Post by Sheila Widdershins on Aug 31, 2006 15:55:51 GMT -1
Wiccan
I don’t know a lot of things I’m sure, and there are a lot that I do know. One thing I know is that what makes me want to be Wiccan, Pagan, Celtic, Buddhist, a Shaman is not just a random idea I had. I didn’t convert from any other religion. I merely believe that I always have been a witch (not necessarily Wiccan), and I just found a ‘religion’ that fulfills that aspect of me and it teaches me to deal with it. I have many ‘abilities’ so on so forth that put me out of the line. Nah, that’s not being clear, what I really mean is that what made me ‘Wiccan’ is that I started believing in the Lord and Lady, that’s one of the biggest differences between then and now, and being Wiccan made me a seeker of knowledge. For years, when people asked me what faith I was, all I said was that I have no religion. And I still don’t. I don’t regard Wicca as my religion, but as a truth in me, a factor in my life, it is the way that I live which ‘classifies’ me as something else. Sure, I do Wiccan things, sure I cast spells, study all I can about Wicca, Paganism, Gnosticism, Shamanism, so on, in other words things that interest me. Religion is a title I reserve for ‘Sunday Church goers’ who have a faith, and I don’t mean it in an offensive way. They believe, I know. Meaning I know of myself what is the truth to me, not that I’m a ‘Sabe La Todo’. What I believe in is a truth for me, and I refuse to compare myself to a religion.
Wicca has two aspects as I see it. One side is the so-called ‘fluffy bunny’ side, a name astutely crafted which I have read on countless occasions on Witchvox as an adjective when speaking of this kind of Wicca. The other side is the one which I have no name for, which is the side that makes it dark. Not evil, as many here must know darkness doesn’t mean evil all the time. Those who are not afraid to explore this side of them, those who are fascinated by it are those who have the courage to be Wiccan. I have seen so many comments, posts, so on that claim that Wicca is a new religion. What I believe it is, is that it’s a new name for something very ancient, meant for the people who are strong enough to face their dark sides and not just lean into the lightness. You cannot fight darkness, just like evil begets evil, and that is one thing I feel Christianity lacks. They fight darkness and try to bring things into the light. You might think that I’m associating Wicca with Satanism, but in truth I am not; Satanism outright indulges in ‘evil’ (what is defined as evil in modern culture) and darkness. Wicca does not encourage the growth of the Ego, whereas Satanism, to my knowledge, does. Especially since I am also involved in eclectic practices including those of the Buddhists and Hindus, where the Ego and individuality are not encouraged (not to say I don’t like individualism…), I would make a pretty lousy Satanist. And I would hate myself for it. Not all people are this way, that’s probably why it exists.
The dark side of yourself is scary. It’s supposed to be, and it is not a fluffy bunny thing. It can be hard to draw the line between what indulgence is, what being engulfed is, and what respect is. One more reason to get your facts straight before dabbling into the dark side, it is pretty dangerous and should not be taken lightly, neither is the power of a witch. It’s not something you can play around with, and it doesn’t leave much room to ‘mess up’ so to speak. Not to scare anyone, it is a good thing, the power, as long as you’ve got a perspective and you have boundaries. And a reference section in your head that extends beyond ‘the minimum’. Just like Christians have their “thou shall not speak the Lord’s name in vain”, the religions that accept the dark side as a part of the whole have principles that calls for respect.
The Wiccan Rede is not a rule, it is a choice you make to follow. Sure, you say it is THE Wiccan Law! You follow it, but you must know that to be wiccan is to make the choice of following its rede.
From what I have seen around here, there are lots of Pagans out there who are opposed to other Pagans for whatever reason. One of the most common is that you cannot be both Christian and Pagan.
…Say what? If I get this correctly, to be a Christian witch is this: you are a witch. Period. Who you worship, the way you worship, is Christian. Of course, you can’t be a Christian witch from a Christian point of view… but from the Pagan view, you can. I’ve seen many people around here who incorporate God and Jesus into their shamanic practices, they do magick just like any other witch, the only difference is that they choose to use Christian deities and symbolisms for their purposes.
Which… is not a bad idea at all! Why? Because despite the fact that you’re not Christian, and the fact that as a modern religion it’s getting pretty corrupted, the archetype of the Father and his Son is a clean deal. Remember where all of it started! Before the people who were calling themselves Christians started burning and lynching people for not using their symbols and methods to worship the Deity, God and Jesus, and their worship, was a clean, heartfelt thing. And there are no copyrights in religions – if I find that I need the healing powers of the true Jesus, then I can call to him, without the Christian hogwash to accompany.
Not to say I’m an active Christian witch, but as an eclectic wiccan, I might consider incorporating this into my practices.
In my beliefs, everyone in reality is worshipping one Deity. That is the ONE. Everyone chooses his or her favorite way of worshipping “It” or whatever, wiccans choose the one that suits me best per se, bringing a universal balance by worshipping both the male and the female energies of this One Deity. (The Lord and the Lady.) Christians chose to basically all but ignore the female energies and worship only God, the male. (A note, however – I’ve heard some Christians protest at my observation, and claim that God has a womanly side to him as well… interesting. But impossible for me to fathom, it makes God too “on another level”, I cannot picture Him to the extent that I’d rather stick with these energies safely apart, yet together.) When first becoming wiccan, I was confused by the fact that I’d told my Christian friend some stories of miracles since I’d become wiccan, as if to serve as some sort of proof that it’s right for me, because so far nothing had happened to me, at which she came up with some equally good miracles to counter, saying that this is all the proof she needs that Christianity is right for her. I’ve seen prayers to Jesus work just as well and as safely, warmly, as any spell I’ve done under the Lady’s guidance. Why? It just all points back to the beginning of the paragraph – had I worshipped the type of God that Christianity presents, I couldn’t have seen those miracles that the Lady showed me, but then again others find that Christianity does it for them. So I came to just that conclusion: each to his or her own medium, worship this divine energy in the form and religion you choose.
Another thing I’ve been noticing is that there are a lot of angry wiccan guys out there, who are complaining about how wicca has become some sort of feminist movement in his area. Which startled me, to be honest, as I’ve learned that wicca is about the balance between *both* halves. So then why all the hum-drum about feminism? I’ve realized why this is so, however: because we’re talking today, in a culture where most of the people worship the male energies, and completely stomp down the female ones. This is our society, mostly everywhere. The female energies are starved… so this is why all the nature-loving, peaceful wiccans suddenly turn just a tad bit feminist.
Wicca, as I see it, is all about balance. “Male and female”, “dark and light”. Whatever you do, there is another side to it.
(Again, this is an unfinished essay, but once I've completed it I'll switch it to the finished version. Just so ye see what I have so far, etc. cp... ye know the rest...)