personal responsibility is emphasized is through the Wiccan Rede. This is the rule that Witches strive to follow and by which they measure their actions. As mentioned before, it is a positive morality, rather than a set of ‘don’ts’ or ‘shalt nots’. The Rede comes in many forms, some poetic, some lengthy, but however it is expressed, it always contains the same key phrase at its heart: ‘An’ it harm none, do what thou will.’ This rather archaic phrasing (often modernized to ‘And it harm none, do what you will’) simply means that you should do what is right for you in your life, but that in doing so you should try not to hurt others. Now obviously there are times when doing what is personally right will almost certainly hurt someone else, but here you are required to make your own moral judgement – to consider, accept and live with the consequences.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
As a Witch, you are also responsible for your own personal development, for fulfilling your own potential. This means continuing your development throughout your life. It may mean taking up some form of adult education, whether to make up for opportunities lost or to set out in a new direction. If you find yourself headed in a direction which is wrong for you, then you are responsible for changing course! It does mean working at obtaining all the skills that you need to make your life as fulfilled as possible. Above all it means that if you decide on the path of the Witch, you are responsible for learning and growing on that path. You cannot expect others to do it for you or to you. You must seek the teacher(s), you must ask the questions and you must expect to set the pace.
In the Craft this means that you will need to choose the specialities you wish to learn, find the books and set your own time scale for taking on new knowledge and skills. You may not find the ‘right’ teacher for some time after you have made the decision to walk this path, so it is up to you to start work immediately. Many believe that the teacher does not appear until the student is ready.
If, in time, you do find a group or Coven to work with, the High Priestess will not tell you what to learn and when. She will not give you any more help than you ask for and she will certainly not do the work for you. If you seek to learn she will guide you in your studies, but she will expect you to be the driving force.
WE ARE EACH OUR OWN PRIEST OR PRIESTESS
Linked to this is the belief that every individual has the right and the ability to communicate with the divine for themselves, that we do not need an intermediary to intercede or interpret our Gods and Goddesses for us. We do not need a specialist ‘priestly caste’ to tell us who, what, why, how and when to worship, as we are capable of making these decisions for ourselves.
THE ELEMENTS
The ancients believed that all nature was made up from the elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Witches believe that these elements, together with the fifth element of Spirit, make up ourselves and the world around us. We believe that these elements are very real energies which we can access by understanding the way that they work within us and around us. The elements represent different aspects of our being: Earth is our physical selves, our flesh, blood and bones; Air is our thoughts; Fire is our passions and enthusiasms; Water our emotions; Spirit is the force or energy which is ourselves.
The five energies are represented in the pentacle which is worn by many Witches and which often appears on the Altar at rituals. The idea that the reversed, upside-down pentacle is linked to Satanism has its roots in Hollywood and popular fiction. In the UK and elsewhere, the reversed pentacle indicates the Horned God, the male aspect of fertility, or in some traditions the second-degree Witch.
The elements are also linked to the points of the compass and the seasons of the year. They have colours, sounds, scents, flowers, animals, birds and trees ascribed to them, as well as many other links which are often referred to as correspondences. There are correspondences for almost everything including the signs of the Zodiac, the days of the week and the hours of the day. They are often used in Magical workings, both in the Craft and in other Magical traditions, to help to achieve results. The Traditional Craft does not rely so much upon them as some other paths.
To understand how correspondences work it can help to think of this in terms of rowing up a river. If the wind, current and tide are all in your favour, you will make faster and easier progress than if one or more is against you. Even if all those things are against you, you can still reach your destination, it will just require more effort and strength. Similarly, if you use candles, cloths, oils and incense related to the element with which you are working, then you may find it easier to gain the desired result. The use of correspondences, however, will not make up for lack of focus, practice and ability.
THE SABBATS AND WHEEL OF THE YEAR
Witches celebrate eight seasonal festivals or Sabbats:
Samhain, 31 October. The beginning and therefore end of the Pagan year. The time when the Goddess returns as the Crone or Wise One.
Yule, the Winter Solstice, 21 December. The time when the days begin to lengthen and the rebirth of the Sun is celebrated.
Imbolg, 2 February. The time when the first buds are seen on the trees; the return of the Goddess as the Maiden.
Oestara, the Spring Equinox, 21 March. The time when day and night are equal. A time of balance and of throwing out the old and taking on the new.
Beltane, 1 May. The time when the marriage of the Goddess and the God is celebrated. The Goddess becomes the Mother and the God returns to reign beside her.
Litha, the Summer Solstice, 21 June. The height of the Sun King’s power, when the days begin to shorten again.
Lammas, 1 August. The time when the first harvest is brought in; the feast of the sacrificial God.
Madron, the Autumn Equinox, 21 September. Again day and night are equal and again this is a time of balance. This is the height of the harvest and a time of returning things to the way they should be.
Taken together these are often referred to as the Wheel of the Year, for, like a wheel, the cycle is never-ending, starting again as soon as it finishes.
The Sabbats celebrate the changing seasons of the old agricultural year as well as the festivals and lives of the Goddess and the God. As with the elements, we also see the meaning of the Sabbats in our daily lives and use the energies of the cycle to work towards understanding and balance for ourselves and for those around us. The Sabbats are often seen as a time of celebration. However, there is much successful Magic that can be worked on these occasions. (There is much more on these festivals and the Wheel of the Year in Chapter 4, ‘The Eight Sabbats’.)
THE CYCLE OF THE MOON
Just as the Wheel of the Year expresses the yearly cycle, so the phases of the Moon give us a monthly cycle. In these phases (often called aspects) we see a repeating cycle of the Goddess. Witches believe that the Goddess has three aspects: Maiden, Mother and Crone (or Wise One). These three aspects are reflected in all things, for everything has the same three phases of beginning, completeness (or fruitfulness) and rest.
In the cycle of the Moon, the role of the God is primarily that of Consort, although throughout a year of Moons, many are attributed to the God so that the cycle of the Goddess exists within that of the God. Again we see the reference to balance, for each depends