1) Never experiment or practice with magickal applications, symbols, or systems that you do not FULLY understand. If you do not know the full gambit of what you are doing, Do Not Do It. Retribution and causalities can be far reaching and abound in more ways than you can imagine.
2) Do not link money with your magick. It will effect the outcome and the caster. Reimbursement for supplies, time, and effort is acceptable but, never demanded.
3) Never use your skills and abilities to impress or fascinate someone. The God and Goddess do not need another arrogant buffoon. You will fail miserably.
4) Do not scare or threaten others with magickal intimidations or the like. We are Witches, not thugs. Remember the Law of Three.
5) Know that thoughts are things, and that which you create may and probably will manifest in this reality.
6) Never lie to yourself or others. This is the epitome of deceit. This becomes a circle of self-destruction.
7) All things that are -bad- in your life are most often the result of low self-esteem or negative self-think, not bad luck.
8) The power of a Witch grows in direct relation to his or her wisdom and capability.
9) Nothing can harm you or control you unless you allow it to and believe that it does.
10) Never use your abilities to harm another. However, you may defend yourself, and the ones you love, the best way you see fit.
11) Always do the best that you can do. No one is perfect but, we try to constantly improve ourselves and to evolve. Have faith. The God and Goddess will take care of you in the best possible manner.
12) As long as you adhere to what you believe in, do not worry about the ridicules of others. Ridicules are the result of fear, low self-esteem and self-doubt. Do not waste your time on such nonsense.
13) Regard property of another better than you would have them regard your own. Be respectful.
14) Do nothing that would endanger the Craft or someone of the Craft.
15) Do not do something that will bring about conflict with the law of the land. Do mind your beliefs, the beliefs and laws of your Coven, and the beliefs and laws of your Clan - above all others.
16) Witches may teach to others outside of the Craft if: The environment is safe to all, the teacher is knowledgeable and responsible, the student is willing and sincere, the information is already available to the general public - no secrets, and the information Harms None.
17) Perform all magick within the circle. This is especially true for beginners. Only those of great experience and ability may work outside of the circle.
18) Do Nothing to bring Shame to yourself, your coven, and your clan. We, as Witches, have a responsibility that others only speak about but, never fully practice. Each of us is a direct representative of our religion and the Craft, as a whole.
19) Always be proud of who and what you are. Know that you are among the elite and of something far greater than most will ever know. Be proud, be compassionate, and be kind, for you can afford to be.
20) Never shed blood in circle . The God and Goddess do not want us to waste their creations and their children in such a manner. All things are of the God and Goddess. Respect theirs and ours. Killing is for defense and survival only.
21) Always remember that the God and Goddess are with us. They will provide and protect us. We are never alone. As such, be mindful and remember.
22) Always keep the laws, the Rede, and the rules of the coven and clan. They are written for a purpose and not to fill space on the paper. Keep the laws and they will keep you.
23) Always follow your beliefs diligently, for they are who you are, and they define you for all to see.
24) Do not cast spells while sick, ill, or under the influence of drugs or heavy medication. The results can and probably be extremely baneful. Always be in complete control of yourself.
25) Do not let anyone tell you that what you believe in - the Craft - is wrong, evil, or bad. This is a trick to persuade you to be a puppet of another.
26) Always keep an open mind to the ways and beliefs of others. We are all here to learn and grow together. Keep yourself and your beliefs but, learn from and about others. The higher mind is a diversified mind.
27) Do not mock the way of others. For they may know something you may not - and you might not realize it ...yet.
