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Prepared by Magus Thom Potter; AA, AS. [1998, 2003].
Someone has said that if you asked thirteen Pagans to define Paganism you will get fifteen answers, with no one knowing where the fifteenth came from. The fourteenth would come from someone like me trying to sieve the whole thing into its common denominator. Not an easy task with Paganism, let me tell you! These central themes are the best I could manage safely (I hope). Some may agree and say they favor one over another. Others may feel I have missed something important, to them at least. Bear with me as I do what I can with as vast a resource as I am appealing to.
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What is a Pagan?
What is Witchcraft? What, or Who Is God to You? What Is Magic? Are You Satanists? What Are Your Ethics? Other Authorities The Dragons’ Nest Back to Where You Where. |
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I could argue that Paganism is the oldest spiritual tradition on Earth as if it were obvious. Traditionally a Pagan is directly associated with the Earth. This dependence requires both a reverence for and an awareness of the process of nature. I could argue that Paganism is one of the newest cultures of faith on Earth, as well. You see, Paganism is like a rope. Each individual is a strand. Each strand contributes to a thread, each thread to a cord, each cord to a rope, each rope to a larger rope. No strand, no thread passes the entire length of any cord or rope. Yet each strand adds to the strength of the whole. We don’t expect that any thread will last the centuries. Each strand dies, making room for the next. I draw my strength from those who have gone before me, and those who travel with me. I lend my strength to those who are with me, and return it to those who will follow.
Minimally, a Pagan was a country dweller, the term often used to degrade the folk, a little like calling someone a “hillbilly.” Their direct association and dependence on the Earth and Her natural cycles inspired reverence for these forces. Today the neo-Pagan — a modern reconstruction — strives for that same degree of reverence. How we express that reverence is where I believe we most often differ. We may identify neo-Pagans as having some combination of the following:
Pantheism is the belief that All is God, or that the Universe is God. Panentheism is the position that All is in God, or that the universe is a part of God. Either way, the Pagan holds all of nature as sacred. Pantheism is not reverencing Nature above God. It is reverencing Nature as God, or rather God as Nature.
This is the belief that Nature is saturated with spirit. This spirit imparts those parts with some level of will and awareness. Now, a water molecule may have more awareness than a hydrogen atom, and an ocean may have more awareness than a water molecule. This Dynamism can evolve into:
Polytheism is the belief that there are several independent definitions of a Single Deity, or several independent Deities, or some combination of both. This belief may include the existence of the fairy folk, Divine Ancestors, angels (just a god, a little like a servant of a king, rather than an itinerant resident) and other “Virtual Beings.”
Some years ago as I was sitting in a Christian Church (Assembly of God) the Minister said something that has had a profound influence in my life. He said, “Satan sits on the doorsteps of many a church, crying his eyes out. You see, he is getting blamed for so much he did not do.” He went on to let us know that we must take responsibility for our actions and responsibilities.
Satan and devils seem defining notions for Christianism, more so than Christ. Anton LaVey has observed, (too often rightly so) that, “Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years.” Counter to this position, Pagans — indeed many Cultures of Faith — do not need a Cosmic Boggie man for anything. Also, the Satan of the modern Churches is not the Satan of the Islamic testament, who is not the Satan of the Christian testament, who is not the Satan of the Hebrew Testament, or the Satan of the early Hebrews.
When human awareness was still rather simple, we saw the very forces of nature with awe. We do not like to be afraid. In our dreams, when we become irrational and see what our rational minds ignore — or in those days when lightening and mighty winds would still terrify us — we would look to demons to sort them out. In time, we simply blamed them for our problems, and expected them to take the punishment accordingly. The Shadow is the antithesis of the Ego, our anti-ego. Where the Ego is our public face, the Shadow is our private one. This Shadow is the guardian of every secret thought, even those desires that are too young or too fragile to be brought into the light. We may even put her in charge of those desires that society has declared taboo, such as voyeurism. If we do not give these tabooed desires a healthy place to air out (those who like to look are placed with those who like to be looked at) the Shadow can become a personal demon, interfering with every other thought. I believe this is where many psychological and social disorders arise.
