“We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity — as masculine and feminine — and that this same Creative Power lies in all people and functions through the interaction of the masculine and the feminine.  We value neither above the other knowing each to be supportive of the other.  We value sex as pleasure as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energy used in magical practice and religious worship.”

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It’s impossible to discuss Wicca without discussing sex.  Principle #4 has to do with honoring both the masculine and the feminine, and — because there is a difference between them — honoring the function for which that difference was intended.  That function is creation.  The generation of life.  Whether you’re a Wiccan human or a non-Wiccan human, the minute you start talking men and women, male and female, the topic of sex is going to come up.

Polarity comprises a central (if not the central) Mystery within the Wiccan faith.  Male-Female, Light-Dark, Above-Below, Sky-Earth, Active-Passive… the correspondences are endless.  It can be very easy to pay too much attention to the poles:  naming them, aligning with them, categorizing our experiences according to them.  Yes, the poles are sacred.  Masculine essence and Feminine essence are each, in their own right, to be honored and respected.  However, the focus is on what they bring forth TOGETHER.

This focus tends to fly in the face of two unstated (and I would argue, totally incorrect) societal rules:  (1) women, and thus anything feminine, are necessarily of lesser value than men and anything correspondingly masculine; and (2) sex and religion do not mix under any circumstances.  Needless to say, if you nodded in agreement to either (1) or (2), Principle #4 presents some highly controversial ideas that are likely going to be very upsetting to your world-view.

While we discuss polarity often as a psychological or intellectual concept, it’s actually simple physics.  Polarity is vital to energy flow.  Batteries have a negative pole and a positive pole.  Magnets do as well.  Equilibrium in temperature occurs when heat energy is transferred from an area of higher heat to an area of less heat until both volumes or items are the same temperature.  

When we expand physics into the realm of biology and look at the sperm and the egg that join together to make a fetus, it’s a little easier to see that man and woman might be special, but oh!  The wondrous things they can create together!  The miracle of life is something that is still awe-inspiring.  The birth of a child is nothing less than proof that the masculine and feminine principles were meant to work together for the continuation of life — not just human life, but all life.

Polarity, naturally implying two poles, also gives a nod back to Principle #2 and its emphasis on balance.  Like a see-saw upon which play a boy and a girl, the Universe seems to flow naturally between poles as well.  Day gives way to Night which will give way to Day.  Warmth gives way to Cold, and a Season of Rest gives way to a Season of Productivity.  Up and down, down and up… Nature (and the see-saw) works because each side does their part.  Each side needs the power of the other one in order to rise up.

Carrying the see-saw analogy a little farther, see-saws are just plain fun!  And so is sex.  It is pointless to pretend it’s not.  However, it’s one thing to admit it’s a religious experience in the privacy of your bedroom and another thing entirely to say that sex itself can be part of your religion.  Principle #4 both puts it on the line and leaves it deliberately vague.  No, it’s not up for discussion — some of us utilize sex ritually, while others do not.  The point is sex is the intersection of male and female.  It’s the reason we have “innies” and “outies”.  Sex is the flow that is the reason polarity exists in the first place.

There is a joke among neo-Pagans that, given enough time, all discussion will come back around to sex.  It’s true.  We are a lusty bunch, but isn’t that what the tide of life feels like?  A desire to be aware and present and engaged to the fullest?  Completely in tune with the sensations of living?  How can pleasure not be sacred when the act that brings about pleasure is sacred? 

Sex brings forth life — how can anyone deny that this is an act of power? — but this act also brings pleasure to those who partake in it.  Pleasure is one pole in the manifestation of life.  Gestation begins in what should be a pleasurable act.  Gestation ends with the experience of the other pole:  pain.  As that life (which is the manifestation of the union of male and female) comes forth, there is pain experienced.  The pain is not experienced solely by women, but by men, too.  If you doubt me, ladies, have you considered if men are ever jealous of our ability to carry life within us?  Or the pain and frustration men feel at being unable to save the woman they love the pain of childbirth?  Or the fear men feel knowing that the process of giving birth has taken women’s lives in the past? 

I point this out to reemphasize the part of Principle #4 that states that each end of the polarity supports each other.  It’s very interesting how this statement is worded in Principle #4 because it says that neither is ABOVE the other and then immediately states that each is BELOW the other (which is where something must be to support something).  We do not jockey for prominence.  If anything, we work to serve each other at the most basic levels and we know, intrinsically, that without the other, the see-saw ride/life/our magick is impotent and without joy or achievement.

There are some days that I feel we are making huge strides towards equalizing the flow between the sexes.  After all, women can vote, hold jobs, and take ownership of their sexuality and the expression of that sexuality.  And then there are days when I wonder if perhaps feminine freedom is just a glamour to which we’ve become accustomed.  Are women truly equalized if we do not receive the same pay for the same work?  Are women truly equalized if the secret to business success is to cut one’s hair short like a man, wear suits like a man, act more upon logic than intuition like a man, or prize the intellect above emotions like a man?  If we must become more masculine to succeed, are we truly free? 

There are some days that I feel we are making huge strides at removing the taboo quality from sex.  We can discuss it openly, with girlfriends and boyfriends.  We can read books about it and learn lovemaking as a skill, which can greatly improve the physical side of relationships and keep them enjoyable and interesting.  And then there are days when I see the media sell sex back to us piece-meal, titillating us with scandal and paparazzi snippets of people’s sexual indiscretions and clothing mishaps.  Is sex naturalized when it becomes the centerpiece of drug marketing campaigns?  Is sex naturalized when tween clothing lines are cut for sexual allure while, at the same time, anyone acting on that sexual allure would be put in jail for pedophilia (which they should be, IMO… sex with a 12-year-old isn’t appropriate, but neither is dressing a 12-year-old in clothes that say “Let’s do it, baby.”)  Is sex naturalized when 13-year-olds can watch movies with riotous gunplay and violence, but nudity commands an automatic R-rating? 

The modern world could learn a bit from Wiccans.  We know that male and female are equally needed for life — not merely the creation of it, but the sustaining of it.  We know that sex is a beautiful rite in and of itself and that it is one of the most powerful moments we experience as humans.  We know, also, that sex is a physical metaphor for the metaphysical interplay between the active and passive elements in our Universe, whether that Universe be within the mind or all around us. 

Principle #4 is the generative core of Wiccan belief.  It can be seen in our relationships with the world, with each other, and (most importantly) within each of us.  We are all masculine and feminine.  Just because we end up with one type of sexual organs doesn’t mean that we are not still partly our Mother and partly our Father and thus, we are both. 

Imagine how it would change the world if everyone woke up tomorrow and realized their dual-genderedness.  Imagine how it would change the world if it were ok to enjoy sex while everyone also respected the immense potential for creating life that sex carries.  Imagine how it would change the world if men and women were truly equal and sex was simply a sacred act instead of a dividing line.

If you can imagine that, then you can imagine the kind of world that Wiccans embrace and create every day.

Follow-up Questions for Readers:

1.  Do you agree with Principle #4?  Why or why not?

2.  How aware are you of the flow between masculine and feminine energy in your daily life?

3.  How does the masculine polarity of the Creative Force manifest within you?  How does the feminine polarity of the Creative Force manifest within you?

4.  Do you believe that it will be necessary for women to become truly equal before society will embrace the Divine Feminine again?  Or will it be the other way around — the Divine Feminine must be brought to the forefront before there is any chance of equal rights for women?

