While there isn't a place to respond in the articles section
of "Llewellyn" I though I may as well post it here...more people
would probably read it here as opposed to there anyways
1. Taking Self-Responsibility
Yes, I agree that a Witch must be responsible for his/her
actions and speech. But I don't think it should only be limited to those who
practice Witchcraft, but for EVERYONE in the world. It's so easy to place blame
upon another person (or in this case a creation as the author uses the
"Devil" as an example), especially if that "person" has no
voice to defend him/herself. Responsiblity is a big thing...something no one
wants to take, especially if they've royally screwed up.
Witches must remember that we have something most people
don't: a broader understanding and a unique education system, therefore we know
a lot more than some people, and knowledge is power. With great power comes
great responsiblity. Let us always keep this in mind.
2. Living with Nature
Firstly, I just want to note, it's not that Witches
"choose to reconginze that we are part of nature"..many Witches
realize that they were a part of nature all along, they had just been told we
are a separate entity, thanks to other organized belief systems, and many
scientific theories. They don't "choose" to identify with
nature...their eyes have been opened to the realization of their inevitable
interconnectedness was there straight from the start.
Now, it's just as important for the mundane society to
recognize the benefits of nature, as it is for Witches. Because we possess this
greater knowledge, it may be our responsibility to perhaps make those mundane
people understand the value that is in nature.
However, I wish to say this: My Dear Llwellyn. Not all
Witches believe in deity figures. Witchcraft is NOT a religious system, though
it is flexible enough to be able to incorporate religious elements if the
individual practitioner so wishes. Witchcraft is a practice. It does not
require religious elements for successful practice. I'd say that it's quite
naive to believe all Witches believe in some form of deity figure. Deities are
more of a religious context, and are more fitting within a religoius setting,
rather than in a craft setting. You don't see chefs worshipping the God of
Cooking as they prepare meals, do you? Why would you assume that all Witches
worship the deity of Witchcraft as they work their craft? There IS a such thing
as an atheistic Witch!
As for changing our ways...yes, while we as humans need to
realize that the actions we take against nature may ultimately destroy her
beauty, we also must realize that nature will not allow that to happen to her.
Once fed up with her creatures poking, and digging at her, she retaliates with
a fierce force. We must understand that Nature is a far more powerful force than
us mere mortals. We can't win over her, thus should attain to live in harmony
WITH her.
3. Facing our Shadow Side
I'll agree that Witches need to face the dark side of
ourselves AS WELL as our lighted side. To maintain a balance (as so many claim
they do), they need to understand that life isn't always pretty roses and
colorful rainbows. Our lives are filled with fierce storms and rough
earthquakes too, and there's nothing wrong with acknowledging those in our
lives.
I can admit to the many earth shattering events in my life,
and know that they have indeed allowed me to grow as a person. They have not
beaten me down, and I look back fondly on those memories and know with great
pride that they have made me a better person. The dark side of our lives isn't
necessarily something bad, or something we must shun away We can embrace our
darker selves to gain a greater knowledge ABOUT ourselves. We shouldn't force
it into the light and turn it into fluffy clouds...that breaks us down into
something sterile and plastic. Embrace the dark, for without the dark, we have
no light.
4. Following a Different Ethic
The first line of this point, to me sounds a LOT like a Christian priest during his homily or sermon:
"Too many people follow laws and commandments without living in the spirit
from which they sprang. Some do what is right only because they fear
judgement."
No offense intended here, but from what I see, that's almost
exactly what the Rede sounds like. For the most part, particularly with
newbies, they follow the rede almost literally "An it Harm None, Do As
Thou Will", and they only follow this for fear of the reprocussions of
what will happen if they DO harm; the "Karma" that follows (please
see my post on Karma for my views on the New Aged ideas of Karma).
I also think it's naive to assume ALL Witches are Wiccan. I
say this only because of the automatic assumption that people (particularly the
authors of this post) believe all Witches adhere to the "Wiccan Rede"
(I quote directly from this piece: "Witches live by the Rede, "An it
harm none, do as ye will"). For one to follow the Wiccan Rede, one would
have to be a Wiccan. Not all Witches practice Wicca and DEFINITELY come from
varied backgrounds ranging from Christian to Norse, Celtic to Eclectic (and
continues on from there, of course).
