BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE CRAFT part 1 (New Pagans)

by Ash, Thursday, November 05, 2009, 18:19 (265 days ago)

The American Council of Witches was formed to determine what it was that all
Witches have in common, belief-wise. In the early 1970's, a paper was released
with their findings, and gives a good overall picture of it. The following is
the text of that paper.

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BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE CRAFT

1. The first principle is that of love, and it is expressed in the ethic,
"DO AS YOU WILL, SO LONG AS YOU HARM NONE"
a) love is not emotional in it's essence, but is an attribute of the
individual as expressed in relation to other beings;
b) harming others can be by thought, word, or deed;
c) it is to be understood the "none" includes oneself;
d) the harm which is to be regarded as unethical is gratuitous harm; war,
in general, is gratuitous harm, although it is ethical to defend
oneself and one's liberty when threatened by real and present danger,
such as defense against invasion.

2. The Witch must recognize and harmonize with the forces of the universe, in
accord with the Law of Polarity: everything is dual; everything has two
poles; everything has it's opposite; for every action there is a reaction;
all can be categorized as either active or reactive in relation to other
things.
a) Godhead is one unique and transcendant wholeness, beyond any
limitations or expressions; thus, it is beyond our human capacity to
understand and identify with this principle of Cosmic Oneness, except
as It is revealed to us in terms of It's attributes and operation.
b) The most basic and meaningful attribute of the One that we, as humans,
can relate to and understand, is that of polarity, of action and reac-
tion; therefore Witches recognize the Oneness of the Divinity, but
worship and relate to the Divine as the archetypal polarity of God and
Goddess, the All-Father and the Great Mother of the universe. The
Beings are as near as we can approach to the One within our human
limitations of understanding and expression, though it is possible to
experience the divine Oneness through the practices of the Mysteries.
c) Harmony does not consist of the pretty and the nice, but the balanced,
dynamic, poised co-operation and co-relation.

3. The Witch must recognize, and operate within the framework of the Law of
Cause and Effect; every action has it's reaction, and every effect has
it's cause. All things occur according to this law; nothing in the
universe can occur outside this law, though we may not always appreciate
the relation between a given effect and it's cause. Subsidiary to this is
the Law of Three, which states that whatever goes forth must return
threefold, whether of good or ill; for our actions affect more than people
generally realize, and the resulting reactions are also part of the
harvest.

4. As Above, So Below. That which exists in the Macrocosm exists, on a
smaller scale and to a lesser degree, in the Microcosm. The powers of the
universe exist also in the human, though in general instance they lie
dormant. The powers and abilities can be awakened and used if the proper
techniques are practiced, and this is why initiates of the Mysteries are
sworn to guard the secrets from the unworthy: Much harm can be done by
those who have power without responsibility, both to others and to
themselves according to the Laws of Cause and Effect and of Threefold
Return.
a) Since our philosophy teaches that the universe is the physical
manifestation of the Divine, there can be nothing in the universe which
does not partake of the nature of the Divine; hence, the powers and
attributes of the Divine exist also in the manifest, though to much
smaller degree.
b) These powers can be awakened through the various techniques of the
Mysteries, and, although they are only capable of small effects in and
of themselves, it is possible to use them in order to draw upon the
forces of the universe. Thus humanity can be the wielders of the power
of the Gods, a channel for Godhead to act within It's own
manifestation. This, then, is further reason for the oath of secrecy.
c) Since the universe is the body of the One, possessing the same
attributes as the One, it's Laws must be the principles through and by
which the One operates. By reasoning from the known to the unknown,
one can learn of the Divine, and thus of oneself. Thus the Craft is a
natural religion, seeing in Nature the expression and revelation of
Divinity.