Wicca

by samijo Sun Mar 02, 2008 10:55 am

This is something I dont know too much about, I would like it if someone that is wicca to share their beliefs.
I do know that it is about the earth? right? I mean I think we need someone to explain, it is a fuzzy area that if light was shined on it,
I could fully understand it.
Thank you!
I know I could seek it out. Find it on my own. but I would rather stay at home here and have someone bring it to me..hahhaha...I guess you could say I am a bit lazy. Giggle

by Cristíona Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:06 pm

Hi, samijo !

Probably the first thing to ask YOU is ... what would you like to know ? Although I'm not WICCAN, I am very familiar and would be more than happy to be off assistance.

I've got a lovely "paper" that was written by a Christian Witch's (which is what most WICCANS call themselves) perspective and it could shine a light on quite a few things. Please enjoy ...

Cristíona

How can I call myself a Christian and a Witch?

First, you have to understand that when I say "witch" I don't mean devil worshiper. Wicca is the path of witchcraft that I follow. Wicca does not believe in a devil or an evil force in the world. They think that good and bad are the natural order of things and we should strive to be good. This is one of their basic beliefs. No devil. That's a Christian thing. Wiccans don't believe in Satan. Some people need eternal punishment to be good. I don't. I don't believe in the devil like Christians do, but I do believe in a evil force that leads us away from the Divine. I hear it refereed to as a cesspool of bad karma and thought, That's it! I use the term "witch" instead of Wiccan to not limit myself only to the Wiccan path. There is so much to learn, but Wicca is my preferred path.

The things I have in common with Wicca is that I believe in the God and Goddess (except I see them as One Deity and not two), I believe in karma, reincarnation and the Wiccan Rede "harm none.". I keep the Sabbats and Esbats. I believe that the physical world is but one of many realities. Creation is a manifestation of Divine energy.

The Christian aspect of my faith has more to do with how I see God and sin. I believe in One God (God / Goddess) that can be all things, including the pagan gods and goddess. I call upon God as Father, Goddess as Mother. These are just titles. For me there is only One Deity that is neither male nor female. The Power of the Holy One I call the Holy Spirit. I don't believe in the Trinity. I believe that there is only One that can be seen as many.

I do believe in sin and an evil force, but the only power it has is what you give it or I should say allow it to have. If there is no evil, then why do witches spend so much time on protection? There are plenty of people giving it power, so I don't take this lightly. Sin is when we make the wrong choice and hell is paying the price for it. I don't believe in an eternal hell. I feel that the Divine loves us so much that we get as many lives as we need to make the right choices. My idea of hell is like Karma coming back at you. Not an eternal punishment.

I believe in Jesus as my Savior in the sense that his teachings show us how to be free from the evil around us and change it to something positive. Since you are saved by faith alone. I consider myself saved. Jesus is my savior because it is through his teachings of Love that I can discover the Divine within me (salvation) and someday re-join the Divine (heaven). I believe that we are all sons and daughters of the Divine and possess a spark of the Divine within us. The Divine within Jesus and others like him, is more like a flaming torch (Christ Spirit) then a spark. We who hear Jesus message of Love keep a spark from his torch within us. That spark we feel is faith in Love. There are others who have carried this spark within them, but it is the path that Jesus showed us that I follow. That's what I feel is what makes me a Christian.

As a witch, I don't believe Jesus is the only way to heaven. God / Goddess works in mysterious way. So I don't feel the need to "save" anyone. I do believe that "good works" from the heart, not the show-and-tell type, do count for a lot more in God / Goddess's eyes then I was first lead to believe. My time on this Earth is to develop into a better person. I don't believe that the Bible or any one book is perfect. I believe that if you read the bible or other spiritual books with unconditional love in your heart, that you will find what is inspired by The Holy One and what is not. Love is the only "truth" I believe in.

I have found my connection to the universe. I study and practice the Wiccan Way. I cast circles, call the Elemental Guardians and the Archangels. I celebrate the Esbats and Sabbats and practice magic to improve myself. The power of the Holy Spirit is real and meant for us to use. God / Goddess wants us to be happy.

If you have any questions, I would love to hear from you. If you just want to save my soul. It's been done.

