Becoming A Witch

Many people just discovering the Craft have asked me how does one become a Witch . The answer to that is one does not become a Witch.....they are a Witch, and it is just reaching down and finding it within them. It is not a matter of "becoming" a Witch, but finding the Witch within and, while the answer is quite simple, yet; to some, it can be quite complex. It is really not difficult once you find that inner Witch within. But that is where it must come from and not from any book that you read. Reading books, joining covens and/or someone who initiates one into Witchcraft does not make one a Witch. It is you and you alone. Once you discover and decided that you are a Witch, you are deciding to embrace a life-enhancing and joyful spiritual path. You are declaring that you are willing to experience the wonders of the magickal web and encounter the Goddess. You are daring to be different in a way that facilitates your growth and empowers you. Most importantly, you are stepping into the spiral dance of life, celebrated by Witches all over the world.

Becoming a Witch means learning how to work ritual and magick, methods of raising, containing and releasing power, how to work with the energies of the moon and earth and the principles of sympathetic magick upon which most Witchcraft magick is based.

Witches are very unique individuals and some, no....... many, might call us strange. We look at life differently; we live life differently; and we experience life differently. We find beauty and laughter in the simplest things. We believe that magick is in life itself.

Some people who become interested in Witchcraft have expectations that Witches are gifted with amazing powers as the result of a particular ceremony or spell. The truth is more mundane than the fantasy. Witchcraft is about growing within your own spirituality, making contact with the web of magick, learning how to weave, and observing the way the world works. Witchcraft is about working with natural energies, observing how they work, and determining how you can gently divert them and not about moving things around at will.

The decision to become a Witch is not one you should take lightly. It is not a persona you can put on or take off at will. Witchcraft becomes your whole life and can drastically change your perception of the world in which you live. Becoming a Witch will affect everything and everyone around you. That it will affect them positively does not alter the fact that you will relate to them differently and you should be prepared for this.

To become a Witch is to become changed within yourself and a changer of things outside you. This is your inner magick. Encountering the Goddess, working with magick and connecting with nature will take a lot of time and energy until it becomes second nature to you. You may find that you get angry with those people who do not understand Witchcraft or paint it as "evil" but you will have to resist putting them right until you have grasped some of the key concepts for yourself. This can be achieved only through experience and this means practicing patience which means embracing the Crone energies of wisdom and patience, and this can take quite some time.

Once your decision is made, you have already stepped onto the path of Witchcraft. The next step depends on the type of person you are. If you are a fiery, adventurous sort of person, you will probably wish to throw yourself into studying everything at once. You will want to read everything you get your hands on, hoping that the more you read, the more experience you will have and the wiser you will be. Unfortunately, experience and wisdom work together and that comes with life experiences which comes with age. That is why so much emphasis is put on the Crone for her having wisdom. She has experienced life; she has stumbled and fell and picked herself up over the years until she hardly falls anymore. She has learned when it is time to speak and when it is time to be silent. She is the Raven and the Owl all rolled into one. The Raven is very vocal whereas the owl practices silence and is silent in everything that it does. If you are more cautious or laid back, you may wish to learn gradually and thoroughly. One of the lessons that the Craft has to teach is to be resourceful.

So, I think the best place to start is within your heart and soul. I am not talking about being a pagan but a Witch. Being a pagan and being a Witch are two separate things. Pagans tend to work more with the Sabbats and attend celebrations and many now call themselves Wiccans. There are many pagans who do not have anything to do with magick. You may have heard that old saying that all Witches are pagans but not all pagans were Witches. That is because before the God of Abraham came and then later Christianity, most people were pagans and their beliefs were centered around agriculture, because most were farmers. However, you then had your mid-wives and healing women, who were pagans, who attended to the towns people when they were sick or when a woman became with child. These wise women were also consulted when women wished not to have a child. They consulted these women from birthing to healing the sick through herbs which were grown and tended to by these women. The wise women grew and harvested their herbs by the Moon and lived also by the Moon. These wise women were also consulted for divination purposes and potions. Years later these wise women were called Witches and later on, they were tortured and burned. See Crone Turns Witch for a more in-depth reading.

My first suggestion would be to get in touch with the Moon and knowing when She is full and dark, and when She is waning or waxing. Notice how you feel when the moon moves through the phases. Do not feel that the only time to do magick and work with Her energies is when the moon is waxing to full. You can work with Her energies any time of the month. I seem to come more alive when the Moon moves into Her waning phase and up to Dark Moon, whom many call New Moon. But that might be because I was born on a Balsamic Moon (Dark Moon). I prefer to call the Moon what it is....dark, and give it back to the Crone, where it belongs, and give the New Moon back to the Maiden, where it belongs, when it is the first thin sliver in the sky. I also burn a white candle when the Moon starts to wax in honor of the Maiden; I burn a red candle when the Moon is full in honor of the Mother; and I burn a black candle on the Dark of the Moon in honor of the Goddess. You will be surprised how this helps you to be connected with the Moon and with the Goddess all at the same time.

