A Quick View

All religions have a way of viewing and explaining the universe around us and giving it meaning. They all have some method of personalizing the forces within that universe. That is, they have a deity that represents those forces. Some religions have one deity; some have more than one. Some religions worship the deities; some worship what the deities represent. Some religions depend upon a collection of information which is considered to be inspired by their deity (or deities), while others say that humans are supposed to figure it out on their own while on this earthly plane. Some religions suggest that everything we sense is a dream or illusion while reality is not understandable as long as we are in this corporeal form. Others claim this is only one reality and that when we die, we assume a different form in a different place with a greater reality available to us.

Some religions worship by doing certain physical movements; others chant or sing and say prayers. Some hold their worship services indoors; others outdoors. Some dance to attain spiritual inspiration; some handle snakes. Some take drugs; others fast for weeks. Obviously, there are thousands of differences between one religion and another. Wars have been fought and great brutality has been used in them just to "prove" the rightness of one religion over another. Even within one religion, wars have been (and currently still are) waged over which subtle difference of ways to express their religious opinions is better.

My religion

My religion is Wicca. Don't feel bad if you haven't heard of it. We are not many (estimates are from 100,000 to 200,000 in the USA) and don't generally make the news because we are in thousands of small, independent groups. When you do hear of us, it is often with the news slant that we are "quaint" or strange or somehow just sort of "playing" at being a religion. Nothing could be further from the truth. Some in the media attempt to lump us in with Devil worshippers or other such nonsense (of course, the Jews were baby-eating Devil worshippers according to Nazi German presses!), which is totally incorrect. We don't even acknowledge the Devil's existence! He is, after all, a construct of the Judeo-Christian religions and we are not part of them. Our religion is both old and new. It is old because we use ancient pantheons to describe some of our ideas. We are new because we have not been a viable spiritual movement for more than about 75 years... half of which, we were not really known by the general population.

Wiccans worship a God and a Goddess. We feel that deity is best represented as the duality inherent in that image. We often use the Moon as a symbol for the Goddess and the Sun as a symbol for the God. Mostly, Wiccans worship in small (anywhere from 3 to 30 people) groups and sometimes get together in much larger groups (often well over 100) for some of our more important holidays.

We believe that the natural world provides the metaphor for our spiritual teachings and many (if not most) Wiccans are heavily into conservation and similar concepts. We feel that living in harmony with Nature is ultimately better than attempting to overrun it. But that doesn't mean we are opposed to technology. In fact, science and technology are often of keen interest in our adherents. Many of our folk are very much into computer use and programming and we communicate a lot with one another across the planet via the Internet. Medicine is also one of the things we are interested in and it is not unusual for doctors and nurses to be Wiccan.

Our worship services are often termed "rituals," and our use of that word is sometimes illogically turned against us. Because Hollywood has used that word in connection with silly B-movie horror stories depicting their version of Devil worshipping, it is sometimes thrown up that we are Devil worshippers because we use the same word for our services. Such convoluted logic could just as easily connect us with Buddhists or the Boy Scouts, also neither of which are we. Our rituals (or religious ceremonies, if that makes you more comfortable) are usually held out of doors when weather permits. We normally try to call upon the graces of the gods (God and Goddess) for our health and greater wisdom of how to enhance Life in all of its forms on the planet. We do this through prayer, chant, and other forms of symbolic communion with our deities. Nothing that is done during these ceremonies involves harming or the taking of life. Quite the opposite, in fact, since one of the most basic tenets that all Wiccans accept is that whatever we do comes back on us three-fold. Obviously, if we do harm to anyone or anything, we will suffer an even greater harm in our own lives. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that doing bad things is stupid. Of course, we petition the gods all the time to give us the wisdom to know what is harmful and what isn't. Such a belief being one of our most basic tenets, we tend to be very gentle and peace loving folk, not only in our religious observances, but in our everyday lives as well.

