Shalom, here is some accurate information about wicca, Christianity and the Devil published by the U.S. Army to guide its chaplains in ministering to the troops:
Excerpt from the U.S. Army's Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook
for Chaplains (pgs 231-236). Available from:
USAF Chaplain's Service Institute
Resource Division
525 Chenault Circle
Maxwell AFB
Montgomery, AL 36112-6429
Yes, I know it's an Army publication and an Air Force source, but that's life.
Begin Transcribed Text
WICCA
ADDRESS: No central address. Wiccan worship groups, called covens, are essentially autonomous. Many, but far
from all, have affiliated with:
Covenant of the Goddess
P.O. Box 1226
Berkeley, CA 94704
OTHER NAMES BY WHICH KNOWN: Witchcraft; Goddess worshippers; Neo-Paganism, Paganism, Norse
(or any other ethnic designation) Paganism, Earth Religion, Old Religion, Druidism, Shamanism. Note: All of these
groups have some basic similarities and many surface differences of expression with Wicca.
LEADERSHIP: No central leadership. The Covenant of the Goddess annually elects a First Officer and there is a
constitutional limit of two consecutive terms, but in practice officers have almost always served for one year only. In
1991, there are two co-First Officers, Phoenix Whitebirch and Brandy Williams.
MEMBERSHIP: Because of the complete autonomy of covens, this cannot be determined. There are an estimated
of 50,000 Wiccans in the United States.
HISTORICAL ORIGIN: Wicca is a reconstruction of the Nature worship of tribal Europe, strongly influenced by
the living Nature worship traditions of tribal peoples in other parts of the world. The works of such early twentieth
century writers as Margaret Murray, Robert Graves and Gerald B. Gardner began the renewal of interest in the Old
Religion. After the repeal of the anti-Witchcraft laws in Britain in 1951, Gardner publicly declared himself a Witch
and began to gather a group of students and worshipers. In 1962, two of his students, Raymond and Rosemary
Buckland (religious names: Lady Rowen and Robat), emigrated to the United States and began teaching Gardnerian
Witchcraft here. At the same time, other groups of people became interested through reading books by Gardner and
others. Many covens were spontaneously formed, using rituals created from a combination of research and individual
inspiration. These self-created covens are today regarded as just as valid as those who can trace a "lineage" of
teaching back to England. In 1975, a very diverse group of covens who wanted to secure the legal protections and
benefits of church status formed Covenant of the Goddess (CoG), which is incorporated in the State of California
and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. CoG does not represent all, or even a majority of Wiccans. A
coven or an individual need not be affiliated with CoG in order to validly practice the religion. But CoG is the largest
single public Wiccan organization, and it is cross-Traditional (i.e. non-denominational).
BASIC BELIEFS: Wiccans worship the sacred as immanent in Nature, often personified as Mother Earth and
Father Sky. As polytheists, they may use many other names for Deity. Individuals will often choose Goddesses or
Gods from any of the world's pantheons whose stories are particularly inspiring and use those Deities as a focus for
personal devotions. Similarly, covens will use particular Deity names as a group focus, and these are often held
secret by the groups. It is very important to be aware that Wiccans do not in any way worship or believe in
"Satan," "the Devil," or any similar entities. They point out that "Satan" is a symbol of rebellion against
and inversion of the Christian and Jewish traditions. Wiccans do not revile the Bible. They simply regard it as
one among many of the world's mythic systems, less applicable than some to their core values, but still deserving just
as much respect as any of the others. Most Wiccan groups also practice magic, by which they mean the direction
and use of "psychic energy," those natural but invisible forces which surround all living things. Some members spell
the word "magick," to distinguish it from sleight of hand entertainments. Wiccans employ such means as dance,
chant, creative visualization and hypnosis to focus and direct psychic energy for the purpose of healing, protecting
and aiding members in various endeavors. Such assistance is also extended to non-members upon request. Many,
but not all, Wiccans believe in reincarnation. Some take this as a literal description of what happens to people when
they die. For others, it is a symbolic model that helps them deal with the cycles and changes within this life. Neither
Reincarnation nor any other literal belief can be used as a test of an individual's validity as a member of the Old
Religion. Most groups have a handwritten collection of rituals and lore, known as a Book of Shadows. Part of the
religious education of a new member will be to hand copy this book for him or herself. Over they years, as
inspiration provides, new material will be added. Normally, access to these books is limited to initiated members of
the religion.
