


                                                                             701

                    There are  basically two  ways to  know God. The first is by

               way of reason or logic and second, by way of  intuitive knowledge

               or gnosis.  We shall  see in  following paragraphs how the former

               method may  help us  in understanding  the problems  we are faced

               with in  our attempts  to know  God, and many will see, also, how

                         severelylackingthe pathof logiccan becomparedto that of
     the

               gnostic path.

                    In  studying  the  problem  of  `logical  proofs'  of  God's

               existence I have  come  across  several  historical  arguments of

               which I  have grouped  into what  I call "The Seven Arguments and

               the General Argument for the Existence of the  Almighty." I have

               labeled these  arguments the  Ideological (ideo  as in idea), the

               Etiological ( `aetio' meaning cause), the  Teleological (`teleo'

               meaning  final   outcome),  the   Cosmological  (`cosmo'  meaning

               universal),  the   Ontological   (`onto'   meaning   being),  the

               Pantheological   (`pantheo'   as   in   `pantheism'),   and   the

               Psychological (`psyche' meaning soul) Arguments. I  will provide

               a brief discussion of each.



                    1] The Psychological Argument

                        Before anything  can be  said concerning  the reality of

               God or  of  anything  else  for  that  matter.  One  must  take a

               skeptical stance.  A skeptical  stance would  be that of doubting

               the reality of absolute or universal  truths. In  other words one


                                               8



                                                                             702

               could say  that the certainty of knowledge is impossible and that

                         onecan  achieve only `probable' knowledge,  i.e., ideas
     whose

               validity is  highly probable.  An example of this would be to say

               that it is only highly probable that you  are reading  this page,

               but that neither you nor I can be absolutely certain of this.

                        Yet probable knowledge implies the existence of absolute

               knowledge.  For instance a skeptic could deny that the objects of

               his perceptions exist, but he could not deny that his perceptions

               exist. St. Augustine stated that the person who doubts all truths

               is caught  in a  logical dilemma, for he must exist in order that

               he may doubt. As Descartes, put it "I think, therefore I am.". In

               the act of doubting one establishes the absolute reality of one's

               own consciousness or "psykhei".

                      For  Augustine   the   "psykhei"   comprises   the  entire

               personality  of  the  living  being,  who  becomes  aware through

                         self-consciousness not only that  he or  she is  a real
     integrated

               existing person  but also  that he  knows with absolute certainty

               his own activities and powers  of  memory,  intellect,  and will.

               Thus  the  being  `remembers'  what  it  is  doing  in the act of

               self-doubt; it understands or knows the immediate experience; and

               it can  will to act or not to act as it does. Hence three aspects

               of the individual "psykhei" may be described as powers of memory,

               intellect,  and  will,  or  as  activities of being, knowing, and

               willing.


                                               9



                                                                             703

               2] The Ideological Argument

                    Prior to the history of any object the ideal had to exist as

               the source  imparting reality  to the particular object. Humanity

               must exist as a universal ideal before any individual human being

               can possibly exist. An object's essence (ideal) must be a reality

               before the particular object can come into existence.

                    Many people, when first confronted by this argument  fail to

               understand it.  One fellow thought the argument was preposterous,

               because  he  thought  it  somehow  denied  that  things  could be

               discovered by  accident. He gave a convoluted example involving a

               chemist seeking to  invent  a  glue  and  in  the  course  of his

               research  accidently  discovering  a  cure  for cancer. What this

               fellow failed to realize is that  the notion  of a  death dealing

               disease such  as cancer  and the idea of a needed cure for cancer

               existed long before this bumbling  chemist  started  on  his glue

               project.  Both  the  psychological  and ideological arguments are

               really not arguments for the existence  of God,  but are intended

               as an introduction to the following arguments.



               3] The Etiological Argument

                    God,  by  definition,  must  have  existed  as a first cause

               because every  effect requires  a cause  and this  must have been

                         true ofentire universe. Thematerial world iscontingent,
     unable


                                              10



                                                                             704

               to create itself, hence  requires  something  else,  a necessary,

               spiritually uncreated  Being to bring it into existence and impel

               it to continue its progress.

                    The same  fellow who  debated the  ideological argument said

               that  the  etiological  argument  "hurt  his  head"  and that it

               reminded him of "the old chicken and the  egg argument".  The key

                         wordsinthis argumentare"contingent" (meaning,"dependent
     on

               chance"; "conditional"), "necessary",  and  "uncreated"  (see the

               General  Argument  below).  The  cosmological  argument is almost

               identical to the etiological argument, yet the wording  is quite

               different.



               4] The Cosmological Argument

                    There must have been a time when the universe did not exist,

               for all things in the universe  are mere  possibilities dependent

               on some  other objects  for their being and development; the fact

               that  the  universe  does  exist  implies  that  a  necessary  or

               noncontigent  Being  exists  who  was  capable  of  creating  the

               universe.



               5] The Ontological Argument

                    Since we possess an idea of  a  perfect  Being  (and  we can

               think  of  nothing  greater  or  more perfect), such a Being must

               necessarily exist because perfection implies existence.  Any idea


                                              11



                                                                             705

               that is  lacking in  reality (any  concept which has no objective

               reality of its  own)  would  be  imperfect,  whereas  one  of the

                         attributesofa perfectBeingis actualexistence(not merely
     an

               idea in  any person's  mind, but  real existence  external to any

               mind which happens to conceive of it).

                    The ontological argument is possibly the oldest argument and

               dates back to the 4th C.  of the  present era.  This argument has

               caused a  great debate  that rages  to this  day in  the pages of

               modern textbooks on philosophy  and  theology.  The  key  to this

               argument is  "perfection" and  the statement:  "any concept which

               has no objective reality of  its  own  would  be  imperfect" (and

               therefore not  exist) is  the thin thread upon which the validity

               of argument hangs.



               6] The Teleological Argument

                    The presence of design in the  world, the  fact that objects

               are designed with a purpose, to function for a given end, implies

               the existence of an intelligent, competent  designer, who planned

               the purpose of each thing that exists.

                    The teleological  argument posses  problems of  its own. The

               same fellow who debated the previous  arguments insisted  that he

               needed proof  of a  design to the world and that everything has a

               purpose. The problem in replying to  his argument  is that  I can

               not think  of one useless thing existing in the universe. My mind


                                              12



                                                                             706

               draws a blank in this respect and I  would invite  anyone to show

               me one thing that exists in this universe which is without design

               or purpose.



               7] The Pantheological Argument

                    God, the supreme unity, the original Being, and the Ideal of

               all  ideals, has caused all things to become manifest by means of

               a logical unfolding of particulars from their ideals. To speak of

               creation  is  to  speak  of    particularization,  a  process  of

                         unfolding that makes individual  objects out of ideals.
     Conversely,

               immortality is an opposite process whereby the particulars return

               to their universal essence  or archetypes.  Immortality means the

               return  of   things  to   God  (apocatastasis),   that  is  their

               deification, so  that there  is complete  unity of  all things in

               God; pantheism.

                    The Pantheological  vision of  God is  negative in the sense

               that God can be characterized only in terms of comparison  on the

               ground that  the infinite  is beyond human comprehension; however

               not beyond human contemplation.  When speaking  of the  nature of

               God and  using the terms of argument #1 in speaking of the nature

               of the psyche as that which possess memory,  intellect, and will,

               one may  say that  God is  Omniscient, possessing absolute memory

               and intellect; Omnipotent, possessing  absolute will;  and in the

               terms  of  the  pantheological  argument, Omnipresent, possessing


                                              13



                                                                             707

               pure randomness and non-localized in time and space.



                    The General Argument for the Existence of the Almighty is as

               follows and derived in part from the argument as put forth in How

               to Think About God by Mortimer J. Adler:





               1. The existence of an effect requiring the  concurrent existence

               and action of an efficient cause implies the existence and action

               of that cause.



               2. The cosmos as a whole exists.



               3. If the  existence  of  the  cosmos  as  a  whole  is radically

               contingent, which  is to say that, while not needing an efficient

               cause of its coming to  be,  since  it  is  everlasting,  then it

               nevertheless  does  need  a  efficient  cause  of  its continuing

               existence, to preserve it in  being  and  prevent  it  from being

               replaced by nothingness.

                    or

               3a. If  the cosmos  which now exists is only one of many possible

               universes that might have existed in the infinite  past, and that

               might still  exist in the infinite future, and if  a cosmos which

               can be otherwise is one that also can  not be;  and conversely, a


                                              14



                                                                             708

               cosmos that  is capable of not existing at all is one that can be

               otherwise than it now is, then  the cosmos,  radically contingent

               in  existence,  would  not  exist  at  all were its existence not

               caused.



               4. If the cosmos needs an efficient cause of its  existence or of

               its continuing  existence to  prevent its annihilation, then that

               cause must be one  the existence  of which  is uncaused,  and one

               which has  reason for  being in  and of itself; i.e. The ultimate

               cause  and being of the cosmos.



               5. If the  ultimate cause and being of the  cosmos is  that about

               which nothing  greater can be thought, that being must be thought

               of  as   omnipotent,   possessing   absolute   will;  omniscient,

               possessing absolute  knowledge; and omnipresent; non-localized in

               time and space.



      

                                           PART TWO





                    Intuition differs  from reason  in that  as man  is a finite

                         beingpossessing limitedsensualcontactwiththeuniverse;it
     is

               impossible for man to fully understand God through  his senses or

               by empirical  means. This,  therefore, involves the understanding


                                              15



                                                                             709

               of abstract concepts. We  must understand  the universe  as being

               "conceptusensual"; that  parallel to the objective universe there

               is a  universe made  up of  abstracts. This  abstract universe is

                         viewable to  us through  means of  symbols; objects not
     possessing

               objectivity. These symbols cannot be known by means  of empirical

               reasoning, but  by means of gnosis; without the conscience use of

               reasoning, immediate apprehension or understanding.

                    It should be realized  that  while  this  abstract universe,

               that  sits  parallel  to  the material universe, and is sometimes

                         referredto asthespiritual worldor heaven,isbeyond logic
     and

               reasoning;  it  is  supported  by  logic  and reasoning. You will

               recall that imperfection or  "degrees of  perfection" implies the

               existence of perfection (cf. Arg #3 and Arg #5). Perfection is an

               abstract ideal having no analog in our material world, yet  it is

               intuitively known to exist.

                    Just as  there are  degrees of  knowledge concerning mundane

               truths  in  the  material  world,  there  are  degrees  of gnosis

               concerning revealed truths in the spiritual world. Because man in

               his human form is by nature limited there  is a  certain limit to

               his  understanding  and  knowledge.  Yet  as  all things are in a

               constant state of flux and change, man's knowledge  is constantly

                         growing. For everythingthat is knownobjectively thereis
     an

               abstract idea that precedes the object.

                    The Scriptures speaks about angels and  devils, the creation


                                              16



                                                                             710

               of  the  world  in  seven  days,  etc.,  and many Christian sects

               require of their followers acceptance of  these "revealed truths"

               by  way  of  faith  or  trust.  Many  speak of the Bible as being

               infallible and without error even when portions are contradictory

               or counter  to logic.  I, however, assert that the Bible is first

               and foremost an  anthology  of  religious/philosophical tradition

               compiled over the centuries from about 750 BCE to around 150 BCE.

               It should,  in no  way, be  advertised as  a "closed  canon" or a

               compilation of  the sum  of man's knowledge of truth, revealed or

               otherwise. The Bible was written by men and  is therefore subject

               to human  error. This does not, however, discount the presence of

               revealed  truths  within  the  Bible  or   within  any  scripture

               (religious writings).

                    If any  of the  above arguments  fall short of convincing an

               individual of God's existence,  the one  argument that  cannot be

               denied is  the argument which provides for the proof of one's own

               existence (cf. Arg #1). Here  we  spoke  of  "taking  a skeptical

               stance";  one  of  doubting  one's  own  existence.   Through the

               process of  self-doubt we  become faced  with the  reality of our

               existence;  we   cannot  deny  the  object  of  our  perceptions-

               ourselves.

                    The question, then, is  raised concerning  "life and death".

               One may wonder: "If I exist now, was there ever a time when I did

               not exist and will there be a time when I will not exist?" We can


                                              17



                                                                             711

               limit this  by asking: "Did I exist before this lifetime and will

               I exist after this life?" Perhaps  before these  questions can be

               broached more should said concerning the subject of gnosis.

                    As stated  above, the Apostle Paul spoke of ignorance of God

               as being a form of slavery; and told us that  it was  our purpose

               to know  (gnosis) and obey God1. This is reiterated in his first

               epistle to the Corinthians, when Paul gave "thanks to God... that

               in every way [they] were enriched in [Christ] with all speech and

               all knowledge"2.

                    In John's first epistle,  we are  told that  we may  come to

               know (gnosis) God, if we keep God's Law and "walk in the same way

               in which [Christ] walked3. This echoed  in John's  Gospel chapter

               14, verses  20-21; and  at verse  26 he adds that the Holy Spirit

               will be sent  to  "teach  [us]  all  things,  and  bring  to [us]

               remembrance  all  that  [Christ  had]  said  to  [us]."  I  have

               emphasized the word "remembrance"  as an  important part  of the

               process of gnosis. This will be discussed in detail below.

                    In  another  epistle  Paul  spoke  of the "riches of assured

               understanding and knowledge  (epi-gnosis)  of  God's  mystery, of


                    1 See above p. 4



                    2 1 Cor. 1:4-5


                    3 1 Jn 2:3-4



                                              18



                                                                             712

               Christ,  in  whom  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and

               knowledge"1. In the seventeenth chapter of  John's Gospel, Christ

               tells  us  that  gnosis,  knowing  God,  is equivalent to eternal

               life2; and in his epistle to the Philippians, Paul tells  us that

               gnosis supersedes all3.



                    In  Matthew's  Gospel  we  are told that spiritual knowledge

               comes to us through Christ:

                             "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and  earth,

                    that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent

                    and revealed them unto the  little  ones;  yes,  Father, for

                    such was  thy great pleasure. All things have been delivered

                    to me  by my  Father; and  no one  knows the  Son except the

                    Father, and  no one  knows the Father except the Son and any

                    one whom the Son chooses to reveal him.4"



                    When we read the thirteenth chapter of Paul's  first epistle


                    1 Col 2:2-3


                    2 Jn 17:3


                    3 Phil 3:8-10


                    4 Matt 11:25-27 & Lk 10:21-22





                                              19



                                                                             713

               to  the   Corinthians,  we  learn  that  "love"  is  the  key  to

               maintaining spiritual knowledge (gnosis) and faith (pistis)1; and

               in John's  first letter  we are  told that "he who does not love,

               does not know God; for God is love"2.

                    Besides the  necessity  of  loving  God,  we  are  told that

               knowledge of  truth equals  knowledge of God. In Paul's letter to

               Titus, Paul greets his  "child  in  common  faith"  by describing

               that, as  an apostle  of Christ,  his main purpose is to "further

               the faith of God's elect and their knowledge  of the  truth which

               accords with  godliness"3. In  John's Gospel we are told that the

               Holy Spirit is the  "Spirit of  truth, whom  the (material) world

               cannot receive,  because it  neither sees  him nor knows him; you

               know him, for he  dwells with  you, and  will be  in you"4. Jesus

               tells  us:  "If  you  continue  in  my  word,  you  are  truly my

               disciples, and you will know the truth, and  the truth  will make

               you free"5.


                    1 1 Cor 13


                    2 1 Jn 4:7-8


                    3 Titus 1:1


                    4 Jn 14:17


                    5 Jn 8:31-32




                                              20



                                                                             714

                                   Atsomepointsthissavingknowledgeisreferredtoas
     a

               secret  knowledge.  In  his  closing  remarks  to  his  disciple,

               Timothy, Paul  tells him  to guard closely the knowledge that has

               been entrusted to him and  to  avoid  those  who  "chatter" about

               false knowledge1;  and in  first Corinthians,  he speaks of those

               who imagine  that they  know, yet  do not  know as  they ought to

               know2. In  second Corinthians,  Paul tells us that the mystery of

               the Gospel is "veiled" to those who have been blinded  by the god

               of this  world3. This  concept of  the "hardening the hearts" and

                         "shutting the eyes"of the peoplecan befound in Isaiah4,
     Mark5,

               Luke6,  and  Acts7.  Paul  speaks  of  the  process  of gnosis as

               spiritual maturity when he tells the  Corinthians that  they were

               "fed with  milk, not  solid food;  for [they]  were not ready for


                    1 1 Tim 6:20-21


                    2 1 Cor 8:2


                    3 2 Cor 4:3-6


                    4 Isaiah 6:9-10


                    5 Mark 8:17-18



                    6 Lk 10:23


                    7 Acts 28:26-27



                                              21



                                                                             715

               it."

                    We are told that Jesus  spoke  in  parables  because "seeing

               they do  not see,  and hearing  they do not hear"1; and that "not

               all men can receive this [knowledge] but only those to whom it is

               given (revealed)"2.  He said  that in  order that those who could

               not understand, be allowed to understand that they  would have to

               "turn  again"  and  be  forgiven3.  This "turning again" or being

               "reborn" will be discussed in greater detail below.

                    In Colossians, Paul speaks  of this  mystery as  having been

               hidden  from  angels  and  men (aeons and generations)4. There is

               evidence in many of the books of the  Bible that  books which are

               known to authors have either been lost or intentional kept out of

               the Bible for a variety reasons. In his epistles, Paul  speaks of

               epistles  that  do  not  appear  in Bible. There is evidence of a

               third epistle to the Corinthians; perhaps  one that  went between

               the first and second epistles5; and in his closing remarks to the


                    1 Matt 10:13-17


                    2 Matt 19:11


                    3 Mk 4:11-12


                    4 Col 1:26



                    5 1 Cor 5:9 & 2 Cor 2:3-9; 7:10



                                              22



                                                                             716

               Colossians, Paul speaks of an Epistle  to the  Laodiceans1. First

               Chronicles speaks  of the  Book of  Nathan and  the Book of Gad2;

               while Second Chronicles, also, speaks of a Book  of Nathan  and a

               Book of Shemaiah the Prophet3. In Jude's Epistle there is a quote

               from the Book  of  Enoch!4        Could  these  books  have contained

               "secret knowledge" that could not be understand by all?

                    Turning  to  the  "apocrypha",  those  books  which  are not

               considered by some Christian sects to  be a  part of  the "closed

               canon" of the Bible, we are able to discover a possible answer to

               our question. The Apocrypha, or "hidden" books, were never really

               hidden, but  were kept  apart from the Bible. Each Christian sect

               has a different "list" of books  that belong  in their individual

               "canon"  and  because  those  "lists"  overlap  each  other  many

               Christians today are quite familiar with a majority  of the books

               contained in the Apocrypha.

                    One book  contained in  the Apocrypha, 2 Esdras, a book that

               is  found  in  many  Roman  Catholic  Bibles,  has  the following

               information to impart to us concerning "hidden books":


                    1 Col 4:16


                    2 1 Chr 29:29


                    3 2 Chr 9:29; 12:15


                    4 Jude 9 quotes Enoch 1:9



                                              23



                                                                             717

                    "Therefore write  all these  things that  you have seen in

                    book, and put it in a hidden place; and you shall teach them

                    to the  wise among  your people,  whose hearts  you know are

                    able to comprehend and keep these secrets.1"



                    (It is curious to  note that  this portion  of 2  Esdras was

                    added to  original sometime in the third century AD; when at

                    the same time  Gnostic  Christians  were  compiling  the Nag

                    Hammadi in Egypt!)2



                                       Yet  it  seems  that  nothing  can remain hidden forever. In

               Luke's Gospel Jesus prophesies  that "nothing  is hid  that shall

               not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known

               and come  to  light"3.  Perhaps  this  prophecy  came  true when,

               following  the  dreadful  destruction  of  WW II, two astonishing

               discoveries of hidden works were made; the first  at Nag Hammadi,

               Egypt in  December of  1945, and the second at Q'umran, Palestine


                    1 2 Esdras 12:37-38, cf. 2 Esdras 14:37-48


                    2 see introduction to "The Second Book of Esdras" in the
               New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha; Apoc  p 23



                    3 Lk 8:17




                                              24



                                                                             718

               in 1947.



                                          PART THREE



                    Even in  the Bible  itself there is found "secret knowledge"

               that is never spoken of amongst the christian sects that consider

               themselves to  be "orthodox".  The best example of this is in the

               creation account of the Book of Genesis. The opening line  of the

               first book of the Bible has been translated throughout history to

               read: "In the beginning God created the heavens  and the earth1."

               Yet if we translate the first verse literally we find it to read:

               "When the Elohim began to create the heavens and the earth2."

                    The term "Elohim" should not be translated directly  to read

               "God" or  "god", because it is the feminine plural of god (Eloah)

               and should  probably be  translated "goddesses"  or "offspring of

               the Goddess" . Now, to many "orthodox" christians the notion that

               there exists "gods", in the polytheistic sense, most  likely is a

               bizarre notion.  Yet the  early Hebrews  were not "monotheistic",

               that is, a person who believes in the existence of one God, as is

               usually thought; but, rather, they were "henotheistic", and while

               believing in a multitude of gods, they focused  all their worship


                    1 Gen 1:1


                    2 Cf. p 3 note 1



                                              25



                                                                             719

               on  their  "national  god".  Examples of Hebrew henotheism can be

               found in  throughout the  Old Testament.  In 1  Kings, chapter 18

               there  is  an  account  of  the  prophet Elijah, a prophet of the

               Israelite god Yahweh, engaged in a  contest with  the prophets of

               the  god  Ba'al  and  the  goddess Asherah (Ishtar)1. In 2 Kings,

               chapter 3 we are told that  when  Mesha,  king  of  the Moabites,

               sacrificed his son to the Moabite god Chemosh "there came a great

               wrath upon " the army of the Israelites2.  Further on  in 2 Kings

               there is  the story  of Naaman, a Syrian general who is afflicted

               with leprosy. Following a raid in Israel, Naaman  is told  by one

               of his captives that there is a prophet living in Samaria who has

               the power to cure leprosy. Naaman then visits Elisha, where he is

               told to  go and  bathe in  the Jordan  river. After bathing seven

               times in the Jordan, Naaman is cured of leprosy, and  as a result

               he  converts  and  becomes  a  worshiper  of  Yahweh,  god of the

               Israelites. He is now faced with a dilemma; as he  must return to

               Syria, he  must take  "two mule's  burden" of Israelite soil back

               with him. This is done so  that he  may have  a plot  of Yahweh's

               land upon  which to  offer sacrifice to the Israelite god. Elisha

               does not argue this matter with Naaman, but only tells him to "go

               in peace"3.


                    1 1 Kngs 18:19


                    2 2 Kngs 3:27


                    3 2 Kngs 5:1-19
                                              26



                                                                             720

                    Perhaps  the  strongest  suggestion  of Hebrew henotheism is

               contained in line from  Ezekiel that  tells of  the women weeping

               for  the  Sumerian  harvest  god,  Tammuz1.  The  Jewish calendar

               contains the month of Tammuz (usually in the  summer) and  one of

               the titles  for Tammuz, "Adonai", was adopted by the Hebrews as a

               title for their god. The phrase "Adonai Elohim"  is translated in

               the  english  Bible  to  read  "Lord of Hosts". The Greeks, also,

               adopted "Adonai" and called  him "Adonis";  a term  used today in

               the english language to describe a good looking young man.

                    In the  New Testament,  we are told by Saint Paul that there

               are "many gods and many lords"2. In Colossians, he refers to them

               as the  "elemental spirits of the universe" or Archons3. Could it

               be that the  Archons  and  the  Elohim  were  one  and  the same:

               "elemental spirits  of the  universe"? In Ephesians, he refers to

               them as the "world  rulers of  the present  darkness"4. In John's

               Gospel,  Jesus  puts  us  on  equal  footing  with the Archons by

               quoting Psalms5; and in Acts we are called "God's offspring"6.


                    1 Ezekiel 8:14


                    2 1 Cor 8:5


                    3 Col 2:8


                    4 Eph 6:12


                    5 Jn 10:34 & Ps 82:6


                    6 Acts 17:27-29

                                              27



                                                                             721

                    The scriptures  in  places  speak  of  the  concept  of pre-

               existence. God tells Jeremiah, "before I formed you in the womb I

               knew you"1. In Ephesians, we are told that  God "chose  us in him

               before the foundation of the world"2.