There may be virtual beings (translate as “spiritual beings”) who have a malevolent purpose. These are no different from humans or other animals with malevolent interests, and are just as miserable for similar reasons.
A Pagan is more likely to weigh his or her own spiritual experiences with the Divine with greater authority than any other’s experiences. This does not mean that the Pagan will discount another’s account. The problem is that my attempt to put into words what is intrinsically indescribable will often fall short in the effort. A picture of a flower or of the sun will not do the flower or the sun justice, and another’s report will not be the same as yours.
Imagine this, someone stands on the moon and takes a breath taking picture of Earth with Mars behind. Now this person has seen and experienced all of this personally, and has taken a good picture of it. Now, you can enjoy the picture, and try to imagine what it was like at the moment this someone saw that alignment at that time. Yet, imagine all you can, you have never been to the moon. Even if you could occupy the very same spot at the very same time, (ignoring the exclusionary theorem) you would have still seen the event through your own gestalt.
They say that faith without work is dead. We can also say that work without faith is just as dead. Without meaning in our lives (and there is no meaning guaranteed to any existence) life is little more than a pursuit of pleasure while we avoid pain. This is the meaning of life to an amoeba. Humanity is more complex than that. Living solely by the guidance of the Id can lead to depression, and burn out. The Sabbaths, great and small, each serve to help us find meaning in everything we seek to do in this life. The greatest Sabbath is helping another human live their life. Finding or making some time to rest and reflect is good. This adds moral, restores energy, and repairs physical and emotional damage from stress. Making the day somewhat symbolic can enhance one’s pursuit of meaning, and inspire us to be better.
In Paganism, in any Culture of Faith, the sacred are set off from the ordinary. Time and place are set apart with some ritual or ceremony. Candles are lit and Sabbaths have begun. The song of farewell marks its end. Sacred script, tools, and garments are placed with reverence into special places. Some words are spoken only under special occasions or circumstances. The real difference between the sacred and the ordinary is solely in the mind of she or he who holds it as such. Should one choose to make a time, place, person, or tool sacred, she or he should take care to keep it so.
The eternal present is an emphasis on the spiritual reality of cyclical and mythological events in an ever returning spiral. Events are very likely to recur. This is opposing time held as linear, that is, time has a beginning, a present, and an end.
I am indebted to Gus diZerega and his book, Pagans and Christians: The Personal Spiritual Experience in developing these definitions. Please see my Current Project on this subject; Pagan Apologetics at the Pagan Ministers’ Counsel
The flavor. To some, “Pagan” is Earth-centered or Celtic in flavor (though, it is often far from it). To these same folk, “Heathen” is Norse in Flavor. To these folk, who call themselves the Children of the Aesir (Asatrú), the differences are significant. I recommend, that if you wish to have anything to do with them, that you respect that difference. To you the difference may be as significant as “tomato” vs. “tomâto.” Yet to the Asatrú, it is as different as “Black” vs. “Ebony” or “Coal.”
We might consider it this way. The Pagan has, variably, a direct association and dependence on the Earth and Her natural cycles inspired reverence for these forces. The Heathen’s focus is on the Hearth (hence the name) and by extension, the family that relies on her. Also, the Asatrú are less interested in samsara.
Witchcraft is the study and wisdom of the Witch, much the way that Magic is the study and wisdom of the Magus. It is a way of knowing, the forces of nature, the nature of being human, the humanity of love. Witchcraft is a way of being a Witch. Today, Witchcraft is one tradition within Paganism.
Depending on whom you ask, this question may take on different answers. This short answer will not tell all, and some Witches will even disagree with it.
A Witch is a Pagan or a neo-Pagan minister, sharing in an age-old Shamanic tradition. What really makes a Witch, and not another similar tradition is a willingness to declare, “I am a Witch!” The person will have given this declaration freely and sincerely, even if given in private. She or he spoke to the people for the Gods, to the Gods for the people, brought the children into the world, and led them away again. She was mother, father, and at times God to her or his people.
In modern times, a Witch is one who practices a Culture of Faith, largely drawing on the lessons garnered by that ancient Shaman. Modern Witchcraft has become an amalgamation, a melting pot or salad bowl, of religions, ancient and fresh.
