Enjoyment
Lukela ("loo KEH luh"): Like a fox
Mahina: Moon
Makani: Wind
Mana: Supernatural power
Mapuana ("mah poo AH nuh"): Wind-blown fragrance
Nahele ("nah HEH leh"): Forest, grove of trees
Peni ("PEH ne"): Weaver
Indian
Aditi: Goddess Ambar: Sky
Ambika: Goddess of power and destruction
Amma: Mother Goddess
Amritha: God
Anala: Fire
Anila: Wine God
Chandra: Moon; Moon God
Ellama: Mother Goddess
Ganesha ("guy NAY shuh"): God of good luck and wisdom
Guri: Goddess of abundance
Hema: Daughter of the mountains
Indra: God of power
Manda: God of the occult
Matrika: Mother
Mitra: God of daylight
Sesha: Symbol of time
Sita: Mother earth Goddess
Soma: Moon
Italian
Argento: Silver
Capra: Goat
Cascata: Waterfall
Chiaro di Luna: Moonlight
Corrente: Stream, current
Dea: Goddess
Dio: God
Incanto: Witchery
Luce stellare: Starlight
Luna: Moon
Magico: Magician
Maliardo: Sorcerer
Mistico: Mystic
Mita: Myth
Pagano: Pagan
Quercia: Oak
Raggio lunare: Moonbeam
Salice: Willow
Scintillante: Twinkling
Scintillare: Twinkle
Sirena: Mermaid
Stella: Star
Stellato: Starlit
Strega: Female Witch
Stregone: Male Witch
Stregoneria: Witchcraft
Sucente: Starlike
Irish Girl’s Names
Affrica: Pleasant
Arienh ("A reen"): Pledge
Bebhinn ("BEH vin"): Melodious lady
Briana: Strong
Bride: Strength
Caitlin ("KAT leen or "KATE lin"): Pure
Erin: Peace
Fiona ("FEE oh nah" or "FEE nah"): White, fair
Glynis: Valley
Grainne ("GROH nyuh"): Grace
Ide ("EED uh"): Thirst
Kelly: Warrior
Kennocha ("ken OH kuh"): Beauty
Kerry/Keriann: Dark-haired
Lasairiona ("las a REE nuh"): Flame wine
Luighseach ("LOO seh"): Bringer of life
Mave: Mirth
Mavelle: Songbird
Morgan: Sea dweller
Moya: Great
Rowena: White mane
Sheena: God’s gift
Siobhan ("shuh VAHN"): Gracious
Sorcha: Clear, bright
Tara: Tower
Una ("OO nuh"): Unity
Irish Boy’s Names
Aidan: Flame, fiery
Aindreas ("AHN dree ahs"): Manly
Artur: Noble, bear man
Baird: Ballad singer
Bevan: Youthful warrior
Brenainn ("BREH neen"): Sword
Brendan: Raven
Broin ("bree AHN"): Raven
Carlin: Little champion
Cillian/Killian ("KEEL yan"): War
Conroy: Wise man
Conway: Hound of the plain
Corey: From the hollow
Cullan/Collin: Handsome
Dagda: Good God
Daibheid ("DEH vid"): Beloved
Dallas: Wise
Daray: Dark
Devin: A poet
Donagh: High king
Donahue: Dark warrior
Donovan: Dark warrior
Duncan: Dark man
Erin: Peace
Evan: Young warrior
Faolan/Felan ("FEH lahn"): Wolf
Farrell: Courageous
Farry: Manly
Ferris: The rock
Fionan ("FIN ee ahn"): Fair
Gannon: Fair of face
Glen: Valley
Innis: Island
Kearney: Warrior
Keegan: Little and fiery one
Logan: From the hollow
Maghnus ("MAKH nus"): Great
Mannix: Monk
Nealon: Champion
Nolan: Famous
Padraig ("PAH dreek"): Noble
Rory: Famous ruler
Scully: Town crier
Sean/Shawn/Shane: God’s gift
Searlas ("SHAR las"): Full-grown: manly
Wynne: White, fair
Kenyan
Barika: Bloom
Dalila ("dah LEE lah"): Gentle
Machupa ("mah CHOO pah"): Likes to drink
Makalani ("mah kah LAH nee"): One skilled in writing
Mwassaa ("m wah SAH"): Timely
Paka: Pussycat
Pili ("PEE lee"): Second-born
Sadiki ("sah DEE kee"): Faithful
Sanura ("sah NOO rah"): Kitten
Shani ("SHAH nee"): Marvellous
Sikudhani ("see koo THAN nee"): A surprise
Latin
Ardere: Fire
Astrum: Star
Deus: God
Dia: Goddess
Diva: Goddess
Divus: God
Fabula: Myth
Lumen: Star
Luna: Moon
Lunae Lumen: Moonlight
Magice: Magic
Paganus: Pagan
Quercus: Oak
Saga: Witch
Sagus: Prophetic
Siderbus Inlustris: Starlight
Stella: Star
Native North American
Aleshanee: She plays all the time
Amitola: Rainbow
Aponi: Butterfly
Awenasa: Cherokee. My home
Awenita: Fawn
Ayita: Cherokee. First in the dance
Elsu: Falcon flying
Enola: Alone
Gaho: Mother
Hadan: Fiery
Hinun ("hee NOON"): God of clouds and rain
Iye ("EE yeh"): Smoke
Jacy: Moon; creator of all plants
Kachina: Sacred dancer
Kai: Willow tree
Karmiti: Trees
Kaya: My elder sister
Kimama: Butterfly
Leotie ("leh o TEE eh"): Prairie flower
Litonya: Hummingbird darting
Lulu: Rabbit
Luna: Moon
Macawi: Motherly
Macha: Aurora
Mahal: Woman
Mahkah: Earth
Mamid: The star dancer
Mascha: Owl
Masou ("mah SO OO"): Fire deity
Meda: Prophet
Miakoda: Power of the moon
Migina: Returning moon
Mimiteh: New moon
Nahimana: Mystic
Nasnan: Surrounded by a song
Nata-Akon: Expert canoeist
Niabi: Fawn
Nidawi: Fairy girl
Nita: Bear
Nova: Chasing a butterfly
Nuna: Land
Onatah: Corn spirit, daughter of the earth
Orenda: Magic power
Pelipa: Lover of horses
Raini: Deity who created the world
Satinka: Magic dancer
Sedna: Goddess of food
Snana: Jingles like little bells
Tadewi: Wind
Taigi: Returning new moon
Taima: Crash of thunder
Taini: Coming new moon
Tala: Wolf
Tama: Thunderbolt
Tateeyopa: Happy hostess, her door
Tuwa: Earth
Waitilanni: Wonder water
Wakanda: Inner magical power
Scandinavian
Davin ("DAH vin"): The brightness of the Finns
Disa: Active spirit
Freya ("FRAY yah"): After Goddess Freyja
Kaia ("KAH ee ah"): From Gaia, earth Goddess
Karen ("KAH rehn"): Pure (also Kari, Karine, Katinka, Trine)
Scottish
Aaid: Magpie
Baird: Poet
Blair: Child of the fields
Cameron: Crooked nose
Campbell: Crooked mouth
Coleen: Girl
Duncan: Dark-skinned warrior
Gaisgeil: Heroic, brave
Geasachd: Enchantment, astrology
Geasadair: Wizard
Gointe: Bewitched, fay
Grian: Sun
Grianchrisos: Zodiac
Grianghamhstad: Winter Solstice
Grianghath: Sunbeam
Muir: Sea
Muireannach: Female champion
Muirn: Joy
Murdachan: Mermaid
Orra: Charm, amulet
Orraidheachd: Enchantments
Orrtha: Music or bewitchery
Orrthannan: Enchantment
Osran: Peace
Pogadh: Kissing
Ruis: Elder tree
Sgaileach: Shadowy, ghost-like
Suil: Willow tree
Uilioc: Mistletoe
Uchdbhan: Fair-breasted
Ur: Yew tree
Copied from Mark Sumpter
A Craft name is a symbol of your re-birth into the Craft. It is a sign of all you are and all you aspire to be, so think on it carefully. There are some Witches who keep their name secret, revealing it only to coven-mates or other trusted Witch friends (because many believe that to know someone’s true name is to have power over them). There are others who openly use their Craft name among the general Pagan populace. There are still others who take two different names, a private Craft name and a public one (Inner Circle and Outer Circle names).
One of the origins of taking a new name, according to Craft lore, was to ensure secrecy and safety. If no one in the coven knew anyone else’s true name, it made it impossible to betray them to the Witch-finders.