                    Could it  be that  the "secret  message" that the Scriptures

               have to impart to us is that we  and the  Elohim are  one and the

               same? That  we were  present at the creation? That we created our

               own universe  under God's  guidance, but  because we  were not in

               harmony with  each other,  because a  few us tried to "lord" over

               the others, because we were not in agreement  on how  to go about

               making the universe, and instead of making the universe according

               to God's design, we made it  according  to  our  design,  in "our

               image";  could  this  be  why  the  universe is such an imperfect

               place?

                     Between chapters 16 and 19 of the Book of Genesis  there is

               a curious exchange that deserves to be followed. In chapter 16 we

               are told the story of Hagar, the mother of Ishmael. Hagar, one of

               Abraham's concubines, is sent out into desert by Sarai, the first

               wife of Abraham. At verse seven Hagar is met by an "angel  of the




                    1 Jeremiah 1:4-5


                    2 Eph 1:4




                                              28



                                                                             722

               Lord". Later, after conversing with this "angel of the Lord", she

               refers to the angel as a "god of vision". She is shocked to think

               that  she  has  actually  seen  "God" and has lived1. In the next

               chapter, Abraham is visited by a  being who  describes himself as

               "El  Shaddai"2.  Most  english  language Bibles translate this to

               read "God Almighty", but  a literal  translation would  render it

               "El, one  of the  gods". In  chapter 18  Abraham, we are told, is

                         visitedagain by the"Lord", and upon looking up he  sees
     "three

               men".  The  persons  that  appear  to  Abraham in this chapter of

               Genesis are usually described as being God and two of his angels,

               yet  strangely  enough  the  one  who  is  thought to be God, the

               Almighty (omniscient and omnipresent) does not  know what's going

               in a city on the planet Earth and remarks: "I will go down to see

               whether they have done altogether according  to the  outcry which

               has come  to me; and if not, I will know"3. After wrangling  with

               Abraham over whether or not he would destroy the cities  of Sodom

               and Gomorrah,  we are told that "the Lord rained... fire from the

               Lord out of heaven"4.


                    1 Gen 16:7-14


                    2 Gen 17:1


                    3 Gen 18:21


                    4 Gen 19:24



                                              29



                                                                             723

                    The "main of event" occurs in the first chapters of Genesis.

               Here is  where the  Elohim see  light for the first time1, and go

               about the process of  the first  creation2, that  of "calling and

               creating" the  material world3.  The Elohim cause a separation to

               be made between the spiritual world, "the waters which were above

               the  firmament,  and  the  material world, "the waters which were

               under the firmament"4. Genesis 1:9-31 details  this "ordering" of

               the material world.

                    In Genesis  1:27, we  are told  that the  Elohim created, or

               developed the  idea  of  mankind  in  an  image  that  the Elohim

               perceived.  According  to  Rabbinic  tradition this image was the

               image of the Higher God that  the  Elohim  saw  reflected  in the

               firmament which  they took to be that of their own. In the second

               creation, that of "making and forming" the material  world in the

               "day that  the Lord made the earth and the heavens"5, we are told

               that the Elohim actually  "formed" man  out of  dust, but  it was


                    1 Gen 1:4


                    2 Gen 1:1 - 2:3


                    3 Isaiah 43:7


                    4 Gen 1:7


                    5 Gen 2:4




                                              30



                                                                             724

               only after the Elohim breathed into man's nostrils the "breath of

               life", did man become a living being1.

                    Yet it seems that the Elohim had made a mistake.  In Genesis

               1:28,  we  are  told  that  the  Elohim  had  created  man  as an

               androgynous being,  "male and  female [they]  created them." Most

               Gnostic  Christians  take  this  to  mean that we were originally

               intended to posses both soul and spirit combined.  It appears the

               Elohim had made a mistake and formed a "sleeping" soul which they

               attempted to manipulate2, and when they  realized that  they were

               mistaken they  found it  necessary to pull the "spirit" (Eve) out

               of the soul (Adam) in order to bring it to life; hence Adam calls

               Eve "the Mother of the living"3.

                    The  events  that  follow  in  the  third chapter of Genesis

               deserve to be looked at in detail. In chapter 2, verse 9  we have

               been told that there are two trees in the center of the Garden of

               Eden; the tree of life and the tree of knowledge. In verse  17 of

               that same  chapter we were told that the Creator had ordered Adam

               not to eat of the tree of knowledge, for if Adam were to eat from

               that tree he would die. In chapter three a serpent appears to Eve


                    1  Gen 2:7


                    2 Gen 2:16-17


                    3 Gen 2:21




                                              31



                                                                             725

               and the following exchange takes place:



                    Serpent: "Did [the Creator] say, `You shall not eat of  any

                            tree in the garden'?"



                    Eve: "We  may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden;

                          but [the Creator] said, `You shall not eat of the

                          fruit of  the tree which is in the midst of the

                          garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.' "



                    Serpent: "You will not die.  For  [the  Creator]  knows that

                              when you  eat of  it your eyes will be opened, and

                              you be like [the gods] knowing good and evil."



                    Later, after eating from the  tree,  and,  by  the  way, not

               dying, Adam  and Eve  "heard the sound of the Lord God walking in

               the garden"1. It is curious to note that  from the  exchange that

               follows that  the Creator  does not  seem to  know what has taken

               place in their "absence", just as they did not seem  to know what

                         was happening  inSodom  andGomorrah  orwhat  occurredto
     Cain's

               brother, Able2. Upon learning  what  has  transpired  the Creator


                    1 Gen 3:8


                    2 Gen 4:9



                                              32



                                                                             726

               then put  a curse upon the serpent, Eve, and Adam.  We then learn

               that the Creator had  lied to  Adam and  Eve when  they told them

               that they  would die  and in  remarking  reveal: "Behold, the man

               has become like one of us, knowing good  and evil;  and now, lest

               he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat,

               and live forever..."1. This speaking in  the plural  is echoed in

               the  Tower  of  Babel  incident:  "Come, let us go down and there

               confuse their language"2.

                    Throughout  time  the  serpent   has  stood   as  symbol  of

               immortality. Many  ancient cultures  upon seeing the shed skin

               of a snake believed that the snake never died; only  shedding one

               body  for  a  new  one.  In Greek mythology the god Prometheus is

               often depicted as a winged serpent bringing the  gift of  fire to

               man.  Later  Prometheus  was  replaced  by the image of the wing-

               footed Hermes holding aloft  the  caduceus  or  "serpent entwined

               staff" as he brought the secret knowledge of the gods to mankind.

                    These images  of winged  and fiery  serpents can be found in

               the Old Testament. In Numbers "the Lord sent fiery serpents among

               the  people,  and  they  bit  the  people, so that many people of

               Israel died"3. To counteract this attack, Moses is  told to "make


                    1 Gen 3:22


                    2 Gen 11:7


                    3 Num 21:6
                                              33



                                                                             727

               a fiery serpent and set it on a pole" so that when the people see

               the "brazen serpent" they would not  die1. This  symbolic gesture

               of the  serpent lifted  up in  the wilderness  is reminiscent not

               only of the serpent in the  garden,  but  that  of  Jesus  on the

               cross2.   In Isaiah's  vision of  God, he describes the throne of

               God as being surrounded by "seraphim". Seraphim may be defined as

               "fiery winged  serpents". In 2 Kings we are told that the "brazen

               serpent" survived  down into  reign of  Ahaz, king  of Israel. It

               seems Ahaz did some house cleaning and broke the "brazen serpent"

               into pieces and threw  it  out.  Is  this  some  how  a prophetic

               gesture of Israel's rejection of the Messiah3?







                                          CONCLUSION





                    It should be remembered that when approaching the subject of

               "hidden works" or "secret knowledge" that "there is  nothing hid,


                    1 Num 21:8-9


                    2 Jn 3:14-15


                    3 2 Kngs 18:4




                                              34



                                                                             728

               except to  be made  manifest; nor  is anything  secret, except to

               come to  light"1. In  other words,  there is  nothing hidden that

               cannot,  or  will  not,  be  found. Christ extols us to seek and

               find, and that when we knock at the  door of  mystery it  will be

               opened to  us2. It  can be  found that God has a "divine plan" in

               which God "desires all  men  to  be  saved  and  to  come  to the

               knowledge of  the truth"3.  In Acts  we are  told that the end of

               time will not come until all  things have  been restored  to God.

               This  "restoration  of  all  things"  became  known  to the early

               christians as the Doctrine of Apocatastasis4. Ephesians speaks of

                         the "plan for the fullnessof  time,to uniteall thingsin
     him,

               things in heaven and things on earth"5.

                    Yet what happens to us when  we die  in a  pre-gnostic state

               before the  Apocatastasis?  In Mark's Gospel, we are told to take

               heed of what we hear in  the message,  for "the  measure you give

               will  be   the  measure  you  get"6.  This  is  the  Doctrine  of


                    1 Mark 4:22


                    2 Matt 7:7-8


                    3 1 Tim 2:4


                    4 Acts 3:21


                    5 Eph 1:10


                    6 Mk 4:24

                                              35



                                                                             729

               Metrethesis; the "measure for measure" spoken  of in  Matthew 7:2

               and the  "sowing" and  "reaping" in  Galatians 6:71.  This is the

               plan by which God allows all souls in the universe  to eventually

               redeem themselves in the prison of Metempsychosis.

                    Metrethesis  and  Metempsychosis  are doctrines that are not

               unique  to  Christian  Gnosticism.  In  Buddhism  and  the  Vedic

               religions   these    doctrines   are    known   as

                               [The text is lost at this point.]



                                                                             730

     The Manifestation of Kali in Universe as an Astrophysical Anomaly
     By Persona Navitae 353.
                     There is no light, nor any motion.
                     There is no mass, nor any sound.
                     Still, in the lampless heart of the ocean,
                     Fasten me down and hold me drowned
                     Within thy womb, within thy thought,
                     Where there is naught-where there is naught!
                        From "Kali", by Aleister Crowley
                    
        In the beginning was the KAOS water, the pure creative force
     of undivided being. Crowley called this "Nuit", which seems to be
     the combination of the sky goddess "Nut" with the chaos God "Nu",
     or "Nun". This was the potential for manifestation before the
     dream of Siva, before the suffering of Sophia that coalesced into
     the mist of dark reality. This primal force exits in a perpetual
     state of non-being, always edging toward being. A binary movement
     sets up from this tension of pre-creation, from a state of
     collapsed oneness, to a state of open potential. This is the
     struggle between Siva; the force of perfect order, and Sakti; the
     force of pure chaos. In Siva is the need to collapse to stable
     systems, the continual drive for one-ness that uni-fests as the
     point monad of Kether on the Tree of Life. In Sakti is the need
     for continual creation, the pure fertile need to populate
     Universe with the divine sparks of mani-fested intelligence. From
     these two forces arises the numinous Androgyne. This force exists
     at the beginning of physical creation, from its parthenogenic
     fullness it emanates across the Pleroma of the void, and down the
     Tree to Malkuth.
        This mythos is at the core of the unconscious and of many
     creation theories. From the bliss of Androgyny comes the
     suffering of Maya, illusion. This is the illusion of multi-
     verse. Sophia, the divine mother of the Gnostics, was conceived
     of as Androgynous but she broke away from her partner and
     conceived the physical universe as a polarized order. The result
     was the creation of ignorance, the demiurge Yahweh. 
        From the primal Nuit is created Babylon, and from her is Isis, 
     but what of Nepthys? She is hidden; present but unseen. Felt but
     rarely named. In Indian theosophy divine Sakti exists as the
     primal energy behind the static monad, Siva. She is  Nuit in
     Thelema, and her creation on the mundane level is Kali. In many
     systems they are considered one, which is rightly so. The job of
     Kali is to devour the ignorance of static non-creation and re-
     create Universe with new potential for mani-festation. Left to
     its own, Siva would freeze up Universe in a cage of entropy. This
     is known to physicists as the "Heat death of Universe". Heat is
     not a substance, not an energy. It is a process, "The
     transference of energy by virtue of a difference in temperature".
     When all forms of energy, Sakti/Kali, have been equilibrated
     then no more growth is possible. Any divine sparks left in such a
     state would no longer develope, all life would stop. 



                                                                             731

        The Heat Death is only one scenario. It would seem possible
     that Universe could go on perpetually if there were some way to
     re-create it. All matter/energy would have to be sucked back in
     and thrust out in another "Big bang". This "devouring" is well
     known to devotees of Kali. In early myths she is known to devour
     the demons who would upset the balance of space-time. Kali is the
     Goddess of time, Kala. In time all things die and are re-born. In
     time all ignorance is replaced by divine Gnosis, if we accomplish
     nothing else in life we cannot help but learn. Experience is the
     great teacher. At the end of time there is no manifested
     existence, just the Satchidananda of bliss-being-consciousness.
     Kali offers the bliss of Gnosis with one hand which holds the
     Sangrail, freedom from fear with another raised, with a third she
     holds the sword that destroys Universe, and with a forth she
     holds a head to remind us that all situations will change, death
     is the constant force of new life. She is naked because she has
     no veils of illusion, and to remind us that the secret of
     re-creation is in sexual bliss. She is black because she is
     beyond human comprehension, this also ties in with the freudian
     devouring mother, who is in the realm of shadow, we all will be
     swallowed by Kali in the little death and the greater ones. She
     dances on the corpse of Siva, who has over extended himself in
     the attempt for divine Order. However, her dance has aroused him
     even in death and she stands over his erect penis to accept the
     seed of new creation.
        In the early 1930's Edwin Hubble concluded that Universe is
     expanding, and even in the 1920's evidence existed of such
     expansion. It has been postulated that if there is not enough
     mass in Universe then it will eventually suffer the heat death of
     Siva. If there is enough however, then it is possible that the
     expansion will slow down due to the drag of continual gravitational
     forces that all matter possesses, and eventually return to a
     single point where the explosive forces of the dynamic interplay
     of matter/energy will cause a new expansion. 
        One method to determine if Universe has enough matter to halt
     the expansion is to add up all the luminous matter. Matter exits
     in particular, stable energy states. If extra energy is added to
     a system, then the matter present would tend to jump to a higher
     energy state. Every element has very particular states it prefers
     and will not reside in any others. This is the rule of the Siva-
     Order force in Universe. All chaotic energy states will either
     jump to a higher state, and stay there as long as the extra
     energy does, or it will ignore the extra force.  When there isn't
     enough energy to maintain the element in this state, it drops to
     a specific lower state and sheds the excess energy. When this
     happens we see it as a burst of light which will be specific to
     each particular element. By examining the luminous evidence,
     astrophysicists can determine how much matter is shedding light.
     According to older theories all matter radiates light, and this
     could be used to determine how much matter was in Universe.
     Through these studies, it was found that there is only about 2%
     of the necessary amount for re- creation.  



                                                                             732

        In 1933, Fritz Zwicky discovered that galaxies were moving
     much faster than they should according to the accepted theories.
     Speculating from the amount of matter found through the
     luminosity present, he found that galaxies should be breaking up.
     The obvious conclusion is that there is more matter present than
     can be seen. This substance became known as Dark Matter. Since
     then numerous experiments have been devised to test this theory.
     Vera Rubin showed that galaxies rotate as fast at the outer rim,
     or faster, as they do in the inner. If they are less dense at the
     outer edges, as the luminosity indicates, then they should move
     slower. Jeremiah Ostriker and James Peebles showed that without
     extra matter, galaxies would develope gravitational anomalies
     that would cause them to collapse into other forms than the
     spiral we usually see. It seems likely that there is Dark Matter
     in Universe, and estimates now indicate that it could make up as
     much as 95% of all physical creation.
        What is this Dark Matter? Nobody knows, but there are many
     theories. Sub-atomic particles, so small they don't radiate
     visible energy, Neutrinos, Magnetic Monopoles (one sided
     magnets), and Gravitinos (bundles of gravity, in the same sense
     that Photons are bundles of light) are prime candidates. So far
     neither Magnetic Monopoles, nor Gravitinos have been found. 
        Arcane knowledge provides some answers assuming we ask the
     questions. If Isis is "Infinite Stars, Infinite Space", then
     what is Nepthys? Being the opposite side of Isis we have to
     assume she plays a part in Universe. And, if Kali's re-creation
     of Universe is possible, then can we see it in the process? The
     answer to both of these lies in the Dark Matter. In "Mumbo Jumbo"
     Ishmael Reed referred to "Dark Isis". I found this very
     intriguing at the time, and later found the connection in Isis's
     dark twin, Nepthys. She is dark (like Kali) because she is
     hidden, manifested but unseen. In his book, Reed speculated that
     she became dominant when Isis was shedding lunar blood (sacred to
     Kali), this is when the unfertile seeds are being discarded. For
     the aspirant this is a time of great power, and danger. Nepthys
     is the goddess of the night magicks, the red magick of Vamamarg
     sometimes referred to as the "left hand path". Hers is the force of
     re-creation which is so vital to the growth of the aspirant. IAO,
     Isis-creator, Apophis (Set, husband of Nepthys)-destroyer, and
     Osiris-re-creator. In Tantra, Kali is all three. She gives birth
     to Universe, devours it when all life has expended its energy,
     and re-creates it from the seeds of the old Universe. 
        It's uncertain whether there is enough Dark Matter to cause
     the collapse of Universe, but clearly if there is a chance, it is
     in this manifestation of the Dark Goddess. Her body is the body
     of matter that lies "between" known spaces and stars, her power
     is felt in the pull of matter itself, "Love is the law, love
     under will" is the axion of gravity where all particles seek to
     unite with all others. Her books are written in the night sky,
     her rites are the rites of ancient humans awed by the power of
     the Great Sleep, and equally awed by it's power of re-creation.
     If Kali/Nepthys manifests at the end of time, it will be as the
     mouths of numerous black holes, each larger one devouring the
     smaller, uniting in one undifferentiated monad of space-time,
     not only matter sucked in but the net of creation on which it
     resides as well. In the Dark Matter is the new creation.       



                                                                             733

     A SAMPLING OF HIDDEN CODES IN THE TORAH
     =======================================

     Here is a sampling of some of the hidden words in the Torah. Since the
     Hebrew cannot be uploaded, the transliteration is as follows:

     Aleph = A     Bet = B     Gimel = G     Dalet = D     Hey = H     Vav = V
     Zayin = Z     Chet =  Kh     Tet = T     Yod = Y     Kaf = Ch   Kaf Sofit =
     Ch:
     Lamed = L     Mem = M     Mem Sofit = M:     Nun = N     Nun Sofit = N:
     Samech = $     Ayin = E     Pei = P     Phei = Ph     Phei Sofit = Ph:
     Tzadi = Tz     Kuf = Q     Reish = R     Shin = Sh     Sin = S     Tav =Th


     The chart below works as follows:
           The first column is the hidden word. Second column is the location of
     the  starting letter. The  third column is  the word in  the sentence which
     "houses" the starting letter of the hidden word. The letter enclosed <X> is
     the first letter of the hidden word.  If the housing word appears more than
     once  in the same sentence, the number of  the correct word appears here in
     parentheses.
     The  fourth column  indicates  spacing, i.e.,  49  indicates there  are  49
     letters BETWEEN the letters of the hidden word. An "R" in the fifth  column
     indicates the hidden  word is spelled  out in reverse.  The last column  is
     just a transliteration of the first column for ease of comprehension.


     ."AMTh"      Genesis 1:1-5      BRAShY<Th>   50     R      Emet (Truth)
     ."ThVRH"     Genesis 1:1-5      BRAShY<Th>   49            Torah
     ."ThVRH"     Genesis 49:28-30   VZA<Th>      49            Torah
     ."ThVRH"     Exodus  1:1-7      ShMV<Th>     49            Torah
     ."ThVRH"     Exodus  39:8-13    ThChL<Th>    49            Torah
     ."ThVRH"     Numbers 1:1-3      MSh<H>       49     R      Torah
     ."ThVRH"     Numbers 34:9-12    Z<H>         49     R      Torah
     ."ThVRH"     Deut.   1:5-8      <H>ThVRH     48     R      Torah
     ."ThVRH"     Deut.   32:3-7     LAL<H>YNV    48     R      Torah
     ."ALHYM"     Genesis 1:7-9      <A>Th        26            Elokim
     ."Y-VH"      Genesis 1:8-9      AL<H>YM      26     R      The Name
     ."QYN"       Genesis 4:13-15    <Q>YN        49            Cain
     ."HBL"       Genesis 4:23-25    OD<H>        49            Abel
     ."MLACh"     Genesis 2:1-2      V<Ch>L       26     R      Malach
     ."ShBTh"     Exodus  34:35-     M<Sh>H (2)   49            Shabat
     ."ShBTh"     Exodus  35:3-5     A<Sh>        49            Shabat
     ."ABRHM"     Genesis 1:22-26    <A>LHYM      49     1      Avraham
     ."Y-VH"      Levit   1:1        V<Y>QRA       7            The Name
     ."Y-VH"      Levit.  1:2-3      <Y>QRYB      21            The Name
     ."Y-VH"      Levit.  1:3-       <Y>QRYBNV    13            The Name
     ."Y-VH"      Levit.  1:3        YQR<Y>BNV    34            The Name
     ."MThThYHV"  Deut.   34:5-10    <M>ShH       49            Matityahu
     ."YSRAL"     Genesis 1:30-2:3   E<L>         49     R      Yisrael
     ."YSRAL"     Genesis 1:31-2:1   HShSh<Y>      7            Yisrael
     ."LAH"       Genesis 28:2-6     <L>Ch:       49     2      Leah
     ."RKhL"      Genesis 28:5-6     A<R>M:       49     2      Rachel
     ."YHVDH"     Genesis 49:8-11    YHVD<H>      49    R,2     Yehuda
     ."MShH"      Genesis 50:24:25   V<H>ELH      49    R,2     Moshe
     ."MShH"      Exodus  13:18-19   ALHY<M>      49     2      Moshe
     ."ThVRH"     Genesis 28:13-16   A<Th>NNH     26            Torah
     ."MQDSh"     Genesis 28:15:16   VH<Sh>BThYCh:26     R      Mikdash(Temple)



                                                                             734

     ."HMVEDYM"   Genesis 1:8-16     ShMY<M>      70     R      HaMoadim
     ."Y-VH(Y)"   Genesis 1:25-27    V<Y>ES       26            The Name
     ."(Y)-VHY"   Genesis 1:25-27    H<Y>M:       26     R      The Name
     ."ERBH"      Genesis 1:11-15    V<E>Tz:      49            Arava
     ."LVLB"      Exodus  2:7-11     HE<L>MH      49            Lulav
     ."HD$"       Numbers 4:28-32    ShN<H>       49            Hadas
     ."AThRG"     Deut.   1:32-37    L<A>MR       49            Etrog
     ."BRChH      Deut.   1:1-32     HD<B>RYM     613           Bracha
     ."RMBM"      Exodus  11:9-12:13 <R>BVTh      Init   3      Rambam
     ."MShNH"     Exodus  11:9-12:13 <M>ShH       49     3      Mishneh
     ."ThVRH"     Exodus  11:9-12:13 A<Th>V       49     3      Torah
     ."NTzY"      Deut.   28:63-64   V<N>$KhThM:  49            Nazi
     ."HShVAH"    Deut.   31:16-18   MSh<H>       49            HaShoah
     ."HYTLR"     Genesis 8:21       <H>ADMH      31     R      Hitler
     ."H$"        Genesis 8:1        BThB<H>      31            Hess
     ."RVML"      Genesis 8:20       HTHV<R>      31            Rommel
     ."BQ"        Genesis 8:22       V<Q>R        31     R      Beck
     ."DNYTz:"    Genesis 8:21       EV<D>        31            Danitz
     ."MVTh"      Genesis 8:3        H<M>YM:(2)   31     R      Mavet
     ."HShVAH"    Genesis 8:14       <H>ARTz:     62   2x31     HaShoah


     1) "ABRHM" begins with  the Aleph <A> of ALHYM  and ends about 250  letters
     later on the Mem <M> of ALHYM.
     2) Note the section of Torah this word is embedded in.
     3)  Rambam  appears  as  the  initial  letters  of  "Rabos  Mofsai  B'eretz
     Mitzrayim. If  one begins in the same  pasuk on the Mem  of Moshe, the Word
     "Mishneh" is  spelled out.  If one starts  at the  same Mem and  counts 613
     letters, one then Reaches  a Tav, which is  the first letter of the  hidden
     word "Torah", thus completing Mishneh Torah, Rambam's famous work about the
     613 Mitzvos.