5.  Within Wicca itself, has the pendulum swung too far the other way, elevating the feminine above the masculine while most of Western society elevates the masculine above the feminine?  Does this “balance out” the transgressions of patriarchy or does it perpetuate the “either/or” philosophy?  Explain.

6.  Based on Principle #4, would you say that Dianic Wicca (very pro-feminine) is a contradiction in terms?  Why or why not?

7.  Principles In Action:  How do you honor both the masculine and the feminine energies on your path?  Do you find yourself working with both masculine and feminine deities?  Is it necessary for the individual practioner to balance his or her path between the masculine and feminine?  Why or why not?  Is it necessary for covens to work in balance?  Why or why not?  Is sex an acceptable form of religious expression for you?  Why or why not?  Are you comfortable with the fact that Wicca openly admits to embracing sex and masculine/feminine balance as central tenets of this path?  How or how not?  Could you explain to someone else how sex is a sacred moment for you?  What would you say? 

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Photo by Eddi 07 (via Flickr).

“We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person.  Because it is far greater than ordinary, it is sometimes called “supernatural”, but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.”

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In addition to the intelligence put forth in Principle #2, Wiccans have other abilities.  While Principle #3 does not go into detail as to what these abilities are, it does make the point of acknowledging that the modern world would call them “supernatural”. 

Supernatural is a word that makes me laugh, especially when people use the word to describe my path and the things I do as a Wiccan.  Supernatural, by definition, is “that which is above Nature, belonging to a higher realm”.  There is nothing that I do that I consider to be beyond Nature.  Matter of fact, I daresay that the authors of the 13 Principles agree with me on this, for they say that “we see [this power] as lying within that which is naturally potential to all”. 

Indeed, in recent years, science has shown that the things we call magick are not only plausible, but true.  Everything is connected, even down to its smallest part.  The flap of a butterfly’s wings really can cause a typhoon and things only become real when we observe them to be so.  Call it magick if you will, but more and more, I find the word ‘magick’ to be a stumbling block the size of a mountain. 

When you hear the word ‘magick’ or ’supernatural’, what is the first thing that comes to mind?  What do you think comes to mind for the average non-Wiccan?  Your answers probably could be found among the following:  a trick; something that isn’t real; a childish belief; an incredible feat; getting something for nothing; yeah, right. 

I hate getting into conversations with people about the magickal aspect of my path because the very word ‘magick’ is laughable to most people.  To me, it’s not laughable at all — nor is it magick.  Matter of fact, even calling it magick can create the idea that what I am attempting to do is, in a word, unlikely or improbable.  This is not the kind of focus a good practitioner wants to have.  It’s also not the kind of reputation we wish to establish for ourselves with non-Wiccans. 

As Wiccans, we know that we can change the course of events by putting our will to work.  We know that the tools we use are simply tools of focus for our minds, helpmeets to align our boat with greater currents in order to land on the shore we are seeking.  We know that our minds have the ability to sense the future and that, as everything and everyone is connected, the answers we need can be sought within us.  None of this is unusual or “outside of Nature”.  Matter of fact, Wiccans want to be in line with Nature, so why would we practice arts that like outside of Nature?  In short, we don’t.  These abilities — as “above nature” as they might seem to a non-Wiccan — are actually natural endowments that all humans possess.

In short, they are natural.

I dislike the word ‘magick’ because it takes abilities that are fully within the scope of human ability and accomplishment and places them on this pedestal of “woo”, for lack of a better term.  The minute someone years the word magick or hears that you believe in it, a few rapid-fire assumptions tend to follow, none of which are very good for a Wiccan’s sense of self-esteem and personal validation.  You might get laughed at, or the person might take a step away from you as if afraid your insanity might rub off.  You might be asked to defend or explain yourself, with the understood meaning being implied that you are to convince the disbeliever of your position.  You might be called a devil-worshipper or told that you don’t have a grasp on reality at all.  

Regardless of how it actually plays out, you have an extremely high chance of being discredited, and all because what you do doesn’t match up with what someone else thinks ‘magick’ is.  For you, it’s all in a day’s work, exercising completely normal and universal abilities.  For them, it’s a circus sideshow, a bag of tricks, an immature belief, or an insane delusion.  In short, Wiccans don’t think that what we do is ‘magick’ by their definition, and non-Wiccans don’t see that what we do is normal by ours.  It’s a semantical chasm that must be crossed, and the word ‘magick’ is proving to be a poor bridge at best.

Going forward, we will need to come up with better ways to explain what it is we do.  Perhaps as science and mysticism close the gap towards each other, we will need less explanations and only more demonstrations to prove that nothing we do is outside the realm of natural potential.  For now — and as far back as 1973 — we have need of statements like Principle #3 to point out that what we do is nothing that anyone else can’t also do.  It is power, yes… but it is power we all possess.

Follow-up Questions for Readers:

1.  Do you agree with Principle #3?  Why or why not?

2.  What powers do you have that might be included as something “greater than apparent to the average person”?

3.  Do you believe that all humans have the ability to work with “supernatural powers”?  Do you have a theory about why these powers seem more prevalent in books and movies than in years past?

4.  Do you believe that the word ‘magick’ is a stepping stone or stumbling block?  Explain.

5.  How do you go about explaining what it is you do?  Are there better words or phrases we could use?  Is there scientific research that can help us bridge the gap? 

6.  Do you see these abilities categorized as “supernatural” ever becoming mainstream?  Why or why not?

7.  Principles In Action:  Make an inventory of the skills and abilities you have as a Wiccan that would be classified as supernatural.  When did you discover you had these talents?  How have you learned to hone your skills?  Have you taught others how to use these skills as well?  What scientific research has been performed that validates what you have known all along?  As a Wiccan, do you also realize the long-standing tradition of ‘magick’ as an experimental science?  Do you keep journals of your magickal successes and failures as you have honed your skills?  If not (or if you used to and have slacked off), make a commitment to yourself to renew your experiments.  Your life is your laboratory — your power is what is accessible to everyone.  It’s up to you to make your abilities extraordinary.

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Photo by Eddi 07 (via Flickr).

“We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility towards our environment.  We seek to live in harmony with nature in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.”

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Principle #2 is a natural outgrowth of Principle #1.  In Principle #1, we defined our world as the life forces marked by the rhythmn of the Moon and Sun and stated that our goal was to attune ourselves to this world through sacred observances.  Principle #2 goes further to state that it is not enough for us to mark time and stay in step if we’re not picking up trash along the way. 

In other words, our actions cannot be totally self-centered.  Although it might not be something you care to hear, if you’re just doing ritual and watching the Wheel turn ’round but you’re not doing anything to protect and preserve that world you claim as sacred, then you’re just going through the motions.  You’re “attuned”, but if the song doesn’t overflow into positive action, then your spiritual path is pretty discordant without the follow-through.

This is something that I feel every modern Wiccan still needs to take into account when reviewing how well they are walking their path.  Do you recycle?  Do you consolidate your shopping trips to minimize fuel consumption?  Do you shop at thrift stores?  Do you eat organic?  Do you complete the recycle cycle and make sure that you also buy products with the highest recycled content possible?  Do you check to see if the products you use are biodegradable?  If they’re tested on animals?  Do you know what fish populations are in decline and do you avoid purchasing these, instead choosing species that are readily available due to sustainable methods? 