Symbolic Meaning of Names
Symbolic Meanings of Names
Afghani
Badria: Moonlike
Mallalai: Beautiful
Palwasha: Spark of light
Roxanna: Sparkling
Shahla: Beautiful eyes
Arabian
Akilah ("ah KEE lah"): Intelligent
Anan: Clouds
Falak: Star
Fatin ("FAH teen"): Captivating
Hana: Happiness
Hilel: The new moon
Sabir: Patient
Shadi: Singer
Talib: Seeker
Umm: Mother
Armenian
Anahid: Goddess of the moon
Astrid: Star
Nairi: Land of canyons
Siran: Lovely
Basque
Izar: Star
Lur: Earth
Nora: Greek, Light
Pellkita: Latin, Happy
Burmese
Mima: Woman
Mya: Emerald
Cambodian
Chan: Sweet-smelling tree
Chantrea ("CHAN thee ay"): Moonshine
Dara: Stars
Danish
Asta: Greek, Star
Ethiopian
Desta: Happiness
Fannah: Fun
Seble: Autumn
Finnish
Ametisti ("AH may tis tea"): Amethyst
Eeva : Life
Haltijatar ("HAHL ti yah tahr"): Fairy
Haukka ("HOUK kah"): Hawk
Joki ("YOA key"): River
Jumalatar ("YOU mah lah tar"): Goddess
Kalevi ("KAHL ev ee"): Hero
Kesa ("KAY sah"): Summer
Kevat ("KAY vaht"): Spring
Kuu ("KOO"): The moon
Lilja ("LEEL yah"): Lily
Linna: Castle
Luuta: Broom
Maaginen ("MAA gi nayn"): Magic
Metsa ("MAYT sa"): Forest
Noita ("NOI tah"): Witch
Moituus ("NOI tooss"): Witchcraft, magic
Onnellinen ("OAN nayl li nayn"): Happy
Onyksi ("OA newk si"): Onyx
Satu ("SAH too"): Fairy tale
Syksy ("SEWK sew"): Autumn
Talvi ("TAHL vi"): Winter
Timantti ("TI mahnt ti"): Diamond
Vesiputous ("VAY si poo toa ooss"): Waterfall
French
Artur: Celtic, Noble, Bear man
Blaise: Latin, Stammerer
Candide: Pure white
Demitri: Greek, Goddess of the harvest
Denis: Greek, God of wine
Fantine: Childlike
Gustave: Teutonic, Staff of Gods
Isidore: Greek, A gift of ideas
Marlon: Little falcon
Morgance/Morgane: Sea-dweller
Natacha/Nathalie: Born at Yule
Sylvie/Sylvianne: From the forest
Tatiana: Russian, Fairy queen
Vivien/Vivienne: Lively
Greek
Aretha: Nymph
Calandra: Lark
Charis ("KAHR is"): Love
Cloris: Goddess of flowers
Damia: Goddess of the forces of nature
Delia: Goddess of the moon
Kalliope ("kahl ee O pee"): Beautiful voice
Medea: Part Goddess, part sorceress
Silas/Silvanos: Forest
Thea: Goddess
Vanessa: Butterfly
Hawaiian
Haimi: The seeker
Kahoku ("kuh HOH koo"): The star
Kaili ("kah EE lee"): Hawaiian deity
Kala ("kuh LAH"): Sun, Princess
Kalama: Flaming torch
Kali ("KAH lee"): Spear carrier
Kele: Seahorse
Kolika: From the ocean
Konane ("ko NAH neh"): Bright as moonlight
Laka: Goddess of the hula
Lani: Sky
Leilani: Sky child
Lono: God of peace and farming
Luana: Enjoyment
Lukela ("loo KEH luh"): Like a fox
Mahina: Moon
Makani: Wind
Mana: Supernatural power
Mapuana ("mah poo AH nuh"): Wind-blown fragrance
Nahele ("nah HEH leh"): Forest, grove of trees
Peni ("PEH ne"): Weaver
Indian
Aditi: Goddess Ambar: Sky
Ambika: Goddess of power and destruction
Amma: Mother Goddess
Amritha: God
Anala: Fire
Anila: Wine God
Chandra: Moon; Moon God
Ellama: Mother Goddess
Ganesha ("guy NAY shuh"): God of good luck and wisdom
Guri: Goddess of abundance
Hema: Daughter of the mountains
Indra: God of power
Manda: God of the occult
Matrika: Mother
Mitra: God of daylight
Sesha: Symbol of time
Sita: Mother earth Goddess
Soma: Moon
Italian
Argento: Silver
Capra: Goat
Cascata: Waterfall
Chiaro di Luna: Moonlight
Corrente: Stream, current
Dea: Goddess
Dio: God
Incanto: Witchery
Luce stellare: Starlight
Luna: Moon
Magico: Magician
Maliardo: Sorcerer
Mistico: Mystic
Mita: Myth
Pagano: Pagan
Quercia: Oak
Raggio lunare: Moonbeam
Salice: Willow
Scintillante: Twinkling
Scintillare: Twinkle
Sirena: Mermaid
Stella: Star
Stellato: Starlit
Strega: Female Witch
Stregone: Male Witch
Stregoneria: Witchcraft
Sucente: Starlike
Irish Girl’s Names
Affrica: Pleasant
Arienh ("A reen"): Pledge
Bebhinn ("BEH vin"): Melodious lady
Briana: Strong
Bride: Strength
Caitlin ("KAT leen or "KATE lin"): Pure
Erin: Peace
Fiona ("FEE oh nah" or "FEE nah"): White, fair
Glynis: Valley
Grainne ("GROH nyuh"): Grace
Ide ("EED uh"): Thirst
Kelly: Warrior
Kennocha ("ken OH kuh"): Beauty
Kerry/Keriann: Dark-haired
Lasairiona ("las a REE nuh"): Flame wine
Luighseach ("LOO seh"): Bringer of life
Mave: Mirth
Mavelle: Songbird
Morgan: Sea dweller
Moya: Great
Rowena: White mane
Sheena: God’s gift
Siobhan ("shuh VAHN"): Gracious
Sorcha: Clear, bright
Tara: Tower
Una ("OO nuh"): Unity
Irish Boy’s Names
Aidan: Flame, fiery
Aindreas ("AHN dree ahs"): Manly
Artur: Noble, bear man
Baird: Ballad singer
Bevan: Youthful warrior
Brenainn ("BREH neen"): Sword
Brendan: Raven
Broin ("bree AHN"): Raven
Carlin: Little champion
Cillian/Killian ("KEEL yan"): War
Conroy: Wise man
Conway: Hound of the plain
Corey: From the hollow
Cullan/Collin: Handsome
Dagda: Good God
Daibheid ("DEH vid"): Beloved
Dallas: Wise
Daray: Dark
Devin: A poet
Donagh: High king
Donahue: Dark warrior
Donovan: Dark warrior
Duncan: Dark man
Erin: Peace
Evan: Young warrior
Faolan/Felan ("FEH lahn"): Wolf
Farrell: Courageous
Farry: Manly
Ferris: The rock
Fionan ("FIN ee ahn"): Fair
Gannon: Fair of face
Glen: Valley
Innis: Island
Kearney: Warrior
Keegan: Little and fiery one
Logan: From the hollow
Maghnus ("MAKH nus"): Great
Mannix: Monk
Nealon: Champion
Nolan: Famous
Padraig ("PAH dreek"): Noble
Rory: Famous ruler
Scully: Town crier
Sean/Shawn/Shane: God’s gift
Searlas ("SHAR las"): Full-grown: manly
Wynne: White, fair
Kenyan
Barika: Bloom
Dalila ("dah LEE lah"): Gentle
Machupa ("mah CHOO pah"): Likes to drink
Makalani ("mah kah LAH nee"): One skilled in writing
Mwassaa ("m wah SAH"): Timely
Paka: Pussycat
Pili ("PEE lee"): Second-born
Sadiki ("sah DEE kee"): Faithful
Sanura ("sah NOO rah"): Kitten
Shani ("SHAH nee"): Marvellous
Sikudhani ("see koo THAN nee"): A surprise
Latin
Ardere: Fire
Astrum: Star
Deus: God
Dia: Goddess
Diva: Goddess
Divus: God
Fabula: Myth
Lumen: Star
Luna: Moon
Lunae Lumen: Moonlight
Magice: Magic
Paganus: Pagan
Quercus: Oak
Saga: Witch
Sagus: Prophetic
Siderbus Inlustris: Starlight
Stella: Star
Native North American
Aleshanee: She plays all the time
Amitola: Rainbow
Aponi: Butterfly
Awenasa: Cherokee. My home
Awenita: Fawn
Ayita: Cherokee. First in the dance
Elsu: Falcon flying
Enola: Alone
Gaho: Mother
Hadan: Fiery
Hinun ("hee NOON"): God of clouds and rain
Iye ("EE yeh"): Smoke
Jacy: Moon; creator of all plants
Kachina: Sacred dancer
Kai: Willow tree
Karmiti: Trees
Kaya: My elder sister
Kimama: Butterfly
Leotie ("leh o TEE eh"): Prairie flower
Litonya: Hummingbird darting
Lulu: Rabbit
Luna: Moon
Macawi: Motherly
Macha: Aurora
Mahal: Woman
Mahkah: Earth
Mamid: The star dancer
Mascha: Owl
Masou ("mah SO OO"): Fire deity
Meda: Prophet
Miakoda: Power of the moon
Migina: Returning moon
Mimiteh: New moon
Nahimana: Mystic
Nasnan: Surrounded by a song
Nata-Akon: Expert canoeist
Niabi: Fawn
Nidawi: Fairy girl
Nita: Bear
Nova: Chasing a butterfly
Nuna: Land
Onatah: Corn spirit, daughter of the earth
Orenda: Magic power
Pelipa: Lover of horses
Raini: Deity who created the world
Satinka: Magic dancer
Sedna: Goddess of food
Snana: Jingles like little bells
Tadewi: Wind
Taigi: Returning new moon
Taima: Crash of thunder
Taini: Coming new moon
Tala: Wolf
Tama: Thunderbolt
Tateeyopa: Happy hostess, her door
Tuwa: Earth
Waitilanni: Wonder water
Wakanda: Inner magical power
Scandinavian
Davin ("DAH vin"): The brightness of the Finns
Disa: Active spirit
Freya ("FRAY yah"): After Goddess Freyja
Kaia ("KAH ee ah"): From Gaia, earth Goddess
Karen ("KAH rehn"): Pure (also Kari, Karine, Katinka, Trine)
Scottish
Aaid: Magpie
Baird: Poet
Blair: Child of the fields
Cameron: Crooked nose
Campbell: Crooked mouth
Coleen: Girl
Duncan: Dark-skinned warrior
Gaisgeil: Heroic, brave
Geasachd: Enchantment, astrology
Geasadair: Wizard
Gointe: Bewitched, fay
Grian: Sun
Grianchrisos: Zodiac
Grianghamhstad: Winter Solstice
Grianghath: Sunbeam
Muir: Sea
Muireannach: Female champion
Muirn: Joy
Murdachan: Mermaid
Orra: Charm, amulet
Orraidheachd: Enchantments
Orrtha: Music or bewitchery
Orrthannan: Enchantment
Osran: Peace
Pogadh: Kissing
Ruis: Elder tree
Sgaileach: Shadowy, ghost-like
Suil: Willow tree
Uilioc: Mistletoe
Uchdbhan: Fair-breasted
Ur: Yew tree
Copied from Mark Sumpter
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Wicca - An Overview