God / Goddess Bless and Brightest Blessings to you,
Starlight

by Cristíona Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:17 pm

Since I mentioned the word "witch" ... here is another wonderful article I'd like to share with you, sugar !

May Peace be on your Path-
Cristí

The Witch Controversy
Should we call ourselves "Witches" in the Modern Day?
By: Robin Artisson

Introduction: You’re a WHAT?

I know a lot of people who don’t like the word “witch”.

This isn’t normally a cause for much problem in most people’s lives; but I have a problem with it. Where I come from, “Witch” means something different than what it means to most people.

I know, I know, you are already thinking “BORING”- we’ve all heard the new-age empowerment talk; we’ve all heard how the villainous Christians warped the meaning of the word “witch”, and changed it to a word that resonates with satanic evil, as part of their long plot to discredit the gentle, earth mother-worshiping midwives of Pagan Europe.

Hear me out here! I’m not going to feed you that line (well, not exactly). I know that if you happen to be Pagan, that you’ve heard it already.

I’m writing this article to address the usage of the word “Witch” for a different reason. I’m not going to sit here and try to defend it; because historically speaking, there seem to be some good reasons to think that originally, the word “Witch” may not have had a very good meaning. But at the same time, I’m not going to say that we modern Pagans shouldn’t use it, if it is appropriate to us. Sound strange? It gets stranger.

According to some scholars, “witch” is a corruption of the word “witega”, which, to the Anglo-Saxons, referred to a wise person or a prophet. Some people have even made the leap to connect this idea of witches being the original “wise people” with the term “Wicce”, also an Anglo-Saxon term, and the origin of the modern word “witch”.

Well, all it takes is one scholar to make a statement, and immediately, you have at least seven others who have to disagree. Don’t hold it against them; it’s how they make their living. And in this case, disagreement and contrary opinions can be helpful in revealing the truth of matters- indeed, the freedom of other voices to make contrary opinions is the ONLY thing that has ever revealed the truth, in any time or place.

They’ll get you, my pretty…

So, we have some other scholarly opinions about the word “witch”. Some say that the original occult writers (such as Leland and Gardner) were a bit hasty when they associated the word “witch” to “Witega”. They assert that “witch” has always had a rather negative connotation- across the world, and in all cultures, including the Anglo-Saxon culture.

These people say that according to the Anglo-Saxon dictionary, “witches” were people who “mixed potions and did incantations”, and those potions were usually poisonous. The implications are that these are shady people, dangerous people. The ancient Hebrew word for witch seems to mean “poisoner”, as well as the Greek- it seems to refer to a person that makes drugs, herbal mixtures and potions, again, for possibly dangerous purposes.

These fine people assert that no true follower of a Pagan system would ever (now or in the past) have wanted to be called a “witch”, because a witch was a person of evil; they point to the Anglo-Saxon word “Wikke”, meaning, of course, “Wicked”, and associating that word with “Wicce”.

To this, I feel that I have to say what most of us have been thinking all this time: SO WHAT?
So what if “witch” really meant “wicked” during some historical period in England? That’s not what it means now, to a growing population of millions of Pagans. Are we still living in Anglo-Saxon England? If someone is, they need to be politely tapped on the shoulder and reminded of the last 1000 years of progress that has taken place around them. Then we can move on.

But there is more to it than this- there are other angles that we need to at least consider before we close the case on this word.

Ye Olden Times

I am all for historical guidance and reconstruction when it comes to the rebirth of Pagan faiths. Of course, I am fully aware (as are most serious Pagans) that there is more to Paganism than JUST the historical basis that it grows out of- just as there is more to Christianity than JUST the history of the early Christians.

The reality of the matter is that we don’t have an “old Anglo Saxon dictionary” that comes down to us from Pagan times. The Pagan Anglo-Saxon seem to have forgotten to make dictionaries for us- what we know (in writing) about their old language comes from a later period- a Christian period.

If it’s a linguistics argument you want, there are more possibilities- In Old German, the word “Wikkerie”, which means “Witchery” and the word “Wickhersen” which means “Witch”, are both linked to “Wicken”, which means “foretell”, and “Wicker”, which refers to a “Seer”. The image of the “witch” that we are so familiar with, with her riding-pole or broom and her cauldron, does indeed link back to a cult of pre-Christian sorcery, all of which has been neatly pointed out in the works of Nigel Jackson, and Carlo Ginsburg.