14 February, 2006
05 February, 2006
Wisdom
The word Wicca is actually an Anglo-Saxon word meaning “Wise One”. Many people use it to refer to the members of the religion, but very few of us can actually call ourselves Wiccas and those that do, aren’t. More on that later… The more appropriate name is Wiccans. This loosely translates as “seeker of wisdom”, which is much more accurate. There are only three reasons I can think of as to why someone who calls himself or herself a Wicca would do so. One, they honestly don’t know the right word; two, they know the right word, but keep forgetting; or three, they know the right word and continue to use the wrong one to gain status and/or power in their community. The first instance, in my thinking is totally forgivable. They just need to be told the difference, and it will sort itself out. The only people who don’t know are new to the path, so how could they already be wise? The second is a little more problematic in that these people are slow to learn, and therefore could leave out other important information and unwittingly misrepresent Wicca to others. The third is totally unforgivable. The most glaring is that one of the first things one learns when gaining wisdom is that there is no limit to it. There is ALWAYS far more to be gained than anyone can ever accomplish in a lifetime. What makes this so bad is that it is not only being done intentionally, but that it is being done to deceive others.
On that note, what IS wisdom? Is it knowing things most people don't? Is it the ability to solve problems? Is it a way of living life? Wikipedia defines wisdom as "...the ability to make correct judgments and decisions." and goes on to state "...that wisdom consists of making the best use of available knowledge. As with all decisions, a wise decision may be made with incomplete information." After reading that, I realized it's a combination. It isn't so much having knowledge others don't as seeing a different significance to the knowledge. Being able to connect seemingly unrelated factors to come up with the best result. This would then lend to an enhanced ability to solve problems in a better, faster, or more efficient way. Which, in turn, would lead a person to live his life in a different manner than the rest of the general population.
So how do we acquire wisdom? According to Confucius, "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is the bitterest."
For me, the fact that Confucius says that reflection is the noblest way to gain wisdom is rather flattering, because that's exactly what I'm trying to do here. How can we gain wisdom by reflection? We can do it by studying the writings of others, by meditating on their core statements, by writing, discussing and trying to pass their wisdom on to others. I would also go so far as to say it is also the most difficult because it requires that we make a concerted effort to do so.
He says that the bitterest way to gain wisdom is by experience. Certainly, experience can be a very bitter way to gain wisdom, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that all experience gained in this manner will be bitter. Everyone has the opportunity to learn from life. Many don’t. They live their life ruled by traditions and their pre-conceived notions. Unfortunately, these are the people who are doomed to an unhappy, unfulfilling life and there is nothing anybody can do about it. They either refuse or are unable to learn from either their mistakes, or those of others. The majority of people, in my experience, are what most people would call wise, or at least have a chance at becoming wise. These are the people who learn from their experiences and mistakes, and work to either repeat them or not depending on the results. After all not all experiences are bad and some mistakes wind up with a better result than if everything had gone well. The last group of people, which are the ones I view to be truly wise and aspire to be, are those who learn not only from their experiences and mistakes, but those of others as well. This would also be the most painless way of gaining wisdom by experience. Unfortunately, it is also the most difficult. We cannot observe the actions and thoughts of others leading up to a mistake or experience. We can only ask about them and observe the results. The biggest factor in favour of gaining wisdom by experience is that all you need to learn it is the ability to keep your eyes, ears, and mind open, the ability to admit mistakes, and the ability to think critically. It doesn’t require money, like reflection does in order to buy books or take classes. It doesn’t require that you surround yourself with wise people.
Confucius also said that the easiest way to gain wisdom is by imitation. I would argue that this isn't true wisdom in and of itself, because actions taken without the benefit of the reasoning behind them cannot truly be wise. That’s what tradition is, and though tradition may be useful in a great many instances, the pursuit of wisdom is not one of them. However, when taken in combination with either or even both of the other two, imitation can be one of the most powerful tools a person can use to gain wisdom.
I mentioned earlier that I am hoping to gain wisdom by reflection from writing this and I am. I think I already have, partly through the research I did putting it together. Like all research, most of it never made it to the final version. Te other wisdom I’ve gained was by thinking that research over. I’ve made realizations I likely never would have without writing this and brought up more questions to reflect on, and perhaps even answer. One of the realizations is that I am on the way to wisdom, though I have a long way to go before I would call myself wise, or even wiser than most. I’ve had a glimpse of the extent I have to go and realized it’s not going to get smaller. All I can hope for is to be wise enough.
