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Fifth in my series of talks for the Unitarians. |
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I've been coming here since early 1999, and it's been nice finding sensible, open minded people who can discuss an unusual or unpopular idea without "fuzzing up" or turning off. You all surely recognize how rare this is. Even today, I am struck by the simple profound Unitarian Universalist principle we sometimes recite, "We recognize the worth and dignity of every human being." I don't know how we can truly practice this principle without being willing students of all our fellow human beings and their ways. I think that as we learn more, we move from distrust, to suspicion, to neutrality, to tolerance, to acceptance, and hopefully on to the wisdom of understanding the universal struggle of humankind which unites us all. As I've written and spoken about various facets of my own religious and philosophical thoughts, I've found even more that I don't know or understand. The more I learn, the less I seem to know! So, this endless cycle of learning and questioning goes on and on. When I was asked to speak again (thanks!), I decided to explore an area that I felt lacking in - that is the metamorphosis of religion from ancient times to modern times. Specifically, I was curious about the origins of religion, and since I've run into several people who call themselves Wiccans, I wanted to find out how they are connected to ancient beliefs. I knew that many Christians associated them with Satanists, witches, and evil, but the people I had met didn't seem evil at all. My search for information about Wicca was fruitful, but it also it led me other places, and I'm afraid I ended up with more to talk about than you would be able to tolerate sitting in hard chairs. So, I'll speak generally about the evolution of religious belief and some critical turns along the way that got us to where we are today, but for this time I'll focus on how modern day witches came to be. I'll save some of the other things for later. Definitions I think I should start with the meaning of the word “pagan.” Many people think that it means "non-Christian." There are also many people who take the connotation one step further and define Pagan as something "bad." Images of orgies and demons accompany this particular feeling. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary does, after all, start off its definition of Pagan as "heathen." However, neither of these ideas are actually accurate. Their presence in the modern "vocabulary" is a result of the circular nature of word definitions and the dominance of some religions, including Christianity, in today's society. One of the best sources to examine for a definition of Pagan is the Old Testament. The word Pagan is used numerous times throughout the text to refer to non-Israelites. This is an immediate tip-off that Pagan does not mean "non-Christian," as the concept of "Pagan" is used in the Bible many years before Christ is even born. We examine a bit farther to find what our disputed word does mean. The Israelites were different from the rest of the world in two major ways. The first was their monotheism. Worshipping a single god was an incredibly radical idea during Abraham’s life in Ur. Most people worshipped thousands of gods, from gods of the sun and the rivers and the sky to gods dealing with each individual city, profession, and time of day. Many monotheists were even ostracized, for their refusal to worship the gods of the city could bring downfall to the entire population! The other fundamental difference between the Israelites and their neighbors is not so obvious and takes an above average understanding of the Bible to comprehend. The nature of Yahweh, the god of the Israelites, and the gods of their neighbors were very different. For instance, Baal, the principal God of Abraham's neighbors, was a fertility and harvest god. Worship of him ensured a good harvest, and, in turn, survival. Yahweh, however, was never worshipped particularly to ensure a good harvest. When the Israelites followed Yahweh's laws and kept the faith, Yahweh protected them from invasion. However, when they strayed from his laws and broke the covenant, they were conquered and endured hardship. This is the fundamental nature of Yahweh--a god of war and of history, not of fertility and nature. The Pagans were different from the Israelites not simply because they weren't Israelites, but because they worshipped many gods and worshipped directly in nature. We can see this in all of the societies described as Pagan -- the Galls, the Romans, the Greeks, the Norse... The Biblical evidence is supported by our current English language. Yes, it is true that the Merriam-Webster Dictionary starts off its definition of Pagan with the word "heathen." This word has negative meanings to everyone. However, if we take the time to look up the definition of heathen to which it is referring, we find:
This certainly does not mean "evil"! In fact, all it’s really saying is that a heathen is a person who has not been exposed to the ideas of Judaism or Christianity. The Merriam-Webster definition of Pagan continues as:
This supports our finding of Pagans as polytheists from the Old Testament. We can also examine the word origin that Merriam-Webster gives for Pagan:
This further supports our sense of Paganism as a nature-based religion. And this is, in fact, what a whole burgeoning world of Pagans (or "neo-Pagans," as they are often called) mean when they present themselves. And so, Pagan means that one follows one of many religions that are polytheistic and nature-based. Some are Wiccan, a religion that worships both a goddess and a god and does so within a natural, fertility-based framework. Other Pagan religions include Druidism, Native American spirituality, Ancient Egyptian religion, and many others--all of which still have followers. Now that we’ve described what a pagan is, let’s step back in time and see how pagan religious beliefs succumbed to Christianity and Islam in the west, and what remains of them today. The Ancient Religion From the time that man could wrap his thumb around a tool, he wondered about his existence. Therefore, he worshipped. The events that ruled the human life at this time, hundreds of thousands of years ago, were very simple: the rising of the sun, the waxing and waning of the moon, the miracle and mystery of birth and death, the life-giving plants that grew from the ground. The importance of these "simple" events is reflected in ancient spirituality. Life--a miraculous and incomprehensible phenomenon—quite literally poured forth from women's bodies. The earth also gave life--to plants and animals, and therefore, to people. Because they had the power to create and sustain life, women and the earth and all things spiritual were linked together. In digs of pre-historic civilizations, archeologists have found fire pits surrounded by stone, clay, and bone figurines of women with burgeoning thighs, bulging bellies, and swollen breasts--all things that these ancient people saw as characteristics of strong mothers. These figurines have been dated from 40,000 to 10,000 BCE, and have been found in many places. This is not the only evidence that ancient people saw the spirit as a mother earth goddess. Cave paintings from the same time periods show women forming living things out of dirt, grain growing from women's stomachs, and women giving birth, with the umbilical cord still attaching mother and baby. Archeologists have also uncovered a written manuscript from Sumeria that matches the Hebrew creation story almost exactly--except for the fact that, in this account, the equivalent of Eve is created first. This manuscript has been dated to the very beginning of written history, about five thousand years ago. After the stone age ended, people continued to worship mother goddesses. However, the pantheon of gods and goddesses that they worshipped continually increased in number. Societies began to worship specialized gods and goddesses. By the time Abraham was born in the Sumerian city-state of Ur, his people were worshipping close to 10,000 gods! Their pantheon ranged from general gods and goddesses of the sun, moon, and earth to goddesses of jewelry and gods of writing tablets . These polytheistic, nature- and goddess-worshipping societies developed all over the world. Even though they developed independently of each other, their worship had numerous similarities. Besides the fact that they all worshipped earth goddesses and a large pantheon of other deities, each of these societies held rituals on or close to the solstices and equinoxes, recognizing the cycles of the earth and their importance to all living things. Many held a goddess-god myth that had the goddess mating with the god in the summer, the god dying in the fall, and then being reborn from the goddess in the winter. Even though most of these societies never had the opportunity to contact each other, their rituals were close to identical in some cases. They are also the rituals and ideas that the modern religion of Wicca is based on. The Surge of Christian Conversions When Jesus’ disciples tried winning converts to Christianity after Jesus died, they found that Jews were not as receptive as they thought they would be. So the efforts of conversion were turned toward the Gentiles. In Rome, there had long been a large class of Pagans that the Jews called "god-fearers." They were Pagans who spent time in jewish circles and found many Jewish beliefs to their liking, but were not ready to convert to Judaism. Judaism provided a moral structure, something that was almost absent in classical polytheism, but the restrictions on diet and the rite of circumcision were a little too forbidding for them to take the leap. However, when these god-fearers learned of the new religion of Christianity, they converted easily and happily. A religion with the same desirable moral structure as Judaism, but without the complications that came with converting to