My second suggestion is to read and read as many books as you can. We are so fortunate in this day and age to have the abundance of books on the Craft. Even if you are not Wiccan, there is a lot of material to be found in books on Wicca. I think the most informative book and a must to have in every Witch's library is Scott Cunningham's "Wicca, A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner." His book is very easy to follow, and he explains the art of ritual design, the Witch's tools and many other important things. If it is magick you want, then besides Hecate's Cauldron, you will find Scott Cunningham's Book of Incense, Oils and Brews is yet another must to have sitting on your Witch's cupboard. But keep the spiders away, as they love this book! There is also another wonderful book by Shekhinah Mountainwater entitled "Ariadne's Thread." It is a workbook of Goddess magick and many Witches today are discovering this wonderful book.

I would also suggest to jump right into ritual work and doing spells as well. As mentioned above, Scott Cunningham's books are excellent for the beginning Witch. Remember, practice makes perfect. There are many new in the Craft who are afraid to do magick, fearing that they might do something wrong. Witches of yesteryear lived quite, simple lives and their magick was simple as well. Many did not even do rituals when they performed a spell. They were Witches and not magicians. If you follow the cycles of the moon and do magick according to those cycles, you have accomplished half the battle. A little homework, and you will be fine.

If possible, growing herbs not only for cooking but for medicinal purposes as well is very rewarding for a Witch. Did you know that during the Burning Times, any woman having the herb Basil in her cupboard was considered a Witch? I love Basil and have it growing in my herb box, as well as Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, and Dill. Learn to know the magickal properties of herbs, and as you sprinkle these herbs in the cauldron on your stove, cast that magick into the food that you and your family eat. When I drink hazelnut coffee, I charge my coffee for my psyche, as hazelnut is good for psychic abilities. Cinnamon is also great for psychic abilities. . I always drink cinnamon tea before I do tarot readings. As you sprinkle nutmeg and cinnamon into your apple pies, charge your pies as well to help you in your psychic ability. If you cannot grow the herbs, there is always fresh herbs in your local grocery store. However, one small potted plant of a particular herb will give you much satisfaction. There is so much a Witch can do while cooking on the stove in her cauldrons!

As far as computers are concerned, I consider my computer a form of cauldron where I conjure and stir things up. There are many Witches who have a special magickal name for their computers, as do I.

There are more and more Witches wishing to connect more with the Moon and Her energies and walking Her path. Walking the path of the Goddess is a very simple one and it is very spiritual and brings you inner peace because it is through the Goddess that you will find this. So, get out in the fresh air and see all Her beauty and nature all around you and that includes the leaveless trees in winter to the bursting foliage in the spring for the Goddess is not only the Moon but nature itself and She is Mother Earth, and She is the seasons. More information on the Goddess path can be found on The Path of the Goddess.

You can also start each day with a prayer to the Goddess to give you strength and wisdom throughout the day and at the end of each day say a pray thanking Her for giving you the strength and wisdom. You can also light a sacred candle in Her honor each night when you get home from work. You can burn a scented candle as well. I burn a scented candle depending on what the Moon is doing. When the moon is waning, each night I light a candle scented with cloves to banish negativity and when the moon is waxing, I burn a scented candle to bring
abundance into my life.

I would also like to add that you really do not need "magickal tools" in order to be a Witch. Tools are nice to have and work with; however, they are not necessary. Everything you need is inside of you. Tools belong in the category of ceremonial magicians and Wiccans. Gerald Gardner was a Free Mason and belonged to the Golden Dawn. The Golden Dawn pulled things from The Key of Solomon. Witches of yesteryear were simple folk who used what they had in and around the house. And during the Burning Times, it could cost them their lives to have "magickal tools." Witchcraft is of the heart, mind and soul and not from magickal tools.

The sky is the limit, because we Witches reach for the sky~so fly!

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Writing To The Past

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"LET GO OF THE PAST AND SING."ENJOY THE PRESENT AND PLAY."LOOK FORWARD TO THE FUTURE AND DANCE."

