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School of the Wise
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Course #1; Lesson #4 If I were to try and summarize this chapter into one sentence I believe it would have to be "there is room in the Craft for everyone". Silver does a wonderful job here of outlining how people may find the Craft, and how they may choose to utilize it. Personally, I came to Wicca in the exact opposite way that Silver did. I was confronted with Wicca when my girlfriend told me about her religious preference. At the time I was still following, albeit not with much conviction, my christian religion and examined Wicca from a religious stand point, as opposed to a scientific one. This just proves that there are many ways that one may "find" Wicca.
The scientific features of the Craft are very exciting in deed. Many of us use divination tools such as the Tarot or Runes; as well as magickal correspondences of herbs and colors. There are numerous different courses of study that can be classified as the Scientific side of the Craft, and we will discover many of them throughout our courses.
Silver mentions that many people who are new to Wicca come from a mainstream religious background. This could include christianity, judaism, hinduism, or any other major religious system. Our past religious beliefs will follow us for the rest of our lives, at least to some degree. While it is important that we each understand completely the religion of Wicca, and it's guiding principles, it is not necessary to completely forsake your personal religious beliefs in order to follow Wicca. The only time that I believe this can cause a problem is if you continue to hold to a belief that is obviously contrary to Wiccan beliefs. Having said that, it is still important to remember that each of us, to a large degree, are free to determine which beliefs from Wicca, or any other religion, we believe and choose to follow. We must be careful never to think that someone else is a "lesser" Wiccan because they still hold to some of their previous religious beliefs. That is a very personal choice, and should be left up to each individual to make for themselves.
One of the major beliefs of Wicca, in my opinion, is the fact that each of us have control over our lives and that we are not helpless in any problem we may have. This is evident in many of the magickal workings, or spells, that have been written and used throughout the history of the Craft. Wicca teaches that we can have what we need, and sometimes what we want, without having to harm anyone else in the process. We are not destined to live in poverty or illness. We can learn how to overcome problem areas in our lives. This does not usually happen overnight, as many of our problems are a learned behavior and these take time to change, but the fact is that we can make the changes necessary to improve our lives, and that magick can be a wonderful aid in this improvement process. You must begin to accept that you are responsible for your own life, and that only you can change things that you are unhappy with. This is a major deviation from some other religions, but honestly, it just makes sense to me!
Silver continues on to show us that "Witchcraft is both a set of scientific principles and a religious structure." It is sometimes difficult to separate these two unique parts of the Craft. For example, I use the Tarot to help me on my journey. If the reading tells me that there are problems coming up in my life, this is part of the scientific aspect of the Craft; that of seeing how the future may unfold if I do not make some changes. But I also use the Tarot for my spiritual journey. I often take a "card of the day" and try and find out what this card means to me on my spiritual journey. It may speak of an attribute that I'd like to incorporate into my daily life, or it may warn me not to get "to big for my britches". The cards are the same, but my application of them is different. I believe that the science and the religion must be used equally, and that this is the true meaning of Wicca.
There are those who would disagree with me on this fact though. Some people practice primarily the religious side of the Craft, and may avoid the scientific tools all together. Others may get so involved in the "toys" that they do not take the time to learn about the religious side. While I won't say that their form of Wicca is any less real than mine, I do believe that there must be a balance between the two in order to truly understand the essence of the Craft, but that is just my own humble opinion. The point here is that there are many different ways that one may use the aspects of the Craft, and as long as they are comfortable with their choices, and are not harming anyone, then it is none of my business, and not my place to judge the validity of their beliefs.
"You must accept what is acceptable to you." Silver makes a very important point with this sentence. I spent a lot of time early on in my studies trying to sift through all the possible ways to practice the Craft, looking for that one right way. Part of this was a result of my overly analytical mind, and part of it was from my previous religious training. I thought there could only be one true way to practice any religion, and until I found that true way I would be merely dabbling and learning. It took me a long time to realize that I was free to pick and choose what was acceptable to me, and that once I had a good foundation I would know what the true and right way for me to practice would be. Talk about a wonderful enlightenment about my personal freedom within the Craft!! The only caution I would add to this is not to close the door on any practice or idea just because it doesn't conform to your truth at that moment. Our truths will be constantly evolving and changing as we continue to learn, and we may dismiss a wonderful part of the Craft out of hand, if we don't take the time to challenge our beliefs from time to time.
Writing Assignment:
Discuss which of the two major parts of Wicca, the scientific and religious, drew you to your study of the Craft. Continue by discussing which aspects of the two you are interested in learning more about and why.
Lesson Four Quiz:
1. T/F Everyone comes to Wicca in the same manner.
2. The two major aspects of the Craft, as defined by Silver, and the _______ and the _______.
3. According to Silver, the majority of individuals interested in the Craft have come from ________ _____________ ________________.
4. T/F In order to follow Wicca, one must give up all their other religious beliefs.
5. T/F I have completed the writing assignment for Lesson 4.
Lesson Four Quiz Answers
1. False
2. scientific and religious
3. mainstream religious backgrounds
4. False
5. Hopefully T.
Continue to Lesson Five
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