                                                                             735

                  An Introduction to Traditional Wicca 
         c. 1987,  Keepers of the Ancient Mysteries   ( .K.A.M. ) 
      
     Often Traditional Wiccans are asked to describe our religion and 
     beliefs for interested people, who may or may not have confused 
     us with other Pagan religions, with inversions of 
     Christian/Islamic religions like Satanism, or with purely magical 
     traditions with no religious base. There is a lot of flexibility 
     in the ways that we describe ourselves, and one characteristic of 
     Wicca is a large degree of personal liberty to practice as we 
     please. Still, there is an outline that can be described in 
     general terms. Many traditions will depart from one particular or 
     another, but groups departing from all or most of these features 
     are probably non-Wiccan Traditions attempting to stretch or 
     distort the Wiccan name to cover what they want to do. 
      
     Mysteries and Initiation 
      
     Wicca is an Initiatory religion descended from the Ancient 
     Mystery Religions. A mystery religion is not like Catholicism 
     where a Priest is the contact point between the worshiper and the 
     Deity, nor like Protestantism where a sacred Book provides the 
     contact and guidelines for being with the divine. Rather a 
     Mystery Religion is a religion of personal experience and 
     responsibility, in which each worshiper is encouraged, taught and 
     expected to develop an ongoing and positive direct relationship 
     with the Gods. The religion is called a "Mystery" because such 
     experiences are very hard to communicate in words, and are 
     usually distorted in the telling. You have to have been there in 
     person to appreciate what is meant. Near and far-Eastern 
     religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and Shinto are probably 
     Mystery traditions, but Wicca is very western in cultural flavor 
     and quite different than eastern religions in many ways. 
      
     A Blend of Pagan Roots 
      
     Most Wiccan Traditions, .K.A.M. included, have particular roots 
     in the British Mystery Traditions. This includes traditions of 
     the Picts who lived before the rise of Celtic consciousness, the 
     early Celts, and some selected aspects of Celtic Druidism. 
     American Wicca is directly descended from British Wicca, brought 
     in the late 1950's by English and American Initiates of 
     Gardnerian, Alexandrian and Celtic Wicca. These traditions are a 
     little like the denominations in Christianity, but hopefully far 
     more harmonious. 
      
     While British Traditions are very strong in Wicca, or the Craft 
     as it is sometimes called, other Western Mystery traditions 
     feature prominently, including the ancient Greek Mysteries of 
     Eleusis,  Italian Mysteries of Rome, Etruria and the general 
     countryside, Mysteries of Egypt and Persia before Islam, and 
     various Babylonian, Assyrian and other mid-eastern Mysteries that 
     flourished before the political rise of the advocates of "one 
     god". 



                                                                             736

     What's In a Name 
      
     Wicca, Witchecraft, and "The Craft" are used interchangeably at 
     times by many kinds of people. It is fair to say that all Wiccans 
     are Witches, and many of us believe we are the only people 
     entitled to the name. It is important to know that many people 
     call themselves witches who are not in the least Wiccan, and that 
     Masons also refer to themselves as "Craft", with good historical 
     precedent. Carefully question people on the particular things 
     they do and believe as part of their religion rather than relying 
     on labels. Any real Wiccan would welcome such honest inquiry. 
      
     Traditions and Flavor 
      
     There are specific Wiccan beliefs and traditions, including 
     worship of an equal and mated Goddess and God who take many forms 
     and have many Names. Groups who worship only a Goddess or only a 
     God are not traditional Wicca however they may protest, although 
     they may be perfectly good Pagans of another sort. The Wiccan 
     Goddess and God are linked to nature, ordinary love and children 
     -- Wicca is very life affirming in flavor.  
      
     Because we have and love our own Gods, Wiccans have nothing to do 
     with other people's deities or devils, like the Christian God or 
     Satan, the Muslim Allah or the Jewish Jehovah (reputedly not his 
     real name). Christians often deny this fact because they think 
     that their particular god is the only God, and everybody else in 
     the whole world must be worshipping their devil. How arrogant. 
     They're wrong on both counts. 
      
     Traditional Wicca is a religion of personal responsibility and 
     growth. Initiates take on a particular obligation to personal 
     development throughout their lives, and work hard to achieve what 
     we call our "True Will", which is the best possibility that we 
     can conceive for ourselves. Finding your Will isn't easy, and 
     requires a lot of honesty, courage and hard work. It is also very 
     rewarding. 
      
     Wicca is generally a cheerful religion, and has many holidays and 
     festivals. In fact, most of the more pleasant holidays now on our 
     calendar are descended from the roots Wicca draws on, including 
     Christmas, May Day, Easter and Summer Vacation. Wicca is 
     definitely not always serious. Dancing, feasting and general 
     merriment are a central part of the celebrations. 
      
     Wiccan Ethics 
      
     Wiccans have ethics which are different in nature than most 
     "one-god" religions, which hand out a list of "do's and don'ts". 
     We have a single extremely powerful ethical principal which 
     Initiates are responsible for applying in specific situations 
     according to their best judgment. That principle is called the 
     Wiccan Rede (Old-English for rule) and reads: 
      
     "An (if) it harm none, do as ye Will" 



                                                                             737

     Based on the earlier mention of "True Will", you will understand 
     that the Rede is far more complex than it sounds, and is quite 
     different than saying "Do whatever you want as long as nobody is 
     hurt". Finding out your Will is difficult sometimes, and figuring 
     out what is harmful, rather than just painful or unpleasant is 
     not much easier. 
      
     Initiation into Wicca 
      
     People become Wiccans only by Initiation, which is a process of 
     contacting and forming a good relationship with the Gods and 
     Goddesses of Wicca. Initiation is preceded by at least a year and 
     a day of preparation and study, and must be performed by a 
     qualified Wiccan Priestess and Priest. The central event of 
     Initiation is between you and your Gods, but the Priestess is 
     necessary to make the Initiation a Wiccan one, to pass some of 
     her power onto you as a new-made Priestess or Priest and to 
     connect you to the Tradition you're joining. 
      
     Women hold the central place in Wicca. A Traditional Coven is 
     always headed by a High Priestess, a Third Degree female Witch 
     with at least three years and three days of specific training. A 
     Priest is optional, but the Priestess is essential. Similarly, a 
     Priest may not Initiate without a Priestess, but a Priestess 
     alone is sufficient. Women are primary in Wicca for many reasons, 
     one of which is that the Goddess is central to our religion. 
      
     One Religion at a Time 
      
     People often ask "Can I become a Wiccan and still remain a 
     Christian, Muslim, practicing Jew, etc. The answer is no. The 
     "one god" religions reject other paths besides their own, 
     including each other's. "One-god" religions also do not exalt the 
     Female as does Wicca, and mixing two such different traditions 
     would water them both down. Besides, you'd have to ask how 
     serious a person who practiced two religions was about either 
     one. Being Jewish is an exception, since it is a race and culture 
     as well as a religion. There are many Wiccan Jews, but they 
     practice Wicca, not Judaism. 
      
     Magick and Science 
      
     People interested in Wicca are usually curious about the magick 
     that Wiccans can do. While magick (spelled with a "k" to 
     distinguish from stage conjuring) is not a religion in itself, it 
     is related to our religious beliefs. Wiccans believe that people 
     have many more abilities than are generally realized, and that it 
     is a good idea to develop them. Our magick is a way of using 
     natural forces to change consciousness and material conditions as 
     an expression of our "True Wills". Part of becoming a Wiccan is 
     training in our methods of psychic and magickal development.  
      



                                                                             738

     Because we believe that everything a person does returns to them 
     magnified, a Wiccan will not work a magick for harm, since they 
     would pay too high a price. But a helpful magick is good for both 
     the giver and receiver! Wicca is entirely compatible with the 
     scientific method, and we believe all the Gods and forces we work 
     with to be quite natural, not supernatural at all. We do not, 
     however, hold with the kind of scientific dogma or pseudoreligion 
     that  sees everything  as dead matter  and neglects  its own  method ÜvÜŒby
     trumpeting "facts" without honest examination of evidence. 
      
     Priestesses at Large? 
      
     Long ago the spiritual (and sometimes physical) ancestors of 
     Wiccans were Priestesses and Priests to the Pagan culture as well 
     as devotees of their Mystery. Now that a Pagan culture is rising 
     again, some ask if today's Wiccans could resume that role. This 
     seems unlikely.  
      
     Today's Pagan culture is very diverse and more interested in 
     exploring and creating new forms than in building on existing 
     traditions. A public role would either dilute our traditions or 
     force them on an unwilling audience. The neo-Pagan community 
     generally prefers "media figures" and rapid membership and 
     growth. This is  not compatible with our slow methods of training 
     and Initiation, the insistence that livelihood come from work 
     outside the Craft, or our needs for privacy. Our religion is not 
     accepted in the American workplace or political system, and may 
     never be. The most powerful Priestesses are often unknown to all 
     but their Coveners. While all Wiccans are Pagans, all Pagans are 
     not Wiccan, and it is best that it remain so. 



                                                                             739

     The Henge of Keltria--a Neo-pagan Druidic organization

     What is The Henge of Keltria?

     The Henge of Keltria is a positive path Druidic tradition
     dedicated to protecting the Earth, honoring our ancestors,
     revering the spirits of nature and worshipping the Keltic
     Deities.  Our focus is on spiritual development achieved through
     the study and practice of the Druidic Arts and Keltic Magick.
     Through training, networking, resources, ritual and
     communications we strive to provide a religious and spiritual
     framework through which each individual can reach his of her own
     full potential.

     What does the Henge offer?

     Currently the Henge of Keltria Publishes "Keltria: A Journal of
     Druidism and Keltic Magick" on a quarterly basis, and an
     introductory 31 page booklet "The Henge: An Introduction to
     Keltrian Druidism."  Classes in neo-pagan Druidism are offered
     in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area on an ongoing basis.
     Campouts and workshops are held on an irregular basis in
     Northwestern Wisconsin.  Future plans include a book of ritual,
     bardic songbook, correspondence courses, theological journal and
     membership directory.

     For more info, send a business sized SASE to:
     The Henge of Keltria
     P.O. Box 33284
     Coon Rapids, MN 55433



                                                                             740

                    ISHTAR: IN HER PRAISE, IN HER IMAGE
                    -----------------------------------
                         By Pauline Campanelli

     (Originally published in Circle Network News, under the column PANTHEON; 



           She  was called Ishtar by  the Babylonians, Inanna  by the Sumerians,
     Astarte by the  Greeks, and Ashtoreth by the Hebrews.   She is a Goddess of
     Love and beauty, The Giver  of All Life, The Maiden, The Mother, The Crone.
     As the maiden hymns were sung to her beauty and her love:

        "Praise the Goddess, most awesome
            of the Goddesses,
         Let one revere the mistress of the
            people, the greatest of the Gods.
         Praise Ishtar, the most awesome of
            the Goddesses,
         Let one revere the Queen of Women,
            the greatest of the Gods.


         She is clothed with pleasure and
            love.
         She is laden with vitality, charm
            and voluptuousness.


         In lips she is sweet; life is in
            her mouth.
         At her appearance rejoicing
            becomes full.
         She is glorious; veils are thrown
            over her head.
         Her figure is beautiful; her eyes
            are brilliant."

             --from a First Dynasty Babylon text, circa 1600 BCE



                                                                             741

           TheGoddess has her darkside too.  In thisportion of a Sumerian prayer
     to Inanna  from Ur, circa 2300  BCE, she is the  bringer of death.   In the
     following lines, "the Powers"  refer to the  powers and duties assigned  to
     the various cosmic entities at the moment of creation:

         "My Queen, You who are guardian
            of all the great Powers,
         You have lifted the Powers, have
            tied them to your hands,
         Have gathered the Powers, pressed
            them to your breasts.
         You have filled the land with
            venom like a serpent.
         Vegetation ceases when you thunder
            like Ishkur.
         You who bring down the flood from
            the mountains,
         Supreme One who are the Inanna of
            Heaven and Earth."

           In the Epic of Gilgamesh,it is the word of Ishtar thatcauses Enlil to
     bring the Deluge upon her Children, and in the same legend she brings death
     not only to her people but her lover too: "When the glorious Ishtar  raised
     an eye  at the beauty of Gilgamesh, she  said, 'Come, Gilgamesh, be thou my
     lover! Do but grant me thy fruit.  Thou shalt be my husband, and I will  be
     thy  wife.'"  But the  hero refuses  her, listing  the  fates of  her other
     lovers:

        "For Tamuz, the lover of thy
           youth,
        Thou has ordained wailing year
           after year.
        Having loved the dappled
           Shepherd-bird,
        Thou smotest him, breaking his
           wing.
        In the grove he sits crying, 'My
           wing!'
        Then thou lovedst a lion, perfect
           in strength.
        Seven pits and seven didst thou
           dig for him.
        Then a stallion didst Thou love,
           famed in battle.
        The whip, the spur, the lash Thou
           ordainedst for him."

           And ratherthan marry Ishtar, Gilgameshwent in searchof immortality on
     his own.

           Images of this Great Goddess from the land of theTigris and Euphrates
     appear in many  shapes and forms.  Some of the  earliest may be the clay or
     limestone figures discovered at the site known as Mureybit in what is today
     Syria.  These  figurines from  hunter-gatherer villages of  8000 BCE  range
     from the crude and stylized to  the highly naturalistic.  Like later images
     of Ishtar, these female  divinities are depicted with their hands  to their
     breasts.   These ancient images  of a goddess are not  joined by a male God
     until a thousand years later and then he remains less important.



                                                                             742

           One common characteristicof the early imagesof Ishtar is thebird-like
     facial  features.  These  features are also  seen on images  of the Goddess
     from  the Thracian culture of what is  today Bulgaria, the Vinca culture of
     the Central Balkans, and  the Tisza culture of northeastern  Hungary, circa
     6000-5000  BCE.   This  bird Goddess  of  ancient eastern  Europe,  and the
     closely  related Snake Goddess are frequently associated with the baking of
     sacred bread.   Miniature temples made  in the form of  the Goddess contain
     scenes  of baking  bread  being  presided  over by  a  priestess.    Later,
     miniature  Minoan temples  contain  images  of  a  Goddess  with  the  same
     bird-like features.   The Greek  Aphrodite is often  associated with  doves
     which are  her symbol also.   Like  Aphrodite's consort was  the Grain  God
     Adonis, Ishtar  is the consort of  Tamuz, God of  Grain and of bread.   The
     "wailing year after year," in the above text refers to the annual death and
     subsequent resurrection of Tamuz the Grain God, the Mesopotamian equivalent
     of Adonis and Attis.

           The pierced crown and earsof figures are also reminiscent ofimages in
     bone  and clay from Bulgaria that date to 5000 BCE (Similar piercing can be
     seen on bird-faced figures of the Machalilla culture of ancient Ecuador and
     some of the Chancay "Moon  Goddess" figures of central Peru).   The pierced
     crown is  repeated in the headdress  of figures from Mycenae  Greece.  When
     Dr.  Heinrich Schleimann discovered figures like these, some had their arms
     upraised while others  had their  hands to  their hips  forming a  circular
     outline.   He thought they  might represent two  phases of  the moon.   Dr.
     Schleimann was probably right.  The arms of the figure from a tomb form the
     crescent of  the New Moon rising, an ancient symbol of Ishtar in her aspect
     as the  moon Goddess.   They also  repeat the design  of the  Assyrian Moon
     Tree.  These upraised arms from ancient Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia.

           LikeCybele and Attis, Demeterand Persephone, Aphroditeand Adonis, and
     Isis  and Osiris;  Ishtar  sought to  retrieve  her lover  from  the "house
     wherein the entrants are bereft of light, where dust is their fare and clay
     their food." When she arrived  at the gate She demanded to be let  in.  The
     Gatekeeper at the command of Allatu,  Queen of the Underworld and sister of
     Ishtar, allowed her to enter.  As she  passed thru the first gate, however,
     she was  told she must remove her crown as  "that is the custom of Allatu".
     At the second gate she had  taken the pendants from her ears; at  the third
     the  chains from her neck; at  the fourth the ornament  from her breast; at
     the  fifth  the Girdle  of  birthstones from  her  hips; at  the  sixth her
     bracelets and anklets; and at the  seventh she had the garment removed from
     her body.

           Allatu imprisoned Ishtar in teh Underworld and because of her absence
     from the World of the living,  "the bull springs not upon the cow,  the ass
     impregnates not the jenny,  the man lies in his own  chamber and the maiden
     lies on her side."  Because of this, the God Ea sent a messenger  to Allatu
     and caused Allatu  to sprinkle Ishtar with  the waters of life.   As Ishtar
     passed thru each  of the seven  gates on her ascent,  Her garments and  her
     jewels were returned to her.

           As for Tamuz,  her beloved, his  fate is not  known according to  the
     Summerian myth  because the  last tablet  of the  text  is missing.   In  a
     Babylonian version of the  myth, however, the Gatekeeper is  told "Wash him
     with pure water, anoint him with sweet oil, clothe him with a  red garment,
     and let him  play on a  flute of lapis."  As the  knowledge of her  brought
     death, so death brought resurrection.

        "On the day that Tamuz comes up



                                                                             743

            to me
         When with him the lapis flute and
            the carnelian ring come up to me,
         When with him the wailing men and
            the wailing women come up to me,
         May the dead rise and smell the
            incense!"

           She was worshipped as a Goddess of Loveand Beauty, a bringer of death
     and the mother of all life:

        "She is sought after among the
            Gods, extraordinary is her station,
         Respected is her word, it is
            supreme over them.
         Ishtar among the Gods,
            extraordinary is her station.
         Respected is her word, it is
            supreme over them."

                --from a first Dynasty Babylonian text, circa 1600 BCE

           Thepriestesses of Her temples were "harlots" detested by the Hebrews,
     but, in the words of The Great Goddess, "All acts of love and  pleasure are
     my rituals."   Ishtar is  one of the  earliest manifestations of  The Great
     Goddess  and the  geographic boundaries of  her worship may  be far greater
     than is currently believed.



                                                                             744

               FIVE FOLD KISS FEMALE

          The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and gives her the
     Five Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees, womb, both
     breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. He says, as he
     does this:


               "Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.

               Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.

               Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.

               Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.

               Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."



     For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length-to-length, with their feet 
     touching each others. When he reaches  the womb, she spreads her arms wide,
     and
     the same after the kiss on the lips.

                    FIVE FOLD KISS MALE


          The  High Priestess kneels  before the High  Priest and  gives him the
     Five Fold Kiss; that is, she kisses him on  both feet, both knees, phallus,
     both breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. she says,
     as she does this:


               "Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.

               Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.

               Blessed be thy phallus, without which we would not be.

               Blessed be thy breasts, formed in strength.

               Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."



     For the kiss  on the lips, they embrace,  length-to-length, with their feet
     touching  each others.  When she reaches  the phallus, he  spreads his arms
     wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips.

           


     Farrar, Janet and Stewart; "Eight Sabbats For Witches"; Robert Hale 1983
     Transcribed to computer file by Seastrider



                                                                             745


                +-------------------------------------------------------------+
                |                        RITUAL BATH                          |
                +-------------------------------------------------------------+

                      The purpose  of a  ritual bath  is to cleanse Yourself,
                 from the  inside and  out, of  negative energies and prepare
                 your Physical,  Mental and  Spiritual Self  for Circle.    A
                 ritual bath is a rite in and of itself.  The rite is ideally
                 done just  prior to Circle, but this is not always the case.
                 [An example  of such is if you have to travel to the meeting
                 place.]   After the rite is completed and you must travel to
                 another place  for Circle,  try  to  keep  your  mind  in  a
                 Spiritual frame as this will aid you in Circle.

                      The bath water should be infused with salts, herbs oils
                 and colors  that are harmonious with the work to be done in
                 Circle.  To prepare for the bath:

                      Select the  Herbs, [it  is best to have your herbs in a
                 satchel for  easier clean-up]  oils and  salts [of  the same
                 color as the candle] that you will be using.

                      Have a  censer and  charcoal  block  ready  to  burn  a
                 corresponding incense on.

                      Anoint a  candle of  appropriate color [Possibly using
                 the same  oil as  you are  using in the bath water.]  If you
                 have a  shrine set  up in  your bathroom  there should  be a
                 Goddess and God candle present.

                      Have some  Holy Water ready.  [Holy Water is made from:
                 1/3 sea-water  {river-water with  sea-salt added  will do if
                 sea-water is unavailable}; 1/3 river-water; 1/3 spring-water
                 {store bought is OK}.]

                      Have a  tape recorder  with  meditation  music  in  the
                 bathroom  with   you,  as   its  aid  to  visualization  and
                 meditation is  invaluable.   [Be cautious  to have  the tape
                 recorder far  away from  any water and DO NOT TOUCH IT WHILE
                 YOU ARE STILL WET.]

                      A glass  of wine  is also  needed for  consumption upon
                 completion of  the rite.   And  your libation  dish for  the
                 libation to the Gods.

                      To begin  turn out  the lights  and light the candle(s)
                 and incense,  turn on tape, fill the tub with warm water and
                 add herbs,  oils, salts and a cup or so of Holy Water.  With
                 your  Athame   draw  and  visualize  a  Water  or  Banishing
                 Pentagram over the bath water.  All of these tools represent
                 the four  Elements; Air/the  incense and the scents from the
                 bath, Fire/the  heat of  the bath,  Water/the bath  and Holy
                 Water and, Earth/the herbs and oils.



                                                                             746

                      Lower  yourself   into  the   water  and  visualize  it
                 cleansing you  of all  negativity.  Know that these energies
                 are flowing  from your  Physical, Mental and Spiritual Self
                 into the  water.   Relax and  enjoy the warmth of the water,
                 the scents  in the  air and the feeling of being cleansed of
                 all negativity,  let yourself  drift.   Now concentrate  and
                 visualize on  the purpose of the coming ritual and know that
                 you are  truly prepared.   When you feel you are ready, pull
                 the plug  and stay  in the  tub  until  all  the  water  has
                 drained.   As the  water is draining visualize and know that
                 the negative  energies that  are now  in the water are going
                 into the Earth and are grounded.
                      Rise up  out of the tub and do a Self Blessing like the
                 following:

                 Anoint each area while saying aloud:


                         Blessed be my Mind, that learns of Your ways
                                  [anointing your forehead]

                         Blessed be my eyes, that have seen this day.

                                     Blessed be my lips,
                         That utter Your names and keep Your secrets.

                    Blessed be my breast(s), formed in strength (Beauty).

                                Blessed be the phallus (Womb),
                              For without which I would not be.

                  Blessed be my knees, that shall kneel at thy Sacred Altar.

                   Blessed be my feet, that have brought me in these ways.


                      Pour a  libation to  the Gods and drink the wine.  When
                 dried, robe,  clean-up the  bathroom and  take the  libation
                 outside to return it to the Earth.  The rite is ended.


                                       So Mote it Be!



                                                                             747

                +-------------------------------------------------------------+ 
                |                 The Triskelion Rite of Tea                  | 
                +-------------------------------------------------------------+ 
      
                 Purpose:       The purpose  of this working is to pay homage 
                                to the Gods and to reflect on Their blessings 
                                upon this your life. 
      
                 Tools:         * Herb(s) for tea 
                                * Container for herb(s) 
                                * Cup(s) and Tea Pot 
                                * Decanter of Pure Spring Water 
                                * Brewing dish with candle 
                                * Scrying Candle 
      
                 Prepare By:    Placing a  small table  or  platform  in  the 
                                center of  your working  space and  arranging 
                                the Brewing  dish, herbs, cup(s), Tea Pot and 
                                spoon on  the table.  Also place the cauldron 
                                with scrying candle within for use during the 
                                meditation. (Use  the diagram, which follows, 
                                as a  guide  for  arranging  of  the  tools.) 
                                Prior to casting the Circle, light candle and 
                                fill the  Brewing dish with Spring Water from 
                                a decanter.   Keep  the Brewing  Dish covered 
                                during the  Casting, as  I  have  found  this 
                                helps the water to heat faster and hotter. 
      