Etymological: form ºWeg-yo-. ( Wicca), Witch; (Bewitch), from Old English wicca, a sorcerer, a wizard (feminine wicce, Witch), from Germanic ºwikkjaz, a necromancer (“one who wakes the dead”). |
By a very conservative etymological expression, we might say the original meaning of the word that later became Witch was one who bent things to his or her will, one who could turn aside evil or good. These are ideas often used to refer to people performing Magic and divination, and call themselves a Witch.
In legend we say that the Witch has for his or her fortunes:
Dianic Wicca expresses their spirituality directly through their bodies. They do not include men or even trans-gendered (post operative) Women in their covenants. This is solely because their very bodies become the vessel of the Goddess. They believe that only a life of experience can prepare them for such a service. On the other hand we have some groups oriented solely for Male energies. Some of these include effeminate or other Trans-gendered men to help manage the feminine energies of the Goddess. The only restrictions to becoming a Witch that I know of are the need for reverence and focus.
For the most part, a male who is a Witch is a male who is a Witch. Many male Witches disfavor the term Warlock because of its Old English meaning of Oath Breaker. In southeastern Europe, a Warlock was a Warlord who personally used Magic in his War craft. Many Satanists will call any male who is very adept in the use of Magic a Warlock, and call the Female a Witch. Labels are, many times, context sensitive. They also carry the risk of limiting thought.
Etymological: Warlock, from Old English wær, faith, pledge, from Germanic ºwéra-. léogan, to lie; ºleugan. A practitioner of Magic. Magician, conjurer, enchanter, illusionist, magus, necromancer, shaman, sorcerer, thaumaturgist, Witch, Witch doctor, wizard. |
No Well, sort of. Wicca is an eclectic, neo-Pagan, modern movement, developed mostly by the efforts of Doreen Valiente and Gerald Gardner. It borrows heavily from many movements and traditions. Wicca is a smorgasbord of philosophies, deriving mostly from Pagan sources, dressed up with garments from Thelema and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Wicca is a gateway. Like many great cultures of faith, Wicca is a worthy pursuit in its own rights. It serves as a cultural decompression chamber. It has just enough familiarity to “Popular” traditions of Christianity to avoid any fear while the new Pagan becomes comfortable with new ways of thinking, talking, and communicating with nature.
It tends to keep the occultnick$ secure with its appeal to elitism and its press toward a group mentality. This attitude, however, is medium-rare and limited to small groups, some of which are not Wiccan at all eccept in name. We may appreciate Wicca as a religious culture in its own right. I would like to note that there are Wiccans who are Witches and some who are not. There are many Witches who are not Wiccans.
The Witch does not really become one per se. One day, a person hears the word, Witch and is somehow fascinated by it. A question or two, and suddenly that person remembers a truth as though it was always there. With that epiphany the person is never quite the same. If Society has raised this person in a family of Witches, then the change is small, and sweet. If not, however, the change can be devastating, shattering a gestalt. This person will begin to look for new answers, new worlds, boldly go where they might never have gone before. Many will step upon the traditions of Theosophy, Buddhism, or Wicca, and find themselves in a cultural “decompression chamber.” They may even find another word beside Witch that suits them better.
The Witch is in constant pursuit for answers, many too elusive to be so obvious at first. In their quest, their thirst for that answer, they may stumble upon the heavier disciplines of Pern Buddhism, Satanism, or Witchcraft. There, they find themselves at home, but never so comfortable that they settle down and stagnate. Or, they may return to Christianity with a new, more Christian perspective than they walked away with. The journey is yours. Live it!
The only restrictions to becoming a Witch (or the practitioner of any Culture of Faith) that I know of are the need for reverence and focus. No one really becomes a Witch. They just discover that they have certain talents, and hear the label Witch, and marry the two together. Conversely, while a Witch may drop the Label, the talents will continue with them as they contribute to another avenue of expression.
Priest from préost: from presbuteros, elder, or provost, praepositus, person placed over others. |
In any social group, there are children whom we must teach, and elders who must teach [ see Maslow].
