In my time on the Internet and dealing with various email groups, I have found that there is a ton of information being disseminated. Looked at objectively, some of it is good, some is bad, but a lot of it seems to be coming from a paltry 20 total sources. Cunningham, Silver Ravenwolf, Buckland, The Witches’ Voice, and Mike Nichols seem to be the most prominent sources, although some information can be traced all the way back to AOL’s Pagan files and Athos’ Pagan Files, the latter which is now sadly gone from the web.

One of the top sources currently appears to be “Witchcraft, The Facts“. The Rev. Norm Vogel seems to feel that his work should be the primary source for what Witchcraft is and that his interpretation is the only interpretation. This despite the fact that this alleged seminal document is a scant one page that he wrote almost 5 years ago, judging by the copyright. Apparently there are many visitors who go to his site and praise him for his work, giving him ego strokes that he apparently must have. It only feeds his incorrect belief that he is correct and speaks for everyone.

Should anyone with any knowledge come to the site and try to offer a view that in any way contradicts the site, they are immediately attacked as idiots who don’t have Rev. Vogel’s alleged years of experience and therefore can’t possibly know anything. He will pull in groups of people who support him and keep attacking with aspersions and insults, as well as gross and disgusting suggestions. I have been a subject of these tactics.

This article will verify the facts and demonstrate the undeniable fallacies inherent in Rev. Vogel’s article. Anyone can come and read them if they choose to, so they can see for themselves that Wicca, Witchcraft and Paganism are not just what he espouses.

(Please note, this text is taken verbatim from the site Witchcraft the Facts. I also have the author’s permission to reprint it here.)

1. Witchcraft means “Craft of the Wise Ones” and is also known as the “Old Religion”. Its practices can be traced to Neolithic (“Stone Age”) cave paintings. In early times, the Witch was the local lawyer, psychiatrist, and doctor. The field of modern medicine can trace its origins to the herbal medicines of the Witch.

Witchcraft is a nature religion, not unlike the shamanism of the Native Americans. As the concepts of male and female exist through-out life — indeed, are necessary to create it — most Witches perceive Deity as male and female: the Goddess and the God. Like the concept of the Trinity, these aren’t “many” Gods; they are aspects of the ONE Creator.

The Goddess is seen as Mother Earth and Mother Nature, and is represented by the Moon. She is seen in the fertility of the plant, animal, and human kingdoms. Her power is at a peak in the “fertile half” of the year, from May until October.

The God is seen in the woodlands, the Sun, grain, & the hunt. Because most of the animals that prehistoric humans hunted had horns, He is usually depicted as the “Horned One”. His power is at a peak in the “dark half” of the year, from October to May.

Witchcraft has been called the Craft of the Wise, well only if you have never bothered to check with a dictionary at any rate. I quote from the Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (unabridged) copyright 1993:

Witchcraft 1 a: an act or instance of employing sorcery esp. with malevolent intent: a magical rite or technique b: the exercise of supernatural powers: alleged intercourse with the devil or with a familiar 2: an irresistible influence or fascination; CHARM, ENCHANTMENT syn. see MAGIC

Please note, no place in the above dictionary quote does it mention “Craft” or “Wise Ones” or anything about a deity. The trend of equating modern Neopagan witchcraft with the poor and scattered remnants archeologists have been able to piece together started with Gerald Gardner. Since then there has been a popular movement to reclaim the word “witch” from those who have been charged with defilement of the word, i.e., the Christians and the Inquisition.

The tracing of Witchcraft to Neolithic times was a myth started by Dr. Margaret Murray, and perpetuated in current times by Raymond Buckland in his book “Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft“, Scott Cunningham and also Silver Ravenwolf. That Dr. Murray’s theories have been discredited by time and better archeology seems to be immaterial to many trying to reclaim “Witchcraft” from the current dictionary and encyclopedia definitions. Her thesis has been refuted by, among others, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic (New York 1971) 514-16, Norman Cohn, Europe’s Inner Demons (London 1975) 107- 25, and most recently by Robin Briggs, Witches and Neighbors: The Social and Cultural Context of European Witchcraft (New York 1996) 37f.

From the little we know, Gardner appears to have been trying to align his fledgling tradition into the definition of Witchcraft as it stood at the time he created Wicca. He intended for it to be acknowledged and seen as a magickal tradition, one that could possibly be seen as malevolent and dark.

I can only speculate regarding the motives behind Gardner’s act, but it would appear that he was trying to give Wicca a patina of legitimacy by linking it to ancient times. There was probably little chance that his newly created magickal tradition would be given serious consideration by the then current crop of magickal practitioners without this connection. So, one can assume (and several scholars, among them Isaac Bonewits, have) that this is what prompted the connection to the past, as well as his connection to Margaret Murray’s essay.

What does this have to do with Norm’s first point? Only that Witchcraft and Wicca are used interchangeably, applying statements that only apply to Wicca to all witchcraft, and vice-versa.

There are legitimate witchcraft practices. African Diaspora religions like Voodoo and Strega just to name a couple. There are also many magickal practices that have nothing to do with witchcraft, like OTO, The Golden Dawn, Alchemy and High Magick (out of the Key of Solomon). There are also heathen practices that are not witchcraft, and pagan practices as well, as seen in Druidism, Asatru, Theodic, Kemeticism, and Hellenism. Additionally, there are native practices that could be called Witchcraft, but which violently disassociate themselves with witchcraft as they see these practices as being evil and malevolent, i.e., Aboriginal Australian practices and Native American Medicine practices.

Yet the first statement would make one think that ALL these practices including such groups as Hindus, Buddhists and Shinto are parts of Witchcraft. It makes sweeping statements to include these practices, whether or not they actually fit specific religions.

Modern Witchcraft, which seems to be the point of this website’s so-called facts, as described in this document, is a purely modern construction and part of the Neo-Pagan pathways. This does not denigrate or deny its legitimacy, nor does it invalidate the practice. Far from it, I can honor and support those who only identify as a Witch, at least as long as they are not trying to make all-inclusive and sweeping statements equating witchcraft with all non-Abrahamic descended religions.

Witchcraft, first and foremost, is a craft. It is a set of skills that can be described as a magickal tradition. It does have some of its roots in the past, since herbalism and other “primitive” practices are incorporated into the body of work known as Witchcraft. That’s well and good, but that does not mean that Witchcraft is centuries old because it includes elements that are ancient. If that were so, the Empire State building, in fact any modern skyscraper, in New York City or any other city is ancient since its made up of the element Fe (iron) that was part of the ground for millennia and actually predates life on this planet.

The argument that flows out of attempting to disprove the ancientness of the Empire State building is the same argument that can be applied to disproving the ancientness of Witchcraft and Wicca. Namely when one alters something so much that it becomes an entirely new thing it can no longer be called by an ancient name. Iron is iron and steel, though it is made of iron, is steel. If either are used in a building, the building is still a modern construct.

Most of the legitimate witchcraft traditions that I mentioned earlier are not nature worshiping, per se, or Goddess and God worshiping religions. Voodoo worships spirits or Loa. Strega honors the Goddess Diana and the God Lucifer (here meant as the Son of the Morning), not some amorphous deity that is simply a compilation of all deities into one amorphous blob.

There are strong indications that Witchcraft is not connected to a religion, or even a set of religions at all. It is a skill set, as has been stated many times, many of which are incorporated into other aspects of life as well. Yes, Witchcraft has herbalism incorporated into the practice of Witchcraft. Part of the information discovered by herbalists over time was included in modern medicine, but more than that, Alchemy, The Age of Enlightenment and other scientific processes and discoveries were the actual precursors to modern medicine. It is possible to argue that surgery was part of the herb-wife’s knowledge (the ones who could have been accused as witches in the past) but the discovery of different blood types, how to do transfusions, eye surgery, mapping out the internal structure of the body, discovering tools to help like the X-ray and so on were done by scientists. They used painstaking trial and error and occasionally out and out guesses to base their search for knowledge on. People died to advance their knowledge.

If one reads and studies the journals of the medical profession at the turn of the 20th century, one begins to realize that while herb knowledge may have played a part in their work, it was a very small part. Those who used plants to cure illness were seen as idiots and mavericks and despised and reviled by their peers. The fever-reducing properties of Willow bark were known for centuries by herb-wives, but when a patient had a fever, the doctor usually bled them or gave them doses of opiates, not willow bark.

Truthfully it has only been in recent years that herbal remedies have been looked at as more than just pleasant granny tales.

“Lawyers and Judges”? This statement can be traced to Raymond Buckland, and possibly further back. There is NO credible evidence to either support or refute the idea that the local midwife, herb-witch or Goodwife was responsible for the direction of a community.

While this can be seen to exist in individual places around the world, normally in primitive aboriginal hunter and gatherer cultures in modern times, we cannot assume that this is the correct model for the far distant past. In a primitive society, where wisdom is revered and knowledge of the Gods is seen as a life path rather than held in contempt, a wise leader may consult with those who have memories of other times and other situations. But with the concept of laws and lawyers, most of this respect goes out the window in favor of writing judgments down and following legal precedents to the letter.

A quick look at modern American society will show the fallacy of this argument very quickly. Abigail Adams wrote strongly worded arguments to her husband that women should be given voting rights, for they bore the children and took care of most of the household (meaning they sewed, made herbal remedies and simples, fed livestock and so on) and were intelligent enough to make decisions on who should and should not speak for them in the various forms of government. John Adams rejected this argument completely and helped enact measures to make sure that only property owning white men had the right to vote. Going even further back into history, Lady Godiva (if legends are to be believed) had to humiliate herself to reduce the taxes her husband had levied on the city he was mayor of, and many other examples, some from as far back as the Sumerians and Macedonians. These women and wise people were not consulted in decisions of the rulers, the leaders. It cannot even be argued that Celtic society did this, as the King and Druid (Brehon) were the ones responsible for the laws and judgments.

It is only when one gets back to a tribal society that it can be shown to have happened, and even then it is only progressive and forward looking tribes that this consultation may have happened. Where women are seen as less than men, consultation with these “wise people” cannot occur. One confers with equals and superiors, not inferiors.

If we actually look at a religion that is matrilineal (meaning that inheritance and religious identity come from the female) we still don’t see this. Judaism has a matrilineal line, and the woman of the house is responsible for the household’s spiritual identity as well as the proper prayers and rites of the household. It could strongly be argued that in Judaism that the wife is the “wise woman” that we are referring to in the above passage, holder of the household, mother, priestess (in some lights), judge and lawyer, doctor and financial advisor. But in some traditions of Judaism, a rabbi who is touched by a woman who is not his wife is considered ritually unclean. Women are not allowed to study the Caballah, and are not allowed into the main part of the synagogues but must be confined behind screens, watching but not actively participating in the rites and rituals of their own religion.

I will grant that on a case-by-case basis, all that has been stated by Norm could happen, but the argument is back to the Empire State building again. One small component in a structure that cannot reasonably support it does not make the entire structure that thing.

In short, the first statement, if looked at with provable scientifically validated research on one’s side, does not stand up under its own weight. Witchcraft is NOT nature oriented, since many witches from the past could have cared less about the environment. Witchcraft is NOT centered around the Light-half and Dark-half of the year and is NOT centered on the worship of the God and Goddess. I will grant that WICCA contains all of these elements. Had Vogel said that, I would have few arguments with him and his site.

2. Witches don’t do evil. They believe in the Wiccan Rede, which is “If It Harms None, Do What You Will”. (In other words, “Do whatever you want; just as long as it doesn’t harm anyone — including yourself “). But, Witches DO believe that it is moral to defend yourself against evil or physical (or psychic) attack.

Most Witches also believe in the “Three-Fold Law”, which states that whatever you do — be it good or evil — comes back to you three times over, so (obviously) there is no incentive to do evil.

Here is where the blurring of the line between Witchcraft and Wicca is most evident. The Rede is a statement of WICCA. Not even all Wiccans subscribe to it. The Rede has been traced to one tradition of Wicca and didn’t appear until published in a print journal in the mid 1970′s ( The Wiccan Rede Project ) Gardner did not have it in his book of shadows (as seen in Aidan Kelly’s publication of it at http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/gbos/index.htm ).

In point of fact, there are witches that do evil. Remember, witchcraft is defined as being malevolent. Many who identify as witches use magick to gain things for themselves, without regard for whom may get hurt, retribution or anything else; for example, Satanic Witches do this very thing and believe they are fully justified by their religion in doing so.

Please notice that Mr. Vogel does not consider Satanic worshipers to be included as “witches”. Satanic witches consider themselves witches, there is even a whole book written by Anton LaVey about the Satanic Witch.

Please also note that in “Aradia, Gospel of the Witches” by Charles Leland, one of the seminal works of modern NeoPaganism, there is no mention of the concept of the Rede or Retribution or any other structure such as is pointed to in this “fact”.

In fact, “Aradia, Gospel of the Witches” specifically states that you must harm those who have harmed you. To quote:

And when a priest shall do you injury
By his benedictions, ye shall do to him
Double the harm, and do it in the name
Of me, Diana, Queen of witches all!

To me, that says it all right there, Witches harm, and have a mandate from the Goddess to do so.

3. Witches do NOT believe in or worship Satan, and do not perform any sort of human or animal sacrifices. Satan is a relatively new concept that originated with Christianity & Zoroastrianism. Witches put the responsibility for our own actions squarely on whom it belongs: ourselves. Witchcraft teaches us to be responsible people who take responsibility for our own actions.

When the Christian Church decided to obliterate religions that were a threat to its power (including Witchcraft), they decided that their “Satan” had horns and that Witches were actually worshipping the Devil. This became the death warrant for millions of innocent people.

While parts of the above statement are factual, it once again discounts segments of the very witchcraft groups he alleges he is including! In point of fact, some Satanists worship Satan. Satanists are witches by their own declaration and association, and they worship Satan. I mean, one can’t get clearer than that.

Rev. Vogel has stated that Satanists are not witches. It does not seem to matter to him that the people who practice this religion profess to be witches. However, I suspect that if a Roman Catholic Cardinal proposed a definition of Wicca and/or Witchcraft that did not include the “Reverend’s” personal beliefs, he would be highly indignant. In fact I suspect further that he would attempt to raise a howl heard round the world. Were he to modify his declaration that Satanists are not Witches to mean that they are not Wiccan, he would be correct. However, if Norm were to unbend enough to use the standard definition of witches as it appears in the dictionary and in history and practice, he would see that witches, do, in fact, worship Satan and his world would be in danger of ending.

I will grant you that Wiccans do not worship Satan (although if there are “Christian Wiccans” then there can certainly be “Satanic Wiccans” as well), and many Pagan paths also do not worship Satan.

As to the “relatively new concept” clause, I decided to check this statement out online. Taking it as fact, I checked on Zoroastrianism for their concept of good and evil. I referenced this page ( Tenets of Zoroastrianism ) and read that this concept dates from between 8000 and 1500 BCE. I have a serious problem calling a concept that has been around from 3500 to 10,000 years “recent”. That means that the “witchcraft” he is talking about is not older than this, but actually just being born, since it only is about 100 years or so old (dating back to Charles Leland).

I’ll agree that the modern, Western concept of Satan as his own entity may have been created within the last 700 years, which would make that aspect of a 10,000 year old concept “relatively new”. However, to be accurate with Norm’s belief, that would presuppose that Witchcraft is older than Christianity. Otherwise, how could a “relatively modern” religion like Christianity steal the God figure of the Witches to identify it as Satan? Now, while some references to witches DO appear in Roman documents and Greek documents, predating Christianity, once again we are back to The Empire State Building argument. Just because a word is ancient does not mean that anything that identifies with that word is ancient as well.

The second part of this “fact” is problematic. Modern research has revealed that “millions of innocent people” didn’t die in the “Burning Times”. That number was a guess by a scholar in the mid 1800′s and has since been debunked. While the true death toll is not known and probably can never be known, the current estimates range from 1500 to 150,000 over a 900-year period. This is gleaned from trial records, hysteria, journals, and city records over the period spanning from the 1100′s to present day. This number also includes victims like Tempest Smith who committed suicide because of persecution as a Wiccan at her school.

The critical thing to note about the persecution that many Wiccans and Witches point to as proof of their membership in a persecuted minority, is the fact the Inquisition, while horrendous, was not targeting witches. It was targeting heresy in the Roman Catholic Church. The charge of Witchcraft was a convenient blanket charge to begin the process of investigation. Those that pled guilty to the charge of Witchcraft within some Ecclesiastical courts were spared. The Protestants, particularly in Germany, were not as lenient.

Spain was the originator of the Inquisition and this needs to be put into a historical perspective. Ferdinand and Isabella had just reconquered Spain from the Moors. They, and more particularly Isabella, were deeply religious and felt the need to cleanse their country of the influence of the religiously tolerant “infidels”. From there, the hunt spread to Jews, Homosexuals, those with unconventional political beliefs, those who would not agree with the system (like many scientists), and others outside the norms of society. The Inquisition in Rome in 1600 burned Giordano Bruno, the scientific philosopher, to death for his apostasy and heretical views. These are the same targets of Hitler’s pogrom, of the Communists, in fact, the same minorities of humanity that have been stalked by those in power since the world started. Liberals, free thinkers, and humanitarians were specifically targeted for being the beatniks and hippies of their times. Although the charge of witchcraft may have been levied against them that did not make them witches.

It also fails to take into account the Christian belief that if you do not worship the Christian God, then you automatically worship Satan. To see this dogma in action, look at Jack Chick’s publications. In those little pamphlets everyone who is not Mr. (and I use the term lightly) Chick’s brand of Christian identified as Satan worshipers. Chick’s dogma says that anyone who worships strange gods, meaning any ancient deities, YHVH, Allah, Buddha and anyone following other teachers, has been deceived by Satan into falling away from God, and MUST be rescued. Many liberal ministers will agree that other religions have a lot to offer, but when it comes right down to brass tacks, they state that if you don’t worship God, Satan has deceived you. As a result, any non-Christian by definition must be a worshiper of Satan. Some, like Bill Schnoebelen, even go so far as to attempt to prove that ALL religions other than their narrow view of religion are created by Satan to make the elect fall away.

Sorry, Norm, but those who practice African Diaspora religions like Voodoo and several other versions of Pagan religions do have blood sacrifice, and in some cases, animal sacrifice. I hardly think they can be identified as off shoots of Christianity. The rites of animal sacrifice are rigidly defined. They have been handed down for generations in many cases and are designed to insure that the animal is honored, praised for its sacrifice, celebrated, and instead of the remains being disposed of like used toilet paper, it is consumed and celebrated during the consumption.

The comment about human sacrifice is specious and misleading. No modern religion I am aware of has been shown to practice any form of human sacrifice other than self-sacrifice through suicide.  Certainly the Buddhists of the past, the Branch Dividians and the “Heaven’s Gate” cult practiced this form of human sacrifice through suicide.  His statement tries to imply there is a group somewhere practicing “Ritual Satanic Human Sacrifice” on a regular basis, which has been repeatedly proven to be false. It is a straw man set up for the sole purpose of demonstrating to the credulous how evil “they” are, without ever stating who “they” are. For a good set of resources in debunking the straw man of “Ritual Satanic Abuse”, please see Diane Vera’s excellent website and the Satanic Ritual Abuse page.

