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WHAT DO WITCHES
BELIEVE?
"And
now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song! … Everyone
pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we
go!" (Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer’s Stone, p. 127)
An’
it harm none, do as ye will. (Wiccan Rede)
What do
witches believe? The broad answer is "pretty much whatever they
want to believe." The Wiccan Rede (Creed) is "An it harm
none, do as ye will." According to the web site The Witches
Voice, " ‘Harm’ is defined as ‘physical or mental damage’
and to this we can add ‘psychic damage’ as well. To inflict harm
on another is simply not a thing that a Witch would do." (www.witchvox.com)
Other
statements follow. Notice that some make a distinction between
"traditional" witches and "Wiccans," the modern
revival of witchcraft.
Traditional
Witches are not monotheistic nor do they follow any revealed
scripture (Torah, Gospels, Quran, Book of Mormon, etc.). Traditional
Witches do not worship any entity as their superior, though they
recognize the existence of other entities. They believe in the
equality of all beings in the Universe, seeing them as different,
separate, but never superior or inferior. This difference is often a
source of confusion. A Traditional Witch may speak of the God and
the Goddess, referring to the female and male aspects of Nature, but
while they revere and respect Nature, they do not worship it or its
representatives. Traditional Witchcraft is polytheistic and
animistic, meaning that they incorporate a number of elements and
spirits into a meaningful whole. (www.geocities.com/echo879/)
Wren
Walker, writing at www.witchvox.com, defines witchcraft this way:
What
is Witchcraft? Who are these Witches anyway? A practitioner of a
nature-based belief system or religion. Not all Witches follow the
same belief system. Some practice what is called the "old
religion" which has its roots in pagan pre-monotheistic folk
ways and beliefs and usually follows the seasonal cycles. These
belief systems or "traditions" of Witches are often based
upon the particular culture from whence they originated. Many
Witches believe in a polytheistic deity structure (usually based
upon the local gods and goddesses of the area of origin), but some
simply practice magick (sometimes spelled with a "k" to
differentiate it from stage magic). Witches may practice alone as
"solitaries" or in covens. There are also family groups or
traditions which trace their practices and beliefs within the same
close group throughout several generations.
Information
from the web site "ghostdragon.net" says that:
Wicca,
pronounces "wick-ah", is a modern religion, based upon the
ancient Western European, pre-Christian shamanic traditions. It is
fertility, earth-based and nature oriented; Wiccans recognize and
worship during the change of the seasons and the full and new moons….
Wicca is unique in that it has no dogmas, doctrines (sic), or set of
rules…. Wiccan practices are derived from within, are personal and
individual and are not mandated by any one person, hierarchy, or
"Bible".
Robert S.
Ellwood, Professor Religion, University of Southern California says,
Many
followers of the ecological and feminist movements found in Wicca a
religion with congenial themes. Wiccans emphasized the sacred meaning
of nature and its cycles and the coequal role of gods and goddesses
and of priests and priestesses. Some Wiccan groups, called Dianic
(after the goddess Diana), include only women and worship the goddess
exclusively. (Encarta.msn.com)
Elwood goes
on to say,
"Wicca
draws from many pagan traditions, with the result that the
distinctions between witchcraft, occultism, neopaganism, and various
strands thereof have become blurred. Modern witchcraft is entirely
different from Satanism or the diabolical witchcraft imagined by the
persecutors of past centuries. Major Wiccan themes include love of
nature, equality of male and female, appreciation of the ceremonial, a
sense of wonder and belief in magic, and appreciation of the symbolism
and psychological realities behind the gods and goddesses of
antiquity." (Encarta.msn.com)
The Council
of American Witches
In the fall of 1973 a
group of contemporary witches from different traditions met in
Minneapolis. According to group leader Carl Weschcke, a Wiccan priest,
the purpose of the group was to formulate "a common set of
principles and definitions [that] would help dispel myths about
witchcraft and distinguish it from Satanism in the eyes of the public
and press." Their effort was called "The Principles of
Wiccan Belief," which was endorsed by a number of witches.
However, "shortly after this landmark action, the Council
disbanded, due in part to continuing differences among
traditions." (Rosemary Ellen Guiley, The Encyclopedia of
Witches & Witchcraft, 2nd ed., p. 65)
The
principles of Wiccan belief are as follows:
1.
We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of
life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal
Quarters and Cross Quarters.
2.
We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility
toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in
ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness
within an evolutionary concept.
3.
We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to
the average person. … it is sometimes called
"supernatural," but we see it as lying within that which
is naturally potential to all.
4.
We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting
through polarity—as masculine and feminine—and that this same
Creative Power lies in all people, and functions through the
interaction of the masculine and the feminine. … We value sex as
pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the
sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.
5.
We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological, worlds
sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective
Unconsciousness, Inner Planes, etc.—… We neglect neither
dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our
fulfillment.
6.
We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy but do honor those
who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and
wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of
themselves in leadership.
7.
We see religion, magick and wisdom in living as being united in the
way one views the world and lives within it—a world view and
philosophy of life which we identify as Witchcraft—the
Wiccan Way.
8.
Calling oneself "Witch" does not make a Witch—…. A
Witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life
possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and
in harmony with nature.
9.
We believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a
continuation of evolution and development of consciousness giving
meaning to the Universe we know and our personal role within it.
10.
Our only animosity towards Christianity, … is to the extent that
its institutions have claimed to be the "only way" and
have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of
religious practice and belief.
11.
As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history
of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of
various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our
present and our future.
12.
We do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do we worship any
entity known as "Satan" or "the Devil," as
defined by Christian tradition. …
13.
We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is
contributory to our health and well-being. (Guiley, pp. 65-66)
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