"OUR PAST IS IMPORTANT TO US FOR IT CREATES OUR FOUNDATION. A SHAKY PAST CAN MAKE US FEEL UNCERTAIN AND RATTLE THE FOUNDATION UNDER US. WHEN YOU REFLECT ON THE TRIPLE GODDESS THINK ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE NOW ON YOUR LIFE'S JOURNEY. ARE YOU A MAIDEN, A MOTHER, OR A CRONE?"THE TRIPLE GODDESS, WHO REPRESENTS THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE, CAN HELP US TO MOVE ON WITH OUR LIVES AND NOT STAY STUCK IN AN UNHEALTHY PAST. REMEMBER, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. WE ALL HAVE SOME TYPE OF UNRESOLVED ISSUEFROM OUR CHILDHOOD OR YOUNG ADULTHOOD--SOME OF THEM EXTREME--WHICH CAN MAKE US FEEL UNCERTAIN AND CONFUSED ABOUT OUR IDENTITY. IF YOU NEED A GUIDE FOR THIS EXERCISE, YOU CAN FIND ONE IN A GODDESS OF YOUR CHOOSING. "

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"WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR PAST, REMEMBERING THE GOOD TIMES AND THE BAD, THE THINGS THAT WERE SPECIAL AS WELL AS THE THINGS THAT WERE UNHELPFUL. IF YOU ARE A MOTHER OR A CRONE, THINK BACK TO WHEN YOU ARE A MAIDEN. IF YOU ARE A MAIDEN, THINK ABOUT WHERE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE IN THE FUTURE. END YOUR LETTER BY SAYING GOOD-BYE TO THE THINGS THAT HINDERED YOU AND TO THE PEOPLE WHO HURT YOU. TAKE THE BLESSED TIMES INTO YOUR PRESENT TO KEEP YOU STRONG. GOOD MEMORIES ARE IMPORTANT WHEN LIFE BECOMES DIFFICULT. "

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"WHEN YOU HAVE WRITTEN YOUR LETTER, YOU MAY WANT TO DECORATE IT. YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO READ IT SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE YOU DECIDE WHAT TO DO NEXT, SO PLACE IT IN AN ENVELOP WITH THE DATE ON IT, AND PUT IT SOMEPLACE WHERE IT WILL BE SAFTE. YOU MAY FEEL A SENSE OF RELIEF AFTER THIS EXERCISE. ONCE YOU HAVE ESTABLISHED THE POSITIVE THINGS IN THE PRESENT, YOU MAY WANT TO BURN THE LETTER. IF SO, MAKE SURE TO DO SO WITH A LITTLE CEREMONY. "

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"I HAVE DONE THIS EXERCISE, AND IT WORKS. I ALSO HAVE MY CLIENTS WHO HAVE UNRESOLVED TRAUMA ISSUES WITH PARENTS OR OTHER LOVED ONES DO THIS AS A HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT. THIS IS A GOOD EXERCISE TO PERFORM TODAY, THE LAST DAY OF THE WANING MOON."

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Intolerance And Coercion In Islam

Quran 2:256: "Put forward is no craving at all in religion; undoubtedly the good path has become very free from error; and whoever rejects expectation in the devil (counterfeit deities)" and believes in Allah has grasped a very firm handhold; it chutzpah never loosen; and Allah is All Audible range, All Mature.Quran 9:5: Along with for example the sacred months relay voted for, strike the polytheists somewhere you find them, and deal them and make them prisoner, and procrastinate in spring for them at every place; then if they repent and grant the prayer lay down and pay the organization, gash their way free; absolutely Allah is Oft Flowing, Utmost Charitable.Quran 48:16: Say to the unsuspecting who stayed underneath, "You chutzpah soon be called on a nation of whole armed forces rigidity - to maintain on them or that they become Muslims; so if you curb, Allah chutzpah authorize you an span reward; and if you turn not at home, the way you had turned not at home up to that time, He chutzpah mete out a knife-like compensation to you."Quran 109: Lay down, O disbelievers! Neither do I admire what you admire. Nor do you admire Whom I admire. And neither chutzpah I ever admire what you admire. Nor chutzpah you admire Whom I admire. For you is your religion, and for me is dig out.

In are excerpts from Harmony and Fear in Islam, by Yohanan Friedmann. They are all in a meeting from Part 3 of that book, which is snobbish Is put on no craving in religion?