On that note, what IS wisdom? Is it knowing things most people don't? Is it the ability to solve problems? Is it a way of living life? Wikipedia defines wisdom as "...the ability to make correct judgments and decisions." and goes on to state "...that wisdom consists of making the best use of available knowledge. As with all decisions, a wise decision may be made with incomplete information." After reading that, I realized it's a combination. It isn't so much having knowledge others don't as seeing a different significance to the knowledge. Being able to connect seemingly unrelated factors to come up with the best result. This would then lend to an enhanced ability to solve problems in a better, faster, or more efficient way. Which, in turn, would lead a person to live his life in a different manner than the rest of the general population.
So how do we acquire wisdom? According to Confucius, "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is the bitterest."
For me, the fact that Confucius says that reflection is the noblest way to gain wisdom is rather flattering, because that's exactly what I'm trying to do here. How can we gain wisdom by reflection? We can do it by studying the writings of others, by meditating on their core statements, by writing, discussing and trying to pass their wisdom on to others. I would also go so far as to say it is also the most difficult because it requires that we make a concerted effort to do so.
He says that the bitterest way to gain wisdom is by experience. Certainly, experience can be a very bitter way to gain wisdom, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that all experience gained in this manner will be bitter. Everyone has the opportunity to learn from life. Many don’t. They live their life ruled by traditions and their pre-conceived notions. Unfortunately, these are the people who are doomed to an unhappy, unfulfilling life and there is nothing anybody can do about it. They either refuse or are unable to learn from either their mistakes, or those of others. The majority of people, in my experience, are what most people would call wise, or at least have a chance at becoming wise. These are the people who learn from their experiences and mistakes, and work to either repeat them or not depending on the results. After all not all experiences are bad and some mistakes wind up with a better result than if everything had gone well. The last group of people, which are the ones I view to be truly wise and aspire to be, are those who learn not only from their experiences and mistakes, but those of others as well. This would also be the most painless way of gaining wisdom by experience. Unfortunately, it is also the most difficult. We cannot observe the actions and thoughts of others leading up to a mistake or experience. We can only ask about them and observe the results. The biggest factor in favour of gaining wisdom by experience is that all you need to learn it is the ability to keep your eyes, ears, and mind open, the ability to admit mistakes, and the ability to think critically. It doesn’t require money, like reflection does in order to buy books or take classes. It doesn’t require that you surround yourself with wise people.
Confucius also said that the easiest way to gain wisdom is by imitation. I would argue that this isn't true wisdom in and of itself, because actions taken without the benefit of the reasoning behind them cannot truly be wise. That’s what tradition is, and though tradition may be useful in a great many instances, the pursuit of wisdom is not one of them. However, when taken in combination with either or even both of the other two, imitation can be one of the most powerful tools a person can use to gain wisdom.
I mentioned earlier that I am hoping to gain wisdom by reflection from writing this and I am. I think I already have, partly through the research I did putting it together. Like all research, most of it never made it to the final version. Te other wisdom I’ve gained was by thinking that research over. I’ve made realizations I likely never would have without writing this and brought up more questions to reflect on, and perhaps even answer. One of the realizations is that I am on the way to wisdom, though I have a long way to go before I would call myself wise, or even wiser than most. I’ve had a glimpse of the extent I have to go and realized it’s not going to get smaller. All I can hope for is to be wise enough.
03 February, 2006
Snap Happy!
I was listening to Sonic tonight on the way home from work and they started talking about their current contest - Snap Happy. The idea is that every day they give an assignment for people to go take a picture and send it in by 11:59 that night. The catch is that you have to have the Sonic logo in the picture. The first few were just fun assignments - Take a picture in a mall fountain, take one with a Wal-Mart greeter, then they started getting sneakier. Take a picture in a Sears bed display. Today's is to take a picture with a Goth Chick. It just so happens that tonight is Goth night at New City Suburbs, which is also one of their big advertisers. Think it's related?
On another note, I have to say that it's by far the most original contest I've heard of on the radio in a very long time.
On another note, I have to say that it's by far the most original contest I've heard of on the radio in a very long time.
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