Our holidays are spread rather evenly throughout the year in eight holidays, with monthly or bimonthly meetings added for more personal worship. The monthly meetings are usually on the Full Moon (or as close to that time as convenient) and sometimes also on or near the New Moon. The eight "high" holy days are on the solstices and equinoxes and points halfway between those times. Four of these eight holidays tell a story of birth (Spring or Vernal Equinox), growth (Summer Solstice), harvest (Autumnal Equinox), death (Winter Solstice), and re-birth. Their spiritual meaning is related to our own lives, both physical (obvious) and spiritual (metaphorical). The holidays in between, sometimes called The Cross-Quarter Days, usually are used as metaphors for how we can integrate one part of our lives with another (as in the celebration of Candlemas (Feb. 2nd), where we talk about the "quickening" of the Earth from the dormancy of Winter to the obvious re-birth of Life at Spring Equinox). These holidays constitute an entire annual liturgy that is referred to as The Wheel of the Year. Our Lunar celebrations are often a scaled down version of this creation story but are used for more personal spiritual investigation. The solstices and equinoxes, being celebrated on obvious solar points, are usually more directly connected with the God; the lunar meetings being more influenced by the Goddess connection. The Cross Quarter Days most often try to be a balance between God and Goddess in their focus.

Our Aspirations

Our gods are not for intervention in the lives of the Wicca. What we do, we do out of free will. We may ask for knowledge and spiritual help, but we are solely responsible for our own actions. This is a very important aspect of our approach to life in harmony with our spiritual outlook. Unless we hold ourselves completely responsible for our actions as well as responsible to our environment, we lessen our ability to make right whatever we have done wrong (and, after all, we all make mistakes). In other words, if we don't take responsibility for all our actions, we give away our ability to do the right thing. So, in our religion, we don't have any sort of redemption except through our own actions. This spiritual lesson is perhaps one of our most fundamental beliefs. We refuse to let anyone else take away our ability to create or to make ourselves and the world we inhabit into the best place it can be. We know we may never make it all right, but we stand free to make it into the most beautiful world we can.

The notion that we are free to do whatever we may dream of might to some seem like way to much power for a human to handle. Some religions believe that people need hard and fast rules, stringent threats of punishment if those rules are not obeyed, and a deity that judges us on how well we have kept those rules in our lives. We believe that such ideas are not what life is all about. We believe that we must look to the world around us and see the lessons inherent in the way that world has been put together. And we believe that the natural world tells us how we should behave. We see all the "rules" in Nature. We know there are rules we will never be able to break. Right is right and wrong is wrong. But we don't always know which is which. History tells us that what is considered right by one generation or culture is wrong according to another. Humans have been fighting since time began about what is right and wrong. No matter what rules are dreamed up, proclaimed by some god, or written down by benighted leaders, there has never been agreement about what those rules mean. The only "rule" that seems permanent is the one that nearly all religions claim as their own: love. Wiccans are no better than anyone else at trying to follow that rule. But we know that love is not fear of a wrathful god or haughty judgement of our fellow humans because they are different from us. We are no better or worse than anyone else and we don't belittle those who think, believe, or worship in ways that we don't understand. We only ask that we be allowed to find our own way to spiritual enlightenment.

The Principles of Wiccan Belief

We are not bound by traditions from other times 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 to share our learning. We do not wish to open ourselves to the destruction of Wicca by those on self-serving power trips, or to philosophies and practices contradictory to these principles. In seeking to exclude those whose ways are contradictory to ours, we do not want to deny participation with us to any who are sincerely interested in our knowledge and beliefs, regardless of race, color, sex, age, national or cultural origins, or sexual preference.

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 in 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.

THE NATURE OF OUR WAY

* As often as possible, hold the rites in forests, by the seashore, on deserted mountaintops or near tranquil lakes. If this is impossible, a garden or some chamber shall suffice, if it is readied with fumes of flowers.

* Seek out wisdom in books, rare manuscripts and cryptic poems if you will, but seek it out also in simple stones and fragile herbs and in the cries of wild birds. Listen to the wisperings of the wind and the roar of water if you would discover magick, for it is here that the old secrets are preserved.

* Books contain words; trees contain energies and wisdom books ne'er dreamt of.

* Ever remember that the Old Ways are constantly revealing themselves. Therefore be as the river willow that bends and sways with the wind. That which remains changeless shall outlive its spirit, but that which evolves and grows will shine for centuries.

* There can be no monopoly on wisdom. Therefore share what you will of our ways with others who seek them, but hide mystic lore from the eyes of those who would destroy, for to do otherwise increases their destruction.