Surprisingly, Norm does have a point regarding the responsibility clause. Wiccans, Witches and Pagans profess taking responsibility for our own actions, and don’t believe in a scapegoat/redeemer who will rescue us from the consequences of our actions. (As my wife is fond of saying, “You made the mess, you clean it up.”) We also don’t hold that we will get all our rewards after we die, we expect to have good things happen to us during this lifetime, as consequences of our actions. Well done there Norm.

4. The Pentagram (a five-pointed star in an upright, one-point-up position) is the symbol of our religion. The top point symbolizes Spirit (the Creator) being ‘above’, or ruling, the Four Elements of Life — Air, Fire, Water, & Earth — which are the four lower points.

The Circle, being without beginning or end, symbolizes the Deity. It is completely encompassing the Star within it (which represents the out-stretched human body, reaching out in search of its connection with Spirit). Together, they represent the Creator’s Protection & Wisdom.

Inverting the Pentagram, as is done by Satanists, symbolizes that the Elements (the “material world”) are superior to the Creator. Unfortunately, through misunderstandings that have been repeated by the media, the Pentagram — in whatever position — has become wrongly equated with Satanism. (Please note, though, that in England, there are several traditions that use the inverted pentagram as a symbol for a second degree — which obviously has nothing to do with Satanism).

Okay, while this is confusing, obfuscating and misleading, parts of it are accurate. But the question remains, which religion is he talking about when he states “our”? Witchcraft is a skill set, like being a carpenter. It is not a religion. I could claim that the cross is the religion of carpenters, but it would be inaccurate since carpentry is a skill, not a religion. (I know there was one carpenter that became closely associated with crosses, but that is not an automatic assumption that all carpenters worship crosses.)

It is the same situation here. Wicca’s symbol is the Pentagram. The symbology of that is also accurately described. But the inverted pentagram is the symbol of the Church of Satan, the Triskel the symbol of druidism and the hammer the symbol of Asatru. All of these religions (and yes, they are all religions) have different symbols as well as having witches in their ranks.

5. A male Witch is not a “Warlock”. This is a Scottish term, meaning “traitor”, or “oathbreaker”. (A male Witch is a “Witch”).

The actual etymology of “Warlock” is still the subject of heated debate. But the proper term for a male witch is “witch”, just as a female judge is “Judge”. But, and I say this to be totally accurate, there are those who identify themselves with witchcraft who prefer to be called warlocks. I know it seems like an uphill battle, one that is going to go nowhere fast, but that is what these people choose to be called. It is akin to Wiccans trying to rescue the term “witch”. The term witch has had specific meanings for hundreds of years, and so has Warlock. Attempting to sweep centuries of belief aside because a small group is trying to redefine it is silly. It is like trying to redefine the term “chartreuse” to mean “thick headed”. People are still going to mean the color when they say chartreuse. All the polite corrections in the world are not going to change anything nor will it do anything more than irritate people. Pick your battles and ask yourself this, “Do I need to be persecuted to make myself feel special?”

6. Witchcraft is a legal religion protected under the First and Fourteenth amendments. (See the US Army “Chaplain’s Guide to Ministering to Wiccans”. There are 2 references to this guide; please click on each number: 1 , 2 ) .

We are non-proselytizing; we don’t seek to convert anyone . We feel that all religions are equally valid, and that you should be free to choose the one with which you are most comfortable. No religion has the monopoly of God (despite what some may claim).

In our opinion, far too many religions place too much emphasis on the actual religion (or it’s leader), and seem to be worshipping that, instead of God. This, in our opinion, is wrong thinking.

As long as it doesn’t infringe on the rights of others, we all have a right to our own method of worshipping the Deity.

As much as it pains me to say this, President George W. Bush was actually right when he said, “Witchcraft is not a religion”. I know, I know, I fought against that so long myself, screaming about how he was wrong and so on. Forgive me. Witchcraft is NOT a religion; it is not protected by anything. WICCA is a religion, and THAT RELIGION is protected under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. And Wicca DOES NOT EQUAL Witchcraft.

Much of the rest of this is accurate, and I will get to my problems with this passage shortly. Wicca incorporates witchcraft into its structure, but Wicca is not Witchcraft. Wicca is a religion; Witchcraft is the skill of magick within Wicca. There are Wiccans who are not Witches, and there are many witches who are not Wiccan.

Ultimately, Norm has simply taken the “history” lesson out of Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft, added a few details he thought of on his own, and threw this essay up on the Internet. Given the state of research and knowledge 25 years ago when The Complete Book was first written, this was fine. We have now moved into a new millennium. New facts are being discovered constantly and things are changing. It is critical that anyone claiming leadership stay current with the latest facts and update their information accordingly. Our total body of knowledge has expanded, and neither Buckland nor Norm has changed to fit that new knowledge.

I would point out that this is exactly what the Catholic Church and many fundamental religious groups are infamous for doing. Their stone-set dogma insures their ears are ossified and incapable of learning anything that negates or conflicts with it.

Here is my problem with the passage, to refresh your memory Norm says, “In our opinion, far too many religions place too much emphasis on the actual religion.” My first problem is this; why is Norm speaking with the Royal “we”?  I feel this is just a tad bit arrogant.  And aren’t religions supposed to emphasize religion? If they don’t aren’t they just Rotary Clubs in disguise?

Seriously, I think I understand what he might have been trying to say here (that he objects to religions that place too much emphasis on the trappings of religion or the corporation of religion) but I am not sure he understands that what he said is not what he meant.

There is one basic flaw in this document that drove me to write this article. The continual confusion of Wicca for Witchcraft is wrong. Believe it or not, if Norm would replace every instance of Witchcraft with Wicca, then the majority of my objections with this document would disappear. There are still a few minor historical inaccuracies, but they are minor in comparison to the rest of the article. The continual Wicca/Witchcraft confusion turns what could have been a decent factual document that I could support into a statement of inaccuracy and irrelevance. In either case he needs an editor to clean it up.

Norm has been frequently charged with being “fluffy” in the past. I ask you the reader this, having read the original Norm and refutation in this article, can you doubt it?

A personal cause for my distaste is the specific manner in which the good Rev. handles those who have visited his site and offered corrections to his alleged facts.

My personal feeling is that a leader leads with passionate reason. A true leader does not throw a howling temper tantrum like an ill-bred two year old venting his spleen at being told he is wrong. Rev. Vogel attempts to use the tactics of an outraged water buffalo to humiliate and intimidate his critics into silence with slanderous personal attacks in his guest book. Not satisfied with this he insists on attacking their sites and their forums or guest books, going so far as to publish the source of his ire’s email address on various lists where his supporters lurk. This results in multiple emails from people who have been urged to spam the “heretic” who has displeased their leader. I wonder if his supporters realize they can be reported to their ISP’s for harassment and lose their service.

This kind of behavior simply leads to retaliation from the attacked and their supporters, a normal and very human behavior. I have never had a problem admitting when I have incorrect facts, in fact I ask that people with more knowledge provide me with background information so that my articles, essays and even rants are as accurate as possible. “Attack facts, not people” does not appear to be a lesson our subject has learned. If you wish to see proof of his behavior, please look at http://davensjournal.com/Norm.txt. I would suggest a quick look through his guest book but he has deleted all the inflammatory posts. Unfortunately for him, I saved all the relevant copies.

I’ll admit that there are a lot of reasons to despise Norm Vogel, but ultimately it is not worth it.

One last thing before I close this essay out, at the bottom of his page, Norm has put these statements:

IMPORTANT: Please note that info on the “Fact” & “FAQ” pages does NOT reflect the opinions of ALL Witches; however, it DOES reflect the vast majority. (So, please don’t send me any “bullshit letters” complaining that I’m “wrong” about anything! You are entitled to your perceptions of the Craft, as am I!). I respect YOURS; please respect MINE.

And, if you have a ‘bitch’ about my definitions of “Pagan”, “Witch”, “Wiccan”, I invite you to come up with one that EVERYONE will agree on — If you do, I WILL use it! This subject has been fought over for YEARS, and no one has (or, CAN, imho) come up with one!

Now, I’m going to respond to these statements.

His first paragraph is inaccurate. His page is titled “Witchcraft the Facts” which would seem to purport he is presenting actual facts that can be documented and pointed to by scholars from multiple disciplines. Oh, let me clarify, I mean scientific disciplines like archeology, linguistics, anthropology, ethnography, sociology, statistical analysis and theology, not just anyone’s current favorite Llewellyn author. Being able to bullshit with authority is still lying.

If the majority of witches are holders of the same opinion, then why do so many witches go to his site and try to correct his “facts”?

If these are truly the facts of Witchcraft, how can he then state that all this is the opinion of the majority of Witches. Well, which is it? Fact or opinion? Facts are facts, opinions are opinions and everyone has an opinion. There is only one set of facts. The fact states that what has been put up is not fact at all, but Norm’s personally held beliefs. If that’s the case, fine, well and good, more power to him. But presenting it as fact is just plain wrong.

He goes on to state that his opinion is his opinion and that he respects the opinions of others.  His behavior shows otherwise however, and by making blanket statements as he as done, he does not respect the beliefs and opinions of other religions either.  If he did then he would not dismiss Satanists as Witches so quickly.

In his second paragraph he challenges others to come up with definitions of Pagan, Witch and Wiccan. In the past, better, more accurate definitions have been presented to him. To date, he has not used any of those definitions.

Why? He demands that the definition be one that “everyone can agree on….”. This gives him the ability to say “I don’t believe that” and now “everyone” does not agree with the definitions. As a point of logic, there is absolutely no way to come up with a definition that EVERYBODY in the universe will agree to, the best that can be done is to come up with a definition that most will agree on. With 2,000 years, the Christians haven’t managed to define what is Christian either, cold consolation though that may be.

Here follows an agreed upon new definition of the words. One can hope that the good Rev. will find them acceptable.

Witch (Neopagan definition): A witch is one who practices one of a variety of form of magic derived from the folk practices of previous times. Most often this is denoted by herbalism, midwifery and divination with various tools, but can also include those who cast spells using the natural forces of nature. This differentiates them from Ceremonial Magicians.

Pagan (Neopagan definition): A person who is a member of any of several modern religions that are loosely based on some form of ancient religious practices or based on modern fictional works most often denoted by a polytheistic or duotheistic godhood, research into past practices and a lack of a “holy scripture” in the dogmatic sense. It can also be characterized by most often having been created within the last 100 years. It cannot be classed as Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism or Hinduism or other mainstream religions.

Wiccan (Neopagan definition): A member of the religion of Wicca, as created by Gerald Gardner or any of its many subsequent spin-offs. Characterized by having a duotheistic deity structure, adherence to “The Wiccan Rede” and belief in “The Law of Returns” or a similar statement. Please note, Witches can be Wiccan, but not all Witches ARE Wiccan.

Originally posted 2010-12-11 19:15:42.

On the surface, this leg of the Witches Pyramid is probably the simplest on the surface since it’s doing the process that you have decided on. The decision to do the spell has been made, the caster’s Will is honed and ready to force the change, but now you get your tools out and start the chants to cast the spell. Sounds simple, right?

But there is much more than that to this aspect of magic. Daring to do a spell means you have a self confidence that says you have the divine right to impose your Will on the universe; that you have the right to actually make things happen simply because you want them to happen.

To my mind, that takes a special kind of arrogance. To say to the Universe and to whatever form of Deity you honor, “I know better than you do, and I am going to MAKE this action happen.” That sounds pretty severe and arrogant in my opinion.

It is saying that your life is not good enough. It is saying that you know how your life should be, in opposition to how it actually is, and it is saying that no matter what, you will use any methods, fair or foul, to force the outcome you wish.

It is daring the Universe to do its worst to you.

It is acceptance of not only the outcome, but also all the additional problems and unintended consequences of this spell.

Daring to do something can be a problem if you are going against the Powers that Be. If a deity has decided that the person you are trying to help is supposed to be sick at the same time you are trying to make them well, and you heal them anyhow, despite all the warnings and problems of that healing, there may be divine retribution. To Dare means you are willing and able to accept that and deal with it.

No matter what anyone says, there are Powers in the Universe that could be upset that you are doing this spell. Perhaps, it is because there will be unknown “butterfly effect” problems in another segment of creation. Maybe it is because there will be a power drain from something else that is needed and it may simply be that the desired outcome is supposed to be one that is out of reach. It is possible that binding you are doing is in opposition to the protection this God has promised to His follower.

Daring to do this spell anyhow sets you up to be in direct conflict with that Power. It means that there is the possibility that They will be upset with you and make your life “interesting” for a while as retribution and punishment.

Now, assuming that your Will and your Knowledge is up to snuff in this whole process, the Dare stage is when you actually start doing the spell. At this point, the recriminations and self examination should be done, the decision made and now you actually get out your Tools and start the spell. Just that act, should throw you into an altered state of consciousness. This is the physical stage.

If we relate these legs of the Pyramid to different sections of our being, then “To Know” is the mental preparation part, “To Will” is the spiritual part, and “To Dare” is the physical part of this entire process.

Remember when I was saying before about humanity being wish generators? Well, wishing for something is only part of the whole process. Wishing will only get you so far magickally, it’s the actual process of doing the spell that will achieve results.

But then there is still one part that needs to be addressed, and thankfully it is showing up in more and more teaching texts. Part of the “To Dare” process HAS to be actually doing the mundane things that will help the spell along.

In other words, if doing a spell for a job, Knowing what job you want is good, Willing that job into your life is another good part, Daring to actually do the spell is really good, but having the courage to go out and face rejection over and over is the most important part.

Daring must also encompass the mundane. It does take effort and courage to follow through on the mundane side of things, if only because we might fail.

In a post he made in his LiveJournal, Taylor Ellwood made the very interesting point that most people are conditioned to avoid failure at all costs. As part of that, we are also not trained to accept success, and current societal standards are doing no favor by encouraging a similar mindset of “it’s okay to fail” in the next generation.

In any spell, simply beginning the process of the spell will open the door for failure. Failure will become an option. So one of the goals in any spellcasting process must be accepting that the spell might fail and striving to prevent that failure. Don’t go into the spell with the thought that it will fail, but accept that the “nature of the beast” is going to include the failure of the spell and then strive to overcome it.

Of course, the standard excuse is to blame other factors, for that failure. “The Stars weren’t right,” or “Goddess must have other plans for me,” or “It will happen eventually,” are all excuses that come very rapidly on the lips of those who try spells and fail.

But as one Doctor Who episode pointed out¹, what if we dream the impossible? What if, despite all things to the contrary, we actually make it and make our dreams come true?

No one is trained to that, but we are trained to fail. So Daring to be courageous, to actually do what we say we want, that is real magick. To think that it is possible to achieve what we want, to have what we dream about, that’s wonder.

This attitude is prevalent in most of modern Western Society. The very first word that most children learn to understand is “no”. From then on it is “don’t”, “can’t”, “no”, “Ain’t gonna happen” and more negative ascertations. Very few opportunities in our life teach us how to succeed and what to do when one achieves a goal.

It’s one reason that there are so many books and seminars that try to show people how to succeed. But I have rarely seen anything that shows you what to do when you do succeed.

Our culture is built on the supposition of failure, and thus to actually attempt something that is highly likely not to work is an incredible step of confidence. Actually taking the step to face that possible rejection for the bare slim chance that we could have a better life is truly Daring.

This is the core of “To Dare”. Taking that leap of faith, that step that may pay off and may not, even after been told all your life that you probably aren’t going to make anything of yourself. You must be ready to take that step despite the array of problems in your way, from the mundane to the deities themselves. To take that step, knowing that it may not pan out, but trusting yourself, your knowledge and your training to see it through anyhow.

Then you must have the confidence to follow through with the mundane work as well, to see the process through.

Then, add another layer, Daring to continue anyhow, even if the original spell didn’t work and do it again, despite disappointment in the past. Making sure that you do not, do not, do not quit; even when logic says “give up”, when reason says “enough already”, and when the universe orders you to cease, stubbornly going on is the essence of, the heart and soul of To Dare.

Originally posted 2009-11-10 02:54:34.

(Daven’s Comments: Please note this carefully; this is NOT my essay. It is one of the classics of NeoPagan Literature, and as such deserves to be out there in the community. Every time, however, I find a copy of it, it somehow disappears off the Internet completely. To prevent this from being lost, I am putting it up here. So I don’t have to be anxious about whether or not it will vanish the next time I need to reference it. If you wish to see a more up to date version, please go to THIS SITE and read. I honestly don’t know the difference between these two, but that one is a higher version number. Sad to say the original site Clannada na Gadelica seems to have disappeared off the Internet completely. I leave this link here out of respect.)

by Iain MacAnTsaoir and Dawn O’Laoghaire

The following is by no means an indictment of the religion called Wicca. Wicca is indeed a valid and powerful path for those who truthfully walk it and understand it. However, there is a body of people who believe that Wicca is the descendant of the religious ways of the Gaelic or other Celtic peoples (or ‘Celts’ as a general nomenclature). This simply is not the case.

The following is a brief comparison of the Wiccan religion and Celtic religion. The purpose of this exercise is to dispel the notion that Wicca is Celtic, or derived from Celtic religion. It is by no means to be taken as an in-depth survey of either religion. There are a great many questions that could be answered for people if they would visit with the elderly people in the rural areas of the Old Countries, or at least read books written by solid academians instead of profit oriented, new age writers. We will place at the end of this article the sources that can be used to substantiate what is said herein. I encourage you to investigate each source given, to check the veracity of the statement for yourselves

When we talk about Celtic religion, we must define what we are talking about. Precisely put, we are talking about religious beliefs, practices and world views that existed in Gaelic and other Celtic cultures, as these developed as natural manifestations within the cultures. While this woudl included Celtic Christianity, for this article we are addressing Classical (pagan) Celtic theology. The pagan methodology and understandings of Gaelic spirituality survived the coming of Christianity and have continued to this day within the ways of people who are by and large nominally Christian. This is however, where Gaelic Traditionalists, both pagan and Christian, look when establishing their beliefs and methodologies.

An example of what existed in Classical times, when compared with what began afterward, is the use of the Maypole. Prior to importation by Germanic invaders, the Maypole was not in use in Gaelic lands. The High Days, which were fire festivals, saw people gather at the local river to make votive offerings, as well as light bonfires on the hill tops. It wasn’t until the coming of the Saxon that the Maypole came to Gaelic lands, and even then the use of the Maypole stayed in the areas where there was a Germanic population, and was not adopted by the indigenous Gaels.