I’m not saying that Old German and Anglo-Saxon are the same language, or even so close as to make a solid case here- but they were all Germanic people, speaking Germanic languages, and the Anglo-Saxons were once continental Germans. The fact that the Germans linked Witches with seership and foretelling, and not just to making poisons, is quite interesting. Maybe the nay-sayers spoke a little too soon. Who can say?

Now, getting back to the Anglo-Saxons: I can’t prove to you that the word “witch” once had some positive connotation, and that the incoming Christian religion’s moralizing made the profession of “potion mixing” into an evil thing. I can’t prove that, but I can ask you to think, realistically, for one moment, about what we DO historically know about how the Christian religion dealt with ANY native healers, mystics, or faiths that it encountered.

We know that they immediately associated anything that was part of the older Pagan order with the devil himself, and with the worst parts of human nature. Terms such as “warlock” came to mean “oath breaker”, among other very terrible things; when in reality, the term “warlock” is from the old Norse “Vard-Lokkur”, meaning a “Song that attracts spirits”, or a “Song of conjuring”, and it refers to such a person who makes such incantations or “songs” to lure spirits, because gradually, with time, the term for the song and for the singer became interchangeable. Modern day shamans, in many tribal societies worldwide, use “songs” to invoke spirits or communicate with them- and you don’t see their fellow tribesmen living in terror of them!

The people that Christian rulers and clerics turned on didn’t have to be just Pagans, or even practicing holdovers from Pagan religions; any wisdom practice that was extra-biblical would have been enough, especially if that practice was used for ends that Christian morality found repugnant- and birth control certainly tops that list.

Where have all the herb-wives gone?

Midwives in many rural areas knew how to utilize herbs to abort pregnancies. As a consequence of their knowledge of herbs, they could also mix potent mixtures for healing, or poisons. The earliest Christian mind set was rather against using herbs for any purpose- in some early Christian thought, to “heal” a person’s sickness was to be impious- to their way of thinking, God’s will made people ill, as a consequence of Sin; and it was the lot of humanity to suffer under the curse of sin. Prayer and penance was the only approved-of method of helping those who were ill, for many centuries. Medical “science” (as it were) was looked down upon, and the church actively stopped research into human bodies that required that cadavers be dissected, until very late in history.

Added to this, it didn’t help that the herb-cunning traditions of Europe DID almost universally stem from pre-Christian traditions. Even in Greece, the homeland of skeptical rationality, the temple of Asklepios, the God of healing, was the foundation upon which medicine and ancient doctors relied. Healing was a sacred duty. And it was firmly associated with Pagan religion, just as justice was, and farming, and every other crucial aspect of society.

Now, isn’t it just strange that EVERYWHERE Christians went, they decided that a person who was mixing medicines and potions were evil? Could it be that midwives were allowing women to have herbal abortions, and this fact was considered rather atrocious to Christians- so atrocious that “a potion mixer”, to this day, AUTOMATICALLY implies that they are mixing something “poisonous” or “dangerous”? Where are the various old cultural words for the mixers of Good Potions? If you will look, you will see that there aren’t any.

--- continued

by Cristíona Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:17 pm

What we don’t know, and yet we all know

We won’t ever know if the old Anglo-Saxons had a thriving tradition of herbalists that were respected and who were considered to be “wise” in older ways. Of course, it would be the epitome of ignorance to decide that they didn’t- the simple fact is that every other culture did! Some modern cultures still do.

If these tasks of herbalism and healing were performed by women, as well as by men, and if there were natural means of painlessly ending the lives of terminally sick or elderly people, or of aborting pregnancies, the early Christian church would certainly have attacked these cultural institutions (and herbalists) with all guns blazing.

And just like with any other non-biblical cultural theme that didn’t fit into the Christian moral universe, such as the Vardlokkur, (which, by the way, is only one example of literally hundreds of cultural mystical practices across Europe that were diabolized and warped by church propaganda into things of evil or shame) The “potion mixers” got associated with wickedness, and moral weakness.

All we will know about the ancient English are the things that some Christian scribes decided were important enough to be written down- and what things we can divine from old legends and stories, and surviving manuscripts.