Judaism. Many classical polytheists were won to Christianity quickly. There were other reasons that Christianity appealed to the Pagans of the early Christian world. Many of the Pagans were members of Mystery cults, secretive religious sects that closely followed a deity and their myths. These cults ultimately served as the bridge from Pagan to Christian. The Mystery Cults As the Roman Empire flourished, the official state religion, the Roman pantheon of gods and goddesses, was increasingly replaced by several “mystery cults.” These secretive groups generally focused on a single deity, much as the Jews, though they had roots in other ancient beliefs. They differed from official religions in their focus on the individual, a sense of close community of the followers, and a salvation theme, with the idea of an afterlife as a reward. During the early days of the Empire, the cults of Mithras and Isis were very popular, though were later driven nearly to extinction by Christianity. Mithras, the Sun God Mithraism was one of the most popular of the pagan cults in the Roman Empire. It was based on worship of the sun god, Mithras, who like any good pagan god, represented a wide variety of things. He was a god of light, war, justice, faith, and contract. History of Mithraism Mithras was originally an Indo-Iranian god of contract and friendship. The Persians incorporated him into their system of beliefs as a sun god, but he eventually lost popularity to the religion of Zoroaster, which did not allow worship of pagan gods. From about 330 BC to 100 AD, there is very little mention of Mithras in Persian or Greco-Roman literature. However, in the early second century AD, there was a rapid resurgence of popularity throughout the Roman Empire, particularly among the soldiers. Mithraism quickly became one of the most common religions in the Empire and remained popular until Constantine's support of Christianity in the early fourth century AD. The Central Myth: Mithras Slaying the Cosmic Bull The central myth of Mithraism is a creation story involving the sacrifice of a bull, which is depicted in much of the Mithraic artwork. Mithras was born of the Earth in the shade of a sacred tree beside a sacred stream holding a knife and a torch. He received word via a Raven from the Sun god that he was to slay the mystic white bull. Upon slaying the bull, the bull became the moon, and Mithras' cape became the sky. Day and night began to alternate, animals and plants were created, the seasons began to change, and time was created. Along with all of this, the battle between good and evil, of which man is a part, began. At this point, Mithras climbed into the Sun god's chariot and began to ride it across the sky. Rituals and Interpretation Most of the Roman cults of Mithras shared the same rituals and organization. The initiates were divided into seven classes, and were supposed to work their way up through them. This ascension represented the rising of the soul after death. Meetings were generally held in subterranean caves, most of which would hold no more than a few hundred worshippers. Within the cult there appeared to be no particular hierarchy: all of the full members were apparently equal. Initiations may have involved baptism, purifications, and chastisement. Regular ceremonies probably included a meal. One of the main tenets of Mithraic theology is that the soul of man descended from heaven through the realms of the seven planes, taking on vices at each level. The goal of the individual is to liberate his soul from these vices and thus ascend to the realm of the stars. Isis, the Earth Mother The central deity of the Isis Mysteries is the Egyptian goddess, Isis. Isis reflects the archetypal earth mother by serving as a goddess of life, fertility, and protection. The Central Myth: Isis and Osiris Many of the beliefs of the Isis Mysteries are centered around the story of the death and resurrection of Isis' husband, Osiris. Isis and Osiris ruled Egypt together for many years, maintaining peace and civilizing the people. However, Isis' evil brother Seth wanted to rule Egypt with Isis as his queen, so by a trick he shut Osiris in a coffin and threw him in the Nile. Isis went out in search of her husband, and eventually found his coffin stuck in a tree in a distant kingdom. She brought his body back to Egypt and hid it, but Seth found it and cut it into fourteen pieces, which he scattered throughout Egypt. Isis gathered thirteen of these pieces, and reassembled her dead husband. She then transformed into a kite (a hawk) and by flapping her wings, breathed life back into his body. Upon his revival, Osiris impregnated Isis and she soon gave birth to their son, the hawk-god Horus. Through the spirit Ka-mutef, Osiris transferred his life to his son. Osiris continued to live as a spirit while his son carried out his work on earth, including killing Seth and resuming his father's throne. Isis in the Roman Empire During the early empire, the cult of Isis was extremely popular. With rituals similar to those of Dionysus