The spirituality of the various Celtic peoples has not changed. The Gaelic peoples still recognize that there are spirits of the Sky, the Sea and the Land (X). It is only in their official methodologies concerning the Upper Realm, that concepts and methodologies have changed. The Three of Power can still be found in prayers and incantations such as recorded by Alexander Carmichael at the early part of the 20th century. Yet there are a great many who claim that things that have never been a part of the Celtic paradigm are Celtic. Wicca seems to be a religion that is particularly prone to this. The people who make the statement that Wicca is Celtic are usually of two sorts. These are the new people who either for their own reasons truly believe this to be the case, or they have fallen prey to some unscrupulous teacher who uses the allure of things “Celtic” to draw in new students or ensure profits. In both cases the problem is exacerbated by the fact that solid information is not easily accessible to the general public. The people who fall for the antics of the unscrupulous teacher usually do not have access to the information it takes to refute the falsehood. All religions have these types, and the fact that these will also exist within Wicca should not serve as a reason to condemn that path.

People who, with utter conviction, state that Wicca is a Celtic path usually have derived this idea by one of two common arguments (taking for granted that they haven’t been misinformed). The first is conveyed by the person stating something to the effect of, “… _____ (usually Gardner is named) drew upon Celtic lore when putting it together… .” The second statement used is, “…it just *is* Celtic, it’ always been Celtic, its always been in places like Ireland and Scotland.” Both of these arguments are easily disproven. The following shall go toward that end.

Traditional Celtic religions, as is the case with all religions, are cultural manifestations. In tribal cultures the people’s spirituality is part of their identity and world view. Gaelic Traditionalism, for example, holds within the Gaelic culture. This just as a Traditionalist Lakota would remain faithful to their culture. In the Gaelic experience, though regional variants of the name would exist, the Mother of the Gods is Danu, and her mate is Bile. From that union came Dagda and Bride, who are described in some articles of lore as mates themselves. From texts and folklore we see that the Gods were born of that union. The Gods are the First Ancestors of the people, and are individuals. Scholars have noted that when Celtic culture entered an area, the Celtic gods of the Upper Realm went in with them. These then intermarried with the local goddesses of the land (the goddesses of sovereignty). Extant geneological texts chart how the ancient Gael believed that they originated with those unions. Hence the very Gods of the people are their First Ancestors.

The various ideas surrounding the ancestors manifest in a host of customs, such as the Feast of the Dead. Also, such concepts as that of the dead reincarnating through blood lines, in conjunction with the customs of the Gaelic peoples, provides a sense of continuity and identity that cannot be missed.

Just as Traditionalists hold steadfastly to their own culture, Wicca tends to draw from various cultures and ideologies. What allows the practicioners of Wicca to put elements from various religions together is the modernist ideology that has at it’s root the Jungian concept of archetypes. Wiccans tend to work heavily in the idea of archetypes — “All goddesses are the face of the Goddess”. They focus on the traits which various deities share, much the same way a Jungian would focus on the shared traits of heros in a Jungian analysis. Wiccans also speak heavily on the subject of masculine and feminine dualities (anima andÊ animus), which are central to Jungian theories of personality. Some Wiccans focus on claiming the shadow side, or “dark” side of individuals, which is a straight lift from Jungian theory.

The concepts that are traditionallay part of Celtic religions reject this type of analysis and state that the Gods are individuals. Furthermore, as stated, traditional Celtic beliefs hold that the Gods are tied to the people by a familial links. As an example, while a Gaelic Traditionalist might agree that your mom and their mom (or your tribe’s Mother Goddess and their tribe’s Mother Goddess) share some traits by virtue of both people being moms, it is a mistake to say that just because both people are moms, they are interchangeable. To the perspective of a Gael, the basic fallacy of extending Jungian analysis to far is this your mom isn’t their mom, no matter how mom-like both people are. Needless to say, one can’t hold an archetype relationship to either the God or the Goddess and a direct and intimate personal relationship to your people’s gods at the same time. The two ideas contradict each other.

Another of the signs telling of the Jungian foundation in Wicca is the propensity to constantly ‘borrow’ of concepts, icons and sacred relics from other cultures and their religions. This causes a great deal of friction to exist between people of other cultures and Wiccans. This friction manifests itself in such passive things as traditional peoples separating themselves and establishing communities aside from the general pagan one. It also manifests in such things as the literal Lakota Declaration of War against those who “steal” (words the spiritual leaders of that People used) that cultures spirituality. The unanimous opinion of the people in the various traditional forms of spirituality is that Wicca and Wiccans spend too much time “borrowing” everything under the sun and throwing it all together. Yet, to be fair, from Wicca’s arcehtypal-based viewpoint, that’s both okay and logical.

From a traditional Gaelic view point, and traditionalists of other cultures say the same things, these practices dishonor the ancestors, distort the fundamental truth (your mom ain’t my mom), and interfere with the duty that traditional people generally feel to preserve and restore traditional cultures. This is because, to them, Wicca creates a distraction that sidetracks people looking for the traditional ways, as well as sucks up the time, interest and energy of people who might otherwise be helping to find ways to preserve their culture. Wiccans also often present themselves as the “true” Celtic religion which prevents some people from ever finding their way back to the path of the ancestors, which would, in the view of a traditional person, honor the gods properly. Meaning, as individuals and as the ‘First Ancestors’. What most traditionalists find deplorable is that many Wiccans embrace the misinformation regardless of fact and refuse to deal with conflicting ideas or views when faced with facts.

Having established the Jungian foundation that allows for misinformation to remain unchecked in the Wiccan community lets start dispelling some of the fallacious notions that exist. The first notion to be addressed is, ‘Wicca is what the Celts of old practiced.’ Toward dispelling this idea, let’s state some things that are faily well established as fact because of the preponderance of evidence,

The first is that modern neo-paganism is highly impacted by, and reflective of, Gardnerian Wicca and its derivatives. The second is that, when Gardner was putting his creation together he drew upon Eastern philosophies, Egyptian ideologies and Judaic ceremonialism, in addition to Celtic lore.

This easily becomes confusing, but when something is made up of components, the whole mechanism is not solely of any one of those components. To state such denotes a severely faulty argument. Let me demonstrate this. For a great many years American Motors Corporartion (AMC) put out a whole line of automobiles. These automobiles very often had Chrysler engines, Ford transmissions, Chrysler brakes, Ford seats and, I believe in one instance, even General Motors instrumentation. All of those components, motors, transmissions, seats, etc, were fixed into a body made by AMC. Yet the complete car wasn’t a Ford because it had a Ford engine, nor was it a Chrysler because it had their transmission. It was an AMC, a creature all its own. The same is true about Wicca. It has a Hindu engine, an Egyption torque converter and a Celtic transmission. These things were set in a ceremonial body that, while reflective of the bodies used by the Hermetic Orders, is Wiccan alone. It is a creature unto itself.

Concerning the second argument they use, I direct your attention at two areas. These two areas will suffice nicely in dispelling the false notion that Wicca just *IS* Celtic. The first area is the theologies of the two systems

The two systems, Wicca and Celtic, and in particular Gaelic, contradict each other on several points. These conradictions are enough to, as a whole, form a severe dissonance between the two religions. In Celtic religion, there are three basic spheres. These are the Sky, the Sea and the Land. Each of these has a ruling body. For the Sky the sun, for the Sea the Moon and for the Land the Earth.

By careful study of the ancient texts, as well as the language itself, we see that the Sun and the Moon are feminine. They are sisters to each other. Though in some lore there is traces of evidence that some believed that while the Sun was feminine, the Moon was masculine. In Gaidhlig the names of both luminaries are feminine, and in invocations and spells they are both addressed as feminine beings. Yet they can change gender according to which of their attributes is brought to the fore. The nurturing, warm Sun who promotes growth is feminine, the light, as personified by Lugh, is masculine, and the scorching Sun just before Harvest is represented by Balor. This contrasts sharply with Wicca which is based wholly on a Feminine Moon and Masculine Sun.

Wicca is a religion whose philosophical foundation is Neo-Platonic dualism with a Goddess and a God as archetypes. Not only is Celtic religion vastly different in that it is truely polytheistic, totemistic, animistic, and zoomorphic but the very processes of reason upon which the whole of the Celtic worldview is based is founded on a tripartite cosmology. In Celtic understanding the world has three independent and free sphere, Sky, Land and Sea. The three realms are both the legs of the cauldron of the world, as well as the three parts of the Tree of the World

The next area of difference regards ethics. The basic ethical statement of Wicca is called ‘the Rede.’ The Wiccan rede states, “An It Harm None, Do As Ye Wilt.” The nature of the Rede is untenable to Celts. The whole morality of Wicca is “harm none”. While it is a theoretical statement, it is one with little real life practice. This is because it’s a rule that must be broken just to survive and as a result leaves interpretation and application to individuals, and common sense, isn’t

Such statments as are typical of the Rede are not a part of the Celtic paradigm, in which we find a heroic morality. In real life, the term “harm none” is typified by the moralities of Wicca, Christianity, and others where the primary imperative is to not hurt others. Heroic is typified by Celtic and Norse religions primarily, though other examples exist. Heroic morality is summed up by the Gaelic hero Caelte as, “truth in our hearts, strength in our arms and fulfillment in our tongues”. Heroic morality is rooted in concepts of personal honor, responsibility and fulfilment of duty. These are all traits of the Heroic morality, but like the Tao, it is an intangible concept that cannot truly be adequately defined

Because Wicca and traditional Gaelic spirituality arise out of different analyticalÊ perspectives, their moralities — the “scripts” they create for their adherents — are radically different. Wicca is a religion that is based on a logical extension of Jungian analysis (and yes, Jung was big into religion) — thus it’s sole ethic “Harm none and do what thou wilt” tends to reflect a personal, individualistic practice. Traditionalist Celts living a “heroic” morality focus on heroism, personal honor, tribal honor and duty to the tribe and “Do what you wilt” is the last thing on their mind. What honor and duty calls for are at the opposite end of the spectrum from what the individualistic bent of Wicca would call for.

The vision conceived and portrayed by Wicca, of what comes after this life, is limited and vague. Celtic religion, on the otherhand, has a complex and intricate conceptualization of the otherworld. In fact, OtherWorld’s interaction in this world is, in many ways, the pivot point of Celtic religion.

Wicca is primarily an invocatory/ecstatic religion which revolves around special rituals. The ‘formularies’ used by Wicca can be traced back through the lodges of ceremonial magic, and especially the work of Alister Crowley. In Celtic religion, the tenets are votive in nature and stress ethics and morality, only secondary importance is placed on ritual. To Celts, life itself is ceremony, with every thought, word and deed being spiritually significant and magical

The very foundation of Gaelic culture was the home. The hearth was the cornerstone of the spirituality of the people. In Gaelic religions great emphasis is placed on the sanctity of the home, and strength of the family. Families, to traditional celtic peoples, include people who have adopted each other. The individuals are encouraged to walk in strength and to fulfill their responsibilities to their families. These components are not found in Wicca

In Wicca, sacred space is ritually ‘created.’ To traditional Celtic sensibilities, both blessing the salt and not blessing the salt are superfluous arguments. This because to the Celtic mind, human kind can make neither the Gods, nor Their creations, any more or less perfect than they already are.

In traditionally based Celtic religions all all space is sacred. The Land is the Goddess of Sovereignty, the Mother of the peoples living there, and holy unto Herself. Sacred space is omnipresent, it is the history of a place or some other distinguishing thing that causes certain places to see different religious usages. What is done at a site depends on the natural predisposition of an area or its history. That the ancestors saw things in this way is established through such literary evidence as the Dindsenchas (a book of place histories).

Related to the concepts of the land is that, the Gods that Celts took with them into a new land (Sky Gods/ Gods of the People), mated with the Land Gods already in that land. Out of those unions came the oldest Gaelic families, out of which came later Gaelic families. What this means is that the Celts saw the Gods as their relatives. Hence we see one of several manifestations of ancestor veneration. Wicca has no component for venerating or developing a relationship with the ancestors, or the Goddess of the land or other land spirits of the lands that a people live in. These are big items in traditional Celtic religions.

Wicca is an initiatory mystery religion. Gaelic and other traditional Celtic religions are inclusive, with very few initiatory elements. Within Wicca there are various degrees and levels, each having its own mystery, each mystery being revealed by someone in authority. While the scope of this article is not designed to explore religious functionaries in pre-Christian Celtic cultures, in Celtic religion, the declarations of the Gods are found in the Order of Nature. The revelations are from the Gods themselves, and in general each person with sincerity seeks to understand the natural world (which includes the “supernatural” world) around them and their place in it. There also the concept of interacting with the natural world as co-inhabitors of the world

As briefly touched on earlier, Wicca uses the classical elements as a fundamental concept. Celtic religions traditionally do not use the classical elements (air, fire, water and earth) in any way. Some point to the inclusions of the four mythical cities of the Tuatha De Danaan, as recounted in the Lebhar Gebhala Erenn as proof of, or a model of, the use of the elements of the later Greek elements. These folk attribute the four treasures that came from those cities as symbols for those elements. However, scholars tend to think that these may have been included as they were by Christian monks to bring things more into line with the Roman concepts as typified by the Roman Vulgate.

Some will argue that the floor plans of sacred sites support the concept of the use of directions in conjunction with the four elements. First, such associations would be speculation only. Secondly, these floor plans are of the square temples that are found primarily on the continent. This floor plan was carried over to the isles with the Romans, and is found as a part of Romano-Celtic culture. The majority of insular temples were round. Typical of this genre is the important ritual structure at Emain Macha which was itself round. Archaeological diggings has shown that the site was based on five concentric rings (perhaps associated with the same five circles placed around a new born) of oak posts, with an opening to the west. Circular sites aren’t plagued with such concerns as which side faces which direction. Indeed, the sitting arrangement of the five kings at Tara, indicate an association with the directions, but these need to be addressed within the framework of the culture. This framwork would be winds, or ‘airts’, not the four Greek elements. The airts are still to this day what are associated with the dircetions, as shown by some of the incantations recorded in the Highlands by Carmichael. The Greek elements were only associated with the Four Treasures in the late 1800′s, by the work of the Golden Dawn, of which Yeates was a member.

If we want to address the Four Treasures, we must recognize exactly what is being stated in the texts. Of those treasures, one was the Sword of Nuada and the other the Spear of Lugh. Lugh did not come with the Tuatha De Danann when They came into Ireland. Lugh showed up later on, just prior to the second battle of Maig Tuired. According to the lore, Lugh’s Spear was forged by Goibiu. In that battle Nuadh was killed, and it was after the battle that Lugh took the kingship. Hence, by seeing that Nuadh was gone, and Lugh ascended, Nuadh’s solar symbol (the sword) was replaced by Lughs solar symbol (the spear). This helps us to see that the significant number involved is ‘three’

Also as stated, in Celtic culture there are the basic spheres of Sky, Sea and Land. These three realms are three parts of the cosmology of most Indo-European peoples, and are not the equivalents of “earth, wind, fire and water” of the Hellenistic Greek world that has filtered down to the modern era through the ceremonial magical lodges.

The Sky, which is related to Fire, is the realm of the gods of culture, light/enlightenment, order, permanence, purity, and the skills (The Tuatha De Danann). The Sea, which is the realm of the watery Underworld is associated with chaos, decay, and death through which comes renewal and rebirth (the Fomorri). Regarding water proper, it is through the sacred wells (direct conduits to OtherWorld), from the Waters of Heaven (which maintains during the rule of the truthful king), that the waters which encircles the Earth, sustains and maintains the people of the Land. It is here on the Land where humans physically exist, living in contentions on the ‘plain of sorrow’, caught betwixt the above and the below.

The closest thing to an elemental system amongst the Gaelic Celts is what are called the dhuile, as such is defined as ‘elements’ in Gaidhlig. These are anywhere from seven to eleven, usually nine, items. These range from sun to lightning to rock. The duile are a way of understanding the relationship of the person to the cosmos, with each item found in the cosmos relating to a part of the person.Wicca has nothing along these lines. In addition, the fertility nature of Wicca addresses the land Gods almost exclusively. When Gods of the other realms are named, they are usually outside of the place held for them in their traditional pantheons. In Celtic theology each is held and venerated in their traditional capacities. As far as the directions are concerned, the overwhelming evidence shows that in tradiional celtic religion, the directions have always been associated with the winds. Not only is evidence found in texts which record folklore and custom, such as the Carmina Gadleica, but also in texts far more ancient such as the Senchus Mor , the Saltair Na Ran, and the Hibernica Minora.(X)

Wicca places little emphasis on mythology. Yet in Celtic religion, mythological stories are a central feature. These, in fact, form the core of magical practice, teaching and what ritual exists (manifested commonly in ‘passion plays’). In Wicca there is no clear teaching of what is required to break past the cycles of rebirth. Yet in Celtic religion, the requirement can be clearly and concisely stated. That being to fullfill one’s duty, to always be honorable and to stand for the truth come what may, while understanding *why* what is honorable is considered so.

Wicca is a relatively recent addition to the religious paths of humanity. There is a lot of mis-information bandied about regarding it. It is sad that a great many of its followers have to do the religion such a dis-service by claiming lineages that don’t exist. I would point out the now tired joke about Wiccan grand mums. Celts tend to discount initiation, or any other device through which validity is gained through some person or agency. To a Celt, that one exists is proof of their validty. The only generally recognized ‘initiations’ are those afforded by the process of life itself, with the two most important being birth and death, with marriage, parenthood and grand-parenthood coming along in a close second place.

Some well known writers have claimed a great antiquity for Wicca. Yet, if it has any age to it at all, then it is through the Wicce which were Saxon in origin, and patriarchal from the start. These are thought to have been members of the Lodges of Cunning Men. They have nothing to do with the mythological Druids (a product of the British Revival effort of the 18th cenutry). The Wicce have even less to do with the historical Draoi. Such histories, as have connected the two groups of people, are in fact pseudo-histories, or as Margot Adler calls such ideas in her book, Drawing Down The Moon , “myths”.

These same writters state that the word Wicca, derives from the Saxon word, Witan. However, the Witan was the proto-parliament of old Saxon England. If one wishes to twist etymology in this way, it would be more correct to trace the word witch, back to the word ‘wicga’, which is Old English for the insect known as the earwig, and which literally means “creepy-crawly”.

These same writers state that Wicca was practiced in the Celtic lands, and specifically name Gaelic lands, where these practices were supposedly called “Witta”. Yet, from the Gaelic language itself we can see the truth that Wicca is not descended from the Gaelic Celts, nor, because of the similarities in language, even the Cymru (those known to the Anglo tongue as the Welsh). The simplicity of this fact is seen in that that there isn’t even a ‘W ‘ in the Gaelic language, so niether Wicca nor Witta as a derivation could be Gaelic. As concerns the Gaelic language, the sound [w] does exist in Gaelic, or at least in Old Irish, as a lenited /m/ or /b/, like the [w] in the current pronunciation of Samhain [sawhIn - thats a capital I]. But that never occurs at the begining of a word.

In technical speak the ‘w’ does not exist in the language, nor is [w] ever its own phoneme, just an allophone of /m/ or /b/ (depending on the word). Since lenition is rare at the beginning of a word though, it is extraordinarily unlikely that any native Gaelic word would have a [w] at the beginning, and thus ‘Wicca’ is practically impossible in Gaelic even transliterated into the Roman alphabet.