While some may have similar beliefs to the Rede, that
doesn't mean they adhere to the Rede itself. Many Witches adhere to their own
form of ethics; for instance mine is "to be responsible for my actions and
to accept the consequences OF those actions". This ethic, while not as
poetic or short as the Rede, simply means that I can do what I feel is
necessary, being negative OR positive, and by taking whatever actions I do, I
must accept what comes of it. THIS requires me to think hard about the actions
I am about to take; to determine if the action is necessary. The Rede merely
determines harmless actions, and allows the follower to perform whatever
harmless actions they wish. I prefer to be able to perform both harmless AND
harmful actions, based on the degree of need, of which **I** determine, without
the guilt trip hanging over my head. I don't need a guilt trip; I need to
assume responsibility.
Naturally there are those who will try their hardest to live
a harm-free life; and there will also be those who wish to inflict as much harm
as they can. The adherence also to a Threefold law also doesn't resonate with
all Witches. Not all Witches believe that what's sent out returns in a
pre-determined amount (I know I don't). Not all Witches believe ANYTHING
returns, while some believe what's sent out returne multiple times until the
person learns their lesson. The fact of the matter is...to lump all Witches
into one category doesn't help anyone. Witchcraft is an eclectic system, no
matter how hard we try to label each system within. Each individual; each
"tradition" is as varied as the next one. There's nothing wrong with
all Witches "marching to the beat of their own drum", so I don't see
the need for everyone to try to force us to "dance" to the exact same
"song". We all just don't have the same "rhythm". Why is
that so hard to accept???
5. Being Free
"As Witches we must think for ourselves, and refuse to
be guided by...dogmatic religions or political ideologues."
I agree wholeheartedly with this excerpt. However, for us
Witches (Witches, not Wiccans) to be able to live as freely as you suggest...Wiccans
CAN'T be confining us to THEIR ethic. Just because we do not follow the Rede
DOESN'T mean we have no ethic. The Rede is NOT the only acceptable Pagan ethic
around, so Wiccans MUST STOP assuming it is. They are at risk of being
Christian-like in their ideals about proper ethics and beliefs. This will be a
hinderance, not a help to those who practice Non-Wiccan Pagan religions.
Being free means finding our OWN beliefs, rules and
practices; following what feels right to US, not what's determined by one
group.
6. Having Faith
I think faith doesn't always have to be reflective of a
religious belief. One can have faith in themselves, in their ability, in
others, etc and not have that mean they're focused only on the religious
aspects of those things.
7. Living in a Wider Reality
It doesn't necessarily take a "special kind of
mind" to imagine such a reality...everyone has the ability to understand
that the universe is vast and expansive, that goes far beyond our five senses.
The problem lies in those who undermine such understandings. Those who must
bring people "back to reality" (or their idea of reality), claiming
that science explains all and that everything in this universe has some sort of
explanation, when the fact is, not everything that exists in this universe can
be explained. There are most definitely things, events and abilities that are
unexplainable...just because we can't explain why or what these things are,
doesn't mean they don't exist. We can't explain how we as a species got on to
this planet (we have theories, both religious and scientific, but they're still
just theories), does this mean we don't exist?
8. Working Magic
Again this author seems to want to separate Witches from the
"average" person. Witches are no more unnatural than anyone else in
this world. We carry no more "power" than anyone else, the only
difference between us and "average" people is we have taken the time
to learn how to use what we all have inside to achieve the goals we set out for
ourselves, using unconventional means. It does take a long time of study and
practice to become proficient in Witchcraft and working magic...it doesn't come
overnight, or after reciting one spell...but because of our study, and
dedication, this doesn't separate us from "average" people, because
they can learn it just as well as any of us.
9. Transforming Ourselves
Change is a hard thing to accept, even for us
Witches...therefore for the author of this piece to claim "we embrace
change instead of wanting things to stay the same" is somewhat erroneous.
It would be better for her to say we embrace change, some of the time, as we
are all humans and sometimes cannot always accept change, whether for the good
or bad.
I think the ultimate goal for us as Witches is to make the
transition in change as smoothly as we can (however difficult some can be).
Change is inevitable and doesn't always have to be painful, because even some
change can be a wonderful thing.
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