Wicca is an earth-based mystery religion, which was formed from various sources (Thelema, Golden Dawn, The Goetia and Clavicula Salomonis, as well as native British and European religions, such as Celtic practice) by Gerald Gardner in the 1930's - 1940's and brought into the public eye with the publication of his "fiction" work, High Magic's Aid in 1949, published under the pseudonym of Scire. In 1954, following the repeal of the Witchcraft Act in England, he published a further work, namely Witchcraft Today. Thus the religion was brought firmly into the public eye.
Wicca in it's original form (what is now known as British Traditional Wicca/ Witchcraft or Gardnerian/ Alexandrian Wicca) is an initiatory religion, which is oathbound, practiced in a coven and is essentially a priesthood. With the rise in popularity of Wicca through popular culture and the increase in publications on the subject, it is now fair to say that there are two forms of Wicca. The first remains the initiatory form and the second comprises those paths inspired by the first form, which are not necessarily initiatory but are often solitary or eclectic and often involves a self-dedication ritual by the practitioner to their chosen deities.
Initiatory Wicca is a coven based practice. Dedicants or seekers to this path will undergo a basic training period, which works in two ways. Firstly it determines whether Wicca is for them and whether the coven they are training with is the right group for them, and secondly it determines whether the coven themselves are comfortable with the trainee. Once this has been determined, the dedicant or seeker may ask the group for initiation. The coven will generally never push this issue and it is up to the individual to ask for this. When initiation has been asked for there is usually a slightly more indepth training period, designed to provide more knowledge and also for the individual to change their mind if they so wish. This period is usually set at a year and a day by default but is more often tailored to the needs of the individual. Some may take longer to be initiated, others just a few months.
The initiation itself is a rebirth and is effectively opening the doors to the mysteries beyond. It is up to the individual to follow the path through those doors. Initiation requires that the individual take an oath of secrecy, that is to say that they must not reveal certain information gained beyond initiation save to a verified brother or sister of the Craft. The person is also given the title of Priest/ Priestess and Witch and thus begins their training as a full coven member with access to the information within, though obviously only as far as their degree allows.
There are three degrees within Wicca and it is following your second degree initiation, when you become a High Priest or Priestess that you are able to teach, to lead rituals and in some traditions, to hive off and form a separate coven. At this level of training you are considered competent enough to work with the material under your own steam, though it goes without saying that it is a constant learning process and your spiritual development always be ongoing.
The religion of Wicca itself is split into two halves; that of the religion and that of the practice of witchcraft. Individuals within Wicca practice both to a greater or lesser extent.
In it's basic form, Wicca is an earth-based fertility religion, encompassing the concepts of divine masculine and divine feminine and the balance inherent in this (i.e. dark/ light, male/ female, life/death etc). The deities are approached in the forms of a tri-une Goddess (being three in one, Maiden, Mother Crone) and a di-une God (being two in one, Lord of Light and Life and Lord of Death and Resurrection). The God and Goddess follow the seasonal cycles, from birth to death to rebirth and so on, as well as following our own life cycles. Wiccans see life as cyclical and the seasonal festivals reflect this. The following post will give details of what the seasonal festivals and what they mean to Wiccans.
Wiccans celebrate eight seasonal rites per year relating to the cycle of the God and Goddess and these are known as sabbats. Where possible they will also celebrate moon rites (usually held at either full moon or dark of the moon but not exclusively) known as esbats. Although Wiccans can do magical workings (spells/ spellcraft) at seasonal rituals, this type of work is often saved for the esbats unless the working has a purpose relating to a seasonal ritual.
Within traditional covens, rituals are usually held with the members being skyclad (naked) and this is for a number of reasons. Many people believe that being unclothed allows the person to feel nuances in energies, something that Wiccans work with a lot. It is also an expression of "Perfect Love and Perfect Trust" amongst the members of the group and with other Wiccans who may be visiting that group.
Although Wicca does have specific beliefs, tenets and practices, it does not have any rules, besides those which are common sense. Two aspects of Wicca are often mistakenly given the title of rules or laws, and these are the Wiccan Rede ("And it harm none, do as thou will" - this was taken from a law within Thelema - "Do as thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. Love is the law, love under will"), and Threefold Return, the idea that whatever action you take will return to you threefold, good or bad. Both of these are guidelines and are there to give the individual cause to ponder their actions and to take responsibility for any repercussions. They are not there to say you must never do anything bad, after all, it was Doreen Valiente herself who said "a witch who can't curse, can't cure". This again ties in with the concept of balance within Wicca. It is not to say that unless you curse someone or take an unpleasant course of action, you won't be able to do good, it is simply saying that the willingness to take a course of action, good or bad, must be there in order for you to balance yourself.
Wicca is also a fertility religion. It places a large amount of importance on the concepts of fertility and life within the natural world and of the relationship between God and Goddess, and thus there is a large amount of importance on intimacy between men and women. This is not to say that Wiccans hold orgies or are promiscuous people, but that sex is a sacred act and is a celebration of the joining of God and Goddess as well as being a powerful magical act in it's own right. This is of course one of the reasons that Wiccan covens do not initiate under 18's.
Copied from Spunky
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Wicca in it's original form (what is now known as British Traditional Wicca/ Witchcraft or Gardnerian/ Alexandrian Wicca) is an initiatory religion, which is oathbound, practiced in a coven and is essentially a priesthood. With the rise in popularity of Wicca through popular culture and the increase in publications on the subject, it is now fair to say that there are two forms of Wicca. The first remains the initiatory form and the second comprises those paths inspired by the first form, which are not necessarily initiatory but are often solitary or eclectic and often involves a self-dedication ritual by the practitioner to their chosen deities.
Initiatory Wicca is a coven based practice. Dedicants or seekers to this path will undergo a basic training period, which works in two ways. Firstly it determines whether Wicca is for them and whether the coven they are training with is the right group for them, and secondly it determines whether the coven themselves are comfortable with the trainee. Once this has been determined, the dedicant or seeker may ask the group for initiation. The coven will generally never push this issue and it is up to the individual to ask for this. When initiation has been asked for there is usually a slightly more indepth training period, designed to provide more knowledge and also for the individual to change their mind if they so wish. This period is usually set at a year and a day by default but is more often tailored to the needs of the individual. Some may take longer to be initiated, others just a few months.