The truth is that modern Wicca, as it is most commonly practiced, is a fairly modern construction, dating from the middle part of this century. This was best summed up by one Dr. Marilyn Wells PhD, anthropology Department at Middle Tennessee State University, who has referred to modern Wiccans as Neo-Wiccans. In other words, there is little to no connection between Gardners creation and the Wicce of the middle ages, and no connection to the Celts; except for what modern Wiccans have borrowed and incorporated. As a matter of fact, if the veracity of The Pickengill Papers is complete, as many Gardnerians have vouched, then the Lodges of Saxon Cunning Men stood in the place of adversary to the Celtic Wise Women , which also goes to support this essay.

More evidence supporting this, can be found in a body of religious laws called the “Law of the Craft”. While there are a great number of groups operating who do not use the set of laws that Gardner wrote, these do, however, usually use some derivation. “The Law of the Craft” as it was created by Gardner, and forwarded by a great many people who recieved it from their grandmothers (a bit of humour), at the least shows the attitude present in the creators of this religion. The undertones still reverberate. There are printed copies of this body to be found in the public domain, in such books as Lady Sheba’s Grimoire, and The King of the Witches by June Johns. There is also to be found on the Internet, a work comparing several versions of that body of law. There are three items of note, where that law is concerned. They are:

1. The uniform appellation given to modern Wicca, as a “brotherhood.”
2. The quote,”… as a man loveth a woman by mastering her…”
3. The quote,”…let her (the high priestess) ever mind that all power is lent…from him (the priest)…” (Her power is absolute in Circle only, and even then lent from the Him [the priest figure])

parentheses added by author-

All three of these items fly in the face of how women were viewed by pre-Roman Gaelic people. Our people viewed women as equals to men, and this through the Brehon Laws which governed the society. Women had the right to possess and disburse property. They possessed the right to inheritance. They possessed ascendency to the throne; in many places above the right of men to do so. They possessed the right to keep and bear weapons, and be it noted that subjegating an armed populace is indeed a difficult thing to do. It was not until Christianity was firmly implanted that women lost these rights, and the equality of the law concerning women came into question.

Other corollary evidence comes from Wiccan statements about themselves. Of the Druids, all that can be agreed upon, based on evidence, was that they were intimately involved in sacrifices. Yet, many Wiccan state that they “..are the priestcraft for the pagan people…”. They are even “training clergy”. Yet, within Gaelic/Celtic culture all people were considered capable of, and responsible for, the mediation of the Gods on their own behalf. Celtic regard for personal responsibility is amply abundant. This is particularly true as regards to mediating the Gods on ones own behalf, and is so obvious and well known that even pop culture books such as The Celtic Tradition by Caitlin Matthews tell of this truth. This has even been commented on by respected celtophiles such as Peter Berresford-Ellis as being a part of the mindset of the Gaels unto this day.

Even the Triads of our people show where the redactors hands slipped on occasion, and let go expressions of the feeling among our forebearers, that kept priests were an abomination. The idea evidently being that the first place we give up our personal power over our lives is to priestcrafts. From there on out, it is one piece of our lives at a time, until we are veritable slaves. Slavery is not a position taken with grace by our people.

This is not to deny the fact that certainly after the coming of Christianity, and probably before, that there were probably orders of Monks dedicated to the service of one or a number of deities. This is only to say that just as there were not temples of the Greek and Roman type, neither were there sacredotes or “clergy”, whose functions were to mediate and or intercede the Gods on the behalf of other people. The sacrifices that these officiated over were not to appease angry dieties. Indo-European sacrifices were for the renewal of the world, which itself according to Indo-European thought was created from the primordial sacrifice of a diety.

In fact traditional celtic religions was votive/sacrificial in nature. Concepts of votive oferings and world renewing sacrifice, though central to Celtic religion, has no position in Wicca.

When I was asked to write this essay, I was also asked to keep it as short as possible, yet not neglecting thoroughness. This should be enough though, to establish the premise quite securely, that Wicca is not descended form our Gaelic/Celtic ancestors.

Sources:

• Popular Superstitions, Sir William R. Wilde, Sterling Publishing, c. 1995
• The Druids, Peter Berresford Ellis, Eerdmans Books
• Death, War and Sacrifice, Dr. Bruce Lincoln, University of Chicago
• Warriors, Priests and Cattle, Dr. Bruce Lincoln, University of Chicago
• Myths and Symbols of Pagan Europe, H.R. Ellis-Davidson, Syracuse University
• Myth, Legend and Romance – An Enclycopedia Of The Irish Folk Tradition, Dr. Daithi OhOgain, Prentice Hall
• A History of Pagan Europe, Prudence Jones and Nigel Pennick
• Celtic Goddesses, Miranda Green, Braziller
• The Silver Bough Vols 1-4, F. Marion MacNeill, Maclellan
• The Folklore of the Scottish Highlands, Dr. Anne Ross, Barnes & Nobles
• The Celtic Consciousness, edited by Robert Driscoll, Braziller
• The Carmina Gadelica, Alexander Carmichael, Lindisfarne Press
• Celtic Heritage, Alwyn and Brinley Rees, Thames & Hudson
• The Tain, Thomas Kinsella, Oxford
• The World of the Druids, Miranda Green, Thames & Hudson
• Twilight of the Celtic Gods, David Clarke with Andy Roberts, Blandford
• Lebor Gebala Erenn Parts 1-5, trans. R.A.S.MacAlistair, Irish Texts Society
• Clannada na Gadelica, “A Tripartite World and Triune Logic”;, Iain MacAnTsaoir, 1997
• The Pickengill Papers-The Origin of the Gardnerian Craft, W.E. Liddell, Capall Bann pub. Oxford
• History Of Britain, Oxford University Press
• Dictionary of Word Origins, John Ayto, Arcade, c. 1990
• Celtic Women, Peter Berresford Ellis, Eerdmans Pub, c. 1995,
• The Women of the Celts, Jean Markale, Gordon Cremonesi, c. 1975
• A HISTORY OF WITCHCRAFT-Sorcerers, Heretics and Pagans, Jeffrey B. Russell, Thames and Hudson
• Drawing Down The Moon, Margot Adler
• The Pickengill Papers, W.E. Liddell
• The Celtic Tradition, Caitlin Matthews, Element Books
• The Celtic World, Miranda Green
• Merlin : Priest of Nature, Jean Markale

Some parts of this essay were based on an article by Lughaid MacRoberts, who encouraged the author of this article to utilize his paper which was copyrighted in 1988.

Prepared by Iain MacAnTsaoir

copyright 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 Clannada na Gadelica – all rights reserved.

Originally posted 2009-10-27 19:43:01.

More and more recently, there has come a term that is making more of the serious-minded Pagan sit up an take notice: Fluff Bunnies.

There are other names, Playgan, Wicabes, Wiclets, witchypooh, **New Term** Wictim (defined as a Wiccan Victim, or one of those who thinks the Inquisition is still going on) and so on, all of which do the same basic thing; All these names reveal a deep-seated dislike for those who take the religion of Wicca and Paganism less than seriously.

What are the symptoms of this dread condition, you may ask?

1) Aversion to research.

This is probably the most serious symptom. When this symptom manifests itself, the afflicted person tends to read something in a popular book, email list, newsgroup or website and take it as the literal truth, without checking facts. It’s worse when combined with blind trust of the so-called “elders” who have silly names like “High Lady Stuffandnonsense” or “Lady MoonroseHaven”. Their names literally sound like they came out of a Pagan Name Generator and are begging for ridicule.

Basically, Lady Stuffandnonsense decides to write an article about the healing qualities of Foxglove and throws down on the article all that she knows about the plant, without ever bothering to look anything up. Thus, you have an article that talks about the soporific qualities of Foxglove, how beautiful the flowers are, and how magically it can be used to help the person sleep. A tea may be included in the recipe to allow the person reading it to have a good night’s sleep.

Here’s the problem: Foxglove is a poison. It’s known as Digitalis, and is used in minute qualities as a way of preventing heart attacks. Does High Lady Stuffandnonsense know this? She may, but since she doesn’t write it down, the people reading this post don’t know it. Do they look up the facts on this plant? No, they trust the information Lady Stuffandnonsense has put down and would never dream of questioning it. What happens?

Someone who actually knows what Foxglove is who reads the same list, takes it upon themselves to correct many of the misconceptions and inaccurate statements in the article, including that it’s a poisonous substance and should only be used by someone who knows what they are doing. The other people who are reading this list, who have not seen this person post before, get upset at the supposed “attack” of the second poster upon Lady Stuffandnonsense and decide to make a few dozen (thousand) cutting remarks about the second poster.

Now, at this juncture, Lady Stuffandnonsense could dissolve the entire problem by checking with a few online pharmacopoeias or herbals, and discovering that the second poster is right, correcting her own facts and moving on. Is this what happens? No. That would require work.

It’s far easier for High Lady Stuffandnonsense to write another article making disparaging comments about the second poster, and to cite her years of knowledge that have been accumulated by her ancestors and how this is all out of her family’s hand written book of Shadows which has been passed down for the last 4 centuries to her. It’s easier to declare in sonorous tones that the second poster doesn’t have the background to know what Lady Stuffandnonsense is talking about and that the second poster is just WRONG.

All of which leads the Wiclets who look to Lady Stuffandnonsense for education to be encouraged in their attacks on the second poster. It does not matter that the second poster has a PhD in Herbalism and Pharmacology (and is a practicing pharmacist and homeopathic doctor), the second poster (obviously, according to the list) has absolutely no knowledge of what Lady Stuffandnonsense is talking about. (You may laugh, but this scenario actually happened at one point, and I’ve toned it down quite a bit.)

At which point our Doctor gets ticked off and tries in vain to educate these people before they overdose with Foxglove and kill someone. Which leads to an escalation of the resistance to that education, and so on, ad neausium.

If Lady Stuffandnonsense had looked a couple facts up before writing her article, had she looked the facts up after she wrote and posted her article, had she been mature and not had her ego invested in being right, all this could have been prevented. Nor is she alone in the blame, all those who decided that a correction of facts was an attack, because they refused to see that anyone else could offer anything of use to them are guilty of perpetuating this scenario too. Finally our Doctor who posted the correction is somewhat guilty, by answering the Wiclets who attacked her and her facts (although this is completely understandable, and laudable, in her attempt to not be witness to an accident waiting to happen.)

(A perfect example of this is the above section. In the first draft of this essay I had confused Datura, Foxglove and Henbane as the same plant. While all are poisonous, each is a separate species of plant. I posted this first section to a list I am on, and when I was corrected, I ADMITTED my mistake, looked up some facts, corrected it in this draft, and went on. No one got mad, no one got defensive, nor did anyone get their feelings hurt. Had I been a fluffy, I would have retreated into “I’m right and you are wrong….” and left a lot of sore feelings behind, perpetuated inaccurate info, and proved how immature I am.)

2) Blind faith in anything said by the “leader”.

One of the most juvenile and lemming-like qualities in Wiclets is this one. Be it Silver RavenWolf, Cunningham, Lady Stuffandnonsense, Lady Stuffandnonsense’s teacher from 30 years ago, a website or what have you, this is totally accepting whatever this person says as Gospel, the way it is, the TRUTH and nothing but the TRUTH, even when faced with multiple refutations of that truth by other sites. Here’s an example:

Lady Stuffandnonsense has a website in which she posts the information that during the Burning Times, 9 million women were burned at the stake for being witches. She advertises this site to everyone she knows, and to her list of Wiclets who don’t know any better. Lady Stuffandnonsense ignores the bare fact that 20 or 30 people, historians and scholars correct her “fact” and she never updates that site to reflect the more accurate numbers.

Lady Stuffandnonsense’s Wiclet followers go out and quote the 9 million number and get violently offended when anyone tries to correct it, or use logic to point out that 9 million women couldn’t have possibly died because there would be no Europe left had that happened, or that men were killed too and so on. Which leads us to Symptom…

3) Anger when a “Sacred Cow” is questioned.

Honestly, this one makes the least sense to me. Most mainstream western religions demand that you be obedient and not question what is told to you by the authorities in the Church. You must surrender your brain at the door. You are not allowed to ask “Why” thus and so is how we do things, nor are most dogmatic thoughts discussed or explained other than in the gathering of clergy. To the lay person, the worshiper, questions like “why do you use two hands to bless the bread” are not allowed, the answer is invariably “because”.

But one thing about Wicca is that it is not supposed to be mired in dogma or in pointless ritual. Practitioners are encouraged to ask questions and define things for themselves. They are supposed to think and ask and challenge and question. But it looks more and more Wiccabes are challenging the wrong things.

Certainly challenge the statement “we do this ritual this way because” with “why do you do it that way, why not this way?” But don’t automatically assume that because scourging appears in a ritual, and you think it’s too kinky that it’s wrong. Part of questioning the sacred cow is to accept that which you find strange.

Please note, I DID NOT say that you had to practice it. I understand that there are those out there who are horrified at the sight of blood, and therefore will never do a blood sacrifice or animal sacrifice. But just because you find that particular practice repellant does not mean that it should be discarded completely. There are good and strong reasons that one sacrifices blood or animals, and there are ways that it is done which make the process and the magick stronger. It is not done casually or callously; it is done at times of need. But you must be willing to say “Well, that’s for them. I understand why they are doing it, but it’s not for me” and allow them to practice it.

Let’s say for instance, you find out that a priestess in your community does hexes. This is contrary to your set of ethics and the Rede. Do not go around bashing said priestess and saying how bad she is, that she’s a member of a “left-handed path” and so on, but find out why she is doing those hexes and allow her to do them if they are her choice. After all, it’s HER karmatic burden she is raising; it’s HER that will be kicked in the teeth by Threefold Return, not you. No one appointed you as the moral guardian of the month, and because of that you have no right to say anything.

In fact, by taking it upon yourself to run around and correct everyone’s behavior, you are linking your karma to hers, and if SHE gets karmatcially kicked in the teeth, you will too. So the rule here is “live and let live”.

But in order to question intelligently, you should be familiar with why something exists in the first place. In order to question and possibly discard the scourging in a ritual, you have to understand why it’s there. Just saying, “no one is going to hit ME with a whip over a hundred times” is not enough, you have to understand what that whipping means in the context of the ritual, in the context of the religion and in the context of the symbols it represents. Without that understanding, how can you judge what should be there and what should be done away with? Saying it’s not for you is fine, but it may also be a case of throwing out the baby with the bathwater if you discard it. You could be throwing out a critical component of the spirituality and part of the Mysteries you signed up to learn if you discard this.

Another major lack in fluffies is

4) Critical Thinking Skills. June 12, 2003

Let’s look at an example for a moment:

We will use for this example one of the greatest and most often cited “fact” of modern Wiccan/Pagan history; the 9 Million European Women Dead during the Burning Times. I have personally seen this figure quoted in numerous books, cited as “fact” on many pages, and found it being taught in classes on Wicca and Paganism. Most of those in the know, the ones who have done some research on the topic, have found that this is a complete fallacy. In the first draft of this document, I had a series of suppositions dealing with this “fact” but it seems that my assumptions made me talk out of my ass myself. So, I will defer to the experts in this field and send you all to these pages: Recent Developments in the Study of The Great European Witch Hunt and The Burning Times Myth are two excellent articles debunking this particular myth. Please read both these articles before continuing with this article.

Done? Good. Now, given what you just read, does the “fact” of 9 million European women being murdered logically stand? I truly don’t think so.

What are scholars saying? That the actual death toll is between 40,000 and 60,000 with a POSSIBLE high of 100,000 ( Summerlands Remembrance ) but that’s it. In fact, as more accurate data is found, the death toll is going down. It’s approaching 20,000. ( Population sources for information on actual population totals during the time period we are talking about. )

But all of this assumes you don’t believe the 9 million estimate, it assumes you have enough thinking skills to actually try to think things through and find out for yourself what is true and what is not, especially when facts are concerned, and sources are NOT cited. This means that you have to have critical thinking skills and the ability to question what you have been told, and the tools necessary to find out the truth.

I did some web searches and found the above pages through those searches. The first one to find out population was done on Google with the key terms of “Estimated population Europe 1550″ and I got thousands of hits. The second of these was sufficient for my purposes, but I bet any of the others that showed population statistics would have done. The second search I did was for “Estimate death “burning times”" and I had over 200 hits. But I knew how to find the facts I wanted.

This is one of those skills that I see fewer and fewer people actually using. The Internet is one huge research library, and people don’t know how to use a search engine. It’s like looking in the index of a book in the library. One fluffy posted a question about some Gods and who they were, their myths, what they did and so on. Now, I was able to find all the information she wanted in about 10 minutes with Google, but could she be bothered to do that? Why not? This is part of basic fact-finding, a skill taught in EVERY school in America, and probably in the world. So why couldn’t she do this? IMO, one word sums it up, laziness. She simply did not want to do the 10 minutes of work associated with this to find out the answer to her question.

So, this needs to stop, along with not wanting to question “facts” especially when they are highly subjective facts.

Also, don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that the whole Inquisition and other witch frenzies was not a tragedy, it was. It was a horrible terror that should not have been stood for by the local people ( “They Came For Me” ) and should have been stopped if only out of enlightened self-interest. No, what I’m saying is that it’s high time Wiccans stop trying to be the most persecuted group in history. It’s almost like modern Wiccans are so insecure with their own belief that they have to have the most “ancestors” killed to feel special. Why can’t they feel special because of their religion? Know what? ALL my ancestors died, every one of them, a 100% mortality rate. But you don’t see me crying about how persecuted I am by time, do you? Stop inventing things to be martyrs for, there is more than enough serious problems to make you feel special.

5) Reality checks bouncing.

So, you think your HPS of this group is a 40th level Werewolf who if she bites someone will turn them into a werewolf, and you can’t wait for it to be your turn to be bitten? You need a serious mental checkup.

Let’s look at a few facts:

While it is true that legends of the Wolfman and Vampires appear in mythology, there is no evidence they actually exist. Porphyria, iron deficiency anemia, near death experiences, and some sick bastards are all sufficient to explain why someone who goes out only at night and drinks blood from raw or rare steaks. The rest can be explained as self-delusion. Kids with genetic deficiencies that make them grow all kinds of body hair ( Wolfman and Gendis ) are to be pitied, not emulated. But in the past, others could have had this rare genetic problem, and when superstition was rampant instead of scientific investigation, wolfman stories were probably invented to explain the “freaks”.

At which point, it was simply easier to go with the flow and become what everyone was saying they were. The stories and eyewitness accounts enter the public record and we have myths of someone with excessive body hair eating chickens by the moonlight.

Personally, if I were living in the 1400′s, had a genetic disorder that made my entire body sprout hair and keep growing it everywhere, I had been made fun of all my life because of this, I was considered a freak, I would be in hiding, only coming out at night, eating whatever food I could steal from farmhouses (most probably chickens) and attacking people I hated. Crud, my life is already in the toilet, why not add murder to it and get revenge on the people who have been tormenting me all my life?

