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THE WITCHES CREED...Hear now the word of the Witches, the secrets we hid in the night, When dark was our destinys pathway, That now we bring forth in the light. Mysterious Water and Fire, The Earth and the wide-ranging Air, By hidden Quintessence we know Them, and we will keep silent and dare. The birth and rebirth of all Nature, the passing of Winter and Spring, We share with the life Universal, rejoice in the Magical Ring Four times in the year the Great Sabbat, returns, and the Witches are seen, At Lammas and Candelas dancing, on May Eve and old Halloween When daytime and nighttime are equal, when sun is at greatest and least, The four lesser Sabbats are summoned, again Witches gather in feast. Thirteen silver moons in a year are, thirteen is the Covens array, Thirteen times at Esbat make merry, for each golden year and a day. The power has passed down the ages, each time between woman and man Each century unto the other, ere times and the ages began. When drawn is the Magickal circle, by sword or athame of power, the compass between two worlds lies, in the land of shades of that hour. Our world has no right to know it, and the world beyond will tell naught, The oldest of Gods are invoked there, the great work of Magic is wrought. For two are the mystical pillars, that stand at the gate of the shrine, And two are the powers of Nature, the forms and the forces divine. And do what thou wilt be the challenge, so be it in love that harms none, For this is the only commandment, By Magick of old be it done. Eight words the Witches Rede fulfill: If it Harms none, Do what Thou Will!
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THE 13 WICCAN PRINCIPALS...The following set of thirteen principles was adopted by the Council of American Witches, in April, 1974.1: 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 and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.3: We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary 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 feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive to each other. 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 Unconscious, Inner Planes, etc. ~and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. 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, but neither does heredity itself, not the collecting of titles, degrees, and initiations. 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, or towards any other religion or philosophy of life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be "the only way", and have sought to deny freedom to others and to surpress other ways of religious practice and belief.11: As American {Or World-Wide!} 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 the Christian tradition. We do not seek power through the sufferings of others, nor accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another.13: We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.
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THE WICCAN REDE...Bide within the Law you must, in perfect Love and perfect Trust. Live you must and let to live, fairly take and fairly give.For tread the Circle thrice about to keep unwelcome spirits out. To bind the spell well every time, let the spell be said in rhyme.Light of eye and soft of touch, speak you little, listen much. Honor the Old Ones in deed and name, let love and light be our guides again.Deosil go by the waxing moon, chanting out the joyful tune. Widdershins go when the moon doth wane, and the werewolf howls by the dread wolfsbane.When the Lady's moon is new, kiss the hand to Her times two. When the moon rides at Her peak then your heart's desire seek.Heed the North winds mighty gale, lock the door and trim the sail. When the Wind blows from the East, expect the new and set the feast.When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss you on the mouth. When the wind whispers from the West, all hearts will find peace and rest.Nine woods in the Cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow. Birch in the fire goes to represent what the Lady knows.Oak in the forest towers with might, in the fire it brings the God's insight. Rowan is a tree of power causing life and magick to flower.Willows at the waterside stand ready to help us to the Summerland. Hawthorn is burned to purify and to draw faerie to your eye.Hazel-the tree of wisdom and learning adds its strength to the bright fire burning. White are the flowers of Apple tree that brings us fruits of fertility.Grapes grow upon the vine giving us both joy and wine. Fir does mark the evergreen to represent immortality seen.Elder is the Lady's tree burn it not or cursed you'll be. Four times the Major Sabbats mark in the light and in the dark.As the old year starts to wane the new begins, it's now Samhain. When the time for Imbolc shows watch for flowers through the snows.When the wheel begins to turn soon the Beltane fires will burn. As the wheel turns to Lamas night power is brought to magick rite.Four times the Minor Sabbats fall use the Sun to mark them all. When the wheel has turned to Yule light the log the Horned One rules.In the spring, when night equals day time for Ostara to come our way. When the Sun has reached it's height time for Oak and Holly to fight.Harvesting comes to one and all when the Autumn Equinox does fall. Heed the flower, bush, and tree by the Lady blessed you'll be.Where the rippling waters go cast a stone, the truth you'll know. When you have and hold a need, harken not to others greed.With a fool no season spend or be counted as his friend. Merry Meet and Merry Part bright the cheeks and warm the heart.Mind the Three-fold Laws you should three times bad and three times good. When misfortune is enow wear the star upon your brow.Be true in love this you must do unless your love is false to you.These Eight words the Rede fulfill:"An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will"
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BEFORE TIME WAS...Before time was, there was The One; The One was all, and all was The One.And the vast expanse known as the universe was The One, all wise, all pervading, all powerful, eternally changing.And space moved. The One molded energy into twin forms, equal but opposite, fashioning the Goddess and God from The One and of The One.The Goddess and God stretched and gave thanks to The One, but darkness surrounded them. They were alone, solitary save for The One.So they formed energy into gases and gases into suns and planets and moons; They sprinkled the universe with whirling globes and so all was given shape by the hands of the Goddess and God.Light arose and the sky was illuminated by a billion suns. The Goddess and God, satisfied by their works, rejoiced and loved, and were one.From their union sprang the seeds of all life, and the human race so that we might achieve incarnation upon the Earth.The Goddess chose the Moon as her symbol, and the God the Sun as his to remind the inhabitants of Earth of their creators.All are born, live, die and are reborn beneath the Moon and Sun; All things come to pass thereunder, and all occurs with the blessings of The One, the Goddess and God, as has been the way of existence since before time was.