The preservation of the world around you is more than just preserving Nature.  It’s also preserving human effort, for we, too, are sacred.  Do you buy local?  Do you opt for items made within your country in order to support your local economy?  Do you keep track of the business practices of the manufacturers of the products you buy in order not to monetarily contribute to poor personnel practices or human rights violations?  Do you deliberately seek to buy quality over quantity, which usually naturally ensures more handmade goods? 

In short, we are endowed with intelligence, and that intelligence brings an obligation to preserve the world that we hold sacred.

The second sentence is tricky.  There’s a lot of big words and prepositions.  However, the second half of Principle #2 very neatly details how our intelligence is to manifest.  It says that (a) we seek to live in ecological balance with Nature, (b) which, in doing, brings our lives and our experience of life (our consciousness) a sense of fulfillment, and (c) that we recognize that things change and we embrace that concept.

Ecology is derived from the Greek root “oikos”, which means “home, a dwelling place”.  The world we live in is more than just our surroundings.  It is our home.   There is a sense of belonging in the word ‘home’.  We like our homes to be places of comfort, safety, and in good order and repair.  How many humans in the modern age look to Nature with this kind of respect and reverence?  The mounding landfills, the toxic waterways, and polluted air we contribute to are a clue.  What if your personal home was piled with old used trash — not just yours, but others’ trash, too — and the air was hazy with industrial smog?  What if I told you that it is — even if you can’t see it every day?  We have a responsibility to the Earth because we know the Earth is more than just land to buy, an asset to sell or bequeath, or our celestial address.  Without an Earth, we would not be alive, and that immense gift of Life deserves our intelligent respect.  We don’t live ON the Earth.  We live WITH the Earth.  If She lives, we live.

This careful stewardship brings us a sense of fulfillment.  It makes our experience of life that much more full.  We are here in the moment, enjoying the sunrise, the scent of honeysuckle on a May breeze, the warmth of a summer afternoon, the cool touch of an autumn night.  We find pleasure in the taste of spices and fruits and all the wondrous plants that feed us.  If we are inclined to participate in the sacrificial round of eating animal flesh, then we have even more responsibility to do so ethically.  Tell me, do you pray before meals?  Do you give thanks for what has died that you may live?  Do you realize that your fork holds the body of the cosmos?  There is no fulfillment without reverence.

Yet, even though the Moon and Sun continue in their sacred rounds with little variance, we are not so naive as to believe that nothing changes.  Moreover, we believe that the changes in our world are for betterment and adaptation.  As the world changes, we seek to change with it.  This isn’t a radical concept if you’re a plant or an animal.  Frankly, they’re better at it than we are.  When the world changes, plants and animals either adapt or they die.  Slow environmental changes allow for maximum potential for adaptation.  Radical changes tend to bring dessimation of species.  Sadly, the changes in the last 150 years have been extreme.  We are losing species left and right because human involvement has altered the state of the environment to a point that gradual adaptation isn’t possible.

Ironically, our intelligence seems to be inversely proportionate to our instincts.  We can’t seem to grasp that this is the only planet we have — it is only recently that children have been taught conservation in schools as part of the standard curriculum.  There is such a surplus in the Western world that we have too many choices, too much stuff, and we spend our money to increase things in our lives instead of furthering our causes and ideals. 

Our intelligence could be used to make up for our lost alignment with the planet — indeed, our Principles state that this is precisely what we aim to do — but more often than not, our intelligence is seen as a carte blanche to see just how far we can go.   I am reminded of one of my favorite lines from the movie, Jurassic Park, in which Jeff Goldblum’s character states, “We are so busy wondering whether or not we can, we never stop to think about whether or not we SHOULD.”  Indeed, it is our intelligence that is our tragic flaw.  For it is our salvation, and our undoing.

Wiccans own the power of the mind and the intelligence that is intrinsic to our species.  We dedicate this intelligence to the preservation of our home, for we know that this brings fulfillment to the experience of living.  We know that the world will change, but we are uniquely equipped to change with it, that we may stay attuned.  Ours is a good way.  Ours is a way of life.

Follow-up Questions for Readers:

1.  Do you agree with Principle #2?  Why or why not?

2.  How does stewardship of the Earth fit in with your path? 

3.  Is a life of ecological balance possible in the modern age?  Explain.

4.  How is a balanced life a fulfilled life?  Would you agree with this statement?

5.  To what extent is it a Wiccan’s responsibility to encourage others — who may not be Wiccan — to life in harmony with the Earth?  In what ways could a Wiccan do this?  Are these things you do regularly? 

6.  Principles In Action:  Choose three things that you will commit to doing this year to put this principle in action for yourself and your family.  You might finally get around to recycling everything.  You might begin making regular donations to your local conservation society.  You might choose to be a more ethical shopper.  There are many things you can do to integrate new habits and make Principle #2 a part of your life.

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Photo by Eddi o7 (via Flickr).

“We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross-Quarters.”

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The first principle set forth by the Council of American Witches (CAW) goes straight for the heart of one of the most common opportunity for misunderstanding and misconception of the Wiccan path — ritual.  It’s a short, quick trip in the mind of a non-Wiccan from ‘Wiccan’ to ‘witchcraft’ to some media-nursed vision of people doing Who-Knows-What in the dark.  Interrupting this trip can help the record straight, which usually requires explaining what Wiccans do long before you actually get down to what Wiccans believe.

As the first tenet, Principle #1 is the receptionist for the Office Of Wicca.  It’s your smiling first impression.  Its job is to put you at ease, make you comfortable, open the door for you.  Principle #1 neatly sets up the Wiccan Universe:  we honor life forces and work to become one with them, we use ritual to do this, and we time these rituals based on the moon cycles and the seasonal quarters and cross quarters.  See?  At ease.  Wiccans aren’t a threat.  Our faith is for us, because we honor life and want to be in synch with life.  We do this by doing ritual at certain times.  Welcome to our world.

But the first Principle isn’t a pandering throw-away either.  Our receptionist is clever.  The first Principle doesn’t explain itself — it begs further questions.  Most people know what the phases of the moon are, but what’s a Seasonal Quarter?  It’s simple, the receptionist says.  A Seasonal Quarter is a date that our common calendars mark as the beginning of each of the four seasons, namely spring, summer, fall, and winter.  These are instantly recognizable to a person questioning.  Most of us – Wiccan or not — have been celebrating or acknowledging these our whole lives.  And thus, whether obvious or not to the person questioning, instant common ground manifests.  We share the same world, with the same seasons, and the same Moon.  It’s good to begin an educational lesson on what our differences are with a principle that first shows us what we have in common, don’t you think?

The obvious follow-up question asks for an explanation of the Cross-Quarters.  It’s easy enough to say that these are the points between the four Seasonal Quarter Sabbats, however, doing so also presents the opportunity for the diagram of the Wheel of the Year to be drawn.  We all share the dates on the calendar where seasons begin and end, but the Cross-Quarters are a little different.  They are particular to our faith, even if there are other celebrations that have been laid on top of them.  Non-Wiccans in America are often pleasantly surprised to find that Imbolc falls on Groundhog Day.  Even more enjoyable is tying the tradition of the groundhog predicting the coming of spring to the quickening we celebrate at Imbolc.  Both holidays have to do with growing light and the diminishing shadow.  