The point here is that this was NOT romantic, it was NOT good, it was NOT a fun thing, it was a horrendous existence. If you have spent any time in school and had to deal with the herd mentality of the average 12 year old schoolchildren, you know how cruel they can be to those who are different. And they know about Porphyria, or they can be educated about it. How many movies have been made where the deaf person is abused and beat simply because they can’t hear; because they are different from everyone else? And THIS is the kind of existence you want to live?

And this is what you want? You want to be a werewolf? You think it’s glamorous? How many of those myths have the werewolf going insane and killing and killing until they are killed by the “normal” population? How many vampires do the humans hunt down once they are discovered?

How about this? Remember back in the 1968 when that teacher divided the class into the brown eyed students and the blue eyed students, and told the blue eyed students they were worthless, to prove that Racism is taught? (Reference)

Those kids were vicious to each other, mean, cruel, hateful and that kind of behavior would NEVER be tolerated in most schools now, but it still goes on now, with bullies and hatred. And you want this to happen to you? Are you out of your mind?

“Oh,” I hear you say, “that won’t happen to ME!” So why in the name of all that is holy are you going around bragging about being one? Going onto lists and saying “I’m a Toreador and a Vampire! Boy White Wolf Games got my clan right on!” Do you have to be SO SUPER special that you can’t just be a Wiccan/Pagan? That’s not enough for you? You have to be some sort of elite group within Wicca to make yourself feel special?

Let me clue you in for a moment: Even when you identify yourself as a Witch/Druid/Vampire who can go out in the Sunlight and not die, you still won’t feel special. You’ll still have to look around and find more things to identify with to make yourself feel good. All you will find is that most people will want to be FAR away from you, and those that DO want to be around you will only want to be there to feed your delusion that you are a vampire.

There is nothing wrong with taking a piece of truth you find in a game or in a myth and adding that to your spirituality. There are many who think Loki is Chaotic Neutral, and that use the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons ™ alignment scale to rate people. Does that mean they thing that Paladins exist here and now, and that the planes are labeled as AD&D says they are? Probably not. It’s that the symbol of the alignment made sense to them, and they use it to represent how this person strikes them in a soul state. It’s an attempt to quantify with words something that is beyond description, nothing more.

So, if you are a fan of White Wolf, more power to you, you will find a lot of people who will be more than willing to talk to you endlessly about the games they had in the past. They will talk to you about how the energies of the Moon feel different during a Waxing Gibbous Moon than they do during the New Blood Moon. But when you call yourself a Wererider, expect to become persona non-gratta fairly fast. Wake up and smell reality. Or as I heard in one game when someone was getting too into their character “Get real, this is fantasy!”

6) “I am a Priest(ess) of the God(dess)! I know everything!!!”

This is one of those statements that make real practitioners cringe. Just because you have done some reading does not mean you know everything. It does not even mean that you know everything on a given subject; there is always more to learn.

Let’s take ONE area that the fluffies love to say they know everything on, the Runes.

First question: Which Runes? Elder Futhark? Younger Futhark? Anglo-Saxon? Seax-Wica (as invented by Buckland)? Which rune set are you talking about when you say you know everything? Each of the above sets of runes is VERY different from the others, and each of them have nuances that don’t appear in others. It’s like working with alphabets, there is English, Finnish, Dutch, Cyrillic, Spanish, German and Chinese. You can’t substitute one set of alphabets for another without some work.

But let’s stipulate that you are working with the Elder Futhark Runes. Which interpretation are you using? Blum’s, Peschel’s (the set I use actually), the Icelandic rune poem, the Norwegian rune poem or the Old English rune poem? If you know everything about the runes, you should know what I’m talking about here. If you don’t you need to do some more studying.

What? You are using your own interpretation, based on what the Gods told you they meant? Well WHY didn’t you say so? That’s fine, but don’t claim that YOUR interpretation of the runes is what everyone knows, because it’s not. Blum has a set of interpretations, Peschel has a different interpretation, and both of them are based on the Germanic rune poems, of which there are three different sets, all meaning different things. And that is just one set of runes, there are about 20 different runic alphabets out there that can be used for divination, the most common alternate being the Ogham of the Druids. But saying that you got inspired to write your own set of runes and interpret them THIS way will get you looked at as an honest person rather than some damned fluffy by most people in the communities you want to interact with.

And by being a Priest/ess you have to have a Church or Coven.  But what is wrong with being a worshiper? Nothing. Most people I know of simply like to go to the rituals, sing the songs, do the drumming, chant the chants, and don’t care about being the leader of a ritual. They will gladly say that they are a worshiper, not a priest. But you get on some lists, and the fluffies come out of the woodwork to say that EVERYONE is a priest or priestess and that you can’t avoid it.

Let me suggest this: While they may be right that everyone is a priest(ess) for themselves, meaning they don’t need an intercessor between them and the Gods, there is nothing wrong with allowing the leadership roles to fall upon those who actually want to do the job and who are good at it. You don’t have to be a priest or priestess of the Gods if you don’t feel the call in your heart, because it’s a long hard road. If you only feel like doing the worship parts and praying to the Gods when you are alone, guess what? You can do that.

But for some reason, fluffies seem to think that just because you are Wiccan, and Cunningham said you could initiate yourself, that you are automatically a priestess and MUST have a coven and lead them all. Well, if that were the case, the Christian religion would be made up of nothing but priests and priestesses. They pray, they do the celebrations, they go to church, but they have not dedicated their lives to service of others and leading groups of worshipers in ritual. They don’t have the specialized knowledge that has been the hallmark of the Clergy. Your Prest/ess has that specialized knowledge. If you feel compelled to find that knowledge out and tread the path of becoming Wiccan Clergy, more power to you, you will find a lot of helping hands. If you only want to celebrate and worship, more power to you as well. But don’t think that just because you have been initiated into Wicca (ie baptized into the Christian Church) that you are automatically clergy and have to be an asshole about it.

I had been practicing for four years before I ever thought about calling myself a “priest”. I had earned the title many times over, but someone else called me a Priest before I would ever think about calling myself that.

7) An aversion to introspection.

A while ago, I did a series of articles on various things, one of which was “The Path of the Magickian“. It lays out the path a practitioner of magick treads in their journey. One of the recurring themes of that article, and a critical component of anyone’s spirituality, was introspection.

Don’t know what that is? Let me explain.

Introspection is “looking within”. In an INspection, you look at things, adding “intro” means within. So, you look within your mind, your soul, your body and find out what is right, wrong, in need of correcting at a future time, and what can be put on hold indefinitely. You look and find why you are pissed off when your sister takes the attention at Christmas, you look and find out why you are tired at the end of the day, you look and find out why that song on the radio made you cry. You find these things out so you can apply them in your life. Want to be helpless every time “The Leader of the Band” comes on the radio? Then find out why it makes you bawl your eyes out. I know why it affects me, and how to keep it from affecting me to the point of having an accident. But I would not have know that or how to “fix” it if I didn’t go looking for the cause and how to fix it.

Want to know why you don’t have a lover in your life yet? Look at past relationships and pay attention to what you were doing. Remember that when so-and-so grabbed the brush out of your had that you flew into a rage is not enough, why did you fly into that rage? Is it because they were rude, is it because you were not done yet, or was it because you were afraid they would hit you with it like your mommy did?  Are you insecure about your looks and brushing your hair is a way to delay looking in the mirror and dealing with how ugly you are?  Or is it that he simply wanted to talk to you and you thought that his doing that was incredibly rude?  As GI Joe said at the end of every episode “Knowing is half the battle”.

Guess what…. When you know, you can say to your next lover, “Don’t grab the brush out of my hand, my mother used to do that just before she smacked me with it for being bad, and it brings up a LOT of bad memories for me” or that you need to work on your temper or your beauty self image issues.  Thus, you can break out of one cycle of behavior through knowing WHY you reacted the way you did.  Ninety percent of the time, without breaking out of those cycles, you can’t advance spiritually.

Not wanting to mess up.

This is probably the most insidious fluffy behavior there is, the desire not to screw up. Conversely it’s the easiest to correct.

You are asked to do something for your leader. Because you don’t want to mess up and you want to be looked upon as trustworthy and capable, you decide to do it and you jump in with both feet. It does not matter that this is not something you are actually knowledgeable in, and that you are incapable of doing this, you want to impress her and your mates, so you do it. You do this without help, you mess up, mess up and mess up, and pretty soon you are in over your head.

Want to know a secret? No one is going to look down on you if you say “no”. No one is going to assume you are a bad person if you don’t put the incense on the altar because you are afraid of fire. No one is going to look at you with distain because you can’t play a note of your guitar despite 5 years of lessons, and if they do, who needs them? I’m afraid of clowns, terribly afraid of them, so don’t ask me to participate in the local Pagan Carnival, because I will probably snap and beat a few clowns up.

Does this make me less of a Priest? No. It means that I’m mature enough to accept that I can’t stand clowns and that I don’t want to be associated with them at all. My wife is afraid of balloons, so both of us working at one of these carnivals is REALLY a bad idea. But if I were not honest with myself and those in the community, if I were fluffy, I would keep this a secret and not reveal it to anyone, with possibly disastrous results. All because I don’t want to be seen as weak.

It’s not that important. It makes me human. I have a flaw, so we deal with it, move on and work around it. I’m a person, not a saint or a paragon. Be honest with yourself and others and don’t try to take on things you are not suited to.

(The following two pieces were suggested by Chris Cottrell on a.r.w.m. Many thanks to him.)

9) Wonderland syndrome

Wicca is nice, Wicca is kind, all elements that may be considered “dark” like death, cycles of nature, decomposition, male dolphins raping female dolphins and sometimes attacking humans in a sexual way, whales beaching themselves deliberately because they are suicidal and on and on and on are ignored because they are bad. Part of this syndrome is that if anyone does anything that could be considered “dark”, such as casting a spell to give what someone has coming to them, they are IMMEDIATELY considered a “Left Handed Pather” and are thus beyond contempt. It doesn’t matter that Silver Ravenwolf herself practices Dutch Hexamastery, that Buckland says that hexes are sometimes good things, or that most HP/Ss in practicing covens say “can’t hex, can’t heal” and advise everyone to be familiar with ALL aspects of Magick, oh no, that is entirely ignored.

Added to that, Unicorns, Dragons and Fairies are routinely put into the practice and spirituality of one who is a true fluffbunny. Yes, each of these creatures can be benevolent and kind, but Unicorns have a limit to their patience and sometimes will gore you just to get rid of you. Dragons consider most humans no better than lice and the Fairies of pre-Victorian practice stole babies out of their cribs because they could, leaving a “changeling” that would sicken and die within weeks. Cats were reputed to steal the breath of children while they slept, leading to SIDS, Brownies would wreck a house where proper “tribute” was not left on the doorstep, and gnomes in the garden demanded fresh milk daily or they would keep the plants stunted, starving the owners of the garden.

Then there are the truly evil fairies, like the Red Caps, who dipped their hats in fresh human blood to make them red and to gain power, incidentally killing the person in question.

Most fluffies exhibiting the Wonderland Syndrome feel blood sacrifice is one of the worst things from the “dark side of Wicca” that one could mention. It is irrelevant that menstrual blood is a critical component for things like “Witches’ Bottles” and so on, or that blood appears in various forms in spells from the Middle Ages, or that there are many good articles out there dealing with modern Blood Sacrifice (by going to donate blood), or that they are in the middle of ritual and feel an overwhelming urge to cut their hand with their athame, oh no, that is BAD and of the Dark Powers (never specifying just WHICH dark powers).

See, Wicca is of light and love and life and lollypops and fluff and cotton candy…. They completely ignore that the Moon has a Dark Phase too.

10) Lack of effective practice.

Gods help them if they actually cast a spell that WORKS. They will totally freak out, every time. Fluffy sits down and does a spell to bring money into their life. Suddenly they get an unlooked-for bonus at work, which precisely covers their needs. There are one of several things that usually happen to the Fluff bunny at this point.

a) They go into Wizard mode, and everything requires a spell. Their Magick WORKS, by the Goddess, and so they need Magick for EVERY problem and situation they come upon. Therefore, to get a promotion or a new house or gain money for the bills, all they need to do is cast a spell. They feel that because they deserve whatever and that they did the spell, that it will fall into their laps, even if they can’t articulate that this is how they feel. And because they did the spell, they don’t have to do any more work to make their desire come to pass. After all, they did the spell, right? Please note, this is USUALLY only a problem with the very young fluffies, although it can (and does) occur in any age group.

b) They go into fear-factor mode. Magick WORKS…. Therefore, all those evil people out there, the LHPers, they can do Magick and harm them and they can’t do anything because they can’t harm others because of the rede and their priestess said that they couldn’t because….. Suddenly life turns serious and ANYONE can be a magickal master out to get them. They are constantly being attacked by these enemies, and therefore that must be PROOF of how special they are, since the powers of darkness want to keep them down (and not so incidentally playing up to the Victim Attitude and making them feel even more special).

c) Gunslinger syndrome. “I’m so powerful and good that everyone is out to get me and prove how powerful they are, but they are never as powerful as me….” Come on, you have met these people before. They are the ones who are always shielding others because they are under constant psychic attack or their spells are so wonderful that it draws all kinds of evil creatures to them…. These people are the perpetual martyr.

Now, what do these people have in common? Usually their lives are a complete shambles and they can’t magick their way into a headache, much less anything else. These are the ones who have no significant other, despite the tons of love spells they cast, they are the ones who go around and tell everyone else how weak their shields are and how to fix them, despite being in a sacred place that has generations of protections on it (the magickal equivalent of a nuclear blast shelter) which they can’t sense if their lives depended on it, or they complain and moan about how everything that is wrong in their life is due entirely to spells and attacks from those who are jealous of their power. Every problem has a supernatural explanation and they do rituals for the littlest things, probably hoping they will luck into a working spell again out of sheer repetition.

It is my opinion that fluffies exhibiting this symptom are the most irritating.

Update June 4, 2004 I have seen reports that have been shared with me from various people which perfectly describe this syndrome.  I was told of a priestess of a coven who went to an open ritual with another group.  They had the ritual together and later the HPS refused to go to and participate with the first HPS again.  When pressed for an answer as to why not, she stated that during the Circle, she “felt something” and attributed this to “dark powers”.  HELLO! The point of ritual is to evoke and invoke those same forces, to “feel something” during the ritual.  If you don’t feel something during a ritual, you are DOING IT WRONG.  But the fluffy HPS was scared because the ritual actually worked, which points to her rituals never having worked in the past.

11) Lack of respect for other religions.

Pulling the “Totems” from Native American spirituality, mixing it with Quetzocoattal, adding in Finnish runes, using the didgeridoo of the Native Australians (especially if female) and then dissing the Koran as a hate book is one example. There are many others. These are the people who will gladly pull from any tradition and practice, even mutually antagonistic ones, without regard for propriety or cultural taboos. They are the ones who will walk up to a Native American Medicine Man, and call him a witch to his face  and think that this is a high honor. (Okay, I’ll give it to you since this is a little obscure. To the Native American mindset, to my understanding, a Witch is one that causes harm and kills by Medicine techniques. Doing this would be equivalent to walking into a meeting of the NAACP and calling everyone there a “nigger” because it’s what the homies call themselves. It shows a fundamental lack of respect.)

Does this lack of respect actually matter to the average fluffy suffering from this symptom? Not in the least. She won’t understand why the Medicine Man won’t talk to her anymore. She doesn’t understand why no one will teach her how to play a didgeridoo, and why people laugh at her when she proudly claims that her Goddess is Kali and that her God is Gilgamesh (she heard the name in Star Trek and liked it).

Never once does it cross her mind that there may be taboos that don’t allow for a woman to play an instrument meant EXCLUSIVELY for men, or that her Goddess is a killer, no matter how many flowers she puts on her, or that totem animals are friends and companions and reminders, not deities. None of this seems to matter. If talked to about it, she will pass it off as being Eclectic, which is a good thing, right? I mean, let’s forget that the Romans came in and killed the Celts, conquered them and that the Roman legionnaires called upon Mars to help them do it, and let’s forget that the Celtic Goddess of War was called upon to help the Celts defend themselves, let’s put Mars and the Morrigon into the same ritual, they are both deities of War, right? Let’s forget that Loki is a god that caused the Midgard serpent, and that the same serpent causes Thor’s death in Ragnarók let’s put them together in the same ceremony to promote peace on Earth since they USED to be friends.

This attribute pairs nicely with the lack of research.

(Update August 14, 2004:

11a) Monopolytheism

Recently a visitor to my site offered this suggestion for an addition to this article.  So thanks to Wilhelm Barlow for this suggestion.  Drop him a line if you have strong thoughts on this, he wants your feedback.

I add his suggestion to the above part because these are the same basic thing, lack of respect.  In monopolytheism, All Gods are facets of ONE God.  This means that Thor, Odin, Mars, The Morrighan, Lugh, Satan, Lucifer, YHVH are all just facets of some uber-god out there, therefore since Thor really does equate to Eris and Discordia, it doesn’t matter what name we call Them, the proper deity will respond.

Once upon a time, I actually believed this.  It can be seen in some of my writings from about 4 years ago.  I don’t believe it now, precisely, but there are parts of this that still make sense.  I wrote a whole article on this topic, so take a look at that for now.

I feel this trend springs from a couple of sources.  First is a fear that Wicca/Paganism is wrong, and not wanting to piss the Christian God off.  So if these pagan deities you have been worshiping for the last 8 years are only aspects of God, then all is good and right.  Sorry, but it just doesn’t work that way.

The other source is one of the main works that were used when Wicca was first starting out, The White Goddess by Robert Graves.   Had Mr. Graves actually known what he was talking about, things may have been good, but since he was a poet who was trying to prove Margaret Murray’s theories he squished all goddesses into one goddess by some of the wildest twists of logic and by grasping at some of the thinnest of straws.

But unfortunately, for many years this was the gold standard.  Everyone related their gods to the One God, and this “Mystery” deepened.  Deities lost their names because the name wasn’t necessary.

And now when many in the Pagan communities (both online and off) are trying to rediscover the power of a deity as them self, with their own personality, flaws, wants, needs, desires, power and passion, many are sanctimoniously telling those who are doing this that they are wrong.

If you are too scared to move past Christianity and get over the concept of “One God”, then I have no problem with that.  But there is no call to say that my practice is wrong.  At that point, it’s one-true-wayism and hypocrisy.  More than anything else, monopolytheism is trying to be MONOPOLYtheism, and trying to take over from all other forms of practice.  Leave those of us who are trying to develop something meaningful alone and practice your way.

(And thanks to Lord Kern The God of Corn and Magazine Subscriptions for this next one:)

12) An inability to take constructive criticism constructively.