                +-------------------------------------------------------------+ 
                |                 The Blessing of the Herbs                   | 
                +-------------------------------------------------------------+ 
      
                      With the  tip of your Athame touching the Herbs, intone 
                 this blessing: 
      
      
                             Thou has grown by favor of the Sun, 
                                  The Moon, and of the dew. 
                              I make this intercession, ye herb: 
                      I beseech thee to be of benefit to me and my rite, 
                                For thy virtues are unfailing. 
                              Thou art the Dew of all the Gods, 
                                     The Eye of the Sun, 
                                    The Light of the Moon, 
                               The Beauty and Glory of the Sky, 
                                    The Mystery of Terra. 
                                    I purify thee so that 
                           Whatever is wrought by me with thee may, 
                                      In all its powers, 
                       Have a good and speedy effect with good success. 
                          Be purified by my prayer and be powerful! 
      
                                        So mote it be! 
      
      
                      When water  is hot  enough, place  the herbs in the Tea 
                 Pot and add water from the brewing dish, give it a couple of 
                 stirs. 



                                                                             748

                      While the tea is steeping, intone this Prayer. 
      
      
                                         Earth Mother 
                                        Giver of life 
                          Strengthen me during my life-long strife. 
                             Teach me Your ways of perfect love, 
                                   Peace, and wisdom true. 
                                  Spawn from my purest heart 
                                      These words to You 
                              May this prayer help me to better 
                                   Myself in word and deed, 
                              To a higher plane I shall succeed. 
                               Beautiful Light of Goodness Fair 
                                 Lore of old we both do share 
                                A Witch's brew, I drink to You 
                              My love for You, by day, by night 
                                   In thought and in sight 
                                      Will my soul learn 
                               The meaning of this life again. 
      
      
                      Pour out  a cup  for all present, including one for the 
                 Gods, and enjoy. 
                      Sit before the table and meditate on the blessings that 
                 the Gods  have bestowed  upon your  life.   You may  use the 
                 scrying candle  here to  focus upon for your meditation.  If 
                 the Gods  so choose  They may  give you  a Message or Vision 
                 through the blessings of the Sight. 
                      You may  relax now and finish off the pot.  (Note: this 
                 rite is  not to  take the  place of  The Feast, but is to be 
                 used as a time of blessing and communing with the Goddess) 



                                                                             749


                +-------------------------------------------------------------+ 
                |                     The Scorpio Dragon                      | 
                +-------------------------------------------------------------+ 
      
                 I am  Scorpio and  I can  fly as  high as the noble eagle or 
                 play it  down and  dirty, stinging as if a scorpion, both of 
                 which symbolize  my zodiacal sign.  I have been told so many 
                 times that I am passionate, intense, can be green with envy, 
                 can be  vindictive that  I almost  begin to  believe some of 
                 these appellations.   If  I took  seriously what is said and 
                 written, I  would be  making love  all  night  and  planning 
                 insurgencies all day. 
      
                 I am drawn to the Occult, I am competitive, I desire victory 
                 but I also insist on fair play.  It is not easy to defeat me 
                 because, like  the  fabled  Phoenix,  I  rise  from  my  own 
                 ashes...I come alive when most people would consider me dead 
                 and buried.   I  adore secrets,  I am  sensual,  my  psychic 
                 impressions usually  are accurate,  my dreams  are prophetic 
                 and I am an incurable romantic. 
      
                 I delve  deep, I  reject superficial  responses,  I  am  the 
                 probing  editor,  psychoanalyst,  finder  of  lost  persons, 
                 purveyor of  arcane aspects  of the law, knowledgeable about 
                 taxes and various aspects of inheritance. 
      
                 I can  be jealous,  will fight  for what is right, seldom do 
                 anything halfway,  can fall  madly in love and I can also be 
                 completely vulnerable.   Yes,  I can  be hurt,  but  I  also 
                 possess retaliatory  weapons that  might  give  as  adversary 
                 fits. I  tear down for the ultimate purpose of rebuilding on 
                 a more  suitable base.   I  am creative,  rebellious, can be 
                 fixed in  my views, am willing to take a gamble but prefer a 
                 sure thing. 
      
                 I am  tormented by the fact that evil exists.  Maybe that is 
                 why I  seem to  be a  natural healer.  I abhor suffering and 
                 will risk  my own  skin to  save others.  Oh, yess, I can be 
                 evangelistic.   I am dynamic and dedicated when the cause is 
                 right. 
      
                 In the  Chinese Astrology,  I am  an unquenchable  fire, the 
                 center of  all energy,  the stout  heroic heart.  I am truth 
                 and light,  I hold  power and glory in my sway.  My presence 
                 disperses dark  clouds.   I have  been chosen  to  tame  the 
                 Fates.  I AM THE DRAGON! 
      
                 Now, listen.    If  I  tell  you  anymore,  you  might  know 
                 everything and then lose interest.  And that would devastate 
                 me! 
      
                        Blessed Be!.........Sewna, The Scorpio Dragon 



                                                                             750

                +-------------------------------------------------------------+ 
                |            The Legend of the descent of the Goddess         | 
                +-------------------------------------------------------------+ 
      
                      Now our Lady the Goddess had never loved, but She would 
                 solve all  the Mysteries,  even the Mystery of Death; and so 
                 She journeyed to the Underworld. 
                      The Guardians of the Portals challenged her: "Strip off 
                 thy garments,  lay aside  thy jewels; for naught mayest thou 
                 bring with the into this our land." 
                      So She  laid down  her garments and her jewels, and was 
                 bound, as  are all who enter the Realms of Death, the Mighty 
                 One. 
                      Such was  her beauty,  that  Death  himself  knelt  and 
                 kissed her  feet, saying:  "Blessed be  thy feet,  that have 
                 brought thee in these ways.  Abide with me; but let me place 
                 my cold hand on thy heart." 
                      She replied: "I love thee not.  Why dost thou cause all 
                 things that I love and take delight in to fade and die?" 
                      "Lady," replied Death, "tis age and fate, against which 
                 I am  helpless.   Age causes  all things to wither; but when 
                 men die  at the end of time, I give them rest and peace, and 
                 strength so  that they  may return.   But  thou!   Thou  art 
                 lovely.  Return not; abide with me!" 
                      But She answered: "I love thee not." 
                      Then said  Death: "An thou receivest not my hand on thy 
                 heart, thou must receive Death's scourge." 
                      "It is fate - better so," She said.  And She knelt, and 
                 Death scourged  her tenderly.   And  She cried,  "I feel the 
                 pangs of love." 
                      And Death said, "Blessed Be!" and gave her the Fivefold 
                 Kiss, saying:  "Thus only  mayest thou  attain  to  joy  and 
                 knowledge."  And he taught her all the Magicks. 
                      For there  are three  great events  in the life of man: 
                 Love, Death,  and Resurrection  in the  new body; and Magick 
                 controls them all.  For to fulfil love you must return again 
                 at the  same time  and place  as the loved one, and you must 
                 remember and love them again.  But to be reborn you must die 
                 and be  ready for  a new  body; and to die you must be born; 
                 and without  love you  may not  be born; and this is all the 
                 Magicks. 



                                                                             751

                                   MY CRAFT ETHICS  
      
                        Copyright by James T. Crowley III 1986 
      
                      This article may be reproduced for personal 
                      use as long as it is complete and un edited 
      
                     There aredoubtlesslyreaders ofthisarticle thatbelieveI have
           no ethics.  Those readers are entitled to there opinion however  
             shallow I may feel that opinion is. 
      
                     Iam theHigh Priestof CovenantOfThe Doves,the commentsI make
                   hereare necessarilymy personalethicsand viewpointand notthat 
           of my High Priestess or members of the Coven.  Even as a leader  
             of a coven, I have no right or power to speak for another   
             person.  They do however necessarily govern my actions as a High  
             Priest. 
      
             The only way I know to state my ethical viewpoint is by a  
                     annotated recitationof theLawsof theCraft ofthe Wiseasthey 
           pertain to ethics and have been revealed to me by my teachers,  
                     thewritings ofothers andthatwhich theLord andLady havemade 
           clear to me through their visions and actions. 
      
             I bear the mundane name Crowley that has a certain significance  
             in the craft community beyond my personal contributions.  Yes, I  
                     amprovedof thelegacy ofthat nameas membersof myfamily have 
           played important parts in history.  Aleister Crowley was by no  
             means the most important of them nor the least.   
      
             Aleister Crowley, the Current Lord Crowley and myself all bear  
                     common ancestorstoSir AmbroseCrowley,Lord MayorofLondon (at
           the time of Cromwell) and author of the 'Law Book of the Crowley  
             Iron Works' which is considered to be the bases of British  
             statutory law.  This, I hope  will clear up confusion about my  
             relationship to Aleister Crowley. 
      
             The name Hearth Witch is far more dear to me than Crowley, as it  
             represents a true understanding of what the WICCA is.  When an  
             astronaut looks out of the window of his space capsule and sees  
             the body of our Lady looking back at him.  The astronaut knows,  
             in that moment that technology, and the centuries of mans' labor  
             that put him there, are pale when compared to the wonders of our  
             Lady.  
      



                                                                             752

                   MY CRAFT ETHICS BY JAMES CROWLEY III 12/19/86 
      
      
             I feel that it is necessary to explain some of the structure of  
             the Covenant of the Doves.  We say that we have one degree but  
             that is not strictly true. There are 4 things that happen to a  
             person on the pathway.  We cannot call them degrees as they do  
             not happen in the same order to each person. 
      
                  1.   Dedication to the coven. 
      
                  2.   Initiation by the God and Goddess 
      
                  3.   Worldly recognition of their Initiation by the Gods 
                       and their ability to act as a Priest or Priestess 
      
                  4.   Birth or Adoption into the family which is as permanent  
                       and unrevokable as the Initiation of the Lord and Lady. 
      
             THE WITCH 'LAW' 
      
                      Do not what you desire - 
                         do what is necessary. 
                      Take all you are given - 
                         give all of yourself. 
                      "What I have - - - I hold." 
                      When all else is lost, and not until then, 
                         prepare to die with dignity.  
      
             There are two kinds of law, Law of Tribe and the Law of Goddess  
             (ie: natural law).  The Law of Tribe requires the services of a  
             Priesthood.  The Law of the Goddess require no Priesthood as they  
             are self-enforcing.  If you see an apparent violation of the law  
             of the Goddess, there are only two possible explanations.   The  
             law is not of the Goddess but of man, or you do not understand  
             that law of the Goddess.  If you see a ball fall up, either  
             someone is deceiving you, or you are in a spacecraft or similar  
             artificial  environment that is manifesting some of the "fine  
             print" in the law of the Goddess.  This partial telling of the  
             laws contain both the law of the tribe and that of the Goddess.   
             It is left to the wisdom of the student to learn which is which.  
      
             THE LEADERSHIP OF THE COVEN 
      
             The High Priestess must be an ordained Nymph or a Crone. 
             The High Priest must be an ordained Magician. 
      
             The High Priestess is the final word on the quality of Worship as  
             the High Priest is the final word on the quality of Magick within  
             the WICCA Circles. 
      
             The High Priest's relationship is:  Father, Brother, and Lover. 
      
             The Priestess's relationship is: Mother, Sister, and Lover. 



                                                                             753

      
             THE PRIEST AND PRIESTESS ARE THE LEADERS OF THE COVEN IN THE  
             MUNDANE WORLD, NOT IT'S DICTATORS. MEMBERS MUST BE GIVEN A VOICE  
             IN THE ACTIONS OF THE COVEN. 
             The Covenant of the Doves is necessarily a theocracy not a  
             democracy.  Meetings are opened to all who are dedicated and  
             sometimes to concerned outsiders.  Whatever the business, it is  
             open to discussion by all.  There are no votes taken because when  
             it is all said and done, there are only two people in the coven  
             that bear the responsibility for the actions of this coven, the  
             High Priestess and the High Priest.  So, the final decision is  
             theirs ALONE.   
      
             When the Circle is cast by The Priest and Priestess, they are  
             necessarily the ABSOLUTE RULERS OF THE COVEN.  No witch shall  
             enter the Circle with out PERFECT LOVE AND PERFECT TRUST in all  
             members of the Circle.  The only question of the order of the  
             Priest or Priestess is: if told to jump, it is permissible to ask  
             how high -- on the way up.   
      
                     IFONEDISAGREES WITHTHE DECISIONOF THELEADERSOF ANYCOVEN OR 
                 CIRCLE. IT IS THERERIGHT AND DUTYTO LEAVE THECOVEN.  THEREIS   
         NO OTHER LAWFUL RECOURSE. 
      
             LEADERS MUST BE EVER MINDFUL THAT MEMBERS WILL SOON LEAVE AN  
             UNJUST LEADER. 
      
             THE LAW OF THE COVEN 
      
             THE CIRCLE IS A PLACE THAT IS NOT A PLACE, BETWEEN THE WORLDS.   
      
             A COVEN IS A FULLY AUTONOMOUS UNIT ANSWERABLE TO NO POWER BEYOND  
             ITS OWN, SAVE THE LORD AND LADY. 
      
             IN ANY DISPUTE WITHIN THE FAMILY (COVEN) OR TRIBE, NO ONE MAY  
             INVOKE ANY LAW BUT THOSE OF THE FAMILY AND TRIBE. 
      
             It being known that the Circle is a "place that is not a place,  
             between the worlds", and that what is between the Worlds does not  
             concern the World.  Discussion of actions taking place within a  
             consecrated circle is appropriate for discussion only within that  
             Circle, or by Elders of the Craft in a Council of Elders Convened  
             by the High Priest and High Priestess of the coven involved as  
             only Elders can or should have any direct knowledge of actions  
             that take place within the Circle of another Coven.   
      
             With the fragmentation of the WICCA since the burning times, the  
             identification of Elders of the Craft is at best ambiguous.  The  
             only working definition that I can feel comfortable with is:   
             Those members of the WICCA community that the High Priest and  
             High Priestess of the Coven recognize as their peers regardless  
             of what rank they hold in other circles. 



                                                                             754


             THE WORD OF A WITCH NEED NO BOND OR CONTRACT.  IT IS NECESSARILY  
             TRUE AND FREE OF EQUIVOCATION. 
      
             We make it clear to all around us that we do not tolerate lying.   
             If it is on the part of a friend or an acquaintance, we will  
             cease contact with them, if necessary.  If it is a member of the  
             craft, we do not willingly stand in the same circle with them.   
             If they are a student, this is one of the few areas that we will  
             invoke banishment as a punishment (or, if there are extenuating  
                     circumstancesand thepersonis ofextremevalue tothe covenand 
           the Craft, we will consider corporal punishment or an equivalent  
             alternative proposed by the student to balance the wrong done to  
             the Coven, in lieu of banishment).  If they are an Initiate, it  
             is necessarily more harmful to the family, and therefore, more  
             serious.  
      
                     PERFECT LOVEANDPERFECT TRUST(my fingerswantedto typelove is
           the law) 
      
             Perfect love and perfect trust are not words spoken in blind  
             faith. They do not mean a blanket trust.  Perfect love and  
             perfect trust are what was in the hearts of the few, and most  
             dear, that when they heard rumors, first came to us and said  
             "what are these rumors about...".  These people knew that as  
             fallible as we are, these rumors were not a reflection of our  
             will.  These people sought to know what happened, not to satisfy  
             any of their own devices or to judge us, but to share our pain  
             and the load.  These people are of different traditions and  
             levels of worldly Craft learning, but these people will always  
             hold a place in my heart second only to my brothers and sisters  
             that are literally of the My Family. 
      
             THERE ARE THREE KINDS OF SECRETS IN THE WICCA CIRCLE AND ALL ARE  
             INVIOLATE EXCEPT IN AN ELDER CIRCLE, AND THEN ONLY TO THE EXTENT  
             THAT THEY ARE RELATIVE TO CRAFT BUSINESS AND HELD IN THAT ELDER  
             CIRCLE. 
      
             1.   Secrets that are within the Circles that are private  
                  to the members of that coven. 
               
                  (ie: when Charlie has a few drinks he..... 
               
             2.   The secret held by the High Priestess and High Priest of  
                  the inside and outside Circle affairs of the coven members,  
                  due to their office. 
      
             3.   The social and magick practices of the Craft that cannot be 
                  talked of outside of the Wicca without being taken out of  
                  context and sensationalized. 



                                                                             755

      
             THERE ARE AS MANY WAYS TO LOVE THE GODDESS AS SHE HAS NAMES.  
               
             All ways of loving the Goddess are correct.  None are Wrong as  
             long as they are based in love. 
      
             Say not "they are wrong" say "they are a different path from  
             mine". 
      
             Until you know in your heart that you have found your path, do  
             not deny any wicca path that you have not walked.   
               
             When you find your path, still walk other paths with your  
             brothers and sisters in joy and love. 
      
             "THE WICCA SHALL BE NAKED IN THERE RITE" 
      
             All mankind is naked before God and Goddess. 
      
             NO STRANGER NOT BORN IN THE FAMILY SHALL LEAD THE FAMILY OR A  
             TOTEM OF THE FAMILY. 
      
             NO ONE WHO RALLIES AGAINST HIS FAMILY OR TRIBE SHALL BE KEPT IN  
             BANISHMENT PAST 14 YEARS AFTER THE EVENT, IF THAT UNDO THE HARM  
             CAUSED. 
      
             NO ONE WHO EXTENDED THEMSELVES IN THE SUPPORT OF THEIR FAMILY OR  
             TRIBE SHALL BE BANISHED FOR OLD AGE OR THE ACTIONS OF INFIRMITY. 
      
             IT IS NECESSARY THAT SCRYING, VISIONS, ASPECTING AND ALL OTHER  
             APPARENT VISIONS OF OUR LORD AND LADY BE QUESTIONED.  IT IS  
             ESSENTIAL TO OUR REBIRTH THAT WE KNOW THAT THEY ARE NOT OUR OWN  
             WISHFUL THINKING OR PRIDE, IF THERE BE THE LEAST DOUBT, THE  
             VISION MUST BE DENIED.   
      
             If a true vision is denied by the initiated, the Lady will  
             underline the truth in the vision in an unquestionable form.  If  
             this underlining comes as a punishment, it is still a small price  
             to pay when compared to the consequences of a false vision. 
      
                     IFEVER ANYOF THETRIBE NEEDA HOUSEOR LANDAND NONEWILL SELL, 
                 THEN CRAFTMAY BEUSED TO INCLINETHE OWNERS TOSELL, PROVIDEDIT   
         HARMETH HIM NOT, AND THE FULL PRICE IS PAID WITHOUT HAGGLING. 
      
             NEVER BARGAIN OR CHEAPEN ANYTHING YOU BUY BY THE ART. 
      
                     NOMAN,WOMAN, HIGHPRIESTESS,OR HIGHPRIEST CANSAYWHAT "HARMS 
           NONE". 
      
             The answer to this is for the Gods, not man.  A just action may  
             well harm someone in some way in the mundane world (every action  
             has an equal and opposite reaction).  It is always best to give  
             the action and the power to the Goddess, and abide by her will.   
             If it cannot be given to her after due consideration, then one  
                     must actin themostjust formthat ispossible, freelytakingon 
           to our selves all adverse reaction of an error in judgment. 



                                                                             756

      
             NO ONE MAY DO ANYTHING WHICH WILL ENDANGER ANY OF THE TRIBE OR  
             BRING THEM INTO CONTACT WITH THE LAW OF THE LAND. 
      
             THE ART MAY ONLY BE USED IN ERNEST AND NEVER FOR SHOW OR VAIN  
             GLORY. 
      
             NO PERSON MAY BE WARNED OF HIS FATE MORE THAN THREE TIMES. 
      
             MAIDEN: (Youngsters still new to the Craft, or older ones who do  
             ritual work and do not mind publicity.) Young people oriented to  
             cope with, and the ability to handle publicity.  Some knowledge  
             of occult and the Craft both in its practical and religious  
             aspects is necessary.  Childless women, virgins;  Warm friendly  
             people with good powers of projection. 
      
             NYMPHS - (Do the bulk of ritual work, young adults.) Creative  
             people, artists, dancers, singers, etc.  Very mature, rational  
             and responsible.  Intuitive and uninhibited.  Knowledge of Craft  
             and occultism, etc. necessary.  Dislikes publicity. 
      
             CRONES: (executive branch - teachers of neophytes, makes judg-  
             ments, etc.) Must be sober and serious, but with a sense of  
             humor, very mature in most all ways, intuitive of the true nature  
             and inner working of things. Older folks, intellectual, Masters  
             of there Craft, and dislike publicity. 
      
             No woman shall be a Maiden who has not been in her courses. 
      
             No woman shall be ordained unless she has passed her 17th year,  
             nor shall she have her ordination recognized until that time. 
      
             No woman shall have her ordination recognized unless she is in  
             her courses, has ten fingers, ten toes, two eyes, two ears, a  
             nose.  Her generative organs and breasts must be complete.  The  
             honorable loss of limbs or the effects of torture following  
             ordination shall not invalidate the ordination. 
      
             No woman shall be a Nymph who has not coupled. 
      
             No woman shall be a Crone who has not given birth. 
      
             No man shall be a Magician who has not healed. 
      
             No man shall be ordained unless he has passed his 33rd year, nor  
             shall he have his ordination recognized until that time. 
      
             No man shall have his ordination recognized unless he is the  
             father of a living child, has ten fingers and ten toes, two eyes,  
             two ears and a nose and generative organs complete.  The  
             honorable loss of limbs or the effects of torture following  
             ordination shall not invalidate the ordination. 
      
             In their youth, let those who cannot swing the axe till the  
             field.  Those who cannot till the field carry water.  Those who  
             cannot carry water, nor till the field, nor chase, nor battle,  
             nor be of service to their family or tribe, let them leave it. 
      



                                                                             757

             None shall be kept as a child forever.  Better that they be  
             banished if they cannot grow in mind. 
      
             INITIATION 
      
             NO PERSON MAY BE CALLED TO INITIATION MORE THAN THREE TIMES. 
      
             NO PERSON MAY BE INITIATED WHO HAS LESS THAN 20 YEARS OF LIFE  
             LEFT TO THEM AT THE TIME OF INITIATION. 
      
             No High Priestess or High Priest of the WICCA can cause an  
                     initiationto takeplace. Initiation isinthe handsof theLord 
                 and Lady. The teachercan only providethe environmentthat will  
         aide in the initiation if the God and Goddess so will it. 
      
             If one questions the validity of their own initiation, there can  
             be but one answer, the initiation did not take place.  An  
             initiation by the Gods will be remembered. 
      
                     Letyour judgmenton matterswhich youmake befit tothesize of 
           the case, not to your feelings.  Let your heart not rule your  
             mind, nor mind your heart, but bear a balance as has been taught  
             you. 
      
             Not all are chosen for the tribe, nor are all in the tribe of one  
             family, nor are all in the family to be initiated, nor are all  
             the initiated to be ordained.  Your yoke is to be as strong as  
             you can bear, but no stronger.   
      
      
                            James Crowley 
                            P. O. Box 16025 
                            North Hollywood, CA  
                            91615-6025 



                                                                             758

                                  Computer Blessing  
       
       
      Blessings on this fine machine,   
      May its data all be clean.   
      Let the files stay where they're put,   
      Away from disk drives keep all soot.   
      From its screen shall come no whines,   
      Let in no spikes on power lines.   
      As oaks were sacred to the Druids,   
      Let not the keyboard suffer fluids.   
      Disk Full shall be nor more than rarity,   
      The memory shall not miss its parity.   
      From the modem shall come wonders,   
      Without line noise making blunders.   
      May it never catch a virus,   
      And all its software stay desirous.   
      Oh let the printer never jam,   
      And turn my output into spam.   
      I ask of Eris, noble queen,   
      Keep Murphy far from this machine.  
       
