|
|
Traditional Witch
Many traditional witches do not believe in a supreme power. Instead, they believe that we all have a spirit, all animals and plants have a spirit, and all things of the Earth have a spirit, and all are equal. Instead of being a higher power to "worship," generally speaking, witches simply believe in an equality of all spirit and that all spirit is a part of the universal energies, or gods and goddesses. The modern concept that "all gods are one god,"and has no origins in Europe or with any witchcraft traditions. Witches of the past believed in and revered the pantheons of their ancestors and believed each god and goddess was a separate entity, not that all were "aspects" of one great universal god. Some witches of today do accept the "all gods are one god" concept, but this belief did not originate with witchcraft traditions of the past. Generally, to a witch, all space is sacred and no circle casting is necessary for most magickal rites. The heavy emphasis on words, 'sometimes' rhyming, and also memorization of rituals of wiccans is not always the case in traditional witchcraft. A traditional witch may perform a ritual how he or she feels necessary at the time, may not have such an emphasis on "ceremony," and also won't always be so concerned with using the "right" color candle or herb, performing on the proper day of the week, using tools, etc. Witches are known more for using what they have whenever they feel it is right- for emphasizing "why" a ritual is performed rather than "how" it is performed. in most traditions of witchcraft, a person's intent rules whether an action is "ethical" or necessary- not a "harm none" law. Most witches do not agree with the threefold law and feel it is completely illogical. Rather, most witches agree with the basic law of cause and effect. "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." Some also call this type of concept the "Ripple Effect." Witches do not have a written law to follow, rather, follow the laws and ideas of the heart. Witches take responsibility for their own actions and do not rely on a "Rede" to define what is ethical and what is not, what is proper at what time, and what is not. Traditionally, witches believe the afterlife is a mystery and that such an exact idea of what we encounter after death is not possible. Witches usually believe the spirit, or soul, will pass on and become a part of the spirit of the land or universe, become a spirit guardian or dwell with the guardians, and may possibly one day be reborn into the extended family in some form. This rebirth may not necessarily be physical, but rather spiritual, and in the form of a protector or guide. There are many variations of beliefs, but reincarnation is not a part of traditional witchcraft beliefs- it is a concept of Eastern philosopy and religion that was also adopted by Gardner and others within modern Wiccan tradition.
Branwen
| | | |