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AN OPEN LETTER FROM A WITCH:I am a witch. I do not worship Satan; I am not interested in Satan. Satan was invented by the Christians.Satanism is a form of Christianity.I am not a Christian.I don't go to church on Sunday.Jesus is NOT my savior.He was simply a holy man who lived 2,000 years ago.I am not afraid of going to Hell because I don't believe in Hell any more than I believe in Satan.I believe in reincarnation; that I will come back to this world or another and live out another life.I am not evil. Telling people I am a "good witch" or asking me if I am a good witch implies that there are evil witches.There are evil people in the world, and there are people who chose to work with the forces of nature in a way that harms others; those people are NOT witches. The central law of being a witch is: "if it harms none, do as you will."Please don't ask me about sacrificing cats or desecrating churches. I love my cats. And I don't go into churches or synagogues unless a friend from that religion invites me to some special occasion. And if I DO enter a church, I am not struck by lightning. And if a Christian or a Jew or a Buddhist came to a pagan ritual, our gods would not strike them dead either. Isn't that something to think about?Wearing a pentacle is no different than wearing a cross, crucifix, or Star of David. If you want me to take off the symbol of MY religion (and Wicca is a religion, protected by the same First Amendment rights as other religions) because it's offensive, you need to make everyone of every religion do that.The five points of the star signify the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire & Water, and the fifth point is Spirit; encircled by the World. How that can offend anyone boggles my little pagan mind. An image of a tortured, dying man is more offensive, yet thousands of people openly wear crucifixes every day.Also, don't ask me if I'm in a "coven" in that half-horrified, half-fascinated tone of voice. If I want to talk about my coven, I will bring it up. If I am a solitary practitioner, I have no coven to discuss.In any case, our rituals have candles, food, drink, poetry, dancing...yes, there is a knife but it only cuts the air, not anyone's flesh. I don't drink blood. I am not some kind of vampire. I wear black because it keeps negativity away and because it looks better on me than orange and purple polka dots.If you want to ask me something related to MY religion, ask me when the next full moon is. Or the next blue moon. Or what a blue moon IS. Ask me about herbs. Crystals. Healing. Even ask me to make you a love potion. But I don't cast spells on other people and I won't cast a spell on you to make you prettier, thinner, more desirable. And I won't cast a spell on your quarry to make him/her love you. Trust me, you don't want that, you don't want the karma that involves, and neither do I! That's a form of manipulation, taking away someone's power, infringing on their free will. Not nice at all. And I also won't cast a binding spell to make someone STOP doing something to you. Spell work is about co-creation. A witch works with universal energy, with the gods, to tilt the engine of probability somewhat. Need money? Don't try to ensorcel your boss to give you a raise. Simply ask the universe to increase the flow of abundance in your direction. That infringes on NO ONE's free will.One last thing: giving me a book about the Burning Times is like giving a book on the Holocaust to a Jewish person. It's not funny and is rude. Yes, I do go to Salem, but not because any of those poor executed people were witches (I think the jury is still out on some of them), but because there's cool pagan shops there. If there were cool pagan shops in a town called East Cowflop, I'd go there.Please don't try to make me ashamed of who I worship and what I am. Please don't try to convert me or "save" me. Don't throw holy water on me. Don't leave little pamphlets on my desk or windshield. I don't need to be saved. Witches are proud of the fact that we don't recruit people to become witches. We simply ARE, and those around us see how we think, how we act, and our inner peace, and only when someone says "how do I become a witch?" do we take them into the fold with us.I will NEVER leave a religious tract with anyone. I don't have one, unless you count this letter. I am not asking you to convert. I am only asking you to understand. If you don't want to understand, just leave me alone.Author unknown
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