| An Essay on Pagan Philosophy | |||||||||
| Submitted By: SylvanStag, Arlington Texas |
Merry Meet Friend! This is an essay on Basic Wiccan Philosophy. It explains most of our ethics and some history to boot. This should help you under-stand Wicca more, I hope. Ok, for starters, Wicca is the revival movement of an ancient European religion dating back as much as 25,000 years BCE (Before Common Era). The word Wicca derives from the ancient English term Wicce, which literally means Wise one. In ancient times, witches held great authority with their villiages, and people came to them for advise on all subjects. A witch had to be doctor, lawyer, magician, and counselor. I feel I should also make a distinction between Wicca and Satanism. Satan is a Christian belief. Since we are not Christian, we do not follow their philosophy. Most are shocked when they hear this, and I don't blame them much. It's the Churches fault for not educating them about other religions so they will at least be tolerant. Anyway, to understand why people confuse Wicca with Satanism, get ready for a little history lesson. | ||||||||
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When the Christian Church first came around, about 100% of Europe followed Pagan Religions and weren't willing to convert. Christianity threatened damnation to basically everyone, and some converted out of sheer fear. Witches kept on practicing the old religion. At the same time, quite a few church-goers were upset by how much the church controlled their lives. They figured that since God was so hard on them, maybe Satan would be ok. They flipped Christianity inside out, and Satanism was born. Since Witches and Satanist were both enemies (Quote unquote), it was believed that they were one and the same. In actuality they are not anything alike. Enough History. Wicca believes in a God and Goddess, because energy manifests itself in two polarities, as does Nature. It does not believe in a source of ultimate Good or Evil. That which comes from the God and Goddess is just POWER, and how we use it determines whether we are good or evil. When using Power, say for spellcasting, the Three Fold Law kicks in. It states that any energy we send out comes back to us three times as strong. If we send out Good, positive healing type energy, we get it back from the Earth and those around us. Use the energy for negative things, like Black Magick, and it will eventually destroy you. Therefore, it is universally stupid, not to mention downright mean, to practice Magick that destroys, hurts, and robs those of their freewill. | |||||||||
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As far as ethics are concerned, we follow the Wiccan Rede, which states, An' Ye harm none, Do what Ye will. This means we can carry our own free will as it does not harm anyone intentionally. Some people think we can't defend ourselves if need be because it says Harm None. Harm None also applies to ourselves. Self Defense is justified if the need is dire. Also, I think that free will is one of the greatest things a person could ever possess, so you should never do spells that will take that away. This includes love spells aimed at a specific person. I know someone who experimented with Love spells in the beginning. It turns out that the guy she cast it on is a real jerk, and he still won't leave her alone after two years. See, Three Fold works. Now, where we go when we die is a question long pondered by the human race. Most Wiccans believe in reincarnation, because it is the logical cycle of life. A tree dies in the Winter, only to blossom again in the Spring. I also believe that some peoples' Souls are older than others, which makes them inherently wiser. Well, I've just about outdone myself typing this up, and it's all I can think to say at this point. I hope that this helps you in some way. Blessed Be!! Back to General Pagan Info at MSN Communities
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