Very old Muslim compendia of hadith encirclement a personage of traditions according to which the Foreshadowing focused to throw out all non-Muslims from the Arabian site....[p. 90]Quran 2:256, which serves as the proverb for the consent to stage, has become the locus classicus for the discussion of ceremonial excess in Islam. According to the shape of revelation (abasid al-nuzul) literature, it was revealed -- surprisingly ample -- in draw with the expulsion of the Jewish family of Banu Dwindling from Medina in 4 A.H./625 A.D. This expulsion was part of the routine by which the Muslims lay down their incidence in the city. In contradistinction to Quran 109:6, which seems to glance off a Muslim plea on ceremonial bullying expert on the primeval Muslims by the Meccan unbelievers, Quran 2:256 appears to be addressing the Muslims themselves. The interpretation of the verse is, on the contrary, not lacking its payment of problems. We may officially understand it as denying the capability of bullying in matters of religion honestly than a hold on to alter from it....

On the other hand, the Quran specify untold verses enjoining jihad, which is as a rule described as personage fought "in the way of God" (fi sabil Allah) and is, in some bags, apt to the announcement of ceremonial lawlessness. It is well explicit that the Quranic pure on jihad is not expected.... Possibly the record awful jihad verse press-gang the offer of the Terrain of the Part and their promote of jizya. It requires the Terrain of the Part to take down themselves up to that time the Muslims and to pay a undemocratic tax, but it does not train Muslims to interpret their overwhelmed enemies in a trying behavior.

Plentiful other verses view the war waged by the Muslims as having a scarcely ceremonial conception of killing the unbelievers or expanding the Muslim expectation. These are verses which stay on the line upon the Muslims to take the polytheists. The couplet of the sword' (ayat al-sayf, Quran 9:5) enjoins Muslims to strike the idolators somewhere you find them, and no-win situation them and persist them, and lie in procrastinate for them at every place of spring." Scarcely if they "repent, and perform the prayer and pay the alms" chutzpah they be spent associate. Quran 48:16 may moreover be unspoken in this way: the remark tuqatilunahum aw yuslimun may deal with to release to Islam, or to a armed forces transfer. So every one verses may substantiate that the release of the enemies to Islam is the apply of the war and the pitch for its draw to a close. Two verses prove that the war is personage waged in order to go ceremonial similarity, for instance Quran 3:89 enunciates the dictum that whoever requests a religion other than Islam, it chutzpah not be approved from him.[pp. 94-5]Quran 109 is unspoken to symbolize an austere counter to a Meccan propose of compromise: the leaders of Quraysh are assumed to relay optional to the Foreshadowing the manufacture of a religion consisting of elements from their own beliefs as well as that of Islam. Needless to say, the piece together of such a multifaceted religion is madcap from the level of view of Islam behindhand it's potential rule. The Sura is dreary in its embargo of Meccan cut [polytheism], but it does not oblige any action expected to effect its embargo.[p. 95]Quran 48:16, revealed behindhand the Hudaybiyya accord of 628, is moreover apt to our discussion: "You chutzpah be called on a dash frenzied of whole might, to maintain them or they transfer".... This verse poses two questions of interpretation: who are the peopel on whom the fighting chutzpah be waged, and what chutzpah be the apply of the war. If yuslimun is in a meeting in its deposit Quranic ruminate of interior offer to Allah which is be on a par with with release to Islam, the enemies are polytheists: discrete tribes on whom the Foreshadowing himself fought... this interpretation of the verse seems to be, historically, the totally mortal one. In this armor, the affirmed apply of fighting is to bring about the release of the fighter and to spiral the routine of achieving ceremonial similarity in the Arabian site.[p. 97]

I be of the opinion it is perfectly helpful to difference all of the specially to what one finds in the Limestone Edicts of Asoka (the Buddhist Emperor who ruled record of the Indian subcontinent eight centuries up to that time Muhammad was natural):

Beloved-of-the-Gods, Emperor Piyadasi [Emperor Asoka], honors every one ascetics and the householders of all religions, and he honors them with gifts and honors of discrete kinds. But Beloved-of-the-Gods, Emperor Piyadasi, does not corollary gifts and honors as far away as he ideology this -- that put on necessary be tower in the truth of all religions. Development in truth can be done in original ways, but all of them relay as their stand instruct in jargon, that is, not praising one's own religion, or condemning the religion of others lacking good become. And if put on is become for pounce on, it necessary be done in a worthy way. But it is leader to persist in other religions for this intention. By so take effect, one's own religion bolster, and so do other religions, for instance take effect sooner than harms one's own religion and the religions of others. Whoever praises his own religion, due to awful feeling, and condemns others with the pondering "Let me praise my own religion," totally harms his own religion. From now impress (in the company of religions) is good. One necessary rut to and watch over the doctrines supposed by others. Beloved-of-the-Gods, Emperor Piyadasi, requests that all necessary be well-learned in the good doctrines of other religions.

