Witches Creed
Hear now the words of the Witches, the secrets we hid in the night, When dark was our destiny's pathaway, that now we bring forth into light.
Mysterious water and fire, the earth and the wide-ranging air, by hidden quintessence we know them, and will and 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 magickal ring.
Four times in the year the Great Sabbat returns, and the Witches are seen at Lammas and Candlemas dancing on May Eve and old Halloween.
When day-time and night-time are equal When sun is at greatest and least the four Lesser Sabbats are summoned and Witches gather in feast.
Thirteen silver moons in year are thirteen is the Coven's array thirteen times at Esbat make Merry For each golden year and a day.
The power that was passed down the age each time between woman and man Each century unto the other Eve time and the ages began
When drawn is the Magickal Circle by sword or athame of power its compass between two worlds lies in land of the shades for that hour
This world has no right then to know it and world of beyond will tell naight the oldest of Gods are invoked there the great work of Magick is wrought
For the two are mystical pillars that stand at the gate of the shrine and two are the powers of Nature the forms and the forces divine.
The dark and the light in sucession the opposites each unto each shown forth as God and a Goddess of this our ancestors teach.
By night he's the wild wind's rider the Horn'd One, the Lord of the Shades By day he's the King of the Woodland the dweller in green forest glades
She is youthful or old as she pleases She sails the torn clouds in her barque the bright silver Lady of the Midnight the crone who weaves spells in the dark.
The Master and the Mistress of Magick that dwell in the deeps of the mind immortal and ever-renewing with power to free or to bind.
So drink the good wine to the Old Gods and dance and make love in their praise till Elphame's fair land shall recieve us in peace at the end of our days.
And do what you will be the challenge So be it Love that harms none for this is the only Commandment By Magick of old, Be it Done !
Doreen Valiente's: Witchcraft For Tomorrow
The Rede
Many people believe that modern wicca is what has existed for thousands of years as witchcraft, but this is wrong. The Wiccan practice was brought to the U.S. by Gerald Gardner in the 1950's. Gerald Gardner CO-wrote the Gardnerian Book of Shadows with Aleister Crowley. Alex Sanders based the Alexandrian tradition on the writings of Gerald Gardner.
Bide ye wiccan laws you must, in perfect love and perfect trust Live ye must and let to live, fairly take and fairly give For the circle thrice about to keep unwelcome spirits out To bind ye spell well every time, let the spell be spake in rhyme Soft of eye and light of touch, [speak ye little, listen much Chanting out ye baleful tune When ye Lady's moon is new, kiss ye hand to her times two When ye moon rides at her peak, Then ye heart's desire seek Heed the north winds mighty gale, lock the door and trim the sail When the wind comes from the south, love will kiss thee on the mouth When the wind blows from the east, expect the new and set the feast. Nine woods in the cauldron go,
burn them fast and burn them slow
Elder be ye Lady's tree, burn it not or cursed ye'll be When the wheel begins to turn, soon ye beltane fires will burn When the whell hath turned a Yule light the log the Horned One rules Heed ye flower, bush and tree, by the Lady blessed be Where the rippling waters go, cast a stone, the thruth ye'll know When ye 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 ye threefold law ye should, three times bad and three times good When misfortune is enow, wear the star upon they brow True in love must ye ever be, lest thy love be false to thee These eight words the wiccan rede fulfill;
An harm ye none, do what ye will.
Thirteen Witchy Principles
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 is 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 of the Universe as manifesting through polarity --as masculine and feminine-- and that this same creative Power lives in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sexuality 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, the 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 or the Wiccan Way.
8. Calling oneself "Witch" does not make a Witch-- but neither does heredity itself, or the collecting of titles, degrees, and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within him/herself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well, without harm to others, and in harmony with Nature.
9. We acknowledge that it is the affirmation and fulfillment of life, in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness, that gives meaning to the Universe we know, and to our personal role within it.
10. Our only animosity toward Christianity, or toward any other religion or philosophy-of-life is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be "the one true right and only way" and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practices 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. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do we accept the concept that personal benefits can only be derived by denial to another.
13. We work within Nature for that which is contributory to our health and well-being.