Within Paganism, we have some who are just discovering their awareness, learning new languages, finding new talents they have always had nagging at them from the days they were born. In time, they can learn through trial, error, and periodic epiphanies, just how to use their talents and master the world. Some discover that they have a talent for helping others learn these things. These become teachers of a few at a time.
A priesthood would serve to administer a structured rite and organization. Paganism is generally unstructured. Those with a talent for theater and organization may direct some social gatherings, rites associated with them, and rites of passage. However, rites are not spectator events. So, if we gather into groups, they tend to be rather small.
We expect each Witch to be their own priest. To be able to bend the forces of nature to one’s will, one must have a strong will. So a Witch will take responsibility for any relationship they will have with God, to whatever they apply that label.
I am greatful for Charles G. Leland’s Herodia, Gospel of the Witches, and to Isaac Bonewits and his essay A Very Brief History of Witchcraft 1.0
A Pagan, by nature, is a Dynamist. That is, we hold that all events within the Universe contain spirit. This spirit, in turn, grants some level of consciousness to that event. The more complex the event, the more complex the consciousness. So, a Water molecule will have a more complex awareness than a hydrogen atom. The Entire Ocean will, then, be more conscious than a drop of water.
Humanity is a Complex event, so our consciousness is rather quite complex. In much the same way that a more complex computer can become more aware of itself, so we are more aware of ourselves.
The Universe — or multiverse — is the most complex event of which we are aware. So! It may follow that the Universe would have the most evolved level of Consciousness of all. That consciousness is what many call God.
The problem is that our minds are entirely too small to comprehend the Universe as a whole. We have a fair understanding of our corner of it, and can deduce what the rest must be like. We have a fair understanding of ourselves, and make deduction about God from that. We filter God down to our level, Giving Her rolls and parts to play. And She is clever. She can play as many roles as we can through at Her. So, whatever name, color, character we want, that is what we will find in Her. And She plays these rolls, not so much to entertain us (though I expect She would have fun doing so) but to take us out of the darkness of our ignorance, and into enlightenment. There are some who suggest that She learns something by doing this.
Are my filters of God better than yours? No! I would be hard pressed to say so. Better yet, let us listen to each other’s stories. Then, we may refine our perspectives to a better view. (See Contemplations on God for a more comprehensive review on this subject.)
There is an old joke. (This in not the one where you put thirteen Pagans into a bathhouse and get a self cleaning coven … no). If you have thirteen Pagans in one place and ask them what they believe, you will get fifteen answers, and no one will know where that fifteenth came from.
All Pagans are Dynamists. Some are Deists, and others are Theists. Some are monists, believing in a single source for all Gods. Some have no particular idea about what they might apply the Label God. Others are polytheists. The Craft is a pragmatic sort of religion. Whatever works will serve.
This is a difficult one to answer. Many define Prayer differently than others. We may define prayer simply as, “To ask, entreat.” Yet, many Pagans are disgruntled Christians (with good reasons), and would rather avoid terms that remind them of that Culture of Faith.
To some Pagans, prayer and worship imply first a separation and then a hierarchy. We are part of the Universe. So, we participate in the forces of nature. Our awareness allows us a greater ability to cultivate and shape our environment. Yet, we are still subject to her forces. The Universe is not safe. Nature esteems humanity like so many straw gods, glorious today, ashes tomorrow. We are fragile, and begging will only make us feel less than we really are.
For the most part, Pagans look upon our relationship with nature, not as god/creature, but rather as parent/child. A child will learn from her or his parents, cuddle, and even share gifts, or ask for favors. We view our parents as we need to, finding in God just what we need.
Consider this, for a moment. If we are part of the Universe, then we are also part of the Divine. If I talk to myself, I call that “meditation” or “thinking.” Maybe, talking to God is the same sort of thing.
The power derived from a sacrifice is not from the death or dying of the victim. Rather, it is from the victim’s struggle to live. A Witch prefers to tap into the living forces of the Universe directly, and often feels tainted by the attempt to steal another’s. Because we must perform a sacrifice without regrets, a Witch is not likely to sacrifice anything she or he cannot afford to give of themselves.