They always take it personal. Any criticism is a bad thing. You are surfing the Internet, find a fluffy page, see the HUGE factual errors about 9 million dying in the Burning Times, send a polite e-mail to the website owner in question suggesting that they may want to check out THIS LIST of 50 pages from reputable people who have come up with about 50,000 victims, and you get a nasty gram back. Come on, this has happened to YOU surely.

It always confuses the living daylights out of me since the initial e-mail was polite to the point of being subservient and servile, but because I dared criticize their page, I MUST be one of those oppressors who can’t stand that she’s putting up the truth on her page. Her Priestess said that 9 million died and logic no longer enters the picture.

And God help you if you are actually making fun of them on another site to blow off steam. I’m a member of a group who posts different pagan sites on a list for members to rate as to the quality of the writing, their knowledge of Paganism and Judeo-Christianity and how verifiable their facts are, as well as website design. Admittedly, many of the sites that are reviewed are fluffy and some are really ragged on, but to be fair the good sites, no matter how bad the beliefs expressed, are usually rated highly.

But when the fluffy under examination finds out their site is a “bad” one, they join up, review their OWN site, and rate it highly (duh) and then get 20-50 of their close friends to do the same thing, and call us meanies all the time, telling us how we are wrong, bad, evil, LHPers, idiots, one-true-wayish, how we are misogynistic, repressive, hidebound and so on till we just want to strangle them all. The owner of the site that does this has shared a few of the more choice e-mails and they are frightening in their fluffiishness. Point out ONE error and the world ends.

But it’s not just constructive criticism that is taken so wrongly (thanks Noddy for this), it’s ANY comment that can be seen as critical. For instance, try this test.

• Join a list or just a public chat.
• Wait for someone to ask a question like “I don’t like kids. Does this affect my relationship with the Goddess?”
• Let the fluffies have their say.
• Take a position counter to what they took (like saying “Not at all. The Goddess understands that there are some who don’t feel the call to be mothers and fathers. Good for you that you know this, instead of being a bad parent.”)
• Watch the list go ape-shit all over you. (have an asbestos suit handy)
• Get stock in the manufacturers of Fire-Extinguishers (you will be rich)

The flame war will be unlike anything you have ever seen. You will witness 60 year old people turning into bratty 5 year olds before your very eyes, you will see your words twisted like a Chinese metal puzzle, you will witness group attacks that make the Nazi Panzer blitz vs. the Polish Calvary (still on horseback and wielding sabers) look fair in comparison. You will be called all kinds of insulting names, your sexuality will be questioned, you will be told that you are NOT really ________ because how could say something like that and be that cruel.

You will hear from the pro-lifers (yes, Wicca has them too. [sigh] ) who will tell you that you support ripping children out of the womb in late pregnancy abortions and that you have no clue what the Rede is about. You will be favorably compared with those evil LHPers and ignored.

Mind you this will probably happen in just a few minutes if you are in a chatroom, and you will have no chance to defend yourself. If it’s an e-mail list, you will have it happen in about a day’s span, and it will be a recurring topic for about a week, even when the list-owner declares it too hot a topic to deal with.

And trust me, this is a MILD example. I have had this happen to me personally, and despite clarification after clarification, restating the original premise, restating my position, they STILL take it incorrectly and in the worst possible way.

What’s all this mean when you put it together? Hopefully if you recognize yourself in these words, you can take steps to begin to correct these problems. Correcting them will eventually lead to your loss of “fluffbunny” status. People will actually start wanting to be around you when you approach and you will honestly have something to say. Who knows what may happen at that point.

Other Resources:

This is the section where I send you out to other articles/essays that are about Fluffy-Bunnyism.  If you were offended by the above essay, you will want to read these resources to get a second opinion of your fluffy status.  All these are important for diagnosing this condition.

• Am I Fluffy

• Why Wiccans Suck

• Wicca For the Rest of Us

• The Fluffy Test

• Standard Fluffy Statements

Update May 5, 2003: I never thought I would have to do this, but apparently there are some out there who are trying to “reclaim” the term “fluffbunny” from us “evil people who think that we should all walk around with hexes in our hands, ready to throw them.” (This was a direct quote, BTW.)

THE TERM FLUFFBUNNY IS AN INSULT YOU {too stupid to know when you are being insulted} FLUFFERS This is not a term to wear with pride, it is something to be ashamed of. It means that you are head-in-the-clouds that you can’t see when someone is kicking your shins, or ridiculing you. As proved by the movement to “reclaim” this term.

This has been a term of derision for a while now, it generated from the “oh so cutsie” bunnies that are sold every year at Easter, and then who are abandoned every year at 4th of July when they are not cute anymore, but no one has the guts to slaughter them for the pot. It came from the trend of little girls (and some fully grown girls) to collect all that is stuffed like the Unicorns, Dwaggons, horsies, teddy bears, kitties, dollies and anything that has plush inside it. I first heard this term while playing D&D, and it was in regards to those who were too stupid to come in out of the rain.

Life is not lollypops and rainbows. Walk down an alley with those hundred dollar bills in your pocket and see if your “the Universe is a Friendly Place” philosophy will keep the muggers from eating you alive. I’ll stand back here with my karate and gun and not walk down the alley in the first place.

I know many people who are “Sweetness ‘n Light ©” people. They are wonderful people and they brighten up those around them. It’s good to have them around to make one feel better. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a sunny disposition or having a positive outlook on life. In fact, one of those with a sunny disposition was molested as a little girl, and still recovering, the other just recently went through a BAD domestic dispute and subsequent divorce. These experiences did not embitter them, it made their bright nature even brighter. This is wonderful and completely right.

No, this essay is directed toward those individuals who have to ask permission from a list of strangers to do a spell to call the police on an abusive husband simply because it’s a BAD thing to do, and it could come back and hurt them….

Take off the blinders and the rose-colored glasses! Wake up. Be realistic and understand that the Universe tends toward Chaos, not chocolate and lollypops. There are thousands of sayings that prove this to you, but sitting around and hoping that the perfect job/lover/friend/situation will drop in your lap will not bring them to you. The Universe is a Universe of Survival of the Fittest. If you don’t drop the “innocent” act and wake up and get a little selfish, you will wind up sucking hind teat and probably never advance past the state you are in currently.

There is a whole movement out there that is perfect for your philosophy, it’s called New Age. Go join that. And if you won’t wake up, join the New Agers, at least be courteous enough not to spread your disease among the next generations of Wiccans, Druids, Asatru and Magickians. Some of us are actually trying to protect ourselves and gain a few things from this world.

AHA! I just came up with the perfect visual to show you all how you are acting. Think back to the movie of the Decade…. Labyrinth. I know you all saw it, so remember the movie. Take as long as you need. Okay, now that you have remembered the sweetness ‘n light © of that movie, think back to when Sarah first meets Hoggle. What is he doing? Killing fairies. BAD Hoggle!!! But when Sarah picks one up and tries to make it well, because she’s so beautiful and wonderful, she gets bitten for her trouble. Seems Hoggle knows several things that Sarah could stand to learn after all. You are Sarah, those who are non-fluffies around you are Hoggle. We actually understand that sometimes it’s necessary to destroy the wonderful and beautiful because they are a danger.

I tell you something, had Odysseus’ ship been packed with fluff-bunnies, Penelope would have married another man. As it is, I’m glad there was one non-fluffer on board to kill those sweet-sounding ladies. (For those of you who missed this referent, read some mythology, specifically, “The Odyssey” by Homer. In there, there are mermaids who delight in luring ships onto their rocks, destroying them and eating the drowned sailors. They did this by singing to them in a beautiful tone.)

Dear Mr. Daven,

I read the title to your article and decided that what was needed was a recipe for creating a fluff bunny. I found this one in the Wendy Zephyr Guide to Genuine Real Magic ™ and post it under the assumption that all persons viewing are familiar with Fair Use provisions of the U.S. & international copyright laws.

Now, making a fluff-bunny is very similar to making a golem (that’s as in artificial man, not as in LOTR). The one major difference is that, while a golem should be firm, solid, and of exceptional strength, a fluff-bunny should be soft, furry, and have bunny ears.

Therefore, one starts with different initial materials. I began with a small green & white stuffed bunny such as are sold in Easter Baskets. Shape and consistency are good, but the fur on such a creature is not sufficiently fluffy. Thus one must either perform a hair-growing spell or leave the bunny under the bed for six months to accumulate fluff. I used the Handy-Dandy Wendy Zephyr Hair-Growing spell (which worked fine on the bunny but failed to put a single additional hair on my balding father’s head; he says it did cause him to grow more hair from his ears, which he did not find desirable).

Then a resizing spell must be in order — a fluff bunny should be expanded to the size of a small human; I recommend somewhere in the 4 foot 8 to 5 foot 8 range, depending on the sex of the bunny. Don’t make males too small, as short males tend to be feisty instead of fluffy. Females are probably preferred, at least in terms of rabbit dispositions.

Now that your bunny is of the proper size, sex, and fuzziness, you need only bring it to life. Some folks recommend use of the Come Alive powder from the Wizard of Oz books; I used a conversion spell similar to the one I used to turn our ottoman into a big guinea pig.

My venture was a tremendous success, though I will note that said fluff bunny’s initial behavior was complete out-of-control. In the first 24 hours of its existence it managed to scare the daylights out of my mother, to consume a truly outrageous number of carrots, and to corner the manager of our local bookstore and spend three hours telling him why he needs to stock more Llewellyn publications.

It then disappeared into a mall, where I last spotted it gazing at cheap crystal ornaments and jewelry. Once I recover it, I will undertake some training regimen.

But anyhow, that is how you make a Fluff Bunny.

BB,
Wendy Zephyr

Originally posted 2009-10-26 13:57:07.

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I know I’ve spoken at length about going out and finding the idiots in Paganism and Wicca, and exposing them for the idiots they are.  But now I want to talk about the other side of that for a while.

While I have been out of the hunting business for a while now, there are those I’m friends with who are still out there in the communities, looking and reporting on trends in the groups of the new seekers, and the responses that the older and more experienced generations are having toward them.

This is where the downside of the hunting comes in.  There is a HUGE temptation to slather ALL new people with the same “bunny brush”.  To label the sincere and genuine seeker with the “fluffbunny” title, which makes it impossible for them to thereafter find real help in their spiritual journey.

So I want to talk about this trap in this essay.

Always remember the golden rule of bunnyhunting:  “THE NEW ARE NOT ALL BUNNIES.”  Certainly the possibility is there for the new seeker, the person who found Wicca and Paganism last week to be a bunny.  The “One book and I’m a witch!” crowd is one that we always have to be on the look out for, since they can do so much damage if left without those who are concerned with keep facts out there.  They tend to be the worst when taking something they read out of context, and without subjective verification (through research in the case of facts, through meditation and experimentation in the case of non scientific items) and repeat it ad neausium to anyone who will hear.  I could go on for days on all of those, but the two most common I will give here as examples; “Wicca goes unbroken back to prehistoric mankind” and “All witches are Wiccan because they have to be.”

Anyone who has been around the block a few times just let out a huge groan of frustration, and believe me I feel your pain.  I have spent probably a year or so (if you put all the scattered bits together) of my life trying to purge only one of those from the collective Wiccan mind.

But does the repeating of one of these rotten chestnuts automatically warrant a sign of “FLUFFBUNNY” to be on the speaker?

I am telling you now, it does not.

Just having read that in one of the many MANY bad volumes of Wicca instructional manuals and classes does not mean the person in question is someone who is an idiot and fluff.  Remember, a fluffbunny has a very specific definition and set of behaviors.  It is someone who is unrepentantly ignorant, willfully turning aside from and denying anything that makes their little mental universe change.  When they (metaphorically) stick their fingers in their ears and begin making random noises to drown out your information, and go blithely out and teach this “fact”, which can be refuted about two dozen ways, to anyone who will listen, from the new student to the fundamentalist Christian, then it’s a pretty safe bet that they are a fluff.

But someone who is asking for references and help finding information, is, by that definition, NOT a fluffbunny.  They are someone who is asking for a starting place.

Yes, you may feel that it is your duty to follow in the steps of Elfwreck and try to drive them away from our faith, and that is your choice.  But don’t do it thinking that you are keeping a fluff from being created.  It is shutting down a seeker from finding a pathway, finding information.

I’ll admit that this is a judgment call.  It’s a hard call in most cases, trying to figure out if this is the first symptom of someone who just wants to fling poo all over Wicca and Paganism, or if this person is sincere in their quest for knowledge.  Thankfully it’s something you can take to your Gods, to your Teachers, to those who are allies and your own mind and conscience as to if you are going to help or not.

And, by all the Gods living and dead, it’s so tempting to to just ignore the request and go your merry way, but I want you to remember something…. you started out in the same place at one time.  You too were lost and overwhelmed with a lack of resources and a lot of people who were talking in circles around your understanding.  So, now that I reminded you about this, what would you tell yourself in that long ago time when you desperately wanted what you now have?

If you had the chance to go back in time, as you are now, what would you say to yourself back then to encourage them to investigate and what hints would you drop?

Why not do that now.  It doesn’t have to be blatantly obvious, but it shouldn’t be a Chinese Puzzle Box either.  Understand and sculpt the lesson to the student, give hints and give tools to find more.  Feed the hunger to know, instead of stomping on the embers.

Remember, the seeker now, will be the teacher of your grandchildren.

<— Continued

Message: Thalada,
Author: Cainte – Daven Iceni
Date: Apr 28, 2000 12:22

Yes, I understand perfectly where you are coming from.  I too carry a “Sacred Space” around with me all the time.  I have my altar in my head, as well as a Shrine, and a “crash kit” for emergency rituals.

However, let’s start at the beginning.  That’s a pretty advanced attitude that takes years to develop.  Baby steps before driving a car….

LOOHTA  (Laughter of one heart to another)

Message: Druid Shrines
Author: DJW – OllahmLaoich Urchurdan
Date: Apr 28, 2000 19:02

Daven Said:
“As to Druidic practice, I have no idea.  I would assume from archeological evidence that the Druids used SOME kind of Altar during their worship, but there is little evidence that I know of.  (If anyone has evidence supporting this, please let me know about it.)”

The only thing that comes to mind are the ‘Nemed’, probably more in line with the shrine concepts than the altar. There’s not much to go on concerning altars. But there were holy places. Places seen as ‘between’ were important (where water meets land, caves, wells, etc). There are instances of offering pits (some going for many meters underground), and certain spots in rivers where offerings are found. Also, trees have been repositories for gifts, eg. colored cloth.

I think there may have been altars, but more as a convenience (so they don’t have to bend down too far to pick up the tools

Some people think the Celts didn’t view their gods anthropomorphicly, in which case they may not have needed indoor altars or shrines. I wouldn’t be too sure of that. But I think they used the kitchen table for family rituals (or something along those lines).

The Celts/ Druids certainly had amulets/ talismans, so they may be portable shrines (also thinking of the Crane Bag).

OllahmLaoich

Message: Druid Altars
Author: – Daven Iceni
Date: Apr 29, 2000 13:29

Okay, Amulets and Talismans are more portable spells that you can hold in your hand rather than portable shrines.

And you must understand the time period we are speaking on here.  The Druids were the Priest Class of the Celts, and as such were the sole people responsible for ALL rituals.

In fact, this was so ingrained with the culture that Caesar commented on it when he was writing back to Rome to get more support for his troops in Britain. He said “The Druids control the entire religious aspect of the Celts.  They MUST be present at every rite or ceremony so it is conducted correctly.” Or words to that effect.

There may have been some prayers to the Gods in the average person’s home, but no ceremonies or rites held.

The reason that I said they must have had altars in their ceremonies is exactly for convenience.  That’s pretty much my surmise too.

As to offering locations, They are scattered all over Britain.  That is undisputed.  The colored cloths were prayer cloths.  An especially important prayer was spoken and the cloth was tied to the tree or bush, in the hopes of attracting the notice of the Gods with it’s fluttering and moving, and thus they may be intrigued enough to come to where the cloth was to hear the prayer and possibly help.

Please remember some things.  All of the evidence that Caesar wrote about in his reports were third hand.  He never personally saw any rites or ceremonies up close, so he has no knowledge of the true way they were conducted.  Also, he was writing for support for his campaign in Britain, support that Rome was reluctant to give.  As such, he could have colored the facts a bit to make the Celts seem more vicious and blood-thirsty than they were.

Also, one of the goals of this thread is to make it pan-pagan.  No matter the culture, nor the peoples, and I think we are getting locked on the Celts.

Now, this is not necessarily bad, since a lot of Paganism takes it’s roots from there.  But we do need to keep our focus on other groups too.

For instance, Altars only seem to crop up in societies that have indoor rituals.  As such, it is probably that the Druids did not use altars for their ceremonies, except as a convenience.  But the Egyptians, however, did.  As well as the Romans, and the Greeks.  But the Native Americans (from circa 1500′s) did not.  But the Aztecs and Incas and other societies there did use Altars for their rites and ceremonies.  The Japanese and Chinese did and did not.  They had shrines, but no altars.  The African tribes did not have altars nor shrines.  Nor did the bushmen of Australia.

Altars are really only important if you have a definitive priest class, who have advanced to a point where indoor ceremonies are the norm, as well as having that priest class somewhat removed from the populace in general and there is a need for a “Sacred Space” to be created indoors, as opposed to having that sacred space be wherever the priest happens to be.

Anyone else?  This is a good discussion.

Message: Africans
Author: DJW – OllahmLaoich Urchurdan
Date: Apr 29, 2000 18:51

Daven Wrote:
“For instance, Altars only seem to crop up in societies that have indoor rituals.  As such, it is probably that the Druids did not
use altars for their ceremonies, except as a convenience.  But the Egyptians, however, did.  As well as the Romans, and the
Greeks.  But the Native Americans (from circa 1500′s) did not.  But the Aztecs and Incas and other societies there did use
Altars for their rites and ceremonies.  The Japanese and Chinese did and did not.  They had shrines, but no altars.  The
African tribes did not have altars nor shrines.  Nor did the bushmen of Australia.”

Actually, the African comment makes a good point for innovation or evolution. The diasporic religions (Voodoo, Santeria, etc) use altars today, but as you point out, didn’t used to. I remember reading a book on West African Voodoo that had photos of altars being used around Togo (W.Afr.), but I think that was due to later foreign input.

OLU

Message: A teeny bit late…
Author: – Fleury CuChulainn, Patron
Date: Apr 29, 2000 19:20

Here is the alter, such as it is, I hope this is a better visual… for explanation as to what every thing is, please see my last post.   Oh, and sorry about the white background, I didn’t save just the picture, but the whole damned paint thing… whoops! Unfortunately, I don’t have time tonight to go back and fix it.  I’m actually pulling myself away from the computer and venturing into the real world for a while. *EG*  It won’t be long though… LOL

Oh, and I took an African History course a year ago, and although we didn’t get into any real depth on religious practices, we did look at it a little.  Historically, the various African religious practices were conducted by a limited number of people, much like the ancient North American Native traditions.  There was usually one person with the extensive knowledge, and usually psychic gifts and then a number of apprentices who helped during rituals and whatnot…  They did not have altars and shrines until the rise of Islam in the 6th century AD, and then colonization in the 1800′s.  The homes of the ‘priests’ housed all the holy implements but they weren’t usually set up in a shrine kind of situation, more like being stored in their appropriate places awaiting use.   That’s all I’ve got for now, but I’ll be back to this one for sure!

