We see religion, magic and wisdom in living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it — a world view and a philosophy of life which we identify as Witchcraft — the Wiccan Way.
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You have probably heard the statement that a Witch can be a Witch without being a Wiccan, [...]

We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.
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Principle #6 is what I like to call the tragic flaw in the Wiccan construct.  In literary terms, a hero is said to [...]

We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological worlds, sometimes known as the Spiritual World, or the Collective Unconscious, or the Inner Planes, etc — and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magical exercises.  We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for [...]

“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 [...]

“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 [...]

“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 [...]

“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 — [...]

In this series, I will be discussing the 13 Principles of Wiccan Belief set forth by the Council of American Witches (CAW, in these articles, for short).  These statements of faith and practice were compiled by an alliance of modern witches, gathered together by Carl Llewellyn Weschcke in 1973.  Believing the neo-Pagan movement needed a generalized outline of [...]