However, Wiccans don’t just follow the movements of the Sun.  There is another gear turning in the celestial timepiece — the Moon.  She is hardly recognized by modern man aside from the light She gives at night.  As a modernized society, we have moved away from growing, hunting, and raising our own food.  Farmers utilized knowledge of the Moon’s influence to know when to plant and reap crops, cut down trees for firewood, and know when to hunt various animals.  Children aren’t taught to recognize the Moon’s phase by shape and the time She rises or sets.  Many calendars no longer even include information about the Moon’s phases or do so only as an appendix to the calendar, in complete disregard for the fact that the calendar itself owes its existence to the recognition of the Moon’s rounds.  

Principle #1 recognizes that both the Moon and Sun set the rhythm to which all the forces of life move and we honor both.  While it does not explicitly state at this point that Wiccans honor equally the feminine and masculine, it’s there… stated with subtlety in this first line.  Interestingly enough, the Moon is mentioned first.  While some might see this as a nod to the Goddess as the origin of all things and thus giving Her preference, it could also be pointed out that following the Moon phases is something that sets Wiccans apart from many other mainstream faiths, and thus restores the Goddess to a place of prominence.  We follow the Moon’s phases, yes.  She is the closest body to us in this celestial ocean – and we will ignore Her no longer. 

My favorite phrase in Principle #1 is this:  practice rites.  Practice is an action.  Wiccans do.  Practice doesn’t make us perfect… that’s not what we’re aiming for anyway.  We practice rites.  Rites are sacred actions done in a particular way to effect a desired outcome.  In this case, our rites are to help us attune ourselves with something larger than ourselves.  We practice “righting” ourselves with the natural rhythms of life forces.  It’s not a habit.  Habits are unconscious.  When you practice something, you are concentrating, putting yourself into it, repeating your efforts.  There is a goal, yes, but the work itself is its own reward. 

In my 20+ years on this path, I have yet to meet a Wiccan that doesn’t agree with Principle #1.  Every Wiccan I know honors both the Lunar and Solar Wheel in some way — whether it be in celebration or utilizing the timing in a magickal working.  And every Wiccan I know performs ritual.  It might not be the same ritual.  It might not have the same bells and whistles.  But the goal is the same — a sacred alignment between man and the Universe, between the microcosm within and the macrocosm without. 

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Follow-up Questions for Readers:

1.  Do you agree with Principle #1?  Why or why not?

2.  What rites do you practice to attune yourself to the Moon’s cycles?

3.  What rites do you practice to attune yourself to the Seasonal Quarters and Cross-Quarters?

4.  What forces of life are measured out by the Moon and the Sun?  How many can you list?

5.  If the purpose of practicing our rites is to attune ourselves to life and these cycles, how do you know your practice has been successful?  In other words, what benefit do you receive from your practice that reaffirms your path for you?

6.  Principles In Action:  Create your own round of rituals for the year where you live.  Decide if you will celebrate during a particular day during the Moon’s cycle and how you will do so.  If you are female, you might choose to set aside a particular day of your menstrual cycle as sacred and perform an attuning rite then.  Are you feeling a little lax in marking the turning of the seasons in some sacred format?  Do research into your family’s cultural heritage to discover simple things you can do to make the turnings of the Wheel sacred for yourself.  Perhaps there are traditions native to your area that are actually folk traditions that have survived into modern times (such as a summer fair, hay ride and harvest, or other celebration).  Keep a journal of your rituals and how you feel afterwards.  Did you feel the Wheel turn?

It’s said that approximately 75 people were involved in what — I’m sure — were some of the most interesting talks ever to have been had about the nature of the Craft.  Think about how hard it is to herd Wiccans to begin with.  Then assume that these are all fairly well-respected and educated Wiccans, which means they came fully equipped with backbones, opinions, and footnotes ad nauseum for their arguments.  To say it was a minor miracle, a communications coup, would not be to say too much.  Whittling down 75 people’s ideas into thirteen statements is the stuff that business consultants get paid major bucks to do.  Why?  Because it’s a bitch, that’s why.  It’s the proverbial squeezing of the watermelon through the knothole.  It’s giving birth with 75 people in labor and all of them pushing out the same child and all of them trying to agree on one name to put on the birth certificate.  It’s impressive.

Ultimately, the thirteen principles became part of the Army Chaplain’s Handbook for use in the U.S. Army.  Because of the efforts of the CAW, Wicca had a more readily identifiable face, unique unto itself, and that face didn’t resemble the mask of some wicked creature or green-skinned marketing campaign. 

It probably won’t surprise you that the Council of American Witches disbanded soon after these Principles coalesced.  There is something fiercely independent about this path and even more independent about those that follow it — we don’t march to someone else’s beat very well, unless the syncopation is just right and the lyrics jive.  But perhaps, that is how it was meant to be.  Nature itself comes together for a time to accomplish a thing, only to let go when the time is right because the work is done.  It seems only natural that those who walk intimately with Nature would, too, know their time.  Like a coven that meets in the middle of the wood for the Esbat and then disperses hither and yon, the Council of American Witches came together to do a working and then parted ways.  But the work was still accomplished.

For the next thirteen Sun days, I will be discussing each of the thirteen principles from a modern viewpoint and perspective:  where we began, where we are now, and how the principle holds or does not hold.  When a statement of beliefs is set forth by a group, that group has basically also set forth for public consumption the source of its power.  Being born during the year that the Principles were formulated, the Principles and I share a common astrological transit:  Pluto Square Pluto.  It is a good time to look at the powerful root of the practices of American Wiccans and determine, if we can, if the root is still strong and how it has branched… if the well still feeds our Tradition tree… what fruit grows from our branches and is it sweet?

I hope you’ll join me each week as we celebrate this effort made by the Council of American Witches.  The final installation of this series will post on Sunday, April 11th, which will be the 36th anniversary of the Minneapolis Witchmeet where these Principles were adopted. 

The Raven’s call is still clear.  Can you hear?

Photo by Eddi 07 (via Flickr).

This is a time of year when we look to the past.  We flip through the memory book of our mind and note the faces of those that have come before us.  With some, we share the genetic material of the physical body.  With others, we share the spiritual genetics of the subtle body and the spirit.  Whether it’s blood family or spiritual family doesn’t matter… we carry forward within us a legacy of evolution.

I think of relationships in my life that have passed beyond the Veil.  Some of these were relationships with people.  Others were relationships with organizations.  The relationship itself was an entity and had its season, its period of passage, and its time of mourning.  And some of the individuals and organizations themselves have also passed beyond the Veil — though not all have actually died.  Sometimes the changes are so great, the path taken veers so wide, that a Veil of lack of understanding and connection comes between you and this Other.  Both still exist, however, you cannot share the same space and experience any longer.

Often, these partings can be more sadness-laden than an actual physical death.  At least with a “real end”, there’s a sense of finality.  We are forced to let go of a physical person because we no longer see them regularly or have their company.  We are forced to let go of a physical organization because we no longer meet, pursue goals, or celebrate successes.

But when the Veil drops because someone or something has changed, the suffering can be intense.  We long for what “used to be”.  We look at photographs and sigh.  Or maybe we tell tales of the “glory days”, our identities so wrapped up with “what was” that we fail to connect to “what is”.

This kind of approach automatically sets us up to find the Now — the current moment and all its opportunities and relationships — unsuitable.  The new person in your life isn’t like the old person.  The new organization or way of doing things isn’t like the old one.  We criticize and compare to a memory, idealized and gilded in our minds.