* Mock not the rituals or spells of another, for who can say yours are greater in power or wisdom?

* Ensure that your actions are honorable, for all that you do shall return to you three-fold, good or bane.

* Be wary of one who would dominate you, who would control and manipulate your workings and reverences. True reverence for the Goddess and God occurs within. Look with suspicion on any who would twist worship from you for their own gain and glory, but welcome those priestesses and priests who are suffused with love.

* Honor all living things, for we are of the bird, the fish, the bee. Destroy not life save it be to preserve your own.

* And this is the nature of our way.
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 gasses and gasses 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. And the Goddess and God, satisfied by their works, rejoiced and loved, and were one. From their union sprang the seeds of all life, and of 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 symbol, to remind the inhabitants of Earth of their fashioners. All are born, live, die and are reborn beneath the Sun and Moon; all things come to pass thereunder, and all occurs with the blessings of The One, as has been the way of existence before time was.

SONG OF THE GODDESS

I am the Great Mother, worshipped by all creation and existent prior to their consciousness. I am the primal female force, boundless and eternal.

I am the chaste Goddess of the Moon, the Lady of all magick. The winds and moving leaves sing my name. I wear the cresent Moon upon my brow and my feet rest among the starry heavens. I am mysteries yet unsolved, a path newly set upon. I am a field untouched by the plow. Rejoice in me and know the fullness of youth.

I am the blessed Mother, the gracious Lady of the harvest. I am clothed with the deep, cool wonder of the Earth and the gold of the fields heavy with grain. By me the tides of the Earth are ruled; all things come to fruition according to my reason. I am refuge and healing. I am the life-giving Mother, wondrously fertile.

Worship me as the Crone, tender of the unbroken cycle of death and rebirth. I am the wheel, the shadow of the Moon. I rule the tides of women and mem and give release and renewal to weary souls. Though the darkness of death is my domain, the joy of birth is my gift.

I am the Goddess of the Moon, the Earth, the Seas. My names and strengths are manifold. I pour forth magick and power, peace and wisdom. I am the eternal Maiden, Mother of all, and Crone of darkness, and I send you blessings of limitless love.

CALL OF THE GOD

I am the radiant King of the Heavens, flooding the Earth with warmth and encouraging the hidden seed of creation to burst forth into manifestation. I lift my shining spear to light the lives of all beings and daily pour forth my gold upon the Earth, putting to flight the powers of darkness.

I am the master of the beasts wild and free. I run with the swift stag and soar as a sacred falcon against the shimmering sky. The ancient woods and wild places emanate my powers, and the birds of the air sing of my sanctity.

I am also the last harvest, offering up grain and fruits beneath the sickle of time so that all may be nourished. For without planting there can be no harvest; without winter, no spring.

Worship me as the thousand-named Sun of creation, the spirit of the horned stag in the wild, the endless harvest. See in the yearly cycle of festivals my birth, death and rebirth - and know that such is the destiny of all creation.

I am the spark of life, the radiant Sun, the giver of peace and rest, and I send my rays of blessings to warm the hearts and strengthen the minds of all.

THE CIRCLE OF STONES

The Circle of stones is used during indoor rituals, for energy raising, meditation and so on. First cleanse the area with the ritual broom. For this circle you will need four large, flat stones. If you have none, candles can be used to mark the four cardinal points of the circle. White or purple candles can be used, as can colours related to each direction - green for the North, yellow for East, red for South and blue for West. Place the first stone (or candle) to the North, to represent the Spirit of the North Stone. In ritual when you invoke the Spirits of the Stones you're actually invoking all that resides in that particular direction, including the elemental energies. After setting the North Stone (or candle), place the East, South and West Stones. They should mark out a rough square, nearly encompassing the working area. This square represents the physical plane on which we exist - the Earth. Now take a long purple or white cord and lay it out in a circle, using the four stones or candles to guide you. It takes a bit of practice to smoothly do this. The cord should be placed so that the stones remain inside the circle. Now you have a square and a circle, the circle representing the spiritual reality. As such, this is a squared circle; the place of interpenetration of the physical and spiritual realms. The size of the circle can be anything from 5 to 20 feet depending on the room and your desires. Next, set up the altar. The following tools are recommended: * A Goddess symbol (candle, holed stone, statue) * A God symbol (candle, horn, acorn, statue) * Athame * Wand * Censer * Pentacle * A bowl of Water (spring, rain or tap) * A bowl of Sea Salt (it can also be placed on the pentacle) * Incense * Flowers and greens * One red candle in holder (if not using point candles) * Any other tools or materials required for the ritual, spell or magickal working Set up the altar according to the plan shown here or according to your own design. Also be sure to have plenty of matches, as well as a small heat-proof container in which to place them when used. A charcoal block is also necessary to burn the incense.