and a goddess resembling Demeter, the Isis Mysteries were nothing unique in the Roman religious system. The main competition for the Isis mysteries as the predominant cult in the Empire came originally from Mithras and later from Christianity. At the peak of its popularity, the cults of Isis were the most numerous in the empire. However, the Isis mysteries slowly lost ground to Christianity and had faded into obscurity by the end of the fourth century AD. Isis Mysteries and Christianity Both the Isis Mysteries and Christianity were popular mystery religions in the early Roman Empire. Many facets of their central myths and theology are very similar. First, the main deities of both cults offered a trinity consisting of a father, son and spirit. In the Isis Mysteries, this is formed by Osiris, his son Horus, and the spirit Ka-mutef which binds them together. This is a close parallel of God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit in Christianity. Another parallel is the relationship of mother and son. Isis and Horus are viewed as having the perfect mother-son relationship, very similar to relationship Mary and Jesus hold in Christianity. Yet another parallel is the resurrection of a god and the subsequent promise of eternal life to the followers. To the followers of Isis, Osiris became the Lord of Eternity after his death and resurrection and thus is able to guarantee them eternal life in Duat, the next world. Similar to this is the way the resurrection of Jesus allows eternal life for his followers in the Christian tradition. The Christian Empire Christianity offered some of the same mysticism: they were slightly secretive to avoid persecution, and they had stories of the miracles that Christ had performed. Therefore, the followers of the mystery cults were also drawn to Christianity. Christianity appealed to Pagans for a third major reason: it offered hope. Classical polytheism left its followers to be subordinate to gods who did a lot of nothing for them, and offered no hope of a better life. However, Christianity offered a glorious life after death, something that buoyed poor and hungry people who saw no hope of advancing in this lifetime. Christians also seemed to have a fellowship that the general populace didn't have--they called each other brother and sister and kissed when they met. So many Pagans converted to Christianity simply for the good feelings it brought them. All of these were good reasons for a large number of individual conversions to Christianity, but the majority of conversions came in mass. By the late third century AD, Christianity was the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. The Emperor Constantine recognized this and decided to officially name Christianity as the religion of the Empire, ending years of often bloody persecution. Despite attempts by Julian to force citizens back into the pagan state religion, the Empire would remain Christian until its fall. When Charlemagne converted to Christianity after calling to Jesus for help in battle (a common reason for Kings' conversions) he made his army and his subjects convert as well. There were also people such as St. Olaf, who traveled through Norway telling people to convert to Christianity or die. Since these converts became Christian to appease their ruler or save their life, they were not very devout and kept many of their pagan practices. The fact that so many conversions happened in this way is why so many "Christian" traditions are, in all actuality, Pagan traditions that were continued into Christianity. The Burning Times and Salem After Jesus of Nazareth was born, the "Christ Cult" slowly spread all over the earth. However, it was not as widespread as people seem to think it was. (In fact, it's not as widespread now as people seem to think it is-- only 20% of the earth's population is Christian. By the middle of the sixteenth century in Europe, there were still people who passed the old ways along to their children and families that had never been Christian. However, the witch craze that started in about 1560, often called the "Burning Times" by modern Witches, virtually ensured that hereditary Witchcraft all but died out. The Burning Times were caused by many and varied reasons. First of all, people believed that harmful magic existed and that people could attain this power through a pact with Satan. Women were believed to be especially vulnerable to the power of the devil, because people believed women were sexually insatiable. It was crucial for this belief to be in place before the Burning Times could start. The next step in the witch craze was personal calamity. An illness or death in the family, a natural disaster, the deaths of livestock--all could be conveniently blamed on an undesirable or strange member of the community. Some women were brought to trial because a person who they had given bread to decades earlier had suddenly died. Personal revenge also played a factor in the cause of the Burning Times, as did land disputes. These factors started a few