PRACTICES AND BEHAVIORAL STANDARDS: The core ethical statement of Wicca, called the "Wiccan
Rede" states "an it harm none, do what you will." The rede fulfills the same function as does the "Golden Rule" for
Jews and Christians; all other ethical teachings are considered to be elaborations and applications of the Rede. It is a
statement of situational ethics, emphasizing at once the individual's responsibility to avoid harm to others and the
widest range of personal autonomy in "victimless" activities. Wicca has been described as having a "high-choice"
ethic. Because of the basic Nature orientation of the religion, many Wiccans will regard all living things as Sacred,
and show a special concern for ecological issues. For this reason, individual conscience will lead some to take a
pacifist position. Some are vegetarians. Others will feel that, as Nature's Way includes self-defense, they should
participate in wars that they conscientiously consider to be just. The religion does not dictate either position, but
requires each member to thoughtfully and meditatively examine her or his own conscience and to live by it. Social
forces generally do not yet allow Witches to publicly declare their religious faith without fear of reprisals such as loss
of job, child custody challenges, ridicule, etc. Prejudice against Wiccans is the result of public confusion between
Witchcraft and Satanism. Wiccans in the military, especially those who may be posted in countries perceived to be
particularly intolerant, will often have their dogtags read "No Religious Preference." Concealment is a traditional
Wiccan defense against persecution, so non-denominational dogtags should not contravene a member's request for
religious services. Wiccans celebrate eight festivals, called "Sabbats," as a means of attunement to the seasonal
rhythms of Nature. These are January 31 (Called Oimelc, Brigit, or February Eve), March 21 (Ostara or Spring
Equinox), April 30 (Beltane or May Eve), June 22 (Midsummer, Litha or Summer Solstice), July 31 (Lunasa or
Lammas), September 21 (Harvest, Mabon or Autumn Equinox), October 31 (Samhain, Sowyn or Hallows), and
December 21 (Yule or Winter Solstice.) Some groups find meetings within a few days of those dates to be
acceptable, others require the precise date. In addition, most groups will meet for worship at each Full Moon, and
many will also meet on the New Moon. Meetings for religious study will often be scheduled at any time convenient to
the members, and rituals can be scheduled whenever there is a need (i.e. for a healing). Ritual jewelry is particularly
important to many Wiccans. In addition to being a symbol of religious dedication, these talismans are often blessed
by the coven back home and felt to carry the coven's protective and healing energy.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE: Most Wiccans meet with a coven, a small group of people. Each coven is
autonomous. Most are headed by a High Priestess, often with the assistance of a High Priest. Some are headed by a
High Priestess or High Priest without a partner, and some regard themselves as a gathering of equals. Covens can be
of mixed gender, or all female or male, depending on the preferences of the members. Every initiate is considered to
be a priestess or priest. Most covens are small. Thirteen is the traditional maximum number of members, although not
an absolute limit. At that size covens form a close bond, so Wiccans in the military are likely to maintain a strong
affiliation with their covens back home. There are many distinct "Traditions" of Wicca, just as there are many
denominations within Christianity. The spectrum of Wiccan practice can be described as ranging from "traditional" to
"eclectic," with Traditions, covens and individuals fitting anywhere within that range. A typical difference would be
that more traditional groups would tend to follow a set liturgy, whereas eclectic groups would emphasize immediate
inspiration in worship. These distinctions are not particularly important to the military chaplain, since it is unlikely that
enough members of any one Tradition would be at the same base. Worship circles at military facilities are likely to be
ad-hoc cross-Traditional groups, working out compromise styles of worship for themselves and constantly adapting
them to a changing membership. Therefore, the lack of strict adherence to the patterns of any one Tradition is not an
indicator of invalidity. While many Wiccans meet in a coven, there are also a number of solitairies. These are
individuals who choose to practice their faith alone. The may have been initiated in a coven or self initiated. They will
join with other Wiccans to celebrate the festivals or to attend the various regional events organized by the larger
community.
