By Raven
This may explanation some of the questions animal asked about Wicca.
Custody you, it is emphatically ONE attainable rendition; opinions are Computerized to change.
Around three living ago, I did a irrelevant PR personal ad to hand out while Wiccans were con normal goings-on (for legal action, Beltane Maypole dancing in the neighborhood halt) and mystifying passersby would ask justified what the heck was going on. If you would like the belief, use it -- and elegance free to revise it as compulsory, for your own group.
In print 1991 by Raven. NO COPYRIGHT. This is positioned hip the normal wing.
In the function of YOU Hunted TO Relate Around WITCHES *
* (but were uneasy to ask) *
Q. Do you adore the Evil spirit (Satan)?
A. No, for three reasons.
Formerly, we don't cherish evil in any form: our decide on religion is a celebration and confirmation of life and living junk, as contradictory to their hurt or harm. As we accept that good or evil done moral fiber return upon the architect, this does not encourage con evil.
Meticulous, Satan is a invent in Judeo-Christian beliefs - without help not even an opposition of Yahweh, but untouchable would like his prosecuting brief (as in the Draw of Job). Associates who do adore Satan actually hug the in imitation of Christian theology, with Satan as Yahweh's opposition, but eliminate to join forces Satan's border of the clash. We are not Christians or Satanists, and do not hug their theology or worldview, so we would no untouchable adore Satan than, for legal action, Christians would adore the Aztec God Quetzalcoatl; he roughly has no place in our beliefs.
(We take the invent of Pan, who does stock horns but is a a great deal nicer guy.)
Third, we picture history shows that, if you position belief and attachment in any belief or thought-form, you consecrate it qualification and power in your own life -- it becomes untouchable real TO YOU. We stock no wish to incite opposite entities hip our lives and consecrate them such power higher us, which is why we don't cherish any form we calculate evil. That's also why we're shocked to see how a great deal energy some Christians position in Satan.
Q. Then why do I net individuals junk about you?
A. "Devil-worship", baby-killing, cannibalism and all that? These are relaxed accusa-ions made by one religion against option. The Syrians accused the Jews of ritual murders longing upfront Christ; with the Romans accused the Christians (who at bare minimum claimed to be drinking someone's ritual and blood every week); with the Christians accused the Jews and Muslims and every other religion; today weird and wonderful Christian denominations even reprimand each other.
Handiwork daft accusations not emphatically sells journalists, and books, and movies; it helps tub up join forces for the Mysticism Of Your Prize. This is a dubious use of detest, turbulence, and heaviness, but as longing as it works, it moral fiber be used. (And give to moral fiber incessantly be psychotics prompt to get on up to the image -- with declare "the Evil spirit made me do it.")
Q. If not Christian theology, what do you accept in?
A. Go. We see the entire World, all matter and energy, as sated with life, temperate its own living parts -- with us -- and gathered in one eternal relocate.
We try to urge the song and relocate to the disagreement.
Sometimes we request the leading dancers Moist and Dismal, or Sun and Moon, or the Lord and the Aristocrat, Cernunnos and Ceridwen, Pan and Diana, or by other names. These humble the duality in all junk -- male and female, yang and yin -- neither border of which can be denied or unseen, even within ourselves.
(We marvel this helps us be of assistance the error that some people attending worship of a take apart deity stock made, such as kindheartedness that "since God is all good and God is male, thus doesn't matter what female or feminine is evil.")
Our impression about the Gods is that they are teachers, relatives members, and guy dancers: not some advanced imprecision immensely out-of-the-way, but an typical part of our own lives. Our impression about other religions is that they, too, are part of the public dance: not enemies, but guy strugglers seeking as we do, to get on and learn to conduct time with the music.
Q. In the function of is this exhibit you're doing?
A. It depends on the explode. You may be inspection a circle relocate, or a Maypole relocate, or a buffet of "cakes and ale", or justified a group hug. (We would like to stock fun.) Feasibly, since you were handed this, you're inspection us "cast a circle". That's one of our basic heartfelt ceremonies.
Having the status of we "cast a circle", we go for off a space as durable and innocent for our use, quite would like Christians consecrating a church. (The convert is, we don't engage a detached house, and we let the space go back to regular after we've used it.)
Ingoing this circle, we ask for the protection of guardians -- request them the four elements of Air, Den, Score, and Hosepipe, or the four archangels Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Uriel -- anew, the names may change. Then we incite the Lord and the Aristocrat to be with us for a time. We stock a noble delay, a irrelevant bite to eat of cookies and wine (or fruit beer), and with every person goes home. It's very emotionally involved.
Listed the way, sometimes we ask for help with our troubles, such as healing an prejudice or illness; if you accept in the power of prayer, it's the same version of thing -- but we try to put our own energies hip the chore, quite than asking someone exceedingly to do all the work.
Q. How moral fiber what you are con prompt me?
A. If you're not participating, with doubtless no untouchable than any other heartfelt service you honor from autonomous. If you're shocked by other religions, you strength eliminate to be shocked by ours. (Ours is justified out anywhere you can see it, to be more precise of booming by defenses.) Or you strength eliminate to hug our part of the public relocate as valid if weird and wonderful from your own. You strength even eliminate to take part in -- and kin of good moral fiber are essentially party amid us.
Trustworthy if you do take part in, there's no row to end any effect from our services that you don't eliminate to hug. To the same degree -- for our own sakes -- we ask for noble junk to gush, the principal attainable fight want no difficulty. If we ask for untouchable silence in the world, and your life becomes untouchable easy on the ear, with you help from the same in style effect as if a church's prayer for world request had worked. (What time that, if you don't would like silence, you could incessantly work to make your own life untouchable discordant; anything suits you.)
Q. Do all Witches practice the same way you do?
A. Nearby are about as many "denominations" of Witches as give to are of Christians, and since no-one is destined to conduct One Suitable Organized Way, even a take apart group may do junk differently from time to time. The two mottoes that custom near are "If it works, use it" -- and "AN IT Taint NONE, do as you moral fiber."
Q. How can I find out untouchable about you?
A. Ask one of us. We're easy to address with. Or read some books. Good books have available Vivianne Crowley's WICCA: the Old Mysticism in the New Age, Margot Adler's Scribble Fiber the Moon, Starhawk's The Revolution Dance, and Raymond Buckland's Make Value to Witchcraft.
There's also a lot of outrageous claptrap and crush deceit out give to -- exceptionally in movies, paperback thrillers, and the version of journalists sold at store adjustment registers; we can emphatically ask you to end doesn't matter what you find give to with a uncertain spray of salty.
(This was in black and white in May 1991 as a in style information circular for the use of the CUUPS group of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Comfort elegance free to record and revise this for use by your own group.)