isolated witch hunts, and the ball was rolling. The major factor that brought the witch craze from isolated incidents to a continental holocaust was the quest for political power. People who helped "drive out evil" in a town were admired and gained power among the people. Accusing a witch and helping convict them gave a person such favor with the church and the government that men often accused their own daughters, wives, and mothers as a tool to move up in society. Most men whose wives had been accused by other parties certainly wouldn't defend them--this caused political and social death, and sometimes even execution. Witch hunting became so respected and profitable that some people made it their sole profession. Many Christian holidays had already been placed on the days of Pagan festivals, to incriminate those who didn't go to church on these days. Instructional manuals were written, including the Malleus Malificarum, a book that is rivaled only by the Bible as a historical bestseller. Witch hunting practices were often deceitful--the Malleus Malificarum describes how to catch a witch with a retractable poker. Witches were believed not to bleed, so showing that a woman could be pricked and not made to bleed would convince a crowd that she was a witch. The Malleus Malificarum instructs the witch hunter to prick himself with a poker and show the crowd that it was sharp and made him bleed. Then he quickly switched this poker for a retractable one while the crowd was not looking. He poked the woman with this retractable poker and, of course, it didn't break her skin. She was all but convicted at this point. Once on trial, the methods used to convict a witch were also deceptive. The women were most often tortured painfully until they were made to confess. (Evidence shows that women often were set free if they managed to survive the torture without confessing. However, this was something rarely accomplished.) Some women, however, confessed without being tortured. Why was this? Historians hypothesize that past sexual "immorality" had convinced some women that they actually had been corrupted by the devil, or that abusive husbands had led some women to believe that they were married to and being abused by Satan himself! Some women, of course, confessed to avoid the inevitable torture. Nonetheless, confession did not always assure leniency, and even women who were let out of prison were never truly free. The accusation of witchcraft followed them their whole lives. Men were also accused of witchcraft, of course, but the majority of those accused were women. When men were accused, it was often because a female family member had been accused, or because the accused man was a criminal and the courts or accusers were trying to worsen the charges against them. Anne Llewellyn Barstow, documents the historical path of the Witch craze in a book by that title. Her research shows that about 80% of those accused and 85% of those executed during the witchcraze were female. The typical "witch" was female, middle aged, reclusive, single or widowed ("no man to defend or control her"), and they were often healers or midwives--possessing an awe-inspiring and misunderstood power that people assumed could be used for evil just as well as good. Executions of witches were always public, and in the form of hanging, stoning, burning at the stake, and many other bizarre and eclectic products of the community's imagination. Many witches never made it to their execution, or even to a trial--they were killed during torture or lynched by their community. By the time the women were executed, they had already been whipped and slashed, often having hands and breasts cut completely off. Death was welcome to these victims. Barstow's extensive research puts the number of dead between 1560 and 1760 at about 100,000. America's version of this witchcraze seems insignificant in comparison. In the village of Salem, Massachusetts, 20 people were executed for the crime of witchcraft -19 women hanged and one man pressed to death under heavy stones. Though it may seem insignificant, this event of 1693 left a deep scar on the American consciousness. The mental plague that took over this Puritan town was much more vile that it looks at first glance. When town officials explored the event several years after the bodies were decaying in their graves, they found strong evidence that the accusers had had a decades long land dispute with the accused. Since the accused would not sell, the accusers tried a different avenue: the death of all these landowners would cause their land to go on the market. The Salem trials demonstrate how conniving and unethical people turned to an easy method of murder to accomplish their financial and political goals. The Early Twentieth Century At the beginning of the twentieth century, an incredible thing was happening. Scientific discoveries were being made that undermined the most popular creation story in the world, that of the Hebrew scripture. The remains of animals that humans had never seen before