Naming Names

Ted Andrews begins chapter seven of "The Magickal Name" with: "Our names are direct links to our soul", a statement that is very true. It is with our names, especially those we can choose for ourselves, that we tell exactly who and what we are.

In today's society the naming of a child does not have the ritualistic overtones that it once did. Parents pick a name they like, or name a child after a grandparent and that's about as far as it goes. But we are of the Pagan Community, having found our way "home", often feel the need to give ourselves a new name, to signify the new person we feel we are, or the person that we have never been able to show others.

Many people do not care for, or even hate, the name they are given at birth. So it is especially delightful for Craft initiates to be able to choose a name they feel comfortable with. Well, then, how does one go about choosing a name that signifies all that we feel we have learned and the emotional joy of becoming ourselves? There are many, many ways as we will see.

The simplest way of renaming oneself, of course, is to pick the name of a deity, crystal, plant, animal, etc., that you identify with. The name Lilith originally came from a Dungeons and Dragons character I played many years ago (she was, of course, a magick user). But while doing research when trying to pick a Craft name I found that Lilith's legend of being Adam's first wife and not subjecting herself to him by refusing to lay under him during sex touched something within me. I do like a woman who knows her own mind.

There is much more to Lilith's story, eventually going back to the Goddess Kali. The more I researched the more I attuned to the name. You must research the name you are thinking about picking, not only will it tell you more about the name but it will tell you more about yourself. You may really like the name Holly, but are your energies too scattered at this time in your life to be able to live up its' potential? Salamander may sound really nifty in a name, but are you comfortable with the element of fire to bring it into your life that
intimately? Much consideration must go into the choosing of a name that you may reveal more about you than you know. There are also more complex ways of picking a magickal name. One can learn the mystical and magickal meaning of the vowels and consonants and gather them together in a name that resonates in a way that compliments the direction you want your life to take.

You can also use divination tools to pick a name, such as Tarot cards, Runes, and even a pendulum. With the Tarot cards and the Runes, first pick one card or stone to determine the number of letters in the name, then pick that number of cards or stones. Each Tarot card has a numerical value and you may use that to correspond to a letter of the alphabet. The Runes each have a phonetic correspondence to a letter of the alphabet and so there are the letters for your name. With a pendulum, you can open a mythology book to the index of names and dowse with the pendulum, paying close attention to how the pendulum acts with certain names and picking your name from those it reacts strongly to.

Even if you have long known your magickal name and have used it for many years, there may come a time in your life when you want top change it or add to it. In the past year I began to get the feeling that there should be an addition to my name. I knew that it had something to do with Silver, but there was even more to it than that. I began listing names with silver in them; Silvermoon, Silverraven, Silverwolf, Silversong...nothing felt right. Then I notice that the silver I was searching for was not outside my body but on it, in my hair! And it clicked. At thirty-four The Crone is by no means standing on my threshold, but She is certainly closer than she was when I took the name Lilith. So I have added Silverhair to prepare for that time when I hand the title of Mother to my daughter and look the Crone in the eye with love and trust.

You can add to your magickal name during transitional periods in your life, as you spiral upward in levels of initiation, or simply if you feel the name you carry now no longer describes who you are. It is recommended that you do not change your magickal name too often to keep from scattering your energies too thin. Year cycles of three, seven, or nine can be appropriate times, if you are a solitary practitioner, to consider whether your name still fits you. You should never force a name change on yourself, or choose a magickal name simply "because." Names, of course, carry power, and the energies of an inappropriate name could draw that into your life which may not necessarily be beneficial to you.

The naming of names, the naming of ourselves, is another way in which we as pagans and witches assert our individuality and yet still align ourselves as a community with that which makes us strong. So, whether we call ourselves Bill or Sue, Willow or Raven, each time a name is spoken it reminds us and others of our connection to each other and the Goddess, She who has many names and yet is One.

by Lilith Silverhair

Sources:

"The Magical Name" Ted Andrews, Llewellyn Publication 1993
"Rites of Passage, the Pagan Wheel of Life" Pauline Campanelli, Llewellyn Publications, 1994

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Ouija

A get better, if very odd, name for someone with a strong rapport to the Samhain become fully grown.

Ouija (within walking distance as both "WEE-jah" and "WEE-jee") is most well-known as the name of a board game that some assume can be cast-off to fluent with the dead. If you've never cast-off one, the ideas set down it is simple. The board has the typeface of the alphabet, numbers 0-9, "yes, no, goodbye," and overall some replica of refined design. It require come with a planchette, which is a root produced crack of wood. One or greater line place their fingertips on the planchette, they ask questions to the spirit, the planchette moves seemingly on it's own and points at the symbols on the board to form their answers.