Does it make any sense at all to look at a post-Christian “Anglo Saxon dictionary” and decide, based on what we see, that all people who mixed potions or did incantations in ancient England were wicked? No, it doesn’t. Is this exactly what the enemies of modern-day witchcraft and Paganism do? Yes, it is.

Again, I can’t prove that the Anglo-Saxon Pagans thought of their potion mixers and incantation makers as a mostly positive, good force in society- but I can prove that incoming Christians went out of their way to blacken the reputation of every pre-Christian religious element in society; as well as those they found “immoral”. So are we to believe that it happened in Greece, in Rome, in Ireland, in Asia Minor, and in Germany, but it didn’t happen in Anglo-Saxon England? Think on it for a while. Good sense and a realistic view of history (and human nature) can really be all the proof you need.

Oh, I don’t doubt that there were BAD potion mixers and incantation makers that hurt people! Humans are humans, and were humans, even in Pagan times. But that doesn’t mean that everyone who knew herbs or how to summon spirits was evil, or even thought of as wicked by society. I think the truth is somewhere in-between. It’s certainly not as black and white as the Early Christians, or the ‘Anglo Saxon Dictionary’ would have us believe.

And Fate is Still Stronger

Okay, so maybe the Christians did blacken the word, and make it into a thing of evil. Maybe it was always seen as evil. It may be true that no person practicing a pre-Christian wisdom tradition in post-Christian Europe would have EVER referred to themselves as a “witch”. Let’s face it: 1000 years of using a word to mean “evil” and “dangerous”, regardless of what it originally meant, has a way of firmly altering its meaning in the ears and minds of the people.

But a strange phenomenon has occurred in the modern day; it seems that many people are feeling called “back” to worship and believe as ancient Pagans did. The modern rise of Paganism is evidence of some strand of the Fate of Humankind, as well as some hidden strand of Fate in human souls, is making itself known, after being rather invisible and suppressed for many centuries.

The people who are at the forefront of this movement, as well as the new Pagans themselves, are questioning whether or not we should allow early (or present day) Christian moralizing to influence how we think and talk, or even how we refer to ourselves.

Like it or not, the word “Witch” does, and always has, referred to a person who had extraordinary capabilities, whether those be for good or ill, or even ambiguous enough for both. It does refer to a “magical” person; a person who knows things, perhaps things forbidden, or perhaps things secret. It refers to a person who experiences life in a different way, in a more extreme and hidden way- and even though Christian hallucinations such as the character “Satan” has been named as the “master of witches”, there isn’t a person alive today who isn’t aware that the early Christian church automatically associated ANY god that wasn’t their own with Satan.

Witches being ‘satraps of Satan’ is the weakest, flimsiest, most historically exposed and discarded charge that has ever been tossed at them, or at any group of people who believed differently from the mainstream- because let’s face it: artists, scientists, philosophers, free thinkers, and even heterodox Christians have all been called “Satanists” by the orthodox Christians.

Even totally orthodox housewives who were minding their own business were more than likely to be accused of being worshippers of Satan, and tortured into confessing to all manner of silly things, before being murdered by local authorities, during the various historical witch-hunt hysterias.

The term “witch” holds with it a kind of mystique, a hint of mysticism, a hint of danger, a hint of mystery, precisely because of the fact that it goes back to pre-Christian times, where the primal character of society was quite different, when people lived in constant awareness of the weird spiritual forces that surrounded them, the Gods were real, spirits were wily and sometimes dangerous, and “magic” was alive and well. The word “witch” calls back to that time.

And “witch” wasn’t the only Anglo-Saxon Pagan cultural term for a sorcerous person; there were others, and those terms are still used by other kinds of Pagans today. But the term “Witch” has survived through the centuries, for many reasons, as one of the most emblematic words referring to English Pagan sorcery, and those who practiced it. For those of us today, who practise a “craft” which has physical or spiritual roots in Germany, Italy, France, England, or the British Isles, it is still a word that you can’t shake, even if you wanted to.

Oh, those Fundies…

Most modern Pagans seem to like the word “witch”. They use it. This has some unfortunate side-effects; modern fundamentalist Christians can’t get enough glee at the chance of actually having “real witches” to combat- they love to discuss fighting demons (which they literally see everywhere and in everything), so having people around to call “witches” and accuse of evil is pure bliss for them.