were being discovered, and a man named Charles Darwin was suggesting that animals may not exist today as they did many years ago. The foundation of traditional religion had been cracked, and many people turned away from Christianity and other traditional faiths. Around this same time, an archeologist named Margaret Murray published a book called The Witch Cult in Western Europe. It detailed the spiritual life of ancient cultures of the European continent, and labeled the members of these cultures as Witches. They were people who followed a fertility-cult religion and who performed magic. This is what led to the label of Witch from Murray's pen--as a member of turn of the century society, magic and witchcraft were linked in her mind. Unfortunately, even though she was a skilled archeologist, she followed the "witch" strain to another end: she wrote in her book that these cults worshipped the devil. However, in her second book on this subject, The God of the Witches, she retracted her statement that these societies worshipped the devil and explained that it was a hunter, beast-like god of fertility and nature that they paid homage to. These two books together gave a detailed explanation of ancient culture and religion that had not been widely available before. Closer to the middle of the 20th century, the effects of Murray's books were apparent in the writing of Gerald Gardner. He published a book called Witchcraft Today. In it, he claimed that he had found one of these ancient societies, still flourishing and practicing their religion, on the Isle of Man. He was initiated into their cult and learned their practices. They were much like those detailed in the books of Margaret Murray. In retrospect, it was likely that Gardner had never found such people, and that his book was based on Murray's writings and his own fantastical ideas. However, he was the first person to widely use the word Wicca, after the old English word for Witch. Both this name and his ideas caught on, and the Wiccan religion was begun. The earliest Wiccans were Gardnerians, coven members that followed the ideas set forth by Gardner. Like the Gardnerians, the overwhelming majority of early Wiccans were traditionalists. They were members of covens and followed the ideas set forth by Gardner, including a much heavier emphasis on hierarchy and fertility than we would see in later years. The Craft Today As the world moved into the 60s and 70s, two things started happening to Wicca. The first is that it began spreading beyond the borders of England. This is not to say that American Witches did not exist before the 70s, but the Wiccan movement did start in England and it wasn't until later that a Witchcraft boom started in America. The second thing that happened is that people started becoming Wiccan without joining covens. They became Solitaries; people who practiced alone. The Solitary movement began out of necessity. People read the books of Murray, Gardner, and others such as Alexander and Crowley, and wanted to become Wiccan but were unable to find other around them who felt the same. Realizing that what mattered was their beliefs, these people adopted the Wiccan religion anyway, waiting until a coven became available to them. After these people started practicing alone, people realized that one shouldn't feel obligated to practice in a coven. Some people preferred to practice alone, and began choosing to even when a coven was available to them. This is when the Solitary movement really started; when people began forming their own personal versions of Wiccan spirituality. The Solitary movement changed the way that Wicca was practiced. Young Wiccans are far less likely to be involved with a coven, they focus less on the fertility aspect of the religion and more on ecology, and they are more theological and less ritual-oriented. It has become a more welcoming, intellectual, morality-based religion, and a less exclusive, physical religion. There are many different kinds of Wiccans as a result of these changes: there are still traditionalist Gardnerians and Alexandrians (who, from time to time, tell a Solitary or two that they're not "real witches"), Dianic Wiccans (who often do not acknowledge the existence of the god and are very feminist-oriented), Wiccans who heavily incorporate Native American beliefs into their spirituality, Celtic Wiccans, "Ecclectic" Solitaries (Solitaries are often called this because they each design their own faith, drawing on many others for ideas), and even Christian Witches--people who believe in Jesus Christ's divinity but who also revere nature and practice magic. They are very diverse, but also enjoy a very warm fellowship. The Wiccan Rede Religion has a different purposes for different people. Many textbooks state that the purpose of religion is to "explain why we're here." But it goes far beyond that, to reasons that differ from religion to religion. To some, it's the means to salvation. This belief is evidenced in most Christian sects, where it is believed that grace and salvation