Message: Well, it’s good to know
Author: Relieved… – Message: Well, I got permission to post
Author: stunned – Daven Iceni, Patron
Date: Apr 30, 2000 13:20

the notes I have been receiving from Nantonos Aedui.  Here’s the first one:

I appreciate that “Pagan Basics: A teaching thread.” is a private, invitation-only thread so I have not posted to it, but I think that you go a bit far in asserting that no-one other than the Druides ever conducted any ceremonies or rites or anything. That would be incredibly unusual, anthropologically, especially in times when religion was so intimately mixed with everyday life.

The quote that you are trying to remember, ‘”The Druids control the entire religious aspect of the Celts.  They MUST be present at every rite or ceremony so it is conducted correctly.” Or words to that effect …. ‘ is given as the introduction text on the Glade of the Carnutes thread.

I checked this link out and it is there, silly me.  I’m getting SOOOooooo lost.  LOL

In fact you seem to have argues that they did *not* use altars, either … although “offering platforms” at the edges of pools, springs, and marshes are attested in the historical record.

Do you consider that all of the hundreds of separate votive deposits for healing at the sources of the Seine were deposited by druids and by no-one else?

Clearly, in the Gallo-Roman period, altars were used (after the Roman and Greek fashion, though with substantial regional variations – the Loire-Atlantic-Pyrennes region and the Flemish region springing most obviously to mind).

Yes, you can post my original note (and indeed this one), with attribution.

Perhaps that is true, but I still believe that it was not a common practice, but we shall never know.  The offering platforms were a form of shrine, as were the Prayer Cloths, and many other things.  But I believe that the use of Altars by the Druids was an uncommon practice.

But, once again, I’m not sure about it.

Message: Here is an example of a shrine…
Author: – Rona Cumhaill
Date: May 3, 2000 23:33

http://www.peachtree.druid.org/dedicants/shrine.htm Looking forward to comments on this!

Message: Good shrine info.
Author: DJW – OllahmLaoich Urchurdan
Date: May 4, 2000 02:06

Thanks for the URL. Some good info on the basics of shrine and altar building. Worth considering along with Daven’s excellent writing on the subject.

Message: Here we go…..
Author: questioning??? – myst Niall
Date: May 16, 2000 01:21

with all those questions bursting out from the lips.  LOL I have read all the posts on this thread and the one thing I have a problem with is the alters. Why do we need to have one? For me, I have a circular grove of five old growth cedar trees outside my back door. Inside these trees is the most awesome feeling of power and peace. Can I not use this? Or is there a path for tree worship? I only ask this because you said the only stupid question is one not asked!*smiling*

Message: Just a little comment……
Author: Ollamh Cainte – Thalada Parisii
Date: May 16, 2000 06:03

realizing how difficult it is to present the epic of history in three posts and the span of time and thought in a concise way.  It is most important to walk away from Daven’s discussion with a sense that there is a ton of truth out there waiting to be uncovered and each piece of truth serves to develop one’s thinking.  If there is anything a student should take away it is that they should feel compelled to challenge each piece of ‘fact’ they are presented with.  They should research and read and when they are done that they should do more.  There is no substitute for improving the process of learning better than the process of learning.

Daven, I don’t think you judged neo pagans harshly nor do I think you judged at all.  I agree with your views on Satanism mostly because I view it as an intrusive and reconstructionists religion…like many proselytizing christian religions.  With regard to Druidism it is unfortunately necessary to ‘interpolate’ where fact has been reduced to supposition.  Much was lost but the logic I think remains intact.  With that logic it is possible to deduce the philosophy of the Druids if not the precise religion.  As far as I am concerned that is the more important of the two anyway.

And perhaps a cut at Myst’s question as I happen to agree with her.  I’m not sure there is an absolute need for an altar but there is a need for a gateway to the power of place.  An altar, i think serves as a ritual gateway, the keys to which are embodied in the symbolic items and arrangement.  Following a ritual path allows one to unlock the door in a controlled, and I might add, safe way.  The grove might also have been used in this way by the Druids….it is the way I use it now.  But the ritual is still carried within us and the need for mastery and control is as important as ever.  Power is neither a good or bad force but it can manifest itself in ways that might be perceived as either good or bad when one does not have the ability to control the power.  Ritual, through an altar or through a trained mind, is the governor and steward of that power.

Message: Well said Thalada.
Author: Instructor – Daven Iceni
Date: May 16, 2000 22:24

The ritual and the “creation of the sacred space” and the “bringing the infinite to Earth” is the most important thing that we are trying to accomplish.  The props, or tools, don’t matter.

Use an altar if you wish to, or don’t as you wish also.  It is the mindset that is being perused here.  The frame of mind that says “This is a holy time, and a respectful time, a time where I am in connection with the ALL, and a time when I can be myself, without any masks or walls.”

Many in rituals, think that it has to be solemn, serious, and quiet.  It is this way with not only organized religion in chapels and temples, but also in more than one grove or circle.  And it really spoils the mood when someone trips over their robes.

If it were me, I would rather laugh at that point, when it is appropriate, and let the anger and the frustration wash away with a few hearty laughs, than to let the embarrassment of the moment kill the mood.

Anything that promotes the mood of joyfulness, celebration, awe, closeness, love and togetherness, is to be sought after, and embraced when encountered.  These are the states of mind that you are trying to create.  Don’t fear a laugh from a child, or a laugh from yourself, or a hearty “BLESS IT” when you spill wine on the Book of Shadows.

And if using a tree stump is right, within a circle of trees, do so.  If putting everything on the ground is even better, do it.  An altar is really only a convenience, nothing more.  It is a tool, just as the athame or the cup or cauldron is.

The reason I was harping on them so much was simply because they are in common usage amongst most NeoPagan/New Age/Wiccan groups.  Lots of the ceremonies and the words and symbols have been stolen (yes, I said stolen) from Ceremonial Magicians.  An Altar was one of those things taken.  But it really is not necessary.

One thing that I MUST drive home to each and every one of you is that religion is a personal path of self-discovery, a philosophy, a way of living your life, as you see fit.

Me sitting here in my home, typing these words cannot tell you the secret to life, or the nature of the universe.  That is something that you have to find for yourself.  I can tell you what I have found, but it will mean nothing to you without you discovering it for yourself.

It has been said that one who knows who he is, and where he came from, and what comes next, has no need for religion, or for philosophy, or for the secrets of the universe.  This is because he who has found all of that is already in possession of the answers that those things are trying to give you.  The only people who will understand the answers of the universe are those who have found those answers already.

So, use an altar if it will help you, or do not if you don’t think it will.  Whatever you need to promote that attitude you take into the Circle, use.  If it detracts from that attitude, don’t use it.

Symbols only work if they have meaning to you.  Words only work if they mean something for you.  These things are only important if they evoke an emotional response from you.  If a pentagram is meaningless to you, being told you have to have 50 or more of them around you in your rites, will do nothing for your state of mind, except distract you.

But if one sea shell, which you found on a beach when you were 3, and that your mother kept for you all these years, evokes the emotion that those pentagrams are supposed to evoke, the not using it in your ceremonies is a crime, in my opinion.

There are so many things I want to say and I want to teach now, that my mind is full to bursting….

But, another assignment.

“Grounding and centering” is a term that is thrown about in the Neo-(whatever) groups in recent years.  I first encountered this term in a book by Mercedes Lackey, and I have used it ever since.

This is the act of coming to peace inside your heart and head, and letting unwanted emotion drain away.  Centering, is the balance that one gets from things like meditation, sitting and relaxing, prayer.  It is a “wholeness” and a concentration on yourself and the area around you as part of a whole, not separate from it.  Grounding is to let anger, hate, envy, fear, and other negative emotions drain into the ground.  TO stay there, and never come back to you.

There are things that you can do to help with this.  One is to just listen.  I have several examples are:  listening to the stars sing, hearing the wind talk to the water, and hearing the water answer back, listening to the brook babble on about what it has seen, feeling the air blow all of the energy out of you, feeling the Earth spin on it’s axis, sitting with your feet in the lake, listening to the thoughts of a baby.

All of these are a type of centering.  Just doing these actions, and feeling the peace that comes with it is good.  And there are different triggers or helpers for each person.  My most powerful one is listening to the music the stars make.

I want all of you to practice this.  Find your helper or trigger.  Do it often, and do it for a long time.  Meditate if you wish, but get that “Connection” to Life in the Universe.  Feel that peace.  Post your reflections and your thoughts and insights if you wish, but do this.

Feeling that connection is the next step in all of this, because if you can’t feel it when you are doing it yourself, how can you know if you have created the same thing in the ceremonies, or how can you feel the energy you are raising?  You have to separate yourself first, and know what is you, and what is not you, before you can sort what is outside of you.

Let me know how this is coming with all of you, and then we will move on to energy work.

Message: It is so hard to believe
Author: tears of joy – myst Niall
Date: May 16, 2000 23:57

what you wrote Daven. I read and re-read it as I wiped the tears away. All my life I have listened to the wind whispering to me, the trees imparting their great wisdom, water laughing and chattering non-stop like naughty children. I have lain on the grassy knolls and felt the pure energy from the earth come up and envelope me like a safe cocoon. I hear the moon calling to me and in the quiet of night I hear it all come together. That is hard to explain ,it’s just a thing I know.*smile* To know this is the way I am supposed to be and not looked at sideways and hear people say ” nice lady, but a bit off you know.”  Well, all I can say is Thank You so very much. It is so very good to learn. Bless you!!!!

Message: Regarding the mindset principal….
Author: – EponaDawn Catuvellauni
Date: May 19, 2000 02:30

Daven, I agree with what you said about mindset being the most important thing in ritual.  I have a make-shift altar that is by no means elaborate and use tools some people think are strange as opposed to the usual.  My athame is a letter opener given to my father by his company after he retired.  He is now deceased and I gain great power in holding it in my hand; I feel as if he is guiding me.  I am disabled, as well, so I find that performing some of the more strenuous rituals to be a strain.  But instead I have found true strength in simple meditation, pathworking, and visualization techniques.

I am curious to know if anyone here has done any pathworking as well.  I have met and conversed with deceased relatives whom I never met in life and faced fears I never knew I even had.  I know these are techniques are used by psychologists as well, but I often wonder if the philosophy of an earth-based religion might better serve to enhance this experience.

Even before I became Wiccan, I was doing things that would have been familiar to those practicing the craft, even though I didn’t know I was doing them.  I would lie down holding my cat closely (he actually liked it *g*), listen to his low-pitched purring and rhythmical breathing, and drift off into a trance-like state.  In this state I could see my everyday problems more clearly and more than once came away with solutions to them.

We should use whatever props get us in the mood for whatever undertaking we desire to carry out. I suppose the most basic teaching that Wicca has taught me is the rule of 3….I have learned very quickly just how true that is!

Message: Well, my comments on Myst’s and EponaDawn’s
Author: Master of Serpents – Daven Iceni
Date: May 20, 2000 01:24

posts are here:

EponaDawn:  I have heard of pathwork, but have no experience with it, other than living a lifestyle.  That is what I do.  No formal training in anything, other than what I have read and experienced.  But I am willing to tell you what I know as soon as I understand what you are refering to as “pathwork”.

myst:  I’m glad that my post touched you so strongly.  I did the same thing with Fleury in another post on another thread.  LOL  Seems to be a talent of mine.

But, I never said we weren’t weird.  To be “weird” you must deviate from the “norm”, and to do that we have to figure out what normal is.  Who defines “normal”?  Society does.  So what is society like?  Messed up.

If being happy and at peace with myself and the people around me make me weird and not normal, then I can put up with the snide comments, and the sideways looks.  No problem.

I would rather be happy instead of dead of a heart attack in about 6 years, or having a wife and daughter who dread seeing me, along with a bunch of co-workers who stick knives in my back.

I am weird, so are you.  So let’s be weird together and tell the world to take a hike off it’s own perceptions.  And let’s be happy.

Message: Kinda like daydreaming….
Author: the drowsy – EponaDawn Catuvellauni
Date: May 20, 2000 01:54

Sorry for the confusion y’all….Pathworking is just another word for daydreaming. My favorite one is to visualize a hedge maze, like the ones described in those good ole gothic novels. Enter and walk the maze. No need to worry about getting lost because you can end the visualization at any point. Just walk around and see who or what pops up. It’s doubtful anything really scary will happen as you are the one in control of this fantasy. If you come to a passage that you just don’t feel right about going down, just don’t. Theoretically, psychologists will say these paths we refuse to go down represent fears we are afraid to face. When the person doing the pathworking is ready to face that fear, the passage will no longer feel wrong to pursue. I sometimes fall asleep doing this and that’s ok too.

Nothing supernatural about any of this; in a relaxed state I find it easier to let my true feelings, wishes, and expectations come through. The people and objects you will meet in the maze represent only what’s most prominently on your mind.

At any rate, even if all of this is pure fantasy, it’s relaxing and can cure insomnia

Stars light your path.

Originally posted 2009-10-30 11:02:57.

Message: I do understand but……
Author: Hmm…. – myst Niall
Date: May 22, 2000 16:04

Message: I have no idea
Author: ranting is – Fleury CuChulainn
Date: May 22, 2000 23:36

if I’m off topic, on topic or just babbling… probably all three! *LMAO* But quite frankly I’m okay with that! I’m mostly posting in reference to Daven’s comment about life and death, specifically, I mean, look at it from the perspective of the people who were living when those tales were first presented. They see a cycle of life. The food is planted, grows during the summer, and dies at the end of the fall, to come back again in the spring. That cycle even applies to the animals and people. They are born, grow, die, and are used to help others grow and die. One thing that struck me was that every death was a temporary and individual ‘end of the world’ but no one seemed to fear it then… death was a natural progression of life. Death was a temporary end but it also promised a new life, a rebirth, just like the harvests every year… People did not fear death as they do now. Now, many people would rather be hooked up to machines and live an artificial life rather than face the inevitable. They subject themselves to operations that suck, tuck, and pull everything into a new position in the hopes of holding onto their youth and thereby defy the ageing process. Do they hope to defy the natural progression? Probably because those who have the money for all of these things will probably attempt cryogenics or cloning or whatever the latest wave of immortality is… Hmmm, I’m ranting and losing my point… now THERE’S something new… LOL My point is, perhaps we might be a more accepting society (of things like age, and bodily imperfections) if accepted the natural cycle of all life. I got an email recently that I found very poignant. In any region of the world, there are eight million women who wish they looked like a model and only eight who really do. Why is that? Perhaps because we no longer accept, understand and appreciate that which was considered the norm in ancient times. I could go on, but I know I’ve deviated in a major way… just call me weird! *grin*

Message: Yep, that is how it should be viewed,
Author: Beaming – Daven Iceni
Date: May 23, 2000 00:29

Message: Reincarnation, metamorphosis, and the soul…..
Author: timidly raising hand – EponaDawn Catuvellauni
Date: May 23, 2000 16:23

Message: Daven was kind enough to ask me to take a look
Author: introducing self – Ciaran Iceni
Date: May 23, 2000 23:52

Message: I’m the pagan off the topic*smile*
Author: timidly.. – myst Niall
Date: May 24, 2000 00:35

Message: What topic were we on???
Author: lost – Daven Iceni
Date: May 24, 2000 09:56

Message: Okay, as promised, Reincarnation
Author: Guru… – Daven Iceni
Date: May 25, 2000 14:41

Message: Good websites!
Author: – EponaDawn Catuvellauni
Date: May 26, 2000 02:46

Message: It has been brought to my attention
Author: Apologetic – Daven Iceni
Date: May 26, 2000 10:36

Message: Are we not responsible?????
Author: outside looking in … – myst Niall
Date: May 26, 2000 16:58

Message: I have a few questions
Author: wondering…. – myst Niall
Date: May 28, 2000 23:33

Message: Okay, in answer to Myst
Author: Teacher – Daven Iceni
Date: May 29, 2000 01:17

Message: Humble apologies
Author: not meaning to lurk… – Fleury CuChulainn
Date: May 29, 2000 14:30

Message: Would you mean like …..
Author: seeing the light, maybe – myst Niall
Date: May 29, 2000 17:22

Message: Yup, yup, yup!
Author: grinning – Fleury CuChulainn
Date: May 29, 2000 18:22

Message: The Japanese term Kami
Author: defining – Ciaran Iceni
Date: May 29, 2000 20:33

Message: Okay, there seems to be some confusion:
Author: Teacher – Daven Iceni,
Date: May 29, 2000 22:33

Message: seeing clearly now* smile*
Author: – myst Niall
Date: May 30, 2000 02:13

Message: On Broceliande:
Author: Teacher – Daven Iceni, Patron
Date: May 30, 2000 14:33

Message: Well EponaDawn,
Author: whoa, deja-vu… – Fleury CuChulainn
Date: Jun 2, 2000 13:51

unless I’m imagining things (or gone a little potty) I think things just got a little quiet that’s all… I, for one, am still here. Daven, I can’t remember where we had this conversation the first time, but quite a while ago we discussed simultaneous realities (re-occurring dreams, etc.)  Could these be connected to re-incarnation?  What I mean is, is deja-vu always an alternate reality or could it be a memory of a previous life?

Message: No, Fleury, you are correct
Author: Teacher – Daven Iceni
Date: Jun 2, 2000 14:13

Message: Hmmm…
Author: just plain evil is – Fleury CuChulainn
Date: Jun 2, 2000 15:05

Message: Degressing a bit
Author: – EponaDawn Catuvellauni
Date: Jun 3, 2000 15:56

Message: that’s could be a partial explaination
Author: – Ciaran Iceni
Date: Jun 5, 2000 10:53

Message: De’ja vou and other little nagging problems.
Author: Teacher – Daven Iceni
Date: Jun 6, 2000 11:30

Stars light your path.

Originally posted 2009-10-30 11:19:19.

So, you want to create a website to tell the world about your new found spirituality and how happy you are about it? Fantastic.

Let me offer some pointers for you to think about before you start coding the HTML.

First off, think about what you want your website to be about. I mean this. It may seem obvious, but there are facets of your spirituality that are reflected in your website, and all of them are going to affect how your website looks.

Things to consider:

1. Is it going to sell products you make and dedicate to the Gods? Some possibilities are candles, oils, incenses, food, tools and many other things.
2. Is it going to talk about things you learned?
3. Is it going to educate those who find your website?
4. Is it going to deal with problems you have and how you over came them?
5. Is it going to be filled with all the things you find cool and neato about your spirituality?

Each of those questions are going to mandate a different style of website, and in some cases it may require you to buy some software to help you make the site.

For instance, an education website can be maintained by a couple different ways. You can do the coding by hand in something like Dreamweaver or Front Page, but you can do the same thing in what is called a CMS or Content Management System.