It makes them feel like they are fighting the good fight, and it fulfills their dramatic fantasies of calling on their God’s name and ‘banishing evil’. In such a degenerate, faithless, and dying institution as fundamentalist Christianity, they so much desire to have a simplistic, black-and-white world of miracles and supernaturalism all around them, and full of self-assuring experiences of their God’s power, that they wouldn’t know what to do without their demonic tormentors, or without the “Godless” politicians who try make laws protecting homosexuals, or to stop their public prayer in schools, or even those people who call themselves “witches” and ally with “Satan”.

Until fundamentalism, and all its extremism and social dangers is gone, (and it will be gone, as the bulk of humans will evolve past it) modern Pagans may not be doing themselves a favor by using the word “witch”. But that doesn’t stop them. In the end, it might turn out to be a good thing.

So who cares??

Are we making a statement here? Is this word ‘witch” that symbolic place that we want to draw a line in the sand? Seems that way. But there is one final perspective on the term “witch”, one that I think is important.

We aren’t living in Anglo-Saxon times anymore. We aren’t living in medieval Europe. We are living in the 21st century, and where the bulk of the Pagans live, religious freedom is totally and 100% allowed. You can call yourself whatever you want. It’s a great, blissful freedom, and a wonderful time to be human. Finally, we can guide ourselves to our own spiritual destinies.

I wouldn’t care if the word “witch” originally meant “eater of small children”. Who cares? Times have changed. I don’t live 1000 years ago. I live now. I know what it means now.

Today, “witch” tends to mean a follower of an earth-based religious path. It tends to mean a follower of Older Gods. It tends to mean a practitioner of older crafts and mystical arts from pre and post-Christian Europe, or even Africa or other parts of the world.

The word “witch” is gradually losing the moralistic, propagandistic meanings that were smeared onto it, and it is re-emerging as a word that refers to people who “ain’t quite like the next person”, and who see the world in some radically different ways- ways that may include the possibility of making some potions, some incantations, and maybe even some prophecies, every now and then.

Would the old folk have called themselves “witches”, a few centuries back? No, probably not. It was a bit of a dangerous word then, considering it could still get you executed. Where they witches? Some were. Are we? Only the individual can answer that question. I answer, “Yes”.

Somehow, this word sums up something about me, and some of my fellow pagans, that I feel is real and quite vital.

by Cristíona Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:22 pm

samijo wrote:

I do know that it is about the earth? right?

Sort of ... sunny

... it's an Earth Based Religion. Or as most people would call it ... a Pagan Tradition or Religion.

Pagan Traditions

History

There are numerous traditions under the generic classification of Paganism. Whilst they all share a common thread, their individual practices and beliefs may differ greatly. Most traditions emphasise the equality of men and women. However, some traditions are more specifically geared towards exploring either the male, or the female, mysteries. A brief summary of the Pagan traditions most commonly practiced today follows. Please note: this is not an exhaustive list, simply a basic guide to the more popular paths within the religion. Omission of any particular path does not imply it is non-Pagan, or unacceptable as a Pagan religion. The Internet carries discussion groups for most of the traditions listed here.

Asatru/Norse Paganism
With its origin in northern Europe, this tradition is practiced today by those who feel and affinity with their nordic and teutonic ancestors, and who wish to study the Sagas, Eddas and Runes. Asatru and Norse Paganism encourages a sense of responsibility and spiritual growth, sometimes within the context of noble warrior traditions.

Celtic Paganism
This is native to the Celtic and Gaelic races, and is practiced by a great many people in Australia today, who feel a strong connection to their Celtic-Gaelic roots. The essence and the teachings of the Celtic religion were encoded into the ancient legends, which were transmitted orally by the bards to the people. Modern Celtic Pagans are seeking to re-introduce this wealth of myth and knowledge into our modern world. (With thanks to Clan Dalriada)

Dianic Witchcraft
A tradition which honours and celebrates the feminine aspects of divinity. Women are accorded great respect, and rituals are often designed to empower women with a sense of their own inherent spirituality and value.