ROLE OF MINISTERS: Within a traditional coven, the High Priestess, usually assisted by her High Priest, serves
both as leader in the rituals and as teacher and counselor for coven members and unaffiliated Pagans. Eclectic
covens tend to share leadership more equally.
WORSHIP: Wiccans usually worship in groups. Individuals who are currently not affiliated with a coven, or are
away from their home coven, may choose to worship privately or may form ad-hoc groups to mark religious
occasions. Non-participating observers are not generally welcome at Wiccan rituals. Some, but not all, Wiccan
covens worship in the nude ("skyclad") as a sign of attunement with Nature. Most, but not all, Wiccan covens bless
and share a cup of wine as part of the ritual. Almost all Wiccans use an individual ritual knife (an "athame") to focus
and direct personal energy. Covens often also have ritual swords to direct the energy of the group. These tools, like
all other ritual tools, are highly personal and should never leave the possession of the owner. Other commonly used
ritual tools include a bowl of water, a bowl of salt, a censer with incense, a disk with symbols engraved on it (a
"pentacle"), statues or artwork representing the Goddess and God, and candles. Most groups will bless and share
bread or cookies along with the wine. All of these items are used in individual, private worship as well as in
congregate rituals.
DIETARY LAWS OR RESTRICTIONS: None.
FUNERAL AND BURIAL REQUIREMENTS: None. Recognition of the death of a member takes place
within the coven, apart from the body of the deceased. Ritual tools, materials, or writings found among the effects of
the deceased should be returned to their home coven (typically a member will designate a person to whom ritual
materials should be sent). It is desirable for a Wiccan priest or priestess to be present at the time of death, but not
strictly necessary. If not possible, the best assistance would be to make the member as comfortable as possible,
listen to whatever they have to say, honor any possible requests, and otherwise leave them as quiet and private as
possible.
MEDICAL TREATMENT: No medical restrictions. Wiccans generally believe in the efficacy of spiritual or
psychic healing when done in tandem with standard medical treatment. Therefore, at the request of the patient, other
Wiccan personnel should be allowed visiting privileges as though they were immediate family, including access to
Intensive Care Units. Most Wiccans believe that healing energy can be sent from great distances, so, if possible, in
the case of any serious medical condition, the member's home coven should be notified.
OTHER: With respect to attitude toward military service, Wiccans range from career military personnel to
conscientious objectors. Wiccans do not proselytize and generally resent those who do. They believe that no one
Path to the Sacred is right for all people, and see their own religious pattern as only one among many that are equally
worthy. Wiccans respect all religions that foster honor and compassion in their adherents, and expect the same
respect. Members are encouraged to learn about all faiths, and are permitted to attend the services of other religions,
should they desire to do so.
GENERAL SOURCE BOOKS:
The best general survey of the Wiccan and neo-Pagan movement is: Adler, Margot. Drawing Down the Moon.
Boston: Beacon Press, 1986. 595pp
For more specific information about eclectic Wicca, see: Starhawk. The Spiral Dance. New York: Harper & Row,
1979.
For more specific information about traditional Wicca, see:
Farrar, Janet, and Stewart Farrar. Eight Sabbats for Witches. London: Robert Hale, 1981. 192pp.
______________. The Witches' Way. London: Robert Hale, 1984. 394pp.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Pagan Military Newsletter c/o Terri Morgan, Editor, 829 Lynnhaven Parkway 114-198 Virginia Beach, VA 23452
Because of the autonomy of each coven and the wide variance of specific ritual practices, the best contact person
would be the High Priestess or other leader of the member's home coven.