It’s not hard to see why things in the Present come up short.  After all, we do not share the Past together.  You have your Past, based in your perceptions and recollections.  I have my Past, based in my perceptions and recollections.  We may have shared an experience, or a moment, or a time, or a relationship together, however, we still end up with two separate Pasts that are impossible to quantify in the Now.

The Past becomes Mist all on its own.  Even now, you are reading these words, but it’s already the Past.  You cannot do anything to change it.  You cannot resurrect the moment of reading these words.  You can remember it, however, you will have remembered it through your own field of perception and that still will not accurately recapture the moment into the Now.

Likewise, we cannot recapture people or organizations that have come and gone, no matter how fondly we remember them or remember our times with them.  When the people and organizations are still here, it can be tempting to still see them as who they were.  The truth is, the only thing constant and unchanging is your perception of what has gone before, and that is only true if you yourself have not changed and grown.

We also cannot recapture people or organizations that have truly demised.  Our relationships with those people and groups were created by those involved.  Those relationships were created by people who were at a certain point in their life, in their learning, limited by the lessons actually internalized at the time during which paths intersected.  As all things change and flow and move and grow (hopefully), it should be easy to see that we cannot recreate anything.  We can only — at best — recreate what we THOUGHT it to be.

This can be a dangerous exercise — recreating what we THINK a relationship or group experience was.  After all, whose thought is right?  Who is most clear-seeing?  Regardless of who thinks they have the best answer, the fact remains that perspective plays its part.  It also sets up idealized expectations of the result.  And anyone knows that idealized expectations are nothing but a code word for “failure waiting to happen and heartbreak impending”.

We also have to ask ourselves WHY we wish to recreate a failed/ended relationship or a failed/ended group experience.  If we are motivated from an internal source, by those fond and frilly memories of the “glory days”, then what does the recreated relationship/group really serve?  If memories are anchored in perception and perception is completely anchored in ego and it is our memory that spurs us with feelings of loss or nostalgia to revive something, then isn’t it obvious that the recreated relationship or group experience serves ego, as well?

Life is not a circle.  Life is a spiral.  We may come back around but, with the Gods favor and a bunch of hard work, it’s at a higher level.  To delve into the past is like speaking spells over old bones.  The bones may get up and dance a jig, you may shake off the dust, but the flesh is gone — and you’ve completely missed the fact that the spirit has never left you.

It’s the way of all things to evolve and move forward.  We — you and I — can only have a relationship in the here and now.  We only have that which lies within us to draw upon.  We only have our current understandings through which to communicate.  We only have this moment to share perspectives and jointly decide our course.

But if you’re living in the Past, and I’m living in the Now, we are separated by a Veil too great to cross to create something new.  If you see me as I was and not as I am, then the person in this moment does not exist to you.  I become not Real in your world, and therefore, how can we journey together?  If I see you as I want you to be and not as you are, then the person in this moment does not exist for me.  You become not Real in my world, and therefore, how can we journey together?

I have many fond memories with people with whom I have shared past relationships and experiences.  But those memories are in the past.  Even if the memory isn’t so fond, it holds no bearing on the Now unless I choose to make the Past my Present.  However, I have made a vow to walk a path of Power.  The only moment in which there is Power is Now.

Resurrecting old relationships just as they were is not a work of Power.  Judging others and holding them inside the box of however you have perceived them in the Past is not a work of Power.  Summoning old organizations or missions from the grave is not a work of Power.  These are all tricks we play upon ourselves to keep ourselves safe, away from the cutting edge where the Work is actually done.

You know the scary place — it’s that line we walk that reminds us that we have no control other than what we carry within us.  People can’t and will not and have no Universal obligation to be whom we want or expect.  Organizations can’t and will not and have no Universal obligation to be what we want or expect.  But how often do we decide to interact or join or become intimate based on these things — how often do we completely bypass acceptance of what Is (ie. in the NOW) for our expectations of what Should Be (ie. in the Past of our minds… after all, how do you get to a “should” unless you’ve already played out in your head what the reality is going to look like)?

This is a time of Death.  It means not jumping in the grave with who or what’s gone.  We don’t go forward by going back, but we do reach out by going within.  If you want a relationship with someone from your Past, you have to be more attached to the person they are NOW than the person they were THEN.  If you can’t do that, I am telling you truthfully here YOU ARE GOING TO BURY ANOTHER RELATIONSHIP BECAUSE YOU HAVEN’T GOTTEN OUT OF THE GRAVE WITH THE OLD ONE.  Same thing with an organization.  You can’t revive it.  You must take the situation in the Now with the people who are in the Now and decide the course for the Now and let it be in the Now.  You cannot bury a child you’ve lost (and most groups/organizations are labors of love) and then dig it up years later and swaddle the bones.  It won’t matter how you dress it up.  The Mother has taken it to her breast.  It’s done.  If you aren’t careful, you will have every other person entombed with it before long.

Samhaine is about letting go.  Take your inner child by the hand and ask them to unclench their fist.  Only then will you be ready with an open hand to receive the gifts of the Now — the Present.

Witchvox Featured Article, 10/25/09.

Photo by Eddi 07 (via Flickr).

It’s also the evening I have mini-spa days at home with my daughter.  Sliced cucumbers on the eyelids, mud masks and hand massages, a streak of temporary hair color that’ll last the weekend  — much fun!

This is what I mean when I say that Life is Ritual.  I don’t cast a circle around my manicurist while I’m getting my nails done, but I am aware that I am treating my body special and doing something to celebrate my beauty.  It makes me feel good and that in turn puts a bounce in my step for the next six days.

You don’t have to be female to take advantage of this ritual timing.  Men are entitled to look good, too (actually, we women appreciate it when you take the time to do things to keep you looking oh-so-fine)!  This is a simple way to include a little Friday Fab into your week and honor that wonderful body with which you’ve been blessed.

Anyone have any special recipes or self-pampering ideas to share?  What’s your favorite way to “adorn the Temple” that is your body?

Photo by Eddi 07 (via Flickr).

Sometimes you don’t get to make this choice.  If there’s not a coven near you, there’s only one option left besides putting everything on hold and moving to a city where you can find a group.  Still, many people who come to the Craft have differing understandings about whether or not you can be a Witch without a coven, or if you can choose to be Solitary even if there’s a coven available, or how joining a Coven will change your Craft experience.

Coven training provides…

• Social interaction that most people need in life.
• Plenty of people with whom to share (multiply joys).
• Plenty of people with whom to have conflict (increased opportunities for growth).
• Structure that can help one feel secure as learning begins.
• Trained leadership that can accelerated the education process.
• Support system for all aspects of your life.
• Group ritual experience and shared magickal opportunities.
• Someone to go to for help in emergencies or when questions arise.
• The feeling of being part of something bigger than just you.
• Safe space in which to do the deep sharing necessary to grow in personal power.
• The potential for you to be able to share your knowledge and teach others.
• The chance to be part of a living tradition of the Craft as shared by the group.
• Friendship, networking, and teamwork experiences.