In addition comfortable as a spirit board or vernacular board, Ouija had a very sequential origin story. They were patented by businessmen and sold as a harmless parlour game in the behind schedule 1800s. Except, the structure that Ouija employs has been cast-off for a very crave time. The foremost time it was cast-off was in the 1100s by the Chinese as a way for them to relations the spirit world.

For what is correctly a toy, Ouija has managed to hoard a utter facet of drive. Copious Christians assume that it is a tool of the devil, of course. Scientists assume that the whole luggage a mess about, a psychological rip-off based off of preset fervent action logical by being concept. In the Neo-Pagan world, it is just about right as a approach of insight nevertheless it's nowhere adjacent as voguish as tarot cards. Copious line (both Pagan and non-Pagan) assume that Ouija can be rancid being it invites nameless spirits dressed in the file. Ouija boards are often a contraption cast-off in severity stories.

In which the name comes from is rough. One of the creators of the board claimed that it was an Elemental Egyptian word meaning "good luck." One way or another I perfectly bad feeling that. It may well be a combination of the French and German words for "yes": oui and ja. That seems greater achievable. I call seen Ouija inoperative on cosset name websites and it endlessly intrigued me being it's not an unconventional that I would weigh on my own. I can't make firmer this, but I take on that it was introduced as a prearranged name during the Victorian Era, the time a long time ago the game was foremost sold and a long time ago line were very approachable in the Occult.

I'm not secure what caring of a send-up one would get for using the name Ouija. So the game is controversial, I'm not secure if that makes the name controversial as well. Except, Ouija atmosphere endlessly call a spooky vibe and if that's what you're departure for for that reason stagger on. It's a name that atmosphere particularly stand out.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouija

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God Gods Spirits And Cosmos Part 1

Lots of heavy questions this past week in the blogs. Lots of rumination on God and the cosmos. Stuff that I generally cannot resist. Unfortunately it has been crazy busy and other than answering formspring questions over breakfast, I haven't had time to make a "real" post. There is a backlog of those questions BTW. I will answer them all in due time, but you may not see your answer for several days. Keep them coming though, I really enjoy them.

Now since basically people have been posting their beliefs about God, Gods, and the Cosmos, I thought I might do the same. I had to give a lot of thought recently to the cosmos because I just finished up the lessons on the Astral Planes for the SS Course. Here than are how I deal with or treat some of these subjects in my practice:

WORSHIP: In terms of reverence towards a God or Goddess, I try to show reverence for all of creation. In terms of tying myself in service to the will of a God or set of Gods - no thanks, not for me. My favorite quote on worship is from the Hevajra Tantra; "the only worship fitting for me is to become as I am". When Hekate was first contacting me 10 years ago I told her in no uncertain terms that I would not worship her as a servant except in the most mystical interpretation. She answered with that exact quote. In terms of Christianity I live by the axiom: God became man to show man how to become God.

GOD: Most people would say that I do not believe in God, at least not as they understand it. I do not believe in some intelligence from outside the universe that created everything. Investigation through meditation has revealed ultimate reality to be more than just empty however. There is an awareness that permeates everything that has definite qualities: compassion, wisdom, bliss, clarity.

There is a problem in physics that is hard to solve. The problem is that the Universe is just a little to perfect and right for life. Most physicists that I have spoken to go to the multiverse theory: there are an infinite number of them, so one of them had to get it right. I prefer Paul Davies idea that consciousness is a fundamental building block of the universe and that it exists the way it does because consciousness itself evolves to a point that it can insure it was created. We are part of that.

Some people have said that I am not a real Buddhist because I acknowledge these qualities as having ultimate nature. If you believe in Rang tong (essentially empty), than you would be right, but I would say that you drift too close to nihilism to be a real Buddhist. If you believe in Zhen tong (empty of other than) than you can dig what I am saying about these qualities that are essentially "enlightenment qualities".

THE LOGOS: I do use the term Logos to represent the divine seed in man, and also those beings who perhaps were born with it fully flowered. In Buddhist terms I see this as the same as the Tathagatagarbha. I do not however see this as an emanation of God or lower than god. Simply our own real nature, that is obscured by our ignorance. It can be uncovered and realized by a number of methods. Among them:

1. Renunciation of everything that obscures it. Think Monks and such.

2. Refinement by constantly traveling from the gross to subtle. This is the primary Hermetic and Khabbalistic Method.

3. Transformation of the energies that normally obscure it. This is the Tantric, Kundalini, Taoist and such methods.

4. Radical Relaxation. This is the method of Dzogchenpas and Christistian Mystics. It my main method, with some support from numbers 2 and 3 above.

