An Explication of the Principles of Belief: Part 7

We see religion, magick and wisdom in living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it – a worldview and philosophy of life which we identify as Witchcraft – the Wiccan Way.

For serious practitioners of Wicca there is more to the term Witch than casting spells, more to being Wiccan than setting oneself apart by being part of an esoteric path, and more to Magick than wearing misunderstood symbols.  Our practice is our way of life, and it embodies our worldview.  Sure, the jewelry is fun and studying divination and healing is enriching, and Magick can be energizing, Sabbats remarkable; but to call one’s self a follower of the Wiccan way is more than dressing the part and saying the words.  It is a way of life, a manner of existing in the community and a course of journeying through the world while holding what is sacred in perspective every step of the way.

        

Serious practitioners are not out to toy with Magick or misuse divinatory practices in unethical or harmful ways; we simply do not have the time and energy to go out of our way to indulge in practices that do not advance our commitment to the Goddess/God and nature.  We practice our religion that acknowledges the power of Magick in the synthesis of energy all around us, but we also attune ourselves to needs of our immediate surrounding while we maintain the wisdom to “fairly take and fairly give.”  Our philosophy carries the importance of co-existing with nature.  We identify with our craft in daily decisions that honor the God, Goddess, and the Earth and provide spiritual fulfillment.  Even the rituals that are part of the Wiccan faith in honoring the changing seasons through Sabbats and the phases of the moon through Esbats are not the total of a Wiccan lifestyle.

Wiccans do not seek to neglect a lifelong connection to the God and Goddess in favor of emphasizing Magick or ritual, but use Magick and ritual to maintain connection to the God and Goddess.  One who is a Wiccan practitioner seeks to align the spirit and philosophies of magick, religious rites, honoring of Deities, and communing with the spirit world into a lifestyle that encompasses daily acts and decisions.  For Wiccans, wisdom, Magick, and religion are all connected in a lifestyle that attunes us to the God and Goddess.

Angela Kaufman is the coauthor of Wicca: What’s the Real Deal? Breaking Through the Misconceptions, along with Dayna Winters, and Patricia Gardner.  You can find out more about the book at: http://www.wwtrd.webs.com.

An Explication of the Principles of Wiccan Belief: Part 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 the feminine.  We value neither above the other knowing each to be supportive of the other.  We value sex as pleasure as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energy used in magical practice and religious worship.

Most practitioners of Wicca recognize energy in all forms of life consisting of duality. These opposing forces are conceived of as “masculine” and “feminine” energy; although, this does not refer to gender in a mundane sense, but the nature of this energy being a projecting or receiving force. Like tides in an ocean the ebbing and flowing waters are both necessary, and as one tide advances while another recedes, neither is dominant or superior to the other.

This energy is embodied as a God and Goddess who carry the nature of this receding and advancing energy. As all things in nature must have balance, Wiccans see polarity of opposites in the God and Goddess.  With the God and Goddess as the culmination of energy manifest in Divine form, it is then only natural to hold the exchange of energy between them, or the combination of masculine and feminine energies, as an act of divine union. In Wiccan religion, this is considered the “Great Marriage” of the God and Goddess and their union is the source of nurturing and fertility of all nature on a seasonal cycle.  Thus, the Wiccan view of combining masculine and feminine polarities in sexual union is considered sacred. In viewing sex in this manner, we see it as a Divine act of combining powerful energies, and it is an act to be treated with respect. Whether for pleasure or procreation we see it as an extension of the act of creation that allows nature to continually rejuvenate season after season.

We hold the concept of balance as being critical as we see all things in nature as existing in the context of their polar opposite. Joining with a partner in sex, regardless of gender, is a bringing together of complimentary energies which some choose to engage in for magickal practice; however, this is completely up to the individuals and should never be performed under any type of coercion.  One can be just as successful in magickal workings combining energies with others through gathering in a circle to raise energy through rituals that do not contain any intimate physical contact, or that contain symbolic representations of the God and Goddess joining in the Great Marriage, such as holding the athame (ritual knife) with the blade inside the ritual chalice (representing the Goddess). Magick is about harnessing energy through intent, and for a Wiccan to channel the powerful energy of opposites in nature, the act need not be literal but can be represented symbolically.

Angela Kaufman is the coauthor of Wicca: What’s the Real Deal? Breaking Through the Misconceptions, along with Dayna Winters, and Patricia Gardner.  You can find out more about the book at: http://www.wwtrd.webs.com.