Negative coven experiences can include…

• Extreme angst and conflict, if the group isn’t well-managed with an “active focus”.
• Danger, if the leadership doesn’t accurately assess skill levels and prepare members for the work to be done.
• Codependence, if personal power and accountability aren’t stressed and encouraged.
• Extortion, if unethical behavior is enacted within a atmosphere of trust.
• Poor education, if those instructing are not well-educated or trained and capable of passing on knowledge.
• Ego-centrism, if the leaders are insecure and see/treat coven members as minions.
• Stagnancy, if change is not accepted and differing views/conflict not dealt with maturely and integrated.
• Unethical alignment, if the coven is geared towards illegal or “shadowy” work or behavior as a standard.
• Immaturity, simply because people are people and we all make mistakes as we grow.
• Embarrassment, because you now have an audience for the mistakes you make.
• Relationship conflict, between friends, husbands/wives, etc.  As you change, your relationships do also.

Solitary work provides…

• The opportunity to hear your own Voice first.
• Freedom to study what you please at your own pace and to use what you find as you see fit.
• No one to judge you on your ritual skills.
• No “peanut gallery” to tell you what you may or may not be doing “wrong”.
• A true “at your own pace” approach.
• More anonymity — literally, no one else knows.
• The chance to grow in strength as you face your challenges alone.
• The opportunity to develop your own symbolism and correspondences.
• An often “more unique” end product that is your spiritual practice.
• No group to whom you are bound or outside rules you have to follow.
• No situations where you are being pushed to expand an area you might find uncomfortable.
• No added requirement to learn to play or work well with others.
• No one depending on you to do your part to contribute to a larger whole.

Negative solitary experiences can include…

• Having to reinvent the Wheel every time — no benefit of someone else’s trial and error.
• No one to call when you have a magickal emergency.
• Potential questions of self-doubt (am I doing this right?  am I doing this safely?)
• No one to celebrate your successes — unshared victories.
• No one to help dust you off after a massive failure.
• No one to give you that “Other Input” when you feel lost and unsure which way to go next.
• Fears of looking like a fool if asked to participate in group ritual.
• Dangers of getting in over your head because you’ve missed something that was foundational training for a magickal working you are wanting to do.
• Lack of support in the mundane times, no one to call or with whom to share your path.
• Wondering if you’re the only one and the extreme loneliness that can ensue.
• Being told you’re invalid because you’re not Initiated, even though you do everything else “right”.

________________________

Being in a good coven can provide many helpful growth experiences, good educational opportunities, a social framework, a sense of group purpose, and many other wonderful things.  Finding a good coven can be difficult.  Because we do not have a centralized body of ministry, education or clergy approval, there are a large number of self-appointed High Priests and High Priestesses out there whose only claim to being such is a whim and a self-delivered smack on the head.  There are equally more who really want to serve and do a good job that just aren’t equipped as leaders, have bad personal skills, can’t teach, and don’t understand the work it takes to keep one’s ego well-balanced while being “in charge”.  There are still others who see their students as ego-extensions of themselves, others that want to keep their students held back so they can ensure they remain at the top of their self-created pyramid, and still more that use the titles as a front for sexual misconduct, monetary exploitation, and unethical behavior.

There’s no one to whom these kinds of leaders can be reported.  There’s no “slap on the wrist” or “magickal incarceration” that can be meted out.  No one can “make” anyone give up a title or degree.  Even worse, these days, those that have gone through the degree process are treated as though the time they spent and the skills they have gained mean nothing (if anyone can be a High Priestess just by deciding to be so, why work for it?).  After all, anyone can say “I’m a 3rd degree High Priestess of Such-and-Such Circle of the Blah-dee-Dah”.  The proof is in the pudding.  You can tell a person, their focus, their dedication, their ethic, and their personal power based on what they do in the world around them.  In other words, it’s not what they SAY, it’s what they DO that you need to pay attention to.

In short, look at what the coven is by what it does and ask yourself… is the Coven like something I am aspiring to be?  Covens require resonance, require that a certain amount of “fitting in” takes place.  Can you fit into a group that is focused on achievement, on hard work, on dedication?  Can you fit into a group that is laid back but spends more time reliving old stories and gossiping than doing any kind of magickal work?  Can you fit into a group that requires all children be left at home for every group event?  Can you fit into a group that requires you be silent about anything you are taught, not even speaking to your spouse, even if your spouse is a member of the same group?  Look at the group’s overall energy, work, presentation, feel, and focus.  Realize that, should you become part of that group, you will begin to take on the energy of that group, which will change you.  If you fight against that change, you will be seen as trying to tear apart something that was working just fine before you got there.  Or, worse case, you will change yourself and implode later as you realize you aren’t what the Gods wanted you to be.

Being a solitary can present equal difficulties, almost in mirrored inverse of coven-difficulties.  Whereas most of the problems working with a coven involve other people, most of the problems working solitary involve you and you alone.  There’s no one to blame when you screw up, so you have to have a thick skin and be willing to make mistakes.  There’s often no one to ask what to do when shit hits the fan, so you have to have some common sense.  There’s no one to challenge you, so you’d better be self-driven.  There’s no one to give you a reading list, an assignment, or to guide your spiritual walk, so everything you do is an adventure, self-dictated by you.

There’s less chance of getting wrapped up in someone else’s drama, though.  You don’t have to worry about conforming on any level.  You don’t have to worry about sharing, telling anyone what you feel, or asking anyone’s permission to do anything magickally.  You are a free agent.  This can be a really good thing as you begin to grow in your own power.

Then there’s the not-so-good side… Wicca is traditionally an initiatory religion.  This means, it takes a Witch to make a Witch.  To many, you have to go through a ritual, conducted by another Witch, to be considered such.  As a solitary, you can claim whatever degree or title you want.  There are those who have been trained and initiated that won’t value it the same way you do because they can’t relate — everyone in THEIR tradition knows the value of a 1st degree in that Trad, but only you know the value of your own training.  Worse, they’ll be watching what you do to see if you “measure up”.  I’ve seen Solitaries laughed at in ritual because they did an invocation in a strange way.  I’ve also seen Solitaries blow coven-trained people out of the water in ritual only to end up the butt of negative talk because “who do they think THEY are?”.  People are people.  Give them a chance to offer criticism to make themselves feel better and it’ll happen more often than it should.

When making a decision to join a coven or be solitary, the first question you should ask is:  What appeals more to me — working alone or working with a group?  If the answer is working alone, then do that.  Start working alone.  Network as you can for help if you need it.  If your answer is working with a group, you need to start looking.  Ask the Gods to bring you the group that is right for you.  Ask them to give you a sign to help you differentiate between multiple groups.  Understand that asking the Gods for a “good group” isn’t the same as asking the Gods for a “group with only good experiences”.  Remember that those in charge of groups are learning, too.  You can evaluate how healthy a group is by seeing if its leadership also grows and changes and is humble and laughs at themselves while still being able to maintain a certain reverence and seriousness about their Craft.

If you really want to find a coven but can’t, for now, network online.  It can help with the social connections you need and may lead you to a group nearby you didn’t know existed.  Ultimately, it can still be hit-or-miss when it comes to finding a good coven and having a successful relationship with that coven (these are two separate steps).  A period of solitary work can be good for most anyone because it builds strength, builds character, teaches self-reliance and self-trust, teaches how to Craft your life without being fed by a spoon by someone else.

A Coven (like a Church) is an organizational structure to effect a purpose supported by a shared set of beliefs held by all those in membership/attendance.   At the end of the day, you can be a Witch without being part of a Coven.  You can’t be part of a Coven without being a Witch.  Just as one can be a Christian without going to Church but a Church is typically composed of Christians.

