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Jacci Sutton
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FYI FROM
AN OLD WITCH … DON’T CONFUSE ME!
Language is so important, but understanding the concept
of the written word is even more so.
Lately, it’s become obvious that many people are reading more and more
about Wicca, and other religions growing and evolving in the Pagan Community,
and I sometimes wonder how people interpret what they read. For instance, I’ve seen and heard a lot of
conversations regarding Wicca, and it’s “Laws”.
Everyone gets caught on the “Harm None” pole, at some time or another,
and the interpretations of that simple statement can really cause hours of
discussion, and argumentative ones at that! The entire statement is “An it Harm
none, do as thou Will”. The key to this
statement is to recognize the importance of YOUR WILL. What do you want to achieve in your
life? How will you go about it? And does your “Will” give you license to step
on anyone else’s toes while achieving your desires?
If I want a good job, I need to understand what is
necessary for me to know in order to get hired.
I also have to realize that along with my experience and education, I
have to impress the interviewer with my personality and appearance. So I will tailor my resume, and my persona to
show the interviewer that I will be an asset to the company on many
levels. That’s good salesmanship. My Will to be employed means I must consider
all the factors and provide the interviewer with a positive aspect so that they
can make an informed decision in my favor.
By exercising my Will, and being prepared, I have a better chance of
getting that job. Casting a spell to get
a job for which I am not qualified will cause harm to me, when it’s discovered
I can’t do the job well. It will cause
harm to the person who hired me, for their expertise now becomes questionable. It causes harm to the company, for they have
invested time and expense, only to find out they bought a “pig in a poke” ..
and it harms those who are still job hunting because their interview process
will be under much more scrutiny because of the experience I created. All of our actions have cause and
effect. Not just on ourselves, but on
all those whose lives we touch.
Our everyday actions, the way we live our lives, are the
manifestations of our “Will”. Knowing
your Will, and working on your understanding of the world around you, is the
basic principle of Wiccan belief. Living
Wicca is more than knowing how to cast a circle, or what color candles to use
on the Sabbats. It’s knowing how to live
your life in balance with all other living things. In other words, it is an ethical, practical,
balanced methodology.
Wicca is a Polytheistic belief system. We believe in the Goddess as well as the
God. In fact, we believe in all the
Goddesses and all of the Gods! Getting
to know the different Deities is an on-going study in the Wiccan process. Some personalities will speak to us on a gut
level immediately, while others require deeper study in order to understand and
appreciate their qualities. We all have
favorites, yet all Deities deserve respect.
Reincarnation is another basic belief within the Wicca
teachings. Just as all species evolve,
and react to historical events, human beings are evolving on many levels. It is the awareness of our past that helps us
to understand our present and our future.
And finally, the Three-Fold Law is once again a
systematic awareness of our own responsibility for the quality of our
lives. Let’s look at it on a very
simplistic level. If I plant a garden,
and neglect to water or weed the plot, I will probably get nothing. But if I tend it well, I will be rewarded
with an abundance of foods or flowers.
If I bring home a puppy, and play with it for a day or two, then tie it
outside and toss it some food every once in a while, I should not be surprised
if that dog runs away, or bites my hand one day. I have not nurtured properly. Again, the 3-Fold is an advisory as to how to
live your life in balance, with respect, and satisfaction.
The Wiccan Traditions also have a list of “Ardanes”, or
“Ordanes”, which are merely a set of bylaws for the particular Traditions,
which reflect the organizational structure. The original Ordanes of Gardnerian
Tradition reflect the mores of Society in England of the 1930’s. Secrecy, the need to protect coven members
from exposure, and the fact that the Witchcraft Laws were still on the books,
had an effect on the type of bylaws adopted by the Covens at the time. Are they necessary today? Well, any organization needs a structure so
that it runs well. However, to be
successful, every organization must adapt to changing times and markets. Adopting archaic methods of operation can be
harmful to any group. Understanding, and
being able to change a bylaw to reflect current conditions, is part of the
natural evolution of any group. By all
means, study the past, but live in the present, and prepare for the
future.
The Wicca was founded as a Neo-Pagan Religion, based on
Gardner’s studies of ancient lore, and observation of cultures other than his
own. Blending, weaving, and adapting to
many perspectives, he began a pathway of exploration and acceptance. We’ve come a long way over the past 70 years,
but there is still a long way to go. Our
ability to learn, and adapt our knowledge, weaving into the fabric of our
lives, is the greatest mystery of the Wicca, just as it is the greatest mystery
of life itself.
BB … Owl
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