Religion

Witchcraft is a word most have only heard or seen in movies and gothic novels. The word itself brings up images of ghastly women brewing up potions of unmentionable horrors. Is there any truth to these legends; or are Witches only creatures of the dark imagination? Witches are, in fact, real men and women who practice a legally recognized religion known as "Wicca". Witches, regardless of gender are called Witches or Wiccans. The word "warlock" does not apply as it is a derogatory phrase from ancient Scottish meaning "oath-breaker" or "traitor". As in any other religion, in order to best understand Wicca, it is important to understand the roots. Therefore, this sheet has been printed in order to help you understand the background of the religion practiced by Witches today. Long, long ago, the first images of "God" took the form of rounded, large-breasted women called "Venuses". The best known of these statues is the "Venus of Willendorf" which may be as old as 45,000 yrs.

These Venuses, as were the women of ancient times, were seen as the embodiment of all living. The "Mother" was the symbol of all life and these statues represented her in the state of pregnancy before giving birth to all the universe. The earliest of humankind felt that the female must have created existence, as only the female could birth life. Thousands of years later, when the male's role in creation was discovered, images of a male God appeared; a man with the antlers and skins of the animals which fed the tribe. These first male images were purported to be the God of the hunt, son of the mother of all living; he who represented the herds which ensured the survival of the tribe. Early people worshipped the Mother and her consort. The moon, with it's effect on women's cycles, was seen as an embodiment of the Goddess. The moon's cycles were seen to symbolize those in a woman's life; waxing - the maiden, full - the mother, waning - the crone.

Therefore darkness and night were associated with women and the Goddess. The sun, and day were then naturally associated with men and the sun seen as the embodiment of the God. When looking into ancient history one will find myths rich with Moon-Goddesses and Sun-Gods. Ancient people saw everything in existence as part of a cycle; the seasons, day into night into day, seed to harvest to seed, birth to death to rebirth. The sun was seen as cyclical also, dying in the autumn when the days grew shorter only to be reborn again at the Winter Solstice when the days grew long again. Because of this, the God also became associated with the crops which were killed each year for the benefit of the people. Many early tribes would sacrifice their king..as a tribute to the sun God who died yearly and as a way to ensure a good crop for the following year. Only the queen was attached to the land, as a representative of the Earth - another Goddess symbol.

Only the queen could bestow the name and the land to her daughters. Time went by, and the sacrifices stopped. ..but the children of the mother were still slaughtered...for those that had discovered the secret of men's contribution to conception had taken over the leadership of their tribes and were committed to stealing the power from the other tribes through war. The tribes of the Mother were not used to such violence and crumpled easily under the attacks of weaponed men. The daughters of the Goddess were forced into submission For more than 2000 yrs, women have been forced into submission. The maiden has become an object to obtain, the mother - a servant to her husband and family, and the crone, a feared and despised reminder of ancient feminine wisdom. We, as Wiccans, want to reclaim women's part in the scheme of the universe...as creators and mothers, as wisewomen and healers in partnership with our male brethren. For every misogynist, every patriarch, every politician, is a father, a brother, a husband, a son.

And despite the patriarch's horror...the mother cannot ever abandon her son. Wiccans do not want to hurt or harm, to enslave or manipulate...for the worship of the mother is the worship of one who respects and loves her children equally. The worship of the mother is that of one who elevates her consort to be her partner and not her slave. It is the understanding of polarity and partnership. It is the love of the one who made you, the love of the one who made us all. Wicca is a religion of love, for our fellow human beings, for our fellow creatures, for the Earth on which we live. Modern Witches believe that we are a part of all nature and therefore, a part of the divine. We believe divinity rests within all of us, Witches and non-Witches alike. We consider every man, woman and child to be a priest or priestess of the God/dess in their own right and differentiate leaders with the titles "High Priest" and "High Priestess".