There will be some who disagree with me whole-cloth.  I have met some people in my life who have never been “formally trained” but whom I count as degreed and initiated Witches.  Sometimes Life is the Initiator and wears a mundane face.  I personally judge a person’s initiatory process based on what they’re doing NOW, the sincerity of their hearts and the efforts they are demonstrating to walk their path.  If someone asks the Gods for Initiation — be it Solitary or Coven-bound — the Gods hear and the Gods start setting wheels in motion to put that person through the lessons needed to purify that person and strengthen them for the work ahead.  Be careful when you ask for Initiation… it does begin to happen.  Initiation may be what we call the ritual, but it is also a process, just as birth may last 6 hours but who discounts the 9-months that lead up to birth as meaning nothing?

Also, an initiated person isn’t one who is beyond mistakes — oh NO!  Rather, they tend to make more because they know the learning, not the perception of their success, is what is important.  A perfect person tends to denote someone with either (a) lack of principle, (b) a fence-sitter, (c) someone good at covering up the truth, (d) someone who can’t admit wrong and is deft at shifting blame, or (e) someone who always plays it safe and doesn’t try to expand beyond what they can already do well.  None of these are, in my opinion, things to which a Witch (or anyone else) should aspire.  If a person looks like Teflon, acts like Teflon, and has the one-dimensionality of Teflon, then chances are nothing sticks to them — even the good stuff — and they emit noxious particles when the heat is on.  Stay away!

There’s enough to say about this dilemma to fill a book, but this should get you started asking the right self-questions to determine whether or not you need or want a coven-based experience in your life.  I don’t personally believe that the Gods turn aside anyone who is sincere in their Quest.  If that means you get led to a coven, then wonderful, but that’s not going to be the only road to knowing the Divine Ones.

Don’t let an initiated person tell you that they’re better than you because they have a degree.  That shows you their limits.  I assure you, the Gods don’t have those limits, and there is at least one High Priestess — me — that will stand up for your right to take the Hermit’s Walk towards wisdom and who will embrace you as changed upon your return.

Listen to your inner voice.  Be sincere.  Do the Work.  Always strive.  Love yourself.  Love the Gods.  Love your fellow wo/man.  Love the Earth.  Feel the Wonder.  Own your Power.  Make a better place of this world.  Live with integrity.  Persist and prevail.  Be a good example of what to be.  Have faith.  Ask for what you desire.  Observe the Holy Days.  Seek the Mysteries.  Trust your Knowing.  Strive for Balance.  Know Joy.

None of these requires me or anyone else.  Being a Witch is in your hands.  If you want a Coven, then I pray you find one that emphasizes the Truth and Beauty and Health and Positive Growth of this path so you have companions to share your journey.  If you’re ever in my neck of the woods, our doors will always be open to those who are Seekers walking in Love, Truth, Honor, and Service.

Your path is your own.  Make it extraordinary.

Next entry in New To Wicca?  — Teacher or No Teacher?

Witchvox Featured Article, August 2009.

Photo by Eddi 07 (via Flickr).

The name of the article is Open Letter To My Enemy.  I hope you’ll have a read and come back here and tell me what you think.  Maybe we can get a little discussion going about some of the “enemies” in our lives and the lessons we’ve learned from those hard times.

Be forewarned — it’s a “thinker”.

If you’re here looking for dirty laundry about my time as an Ex-Reconstructionist, I’m sorry to disappoint you.

The fact are simple.  I began my training as a Wiccan.  I became a Reconstructionist for a while after a crisis of faith in my local pagan community.  I was a dedicated (as in “committed”) Reconstructionist for a couple of years.  How committed?  Committed enough to learn Gaidhlig to an intermediate level on my own dime for no other reason than to do research and rip apart etymologies and sentence structure for clues to cultural mindset — in other words, damn committed.  I left Reconstructionism because I couldn’t agree with the severely discriminatory attitudes of the group members towards other pagans.  It just felt wrong to be that condemning of a fellow human.  Not all Reconstruction groups are like this, but this one was.  I returned to Wicca braver and stronger, fired up with a mission to trace down the roots of the Craft and embrace them for whatever I found there, regardless of what anyone else said about their validity.  I also learned a few things about the dynamic between general pagans and Reconstructionists (or Fundamentalists of any pagan branch) that have become part of the foundation of my path.

It took a while to work through the flotsam and jetsam of the wreckage of the various experiences, but when I did, I realized how many treasures I’d gained from the experience.  It’s those treasures I want to share with you now, not the drama, in the hopes that it will help mend some rifts among all branches of paganism.  After all, I’ve defected from Wicca and from Reconstructionism only to come back to Wicca quite happily.  I know what pisses off people on both sides of the fence.

We CAN have better relationships between us if we try.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

FOR WICCANS/PAGANS

• Do not take a tradition from another culture and call it an ‘ancient Wiccan tradition’. It’s wrong, it’s bullshit, it’s disrespectful to the culture from which you borrowed it and proves you know nothing.  Nothing gets a Reconstructionist hotter under the collar than cultural appropriation without proper attribution.  That’s not saying you can’t, for example, do a Bride’s Bed rite for Imbolc.  What I’m saying is, when you teach that or explain it to another, you need to phrase it thus:  “Our ritual tonight will include a tradition from the Scots-Irish culture known as Bride’s Bed.”  This very neatly gives credit to the culture that birthed the tradition.  Not telling people where you got the idea is like plagiarizing the religious creations of an entire race.  How would you like it if someone took something you created and was sacred to you and then passed it off as though it were theirs?  EXACTLY.  So don’t do it.  You’re not just offending a person when you do it… you’re offending an entire CULTURE.

• Do not use a tradition you haven’t researched and do not understand.  Cultural traditions are powerful keystones to the energy of that culture and are not to be used “for your pleasure”. Be respectful of the traditions you are utilizing by giving them your energy via research before putting them into practice.  The Gods are not your personal “call girls” and “gigolos” that you can call up without knowing them, use them for whatever you want to use them for, and then send them home.  Likewise, remember that certain traditions are meant to cause certain effects.  Be sure you know what those effects were and that you want those effects.  A good example is the tradition of jumping a Bel-fire for fertility.  If you are using this tradition, you’d better make sure that everyone knows what it’s for before you send them in a line to jump it.  It’s not a conga line!  People will get pregnant!

• Do not ridicule Reconstructionists by calling them anal, holier-than-thou, or any other derogative term. Not all of them behave that way (though you will run into some) and your accusations speak more to a lack of security in your own faith than the practice of theirs.  If you know your path is right for you, what does it matter if they act like your path is substandard?  If they’re rude to you, it makes them look bad.  If they’re rude to you after you’ve done something dumb (like trying to convince them that Wicca is traditionally Celtic), you will just have to take your lumps.  Get your facts straight.  That leads to…

• Do not argue with a Reconstructionist using evidence of “what feels right”, “what works for you”, or anything else you have not foot-noted and are not able to cite. Reconstructionism requires research into facts and this movement takes their scholarship seriously.  If you do not bring your facts to the table, you have brought a knife to a gun fight.  When you get shot in the ass, try not to drop your blade through your big toe.

• Do not try to convince the Reconstructionist that Wicca is an ancient path. Matter of fact, don’t do this within earshot of a Reconstructionist either.  You will lose and you will deserve it.