The initiation itself is a rebirth and is effectively opening the doors to the mysteries beyond. It is up to the individual to follow the path through those doors. Initiation requires that the individual take an oath of secrecy, that is to say that they must not reveal certain information gained beyond initiation save to a verified brother or sister of the Craft. The person is also given the title of Priest/ Priestess and Witch and thus begins their training as a full coven member with access to the information within, though obviously only as far as their degree allows.
There are three degrees within Wicca and it is following your second degree initiation, when you become a High Priest or Priestess that you are able to teach, to lead rituals and in some traditions, to hive off and form a separate coven. At this level of training you are considered competent enough to work with the material under your own steam, though it goes without saying that it is a constant learning process and your spiritual development always be ongoing.
The religion of Wicca itself is split into two halves; that of the religion and that of the practice of witchcraft. Individuals within Wicca practice both to a greater or lesser extent.
In it's basic form, Wicca is an earth-based fertility religion, encompassing the concepts of divine masculine and divine feminine and the balance inherent in this (i.e. dark/ light, male/ female, life/death etc). The deities are approached in the forms of a tri-une Goddess (being three in one, Maiden, Mother Crone) and a di-une God (being two in one, Lord of Light and Life and Lord of Death and Resurrection). The God and Goddess follow the seasonal cycles, from birth to death to rebirth and so on, as well as following our own life cycles. Wiccans see life as cyclical and the seasonal festivals reflect this. The following post will give details of what the seasonal festivals and what they mean to Wiccans.
Wiccans celebrate eight seasonal rites per year relating to the cycle of the God and Goddess and these are known as sabbats. Where possible they will also celebrate moon rites (usually held at either full moon or dark of the moon but not exclusively) known as esbats. Although Wiccans can do magical workings (spells/ spellcraft) at seasonal rituals, this type of work is often saved for the esbats unless the working has a purpose relating to a seasonal ritual.
Within traditional covens, rituals are usually held with the members being skyclad (naked) and this is for a number of reasons. Many people believe that being unclothed allows the person to feel nuances in energies, something that Wiccans work with a lot. It is also an expression of "Perfect Love and Perfect Trust" amongst the members of the group and with other Wiccans who may be visiting that group.
Although Wicca does have specific beliefs, tenets and practices, it does not have any rules, besides those which are common sense. Two aspects of Wicca are often mistakenly given the title of rules or laws, and these are the Wiccan Rede ("And it harm none, do as thou will" - this was taken from a law within Thelema - "Do as thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. Love is the law, love under will"), and Threefold Return, the idea that whatever action you take will return to you threefold, good or bad. Both of these are guidelines and are there to give the individual cause to ponder their actions and to take responsibility for any repercussions. They are not there to say you must never do anything bad, after all, it was Doreen Valiente herself who said "a witch who can't curse, can't cure". This again ties in with the concept of balance within Wicca. It is not to say that unless you curse someone or take an unpleasant course of action, you won't be able to do good, it is simply saying that the willingness to take a course of action, good or bad, must be there in order for you to balance yourself.
Wicca is also a fertility religion. It places a large amount of importance on the concepts of fertility and life within the natural world and of the relationship between God and Goddess, and thus there is a large amount of importance on intimacy between men and women. This is not to say that Wiccans hold orgies or are promiscuous people, but that sex is a sacred act and is a celebration of the joining of God and Goddess as well as being a powerful magical act in it's own right. This is of course one of the reasons that Wiccan covens do not initiate under 18's.
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The Degree System
British Traditional Wicca; and many traditions that share the same spirit, core principles and guiding rationale; have a system of three degrees of initiation.
In a broad sense, initiation to the first degree is open to all Witches, governed by what is expressed below. However the second and third degree criteria are quite demanding, and essentially anyone who seeks and becomes 2nd or 3rd degree is responding to a deep inner calling. Higher degrees aren’t about levels of magickal prowess, power or learning: That is involved, but 2nd and 3rd degree Witches have people skills, management skills, communication and teaching skills as well as magickal skills. Those who aren’t well balanced emotionally, psychologically and socially; and who don’t have the appropriate skills; wouldn’t be able to successfully lead a Coven, nor would they be able to fulfill all the requirements that would be needed of them.One of the greatest problems that some Covens suffer from is that of having inexperienced or ’unqualified’ people in leading positions- knowing all the rituals off by heart and having a dominant or charismatic personality does not alone make for a good High Priestess or High Priest.
Because of this we work within a strong but flexible training, development and assessment structure, and which then ensures that we do not unleash imbalanced, power hungry, exploitive or unstable people on to the community, who appear to have credibility because of their Initiatory degree status.
We set these criteria so as to ensure that we work with people who truly do want to walk this path. Wicca is a path for those who want to walk it, and our main initial criteria in regard to anyone who seeks to join our circle is very simply:
Would you do this even if if you never met another Witch to do it with?
We teach in the sense of encouraging people, of providing resources and guidance to help them, and not in the sense of making people learn when they’re not willing to do so. Our favourite kind of trainee is one who stretches us, and who when we give them material to learn is back very quickly asking for more, and who wants to learn everything they possibly can.
Let’s first of all take a look at the basics of the degree system.
Dedicant/ seeker/ neophyte/ novice:
There are various names for these people for the sake of argument let us just say dedicant. A dedicant is a person who has decided that they would like to make a commitment to the belief and be initiated into the clergy of Wicca (All initiates of Wicca from the first to third degree anr considered to be members of the priesthood). Traditionally they will be given limited access to the group rituals and ceremony.
They will serve a period of time in which they must study and learn the required information needed for initiation (usually a year and a day). Most of the time covens will have separate study groups for outsiders and dedicants. Toward the end of the dedcicants period of learning they will be instructed in the initiation ritual and then learn their coven lineage. In our group we withhold this information till the night before initiation and the dedicant must remain with an elder till initiation so as not to disclose oath bound secrets. This is just traditional but it is stressed that they meditate and ask any final questions of the elder that they are unclear on about initiation.
First degree:
Is for those newly coming into the Craft. As you will see elsewhere in information about Initiation, this brings the new Witch into the Coven, connects them with the Coven group-mind, connects them to the Inner Plane power sources which that Coven and Tradition works with, and Initiates- starts them on their path in a powerful and guided way.
There are a number of approaches to this. Some Covens and some traditions take rather a "Bring ’em in and let the Goddess sort them out" type of approach, by initiating people very quickly, and before they have gained much knowledge and experience of the Craft and it’s principles. On the basis that they can and will learn all they need to know thereafter. Others; including Gardnerian require that before anyone is initiated first degree that they have gained at least some knowledge and experience, have learnt basics such as generally used chants, circle principles, simple energy work, Coven etiquette, etc. This way they can then learn much more, more quickly by training and learning with a sponsor of either 2nd or 3rd degree, and have a basic foundation on which to do so.
Second Degree:
Marks the beginning of a deeper path within the Craft, and acknowledges the commitment, work and effort that the 2nd degree candidate has made following their first degree initiation.
Many people never move beyond 1st degree- which is fine, but some who do want to deepen their knowledge and extend their Craft skills into such areas as craft-work, herbalism, incense making, practical magick, ritual and ceremony, and who want to be much more actively involved in rituals, the running of the Coven and its circles, training and helping new initiates and candidates, and other more challenging areas; do aspire to 2nd degree.
Second degree initiates are on their first step also to becoming elders in the group and sometimes will actively take over training of dedicants and run study groups
Third Degree:
Is granted to those of sufficient experience and knowledge who are either in a working partnership together and are going to leave their parent Coven to form a new one, or for a small number of individuals who do not have a working Craft partner to form a new Coven with, and who have been Initiates for sufficiently long that they are becoming Elders of the Craft and of their Coven.
This degree is mostly for those couples who are going to leave their parent coven so as to form a new one. This process is known as ’hiving-off’. It is also sometimes granted to those of long Craft experience, but who do not have a working partner of equal experience, and whom are therefore going to stay with their Coven as Elders.
In order to receive this degree, candidates must be 2nd degrees of good experience, and with the necessary people, organisational, social, magickal and ritual skills to be able to run a working Coven in a good way that benefits, empowers and nourishes all members thereof.
Within that a broad criteria is that it is generally granted to couples of sufficient actual age to have gained plenty of life experience so that they can work with new people in a good way- there is nothing more potentially disruptive of a Coven than having immature people leading it. I have to say that parenthood that has included being the parent of teens is about the best training that any HPs or HP can have. Couple that with good magickal and energy awareness skills so that the HPs can feel what Coveners are doing with the energy they raise, and so that they can ’carry’ and encourage those who may be lacking, and we have the basis for a very well grounded and powerful Coven.