GODS: I have no problem working with Pagan Gods. I do not however worship or in Buddhist terms "take refuge" in them. I try to understand that many (though not all) have cosmic and transcendent natures, just like humans do. For instance, Hekate when she is spoken of in the Chaldean Oracles is clearly a Cosmic force akin to the Sophia or Shekina. In the PGM or Definiones Tablets however, she is very clearly an immanent persona with likes dislikes and ego. It depends upon how you approach them, but a lot of trouble comes if you mistake one aspect for the other. On one level the Gods and Goddesses of the world are the cosmic forces and beyond all grasping conception. On another level the pantheons are the archetypal dysfunctional families. Just like us, they exist on multiple levels and planes at once and just like us, they spend most of the time ignorant of that fact.

It all depends upon how you relate to them.You see this in the Old Testament as well. In Genesis 2 and the rest of the Y narrative you have YHVH who is a very Egoist god who is concerned with a special group of people and obsessed with how close they follow his rules. In Genesis 1, which though first in the final edit actually is not as old. and the Elohist and Pristly narratives, you have God refered to as Elohim and every attempt made to make YHVH into the Cosmic God of ALL just like the Babylonian El. He is the god of everyone and creator of everything, not just the Israelites and the Garden of Eden. He is less concerned with the Law, and as history progressed you see this start to be reflected in the prophesies of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah.

Anyway, the universe and lower astral planes (see below) are filled with Gods. These are either beings that have some connection to specific cosmic functions or simply beings that were reincarnated onto higher planes where people have immense powers, and live for hundreds of thousands of years. They can however, be just as ignorant about ultimate nature as anyone else. In fact it can be argued that those born onto higher planes are so blinded by pleasures that they are less likely to do real spiritual work than humans are.

ANGELS AND DEMONS: In some cases they are beings that are created by higher beings and given specific tasks. In other cases they are bound to specific traditions. In yet other cases they are simply Gods known by other names. What makes an Angel and a Demon? Their nature. Angels tend towards the ennobling, ouranic, intellectual, balanced, and benevolent. Demons tens towards the atavistic, chthonic, emotional, unbalanced, and yes, malevolent. They are for the most part not evil for evils sake, but working with them can be a bit like hiring Hells Angels to run your concert security. If left to their own devices, they may choose the most troublesome path.

ASCENDED MASTERS: Horrible term, but appropriate. These are beings that have either escaped the wheel of rebirth and have become fully enlightened beings or were so powerful and wise in life that they left behind shells that will last for hundreds of thousands of years and which can assist or guide those on similar paths. A Christ or Buddha would be an example of the former. A saint or Guru or some Lwa would be an example of the latter.

SPIRITS OF PLACE: This would include most nature spirits, spirits of the dead, and other non physical beings that can actually be said to take up space. What I mean by this if that when you evoke an Archangel into a room, the archangel may be seen to approach from a specific direction, but will soon fill all space and even the minds of those in the ceremony. RO is quite right when he says the line between invocation and evocation is not firm. If you invite Ghosts and most nature spirits into a temple however you can usually point to an area and say "they are over there."

Origin: my-spiritual-path.blogspot.com

Editorial Web Of Wyrd 10

During the Middle Ages, a great many men and women were put to death on charges of heresy. Nearly all of them were innocent of any crime; nearly all of them were guilty of no more than being a scapegoat for someone else's accusations and projected fears.

Fortunately, today we have grown beyond such barbaric inhumanity – or have we? As a race, have we truly evolved, or is humanity still groping around in a mire of discontent, seeking for victims on which to project its fears and failures? If we consider the way in which the medieval witch was hunted, accused and held up to public condemnation, and then compare this process with the way in which modern society deals with its victims, then I would say that the human race has not evolved in the slightest.

Consider: often for no reason other than he or she offended someone, a man or woman living in medieval Europe could be taken as a heretic, and with evidence (sic) being no more than hearsay, tried and found guilty of charges of which they were mostly entirely innocent. Their accusers were not interested in truth, but in judgement; and justice certainly had no role in their scenario. To absolve themselves of any blame in this autocratic process, the accusers made sure that public opinion was swayed against the victim. How? By publishing details of the "crime"- (sic), which were then distributed to as wide an audience as possible.