These titles do not suggest that their bearers have power over others within their group but only denote the leader's ability to effectively run a group, sometimes known as a "coven" and their willingness to help others in a variety of ways, just as a Christian minister does. Because of our belief in a direct link with divinity, we usually do not pray, but rather, do spellwork. A prayer consists of petitioning an external higher power to create change in one's life. A spell uses the God and Goddess within to create the change. This is the only difference. Spells are almost invariably used to improve oneself, conditions in one's own life or the life of a loved one. Although the rituals of Wicca vary from individual to individual and from group to group, they tend to share a few common traits. One is a cleansing of the ritual space. This usually consists of burning incense or "smudge", a stick of sage commonly used by Native Americans, to get rid of any negativity within the "Sacred Space." A second is an invocation to the elements: fire, water, earth and air.

These elements are seen as the components of all in nature and also as symbols of those things which define human existence. Fire stands for willpower and passion. Water represents intuition, love and most other emotions. Earth is for physical well-being, strength and prosperity. Air symbolizes communication, wisdom and intellect. These four elements in combination with "Spirit", or spirituality, correspond with the five points of the pentagram. The pentagram, a five pointed star, with one point upward surrounded by a circle is our religious symbol. It also stands for a human being with arms and legs outstretched engulfed in universal wisdom. It is in no way a frightening or evil symbol but is purely a symbol of the unity of all living things. A third part of most Wiccan ritual is an invocation to the Goddess and God. This is an invitation to an outside force as well as a drawing forth from the divine source within. Animal sacrifice is never used, as the true nature of sacrifice is to give up something of your own to obtain something of greater spiritual value.

The life of another is never yours to give. Doing something to harm oneself is also not acceptable to us as it does go against our basic tenant, "An thou harm none, do what thou wilt." This should never be misinterpereted to mean " Do whatever you want." as "will" pertains to divine will, or that which must be done to achieve one's highest spiritual goals. Wicca is a life-affirming, nature oriented religion that poses no threat to anyone, either those practicing it, or those of other faiths. We neither feel the need to convert others nor the desire to in any way berate other religious systems. We simply ask to be allowed to practice our religion without prejudice as is our right put forth by the Constitution of the United State of America.