These aren’t skills that are exclusive to those with long parenting experience, and it also has to be said that a new HPs, with the support of her HP can develop the balance needed by sheer dint of hard work and ’making people have it’ till it all does come together well. This can be wearing on all involved, but there is a Craft saying of being prepared to "Suffer to learn", that if we hold to will help us to learn.
For those who are not going to found covens themselves and who are developing into Craft Elders, the criteria are much the same: Craft Elders need to be fully able to step into the shoes of the HPs or HP on those occasions when they are needed, and must be able to do so without indulging in petty ’power-play’ or other ego games. They must also be able to shoulder some of the counseling, advisory and teaching work that would otherwise fall entirely onto the HPs or HP.
Without going into much greater depth, these are the basics of the Wiccan degree system ’in a nutshell’, and should provide you with a basic but clear understanding of how and why this works within the Craft. You should clearly see from this that the degree system therefore provides a framework of support, and a clearly defined structure to help you along the Wiccan path.
For those of 1st degree; and those who seek initiation; the degree system also provides a rich source of knowledge and experience to draw from. Having people around you of experience and knowledge with ’pickable brains’ makes life considerably easier- that can range from help in memorising chants and invocations so that you can use those fluently and confidently within rituals, to what’s the best wood to use for making a Wand. As well as that a good Coven provides a collective pool of skills for all members to draw from- from herbal remedies to Tarot readings, to having access to a wide range of books, to anecdotes and experiences shared.
If also you have an HPs and HP with experience and good people/life skills, then any conflicts and arguments between people can be quickly resolved without conflict, and you always have someone to turn to for advice and guidance in your life.
Copied from Mark Sumpter
In a broad sense, initiation to the first degree is open to all Witches, governed by what is expressed below. However the second and third degree criteria are quite demanding, and essentially anyone who seeks and becomes 2nd or 3rd degree is responding to a deep inner calling. Higher degrees aren’t about levels of magickal prowess, power or learning: That is involved, but 2nd and 3rd degree Witches have people skills, management skills, communication and teaching skills as well as magickal skills. Those who aren’t well balanced emotionally, psychologically and socially; and who don’t have the appropriate skills; wouldn’t be able to successfully lead a Coven, nor would they be able to fulfill all the requirements that would be needed of them.One of the greatest problems that some Covens suffer from is that of having inexperienced or ’unqualified’ people in leading positions- knowing all the rituals off by heart and having a dominant or charismatic personality does not alone make for a good High Priestess or High Priest.
Because of this we work within a strong but flexible training, development and assessment structure, and which then ensures that we do not unleash imbalanced, power hungry, exploitive or unstable people on to the community, who appear to have credibility because of their Initiatory degree status.
We set these criteria so as to ensure that we work with people who truly do want to walk this path. Wicca is a path for those who want to walk it, and our main initial criteria in regard to anyone who seeks to join our circle is very simply:
Would you do this even if if you never met another Witch to do it with?
We teach in the sense of encouraging people, of providing resources and guidance to help them, and not in the sense of making people learn when they’re not willing to do so. Our favourite kind of trainee is one who stretches us, and who when we give them material to learn is back very quickly asking for more, and who wants to learn everything they possibly can.
Let’s first of all take a look at the basics of the degree system.
Dedicant/ seeker/ neophyte/ novice:
There are various names for these people for the sake of argument let us just say dedicant. A dedicant is a person who has decided that they would like to make a commitment to the belief and be initiated into the clergy of Wicca (All initiates of Wicca from the first to third degree anr considered to be members of the priesthood). Traditionally they will be given limited access to the group rituals and ceremony.
They will serve a period of time in which they must study and learn the required information needed for initiation (usually a year and a day). Most of the time covens will have separate study groups for outsiders and dedicants. Toward the end of the dedcicants period of learning they will be instructed in the initiation ritual and then learn their coven lineage. In our group we withhold this information till the night before initiation and the dedicant must remain with an elder till initiation so as not to disclose oath bound secrets. This is just traditional but it is stressed that they meditate and ask any final questions of the elder that they are unclear on about initiation.
First degree:
Is for those newly coming into the Craft. As you will see elsewhere in information about Initiation, this brings the new Witch into the Coven, connects them with the Coven group-mind, connects them to the Inner Plane power sources which that Coven and Tradition works with, and Initiates- starts them on their path in a powerful and guided way.
There are a number of approaches to this. Some Covens and some traditions take rather a "Bring ’em in and let the Goddess sort them out" type of approach, by initiating people very quickly, and before they have gained much knowledge and experience of the Craft and it’s principles. On the basis that they can and will learn all they need to know thereafter. Others; including Gardnerian require that before anyone is initiated first degree that they have gained at least some knowledge and experience, have learnt basics such as generally used chants, circle principles, simple energy work, Coven etiquette, etc. This way they can then learn much more, more quickly by training and learning with a sponsor of either 2nd or 3rd degree, and have a basic foundation on which to do so.
Second Degree:
Marks the beginning of a deeper path within the Craft, and acknowledges the commitment, work and effort that the 2nd degree candidate has made following their first degree initiation.
Many people never move beyond 1st degree- which is fine, but some who do want to deepen their knowledge and extend their Craft skills into such areas as craft-work, herbalism, incense making, practical magick, ritual and ceremony, and who want to be much more actively involved in rituals, the running of the Coven and its circles, training and helping new initiates and candidates, and other more challenging areas; do aspire to 2nd degree.
Second degree initiates are on their first step also to becoming elders in the group and sometimes will actively take over training of dedicants and run study groups
Third Degree:
Is granted to those of sufficient experience and knowledge who are either in a working partnership together and are going to leave their parent Coven to form a new one, or for a small number of individuals who do not have a working Craft partner to form a new Coven with, and who have been Initiates for sufficiently long that they are becoming Elders of the Craft and of their Coven.
This degree is mostly for those couples who are going to leave their parent coven so as to form a new one. This process is known as ’hiving-off’. It is also sometimes granted to those of long Craft experience, but who do not have a working partner of equal experience, and whom are therefore going to stay with their Coven as Elders.
In order to receive this degree, candidates must be 2nd degrees of good experience, and with the necessary people, organisational, social, magickal and ritual skills to be able to run a working Coven in a good way that benefits, empowers and nourishes all members thereof.
Within that a broad criteria is that it is generally granted to couples of sufficient actual age to have gained plenty of life experience so that they can work with new people in a good way- there is nothing more potentially disruptive of a Coven than having immature people leading it. I have to say that parenthood that has included being the parent of teens is about the best training that any HPs or HP can have. Couple that with good magickal and energy awareness skills so that the HPs can feel what Coveners are doing with the energy they raise, and so that they can ’carry’ and encourage those who may be lacking, and we have the basis for a very well grounded and powerful Coven.
These aren’t skills that are exclusive to those with long parenting experience, and it also has to be said that a new HPs, with the support of her HP can develop the balance needed by sheer dint of hard work and ’making people have it’ till it all does come together well. This can be wearing on all involved, but there is a Craft saying of being prepared to "Suffer to learn", that if we hold to will help us to learn.
For those who are not going to found covens themselves and who are developing into Craft Elders, the criteria are much the same: Craft Elders need to be fully able to step into the shoes of the HPs or HP on those occasions when they are needed, and must be able to do so without indulging in petty ’power-play’ or other ego games. They must also be able to shoulder some of the counseling, advisory and teaching work that would otherwise fall entirely onto the HPs or HP.
Without going into much greater depth, these are the basics of the Wiccan degree system ’in a nutshell’, and should provide you with a basic but clear understanding of how and why this works within the Craft. You should clearly see from this that the degree system therefore provides a framework of support, and a clearly defined structure to help you along the Wiccan path.
For those of 1st degree; and those who seek initiation; the degree system also provides a rich source of knowledge and experience to draw from. Having people around you of experience and knowledge with ’pickable brains’ makes life considerably easier- that can range from help in memorising chants and invocations so that you can use those fluently and confidently within rituals, to what’s the best wood to use for making a Wand. As well as that a good Coven provides a collective pool of skills for all members to draw from- from herbal remedies to Tarot readings, to having access to a wide range of books, to anecdotes and experiences shared.
If also you have an HPs and HP with experience and good people/life skills, then any conflicts and arguments between people can be quickly resolved without conflict, and you always have someone to turn to for advice and guidance in your life.
Copied from Mark Sumpter
The Old Laws
The Gods, the Law and the Circle
The Law was made and Ardane of old. The law was made for the Wica, to advise and help in their troubles.
The Wica should give due worship to the Gods & obey their will which they Ardane, for it was made for the good of the Wica. As the Wicas worship is good for the Gods.