Return to RavensWing's Homepage
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Now, here is an essay by a leading modern witch, Starhawk, who teaches on the faculty of a Catholic university in Northern California, incidentally. Please tell me what is evil about any of these beliefs, Shalom:
From earliest times,i women have been witches, wicce, "wise ones"-priestesses,
diviners, midwives,
poets, healers, and singers of songs of power. Woman-centered culture, based on the
worship of the Great
Goddess, underlies the beginnings of all civilization. Mother Goddess was carved on
the walls of paleolithic caves,
and painted in the shrines of the earliest cities, those of the Anatolian plateau. For her
were raised the giant stone
circles, the henges of the British Isles, the dolmens and cromlechs of the later Celtic
countries, and for her the great
passage graves of Ireland were dug. In her honor, sacred dancers leaped the bulls in
Crete and composed lyric
hymns within the colleges of the holy isles of the Mediterranean. Her mysteries were
celebrated in secret rites at
Eleusis, and her initiates included some of the finest minds of Greece. Her priestesses
discovered and tested the
healing herbs and learned the secrets of the human mind and body that allowed them to
ease the pain of childbirth, to
heal wounds and cure diseases, and to explore the realm of dreams and the
unconscious. Their knowledge of nature
enabled them to tame sheep and cattle, to breed wheat and corn from grasses and
weeds, to forge ceramics from
mud and metal from rock, and to track the movements of moon, stars, and sun.
Witchcraft, "the craft of the wise," is
the last remnant in the west of the time of women's strength and power. Through the
dark ages of persecution, the
covens of Europe preserved what is left of the mythology, rituals, and knowledge of
the ancient matricentric
(mothercentered) times. The great centers of worship in Anatolia, Malta, Iberia,
Brittany, and Sumeria are now only
silent stones and works of art we can but dimly understand. Of the mysteries of
Eleusis, we have literary hints; the
poems of Sappho survive only in fragments. The great collections of early literature and
science were destroyed by
patriarchal forces-the library of Alexandria burnt by Caesar, Charlemagne's collection
of lore burnt by his son Louis
"the Pious," who was offended at its "paganism." But the craft remains, in spite of all
efforts to stamp it out, as a living
tradition of Goddess-centered worship that traces its roots back to the time before the
triumph of patriarchy. The old
religion of witchcraft before the advent of Christianity, was an earth-centered,
nature-oriented worship that
venerated the Goddess, the source of life, as well as her son-lover-consort, who was
seen as the Horned God of the
hunt and animal life. Earth, air, water, fire, streams, seas, wells, beasts, trees, grain, the
planets, sun, and most of all,
the moon, were seen as aspects of deity. On the great seasonal festivals-the solstices
and equinoxes, and the eves of
May, August, November, and February,-all the countryside would gather to light huge
bonfires, feast, dance, sing,
and perform the rituals that assured abundance throughout the year. When Christianity
first began to spread, the
country people held to the old ways, and for hundreds of years the two faiths coexisted
quite peacefully. Many
people followed both religions, and country priests in the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries were frequently upbraided
by church authorities for dressing in skins and leading the dance at the pagan festivals.
But in the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries, the church began persecution of witches, as well as Jews and
"heretical" thinkers. Pope
Innocent the VIII, with his Bull of 1484, intensified a campaign of torture and death
that would take the lives of an
estimated 9 million people, perhaps 80 percent of whom were women. The vast
majority of victims were not coven
members or even necessarily witches. They were old widows whose property was
coveted by someone else, young
children with "witch blood," midwives who furnished the major competition to the
male-dominated medical
profession, free-thinkers who asked the wrong questions. An enormous campaign of
propaganda accompanied the
witch trials as well. Witches were said to have sold their souls to the devil, to practice
obscene and disgusting rites,
to blight crops and murder children. In many areas, the witches did worship a Horned
God as the spirit of the hunt,
of animal life and vitality, a concept far from the power of evil that was the Christian
devil. Witches were free and
open about sexuality-but their rites were "obscene" only to those who viewed the
human body itself as filthy and evil.
Questioning or disbelieving any of the slander was itself considered proof of witchcraft
or heresy, and the falsehoods
that for hundreds of years could not be openly challenged had their effect. Even today,
the word wl'tch is often
automatically associated with "evil." With the age of reason in the eighteenth century,
belief in witches, as in all things
psychic and supernatural, began to fade. The craft as a religion was forgotten; all that
remained were the wild stories
of broomstick flights, magic potions, and the summoning of spectral beings. Memory of
the true craft faded
everywhere except within the hidden covens. With it, went the memory of women's
heritage and history, of our
ancient roles as leaders, teachers, healers, seers. Lost, also, was the conception of the
Great Spirit, as manifest in
nature, in life, in woman. Mother Goddess slept, leaving the world to the less than
gentle rule of the God-Father. The
Goddess has at last stirred from sleep, and women are reawakening to our ancient
power. The feminist movement,
which began as a political, economic, and social struggle, is opening to a spiritual
dimension. In the process, many
women are discovering the old religion, reclaiming the word wl'tch and, with it, some of
our lost culture. Witchcraft,
today, is a kaleidoscope of diverse traditions, rituals, theologies, and structures. But
underneath the varying forms is
a basic orientation common to all the craft. The outer forms of religion-the particular
words said, the signs made, the
names used-are less important to us than the inner forms, which cannot be defined or
described but must be felt and
intuited.