Suggested Altar Layout



Light the candles. Set the incense smoking. Lift the athame and touch its blade to the water, saying:

I consecrate and cleanse this water that it may be purified and fit to dwell within the sacred Circle of Stones. In the name of the Mother Goddess and Father God, I consecrate this water.

As you do this, visualize your athame blasting away all negativity from the water. The salt is next touched with the point of the athame while saying:

I bless this salt that it may be fit to dwell within the sacred Circle of Stones. In the name of the Mother Goddess and Father God, I bless this salt.

Now stand facing North, at the edge of the cord-marked circle. Hold your athame point outward at waist level. Walk slowly around the circle's perimeter clockwise, your feet just inside the cord, charging it with your words and energy. Create the circle - through your visualization - with the power flowing out from your athame's blade. As you walk, stretch the energy out until it forms a complete sphere around the working area, half above the ground, half below. As you do this say:

Here is the boundary of the Circle of Stones. Naught but love shall enter in, Naught but love shall emerge from within. Charge this by Your powers, Old Ones!

When you have arrived back at the North, place the athame on the altar. Take up the salt and sprinkle it around the circle, begining and ending in the North, and moving clockwise. Next, carry the smoking censer from the altar, and finally sprinkle water around the circle. Do more than carrying and walking; sense the substances purifying the circle. The Circle of Stones is now sealed. Hold aloft the wand at the North, at the edge of the circle, and say:

O Spirit of the North Stone, Ancient One of the Earth, I call You to attend this circle. Charge this by Your powers, Old Ones!

As you say this, visualize a greenish mist rising and writhing in the Northern quarter, over the stone. This is the elemental energy of the Earth. When the Spirit is present, lower the wand, move to the East, raise it again and say:

O Spirit of the East Stone, Ancient One of Air, I call You to attend this circle. Charge this by Your powers, Old Ones!

Visualize the yellowish mist of Air energy. Lower the wand, move to the South and repeat the following with your upraised wand, visualizing a crimson Fire mist:

O Spirit of the South Stone, Ancient One of Fire, I call You to attend this circle. Charge this by Your powers, Old Ones!

Finally, to the West, say with the wand held aloft:

O Spirit of the West Stone, Ancient One of Water, I call You to attend this circle. Charge this by Your powers, Old Ones!

Visualize the bluish mist, the essence of Water. The circle breaths and lives around you. The Spirits of the Stones are present. Feel the energies. Visualize the circle glowing and growing in power. Stand still, sensing for a moment. The Circle of Stones is complete. The Goddess and God may be called, and magick wrought.


RELEASING THE CIRCLE

Once the rite is ended, face North, hold aloft the wand and say:

Farewell, Spirit of the North Stone. I give thanks for your presence here. Go in power.

Repeat this same formula to the East, South and West, substituting the proper direction in the words. Then return to the North and hold the wand aloft for a few moments. Lay the wand on the altar. Take up the athame. Standing in the North, pierce the circle's wall with the blade at waist level. Move clockwise around the circle, visualizing it's power being sucked back into the athame. Literally pull it back into the blade and handle. Sense the circle dissolving, shrinking; the outside world slowly regaining its dominance in the area. When you arrive at the North again, the circle is no more.


THE BLESSING CHANT

The Blessing Chant can be said at the beginning of any type of ritual as a general invocation. Separate invocations of the Goddess and God may follow.

May the powers of The One, the source of all creation; all-pervasive, omnipotent, eternal; may the Goddess, the Lady of the Moon; and the God, Horned Hunter of the Sun; may the powers of the Spirits of the Stones, rulers of the elemental realms; may the powers of the stars above and the Earth below, bless this place, and this time, and I who am with you.