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			Religion Witchcraft is a word most have only heard or seen in movies and gothic novels. The word itself brings up images of ghastly women brewing up potions of unmentionable horrors. Is there any truth to these legends; or are Witches only creatures of the dark imagination? Witches are, in fact, real men and women who practice a legally recognized religion known as "Wicca". Witches, regardless of gender are called Witches or Wiccans. The word "warlock" does not apply as it is a derogatory phrase from ancient Scottish meaning "oath-breaker" or "traitor". As in any other religion, in order to best understand Wicca, it is important to understand the roots. Therefore, this sheet has been printed in order to help you understand the background of the religion practiced by Witches today. Long, long ago, the first images of "God" took the form of rounded, large-breasted women called "Venuses". The best known of these statues is the "Venus of Willendorf" which may be as old as 45,000 yrs. These Venuses, as were the women of ancient times, were seen as the embodiment of all living. The "Mother" was the symbol of all life and these statues represented her in the state of pregnancy before giving birth to all the universe. The earliest of humankind felt that the female must have created existence, as only the female could birth life. Thousands of years later, when the male's role in creation was discovered, images of a male God appeared; a man with the antlers and skins of the animals which fed the tribe. These first male images were purported to be the God of the hunt, son of the mother of all living; he who represented the herds which ensured the survival of the tribe. Early people worshipped the Mother and her consort. The moon, with it's effect on women's cycles, was seen as an embodiment of the Goddess. The moon's cycles were seen to symbolize those in a woman's life; waxing - the maiden, full - the mother, waning - the crone. Therefore darkness and night were associated with women and the Goddess. The sun, and day were then naturally associated with men and the sun seen as the embodiment of the God. When looking into ancient history one will find myths rich with Moon-Goddesses and Sun-Gods. Ancient people saw everything in existence as part of a cycle; the seasons, day into night into day, seed to harvest to seed, birth to death to rebirth. The sun was seen as cyclical also, dying in the autumn when the days grew shorter only to be reborn again at the Winter Solstice when the days grew long again. Because of this, the God also became associated with the crops which were killed each year for the benefit of the people. Many early tribes would sacrifice their king..as a tribute to the sun God who died yearly and as a way to ensure a good crop for the following year. Only the queen was attached to the land, as a representative of the Earth - another Goddess symbol. Only the queen could bestow the name and the land to her daughters. Time went by, and the sacrifices stopped. ..but the children of the mother were still slaughtered...for those that had discovered the secret of men's contribution to conception had taken over the leadership of their tribes and were committed to stealing the power from the other tribes through war. The tribes of the Mother were not used to such violence and crumpled easily under the attacks of weaponed men. The daughters of the Goddess were forced into submission For more than 2000 yrs, women have been forced into submission. The maiden has become an object to obtain, the mother - a servant to her husband and family, and the crone, a feared and despised reminder of ancient feminine wisdom. We, as Wiccans, want to reclaim women's part in the scheme of the universe...as creators and mothers, as wisewomen and healers in partnership with our male brethren. For every misogynist, every patriarch, every politician, is a father, a brother, a husband, a son. And despite the patriarch's horror...the mother cannot ever abandon her son. Wiccans do not want to hurt or harm, to enslave or manipulate...for the worship of the mother is the worship of one who respects and loves her children equally. The worship of the mother is that of one who elevates her consort to be her partner and not her slave. It is the understanding of polarity and partnership. It is the love of the one who made you, the love of the one who made us all. Wicca is a religion of love, for our fellow human beings, for our fellow creatures, for the Earth on which we live. Modern Witches believe that we are a part of all nature and therefore, a part of the divine. We believe divinity rests within all of us, Witches and non-Witches alike. We consider every man, woman and child to be a priest or priestess of the God/dess in their own right and differentiate leaders with the titles "High Priest" and "High Priestess". These titles do not suggest that their bearers have power over others within their group but only denote the leader's ability to effectively run a group, sometimes known as a "coven" and their willingness to help others in a variety of ways, just as a Christian minister does. Because of our belief in a direct link with divinity, we usually do not pray, but rather, do spellwork. A prayer consists of petitioning an external higher power to create change in one's life. A spell uses the God and Goddess within to create the change. This is the only difference. Spells are almost invariably used to improve oneself, conditions in one's own life or the life of a loved one. Although the rituals of Wicca vary from individual to individual and from group to group, they tend to share a few common traits. One is a cleansing of the ritual space. This usually consists of burning incense or "smudge", a stick of sage commonly used by Native Americans, to get rid of any negativity within the "Sacred Space." A second is an invocation to the elements: fire, water, earth and air. These elements are seen as the components of all in nature and also as symbols of those things which define human existence. Fire stands for willpower and passion. Water represents intuition, love and most other emotions. Earth is for physical well-being, strength and prosperity. Air symbolizes communication, wisdom and intellect. These four elements in combination with "Spirit", or spirituality, correspond with the five points of the pentagram. The pentagram, a five pointed star, with one point upward surrounded by a circle is our religious symbol. It also stands for a human being with arms and legs outstretched engulfed in universal wisdom. It is in no way a frightening or evil symbol but is purely a symbol of the unity of all living things. A third part of most Wiccan ritual is an invocation to the Goddess and God. This is an invitation to an outside force as well as a drawing forth from the divine source within. Animal sacrifice is never used, as the true nature of sacrifice is to give up something of your own to obtain something of greater spiritual value. The life of another is never yours to give. Doing something to harm oneself is also not acceptable to us as it does go against our basic tenant, "An thou harm none, do what thou wilt." This should never be misinterpereted to mean " Do whatever you want." as "will" pertains to divine will, or that which must be done to achieve one's highest spiritual goals. Wicca is a life-affirming, nature oriented religion that poses no threat to anyone, either those practicing it, or those of other faiths. We neither feel the need to convert others nor the desire to in any way berate other religious systems. We simply ask to be allowed to practice our religion without prejudice as is our right put forth by the Constitution of the United State of America.