      1988  Zhahai Stewart  



                                                                             759

                             Charge of The Phone Goddess  


     Listen to the words of the Phone Goddess, who in days of old was 
     called Mama Cass, Ma Barker, Moms Mabley, the last of the Red Hot 
     Mamas, and by many other names not mentionable in mixed company. 
     Whenever you have need to make a call, preferably long distance, 
     and better it be when the rates are high, then shall ye assemble your 
     funds in some convenient place to pay me, who am Queen of all Highway 
     Robbery. These ye shall assemble, ye who are fain to bankruptcy yet 
     have not sent me all your earnings. To these shall I send bills as are 
     yet unheard of. Ye shall be free from bank accounts, as a sign that 
     ye be truly free ye shall be naked from my rates. And ye shall sing, 
     talk, shout, trade gossip and love, all at your own expense. Let your 
     fingers do the walking through my yellow pages. Let none stop you or 
     turn you aside, just call information. For mine is the dial tone that 
     opens upon the busy signal of life, which is the princess phone of 
     immorality. Mine is the poverty of the masses, and call now, pay 
     later. For my law is profit before people. Today I give knowledge of 
     facts you do not wish to have, and tomorrow calls that will sell you 
     things you do not wish to own. For behold, I demand everything in 
     sacrifice. I am the next best thing to being there, and my bills are 
     sent out upon the earth.   (- Magenta G. and Steve P-C, 1982) 



                                                                             760

     This article is excerpted from the Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal.
     Each issue of the Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal is published by
     High Plains Arts and Sciences; P.O. Box 620604, Littleton Co., 
     80123, a Colorado Non-Profit Corporation, under a Public Domain
     Copyright, which entitles any person or group of persons to 
     reproduce, in any form whatsoever, any material contained therein
     without restriction, so long as articles are not condensed or 
     abbreviated in any fashion, and credit is given the original
     author.!

     THE MEN'S CIRCLE
     (c)1986, by Robin

          The Rocky Mountain Men's Group has put in a good deal of
     time the past two or three months working on a Manhood Ritual for
     initiating young males into adulthood. We still don't have a
     complete ritual that we are all satisfied with, but a good start
     has been made.  Some of the approaches taken in creating this
     kind of ritual have drawn upon traditional tribal rites of
     passage.  Some of these tribal manhood rituals include taking the
     young candidate abruptly away from his family to an isolated
     spot, where he must remain for a long period of time, usually
     blindfolded and bound in the dark.  Part of the ritual may
     involve physical pain such as tattooing, circumcision or
     ceremonial infliction of cuts that leave characteristic scars.
     Even leaving out the physical cutting, these rites deliberately
     put the young candidate through frightening, isolating and
     painful experiences. 

          No one has seriously proposed any ritual that leaves
     permanent scars on the candidate's body, but even so some feel
     that putting an innocent youngster through a traumatic experience
     is insensitive.  It seems to me that this attitude misses the
     point.  It is not a lack of compassion that is being expressed. 
     There is no single word for it in English, it is a willingness to
     inflict (or at least allow) pain in order to teach a necessary
     lesson that cannot be conveyed in any other way.  As sensitivity
     is usually considered a light feminine quality, so this
     complement is a dark masculine quality.

          Is this dark masculine quality desirable - or even ethical? 
     I think it is.  There are elements of it in the Wiccan Initiation
     Rituals and the symbolism of the Scourge.  It partially explains
     some of the Legend of the Descent of the Goddess into the
     Underworld - where the Goddess only learns to love the God after
     being scourged by Him.  "Remember this - that you must suffer in
     order to learn".  Although many people are put off by the dark
     quality of this particular attribute of the Masculine, it is
     important to remember that although not pretty, it is necessary. 
     Perhaps the following story will illustrate this point.



                                                                             761

          A boy around eight or nine years old once found a very large
     caterpillar.  It was dark green, as long and thick as a man's
     finger, and decorated with curious stalky and warty protuberances
     in blue, red, and bright yellow.  Since it was nearly the end of
     summer, he took it home and put it in a large open jar, and kept
     it supplied with leaves of the type he had seen it eating.  After
     a couple of months it began to spin a cocoon about itself.   He
     watched this with fascination, and when the cocoon was complete,
     he put the jar on a shelf of his screened back porch, where it
     remained through the winter.  When the days began to lengthen and
     the weather grew warmer he checked the jar every morning and
     afternoon, waiting for a little miracle of rebirth.  One Saturday
     morning his patience was rewarded.  There was movement within the
     cocoon and a small hole had appeared.  The boy watched in
     fascination as the hole became larger and the reborn creature
     inside struggled to emerge.  The struggle went on for what seemed
     to the boy a long time and he began to feel sorry for the trapped
     insect.  Out of compassion, he ran off and returned with a pair
     of his mother's smallest, finest, scissors.  Carefully he
     enlarged the hole, and then stood back to watch a beautifully
     patterned moth emerge into the light of day.  The moth spread its
     folded wings, moving them gently to dry in the air.  Their tan-
     and-gray markings seemed to the boy to be one of the most
     beautiful things he had ever seen.  When the moth's wings seemed
     dry, he carefully held the jar to the outside of the porch screen
     so that it could crawl out.  He planned to watch it until it flew
     away to find a mate.  The moth crawled onto the screen and
     perched there.  It flapped its wings from time to time but did
     not fly.  When evening came, several male moths came and
     fluttered about the female clinging to the screen, but although
     she seemed to be trying to fly off and join them, she never moved
     from where she was.  She stayed where she was for three or four
     days, and finally died and fell to the ground.  The boy later
     learned that the struggle to emerge from the cocoon is so
     prolonged for moths and butterflies because the long effort
     serves to pump necessary fluids into their wings and strengthen
     them for flight.  By shortening this process, to spare the moth
     pain, he had prevented her wings from fully developing and so she
     could never fly and mate and lay the eggs of the next generation.
     ......Robin
     ......from RMPJ Oct. '86



                                                                             762

                                    COVEN OFFICES 
      
      
      
     Leadership in a mixed coven: 
      
     1.  High Priestess - Coordinates ritual leadership, counseling,  
     teaching, and administration duties, in company with the High  
     Priest.  Chief representative of the Goddess energies at rituals.  
     Badge of office:  crescent Moon crown or coronet of candles. 
      
     2.  High Priest - See above.  Chief representative of the God  
     energies at rituals.  Badge of office:  horned headdress or animal  
     mask. 
      
     3.  Maiden - Understudy to the High Priestess, and substitutes for 
     her when necessary.  Badge of office may be a simple silver  
     circlet or tiara. 
      
     4.  Summoner - Understudy to the High Priest, who substitutes for  
     him when necessary.  Main administrative deputy, passing out  
     information, collecting dues, letting people know when to meet and 
     what to bring, etc.  Also called the "Man in Black," "Black Rod,"  
     or "Verdelet."  Badge of office may be a blackthorn staff. 
      
      
      
     Leadership in an all-woman's coven: 
      
     One pattern:  No hierarchy or titles at all:  ritual leadership  
     rotates, other jobs are carried out by anyone capable and willing. 
      
      
     Another pattern: 
      
      
     1.  Maiden - Understudy to the Mother, and chief administrative  
     deputy (see Summoner's duties above) 
      
     2.  Mother - Coordinates ritual leadership and administration,  
     guides coven projects and activities.  She does not necessarily do 
     these jobs herself always, but has the responsibility to see that  
     they are apportioned fairly and done effectively. 
      
     3.  Crone - Chief counselor to the Mother, and does a large share  
     of teaching and individual counseling.  May perform divination on  
     questions of concern to the coven.  Possibly a former "Mother" or  
     High Priestess, experienced and skilled in magick, herbalism, etc. 
      
      
      
     For both mixed and single-sex coven: 
      
     Council of Elders - A gathering of all the higher-rank initiates  
     in the coven.  They may function as advisors to the coven leaders, 
     or may actually set policy, establish the budget etc.  In the  
     latter case, coven leaders are essentially executives responsible  
     to the Elders. 



                                                                             763

      Other possible officers in mixed or single-sex covens: 
      
      
     1.   Scribe  (secretary)  - Keeps  minutes  of business  meetings,  handles
     correspondence under the direction of coven leaders. 
      
     2.    Pursewarden  (treasurer)  -  collects  dues,  keeps  accounts,  makes
     purchases, coordinates fund-raising projects. 
      
     3.  Archivist (historian) - Keeps the coven Book of Shadows or "Witch Book"
     up to date, keeps files  of coven projects and activities, rituals.   These
     functions may be combined with the  
     Scribe's job. 
      
     4.   Bard (music director) - Collects songs and  chants, leads the coven in
     them,  provides  musical  accompaniment;   collects  ballads  and  legends,
     preserves the old lore and coven history in original songs. 
      
     5.   Watchman (sergeant-at-arms) - Assists in initiation rituals; in charge
     of safety  & security at meetings  and rituals.  Indoors,  checks locks and
     closes  curtains;    outdoors, finds  safe  places  for  rituals and  posts
     sentries to warn off strangers approaching.   Sets wards and arranges other
     magickal  protection.    Knows  laws  regarding  freedom  of  religion  and
     assembly, trespass ordinances  etc. 
      
     6.  Mistress-of, Master-of- (resource persons and teachers) - Any  
     individual who has achieved great competency in a magickal skill may  
     earn this title.  They serve as a resource for the coven, and teach  
     others.  An initiate may choose to apprentice with any Mistress or  
     Master.  Fields: 
      
     *  Divinatory Arts (or sub-category, such as Tarot, Astrology, I  
     Ching, Lithomony, Dreamcraft, Scrying, Radiesthesia etc.)  
      
     *  Herbalism (for healing, amulets/talismans, oils, incense) 
      
     *  Healing  Arts (including herbal healing,  psychic healing, aromatherapy,
     Bach  remedies, polarity  balancing,  healing with  stones, color  therapy,
     chakras etc.) 
      
     *  Familiar Arts (magickal work with animals, totems, elementals,  
     shapeshifting) 
      
     *  Talismanic Arts (designing & creating talismans & amulets) 
      
     *  Ritual Toolcraft (designing & creating ritual tools) 
      
     *  Runecraft (use of magickal alphabets) 
      
     *  Necromancy (communication with, or evocation of, the dead) 
      
     *   Psychic  Skills  (astral travel,  telepathy, telempathy,  clairvoyance,
     clairaudience, telekinesis, teleportation) 
      
     *  Incantation (Words of Power, charms, chants, mantras) 
      
     *  Fascination (trancework, hypnosis)  



                                                                             764

                                 ODINISM, WHAT IS IT? 
     1.  What do you mean by Odinism?

             Odinism isthe indigenous religiousfaith of theScandinavian, British
     and other  peoples of Northern Europe; it is an amalgam of attitudes, ideas
     and behavior,  both a  personal faith and  a communal way  of life.  In its
     beginnings Odinism is probably as old as our race. Historically it may be
     divided into three periods:

          A.   Before the coming of Christianity
          B.   Its gradual merging with Christianity and the ensuing Period of
               Dual Faith, and
          C.   Its efforts in the present century to free itself of Christian
               influences and to reassert its ancient independence.

      2. How have the tenets of Odinism been preserved? 
         Is there an Odinist holy book?

         The ancient oral traditions of Odinism were during the Middle Ages
     embodied in writings, the Odinist books of wisdom, the principle of which
     are the Eddas.  The poetic Elder Edda presents the Odinist cosmogony, the
     mythological lays and the heroic lays, including the story of Sigurd and
     Brynhild which were in later times moulded into the Lay of the Nibelungs.
     The Younger Edda is a prose synopsis of the Odinist faith.

      3. When did Britain and the rest of Europe cease to be Odinist?

         The first of our Northern countries to succumb to the false promises of
     the  new religion were  the Goths, in  the fourth century  of the Christian
     era; the  Icelanders became Christians by official  decree in the year 1000
     CE, to be followed by the  Scandinavian countries over the next two hundred
     years. England was "converted" between 597 and 686 CE and Scotland somewhat
     earlier (although some of  the people of Ross-shire were  still worshipping
     the old Gods as late as the seventeenth century). Ireland, when Patrick the
     Proselytizer landed  there in the  year 432,  was described  as "a  heathen
     land";  Dublin and the other principal Irish towns were actually founded by
     Odinist Vikings, who dedicated the country to the god Thor.

      4. Well, the people were converted to Christianity.  
         Would you have denied them their freedom of choice?

         They had no choice. Most of those who were "converted" had little 
     knowledge of Christian doctrine; the new religion was imposed on them by
     sword and sermon. The Revd S. C. Olland's Dictionary of English Church
     History is explicit:   "The adoption of Christianity generally depended
     upon State action: the king and his nobles were baptized and the people
     largely followed their example. . . . .The wholesale conversions. . . . .
     could not have implied individual conviction."  On one day alone in the
     year 598 more than ten thousand English "converts" were baptized in a mass
     ceremony; it is unlikely that they had received a great deal of instruction
     in the Christian faith. Even in the twentieth century the  vast majority of
     Christians  are still quite ignorant  of Christian doctrine.  It was always
     so.



                                                                             765

     5.  Why do you say that Odinism was practiced in the Church
         during what you have called "the Period of Dual Faith"?

         We can see the evidence everywhere, even today. When the foreign
     missionaries subverted Britain what they  could they repressed and what    
     they could not they ignored or adopted. The ancient spring renewal festival
     of  Summer  Finding  was  transformed  into  the  Christian  feast  of  the
     resurrection; the Mid-winter festival of Yule became Christmas. Not only
     the folk festivals connected with the great changes of season - May Day and
     Midsummer  and  Harvest  -  but numerous  customs  associated  with  life's
     milestones, birth  and marriage  and death,  all showed  that the  old Gods
     lived  on in  the life  and in  the  language of  the people.  Many of  the
     external signs of the ancient faith were retained: water was consecrated
     and wood was blessed. A Christian writer, Professor P. D. Chantepie de la
     Saussaye DD, has said, "We recognize in this folklore a form of historical
     continuity, the bond of union between the life of the people in pagan and
     In Christian times." Even today when we say, "Touch wood!" we are recalling
     the  sacred nature of an important symbol  of our ancient religion; and how
     many people are aware that they  are paying unconscious tribute to the Gods
     of  Odinism when  they light  their Christmas or  Paschal candles  or their
     bonfire  on the  fifth of November?  Or that  the very  "Christmas tree" is
     itself the  World Ash of Odinism? Even the sign  of the cross is really the
     sign of Thor's hammer!

     6.  How long did the Period of Dual Faith last?

             The  period during which Odinism  was actually practiced within the
     Church extended in Britain from about  the seventh century CE right down to
     the 1930's, when the purity of ancient worship was revived by a number of
     groups working outside  the Church for the  first time for more  than a    
     thousand years.  

     7.  But the adoption of Christianity, a creed that preaches peace on earth
     and  the equality of all men was, surely  you must agree, a step forward in
     the civilizing of our people?
         
         Odinists were happy enough to put up with the new doctrines so long as
     they were  allowed to go  on practicing their  own faith in peace.  But the
     inherent contradiction  at the heart of  Christianity is that it  denies in
     action the  faith  that it  professes  verbally.  There is  no  history  of
     religious warfare in Europe before the coming of Christianity. It is ironic
     indeed that the message  of peace on earth has been propagated with so much
     bloodshed.  As for the equality  of all men, we just  do not believe in it;
     and even the Christian god has his "chosen people".

     8.  Why is it now necessary to reassert what you describe as Odinism's
     ancient independence? Why can you not , in the present unsettled state
     of  society, leave  well alone. Surely  we should be  getting together, not
     creating more divisions amongst ourselves?

         First of all it is necessary to state that because of its organic
     origins  and   development  Odinism  is   a  religion   of  visual   truth.
     Nevertheless,for just so long  as Christian and Odinist ethics  coincided -
     even superficially - it was possible for Odinists to worship the Gods under
     their  Christian  designations;  but only  for  so  long  as they  remained
     adequate interpretations of the true divinities of Odinism (the nature of a
     god being of greater importance than his name).



                                                                             766

         The Churches are today opposed to many of the things that Odinists hold
     sacred:  they sin against nation and people by espousing causes whose
     ultimate  aim is our destruction;  they condone legislation  that has given
     statutory  approval  to  unnatural  sexual deviance  and  perversion;  they
     encourage criminal activities by calling for the exemption from punishment,
     or  even  prosecution, of  whole  categories of  lawbreakers;  they provide
     financial aid  for revolutionary  propaganda and even  terrorist activities
     against our  own people; they remain totally indifferent to the rape of our
     countryside in the  short-term interests of  economic gain and  technology;
     and they have  successfully divided the people  of our own  islands against
     themselves  (eg, in  Ireland).  Life in  Northern  Europe is  today,  after
     fifteen  hundred  years of  Christianity,  almost  entirely concerned  with
     material wealth and self-indulgence  and the Christian clergy have  largely
     forsaken  their  spiritual  vocations in  order  to  preach  the causes  of
     subversion and revolution.

              The people yearn for spiritual bread but have been offered by the
     Churches only a political stone. It is no longer possible for anyone who is
     aware of  his debt to  our past or  who has concern  for the future  of our
     nation and  race to  remain within  the  Christian Church.  This must  not,
     however be taken  to imply that Odinists bear hatred towards Christians; we
     recognize that there are many good  and sincere people within the Christian
     community  from whose example Odinists themselves could not fail to profit.
     But the Church  is itself  largely responsible for  the "present  unsettled
     state of society". Odinists see it as their duty to oppose those who menace
     the things that they regard  as holy. If we cannot in justice  always blame
     the sheep we should and do attack the shepherds.

     9.  But surely it would be preferable to have one god for all mankind?

         Why? One god or many Gods, it really does not matter. Our true Gods are
     actually  worshipped by  peoples  all  over  the  world,  using  their  own
     mythologies and adapting their worship to local cultures and conditions.
     We prefer to  worship the Gods in our own way  with people of our own kind.
     And  we respect the right of others to their own beliefs. It was an Odinist
     gothi (priest), Sigrith,  who told  the foreign missionaries,  "I must  not
     part from the faith which I have held, and my forefathers before me; on the
     other hand  I shall make  no objection  to your believing  in the god  that
     pleases you best."

     10. You have mentioned the "Gods of Nature". Does this mean that Odinists
         are nature-worshippers?

         Odinists recognize man's spiritual kinship with Nature, that within
     himself are in essence all that is in the greater world, which perform
     within him the same functions as in the world. Thus there are in man the
     four elements, the vegetative life of plants, an ethereal body - the god-
     soul - corresponding to the heavens, the sense of animals, of spiritual
     things and reason and understanding. Because in this way man comprises
     all the parts of the world within himself he is thus a true image of the
     Gods.



                                                                             767

         Also containing the essence of the universe within themselves, the Gods
     are everywhere and in everything: they show themselves to us as fire,  as a
     flower, as  a tree.  Odinists  believe that  all life  should  be lived  in
     communion and in accord with the mind of the Gods. Christianity turned away
     from Nature and concentrated its adherents' attention on the human soul and
     became obsessed with the fall of man, by which it was  implied that man had
     brought  all Nature down into  sin with him.  Christian teaching encouraged
     man to  see Nature only in her physical form whereas Odinists regard Nature
     as a true manifestation of  the divine. "We and the cosmos  are one," wrote
     D. H. Lawrence, "The  cosmos is a vast living  body, of which we  are still
     part.  The sun is  the great heart  whose tremors run  through our smallest
     veins.  The  moon is  a great  gleaming nerve-centre  from which  we quiver
     forever.  . . . Now  all this is  literally true, as men  knew in the great
     past and  as they will know again." Whoever shall properly know himself and
     all  things in  himself shall know  the Gods.  The Odinist,  because of his
     awareness of his relationship with Nature, is able to feel a consanguineous
     kinship with plants and animals and the land - a complete oneness.

     11. You speak of "the Odinist mythology". Do you really expect anyone to
         believe in a myth?

             Every  religion is  mythical in  its development. Mythology  is the
     knowledge  that  the ancients  had  of the  divine; it  is  religious truth
     expressing  in  poetical terms  mankind's desire  for personal  and visible
     gods.  The mythology of Odinism consists of a group  of legends, fables and
     tales  relating to  The Gods, heroes,  demons and other  beings whose names
     have been preserved in popular belief. Our object must be to discover, with
     the  help of  our mythology,  the Gods  who manifest  themselves throughout
     Nature:  in the streets and in the  trees and in the rocks, in the  running
     streams and in the  heavy ear of grain, in  the splendor of the sun  by day
     and in the star-strewn sky at night.  But it is not the myth  that Odinists
     believe in but the Gods whom that myth helps us to understand.

     12. What, then, is the Odinist mythology?

         Briefly, our mythology unfolds in five acts (which may be compared to
     the evolution of the seasons of the year):

           A.   the Creation (spring)
           B.   the time preceding the death of Balder (summer)
           C.   the death of Balder (summer's end)
           D.   the time immediately after the death of Balder (autumn)
           E.   Ragnarok, the decline and fall followed by the regeneration of
                the world (winter and spring)

         The first effort of speculative man has always been to solve the
         mystery of existence, to ask what was in the beginning. The condition
         of things before the world's creation is expressed in the Eddas
         negatively; there was nothing of that which sprang into existence:

                                        Nothing was
                                        Neither land nor sea,
                                        Nor cool waves.
                                        Earth was not ,
                                        Sky was not,
                                        But a gaping void
                                        And no grass.



                                                                             768

         Ymir was a frost-giant, eg chaotic matter:

                                        From Ymir's flesh
                                        The world was made,
                                        And from his blood the sea.
                                        Mountains from his bones,
                                        Trees from his hair,
                                        And the welkin from his skull.

             There were as yet no human beings upon the earth when one dayas the
     Gods Odin,  Hoener and Loder were  walking along the seashore  they saw two
     trees from which they created the first human pair. Odin gave them life and
     spirit, Hoener endowed them with reason and the power of motion  and Loder
     gave them blood, hearing, and a fair complexion. The man they called Ask
     ash)--and the woman Embla (elm). As their abode the newly-created pair
     received from the Gods Midgarth and from them is descended the whole human
     race.

             Balder is the godof the summer, the favorite god ofall Nature and a
     son of Odin; he is one of the wisest and most eloquent of the Gods and his
     dwelling is in a place where nothing impure can enter. The story of Balder,
     well-known in the Northern  countries, finds explanation in the  seasons of
     the year,  in the change from  light to darkness; he  represents the bright
     and clear summer and his death is the impermanent victory  of darkness over
     light, of winter over summer, of death over life. When  Balder is dead, all
     Nature   mourns.  His  death   presages  the  disaster   of  Ragnarok,  the
     consummation of  the world,  followed by  its cleansing  and return to  the
     primal state.

         Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods, represents a great conflict between
     good and evil  powers. The idea  is already suggested  in the story  of the
     Creation in which the Gods are represented as proceeding from giants, that
     is from an  evil and chaotic  force. And whatever  can be born must  surely
     die. In the seasons and activities of Nature we see a constantly recurring
     picture of the necessity for death and the equal certainty of its being
     overcome. At Ragnarok all the worlds of Nature will be destroyed and even
     the giants must die. But from that catastrophe will emerge a renewed world
     and the Gods themselves will be born again. We see this drama enacted
     every year in miniature when autumn heralds the period of decline and decay
     until with the spring we witness the magic of resurrection and new life.

         This, briefly told, is the myth that explained to our ancestors their
     origin and the origin of the world, the creation of life from chaos and the
     mergence of evolution and harmony.

     13.  Who is Odin?

             Odinis the first and eldest ofthe Gods, the all-pervading spirit of
     the  sun, the moon, the stars,  the hills, the plains and  of man. With his
     help were made heaven and  earth and the first man and woman. All knowledge
     came from him; he is the inventor of poetry and discovered the runes; he
     governs all things, protects the social organization influences the human
     mind, avenges murder and upholds the sanctity of the oath. He is well
     named Allfather. And because he chooses to surround himself with a
     bodyguard of those who have fallen in battle he is also known as
     Valfather, Father of the Slain.



                                                                             769

         In the mythology Odin's single eye (the other he sacrificed in exchange
     for wisdom) is the sun, his broad-brimmed hat the arched vault of heaven,
     his  blue  cloak the  sky.  A conspicuous  passage  in the  Edda  is Odin's
     sacrifice of himself to himself:

                                        I know I hung
                                        on the windy tree
                                        nine nights through:
                                        I know I hung
                                        I know I hung
                                        myself to myself,
                                        on the tree
                                        that springs
                                        from roots unknown.

         Order is the basis of Odin's government. Nature the garment by which he
     manifests himself. Odinism says:  study the natural laws, conform to them
     and you will prosper; ignore them or violate them and you must suffer.
     Just so far as you study and obey Nature exactly so far will Nature reward
     or punish you. For under Odin the government of Nature is harmonious and
     unchangeable.