Some say that Magic is the Mind of God, as it interpenetrates the Universe.
In the Keys of Solomon, they have defined Black Magic as “Magic generated from and used for hateful and harmful ends.”
Satanism defines Black Magic as “Magic performed to stimulate or manipulate the known universe, or the members within Her.”
Most Pagans tend not to think of Magic through color. Rather, we tend to think through intent. Some practice “Green” Magic when they are communing for the good of nature. Others scale the whole rainbow, doing what they feel best at the time. More often, you will hear most protest the modifier of color with the word Magic, feeling it removes something from His grander.
A spell is a story told to find a desired state of being. The story may be a short, simple, silly little poem, such as:
Money, money come to me;
Quickly, quickly, set me free.
Or, it may be as epic as Beowulf or Amaterasu Omi-gami. Sometimes, Magic only requires that we have a different perspective. We may want love. Well, Magic may open our eyes to that person who is especially helpful, and likes to talk, and is readily available. Yet, we have never really noticed this person, until …. Well, this is only a small example.
Satanism is as difficult to define as Paganism, and any attempt to do so for either should be from honest, personal reflection. Many Pagans will incorrectly and prejudicially apply the same Hammer to Satanism that we don’t want applied to us. That hammer was developed by and for the Catholic Church to provide an enemy so the members would feel holy, or be frightened into submission. Some would accuse Satanism of being focused on evil, but this is as silly as calling a Witch, Muslim, or Christian evil, and is based on all the same prejudices.
Some can successfully argue that Satanism is a form of Neo-Paganism. Though the forms of philosophical expression found in Satanism have grown up around civilizations, it remains a reformation of those values treasured by Pagans, and unjustly suppressed by the late Catholic Church. The only reason Paganism and Satanism are at odds is because some in each community like it that way. Some of us believe that Satanism is a form of Paganism, which has accepted a formulation that has developed because of and after the advent of the early Catholic Church. In other words, Satanism may be a left-hand, post-civilized version of Paganism. Early Americans, called “Yankees” as a crude insult, took that insult as a badge of pride. Pagans were called “Satanists” by the early Catholic Church. Satanists have taken that as a badge of honor. Some can successfully argue that Satanism is not a form of Neo-Paganism. Given that many Satanists treasure those values without the belief in any god, this makes equal sense. Yet, they too, hold a dynamic perspective of the world, believing Satan, like the Green Man, is a metaphor for the life force in nature. There really is a reason we both have a Honed God.
Satanism is a tradition of personal discipline, an example of the Left-hand Path, and an existential religion. The focus of Left-hand Path is on natural law and the evolution of the individual. The heart of modern and classical Satanism is in the existential Left-hand path. We are each on the path of death, with little time for self-deceit and broken promises. So, when you are your only real judge … and you no longer have to worry about whether something you are doing is going to be popular … and you would rather be hated for something you are than loved for something you are not … the world is a lot easier to get along with. We are animals, and denying that can cause so many mental problems. We are Gods, and denying that can also cause so many problems. We are Human, and that is what a Left-handed philosophy is focused on.
In the end, a good test of a true Satanist is how well adjusted they are. It is not perfect, as they may have just become a Satanist, and are still washing out a lifetime of habits and behaviors, but … You will know a Satanist by what they call themselves. Few Pagans are likely to call themselves a Satanist.
On a side-note: Satanism defines a Witch as a female who is quite adept in the use of Magic. A male, they call a warlock.
Please visit the following web sites for a better authority on Satanism:
Church of Satan | FCoS | The Principia Discordia | The Temple of Set
This Pentacle represents many things to many people. Many Pagans wear a five-pointed star with a point to the heavens to represent, among other things, a covenant with those heavens. Some may wear it with one point to the Earth to represent those same covenants with the Earth. Some have different sorts of Talismans about their bodies, reminding them of something special, just as the Cross reminds the Christian of that special covenant you contract with the Christ. Satanists wear a similar talisman, a pentacle with one point to the Earth to represent that Humanity is just another animal, no better, often worse than our kindred. No talisman belongs to any one Culture of Faith. A Group may adopt a symbol, and supply that symbol with meaning, and feel liberated by such. Yet, to claim some privileged use is to distort that covenant — that meaning. The Cross is older than Christianity, seen in Paleolithic art, and even in neolithic Celtic places of worship. Any who wish can claim the Star, it is at least as old as human religion. It represented the five wounds of Christ to the Knights Templar. It represents the force of Mercy added to the justice of Jhwa in the Qabala. It was the badge of blessing to both Druidic and Kemetic Priest.