come from faith alone and that good deeds and penance are inconsequential. To others, practicing a religion is a way to keep the gods from being angry at you. This is the case in classical polytheism, which was practiced by the ancient Greeks and Romans to appease the less- than-perfect, quick-tempered gods. Still others see religion as a device that brings about unity. Baha'i, for example, believe that unity is essential, and that if religion were to bring about disunity, it would be better not to have religion at all. Wiccan people also have a specific reason for being religious: to become a better person. But they don't believe that you have to be Wiccan to be a good person, or even believe that you have to be religious to be a good person. But just as the Baha'i believe that religion has lost its purpose when it causes disunity, Wiccan people believe that it's better not to be religious at all if your religion does not help you grow as a person. For a person who bombs an abortion clinic in the name of God, in the opinion of a Wiccan, the purpose for religion has been lost. When a people believe that striving to be a good person is the ultimate goal of religion, it's logical to ask, "What is a good person?" In order to quest toward this goal, we must be able to define what it is. Almost all religions have standards of morality that they expect their adherents to follow. The Christian religion begins with the ten commandments, and then the teachings of Jesus, and then the results of the creed and Lateran councils, and the Vaticans, and the priests, the ministers, the pope... morality comes from a variety of sources for them. And this is not unique--most religions actually have many volumes of books written by respected sources just about how you go about being a good person. Wiccans, however, put forth only one standard: Do what ye will, but harm none. This leaves a good deal of room for interpretation! Two people might decide two different things when faced with the same issue and using only the Rede as an axiom! This is not a problem for Wiccans. They relish their individuality and the right of all people to decide for themselves. Council of American Witches: "Principles of Belief" The Council of American Witches was a group formed in 1973-1974 with the purpose of defining modern Witchcraft. This list was drafted by Carl L. Weschke, owner and operator of Llewelyn publishing in St. Paul and director of the Council of American Witches when it was in existence. "The Council of American Witches finds it necessary to define modern Witchcraft in terms of the American experience and needs. "We are not bound by traditions from other time and other cultures, and owe no allegiance to any person or power greater than the Divinity manifest through our own being. "As American Witches, we welcome and respect all life-affirming teachings and traditions, and seek to learn from all and share our learning within our Council. "It is in this spirit of welcome and cooperation that we adopt these few principles of Wiccan belief. "We therefore ask only that those who seek to identify with us accept these few basic principles:
An Essay by Wren Walker Wren Walker is a life-long Witch and civil rights acitivist. She is the chairperson of an educational organization called The Witches' Voice, where she and many other dedicated people work for religious freedom. Wren wrote the following words when she was concerned about the fragmentation of the Wiccan community. I think it could be adapted quite well to religious belief in general. Let there be Music! We have always viewed the Pagan Community as something like unto a choir. There is one piece of music requiring many parts. The traditions are sort of like the baritone section-they keep the beat and give an underlying thread of strength to the piece. We need their structure and sense of historical ritual practice. The eclectics and "white-lighters" are like the soprano section. They really reach for those high notes. Sometimes their voice may crack from the stretch... but they keep practicing... they show us how to dare to reach for what is beyond. They try for the stars... and lift the piece higher, so the melody is set free to soar. The solitaries and most of the rest of us sing the middle road section. We blend the beat of the traditions with the lift of the sopranos. We build on the strength and knowledge of the baritone and support the wavering, yet beautiful lilt of the soprano. The piece of music is the song of the universe itself. To be properly sung... to be heard by the world... all sections do their own part...each section sings in the range that best suits their voices, yet each part supports the other... each brings its own beauty and love to the song. If we learn to sing this piece of music from the Universe, all who hear it will be changed forever... Walk in Love and Light and Music.
Material on Wicca borrowed heavily from Lori Peterson (thanks!) dm 7/9/00 |
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Last Update 4/5/04 |