     14. Who are the other Gods of Odinism? What kind of Gods are they?

         We have already spoken of Odin and Balder. Of the other Gods the best-
     known is Thor, the most famous story concerning whom tells of this
     Warrior-God crushing the powers of chaos. He rules over clouds and rain
     and makes his presence known in the lightning's flash. He is the protector
     of the farm worker, the chief god of agriculture, a helpful deity who makes
     the crops grow and who also blesses the bride  with fertility. In the words
     of  Professor P. V. Glob,  " He wishes  all men well and  stands by them in
     face  of their enemies and against the new God, Christ."  Tyr is the God of
     martial  honor, the  most daring  and intrepid  of the  Gods. He  dispenses
     justice in time of peace and valor in war. He it was who sacrificed  a hand
     when  overpowering the evil Fenris Wolf,  showing us that we ourselves must
     be prepared  to make sacrifices in  order to protect ourselves  and our kin
     from those who seek to cast our society into anarchy and chaos.

         Frey is God of the harvest and is therefore also a God of fecundity and
     growth;  some  authorities  believe that  he  and  Christ  may have  become
     blended, in England at least, in so a God of fecundity and growth; some    
     authorities believe that he and Christ may have become blended, in England
     at least, in the new religion of Christianity. Freya is a Goddess of love
     and the sister of Frey: barren women may invoke her and she is also the
     Goddess of death for all women. Another God, Vali, is called he Avenger
     because when he was yet only one night old he avenged Balder's death, thus
     demonstrating the moral obligation we have of punishing society's enemies.
     Other Gods include Brage, Heimdal, Vidar, Frigg and Forsete.



                                                                             770

         The Gods of Odinism are the ordaining powers of Nature clothed in
     personality. They direct the world which they themselves created. They are
     referred to collectively as the Aesir, of whom every living thing forms  a
     part (thus not all the Gods are necessarily good ones). Objects and
     phenomena that are regarded as greater or lesser Aesir are qualities such
     as thought and memory, and natural things such as the sun, rivers,
     mountains  and trees as  well as animals  and ancestral  spirits. There are
     also  the guardian  Gods of  the land,  of skills  and occupations  and the
     spirits of national heroes, the Einheriar and other men and women whose
     outstanding deeds and virtues have contributed to our civilization,
     culture and well-being.

     15. Is there a table of commandments that sets out the rules to be
         followed by Odinists?

         The main rules of Odinist conduct are listed in the Nine Charges which
         are:

         1.   To maintain candor and fidelity in love and devotions to the tried
              friend:  though he strike me I will do him no scathe.
             2.   Neverto make a wrongsome oath: for great andgrim is the reward
            for the breaking of plighted troth.
         3.   To deal not hardly with the humble and lowly.
         4.   To remember the respect that is due great age.
             5.  To suffer noevil to go unremedied andto fight against the      
       enemies of family, nation, race and  faith:  my foes will I fight        
     in the field nor be burnt in my house.
             6.  To succor thefriendless but to putno faith in the pledgedword  
           of a stranger people.
         7.   If I hear the fool's word of a drunken man I will strive not: for
              many a grief and the very death groweth out of such things.
             8.   To give kind heedto dead men:  straw-dead, sea-dead or        
     sword-dead.  
         9.   To abide by the enactments of lawful authority and to bear with
              courage and fortitude the decrees of the Norns.

             The Chargesare based on the rules oflife indicated by the High Song
     of Odin and in the Lay of Sigurd in which the Valkyrie gives counsel to
     Sigurd. They may be summarized as demanding in the struggle for life a
     self-reliance which should be earned by a love of learning and industry, a
     prudent foresight in word and deed, moderation in the gratification of the
     senses and in the exercise of power, modesty and politeness in intercourse
     and a desire to earn the goodwill of our fellow men.

     16. The first four Charges seem fairly innocuous, but I must say the
         Fifth Charge sounds rather sinister! Isn't it all very violent and
         retributive?



                                                                             771

             "To suffer no evil to gounremedied," does appear to run contrary to
     the  trends  of  modern progressive  thinking.  And  the  idea of  fighting
     "against the enemies  of family, nation, race and  faith" would be anathema
     to many people. Unlike the Christian,  whose duty it is to "turn  the other
     cheek" (advice that is  more often observed ub  tge breach than  otherwise)
     and to be patient and long-suffering under the most grievous attacks, it is
     the duty of the Odinist to punish wrongs and above all those wrongs offered
     to his own family and kin. Society's enemies already know the basic law of
     life:  that the race is to the strong and that the meek will inherit th
     earth only when the earth inherits them dust to dust. Others should also
     learn to recognize this truth.

     17. What do you mean by "kinship loyalty"?

             We mustof course give loyal service to anyoneor any concept to whom
     or to which loyalty is due. But we owe our loyalty in the fullest degree to
     our immediate family and to  those who are related  to us by blood-ties  or
     blood-brotherhood.  A husband owes loyalty  to his wife,  for instance, and
     vice versa, just as  a son owes loyalty to his parents  to a greater extent
     than  to anyone  outside the  immediate family circle.  Beyond that  we owe
     allegiance  to  our own  country  and  racial kindred  before  we can  even
     consider giving it to strangers who  must therefore have the last call upon
     us.  But  there may  be  occasions  when loyalty  to  nation  and kin  must
     transcend even our loyalty to our own family.

             This concern for kin is an essential part of Odinist teaching. More
     than twelve centuries  ago the Christian  proselytizer, Boniface, wrote  of
     the  Odinists, "Have  pity  on  them, because  even  they   themselves  are
     accustomed to  say,  "We are  of  one blood  and  one bone".  Filial  love,
     patriotism and kinship loyalty are religious principles still adhered to by
     Odinists. In the words of the Edda:

          We shall help our kinsmen as foot helps foot. . .
          If one foot stumbles then shall the other restore balance.

     18. You seem to have an exaggerated respect for things like law and order!
         What about unjust laws?

             No, not an "exaggerated respect for law and order"; just regard for
     the rules  by which  civilized man must  live. But laws,  to be  just, must
     apply equally to all citizens and groups without discrimination. Odinists
     certainly have a duty to oppose what they regard as unjust laws but in
     doing so they accept the consequences of their opposition and do not expect
     to be given exemption or favorable treatment.

     19. What view do Odinists take of modern, enlightened substitutes for
         traditional, repressive forms of punishment? Do you agree that the
         wrong-doer in our society is more often than not the victim of his
         environment and that we are thus all guilty?



                                                                             772

             Odinists refuse to accept responsibility for the actions of others.
     Just as  it would be wrong to accept credit  for another person's merits so
     it is wrong to  relieve the wrong-doer  of responsibility for his  actions.
     "Crime  should  be  blazoned abroad  by  its  retribution,"  wrote Tacitus.
     Punishment  should be  an  unpleasant and  memorable  experience. Those  in
     authority who neglect to punish the criminal adequately place themselves in
     the position of  being accessories  after the fact.  Odinists believe  that
     anyone who seriously  or continually flouts  the law should  forfeit for  a
     period  of time  his rights to  protection under  that law;  enemies of the
     community should not be  permitted to run with the  hare and hunt with  the
     hounds!


     20. The Sixth Charge speaks about putting no faith in the pledged word of
         a stranger people. What is meant by "a stranger people"?

             By "a strangerpeople" we mean those from differentcultures than our
     own.  It is a warning that words often mean different things to different
     peoples, that their standards are not always the same as our own. It is
     simply one of those things in life that ought to be widely known and
     appreciated but does not seem to be!

     21. Please explain the Ninth Charge, which speaks of "the decrees of the
         Norns". Who or where are the Norns?

         The Norns are the three Fates of Northern mythology, the Goddesses of
     time. They are named Urd (the past), Verdande (the present) and Skuld (the
     future). They watch over man; they spin his thread of fate at his birth
     and mark out with it the limits of his sphere of action through life;
     their decrees are inviolable destiny, their dispensations inevitable
     necessity. Urd  and  Verdande,  the  past  and  present,  may  be  seen  as
     stretching a web from the radiant dawn of life to the glowing sunset,
     while Skuld, the future tears it to pieces!

         Man's fate must be met but the way in which it is met rests with the
     individual; and by the way in which he meets his fate man is able to
     demonstrate his free will. This important principle shows a man that it is
     worth while fighting life's battles courageously while at the same time
     fate's inexorable nature allows no room for careful weighing of  arguments
     for and against or for anxiety about the nature of things that are in any
     case destined to happen.

     22. What other aspects of human behavior are admired by Odinists?

         The Noble Virtues are held in high esteem.   They are:

                                        Courage
                                        Truth
                                        Honor
                                        Fidelity
                                        Discipline
                                        Hospitality
                                        Industriousness
                                        Self-reliance
                                        Perseverance



                                                                             773

         The Odinist must do what lies before him without fear of either foes,
     friends or the Norns. He must hold his own council, speak his mind and
     seek fame without respect of persons; be free, independent and daring in
     his actions; act with gentleness and generosity towards friends and
     kinsmen but be stern and grim to his enemies (but even towards the latter
     to feel bound to fulfill necessary duties);  be as forgiving to some as he
     is unyielding and unforgiving to others. He should be neither trucebreaker
     nor oathbreaker and utter nothing against any person that he would not say
     to his face. These are the broad principles of Odinist behavior, features
     of the spirit that made our Northern peoples great.

     23. You call industriousness a Noble Virtue?  What is so spiritual about
         that?

         Industriousness is a virtue which, partly inherited, is nevertheless
     acquired largely through training  and self-discipline; it is at once
     something we owe to ourselves, to our family and to the community. There
     is a time for relaxation as there is a time for most things but it is not,
     for instance, during our working hours; neither should it be at the expense
     of other members of the community by way of the so-called welfare state.

     24. What about material possessions?

             A principle of Odinism is the realization of the worthlessnessand  
     fleeting nature of  worldly possessions. Enough should be  enough. Adam of 
     Bremen,  a Christian,  remarked how  Odinists with  whom  he had  come into
     contact "lack nothing of what we revere except our arrogance. They have no
     acquisitive love of gold, silver, splendid chargers, the furs of beaver and
     marten or any of the other possessions we pine for". One thing alone is
     worth while in this life:  the stability of a well-earned reputation.
     "Goods perish, friends perish, a man himself perishes," says the Edda "but
     fame never dies to him that hath won it worthily."

     25. You describe self-reliance as one of the Noble Virtues. Surely even
         you must admit that none of us is, or can be, self-reliant in these
         days?

         Self reliance does not, as you appear to suggest, imply selfishness or
     mean that a man must live in isolation from his fellows. We recognize that
     men are dependent upon Nature and on the community of which he forms part;
     he has obligations to that community as well as to his employer (or
     employees). He receives from society and he owes a debt to society.
     Odinism teaches that people must be encouraged to stand on their own feet
     and  not to ask  continually, "When is  somebody going to  do something for
     me?"



                                                                             774

     26. Do Odinists believe in prayer?

         Odinism is not a philosophy invented to ease mankind's comfort or to 
     assuage his fears; that kind of  religion acts against rather than in man's
     interests because it takes from him his independence and self-respect and 
     makes  of  him  a  humble  supplicant   by  encouraging  him  to  shed  his
     responsibilities. The person who prays to a saint or God asking for help 
     or guidance is seeking to shift the responsibility from his own shoulders, 
     surrendering his own faculties of thought and physical action, unless he 
     also does something to help himself. To pray is to beg and plead; it is 
     self-abasement ("we worms of the earth"). That is not the object of true 
     religion which, as Carlyle has told us, is "transcendent wonder":  wonder 
     without limit or measure, reverent admiration alike for the immensity of 
     creation, the inspiration of the human heart and the capability of the 
     human brain. 

             Odinists in theirinveitan (praise); singular, inveita) callupon the
     Aesir to approach them in their thoughts as  they themselves strive towards
     the   Aesir. Through increased understanding is achieved wholeness, a unity
     with the Gods that helps us to think out our problems and how they may be 
     overcome.  We  project  the  Gods  within  ourselves  and  that, externally
     realized, speaks to the divine in others. Through their invetian Odinists 
     express gratitude for life and the world they live in and resolve to try 
     to make it better - not just to  leave it to "someone up there" or hope for
     something better in the next world. 

     27  How do Odinists regard good and evil?

             Evil of itself cannot originatein man but must always beregarded as
     an intruder, like an illness or  an affliction; as such it must  be opposed
     and  expelled. Good and evil  are relative:  there can  be no absolute norm
     and actions must depend upon circumstances and motives as well as time and
     place. The ethical standards relating to custom and tradition are flexible
     and responsive to the specific demands of different ages, so that moral
     judgments of what is right and wrong cannot be placed in a fixed system
     of standards but must vary according to time and situation. Just as the
     world is constantly changing so are values constantly changing, so that
     nothing can be regarded as unconditionally good or evil in all ages. In
     general, that which disturbs the social order and peaceful evolution and
     causes unhappiness - including such natural disasters as floods and
     earthquakes, disease and pollution - obstructs the natural development of
     the world and must be regarded as evil. As for sin, Odinism knows but two
     major sins -  perjury and murder:  that is sin against the Gods and sin
     against one's fellow man.

     28. Do you believe in Original sin?

             Man is inherently good andthe world in which he livesis good. There
     is no sin in man which has been inherited from his first, or any other,
     ancestor;  it is  enough that  he should  be held  responsible for  his own
     actions. But a lthough his spirit is good, his flesh and his senses may
     succumb to evil, especially when by neglecting his own spiritual well-
     being he has left his defenses weakened. So it is necessary for him to be
     able to distinguish between what is good and what is evil.



                                                                             775

     29  What do Odinists believe about marriage - and divorce?

             Odinists support theinstitution of marriageand marital fidelity.But
     a broken marriage is and unhappy marriage and traditional Odinic law allows
     great latitude  to separation of husband wife, at the will of both parties,
     if a good reason exists for the desired change. It is recognized that the
     worst possible service is rendered to those who are forced to live together
     against their will; but it must be borne in mind that marriage is basically
     a solemn exchange of vows between two people and  as such can only be ended
     by agreement between the same two people.

     30. Does Odinism offer salvation to those who believe?

         Odinism offers no salvation in the sense in which that term is used by
     Christians. Instead, the Odinist seeks liberation by bringing the Aesir
     into the world of man and into his daily life - whether at home or at work.
     Liberation refers to the human condition as we know it, which is subject to
     birth and death and decay. It is not, " the kingdom of God which is with in
     you," but the Gods themselves which exist within man.

     31. Does man possess an immortal soul? Is there a life after death and
         will people go to Odin in heaven?

         Odinists believe that man consists of body (i.e. matter) and spirit or
     soul.  Physical man is  born, produces young  and eventually dies.  But the
     whole of  Nature  shows us  that  death is  not  final: the  material  body
     decomposes and recombines, it is regenerated and lives again. As it was in
     the beginning so it is now; every atom continues to exist and must exist
     as in the beginning. There is nothing new under the sun and what we call
     death is really nothing more than transformation.

             Spiritual  man is divided into two distinct souls, one passive, the
     other  active,  the divine  and  the  human,  which  we call  God-soul  and
     human-soul. The first is in the fullest sense a divine being, contemplating
     a past eternity and a future immortality, occupying itself in contemplation
     rather than in action and to be regarded as a kind of guardian spirit.
     Although the God-soul and the material body are associated in this life,
     the former is not bound to man in the way that, say, a limb is (it may
     indeed  absent  itself   from  his   body  during  sleep   or  periods   of
     unconsciousness). Without the spirit there can be no motivation:  when the
     physical change (i.e. death) takes place the God-soul passes to another 
     living  organism -a human being, a tree, an animal, perhaps a bird. This
     is the element that gives man his mystical attachment to a particular
     district or country (which is what we call patriotism):  because it is
     where the God-souls of countless generations of ancestors dwell. It is
     because  of this  that man  is compelled  to nurture,  love and  defend his
     country, which is, in the purest sense, a holy land. The philosopher
     Fichte said, "Death  is the ladder  by which my  spiritual vision rises  to
     anew life and a new nature." This is also the reason why Odinists regard
     all life as sacred and unnecessary violence as criminal.



                                                                             776

             The  human-soul  (or self-soul),  is  essentially  individual to  a
     particular person.  It may be likened  to his personality, his  fame or his
     infamy.  Because the  whole of man's life  is a continuing struggle of  the
     good  and light Gods  on the one  hand and the offspring  of chaotic matter
     (the giants, Nature's disturbing forces) on the other, the human-soul is
     extremely active. It is involved in a struggle that extends to man's
     innermost being: both the human-soul and the God-soul proceed from the
     Gods; but the body be longs to the world of giants and they struggle for
     supremacy. If the human-soul conquers by virtue and courage then it goes
     after death to Valhalla, to fight in concert with the Gods against the
     evil powers. If on the other hand the body conquers and links the spirit
     to itself by weakness then after man's death the human-soul sinks to the
     world of the giants and joins itself with the evil powers in their warfare
     against the Gods. Long after his individual identity has been forgotten a
     man's  human-soul,  absorbed into  the  corporate spirit  of  the regiment,
     college, village, nation or other group, continues to demonstrate its
     immortality by inspiring future generations to noble deeds - or to acts of
     degradation.

     32. If the God-soul migrates to other living things after death, how can
         you square this with, for example, the need to slaughter livestock in
         order to sustain human life? Isn't it rather like killing a God?

         The God-soul must not be confused with the being that it inhabits.
     Animals, birds and trees have always been regarded by Odinists with
     respect; it is indeed probable that the domestication of some creatures
     arose from their former sacred character. Every living thing is a
     manifestation of the divine and its spirit is immortal:  every time a tree
     is felled or an animal slaughtered it is indeed a kind of sacrifice. But
     the tree or the animal is only a temporary dwelling-place for the immortal
     God. Everything in Nature has a purpose and it is necessary in order that
     life may be sustained in others for such "sacrifices" to be made. Such an
     attitude encourages consideration and reverence for Nature and discourages
     its wanton despoliation. It is the unnecessary, cruel or unnatural killing
     of animals (or of human beings), the unjustifiable destruction of trees or
     landscape and the defiling of natural resources, that is wrong.

     33. You have mentioned "ancestral spirits". Does this mean that Odinists
         believe in ancestor-worship?

         The human-souls of one's own family ancestors provide us with  moral
     strength and inspiration. Just as we received our spirit from Odin, so we
     received our physical being through our parents and our ancestors from
     time memorial. Our respect for ancestors maintains the continuity of the
     family, the kin and the race. We have a duty to try to attain the ideals
     of our ancestors and an equal duty of cherishing our descendants so that
     they in their turn will come to understand and realize our own hopes and
     ideals. Life is continuing process:  we must try to visualize ourselves as
     ancestors; for ancestors and descendants are genealogically one. Edmund
     Burke once remarked that society was a partnership between those who were
     living, those who are dead and those yet to be born; past and present and
     future are seen as a continuing evolvement and must be looked upon as
     complete being.



                                                                             777

     34. What kind of status do women have within the Odinist community?

             Odinists do  not need  reminding  of women's  rights! Our  religion
     anciently held women in high honor:  not only are Goddesses included in the
     Odinist pantheon, but, when the Odinist priesthood is restored, all offices
     will be open to women just as they were before the Christian usurpation
     relegated them to permanent backbenches of religious life.

     35. What are the chief festivals of the Odinic Rite?

         In ancient times there were three great festivals: Yule (the Mid-Winter
     Festival), Summer Finding (or spring equinox) and Winter Finding (autumn
     equinox). To these we nowadays add the Midsummer Festival.

             Yule, the popularFestival ofMid-Winter (sometimescalled theFestival
     of Light), heralds the beginning of the Odinist year. It is the birthday of
     the unconquered sun, which at this time begins to new vigor after its
     autumnal decline when, having descended into darkness, it pauses, kindles
     the fire of germination and ascends renewed with the fruit of hope. The
     Mid-Winter Festival includes the Twelve Nights of Yule, encapsulating the
     twelve months of the year in miniature, and culminates in the celebration
     of Twelfth Night.

         Summer Finding, in March, is the Festival of Odin. It celebrates the
     renewal, or resurrection, of Nature after the darkness of winter. It was
     transformed by the Christians into their Easter (named after the Odinist
     Goddess of the Saxons, Ostara), Rogation and Whitsun and was also recalled
     in folk custom by the festivities of May Day.

             The Midsummer Festival, theFeast of Balder, is thegreat celebration
     of the triumph of light and the sun.

         Winter Finding mourns the death of summer and heralds the coming of
     autumn. It is dedicated to the god Frey, patron of the harvest, and is
     also sometimes called the Charming of the Fruits of Earth, when we render
     thanks for the years supply of life-giving foods.

     36. What other Odinist festivals are there?

             Besides the great festivalsthere are a number ofsecondary festivals
     and also some commemorations of local Gods or various aspects of life.

         The secondary festivals of the Odinic Rite are:
         The Charming of the Plough,  January 3
             The festival ofVali, Febuary 14, whichcommemorates the family andis
     an  occasion for  betrothals,  the renewal  of  marriage vows  and vows  of
     kinshiployalty.
             The festival of the Einheriar on November 11, known asHeroes'  day,
     which honors the dead.



                                                                             778

     37. What is the Odinist Committee?

         The committee for the Restoration of the Odinic Rite (to give its full
     title) was set up on April 23, 1973 with the limited objects of restoring
     Odinist ritual and ceremonies, to define Odinist faith and doctrine and to
     constitute a teaching order of gothar (singular: gothi, meaning priest of
     teacher). When these immediate objects have been achieved the Committee
     will  disband. In the past not a great deal of attention was paid to
     systemizing the doctrinal aspects of Odinism and consequently the body of
     writing on the subject has remained limited and uneven. The Odinist
     Committee will place the worship of the Aesir on a more formal and
     permanent basis.

     38. How do I go about becoming an Odinist?

             First of all by understanding, thenby believing. You do not have to
     "be born again" but you are  expected to live your whole life  according to
     the Odinist precepts. There is a ceremony of reception (or initiation) into
     the Odinist community for those who wish it. The secretary of the Odinist
     Committee, 10 Trinity Green, London, E1, will be able to tell you whether
     there is an Odinist group in your neighborhood or, if there is not one,
     how you may form one.

     39. Can the Odinist Committee supply me with a list of Odinist temples
         and shall I be permitted to attend some of the inveitan?

             There are at presentno Odinist hofs (temples) in Great Britain open
     for public worship. Odinism starts with the individual and extends, through
     the family, to the community and the world. So with worship, which is at
     present practiced mostly at family level, the festivals of the Odinist
     year being celebrated in the home, with friends and other Odinist
     sometimes being invited to participate. But it is expected that various
     regional meeting places will be authorized when eventually the ritual of
     Odinist worship has been fully restored and gothar licensed by the
     successor body to the Odinist committee.

                         These things are thought the best:
                                   Fire, the sight of the sun,
                            Good health with the gift to keep it,
                                  And a life that avoids vice.

                                                The High Song of Odin *

     * The verse from The High Song of Odin is from Paul B. Taylor and W H
     Auden's translation of The Elder Edda and is reproduced by permission of
     Messrs Faber and Faber. Other quotations from the Eddas in the foregoing
     pages are from the translation by Rasmus B. Anderson.

           FOR MORE INFORMATION WRITE:

          Midgard Pagan Computer Bulletin Board
          P.O. Box 256
          North Highlands, CA. 95660

          (916) 338-4214 8:00 pm to 6:00 am (PST) daily 300/1200 baud
          ***** Call at these times with your computer. *****



                                                                             779

                           STRINGS ON THE WINDS 
      
                           by Taliesyn map Avaon 
      
      
      
       ...And it came to pass that into this time of great turmoil, 
     there came a man clad simply and carrying unto himself little 
     else than a harp, the likes of which I have yet to see.His 
     name was Ahrian and he made known that he was Bard.He went 
     unto the house of a village elder, asked lodging, and was  
     granted it.There he stayed and he sang from the green and 
     played the songs which drifted into the air as if they were 
     the air itself. 
      
         One afternoon I made to inquire of him his whereabouts and 
     what was Bard.  He said unto me:  'You speak little else to me 
     but nonsense.  Speak clearly and I shall answer as I can.' 
          
         He took the harp into his lap.  'What then is your trade?' 
      
         'I am Bard.  Mine is the way of music, song, and tale.  In 
     this lies my being.' 
      
         'Then you are a minstrel or story-teller?' 
      