For the Gods love the Wica, as a man loveth a woman by mastering her. So the Wica should love the Gods, by being mastered by them. And it is necessary that the Circle, which is the Temple of the Gods, should be truely cast and purified, that it may be a fit place for the Gods to enter.
And the Wica should be properly prepared and purified, to enter into the presence of the Gods. With love and worship in their hearts they shall raise powrer from their bodies to give power to the Gods, as has been tought us of old.
For in this way only may man have communion with the Gods, for the Gods cannot help man without the help of men.
The High Priestess
And the High Priestess shall rule her Coven as representative of the Goddess, and the High Priest shall support her as the representative of the God. And the High Priestess shall choose whom she will, if he have sufficient rank, to be her High Priest.
For. the God himself, kissed her feet in the 5 fold salute, laying his power at the feet of the Goddess. because of her youth & beauty, her sweetness & kindness, her wisdom & Justice, her humility & generosity, So he resigned his lordship to her, But the Priestess should ever mind that all power comes from him. It is only lent when it is used wisely and justly. And the greatest virtue of a High Priestess is that she recognises that youth is necessary to the representative of the Goddess, so that she will retire gracefully in favour of a younger woman, Should the Coven so decide in Council. For the true High Priestess realsies that gracefully surendering pride of place is one of the greatest of virtues, and that thereby she will return to that pride of place in another life, with greater power beauty.
The Need for Secrecy
ln the days when Witchdom extended far, we were free and worshipd in Alther Greatest Tempels. But, in these unhapy times we must hold our sacred mysteries in secret.
So it be Ardane, that none but the Wica may see our mysteries. for our enimies are many, And torture looseth the tongues of many. lt be ardane that each Coven shall not know where the next Coven bide, or who its members are. save the Priest and Priestess. That there shall be no communication between them. save by the Messenger of the Gods. or the Summoner. Only if it be safe, may the Covens meet, in some safe place. For the great festavals. And while there, none shall say whence thay come, or give their true names.
To the end that if any are tortured, in their agoney, they can not tell if they know not.
So it be Ardane that no one may tell any not of the Craft who be of the Wica. nor give any names, or where they Byde, or in any way tell anything which can betray any to our foes. Nor may they tell where the Covenstead be. or where is the Covendom. or where be the meetings. or that there have been meetings. And if any break these laws, even under torture, The Curse of the Goddess shall be upon them, so they never be reborn on earth, And may the remain where they belong, in the Hell of the Christians.
Administration of the Coven
Let each High Priestess govern her Coven with Justice and love. with the help of the advice of the elders. Always heading the advice of the Messenger of the Gods. lf he cometh.
She will heed all complaints of brothers, And strive to settle all differances among them. But it must be recognized that there be people who will ever strive to force others to do as they will.
They are not necesseraly evil. & they often do have good ideas. andt such ideas should be talked over in council. And if they will not agree with their brothers, or if they say, I will not work under this High Priestess, lt hath always been the old law, to be convenient for the bretherin, and to void disputes, Any of the Third may claim to found a new Coven because they live over a league from the Covenstead, or that they are about to do so. Anyone living within the Covendom wishing to form a new Coven, to avoid strife, shall tell the Elders of his intention And on the instant void his dwelling and remove to the new Covendom. Members of the old Coven may join the New one when it be formed, but if they do, must utterly void the old Coven. The Elders of the New and the Old Covens should meet in peace and brotherly love, to decide the new bounderies.
Those of the Craft who dwell outside both Covendoms may join either indifferent, but not both. Though all may, if the Elders agree, meet for the Great Festavals, if it be truely in peace and brotherly love. But splitting the Coven oft means strife. So for this reason these laws were made of old. And may the curse of the GODDESS be on any who disreguard them. So be it Ardane.
"The Warning"
lf you would keep a book, let it be in your own hand of write, let brothers and sisters copy what they will, but never let the book out of your hands, and never keep the writings of another, for if it be found in their hard of write, they well may be taken and Engined.
Each should guard his own writings & destroy it whenever danger threatens. Learn as much as you may by heart, & when danger is past, rewirit your book, an it be safe. For this reason, if any die, destroy their book if they have not been able to. For an it be found, tis clear proof against them, And, our oppressors well know, "Ye may not be a witch alone" So all their kin & friends be in danger of torture. So ever destroy anything not necessary. If your book be found on you. tis clear proof against you alone. You may be engined. Keep all thouqhts of the Craft from your mind. Say you had bad dreams, a devil caused you to write it without your knowledge. Think to yourself. I know, nothing. I remember nothing. I have forgotten everything. Drive this into your mind.
If the torture be to great to bear. Say, I will confess. I cannot bear this torture, What do you want me to say? I will say it. if they try to make you speak of the brotherhood, Do NOT. But if they try to make you speak of imposabilaties such as flying through the air, Consorting with the Christian Devil, or sacrificing children, or eating mens flesh. To obtain relief from torture. say. I had an evil dream, I was not myself. I was crased.
Not all Magestrates are bad, if there be an excuse they may show mercy. If you have confessed aught, deny it afterwards, say you babbled under torture. You knew not what you said. If you are condemed, fear not. The Brotherhood is powerfull. They may help you to escape, if you stand steadfast.
If you betray aught. There is no hope for you, ln this life, or in that which is to come.
Be sure. if steadfast you go to the pyre, Dwale will reach you, you will feel naught. You go but to Death and what lies beyond. The ecstacy of the Goddess.
Tis probable that before you are engined, Dwale will reach you. Always remember that Christians fear much that any die under torture. At the first sign of swoon, they cause it to be stopped, and blame the tormenters, for that reason, the tormenters themselves are apt to feign to torment, but do not, so it is best not to die at first.
lf Dwale reaches you, tis a sign that you have a friend somwhere. you may be helped to escape, so dispair not. If the worst comes, and you go to the pyre. wait till the flames and smoke spring up, bend your head over, & breath in with long brewths, you choke & die swiftly. & wake in the arms of the Goddess.
To void discovery, Let the working tools be as ordinary things that any may have in their houses. Let the Pentacles be of wax, so they may be broken at once. Heve no sword unless your rank allows you one. Have no names or signs on anything.
Write the names and signes on them in ink before consecrating them and wash it off immediatly after. Do not Bigrave them. lest they cause discovery. Let the colour of the hilts tell which is which. Ever remember, ye are the Hidden Children of the Gods. So never do anything to disgrace them.
Never boast, Never threaten, Never say you would wish Ill to anyone. lf you or any, not in the Circle, speak of the craft, say, "Speak not to me of such, it frightens me. tis evil luck to speak of it" For this reason. The Christians have spies everywhere. These speak as if they were well affected, as if they would come to Meetings, saying "My mother used to go, to worship, the Old Ones. I would that I could go myself." To these ever deny all knowledge.
But, to others ever say, tis foolish, men talk of witches flying through the air, to do so, they must be light as thistledown. and. Men say that witches all be bleared eyed old crones, so what pleasure can there be in witch meetings? such as folk talk on? Say, Many wise men now say there be no such creatures. Ever make it a jest, and in some future time, perhaps the persecution will die. and we may worship safely again. let us all pray for that happy day.
May the blessings of the Goddess and the God be on all who keep their Ardane.
Money and Properties of the Craft
lf the Craft hath any Appenage, let all brothers guard it, and help to keep it clear and good for the Craft, & let all justly guard all monies of the Craft. But if some brothers truely wrought it, Tis right that they have their pay, an it be just. And this be not taking money for the use of the Art. but for good and honest work. And even the Christians say "A labourer is worthey of his hire." But if any brothers work willingly for the good of the craft without pay, tis but to their greater honour. So it be Ardane.
Resolving Quarrels and Hiving New Covens
lf there be any disputes or quarrels among the bretheren, The High Priestess shall straight Convene the Elders & enquire into the matter, and they shall hear both sides. first alone. then together. And they shall decide justly, not favouring the one side or the other.
Ever recognising that there be people who can never agree to work under others. but at the same time there be some people who cannot rule justly. To those who ever must be chief, there is one answer, Void the Coven & seek another, or, make a Coven of your own, taking with you those who will to go, To those who cannot rule justly. The answer be. those who cannot bear your rule will leave you, For none may come to meetings with those with whom they are at variance. So an either cannot agree. get hence. For the Craft must ever survive. So it be Ardane.
The Law of "Harm None"
In the olden days when we had power, we could use our Arts against any who illtreated any of the Brotherhood. But in these Evil Times, we may not do so, For our enimies have devised a burning pit of everlasting fire, into which they say their God casteth all the people who worship him, except it be the very few who are released by their priestes spells and Masses. and this be chiefly by giving money and rich gifts to recieve his favour, for their Alther Greatest God is ever in need of Money.