Druidry
The modern tradition of Druidry emphasises artistic skills such as poetry and music, and often encourages its members to undertake a study programme in these, and other more academic, disciplines. Most modern Druids follow a seasonal cycle of celebrations.

Environmental Paganism
Many Pagans today do not follow a specific tradition, but actively work to save the Earth from further desecration, and honour the land upon which we live as a sacred representation of the Earth Mother. This style of religion often has no formal rites or methods of worship, but encourages each individual to honour divinity by caring for the Earth and all its creatures.

Ethnic Paganism
Many modern Pagan traditions are based upon the practices of a particular ethnic group, some modern, some ancient. In this category would come traditions such as Hellenic, Roman or Egyptian Paganism, as well as modern traditions continued by their ethnic groups; for example, voodoo, Santeria and Native American Indian traditions. This would also include the native Pagan traditions of the Pacific, and Australia's Aboriginal people. Unfortunately a great many myths and traditions, and tribal lore, has been lost as a result of the uncompromising practices of missionaries and settlers.

Shamanism
Shamanism utilises skills and practices such as travelling in the spirit realms, tree lore, herb lore, and the use of totem animals. The tribal shaman was often responsible for spiritual matters within the tribe, and also for matters connected with birth, death and healing. Shamans are able to speak with the tribal ancestors and gain knowledge for the use of the tribe. These same practices are used in non-tribal societies today by many modern Pagan men and women.

Wicca
This is a modern revival of the ancient folkloric and magical practices of Europe. Wiccans generally perceive divinity in the form of a Goddess and a God, who have several different aspects. Most Wiccans celebrate eight Festivals each year, and hold meetings in accordance with the phases of the Moon. There are several traditions within Wicca, and each has its own set of rituals and practices.

Witchcraft
The popular revival of European Witchcraft (believed to be an ancient fertility religion). Also called The Old Religion, its modern practitioners are often skilled herbalists and healers; their practices and techniques are similar in many ways to those of the tribal shaman, the village Wisewoman and Cunningman. Whilst some Wiccans describe themselves (accurately) as Witches, there are a number of Witches who are not Wiccan. The two traditions are not mutually exclusive, but a Witch of the northern tradition (for example) would have little in common with modern Wiccan practices.

by Cristíona Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:37 pm

All Aboriginal Spirituality is Earth Based. Which means in it's basic form ... a Spirituality connected to the Earth. As a focal point - let your mind drift to the Native American Spirituality of this country.

WICCA ... as it's taught has its basis in Celtic Spirituality, so if you're ever curious to read more, you will see many overlaps.

My Celtic heritage is the cornerstone of my craft ... my Ministry lies as a Celtic-Christian Anamchara. I am a long standing student of Celtic Wisdom - my Spirituality is Earth Based. You might even call me an Earth Mystic Innocent

...

The Way of the Earth Mystic ...

Sit in silence, and breathe deeply.

Rest your hands on your knees, palms up, open and receptive. Hold your eyes gently half-open, your mouth gently half-open, your shoulders relaxed and moving slightly to the rhythm of your lungs. Your thoughts slowly open up, revealing the luminous presence of your un-anxious spirit, eternally present beneath the drama and the rush of daily living. Rest in the presence of your soul, the presence of your body, the presence of the Earth beneath you and the Heavens above you. Rest within your own nature. Within and surrounding your body, eternity invades your conscious awareness. Your sense of self expands and expands, and slowly dissolves into something much bigger than yourself: God? Nature? The Earth? Heaven? Mother God? In this presence, names are nothing but words and words get in the way . Better to simply allow whatever is present to be, unfettered by the limitation of human concept. Better to simply bask in the uncreated light and unconditional love that surges through your experience.

Immerse yourself in the radiant presence of the natural world.

Immerse yourself in the playful dance of images and energy within the flickering flames of a roaring bonfire . . . in the invigorating spray of mist emanating from a glistening, never-ending waterfall . . . in the glistening silence beneath the steady song of a lonely whistling wind . . . in the dank, comforting aroma of rich, fertile soil, freshly turned and ready to receive the seeds for another year's bountiful growth . Throughout the sensuous beauty of the Earth who is our mother, you may find doorways that swing quicklyopen to the same resplendent inner temple of mysteries where the discipline of silent meditation ushers you. As your soul yearns for transcendence in the process of silent meditation, so also does your body yearn for an ever deeper sense of connection and relation with the natural world. Honor the wisdom of the body; it is equal to the wisdom of the soul. Indeed, the wisdom of the body and the wisdom of the soul are but two faces of the same wisdom.