A CMS is basically just a program that comes with a lot of functions and a lot of features along with templates for different pages. All you have to do is plug the appropriate information into the correct places, and BINGO! you have a website. If you aren’t really concerned with how it looks, you can do this in under an hour or so. But you have to know what you are doing with a website to get it set up that fast. I have a friend who can create a whole new look and feel for a website using a CMS program called Mambo in about 2 hours. She sets up the asthetics, and you fill in the content. She also charges about $300 to do that.

I would make some recommendations to the above list.  (Please note that this list follows the above list. Each number corresponds to the same number above.)

1. Use a shopping cart software
2. You may wish to consider putting it in a blog
3. This one may be best if it is simply a series of pages that a visitor can click around in
4. Another blog is a possibility, but you may wish to put this on your own server instead of something like blogger or livejournal
5. This can be anything.

Any sales oriented site has to have a shopping cart. It’s the easiest thing to do and it offers the most choices for your customers and the most versatility for you. It reduces the PITA factor by about 500. Most of the work is already done, and similar to a CMS, a shopping cart will have blank areas for your content. They will also have a healthy community of users to help you with your problems. I have used ZenCart in the past and it’s free and very easy to set up.

Blogs: There are a number of websites out there who will allow you to make journal posts to them and then repost those posts to a page you can have display someplace else. The ones like Blogger and Blogspot are very versatile and customizable. I have known a lot of people to use those exclusively and make VERY good looking websites from them. But those sites have one major problem; versatility. They are limited in how some of the information is given to the web browser and sometimes they won’t let you do something that is very simple or necessary for you to do. So another option is to go with a Blogging Software set up, like TypeKey or WordPress.

Both of these are programs you buy, like the shopping cart software and the CMS software, which you upload to your webserver and then configure for your use. They also have theme capabilities. Once again, once you have the software in place and configured the way you want it to look, all you do is plug in your content.

I have seen simply AMAZING sites made on nothing but one blog. Some examples are WilWheaton [dot] net and Websnark. Both these sites are nothing but one blog running where the author can comment on whatever, and the readers can comment themselves.

But blogs function best when used as a Journal type thing. You think of a point you wish to make, you make an entry. It’s useful for keeping an electronic diary of information, kind of hard to do other things with it.

CMS work in that there is some incredible versatility in the components you add to the base part. But blogs are not generally part of it, and frankly everyone is using some type of CMS these days. The main reason for that is because it is EASY. You don’t really have to think much to plug content into a CMS simply because it is designed for Cut and Paste operations.

But with CMSs you get one HUGE drawback; gewgaws. Look the base term up. Go to Google and type define: gewgaw. I’ll wait.

Okay, what has that to do with online content? It is simply something that is useless but looks pretty. It adds nothing to what is there.

Look around the Journal. Notice anything missing? No forum. Want to know why? It’s a gewgaw. I don’t need one. At one point I had considered putting one up for those who wanted to talk to me, but then I realized that I had five other ways for that to happen. I had my email. I had my ICQ and other IM programs, I had three different Yahoo! groups that I ran, and I had a mailing list from the Journal itself for updates. Any of those venues would allow people to talk to me, to discuss things with me. But NONE of them were getting traffic and none of them were being utilized as they should be. So I closed them all, redesigned the functions I had for them to other things. When I closed the Journal Yahoo! Group, I had been using it for announcements of things on the Journal, such as new articles and updates. So I changed it so that the RSS feed for the blog which I DID use a lot took over in that capacity. It’s more versatile and does all that I want it to do AND it allows me to tell users who are signed up as well as those who just visit that I have a new article up.

But a forum would be useless. All it would do is take up space. If I need a teaching spot, I have some programs available and I have a LARGE forum available on other servers. Traditionally, however, forums fail when I get involved with them. I’m a pontificator, a preacher, a teacher, not one that does Socratic Method and I generally don’t talk unless I have something of substance to add to the conversation. So mostly I don’t talk. Which means that others would have to do all the chit-chat talks that keep a forum alive, or I would have to get 400+ members immediately. I’m popular, but not that popular.

So avoid useless programs and functionality on your site. CMSs, however, tend to make adding those features as easy as clicking a link and putting it in position. It becomes a matter of about 20 seconds work to add a fourm to a website that probably doesn’t need one.

This point I’m making is that just because something looks cool and pretty, that does not mean that your website will be helped by having it. Yes, there are a lot of things I would love to have on this site, mainly because my reaction is “Ohhh shiny!” but I resist because the Journal won’t be helped by them, and it just may drive my readers away.

That’s something you have to continually consider, the website visitor. The goal here is to make it as accessible to them as possible. Not everyone uses Internet Explorer, so creating a site that has a lot of coding that only Internet Explorer can use is counterproductive. Not all of them have T1 broadband connections to the internet where they can download the 2 MB movie on your site in under 10 seconds, and not all of them are healthy enough to keep from having a seizure when the flashy blinkie things on your website start playing. Heck, some of them may not even have vision, so they will have to have their text reader read your site to them. That means they won’t be able to turn off the MIDI you put on your site in the background since they have to have the sound on to hear the content of your site.

Also remember that thin code is preferable to code bloat. If you create a page in Microsoft Word, it puts all these extraneous formatting tags in there that only Internet Explorer can read. If you go and take them all out, you wind up with a page that is generally 1/10th the size you started out with. So a 240 KB page goes to 24 KB, and it loads up in 1/10th the time, from 20 seconds to 2 seconds or so. This gives you three advantages.

First off, it takes less space on your webserver, which means you can have more content there. When it’s loaded by a websurfer, it takes less bandwidth of yours, and it is more likely that the other people who requested the page will stay to read it, rather than get bored waiting for it to load up and surf to some other site.

These are the kinds of questions that professional web designers ask themselves all the time.

• Lean code?
• Cross browser/platform compatibility? (Can someone on Windows 98 see it the same way a UNIX box can?)
• Handicapped accessible?
• Is there useless functions incorporated?
• Can I get rid of the silly stuff that doesn’t add anything?
• Is this component I need already part of what I have there, or do I need to get another program?

Seems like a lot of things to consider when all you want to do is tell the world that you found Wicca and you are really happy, right? I’m glad I got that across to you.

I want to offer this advice: If you just want to talk about how wonderful you feel because of Wicca and you, do so on a site like LiveJournal, GreatestJournal or one of several other blogs that are already out there. Your page is not really needed. It’s not that you and your thoughts aren’t needed, it’s simply that there are five or six thousand pages out there that give basics of Wicca to those who don’t know about it, and many of them are probably better than you will be able to put together. Consider sending people you care about to those pages instead of repeating the same information that is already out there. Heck, consider sending them to a book.

If, however, you have something to say, perhaps the teen view of what Wicca is, then by all means, put up a website and say it. Just remember what I have said previously. They are as basic as saying “please” and “thank you”. It’s Internet Courtesy and it’s very important to the success of your site. Don’t simply duplicate what is already out there.

When I surf the Internet, I’m looking for what YOU have to say. If I wanted to know what Silver Ravenwolf had to say, I’d buy her books. If I wanted to hear what Fritz Jung was saying about Wicca, I’d ask him directly, and I’d go to his site. So you may reference their statements, but say what you want to say. Don’t cop out and have others saying it for you. That’s lazy.

Ten years ago, you didn’t need to know anything to put up a website, and these days you need to know even less. Tons of sites went up over night (almost) and most of them sucked. It seems that the intervening years not much more has been learned by new users, for the same mistakes are being made.

When I first put up the Journal, I had a cool site navigation. It was on the left, just where it is now, but it had buttons. Each button was a plain one, until you put your mouse over it, then it showed a pentagram on the far left, showing that you were looking at the “Articles” sub section. When you actually clicked on it, you got a sound that was a page turning. I was so proud of that.

Time passed, I took it off. I had a lot of people complaining about the sound screwing up their music, and the navigation not showing up properly and the JavaScript being disabled on their site so it wouldn’t let them get to other pages of my site. I had other pages they could use, just without the cool effect, and finally I decided to just get rid of it all together. It was taking up space and sucking up my bandwidth.

It was for a similar reason that I finally moved to paid webhosting. I had my site on Crosswinds, Homestead, Geocities, and a couple other “free” sites. I found out that those sites were only free if I permitted thousands of advertisements to be placed on my site, or if I allowed the “free” site host to keep my property. When I read the agreements, I was stating by hosting there that the people who owned that server could reprint my work as much as they wanted without asking or even telling me. That’s why it was free.

When I saw an advertisement on my site (in the form of a pop-up which I despise) advertising a lock picking set to instantly jimmy any car open, I got a paid host. I don’t advocate illegal actions and I won’t allow the people I host with to say that I do by putting that ad on my site.

Those free sites are good for personal pages. They are decent for telling grandma that you got an A in Honors Physics. They are okay for hosting the picture you want to put into an email to dear mom on her grandchildren. But for information sites, unless you are destitute, put them on a paid host. I am chronically short of money, most times I have to scrape to feed my family, but I can afford the less than $20 a month to pay for this website. With that I get probably 80 times the space of a free host, 50 different email addresses I can use, a domain name that is MINE, listings on various search engines, the capability to do a heck of a lot of neat things with my site (like keeping people from linking my images without my permission), the ability to save my files in a secure place so I can transfer them between my PC at work and the one at home. Then there is the free software I get along with it. Better than $8000 worth of software that is provided to me by my webhost simply because I host with them.

Please note, that I’m not USING it all, but I have it available should I need it, like for my blog. AND if something goes wrong, the paying customers get the attention first, not the free hosters. Last time I had a problem, it was fixed in a few minutes, not two or three days.

All these combine to make the Journal and many other sites like it the examples many people cite, and why most people tend to dismiss those sites that are on Homestead and so on. The basic point here is to help you design a good site to tell people what you learned and what you are not believing.

After all, you want people to read what you have to say, not click out of your website because it took so long to load up, right?

Originally posted 2009-10-27 16:08:33.

AE: this is the abreveiation for “American Eclectic” in which elements of many different traditions are taken and mixed to form a new kind of spirituality, while respecting the cultures those elements were taken from. Has a strong sense of history and a seeking of continuity. See this article for an excellent discussion of the various flavors of Wicca.

BTW: this is the “short term” for British Traditional Wicca. Normally this is typified by Gardnerian and Alexandrian, but it can be any group that is a lineaged mystery tradition. See this article for an excellent discussion of the various flavors of Wicca.

Emo (an abbreviation of “emotional”) is a term now broadly used to describe almost any form of guitar-driven alternative rock that expresses emotions beyond traditional punk’s limited emotional palette of alienation and rage. It is also used to describe fans of this genre, most commonly teenagers. (e.g., emo kid). The actual term “emo” originated in the mid-1980s D.C. scene, with the band Rites of Spring. The term addressed both the way the band connected with its audience, as well as its tendency to deal more with topics of personal and relationship politics than with the standard themes of rock music.

Evoke: To ask a being/emotion or other noun to mainfest outside of ourselves to be with us, as another person would be. To evoke an emotion is to bring that emotion forth. To cause to occur.

Fluffy Bunny: A full explanation of this condition would take too long. A short definition is one who insisits that their view of Wicca or Paganism is the correct one, despite reams of evidence being presented to the contrary. A person who is willfully ignorant. For further explanations, see What Makes a Fluffy Bunny and Standard Fluffy Statements

Godiots: Defined as a God Idiot or a God Zealot. Basically a Fundamental Religious person who makes it their business to shove their beliefs in everyone else’s faces. Most notably refers to Christian Zealots, but can and does apply to Pagan, Muslims and other religious practices.

Invoke: To invoke something is to bring that something to being inside ourselves. To invoke a deity to to ask that deity to manifest within us and within our lives, as reflected by ourselves. It is literally to bring something from outside ourselves within, to invite it in.

Karma: Religious doctrine that each rebirth in the cycle of lives is based on the sum of the merit accumulated by an individual during his previous lives. Karma establishes the general tendency of a life but does not determine specific actions. In each life, the interaction between individual character and previously established karma forms the karma of succeeding lives.

Polyamory: participation in multiple and simultaneous loving or sexual relationships DOES NOT IMPLY PROMISCUITY.

Sheeple: People sheep. A person who just follows the crowd with whatever they are told, who never questions or wonders or tries. They simply do what they are told to do like good little sheep.

Spitball or Spitballing: to toss ideas around with no expectation of them coming to pass, to brainstorm.

Straw Man: A straw man or man of straw is a dummy in the shape of a human created by stuffing straw into clothes. Straw men are used as scarecrows, combat-training targets, effigies to be burned, and as rodeo dummies to distract bulls. In otherwords, a disposable target. In the context of an argument, it is a distraction, a target presented to sidetrack the discussion from one area onto it with the purpose of derailing the discussion/debate/argument. A target intended to be destroyed.

Vanity Search: A Websearch where you enter your name, handle, or website, to see who mentions or links to you. Normally used as an ego boost.

Wictim: A Wiccan Victim or one who believes that you are persecuting them right now. Generally a trait of the Fluffy Bunny.

Yahoogroup: A group run and hosted by Yahoo! Groups which is based on the email list format. Emailing an address as a member will post that email to the entire group, as well as all responses. MajorDomo is a form of this, but it is a bit more clunky to use.

Originally posted 2005-05-31 10:37:59.

[Copyright Freeman and Sky Dancer, 2003. All rights reserved.
Permission to repost or otherwise distribute is granted provided
the essay is kept intact and this notice included.]

The question keeps coming up, what makes someone fluffy, or a fluff-bunny?  The concept of a fluff-bunny is similar to “twinkie” as used in many American Indian communities: someone who either plays at the spiritual practices or is serious about it but goes for stereotypes and glitz rather than factual information.

Practicing any significant number of these characteristic behaviors will be good and sufficient cause to label you accordingly. These are from actual experience, but they don’t all apply to any one person — we hope. Several of them seem contradictory; this doesn’t appear to matter to the people in question. Note: if you find this list offensive (especially if it bothers you that it has 13 items), then you are probably a classic fluffy. If you think we’re being unnecessarily confrontational with this, you may be right (but see item 5). If you think we’re picking on Wiccans, maybe so; but we do know plenty of non-Wiccan fluffies (check out http://www.whywiccanssuck.com/ and http://wicca.timerift.net/ for other detailed views on the Decadence of Wicca).

1. Claim to be practicing some really old path, but don’t put forth the effort to find out what people actually did or believed on that path.

2. Ignore anything dark and threatening, even if pretending to work with dark deities. Talk about how your deity of choice is always good or always right, or pretend your favorite dark goddess is really a misunderstood sweetie-pie.

3. Accept any kind of nonsense you’re told by another fluffy or read in some book with a crescent moon on the spine. Alternatively, accept any one source as definitive, no matter what those tight-assed intellectuals think about it. And do pass along whatever it is you think you know as if you invented it.

4. Get all worked up at any kind of challenge involving logic or fact. Only feelings really matter. Especially, make a big point of being huffy at anyone who doesn’t take whatever you say at face value, because “everyone is entitled to an opinion.” Disregard what others have to say if it doesn’t affirm what you already believe, whether or not they can prove their claims.

5. Avoid conflict at all costs, and jump into other people’s disagreements, even if you’re not directly involved, to try to get them to agree for agreement’s sake.  Agree with other people just to smooth things over, or even lecture them on how they should just get along.

6. Try to get others to refrain from using profanity or stop talking about a subject because it makes you uncomfortable. For example, go to a clothing-optional event and then pitch a fit if anyone opts to go fully or partially nude.

7. Tell non-fluffies how horrible and/or unspiritual they are for not accepting all pagans, regardless of how asinine their behavior may be; but be sure to tell everyone at the drop of a hat that you’re Not A Satanist, whether they asked or not.

8. Be sure to complain frequently about persecution, whether you’ve actually experienced any or not. Extra points if you think someone choosing not to do business with you is “persecution” or if you repeat any form of the Burning Times Myth:
   - 9 million died (or any number greater than about 40,000)
   - Those condemned as witches were Wiccans (or any kind of Pagan)
   - People were burned at Salem (try hanged and pressed)
   (You might want to check the Covenant of the Goddess website for a reasonable account of the Witch Hysteria from a source with impeccable Wiccan credentials, except that doing so might be non-fluffy.)

9. In conversation in person or otherwise, always assume that the Wiccan Rede (or whatever your code of honor happens to be) applies to all Pagans. If mildly challenged on this, act confused; if strongly challenged, go into Major Evil Eye Mode and accuse the Rede-Infidel (who OBVIOUSLY has no ethics whatsoever) of Satanism or Crowleyism or worse.

10. Presume to lecture others on any of the Favorite Fluffy Topics:
    -  Why Witchcraft is a religion
    -  Only Wiccans are Witches
    -  What Witches (your definition) don’t do: Hexes, spells for selfish purposes, animal sacrifice (we’re not like those awful Santerians and Vodou-ists), sex magick, etc.
    -  Why not use magick to interfere with another’s Will or Karma — even by healing them
    -  How the world was a happy, peaceful matriarchy until those horrible men had to mess it all up
    -  How ritual nudity, sex magick, and the scourge are all in traditional Wicca only because Uncle Gerald was a dirty old man.

11. Insist that Wicca, or whatever your path is, is whatever you make it, regardless of its history. Demand respect for what you’re doing even as you trash the efforts of your precursors and insist on calling the trash by the same name.  Don’t bother renaming what you do, however loosely based on the original form, because you want to ride on the coattails of people who went before and claim some sort of lineage regardless of the lack of similarities between what they did and what you do.

12. If your belief is that “All Goddesses are One Goddess” and “All Gods are One God” and ultimately all deities are aspects of the One, use this as an excuse to not bother learning about or working with specific deities. Or, when you do call on a Lord and Lady by name, mix and match any two from any pantheons and any times.

13. You can be lacking in all of the preceding Fluffy Traits, but if you demonstrate this one, you’re in the Fluffy Club: Don’t show any signs of having been touched by divinity or ecstatic experience. Many mainstream Christians sing hymns as if they were laundry-lists, and everyone accepts them, so that is what we want to do. Look askance at people who actually get out of themselves in ritual or celebration. Care more about what society and/or your friends think than what your deities think or whether you are actually getting anything out of what you do.  Be sure not to do anything, even if it would develop your path/abilities/insights, that might possibly provoke disapproval or make you lose face.

Why do we make such a big deal about fluffies?  We’d happily let it pass if they weren’t so busy trying to impose their fluffy values on the rest of the community.  The rabid fervor with which they attempt to impose their flippancy on others gives outsiders the impression that we’re all stupid, incapable of critical thinking skills, and inconsistent.  Quite frankly, we don’t appreciate that and we don’t appreciate being told we need to behave in stupid, unthinking, and inconsistent ways.  So while you are certainly entitled to believe whatever you wish, you don’t have a right to force it on us, but we do have a right to call you on your bullshit when we see it.

Originally posted 2009-11-14 23:17:28.