But as our Gods need our aid to make fertility for men and crops. So the God of the Christians is ever in need of mans help to search out and destroy us. Theyir priests tell them that any who get our help or our cures are dammned to this Hell forever, so men be mad for the terror of it,. But they make men believe that they may scape this hell if they give victims to the tormenters. So for this reason. All be forever spying, thinking an I can but catch one of the Wica I will scape this fiery pit.
But we have our hidels, and men searching long and not finding say, "there be none, or lf they be, they be in a far country." But, when one of our oppressors die. or, even be sick, ever is the cry "This be Witches Malice." and the hunt is up again. and though they slay ten of their people, to one of ours, still. they care not, they have many thousands, while we are few indeed.
So it is Ardane, that none shall use the Art in any way to do ill to any. how evermuch they have injured us. And for long we have obeyed this law. "Harm none" and nowtimes, many believe we exist not. So it be Ardane that this law shall still continue to help us in our plight. "No one, however great an injury or injustace they recieve, may use the Art in any to do ill or harm any."
But, they may, after great consulations with all, use the Art to prevent or restrain Christians from harming us and others. but only to let or constrain them and never to punish. To this end. Men say, "Such an one is a mighty searcher our and persecutor of Old Women whom he deemeth to be Witches. and none hath done him Skith. so this be proof they cannot, or more truely, that there be none." For all know full well, that so many folk have died because somone had a grudge against them, or were persecuted because they had money or goods to sieze. or because they had none to bribe the searchers. And many have died because they were scolding old women. So much so, that men now say that only Old Women are witches. And this be to our advantage, and turns suspicion away from us. ln England tis now many it year since a witch hath died the death. but any misuse of the power might raise the Persecution again. So never break this law, however much you are tempted. and never consent to its being broken, lf you know it is being broken in the least, you must work strongly against it, And any High Priestess or High Priest who consentes to it must be immediatly deposed. For tis the Blood of the Bretherin they endanger. Do good, an it be safe, and only if it be safe. for any talk may endanger us. And strictly keep to the Old Law, never accept money for the use of the Art, for money ever smeares the taker, Tis Carcerors and Conjurers and Priests of Christ who ever accept money for the use of their Arts. and they sell Dwale and evil love spells and pardons to let men scape from their sins. Be not as these. "Be not as these" lf you accept not money, you will be free of temptation to use the Art for evil causes. All may use the Art for your own advantage, or for the advantage of the Craft, only if you be sure you harm none. But ever let the Coven debate the matter at length, only if all are satisfied that none may be harmed may the Art be used. lf it is not possible to achieve your ends one way without harming any, pervhance the aim may be achieved by acting in a different way, so as to harm none. May the Curse of the Goddes, be on any who breach this law. So It be ardane.
Tis adjudged lawful an anyone need a house or land, an none will sell. to incline the owners mind to be willing to sell, provided it harmeth him not in any way, & that the full worth is paid, without haggling. Never bargain or cheepen anything which you buy by the Art.
So it be Ardane.
All Conflicts to be Remain within the Craft
lt is the Old Law and the most important of all Laws, That no one may do or say anything which will endanger any of the Craft, or bring them in contact with the law of the land. or the Law of the Church or any of our persecutors. ln any disputes between the bretheren, no one may invoke any laws but those of the Craft. or any Tribunal but that of the Priestess and the Priest and the Elders. And mat the Curse of the Goddess be on any who so do.
So it be Ardane.
What to Say to Outsiders
lt is not forbiden to say as Christians do. "There be Witchcraft in the Land" Because out oppressors of old made it Heresy not to believe in Witchcraft, & so a crime to deny it. which thereby put you under suspicion. But ever say I know not of it here, perchance they may be, but afar off. I know not where. but ever speak so you cause others to doubt they be as they are Always speak of them as Old Crones, consorting with the Devil and riding through the air. But ever say, but how may men ride through the air an they be not as light as Thistle Down? But the Curse of the Goddess be on any who cast any suspicion on any of the Brotherhood. or speaks of any real meeting place. or where any byde. So it be Ardane.
The Herb Books
Let the Craft keep books with the names of all Herbs which are good for man. and all cures, that all may learn. But keep another book with all the Banes & Apies. & let only the Elders and trustworthy people have this knowledge. So it be Ardane.
And may the Blessings of the Gods be on all who keep these. Laws and the Curses of both God and Goddess be on all who break them. So it be Ardane.
The Law was made and Ardane of old. The law was made for the Wica, to advise and help in their troubles.
The Wica should give due worship to the Gods & obey their will which they Ardane, for it was made for the good of the Wica. As the Wicas worship is good for the Gods.
For the Gods love the Wica, as a man loveth a woman by mastering her. So the Wica should love the Gods, by being mastered by them. And it is necessary that the Circle, which is the Temple of the Gods, should be truely cast and purified, that it may be a fit place for the Gods to enter.
And the Wica should be properly prepared and purified, to enter into the presence of the Gods. With love and worship in their hearts they shall raise powrer from their bodies to give power to the Gods, as has been tought us of old.
For in this way only may man have communion with the Gods, for the Gods cannot help man without the help of men.
The High Priestess
And the High Priestess shall rule her Coven as representative of the Goddess, and the High Priest shall support her as the representative of the God. And the High Priestess shall choose whom she will, if he have sufficient rank, to be her High Priest.
For. the God himself, kissed her feet in the 5 fold salute, laying his power at the feet of the Goddess. because of her youth & beauty, her sweetness & kindness, her wisdom & Justice, her humility & generosity, So he resigned his lordship to her, But the Priestess should ever mind that all power comes from him. It is only lent when it is used wisely and justly. And the greatest virtue of a High Priestess is that she recognises that youth is necessary to the representative of the Goddess, so that she will retire gracefully in favour of a younger woman, Should the Coven so decide in Council. For the true High Priestess realsies that gracefully surendering pride of place is one of the greatest of virtues, and that thereby she will return to that pride of place in another life, with greater power beauty.
The Need for Secrecy
ln the days when Witchdom extended far, we were free and worshipd in Alther Greatest Tempels. But, in these unhapy times we must hold our sacred mysteries in secret.
So it be Ardane, that none but the Wica may see our mysteries. for our enimies are many, And torture looseth the tongues of many. lt be ardane that each Coven shall not know where the next Coven bide, or who its members are. save the Priest and Priestess. That there shall be no communication between them. save by the Messenger of the Gods. or the Summoner. Only if it be safe, may the Covens meet, in some safe place. For the great festavals. And while there, none shall say whence thay come, or give their true names.
To the end that if any are tortured, in their agoney, they can not tell if they know not.
So it be Ardane that no one may tell any not of the Craft who be of the Wica. nor give any names, or where they Byde, or in any way tell anything which can betray any to our foes. Nor may they tell where the Covenstead be. or where is the Covendom. or where be the meetings. or that there have been meetings. And if any break these laws, even under torture, The Curse of the Goddess shall be upon them, so they never be reborn on earth, And may the remain where they belong, in the Hell of the Christians.
Administration of the Coven
Let each High Priestess govern her Coven with Justice and love. with the help of the advice of the elders. Always heading the advice of the Messenger of the Gods. lf he cometh.
She will heed all complaints of brothers, And strive to settle all differances among them. But it must be recognized that there be people who will ever strive to force others to do as they will.
They are not necesseraly evil. & they often do have good ideas. andt such ideas should be talked over in council. And if they will not agree with their brothers, or if they say, I will not work under this High Priestess, lt hath always been the old law, to be convenient for the bretherin, and to void disputes, Any of the Third may claim to found a new Coven because they live over a league from the Covenstead, or that they are about to do so. Anyone living within the Covendom wishing to form a new Coven, to avoid strife, shall tell the Elders of his intention And on the instant void his dwelling and remove to the new Covendom. Members of the old Coven may join the New one when it be formed, but if they do, must utterly void the old Coven. The Elders of the New and the Old Covens should meet in peace and brotherly love, to decide the new bounderies.
Those of the Craft who dwell outside both Covendoms may join either indifferent, but not both. Though all may, if the Elders agree, meet for the Great Festavals, if it be truely in peace and brotherly love. But splitting the Coven oft means strife. So for this reason these laws were made of old. And may the curse of the GODDESS be on any who disreguard them. So be it Ardane.
"The Warning"
lf you would keep a book, let it be in your own hand of write, let brothers and sisters copy what they will, but never let the book out of your hands, and never keep the writings of another, for if it be found in their hard of write, they well may be taken and Engined.
Each should guard his own writings & destroy it whenever danger threatens. Learn as much as you may by heart, & when danger is past, rewirit your book, an it be safe. For this reason, if any die, destroy their book if they have not been able to. For an it be found, tis clear proof against them, And, our oppressors well know, "Ye may not be a witch alone" So all their kin & friends be in danger of torture. So ever destroy anything not necessary. If your book be found on you. tis clear proof against you alone. You may be engined. Keep all thouqhts of the Craft from your mind. Say you had bad dreams, a devil caused you to write it without your knowledge. Think to yourself. I know, nothing. I remember nothing. I have forgotten everything. Drive this into your mind.