Contemplation and silence; magic and celebration.

These elements shape the Way of the Earth Mystic. Earth Mystics are those who find limitless possibilities for spiritual joy both in the serene discipline of a meditating monk and in the ecstatic gyrations of a drumming shaman. Earth Mystics celebrate the infinite depths of the mind which reflects the infinity of deep space, and the infinite wonder of the land and the sea and the sky and the sacred fire burning in the heart of all things. Earth Mystics pray with the fervency of a Christian saint, meditate with the devotion of a Buddhist monk, dance with the unrestrained eroticism of a Pagan priestess, and love and trust with the perfect presence of a Wiccan initiate. For Earth Mystics, no contradiction exists between or among any of these core spiritual practices and disciplines. The Way of the Earth Mystic is the path of freedom found in discipline, and structure discerned in wildness. Earth Mystics see the Earth in Heaven and Heaven in the Earth. They understand the difference between God and Goddess, and know the essential unity of the Divine.

How do we find the Way of the Earth Mystic?

Mysticism has no dogma, no creed, no laws to obey or tenets to learn. The Earth has her laws, but they are not the strictures of a community of people, but rather simple observations of The Way Things Are. Gravity, death, hunger and desire all operate according to the inexorable law of nature. Mysticism, too, functions not by decree but by its own inherent logic. Meditate and you will find peace, relaxation, joy, and very possibly enlightenment. Drum and dance and you will encounter the exhiliration of an altered state. Eat natural, organic foods and your body will thrive while your mind releases some of its sugar- or fat-driven freneticism. Make love with a willing partner in a spirit of vulnerable trust, open sharing, and honest intention, and you will find a joy that pulsates throughout your body and leaves your heart chakra opened and singing. Be silent to learn to sing. Dance to find the inner still point. Embrace the Earth to attain the Stars.

by Guest Fri Mar 07, 2008 5:10 pm

you've given me something else to read up on Smile

by Cristíona Fri Mar 07, 2008 5:23 pm

Psi wrote: you've given me something else to read up on

WONDERFUL !!! It's interesting, isn't it, sweetheart ?

Knowledge is nourishment ... but Wisdom is POWER !!

by mamabird37721 Fri Mar 07, 2008 6:04 pm

Samijo... my best friend of over 24 yrs is a high priestess in Wicca.. She calls herself a witch... She can marry people.. or do a handfasting as is what is done in their belief... If you have any questions further.. then yell and I will consult with her. Basically she and I are so close in our beliefs its amazing. She does not believe in a devil... she believes this is hell... she worships Mother God and believes in Father God as well... she thinks Jesus was a great teacher... but a man.... etc.. so ask away and I will in turn ask her and get her imput on things too. Cristiona you are much like me.. I have many friends that are Wiccan... Pagans ..........Thank you dear for posting all of this information. I love learning. Blessings........Robin

by samijo Fri Mar 07, 2008 6:44 pm

Thank you Cristiona and Robin,
This had enlightened my mind to a new concept of something new to me. I thank you for sharing with me. There are many likenesses of Gnostic and Wicca. This is how we learn isnt it. By sharing. Again thank you Cristiona for sharing all this info. and thank you Robin for your offer. I appricate it.
love and light
Sami

by **Admin** Sat Mar 15, 2008 10:58 pm

Just thought I would throw my Two Cents

in here...

There was a period of time when I devoted myself to learning about Wicca and Witchcraft (I guess that's one of the reasons why I put this thread in the forum...but I digress...) and of everything I could find to read about the Spiritual belief system, I found the books by a lady named Silver Ravenwolf to be very helpful and enlightening. At my last count (about five years ago) she had written over 30 books on the subject, and I've read about 10 of them. I think the one that she wrote that really broke it down the best, and explained everything to me (keep in mind, I have to have things explained to me like I'm four years old Giggle

) was her book, Teen Witch. It was written to help teenagers understand the spirituality, rituals, and beliefs of Wicca.

Hope this helps...

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