THE 13 PRINCIPLES OF BELIEF

In the autumn of 1973, a meeting of Witches was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  the goal of this meeting was to find a modern definition of the word Witch that would be accepted by the various traditions.  they seventy-four attendantd of this meeting formed the Council Of American Witches in 1974.   These are the principles as set by this council.  It was originally printed in Touchstone, the newsletter of the Council.  they disbanded shortly thereafter.   I have, for the sake of my own beliefs and ideas, added to theach principle.  In a way, I have decided to expand on what was allready written for my own benifit, though you might be interested also.

1.  We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rythm of life forces marked by the phases of the moon and the seasonal quarters and cross-quarters.  There are of course other times that we practice rites, these are called Esbetts. 2.  We recognize taht our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment.  We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.  To this end, I realize that the more intellectual persons are those that have the gift.   I have in the past thought that only the sheep  of our civilization joined a Church because they had a space to fill and they were gullible.  Now, however, I know that we each need something to believe in.  I believe in the God and the Goddess because there always has to a balance in the universe, and a single, male God just doesn't do that.   In this world of the supposed monotheistic Christianity (which I can only conclude to be polytheistic because of the Holy Trinity) we have a prccessed human that is secreted from the Church with all it's dogma as a side tray.  Each to their own, but my personal belief is that although we all spring from the same seed, we are all very different and we percieve things very differently.  No one person can tell us how to believe, no one person can dictate how we live our lives.  As for where we come from, I totally believe that science and religion must agree, then it is the truth.  i believe in creation and evolution, one cannot occur without the other. 3.  We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than is 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. 4.  We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity as masculine and feminine and that this same Creative Power lives in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine.  We value neither above the other knowing each to be supportive of the other.  We value sexuality and pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magical practice and religious worship. 5.  We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological, worlds sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, the Inner Planes, etc, and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for the paranormal phenomena and magical exercises.  We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment. 6.  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 themselves in leadership. 7.  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 philosophy of life, which we identify as Witchcraft of the Wiccan Way. 8.  Calling oneself Witch does not make a witch but niether does heredity itself, or the collecting of titles, degrees, and initiations.  A Witch seeks to control the forces within him/herself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well, without harm to others, and in harmony with Nature. 9.  We acknowledge that it is the affirmation and fulfillment of life, in a continuation of evolution and developement of consciousness, that gives meaning to the Universe we know, and to our personal role within it. 10.  Our only animosity toward Christianity, or toward any other religion or philosophy-of-life, is to the extent that it's institutions have claimed to be the one true, right and only way and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practices and belief. 11.  As Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions.  We are concerned with our present, and our future. 12.  We do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do we worship any entity known as Satan or The Devil as defined by Christian Tradition.  We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do we accept the concept that personal benefits can only be derived by denial to another.  The best explanation I have found that comes close to what I feel is the Devil or Satan is the Goddess with PMS.  It's a thought that we cannot possibly have evil within us, that the Devil did it.  Truth is that each of us has the potential to do or say whatever we want, good or bad.  If one bides by the Wiccan Rede, it becomes impossible to hurt anyone or even worship anything remotely bad. 13.  We work within Nature for that which is contrbutory to our health and well-being.