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The Thirteen Goals of a Witch: Know yourself Who are you? Do you really know all there is to know about yourself? Getting to know who we are is a life time journey. We are always growing and changing. Know your Craft The Craft. So many different ways of worship. So many traditions! Knowing your chosen Craft path doesn't end when you have read all the 'right' books or after initiation. That is, in a sense the beginning of knowing your Craft. Learn To achieve any of these goals, you must be on a constant quest to learn more. More about yourself, your Craft and the world around you. Apply knowledge with wisdom Some people seem to think that these 2 words are interchangeable. They are not. Knowledge is what you know. You gain knowledge through various forms of study. Wisdom is something else entirely. It is something that can not be taught. It is that which you gain through experience and intuition. Combine your knowledge with your wisdom. Achieve balance This seems to be something of a challenge as many of us have busy lives. We have many responsibilities and it can be difficult at times to just stop..take a deep breath , and put your personal priorities into perspective. This means creating balance in your life. Spiritual, emotional and physical. Keep your thoughts in good order Self explanatory. Keep your words in good order Self explanatory but the quotes "Speak little, listen much" come to mind, along with "Think before you speak". Celebrate life Enjoy your life! Celebrate it and all of the wonders it brings you. There is cause for celebration every day. From the simple things like waking up, enjoying a nice cup of tea or a warm bath to the more obvious ones. In Pagan books of days, you see that everyday is cause for celebration. Attune with the cycles of the Earth This can be a tough thing to do if your schedule seems destined to keep you indoors. Working long hours in a concrete building with no window, driving in grid lock traffic and then rushing to take care of your house hold tasks. Our ways worship the Earth and there are ways (no matter how busy you are) to attune with the cycles of the Earth. Breathe and eat correctly The importance of eating correctly is fairly obvious. You are what you eat. Unfortunately, since healthy living has come in to major focus, many have become confused about just what is and is not good for you. There are, however some foods that never come into question. Fresh fruits/ vegetables and grains. A balanced diet that includes these every day is essential. Breathing is something that is not discussed very much. There are yoga and meditation books and web pages that do discuss the importance of adopting a calm, slow and deep breathing pattern. Exercise the body Self explanatory. Meditate Meditation is (in my opinion) as important to your health, as a proper diet and regular exercise. It is also imperative, along with visualization for successful rituals, spells and divination. Honor the Goddess and God Self explanatory. The Law * We are of the Old Ways, among those who walk with the Goddess and God and receive Their love. * Keep the Sabbats and Esbats to the best of your abilities, for to do otherwise is to lessen your connection with the Goddess and God. * Harm none. This, the oldest law, is not open to interpretation or change. * Shed not blood in ritual; the Goddess and God need not blood to be duly worshipped. * Those of our ways are kind to all creatures, for hurtful thoughts are quiet draining and aren't worth the loss of energy. * Misery is self-created; so, too, is joy, so create joy and disdain misery and unhappiness. And this is within your power. So harm not. * Teach only what you know, to the best of your ability, to those students who you choose, butteach not to those who would use your instructions for destruction or control. Also, teach notto boost pride, forever remember: She who teaches out of love shall be enfolded in the arms of the Goddess and God. * Ever remember that if you would be of our way, keep the law close to your heart, for it is the nature of the Wicca to keep the Law. * If ever the need arises, any law may be changed or discarded, and new laws written to * replace them, so long as the new laws don't break the oldest law of all: Harm None. * Blessings of the Goddess and God on us all. by Scott Cunningham The Law of the Power * The Power shall not be used to bring harm, to injure or control others. But if the need rises,the Power shall be used to protect your life or the lives of others. * The Power is used only as need dictates. * The Power can be used for your own gain, as long as by doing so you harm none. * It is unwise to accept money for use of the Power, for it quickly controls its taker. Be not as those of other religions. * Use not the Power for prideful gain, for such cheapens the mysteries of Wicca and magick. * Ever remember that the Power is the sacred gift of the Goddess and God, and should never be misused or abused. * And this is the law of the Power. by Scott Cunningham Definition of a Modern Witch The Council of American Witches finds it necessary to define modern Witchcraft in terms of the American experience & needs. We are not bound by traditions from other times & other cultures, & owe no allegiance to any person or power greater than the Divinity manifest through our own being. As American Witches, we welcome & respect all life affirming teachings & traditions, & seek to learn from all & to share our learning within our Council. It is in this spirit of welcome & cooperation that we adopt these few principles of Wiccan belief. In seeking to be inclusive, we do not wish to open ourselves to the destruction of our group by those on self-serving power trips, or to philosophies & practices contradictory to these principles. In seeking to exclude those whose ways are contradictory to ours, we do not want to deny participation with us to any who are sincerely interested in our knowledge & beliefs, regardless of race, color, sex, age, national or cultural origins, or sexual preference. We therefore ask only that those who seek to identify with us accept these few basic principles: 1. We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon & the seasonal quarters & cross quarters. 2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, inecological balance offering fulfillment to life & consciousness within an evolutionary concept. 3. We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than is apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary, it is sometimes called "supernatural," but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all. 4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the Universe as manifesting through polarity - as masculine & feminine - & that this same creative Power lives in all people, & functions through the interaction of the masculine & feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sexuality as pleasure, as the symbol & embodiment of Life, & as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practices & religious worship. 5. We recognize both outer worlds & inner, or psychological worlds sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious & Inner Planes, etc. & we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena & magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment. 6. We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge & wisdom, & acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership. 7. We see religion, magick, & wisdom-in-living as being united in the way one views the world & lives within it - a world view & philosophy of life, which we identify as Witchcraft or the Wiccan Way. 8. Calling oneself "Witch" does not make a Witch - but neither does heredity itself, or the collecting of titles, degrees & initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within herself/himself that makes life possible in order to live wisely & well, without harm to others, & in harmony with Nature. 9. We acknowledge that it is the affirmation & fulfillment of life, in a continuation of evolution & development of consciousness, that gives meaning to the Universe we know, & to our personal role within it. 10. Our only animosity toward Christianity, or toward any other religion or philosophy-of-life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be "the one true right & only way" & have sought to deny freedom to others & to suppress other ways of religious practices & belief. 11. As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present, & our future. 12. We do not accept the concept of "absolute evil," nor do we worship any entity known as "Satan" or "the Devil" as defined by Christian Tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do we accept the concept that personal benefits can only be derived by denial to another. 13. We work within Nature for that which is contributory to our health & well-being. by Silver Ravenwolf