         'I am both and neither.  I am minstrel and story-teller in 
     what I do, but I am Bard in what I am.' 
      
         'I do not understand.' 
      
         'Then listen and I shall make it known to you.  Music lies 
     at the base of the world.  It is magick in itself, and it 
     contains other things that are it's nature.  I am Bard and bound 
     to the music, as it is my existence.  I work the music as a fine 
     silversmith works the silver into a cup.  So I work the music 
     into a fine remembrance of the past.  Or time hence.  Or man and 
     woman present.  So the music works for me and does my bidding, 
     as I in turn do its bidding in the working.' 
      
         'You speak of magick as the music and music as the magick. 
     Which is it then?  Is music the cause of the magick, or is 
     magick the cause of the music?' 
      
         'Both are true.  In playing the song I am working in the 
     magick, and in working in the magick I am drawn to work a song. 
     Such is my call.' 
      
         'What of tales then?' 
      
         'They are great and beauteous.  In splendor they cannot be 
     equalled, for the Gods run thru them as the maids run through 
     fields of grass in the Spring.' 
      
         'What Gods are these of which you speak?' 
      
         'All Gods to some, and none to others.  It is as you see. 
     And then it is as it is.' 



                                                                             780

      
         'What of these do you worship?' 
      
         'I worship none and I worship all.  I worship not, and 
     devoutly pray unto the Muses.  Mine is not the way of the zealot, 
     but of the song.' 
      
         'How then do you work your magick if the Gods are not yours?' 
      
         'Ahh, but they are mine.  I do not see the Gods as they appear 
     to others, but as they are in the song of a bird in summer, or 
     a stream in the Spring.  My magick is not of them, but is them of 
     their essence.  It aids them to survive and pierces their 
     nature as the light pierces the darkness.' 
      
          ...And so I bid him let me rest, that I might ponder and 
     inquire further on the morrow.  As I left him, I heard a sweet 
     melody drift into the hollows... 
      
      
                     ******************************** 
      
         In this age of rebirth for many of the ways of the Craft, 
     it has often come to my attention that there is not a similar 
     revival of the Bardic arts in force.  However, as we move into 
     a New Age, it is distressing to see so few wielding the candle 
     to light the path.  Thus armed with this dearth of those 
     practicing the Bardic Way, I have decided to set forth some 
     illumination into the subject of Bardism. 
      
      
         In the classical concept, the Bard was many things: a 
     musician, a songster, a story-teller, a historian, a collector 
     of lore both magickal and mundane.  He also served the 
     community in announcing through his arts the coming Circles. 
     However, should he attend this Circle, he would be little else 
     than a minion of the Watchtower's guardians. 
      
         Of all these things, I must point out that he was a magickal 
     individual, whose concerns tended not towards ritual, but 
     application.  His song was his work of magick, and could either 
     be loving and compassionate or cold and harsh as the case 
     warranted.  He was restricted in many ways in the expression 
     of his duties inherent in the office and title he carried. 
     The title 'Bard' was (and is) worn with pride for it was a  
     religious indication and a general term for a way of life. 
      
      
         This introduction leaves us with one nagging question: 
     What is the Bard of today?  It is this question that I shall 
     address in full in coming articles.  Each will contain a 
     conversation with Ahrian (an actual 15th century Scots Bard) 
     and a discussion of the concepts involved.  Later, I will include 
     samples of the Bard's art by my hand and that of Seamus Myrick, 
     an Irish Bard I know personally. 
                                                Blessed Be! 
                                                 
                                                Mike Nichols 



                                                                             781

     A Circle Purification that doesn't use Incense: 
     for asthmatics, those with allergies, and those with other pulmonary 
     disorders 
     by Matrika, co-sysop of 
     PAN- the Psychic Awareness Network, 300/1200/2400 baud at 1-703-362-1139 
      
     This ritual was inspired when someone in our circle back in Central 
     Massachusetts started dating a young woman who was a great herbalist, 
     knowledgeable about crystal healing, a competent tarot-reader and a 
     beginning astrologer.  She had read "Spiral Dance" by Starhawk on the Craft
     of the Wise (Wicca) and wore a pentagram around her neck, but couldn't try 
     circle work because she was allergic to smoke and had a serious asthma 
     problem. 
      
     So, heres the rite.  You prepare your altar as usual, with the exception of
     the incense and incense burner.  5 non-electric pot-pouri burners filled 
     with water and an appropriately scented pot-pouri should be on or near the 
     altar with 5 candles.  Be sure that you use the correct type of candles for
     your pot-pouri burners, as other types can destroy the burners.  Put these 
     on the altar, which should be at the center of the circle and facing North 
     or East according to your custom.  If they do not fit without obstructing 
     the work, place them in a semi-circle at the foot of the altar.  Have 
     matches there to light the candles under them at the proper time. 
      
     The rite 
     (Leader 1 should be a male, if possible.  Leader 2 should be a female, if 
     possible.) 
      
     Leader 1 - blessing the water and herbal mixture in each pot-pouri burner 
     with the wand.  a long-stem rose with the thorns removed can be used for a 
     wand if you do not yet have one.  Of course, this must be replaced each 
     time you do a ritual - 
     "By Fire and By Air 
     By Water and by Earth 
     by the Lady and the Lord 
     I conjure thee to purify our circle this night" 
      
     all- " So mote it be" 
      
     He takes one of the burners and the matches to the North where he lights 
     it.  Leader 2 accompanies him with her wand, after he lights it she raises 
     her wand and says 
      
     Leader 2 - "By fire and air 
     By water and by earth 
     Let us purify the 
     Northern Quarter of our circle" 
      



                                                                             782

     There is a pause during which everyone visualizes (vividly imagining in 
     every detail from a relaxed, meditative state) an arc of rainbow light 
     forming that quarter of the circle then, when she lowers the wand, everyone
     responds. 
     all - "So Mote It Be" 
      
     Leader 1 returns to the central altar and gets the next  burner, placing it
     in the East and  lighting it.  Leader 2 continues in the same way as above.
     This procedure is then repeated in the South and then in the West.  Each 
     time the invocation is changed to reflect the direction they are in.   Each
     time the group visualizes the rainbow arc of light.  And after each 
     direction,  Leader 1 returns to the center to get the burner for the next 
     direction ready.  By constantly returning to the center each time, the 
     emphasis is placed there.  After the Western quarter is lit, Leader 1 
     places the final burner on the altar, between the candles, where the 
     incense burner would be if there was one and lights it.  Leader 2 stands 
     before the altar, raises her wand and says 
     Leader 2 - "By Fire and by air 
     By water and by earth 
     Let us purify the sacred center of our circle 
     where Heaven and Earth Unite 
     and 
     Where the Lord and Lady are joined in love." 
      
     While her wand is raised, everyone visualizes the rainbow light from the 
     outer circles flooding in to the center and filling the circle with 
     harmonious vibrations and energies.  After a few moments, she lowers her 
     wand and everyone responds. 
     all- "SO mote it be" 
      
     The circle casting is continued as usual with the invocations of the 
     elements at the 4 corners, according to your tradition.  Then the actual 
     circle-casting is done as usual.  After this do whatever rite and/or magick
     you would usually do and close in the usual manner.  Be sure to snuff the 
     candles and not to blow them out.  Use a silver teaspoon to do this, if you
     don't have a snuffer.  This ceremony ONLY replaces the part of the rite 
     where you sprinkle with salt-water and then cense the circle to purify it 
     in PREPARATION for the actual circle casting.  It is NOT the full casting 
     of the circle.  (Some traditions purify with all 4 elements separately, 
     sprinkling salt on the floor for earth, water on the floor for itself, 
     censing the circle for air, and carrying a candle around for fire.   Either
     way this rite replaces the elemental purification, as the burners embody 
     all 4 elements - the water for itself, the candle for fire, the herbs for 
     earth, and the scent the steam gives off for air.) 
      
     OF course the pot-pouri burners used for this should only be used in your 
     psychic work and should have been consecrated or smudged (by someone who 
     can deal with the smoke) in preparation for this ritual. 
      



                                                                             783

     To prepare appropriate pot-pouri scents for the  purpose of your rites, use
     the directions for making the various home-made herbal incenses traditional
     in Witchcraft and in Magick; however,  don't grind them with a mortar and 
     pestle as you would in making incense.  If you do not know the  recipes for
     these, any of the Scott Cuningham books on making incenses would provide 
     them for you.  They are available from Llewelyn Publishing, box 64383 St. 
     Paul Minnesota. (They will send you a free catalogue on request) 
      
     Despite the initial cost involved in obtaining the 5 burners,  it is highly
     suggested you do it that way for two reasons" 
     1.  In anything but a very small and enclosed space, you will not get 
     enough scent to represent the air element sufficiently for magickal and 
     ritual working. 
     and 
     2.  To represent all 4 elements in EACH of the quarters and in the center 
     of the circle is very important in establishing the traditional boundaries 
     between the worlds (the ordinary and non-ordinary or shamanic realities) 
     that is the purpose of casting the circle and creating sacred space. 
      
     ALSO IF YOU TRY TO CARRY A POT-POURI BURNER THAT IS LIT AND HOT ENOUGH TO 
     BE GIVING OFF THE SCENTED STEAM AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE CIRCLE, YOU 
     WILL CERTAINLY BURN YOUR FINGERS BADLY.  (It  is not appropriate to bring a
     pot holder into circle to carry it either! PLEASE!) 
      
     I hope this is helpful to those who have breathing problems and wish to 
     perform magick. 
      
     (submitted to Harvest newsletter, under JUKNO) 



                                                                             784

                         MONROE TECHNIQUES FOR ASTRAL PROJECTION 


                   Note: After having studied many methods of Astral
              Projection, I have found that this is the easiest to do.
              Monroe teaches these techniques in a week, but they can be
              easily done in a day, with proper devotion. I feel that this
              technique is superior to others because it doe not require
              intense visualization, which many people cannot do. 
              enjoy! 


              (Taken from Leaving The Body: A Complete Guide to Astral
              Projection, D. Scott Rogo, prentice Hall Press) 

              One of the chief barriers people learning to project face is
              fear.  Many are afraid that they may die, or be harmed in some
              way as a result of their projection.  Nothing could be farther
              from the truth.  The Canterbury Institute, renowned for its
              occult studies, executed an experiment in projection involving
              over 2,000 people.  None of them were hurt in any way by this,
              and now, three years later, none have complained of any newly
              arising problems. 

              Once you are aware that you cannot be harmed by projecting,
              you should begin monroe's techniques, step by step. 

              Step one: 
                  Relax the body. According to Monroe, "the ability to relax
              is the first prerequisite, perhaps even the first step itself"
              to having an OBE. (out of body experience) This includes both
              physical and mental relaxation. Monroe does not suggest a
              method of attaining this relaxation, although Progressive
              Muscle relaxation, coupled with deep breathing exercises
              (inhale 1, exhale 2, inhale 3.... until 50 or 100) are known
              to work well. 
               
              Step two: 
                  Enter the state bordering sleep.  This is known as the
              hypnagogic state. Once again, Monroe doesn't  recommend any
              method of doing this.  One way is to hold your forearm
              up, while keeping your upper arm on the bed, or ground. As you
              start to fall asleep, your arm will fall, and you will awaken
              again.  With practice, you can learn to control the Hypnagogic
              state without using your arm.  Another method is to
              concentrate on an object.  When other images start to enter
              your thoughts, you have entered the Hypnagogic state.
              Passively watch these images.  This will also help you
              maintain this state of near-sleep. Monroe calls this Condition
              A. 

              Step three: 
                  Deepen this state. Begin to clear your mind.  observe your
              field of vision through your closed eyes.  Do nothing more
              for a while. Simply look through your closed eyelids at the
              blackness in front of you.  After a while, you may notice
              light patterns.  These are simply neural discharges.  They
              have no specific effect.  Ignore them.  When they cease, one



                                                                             785

              has entered what Monroe calls Condition B.  From here, one
              must enter an even deeper state of relaxation which Monroe
              calls Condition C-- a state of such relaxation that you lose
              all awareness of the body and sensory stimulation.  You are
              almost in a void in which your only source of stimulation will
              be your own thoughts. 
                  The ideal state for leaving your body is Condition D.
              This is Condition C when it is voluntarily induced from a
              rested and refreshed condition and is not the effect of normal
              fatigue.  To achieve Condition D, Monroe suggests that you
              practice entering it in the morning or after a short nap. 

              Step Four: 
                  Enter a state of Vibration. This is the most important
              part of the technique, and also the most vague.   
                  Many projectors have noted these vibrations at the onset
              of projection.  They can be experienced as a mild tingling, or
              as is electricity is being shot through the body.  /their
              cause is a mystery.  It may actually be the astral body trying
              to leave the physical one. 
              For entering into the vibrational state, he offers the
              following directions: 

              1. Remove all jewelry or other items that might be touching
              your skin. 
              2. Darken the room so that no light can be seen through your
              eyelids, but do not shut out all light. 
              3. Lie down with your body along a north-south axis, with your
              head pointed toward magnetic north. 
              4. Loosen all clothing, but keep covered so that you are
              slightly warmer than might normally be comfortable. 
              5. Be sure you are in a location where, and at a time  when,
              there will be absolutely no noise to disturb you. 
              6. Enter a state of relaxation 
              7. Give yourself the mental suggestion that you will remember
              all that occurs during the upcoming session that will be
              beneficial to your well-being. Repeat this five times. 
              8. Proceed to breath through your half-open mouth. 
              9. As you breath, concentrate on the void in front of you. 
             10. Select a point a foot away from your forehead, then change
              your point of mental reference to six feet. 
             11. Turn the point 90 degrees upward by drawing an imaginary
              line parallel to your body axis up and above your head.  Focus
              there and reach out for the vibrations  at that point and
              bring them back into your body. 

                   Even if you don't know what these vibrations are, you
              will know when you have achieved contact with them. 

              Step five: 
                  Learn to control the vibrational state.  Practice
              controlling them by mentally pushing them into your head, down
              to your toes, making them surge throughout your entire body,
              and producing vibrational waves from head to foot.  To produce
              this wave effect, concentrate of the vibrations and mentally
              push a wave out of your head and guide it down your body.
              Practice this until you can induce these waves on command. 
                  Once you have control of the vibrational state, you are



                                                                             786

              ready to leave the body. 

              Step six: 
                  Begin with a partial separation.  The key here is thought
              control.  Keep your mind firmly focused on the idea of leaving
              the body. Do not let it wander. Stray thought might cause you
              to lose control of the state. 
                  Now, having entered the vibrational state, begin exploring
              the OBE by releasing a hand or a foot of the "second body".
              Monroe suggests that you extend a limb until it comes in
              contact with a familiar object, such as a wall near your bed.
              Then push it through the object. Return the limb by placing it
              back into coincidence with the physical one, decrease the
              vibrational rate, and then terminate the experiment.  Lie
              quietly until you have fully returned to normal. This exercise
              will prepare you for full separation. 
                  
              Step seven: 
                  Dissociate yourself from the body. Monroe suggests two
              methods for this.  One method is to lift out of the body.  To
              do this, think about getting lighter and lighter after
              entering this vibrational state.  Think about how nice it
              would be to float upward.  Keep this thought in mind at all
              costs and let no extraneous thoughts interrupt it. An OBE will
              occur naturally at this point. 
                 Another method is the "Rotation method" or "roll-out"
              technique.  When you have achieved the vibrational state, try
              to roll over as if you were turning over in bed.  /do not
              attempt to roll over physically.  Try to twist your body from
              the top and virtually roll over into your second body right
              out of your physical self.  At this point, you will be out of
              the body but next to it.  Think of floating upward, and you
              should find yourself floating above the body. 
                  Monroe suggests you begin with the lift-out method, but
              argues that both are equally efficacious. 

              If, after all this, you still can't project, I recommend
              purchasing Leaving The Body, by R. Scott Rogo.  It only costs
              $7.95 and contains another eight or so techniques.  Not all
              techniques work for everyone, but chances are you'll find one
              that works for you in this book.  Good luck! 



                                                                             787

                                            History 
      
                                 (c) 1988, by Weyland Smith and 
                                The Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal 
      
                    "Mommy, how old are we?"  Does our faith come down to us in 
               Apostolic succession from "that time whereof the memory of man 
               runneth not to the contrary", or was our religion dreamed up in 
                         the nineteenfortiesbyaretiredBritishcivilservantwiththe
                     collaboration ofa dyingheroin addictandpoet? Does itreally 
           matter? 
      
                                   To
                                    whatextent
                                             themodern
                                                     practitionersof
                                                                   paganismmay
                                                                             lay
                     ajust claimto themantleof theirpredecessorsfrom thetwelfth 
                   centuryhas beena matterof greatdebate bothwithin andwithout  
           the Craft community almost from the moment Gerald Gardner 
               published _Witchcraft Today in 1954.*1*  Though the debate is 
               continued with somewhat less fervor today than it was in the 
                         1960s,ithasnever whollyceasedanditcontinuesto beaCrisis
              of Faith which besets many practitioners of paganism every year. 
      
                                   Itcan
                                       beatroubling
                                                  questionto
                                                           face,especiallyif
                                                                           one's
             early teachers tried to justify their credentials by claiming 
               that what they taught had great antiquity.  The question isn't 
               any easier to answer with truth or objectivity when there is a 
                         bunch
                             ofradicalfundamentalistsrunningaroundseekingtoclaim
             that we aren't really a religion and so of course we aren't 
               entitled to protection under the First Amendment. 
      
                    It is a sign of progress, I think, that there seems to be 
               less of that sort of teaching today than there was when I began 
               my studies.  Today most of the teachers that I know are secure 
               enough in their religion that they can face the staggering 
               thought that the ethical and philosophical system that guides 
               their lives may indeed be younger than some of them are.  The 
               plain fact is that we simply don't know. 
      
                                   Gerald
                                        Gardnerand
                                                 CharlesLeland*2*
                                                                mayhave
                                                                      triedto
                                                                            palm
             fiction off on the world as fact.  It's certainly been tried 
               before--and since.  On the other hand, they may each have been 
               reporting the truth as they found it.  It certainly is a fact 
                         thatnoone Iknowhasever comeacrossany BookofShadowsthat 
             dates before the beginning of this century.  Presumably, if one 
                         exists,sayintheBritishMuseum, itwouldhavebecomeknownto 
             scholars looking into the subject over the last half century.  
                         GrantedthattherewaslessburninginEnglandthan elsewherein
             Europe, but there was enough that surely some physical evidence 
               would have survived in the hands of the government if nowhere 
               else. 
       
                                   The
                                     VaticanLibrary,of
                                                     coursemayyet
                                                                turnup
                                                                     sucharelic.
                         Theirfailure todosoat thistimecanbeexplained aseasilyby
              the lack of such a document as by a possible desire to suppress 
               it.  We may never know that one, but when push comes to shove, 
               does it really matter? 
      
                                   Thomas
                                        Jefferson,
                                                 speakingon
                                                          the
                                                            questionof
                                                                     whether
                                                                           black
             colonial slaves were Americans or not is said to have remarked 



                                                                             788

               "They're people and they're here.  If there's any other 
                         requirement,Ihaven'theardofit."Perhapswemightparaphrase
              Jefferson a bit and remark that the modern practitioners of 
               Witchcraft are undeniably here and a large number of them are 
                         sincere intheirbeliefs. Thatinitselfshouldqualify usasa
             religion. 
      
                    Perhaps as important as the legal question is our own self 
               image.  Would a "real witch" from the middle ages recognize or 
                         disownone ofhersisters oftoday? Wouldshewant togowith a
             "New Age" circle, a Dianic grove, a Gardnerian coven, or would 
               she laugh hysterically at the bunch of us and walk off into the 
               sunset? 
      
                    While the antiquity of our current practice of witchcraft 
               shouldn't be a matter of serious concern, to us _or to our 
                         detractors,itsauthenticityshouldbe.Thesearchforourroots
              must continue to be pursued by serious scholars and magicians 
               alike in order that we may come as close as possible to the 
                         ideals andpurposesofourancientpredecessors.Thereisavery
             practical reason why this is so.  That reason is tied up in 
                         somethingcalledan_egregore. Onthesubjectofan egregore,I
             would like to quote extensively from a recent article in _Gnosis 
               by Gaetan Delaforge: 
      
               ..."An egregore is a kind of group mind which is created when 
                         peopleconsciouslycometogetherforacommonpurpose.Whenever
             people gather together to do something and egregore is formed, 
                         butunlessanattemptismadetomaintain itdeliberatelyitwill
                       dissipaterather quickly.Howeverifthe peoplewishtomaintain
             it and know the techniques of how to do so, the egregore will 
               continue to grow in strength and can last for centuries.   
      
               An egregore has the characteristic of having an effectiveness 
               greater than the mere sum of its individual members.  It 
               continuously interacts with its members, influencing them and 
               being influenced by them.  The interaction works positively by 
               stimulating and assisting its members but only as long as they 
                         behaveand actinlinewith itsoriginalaim.It willstimulate
             both individually and collectively all those faculties in the 
                         groupwhichwillpermittherealizationoftheobjectivesof its
             original program.  If this process is continued a long time the 
               egregore will take on a kind of life of its own, and can become 
               so strong that even if all its members should die, it would 
               continue to exist on the inner dimensions and can be contacted 
               even centuries later by a group of people prepared to live the 
                         livesoftheoriginalfounders,particularlyiftheyarewilling
             to provide the initial input of energy to get it going again. 



                                                                             789

      
               If the egregore is concerned with spiritual or esoteric 
               activities its influence will be even greater.  People who 
                         discoverthekeyscantapinonapowerfulegregorerepresenting,
              for example, a spiritual or esoteric tradition, will, if they 
               follow the line described above by activating and maintaining 
                         suchanegregore,obtainaccesstotheabilities,knowledge,and
                     driveofall thathasbeen accumulatedin thategregoresince its 
                   beginnings.  Agroup ororder whichmanages to dothis can,with  
          a clear conscience, claim to be an authentic order of the 
               tradition represented by that egregore.  In my view this is the 
               only yardstick by which a genuine Templar order should be 
               measured."*3* 
      
                                   Mr.
                                     Delaforgewas
                                                writingabout
                                                           theKnights
                                                                    Templarand
                                                                             the
                     various groupsclaimingto representitin moderntimes, butthe 
           parallel with ancient witchcraft and the many diverse groups 
                         claimingto representittodayisobvious. Ihopethebenefitto
              be gained by reconstructing as faithfully as possible the 
               attitudes and goals of our ancient brethren is equally obvious. 
      
                    In her books "The Sea Priestess" and "Moon Magic", Dion 
               Fortune was demonstrating this technique.  Vivien LeFay Morgan 
                         wasattemptingnothinglessthanthe
                                                       reactivationoftheegregore
              of the Atlantean priesthood. 
      
                    When Gerald Gardner published "Witchcraft Today", he 
               embarked upon the outward steps of his part of the reactivation 
               of the egregore of the old witch cult in western Europe.  The 
               inward steps were probably begun by one or more of the magical 
                         lodgesof
                                theearlytwentiethcentury,mostlikelyDionFortune's
              Society of the Inner Light during its "pagan phase" in the late 
                         twentiesandthirties.*4*Gardner'spublic
                                                              worksservedtobring
              the reactivated egregore into contact with an increasingly 
               receptive populace where it could gather unto itself the 
                         additionalpsychicenergyitneededtobecomeonceagainaviable
              force in the world.  How well it has achieved this end is to be 
               observed by anyone with the eyes to see.   
      
      
                    I personally think that our job in this generation is to 
               deepen and strengthen our ties with this newly reawakened force 
               in the world; to learn from it and to draw inspiration from it, 
               and to bring the Craft back from the status of a "cult" to that 
               of a genuine religion.  To do this we must learn more of the 
                         goals,ideals,andambitionsofourbrothersandsisterswhohave
              gone before--as they really were, not as we would like them to 
               have been. 



                                                                             790

                                   Please
                                        notethat
                                               theidea
                                                     isnot
                                                         necessarilyto
                                                                     recreatethe
              _practices of our predecessors, particularly if we are talking 
               about things like blood sacrifice.  One should note that this 
                         practicewasfollowedby thejewsinbiblicaltimes,but thatin
                     moderntimes theydon't doit. This doesnot keepthemodern jew 
                   frominteracting withthe egregoreof hisancient faith. Judaism 
           has surely progressed since the time of the Ceasars, so has the 
               Craft.  The idea, when activating and interacting with an 
               egregore is to re-create the _goals and _attitudes of the 
               founders.  That doesn't freeze the practitioner into practices 
               which have long since been outgrown. 
      