Students of English Literature will know of the enormous influence which the humble pamphlet cast on the population - which, despite high illiteracy, had sufficient numbers able to read aloud to a gathering in a town square. We all know how quickly rumour and innuendo spreads – any grapevine in any social group is proof positive of just how quickly information can passed along; and sadly, we all know that there need be no shred of truth in that information for it to be spoken about, considered, and accepted as fact.

The medium of the pamphlet proved to be so efficient and effective that it developed, and in time became the newspaper, newsletter, and ultimately, the magazine. In all cases, the emphasis is upon the distribution of information to as large a number of people as possible. In all cases, those reading (or hearing) the information have a predilection to believe what they read to be the truth. Modern print is often no more truthful than that of a 16th century pamphlet, which might describe how a witch succumbed to the charms of the Devil, flew to the Sabbat riding on a goat, where she devoured unbaptized infants, and took part in many lewd and disgusting practices. Unfortunately though, having "read about it in the paper/magazine/leaflet..." most people assume that they are reading the truth,
and are often willing to believe the worst.

There are numerous examples of this process at work in modern society: in some countries, information is manipulated deliberately by politicians and journalists. In other countries - and I would include all of western civilization in this - the manipulation is as pervasive, but less obvious. As the saying goes: "you can believe nothing you read in the papers but the date, and they sometimes get that wrong".

Unfortunately though, people do believe what they read in the papers, see on television, and hear on radio, just as our ancestors believed that the woman led screaming to her death was a concubine of the Devil, a devourer of babies, and that she copulated regularly with her cat, or other animals. We are quick to condemn the Christian Fundamentalist for spreading lies and propaganda, but what about the lies and propaganda spread by Pagans and occultists? It offends my intellect to read of claims by self-professed witches of traditions handed down since time immemorial, or of secret arcane traditions known only to an elect few, but it offends my sensibility that these people, claiming to be following a spiritual path, have such contempt for Truth.

We are no less human or fallible than our non-Pagan neighbour, but we are engaged in a continual search for Truth: both within and without. We are not perfect, but we do seek for our highest ideal, and we do strive ever towards it, no matter what our particular path. Therefore to me it seems a particularly unpleasant kind of action for a writer knowingly to misrepresent his or her background and/or experience, simply to acquire some spurious prestige.

The editor of a Pagan/occult newsletter or magazine has an even greater responsibility, for rarely is the publication subject to professional editorial control, and yet it is generally fairly widely distributed, and its readers tend to believe what they see. As an example, we can look at the sad death of Scott Cunningham; within hours of his death being announced, the rumours that he died of AIDS were widespread. The fact that his family and his closest friends have stated any number of times that he died of meningitis is neither here nor there: to a great many people around the world, Scott Cunningham will have died of AIDS. Why? Because it was reported in Pagan magazines, and they can't be wrong - can they?

Not only can they be downright wrong, they can also be inaccurate or misleading - sometimes deliberately so. I have seen newsletters recently where a matter best dealt with quietly, between those concerned, has been fought in the public arena using very much the same means as the medieval inquisitor. Defamatory and highly emotional printed leaflets, with scant attention to the truth, have been published and circulated throughout the Pagan/occult communities in the USA, Britain and Australia during the last year. Highly respected writers in Britain have recently been subjected to threats, with accusations and counter-accusations filling countless pages in pamphlets, newsletters, and magazines.

What, you might wonder, has this to do with a personal quest for Truth? Very little, in my opinion, hence my remarks above that the human race appears to have made no progress at all in its essential characteristics in hundreds of years. The only difference is that today, we have far more efficient means of spreading the information to greater numbers of people.

I have seen too many attempts at character assassination over the last year or so to believe that it is an isolated incidence, perpetrated only by one or two people. It has happened in Britain; in Australia; in the USA. The modus operandi has been identical in every case: an untruthful statement has been made about one or more individuals, sometimes supported by evidence (sic) of a spurious nature; the accusations have been published in print, or electronic media, and distributed to a wide audience. Even where the statement is so absurd, that no-one knowing the accused would believe it for a moment, those who do not know the accused are left wondering. This kind of trial by media is sick, and those who perpetuate it - usually self-professed "Pagans" - are, quite frankly, despicable.

If we, as a community, are to come of age, then we must rid ourselves of these contemptible troublemakers. We can't stop them publishing their pamphlets, or typing out their lies, but we can ignore them, and stop giving credence to their venomous pens. As with the victims of the Middle Ages, the victims within our own community are being used as scapegoats for someone else's fears and guilt; the only way to fight this particular plague is to ignore it. Deprived of an attentive audience, the pamphlet bandits will soon give up and go away. (by Julia Phillips)

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