If the torture be to great to bear. Say, I will confess. I cannot bear this torture, What do you want me to say? I will say it. if they try to make you speak of the brotherhood, Do NOT. But if they try to make you speak of imposabilaties such as flying through the air, Consorting with the Christian Devil, or sacrificing children, or eating mens flesh. To obtain relief from torture. say. I had an evil dream, I was not myself. I was crased.
Not all Magestrates are bad, if there be an excuse they may show mercy. If you have confessed aught, deny it afterwards, say you babbled under torture. You knew not what you said. If you are condemed, fear not. The Brotherhood is powerfull. They may help you to escape, if you stand steadfast.
If you betray aught. There is no hope for you, ln this life, or in that which is to come.
Be sure. if steadfast you go to the pyre, Dwale will reach you, you will feel naught. You go but to Death and what lies beyond. The ecstacy of the Goddess.
Tis probable that before you are engined, Dwale will reach you. Always remember that Christians fear much that any die under torture. At the first sign of swoon, they cause it to be stopped, and blame the tormenters, for that reason, the tormenters themselves are apt to feign to torment, but do not, so it is best not to die at first.
lf Dwale reaches you, tis a sign that you have a friend somwhere. you may be helped to escape, so dispair not. If the worst comes, and you go to the pyre. wait till the flames and smoke spring up, bend your head over, & breath in with long brewths, you choke & die swiftly. & wake in the arms of the Goddess.
To void discovery, Let the working tools be as ordinary things that any may have in their houses. Let the Pentacles be of wax, so they may be broken at once. Heve no sword unless your rank allows you one. Have no names or signs on anything.
Write the names and signes on them in ink before consecrating them and wash it off immediatly after. Do not Bigrave them. lest they cause discovery. Let the colour of the hilts tell which is which. Ever remember, ye are the Hidden Children of the Gods. So never do anything to disgrace them.
Never boast, Never threaten, Never say you would wish Ill to anyone. lf you or any, not in the Circle, speak of the craft, say, "Speak not to me of such, it frightens me. tis evil luck to speak of it" For this reason. The Christians have spies everywhere. These speak as if they were well affected, as if they would come to Meetings, saying "My mother used to go, to worship, the Old Ones. I would that I could go myself." To these ever deny all knowledge.
But, to others ever say, tis foolish, men talk of witches flying through the air, to do so, they must be light as thistledown. and. Men say that witches all be bleared eyed old crones, so what pleasure can there be in witch meetings? such as folk talk on? Say, Many wise men now say there be no such creatures. Ever make it a jest, and in some future time, perhaps the persecution will die. and we may worship safely again. let us all pray for that happy day.
May the blessings of the Goddess and the God be on all who keep their Ardane.
Money and Properties of the Craft
lf the Craft hath any Appenage, let all brothers guard it, and help to keep it clear and good for the Craft, & let all justly guard all monies of the Craft. But if some brothers truely wrought it, Tis right that they have their pay, an it be just. And this be not taking money for the use of the Art. but for good and honest work. And even the Christians say "A labourer is worthey of his hire." But if any brothers work willingly for the good of the craft without pay, tis but to their greater honour. So it be Ardane.
Resolving Quarrels and Hiving New Covens
lf there be any disputes or quarrels among the bretheren, The High Priestess shall straight Convene the Elders & enquire into the matter, and they shall hear both sides. first alone. then together. And they shall decide justly, not favouring the one side or the other.
Ever recognising that there be people who can never agree to work under others. but at the same time there be some people who cannot rule justly. To those who ever must be chief, there is one answer, Void the Coven & seek another, or, make a Coven of your own, taking with you those who will to go, To those who cannot rule justly. The answer be. those who cannot bear your rule will leave you, For none may come to meetings with those with whom they are at variance. So an either cannot agree. get hence. For the Craft must ever survive. So it be Ardane.
The Law of "Harm None"
In the olden days when we had power, we could use our Arts against any who illtreated any of the Brotherhood. But in these Evil Times, we may not do so, For our enimies have devised a burning pit of everlasting fire, into which they say their God casteth all the people who worship him, except it be the very few who are released by their priestes spells and Masses. and this be chiefly by giving money and rich gifts to recieve his favour, for their Alther Greatest God is ever in need of Money.
But as our Gods need our aid to make fertility for men and crops. So the God of the Christians is ever in need of mans help to search out and destroy us. Theyir priests tell them that any who get our help or our cures are dammned to this Hell forever, so men be mad for the terror of it,. But they make men believe that they may scape this hell if they give victims to the tormenters. So for this reason. All be forever spying, thinking an I can but catch one of the Wica I will scape this fiery pit.
But we have our hidels, and men searching long and not finding say, "there be none, or lf they be, they be in a far country." But, when one of our oppressors die. or, even be sick, ever is the cry "This be Witches Malice." and the hunt is up again. and though they slay ten of their people, to one of ours, still. they care not, they have many thousands, while we are few indeed.
So it is Ardane, that none shall use the Art in any way to do ill to any. how evermuch they have injured us. And for long we have obeyed this law. "Harm none" and nowtimes, many believe we exist not. So it be Ardane that this law shall still continue to help us in our plight. "No one, however great an injury or injustace they recieve, may use the Art in any to do ill or harm any."
But, they may, after great consulations with all, use the Art to prevent or restrain Christians from harming us and others. but only to let or constrain them and never to punish. To this end. Men say, "Such an one is a mighty searcher our and persecutor of Old Women whom he deemeth to be Witches. and none hath done him Skith. so this be proof they cannot, or more truely, that there be none." For all know full well, that so many folk have died because somone had a grudge against them, or were persecuted because they had money or goods to sieze. or because they had none to bribe the searchers. And many have died because they were scolding old women. So much so, that men now say that only Old Women are witches. And this be to our advantage, and turns suspicion away from us. ln England tis now many it year since a witch hath died the death. but any misuse of the power might raise the Persecution again. So never break this law, however much you are tempted. and never consent to its being broken, lf you know it is being broken in the least, you must work strongly against it, And any High Priestess or High Priest who consentes to it must be immediatly deposed. For tis the Blood of the Bretherin they endanger. Do good, an it be safe, and only if it be safe. for any talk may endanger us. And strictly keep to the Old Law, never accept money for the use of the Art, for money ever smeares the taker, Tis Carcerors and Conjurers and Priests of Christ who ever accept money for the use of their Arts. and they sell Dwale and evil love spells and pardons to let men scape from their sins. Be not as these. "Be not as these" lf you accept not money, you will be free of temptation to use the Art for evil causes. All may use the Art for your own advantage, or for the advantage of the Craft, only if you be sure you harm none. But ever let the Coven debate the matter at length, only if all are satisfied that none may be harmed may the Art be used. lf it is not possible to achieve your ends one way without harming any, pervhance the aim may be achieved by acting in a different way, so as to harm none. May the Curse of the Goddes, be on any who breach this law. So It be ardane.
Tis adjudged lawful an anyone need a house or land, an none will sell. to incline the owners mind to be willing to sell, provided it harmeth him not in any way, & that the full worth is paid, without haggling. Never bargain or cheepen anything which you buy by the Art.
So it be Ardane.
All Conflicts to be Remain within the Craft
lt is the Old Law and the most important of all Laws, That no one may do or say anything which will endanger any of the Craft, or bring them in contact with the law of the land. or the Law of the Church or any of our persecutors. ln any disputes between the bretheren, no one may invoke any laws but those of the Craft. or any Tribunal but that of the Priestess and the Priest and the Elders. And mat the Curse of the Goddess be on any who so do.
So it be Ardane.
What to Say to Outsiders
lt is not forbiden to say as Christians do. "There be Witchcraft in the Land" Because out oppressors of old made it Heresy not to believe in Witchcraft, & so a crime to deny it. which thereby put you under suspicion. But ever say I know not of it here, perchance they may be, but afar off. I know not where. but ever speak so you cause others to doubt they be as they are Always speak of them as Old Crones, consorting with the Devil and riding through the air. But ever say, but how may men ride through the air an they be not as light as Thistle Down? But the Curse of the Goddess be on any who cast any suspicion on any of the Brotherhood. or speaks of any real meeting place. or where any byde. So it be Ardane.
The Herb Books
Let the Craft keep books with the names of all Herbs which are good for man. and all cures, that all may learn. But keep another book with all the Banes & Apies. & let only the Elders and trustworthy people have this knowledge. So it be Ardane.
And may the Blessings of the Gods be on all who keep these. Laws and the Curses of both God and Goddess be on all who break them. So it be Ardane.
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