• Do not accept negative treatment at the hands of a Reconstructionist or anyone else and don’t make an ass of yourself either. You don’t need to cite sources to demand courtesy and respect.  My experience was with Celtic Reconstructionist / Traditionalists.  What I learned about those cultures were that they were very inclusive, absorbing people from other tribes and lands and thus some of their cultural differences as well.  Hospitality and good manners were high on the list of virtues for people in their societies.  Even if they disagree with you, respect should be fundamental.  Having an Irish Triad or two about good character tucked away in your pocket can be helpful for restoring civility.  Just be sure that you have also behaved civilly or again… all bets are off.

~and because they are also a Fundamental group~

• Be very careful not to claim lineage you don’t have when interacting with British Traditionalist Witches.  Gardnerian lineage goes male-female-male-female and so on.  If your initation lineage doesn’t look like a gender tennis match, it isn’t valid.  End of story.  Don’t make up a lineage to make you look good.  Don’t make up a family tradition and say that it makes you better than a BTW… matter of fact, don’t make anything up.  If you don’t have the balls to just be a Witch because you’re a Witch, if you need to make up some grand tale of witchiness to make you more valid, then stop right now because you don’t have what it takes.  I’m of the opinion that if you couldn’t potentially hold your own as a Solitary, needing no one’s validation but your Gods’ validation, then your power will always be determined by someone else telling you that you’re a Witch.   If you need a lineage to give you power or authenticity, then go get it and make the effort.  Don’t lie about it.  That demeans the efforts of all the people who have gone to the efforts and done it the hard way.  Also, realize that the word Wicca was originally applied to groups coming out of Gerald Gardner’s lineage.  If you don’t have that lineage, many BTW’s don’t believe you deserve to use that word to describe yourself.  The cat is really too far out of the bag to get back in now, but at least be sensitive to the fact that it may be an issue for some and don’t be discourteous to those who are still upset about the way things have gone.  It’s not your responsibility to make amends for hundreds of thousands of other Wiccans in the world, but respect is still the way to go.

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FOR RECONSTRUCTIONISTS

• Do not assume that all Wiccans/pagans are cultural horse-thieves.  We aren’t. I happen to be very careful about NOT padding the history of the Craft or absconding with cultural traditions without proper footnotes.  I don’t need to make what I do “more valid” by lying about it.  And I don’t suffer such bullshit from those I teach, either.  Respect goes both ways.  I happen to be thankful for Reconstructionists and their ability to research and give us access to roots so deep.   I’m not the only one that feels that way.  I’m willing to be respectful to you and argue your case among others like me, but I require that you at least be worthy of the good word I speak of you, your efforts, and your traditions.

• Do not discount our practices because we can’t prove they were done just that way 2,000 years ago.  On the other hand, if that’s what someone claims, that person is opening himself up, isn’t he?  (Notice I said THAT PERSON, meaning ONE… you can take THAT ONE to task, not cut us all down in one fell swoop).  Our religious mode of expression has pagan roots from a number of cultures.  It also contains a lot of inspired ritual and new traditions.  It gets us where we want to go.  A car is a valid form of transporation based on where it gets you, not what it looks like, what fuel it takes, or what CD is playing through the stereo.  Instead of judging us on whether or not we are as “right” as you, ask and accurately assess if our practices “do work” FOR US and if those practices effect the changes for which we aim.  We aren’t going to do the same things you do — so don’t measure us by a 2,000 year old measuring stick.

• Be nice.  Courtesy is fundamental and that’s about as much “fundamental” as we’re willing to put up with. The large majority of pagans came here from a fundamental Christian path that said anything except Christianity was a sentence to hell.  Most of us in the general pagan community (and in the Reconstructionist movement) came from this place of judgment and damnation and shame.  So we’ve all had just about enough of someone telling us that we’re not “right enough”, “good enough”, or “worthy enough”.  Some of us understand that your dedication to the truth/facts of the past is very important to you.  Many of us love the past as well, but feel the Now is more important, that we create the traditions of the future based on meeting today’s challenges with today’s knowledge and wisdom.  Neither is more right or more wrong.  It’s just another example of diversity that could, if we could stop fighting, help us as a whole community to be stronger and more alive.  Manners are the nails that hold bridges of community together.

• Understand that when you start throwing around facts about the Past, many of us think you’ve stopped listening to what we see and feel in the Now. Your love of facts and tradition is beautiful.  So is our active expression and new creation of modern spirituality that we call our faith.  If every conversation turns into a dissertation of what was done 2,000 years ago — and then STAYS THERE — you’re going to lose connectivity with us.   Most people who aren’t knowledge whores (like me) are going to get bored and likely tick you off with a sigh of boredom or exasperation or simply walk off.  The past is important for what it brings forward into the future, but we live in the Now.  By all means, tell us what our ancestors did and what they knew, but realize you are speaking with and interacting with people who don’t live quite so much in love with the past.  Interact with us in the moment, please, if we’re willing to go along with you in your time machine.

• If a Wiccan/Pagan is in error about something, realize your opportunity to do something great! Yes, there’s a lot of ill-informed people out there.  As a student of history, you’re going to spend time doing education — especially considering that it’s pretty impossible for everyone to be an expert on everything at the same time.  But there are two ways of going about it.  You can educate from a position that ridicules and debases a person’s self-esteem.  Or you can educate in a way that helps that person realize that making mistakes is part of learning and that learning can be fun.  When correcting someone about their faith, realize you are dealing with very sensitive stuff.  Moreover, you are dealing with people who have likely come out of a religion where there is a definite “right” and “wrong” and who are just learning again to open their intuitions up.  If you slam them hard with a fundamentalist attitude towards history and modern pagan practice, you will not only be tapping their facts… you’ll be dealing with their fears, their opening psychic abilities, their self-esteems, all of it.  You have the potential to do a lot of damage with your facts and cited sources and your method of delivery.  Or you have the potential to instill in them a beautiful love for culture, a respect for those cultures, and a desire to add research to their path as a spiritual exercise.  If you get an instantaneous defensive response, that’s a sign that the open door you thought you had to educate someone is rapidly closing or is already closed.  No one will take lightly to having the door beat down, no matter how nice the hammer or how sweet the blow.  Know when you have an “open door moment”, and then talk to the person with excitement and let the love of your subject shine through.  You will notice a difference in how you are received.  Be a force for good, not simply an irresistable force determined to pound the immovable object of suspected ignorance to a pulp.
  

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I believe that both modern Wiccans/Pagans and Reconstructionists are healthy parts of the current pagan movement.  It’s wonderful that we have such diversity to allow our people a choice of how they want to express their faith.  We have things to learn from each other, but that is going to require understanding, and understanding requires conversation, and conversation requires respect as the first step.  I believe that the suggestions I’ve made are a few steps we could take to show that respect and thus begin a dialogue that will lead us into the future in a more unified way.

I’ve had bad experiences as part of both a Wiccan and a Reconstructionist path.  That had more to do with the people than the paths.  Have your issues with the people and their actions if you need to, but leave the Paths (as a whole) and their practioners (as a whole) out of it.  I can say that both paths have a lot to give, but the offering bowl/quaiche won’t hold any kind of offering for anyone if we continue to fill them to the brim with ego, bitterness, and spite.

Slainte!  I drink to the health of our pagan community.  I hope you’ll share a cup with me.

Published August 2, 2009 — Witchvox Featured Article (WV Title:  Healing The Gap Between Modern Paganism and Reconstructionism).

Photo by Eddi 07 (via Flickr).