Pagan morality is subject to the honest dictates on her or his heart. (See 1 Corinthians 11.30 - 32 for similar conditions for Christians.) With enlightenment comes a terrible burden. We weigh our responsibilities with less flexibility. No one scolds a child as severely for dropping and breaking a glass filled with milk as an adolescent would be. We expect an adolescent to be wise enough to control her or his hands and not drop the glass.
Morals are the right things to do. Ethics are society’s arguments for doing the right things. Ethics are the rules, standards, or moral principles adopted by an individual or group to govern conduct. We may expect that following these standards will lead to what is best for human life collectively. Often this term is used in more specialized sense of being the set of standards followed by the members of a profession. A Pagan is morally answerable only to the dictates of her or his own conscience. Traditionally — guided by the absolute love of Nature — Pagans heal, teach, guard, lead, and counsel, just like any other human. Some of us are like “spiritual parents,” caring for our community. The Universe is not safe; though life is wondrous at times, sometimes it just is not fair at all.
Despite what some may say, Alternative Cultures of Faith do have codes of ethics. In fact, I would venture to say that because ethics are among the primary functions of any religion that anyone who has had a few moments of religious thought will also have an ethical code. There are fundamentals for ethics that hold for anyone. Take the ethics of stealing, for example, that is the ethic that stealing is immoral. One may refuse to steal because, “God said so!” The other refuses to steal because it harms the owner, maliciously keeping what the owner has a right to possess. In either case, the presence of a god within the life of the logician is of little real consequence. If a soul encounters an existential crisis that results in a rejection of their god then what has really changed? The first now has no outside authority to appeal to or to be accountable. The other is not likely to change his or her ethics as their authority came from within.
See my essay, Freedom, for more on this subject. Please see my Current Project on this subject; Pagan Apologetics at the Pagan Ministers’ Counsel
“An it Harm none, do as you will,” [Gerald Gardner]. Sometimes mistakenly called the “Witches Rede,” this code of Ethics is good advice, though has its flaws.
This seems drawn from the teachings of Aleister Crowley, who worded it as “Do As Thou Wilt.” His original intent was that the soul should do as they thought best, and leave another soul to do the same. The usual Thelemic greetings are “Love is the Whole Law,” which gets the response, “Love under will.” Thelema, is Greek for will.
The addition of, “an it harm none” is often misinterpreted. If you get the job, that means someone else did not. Not harming someone would be difficult under this circumstance. You got the job, someone else must go on and look elsewhere. If they got the job, then you, and someone else, must look elsewhere. For all you know, that someone else may get a better job (for them) than the one you got.
Witches are human, (really, we are). We are subject to all the emotions and whims of beast and god. Magic is dangerous, even in the hands of a sharpshooter. It does not take long to learn that power can be addictive. The Wiccan Rede serves to school the ignorant away from abusing this new found power.
The flaw arises when the Rede becomes a dogmatic crutch. A Witch is a guardian, defending innocence and guiding the ignorant. If criminals have terrorized a neighborhood — such as a slum-lord — a Witch will often feel compelled to bring the terrorist down. In the face of the Witches Rede, one may want to restrain themselves from acting. By allowing myself to become a victim, I have created two great errors. I am made less human. That is, I become little better than a host to a parasite. Then, I encourage the “victor” to abuse another. As a Witch, I refuse to allow this to happen! If that requires a dynamic and fatal use of Magic … well, that is the decision of the Witch involved.
See The Wiccan Rede Project for more details.
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First Church of Satan Temple of Set |
Covenant of the Goddess The Witches’ Voice |