THE SIMPLE FEAST

Hold up a Chalice of wine (or some other liquid) between your hands to the sky, and say:

Gracious Goddess of Abundance, Bless this wine and infuse it with your love.

In your names, Mother Goddess and Father God, I bless this wine (or brew, juice, etc.).

Hold up a plate of cakes (bread, biscuits) with both hands to the sky and say:

Powerful God of the Harvest, Bless these cakes and infuse them with your love.

In your names, Mother Goddess and Father God, I bless these cakes (or this bread).


CONSECRATION OF TOOLS

Light the candles. Set the incense smoking. Cast the Circle of Stones. Place the tool on the pentacle, or a plate of salt. Touch it with the point of your athame (or your projective hand) and say:

I consecrate you, O Athame of steel (or wand of wood, etc.) to cleanse and purify you to serve me within the Circle of Stones. In the names of the Mother Goddess and Father God, you are consecrated.

Send projective energy into the tool, cleansing it of all negativity and past associations. Now pick it up and sprinkle with salt, pass it through the incense smoke, through the candle flame and sprinkle with water, calling upon the Spirits of the Stones to consecrate it. Then hold the tool to the sky, saying:

I charge you by the Old Ones: By the omnipotent Goddess and God: By the virtues of the Sun, Moon and Stars: By the powers of the Earth, Air, Fire and Water, that I shall obtain all that I desire through you. Charge this by your power, Old Ones!

The tool should immediately be put to use to stengthen and bind the consecration. For example, the athame can be used to consecrate another tool; a wand to invoke the Goddess; the pentacle to act as a resting place for a tool during its consecration.


THE FULL MOON RITE

Perform this at night, in the view of the Moon if possible. It is appropriate for crescents, white flowers, silver and other lunar symbols to be present on the altar for this ritual. The quartz crystal sphere can be placed on the altar as well. Or, if you prefer, use the cauldron (or a small white or silver bowl) filled with water. Place a piece of silver into the water. Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle of Stones. Stand before the altar and invoke the Goddess and God, with the Blessing Chant and/or any other invocations.

Now gaze at the Moon, if possible. Feel its energies sinking into your body. Feel its cool Goddess energy wash you with power and love. Now say these or similar words:

Wondrous Lady of the Moon You who greets the dusk with silvered kisses; Mistress of the night and of all magicks, who rides the clouds in blackened skies and spills light upon the cold Earth; O Lunar Goddess, Cresented-One, Shadow maker and shadow breaker; Reavealer of mysteries past and present; Puller of seas and ruler of women; All-wise Lunar Mother, I greet your celestrial jewel at the waxing of its powers With a rite in Your honor. I pray by the Moon, I pray by the Moon, I pray by the Moon.

Continue chanting "I pray by the Moon" for as long as you will. Visualize the Goddess if you so desire, perhaps as a tall, robust woman wearing silver jewelry and white, rippling, draped clothing. A cresent Moon may rest upon Her brow, or She may toss a glowing silvery white orb in Her hands. She trods the starfield of eternal night in an eternal round with Her lover, the Sun God, speading moonrays wherever She goes. Her eyes laugh, Her skin is white and translucent. She glows. Now is the time for magick of all types, for the full of the Moon marks the height of its powers, and all positive spells cast then are powerful. Full Moons are also excellent times for meditation, mirror magick and psychic workings, for such are often more successful within the circle. Crystal-scrying is particularly recommended; flood the crystal with moonlight prior to the ritual. If you have no crystal sphere, use the cauldron filled with water and the piece of silver. Gaze at the water (or at the Moon glinting on the silver) to awaken your psychic awareness. Lunar liquids such as lemonade, milk or white wine can be consumed during the simple feast that follows. Cresent cakes are traditional as well. Thank the Goddess and God and release the circle. It is done.



Pagan Goddess Chant

I am the wind and I am the trees.
I am the Earth and I am the seas. I am a mother and I am a child.
I am a lover of passions gone wild.
I am the rain and I am the soul.
I am the one who makes the spirit whole.
I am the Maiden, Mother, and Crone.
I am the reaper of seeds that are sown.
I am within and I am without.
I am everywhere and everything about.
As Maiden I gave you the gift of joy.
As Mother I gave you nurturing and care.
As Crone I gave you wisdom unknown.
All of these gifts I have given you to share.
All of these gifts I have given you to share.