The craft is earth religion, and our basic orientation is to the earth, to life, to nature.
There is no dichotomy between
spirit and flesh, no split between Godhead and the world. The Goddess is manifest in
the world; she brings life into
being, is nature, is flesh. Union is not sought outside the world in some heavenly sphere
or through dissolution of the
self into the void beyond the senses. Spiritual union is found in life, within nature,
passion, sensuality-through being
fully human, fully one's self. Our great symbol for the Goddess is the moon, whose
three aspects reflect the three
stages in women's lives and whose cycles of waxing and waning coincide with women's
menstrual cycles. As the new
moon or crescent, she is the Maiden, the Virgin-not chaste, but belonging to herself
alone, not bound to any man.
She is the wild child, lady of the woods, the huntress, free and untamed-Artemis,
Kore, Aradia, Nimue. White is her
color. As the full moon, she is the mature woman, the sexual being, the mother and
nurturer, giver of life, fertility,
grain, offspring, potency, joy-Tana, Demeter, Diana, Ceres, Mari. Her colors are the
red of blood and the green of
growth. As waning or dark moon, she is the old woman, past menopause, the hag or
crone that is ripe with wisdom,
patroness of secrets, prophecy, divination, inspiration, power-Hecate, Ceridwen, Kati,
Anna. Her color is the black
of night. The Goddess is also earth-Mother Earth, who sustains all growing things, who
is the body, our bones and
cells. She is air-the winds that move in the trees and over the waves, breath. She is the
fire of the hearth, of the
blazing bonfire and the fuming volcano; the power of transformation and change. And
she is water-the sea, original
source of life; the rivers, streams, lakes and wells; the blood that flows in the rivers of
our veins. She is mare, cow,
cat, owl, crane, flower, tree, apple, seed, lion, sow, stone, woman. She is found in the
world around us, in the cycles
and seasons of nature, and in mind, body, spirit, and emotions within each of us. Thou
art Goddess. I am Goddess.
All that lives (and all that is, lives), all that serves life, is Goddess. Because witches are
oriented to earth and to life,
we value spiritual qualities that I feel are especially important to women, who have for
so long been conditioned to
be passive, submissive and weak. The craft values independence, personal strength,
self-not petty selfishness but that
deep core of strength within that makes us each a unique child of the Goddess. The
craft has no dogma to stifle
thought, no set of doctrines that have to be believed. Where authority exists, within
covens, it is always coupled with
the freedom every covener has, to leave at any time. When self is valued-in
ourselves-we can see that self is
everywhere. Passion and emotion-that give depth and color and meaning to human
life-are also valued. Witches
strive to be in touch with feelings, even if they are sometimes painful, because the joy
and pleasure and ecstasy
available to a fully alive person make it worth occasional suffering. So-called negative
emotion-anger-is valued as
well, as a sign that something is wrong and that action needs to be taken. Witches
prefer to handle anger by taking
action and making changes rather than by detaching ourselves from our feelings in
order to reach some nebulous,
"higher" state. Most of all, the craft values love. The Goddess' only law is "Love unto
all beings." But the love we
value is not the airy flower power of the hippies or the formless, abstracted agape of
the early Christians. It is
passionate, sensual, personal love, eros, falling in love, mother-child love, the love of
one unique human being for
other individuals, with all their personal traits and idiosyncrasies. Love is not something
that can be radiated out in
solitary meditation-it manifests itself in relationships and interractions with other people.
It is often said "You cannot
be a witch alone"-because to be a witch is to be a lover, a lover of the Goddess, and a
lover of other human beings. |