                                   WhatI
                                       thinkweneednow
                                                    ismorerealscholarship.
                                                                         Whatdid
                       Samhainreallymean toourpredecessors;or Beltane;orImbolc? 
                   Not only howdid theycelebrate it,but how didthey _feelabout  
               it? Platitudes about"fruitfulness and fertility"are simplytoo    
             superficial. This is not madeany easier by the factthat these      
       observances were pastoral and agricultural while most of us are 
               city dwellers who do well to keep a potted plant alive through 
               one summer. 
      
                    An attempt in this direction was made by the Holy Order of 
                         SaintBrigitnearFortMorgan,Coloradoabout tenyearsago.The
              farm is gone now and its residents are scattered, yet it cannot 
               be said to have entirely failed of its purpose.  Many of the 
               former participants in the experiments can be found today, 
               quietly practicing the Craft. 
      
               This is not to say that we all should sell our goods, quit our 
               jobs, and move out into communes somewhere, but we must at the 
                         leastestablishcloseenoughcontactwiththeharshrealitiesof
             this world that we can appreciate how frightening the onset of 
               winter must have been to those who had no central heating, food 
                         storesorwelfare tofallback upon.Whenwe havedonethis, we
                     will,perhaps,be ableto recapturethemindset ofthePriestess  
           at Samhain. 
      
      
                    These truths are not to be found in the Fantasy fiction 
                         sectionofB.Dalton's,butinthehistoryandanthropologylibr-
              aries of our local universities.  The reading is much dryer and 
                         lessfun,but ittalksaboutthe peopleasthey reallywere.It 
                     isn't afantasy worldto hidefromreality in,but neitheris it 
           a dead end.  It can take us back in time and forward in our 
                         understandingsothatwemayreallycontacttheancientreligion
             of witchcraft as it was, learn from it, and pass it on, 
               rejuvenated and strengthened to our children. 



                                                                             791


      
                                             Notes 
      
               1.   Gerald B. Gardner, _Witchcraft _Today, (London: Rider and 
                    Company, 1954) reprinted (New York: Citadel Press, 1971) 
      
               2.   Charles Godfrey Leland, _Aradia, _or _Gospel _of _the 
                    _Witches, (London: David Nutt, 1899; reprinted (New York: 
                    Samuel Weiser, 1974) 
      
                         3.GaetanDelaforge,_Gnosis,"TheTemplarTradition:
                                                                       yesterday
                    and today", No. 6, (Winter 1988), pp 8-13. 
      
               4.   Alan Richardson, _Dancers _to _the _Gods, (London: The 
                    Aquarian Press, 1985) 



                                                                             792

                           History of Witchcraft 
      
     As I am trying to put this all together, I hope to bring about an  
     understanding  that Witchcraft, like any religion, has  undergone  
     it's  changes  throughout  the  centuries.   It  is  my  personal  
     feeling,  however, that the religion of Witchcraft has  undergone  
     far fewer changes than any other in history. 
      
     As the song sung by Neil Diamond starts: 
          " Where it began, I can't begin to knowin..." 
      
     Witchcraft,  sorcery, magic, whatever can only begin to find  its  
     roots  when we go back as far as Mesopotamia. With their  deities  
     for  all  types of disasters, such as Utug - the Dweller  of  the  
     Desert  waiting  to  take you away if you wandered  to  far,  and  
     Telal  -  the  Bull  Demon,  Alal  -  the  destroyer,  Namtar   -  
     Pestilence, Idpa - fever, and Maskim - the snaresetter; the  days  
     of superstitution were well underway. 
      
     It  was believed that the pharaohs, kings, etc. all  imbued  some  
     power  of  the gods, and even the slightest  movement  they  made  
     would cause an action to occur.  It was believed that a  picture,  
     or  statue also carried the spirit of the person. This is one  of  
     the reasons that they were carried from place to place, and  also  
     explains  why  you  see so many pictures  and  statues  of  these  
     persons with their hands straight to their sides.  
      
     In  the Bible, we find reference to "The Tower of Babel"  or  The  
     Ziggurat in Genesis 11. "Now the whole world had one language and  
     a  common speech.  As men moved eastward, they found a  plain  in  
     Shinar  (Babylonia) and settled there.  They said to each  other,  
     `Come,  let's  make bricks and bake them thoroughly.'  They  used  
     brick  instead  of stone, and tar instead of mortar.   Then  they  
     said,  `Come,  let us build ourselves a city, with a  tower  that  
     reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for  ourselves  
     and  not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.' But  the  
     Lord  came down to see the city and the tower that the  men  were  
     building.   The  Lord said,`If as one people  speaking  the  same  
     language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do  
     will  be  impossible for them.  Come let us go down  and  confuse  
     their language so they will not understand each other.'" It  goes  
     on to say that the tower was never finished. 
      
     In  other  references,  we  find that the  "Tower"  was  in  fact  
     finished,  and that it was a tower that represented the  "stages"  
     between earth and heaven (not a tower stretching to the heaven in  
     the literal sense.) From this reference, it was a tower built  in  
     steps.  A hierarchy on which heaven and hell were based.  It  was  
     actually a miniature world representing the Mountain of Earth. 



                                                                             793

     Each stage was dedicated to a planet, with its angles symbolizing  
     the  four corners of the world.  They pointed to Akkad,  Saburtu,  
     Elam,  and the western lands.  The seven steps of the tower  were  
     painted  in different colors which corresponded to  the  planets.   
     The "Great Misfortune:, Saturn, was black. The second was  white,  
     the  color  of  Jupiter.   The third,  brick-red,  the  color  of  
     Mercury,  followed by blue, Venus; yellow, Mars, gray  or  silver  
     for  the  moon.  These  colors boded good  or  evil,  like  their  
     planets. 
      
     For the first time, numbers expressed the world order.  A  legend  
     depicts  Pythagoras traveling to Babylon where he is  taught  the  
     mystery  of numbers, their magical significance and  power.   The  
     seven  steps often appear in magical philosophy. The seven  steps  
     are: stones, fire, plants, animals, man, the starry heavens,  and  
     the angels.  Starting with the study of stones, the man of wisdom  
     will attain higher and higher degrees of knowledge, until he will  
     be  able  to  apprehend the sublime,  and  the  eternal.  Through  
     ascending  these steps, a man would attain the knowledge of  God,  
     whose  name  is  at the eighth degree,  the  threshold  of  God's  
     heavenly dwelling.   
      
     The  square  was  also a "mystical" symbol in  these  times,  and  
     though divided into seven, was still respected.  This  correlated  
     the  old tradition of a fourfold world being reconciled with  the  
     seven heavens of later times.  
      
     It is thought that here was the start to numerology, but for this  
     to  have  developed  to  the point  where  they  had  taken  into  
     consideration the square as the fourfold world, it would have had  
     to have developed prior to this. 
      
     From Mesopotamia lets move over to Persia. 
      
     Unlike  the Mesopotamians, and Egyptians, who believed  that  all 
     was  done with either the favor or lack thereof of the Gods,  the 
     Chaldean  star  religion taught that luck and  disaster  were  no 
     chance  events,  but  were controlled from  the  heavenly  bodies 
     (planets/stars) which send good and bad according to mathematical 
     laws.  It was their belief that man was incapable of fighting the 
     will  of  the  planet divinities. Though, the  more  this  system 
     evolved,  the  more the wise men read ethical values  into  man's 
     fate.  The  will of the stars was not  completely  separate  from 
     man's behaviors. The stars were important, but not omnipotent  in 
     deciding  man's fate. It was believed that the star Sirius  would 
     carry  messages  to the higher gods and he returned  to  announce 
     their will. 

     Around  the  7th Century B.C. Zoroaster, the Median  prophet  was 
     preaching the doctrines that evil could be avoided and  defeated. 
     He  brought  about the principles of the good and  evil  spirits. 
     Below,  we will look at the beliefs and influences of this  man's 
     life which created the religion named after him. 



                                                                             794

     The  first of the belief structure had to do with Ormazd  (Ahura-
     Mazda) king of light, and his twin brother Ahriman  (Anro-Mainyu) 
     prince of darkness.

     Zoroaster  brought  about  the belief in  the  "holy  war"  (that 
     between  good  and  evil.) In this  faith,  the  archangels  (the 
     spirits  of  Divine Wisdom,  Righteousness,  Dominion,  Devotion, 
     Totality, and Salvation) and the demons (the spirits of  Anarchy, 
     Apostasy,   Presumption,  Destruction,  Decay,  and  Fury)   were 
     constantly  at  battle  with one another.   The  archangels  were 
     controlled by Ormazd and the demons by Ahriman.

     This  religion  had it's belief that in the end, Ormazd  and  his 
     demons would prevail, but until then, Ormazd would keep the world 
     safe.  

     It is interesting that the last of the demons (the demon of Fury) 
     holds such a hard and fast thought that it was incorporated  into 
     the  Hebrew and Christian belief structure. The last  archdemon's 
     name is Aeshma Daeva also know to the Hebrews as Ashmadai and  to 
     Christians as Asmodeus. 

     Asmodeus was the "chief of the fourth hierarchy of evil  demons", 
     called  "the  avengers of wickedness, crimes  and  misdeeds."  He 
     appears  with  three heads, a bull's, human, and a ram.   He  has 
     goose  feet, and a snake's tail. To appear more  frightening,  he 
     also exhales fire and rides upon a dragon of hell.

     It  is said that Asmodeus is not to be feared.  When you  say  to 
     him:  "In truth thou art Asmodeus," he will give you a  wonderful 
     ring.   He  will teach you geometry,  arithmetic,  astronomy  and 
     mechanics. When questioned, he answers truthfully. 

     The  other  demons  tempt people away from the  true  worship  of 
     Mazda.   They  are  Paromaiti - Arrogance, Mitox  -  The  Falsely 
     Spoken  Word,  Zaurvan - Decrepitude, Akatasa  -  Meddlesomeness, 
     Vereno - Lust. 

     Much  of the current day Christian beliefs were taken  from  this 
     man's  religion.  (That of good and evil forces, the  redemption, 
     the "savior" factor, etc.)

     From  here, let us move on to Egypt where we will look  at  other 
     mystical symbols and more history of magic and the craft.

     The Sphinx was a mythological creature with lion's body and human 
     head,  an important image in Egyptian and Greek art  and  legend.  
     The  word sphinx was derived by Greek grammarians from  the  verb 
     sphingein (to bind or squeeze), but the etymology is not  related 
     to the legend and is dubious.

     The winged sphinx of Boeotian Thebes, the most famous in  legend, 
     was said to have terrorized the people by demanding the answer to 
     a riddle. If the person answered incorrectly, he or she was eaten 
     by  the sphinx.  It is said that Oedipus answered properly  where 
     upon the sphinx killed herself.  



                                                                             795

     The  earliest  and  most famous example in art  is  the  colossal 
     Sphinx  at Giza, Egypt.  It dates from the reign of  King  Khafre 
     (4th king of 4th dynasty; c. 2550 b.c.)

     The  Sphinx did not occur in Mesopotamia until around  1500  b.c. 
     when  it was imported from the Levant.  In appearance, the  Asian 
     sphinx differed from its Egyptian model mostly in the addition of 
     wings  to the leonine body.  This feature continued  through  its 
     history in Asia and the Greek world.  

     Another  version  of  the sphinx was that of  the  female.   This 
     appeared  in  the  15th  century  b.c.  on  seals,  ivories   and 
     metalworkings.   They  were  portrayed in  the  sitting  position 
     usually  with one paw raised.  Frequently, they were seen with  a 
     lion, griffin or another sphinx.

     The  appearance of the sphinx on temples and the like  eventually 
     lead  to a possible interpretation of the sphinx as a  protective 
     symbol as well as a philosophical one.

     The Sphinx rests at the foot of the 3 pyramids of Khufu,  Khafre, 
     and  Menkure.  It talons stretch over the city of the dead as  it 
     guards its secrets.

     The myth goes that a prince who later became Thutmose IV, took  a 
     nap in the shadow of the half-submerged Sphinx. As he slept,  the 
     Sun-god (whom the Sphinx represents, appeared to him in a  dream.  
     Speaking  to  him  as a son, he told the  prince  that  he  would 
     succeed to the throne and enjoy a long and happy reign.  He urged 
     the prince to have the Sphinx cleared of the sand.

     In his book on Isis and Osiris, Plutarch  (A.D. 45-126) says that 
     the  Sphinx  symbolizes  the  secret  of  occult  wisdom,  though 
     Plutarch  never unveiled the mysteries of the Sphinx. It is  said 
     that  the magic of the Sphinx lies within the thousands of  hands 
     that chiseled at the rock.  The thoughts of countless generations 
     dwell  in it; numberless conjurations and rites have built up  in 
     it  a mighty protective spirit, a soul that still  inhabits  this 
     time-scarred giant. 

     Another  well know superstition of the peoples of  Ancient  Egypt 
     was that regarding their dead.

     They believed that in the West lies the World of the Dead,  where 
     the Sun-god disappears every evening.  The departed were referred 
     to as "Westerners." It was believed that, disguised as birds, the 
     dead  soar into the sky where in his heavenly barge Ra, the  Sun-
     god,  awaits them and transforms them into stars to  travel  with 
     him through the vault of the heavens.



                                                                             796

     The  cult of the dead reached it's height when it  incorporated 
     the  Osiris  myth.   Osiris was born to  save  mankind.   At  his 
     nativity,  a voice was heard proclaiming that the Lord  had  come 
     into  the world (sound familiar?).  But his  brother/father  Seth 
     shut  him  up  in  a chest which he carried to  the  sea  by  the 
     Tanaitic mouth of the Nile.  Isis brought him back to life.  Seth 
     then scattered his body all over the place.  It is said that Isis 
     fastened  the limbs together with the help of the  gods  Nephtis, 
     Thoth, and Horus, her son.  Fanning the body with her wings,  and 
     through  her magic, Osiris rose again to reign as king  over  the 
     dead.  

     The  Egyptian  believed that a person had two souls.   The  soul 
     known  as Ba is the one that progressed into the afterlife  while 
     the  Ka  remains  with the mummy. The Ka is believed  to  live  a 
     magical  life  within  the  grave.   Thus  the  Egyptians  placed 
     miniature belongings of the deceased into the tomb.  Such items as 
     images, statuettes, imitation utensils, and miniature houses  take 
     the place of the real thing.  They believed that the Ka would use 
     these  as  the real item because the  mortuary  priests  possessed 
     magic that would make them real for the dead. 

     The priests believed that the gods could be deceived, menaced and 
     forced  into  obedience.   They had such trust in  the  power  of 
     magic,  the  virtue of the spoken word,  the  irresistibility  of 
     magic gestures and other ritual, that they hoped to bend even the 
     good  gods  to their will.  They would bring retribution  to  the 
     deities  who  failed  to  deal leniently  with  the  dead.   They 
     threatened  to  shoot lightning into the are of Shu, god  of  the 
     air, who would then no longer be able to support the sky-goddess, 
     and  her star-sown body would collapse, disrupting the  order  of 
     all things. 

     When Ikhnaton overthrew the Egyptian gods and demons, making  the 
     cult  of the One God Aton, a state religion, he  also  suppressed 
     mortuary magic.  Ikhnaton did not believe in life after death.

     As  Christianity  became  a part of this nation,  there  is  much 
     evidence to show where the Christians of the time, and the pagans 
     lived peacefully together.

     In  theology, the differences between early Christians,  Gnostics 
     (members  -  often  Christian - of dualistic  sects  of  the  2nd 
     century  a.d.), and pagan Hermeticists were slight.  In  the  large 
     Gnostic  library  discovered at Naj'Hammadi, in upper  Egypt,  in 
     1945,  Hermetic writings were found side by side  with  Christian 
     Gnostic  texts.   The  doctrine of the  soul  taught  in  Gnostic 
     communities was almost identical to that taught in the mysteries: 
     the soul emanated from the Father, fell into the body, and had to 
     return to its former home.   

     It was not until later in Rome that things took a change for  the 
     worse.  Which moves us on to Greece.



                                                                             797

     The doctrinal similarity is exemplified in the case of the  pagan 
     writer  and  philosopher  Synesius.  When the  people  of  Cyrene 
     wanted  the  most able man of the city to be their  bishop,  they 
     chose  Synesius,  a  pagan. He was able to  accept  the  election 
     without  sacrificing  his  intellectual honesty.   In  his  pagan 
     period,  he  wrote  hymns that follow the fire  theology  of  the 
     Chaldean Oracles.  Later he wrote hymns to Christ.  The  doctrine 
     is almost identical. 

     To  attempt to demonstrate this...let's go to some  BASIC  tenets 
     and beliefs of the two religions:

                             Christian Beliefs

     The 10 Commandments 

     1.) You shall have no other gods before me.

     To the Christian, this means there will be no other God.  Yet, in 
     the bible, the phrase is plural.  I does not state that you  will 
     not  have another god, it says that you will have no  other  gods 
     before the Christian God.

     In  the case of the later, it could be interpreted to  mean  that 
     whereas other gods can be recognized, as a Christian, this person 
     should  place YHVH ahead of all gods recognizing him/her  as  the 
     supreme being of all. 

     2.) You shall not worship idols

     Actually,  what it says in the New International Version is  "You 
     shall  not make for yourself an idol in the form of  anything  in 
     heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  You 
     shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord  your 
     God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of  the 
     fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate  me, 
     but   showing  love  to  thousands  who  love  me  and  keep   my 
     commandments. 

     3.) You shall not take the name of the lord in vain.

     This one is pretty self explanatory.  When a person is calling on 
     the lord he/she is asking the lord for guidance or action.  Thus, 
     the phrase "God damn it!" can be translated into a person  asking 
     the  lord  to condemn whatever "it" is to hell.  The  phrase  "To 
     damn"  means  to  condemn to hell.   In  modern  society,  several 
     phrases such as the following are common usage:
          "Oh God!", "God forbid!", "God damn it!", "God have mercy!"
     Each  of these is asking God to perform some act upon or for  the 
     speaker with the exception of "Oh God!" which is asking for  Gods 
     attention. 



                                                                             798

     4.) Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.

     Depending on which religion you are looking at (i.e. Jewish, from 
     which  the 10 commandments come; or Christianity,  which  adapted 
     them  for their use as well.) the Sabbath is either  Saturday  or 
     Sunday.   You  may also take a look at the  various  mythological 
     pantheons  to  correlate which is the first and last days  of  the 
     week...(i.e. Sun - Sunday.. Genesis 1:3 "And God said, "Let there 
     be  light,'  and there was light., Moon - Monday..  Genesis  1:14 
     "And  God said,"Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky  to 
     separate  the day from the night, and let them serve as signs  to 
     mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the 
     expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 
     God  made two great lights - the greater light to govern the  day 
     and  the  lesser  light to govern the night.  He  also  made  the 
     stars."  Thus the Sun was created first.  With the day of the Sun 
     being  the first in the week, then Saturday would be the  7th  or 
     Sabbath. 

     5.) Honor thy mother and thy father.

     This  is  another that is fairly self explanatory.   It  is  any 
     parent's  right  after spending the time to raise you  to  expect 
     that you respect them.  

     6.) You shall not murder.

     This does not say "You shall not murder...except in my name."  It 
     says YOU SHALL NOT MURDER. PERIOD. Out of the 10 commandments,  I 
     have found that over the course of history, this one has been the 
     most  ignored.   As we look as the spread  of  Christianity  from 
     around 300 A.D. forward, we find that as politics moved into  the 
     church  and  those  in charge of man's "souls"  were  given  more 
     control that this one commandment sort of went out the window. 

     We  see  such things as the Crusades, the  inquisition,  and  the 
     dominating fear that was placed into the Christian "psyche"  that 
     one should destroy that which is not like you.

     Even  though  we here stories about the "witch trials",  and  the 
     "witch  burnings" etc....There were actually very  few  "Witches" 
     tried  or  burned.   Most  of  these  poor  souls  were  that  of 
     Protestant  beliefs  (Against  the  Catholic  Church)  yet  still 
     maintained that they were Christians. But...more on this later. 

     7.) You shall not commit adultery.

     You  can  look  up the meaning in the dictionary,  and  this  one 
     becomes  pretty self-evident.  What it comes down to is  that  no 
     person who has ever been divorced can marry again, and you  don't 
     have sex with someone that you are not married to. 



                                                                             799

     8.) You shall not steal.

     Again, enough said. However...don't go looking at Constantine  to 
     be  obeying this one!  The Pagan temples were looted to make  his 
     coinage.

     9.) You shall not give false witness against thy neighbor

     Again,  during the times of the inquisition, this also  went  out 
     the window.  Such tools as torture were used to pull  confessions 
     from  these  poor  people who then  signed  statements  that  the 
     inquisitors  had written up saying that they freely  signed  this 
     document.   Of course...the inquisitors stated that  this  person 
     was  not tortured, but it was his clever wit that  had  extracted 
     this confession.  

     It  was  also  during this time that persons,  refusing  to  take 
     responsibility  for their own actions or accept that nature  does 
     in  fact  create strange  circumstances...(i.e.  drought,  flood, 
     etc.)  and  the resulting illness and  bug  infestations.   Very 
     often,  as the Witch-craze developed stronger, the  one  neighbor 
     would  accuse another of Witchcraft and destroying the fields  or 
     making their child sick, or whatever. 

     10.)You shall not covet your neighbor.

     On  the  surface, this one is pretty  self  explanatory.   Don't 
     crave your neighbor's possessions.  Yes...I can relate this  back 
     to  the inquisitional times as well since most of  the  accused's 
     property   reverted   back  to  the  Catholic  church   at   this 
     time...there  were  several accused and convicted  of  Witchcraft 
     simply because they would not sell their property to the  church. 
     However...How  does  this effect persons today?  How  far  do  we 
     carry the "Thou shalt not covet..."?  This can be even so much as 
     a want, however is it a sin to want a toy like your neighbor has?  
     If so...we're all in trouble.  How many of us "want" that Porsche 
     that  we see driving down the road?  Or how about that  beautiful 
     house  that we just drove past?  Do we carry this commandment  to 
     this extreme?  If so...I pity the person that can live by it  for 
     what that would say is "Thou shalt not DREAM." 



                                                                             800

                              Wiccan Beliefs

     Since the religion of Wicca (or Witchcraft) is so diverse in it's 
     beliefs,  I have included several documents here  that  encompass 
     the majority of the traditions involved.  Again, this is simply a 
     basis...NOT the be all and end all.

                                Wiccan Rede

                       Bide ye wiccan laws you must,
                     in perfect love and perfect trust
                       Live ye must and let to live,
                        fairly take and fairly give
                        For the circle thrice about
                       to keep unwelcome spirits out
                     To bind ye spell well every time,
                      let the spell be spake in rhyme
                      Soft of eye and light of touch,
                       speak ye little, listen much
                       Deosil go by the waxing moon,
                       chanting out ye baleful tune
                        When ye Lady's moon is new,
                       kiss ye hand to her times two
                      When ye moon rides at her peak,
                        then ye heart's desire seek
                     Heed the north winds mighty gale,
                      lock the door and trim the sail
                    When the wind comes from the south,
                     love will kiss thee on the mouth
                    When the wind blows from the east,
                     expect the new and set the feast.
                      Nine woods in the cauldron go,
                     burn them fast and burn them slow
                         Elder be ye Lady's tree,
                      burn it not or cursed ye'll be
                      WHen the wheel begins to turn,
                      soon ye Beltane fires will burn
                     When the wheel hath turned a Yule
                    light the log the Horned One rules
                      Heed ye flower, bush and tree,
                          by the Lady blessed be
                       Where the rippling waters go,
                    cast a stone, the truth ye'll know
                       When ye have and hold a need,
                        harken not to others greed
                       With a fool no season spend,
                        or be counted as his friend
                        Merry meet and merry part,
                   bright the cheeks and warm the heart.
                      Mind ye threefold law ye should
                   three times bad and three times good
                         When misfortune is enow,
                        wear the star upon thy brow
                        True in love my ye ever be,
                      lest thy love be false to thee
                These eight words the wiccan rede fulfill;
                     An harm ye none, do what ye will. 
