Messages in the Moonlight

Evy's Random Ramblings

Every now and again, I'll get the urge to just write a passing thought down. They most often end up being more of rants and ramblings than intelligent essays. Sometimes they are inspiring, informative, thought-provoking, or just plain boring and useless (sometimes never actually reaching a point to the rant). For the sake of promoting ideas and sharing somewhat informative opinions, I've decided to list some of my random writings here. May you find them helpful.

Arachne's Web

After challenging and losing to the Goddess Athena, or Her Roman-counterpart, Minerva, Arachne died, but was brought back to life and changed into a spider by her winning opponent. From that day on, Arachne became the weaver of fate and destiny.
As everyone knows, fate or destiny is a path laid down and everything is inevitable. However, everyone also knows what happens when a fly or other insect is caught in a spider's web. All through life we walk along the web that Arachne has spun for us. We follow its every strand, every curve. Sometimes we enjoy its pure silvery-white beauty. Other times we can't handle its stickiness. When given opportunities, only one choice is mapped out on the web. When we decide on a different choice, our actions are like flies or butterflies, tearing apart the web and changing destiny. Arachne must completely redo the entire web.
What Arachne spins is not necessarily destiny. Her webs are merely possibilities. Just as any person who uses the tarot, runes, palmistry or other forms of divination will tell you, what is seen is merely what will happen, in this case, if you follow Arachne's web. What will actually happen depends entirely on you.

Lunar/Solar Cycles in Magick

I don't understand the strict following of the Lunar cycle in uses of magick. Magick is as much of a gift from God as it is from Goddess. The sun controls our way of life just as much, even on a much more obvious level. I don't see anyone stressing the importance of strictly keeping magickal uses in tune with the sun. Sure, the sun isn't rotating around the Earth, but it's the Earth's rotation that gives us that illusion. The moon's change in shape is also just an illusion caused by the moon's and Earth's rotations. I don't see a point in stressing them both, since it would only be one big conflict.

Agitation

As I study further and get more serious into Wicca, I find myself more and more appalled by a number of people in the community. I can't say that they are wrong, as every person is entitled to their individual beliefs, and theirs are no more or less valid than my own. However, many of them do not fit the term "Wicca." They are following sets of beliefs that changed a little here and there and have now evolved into something new.
It is not completely their fault, though. I'll admit that original Wiccan rules were made in fear of discrimination and aren't really necessary today (deny the existence of witchcraft, et cetera). Others were made that contradict laws of science (which explains nature, that Wicca adheres to), and so can be stretched (the necessity of working skyclad really isn't that necessary). Also, rituals should be open for editing. Some words die out to future generations, and some do not appeal to the sincerest of practitioners. Then there are circumstances which may call for immediate ritual, leaving the practitioner no time to prepare for a lengthy, set ritual. Some changes and minor modifications can be necessary for the continuation and comfort level of a religion.
But many authors stress that these alterations are okay. There's nothing wrong with that, but their choice of words leave readers to believe that they can change all the rules around, aside from the Rede, and continue to call themselves Wiccans. If an individual is not at a point that they are so familiar with a religion that they can tell you the main structure, they shouldn't be so quick to claim that religion as their own. Years down the road, they'll still be calling themselves by a term that their beliefs have since moved far from.

"Witch" and Personal Meanings

I often hear the question, "What does being a witch mean to you?" I sometimes wonder if this is a misleading question. On one hand, it makes it sound like a witch can by anything you think it is. While "witch" is a very general term, it isn't just a what-you-think-it-is term. A witch can be a number of things (healer, wise one, herbalist, shaman, layer of curses, and so on), but not anything. A witch isn't a clown, though a witch may be one. A witch isn't a rule, though a ruler may be a witch. Fortunately, of the answers and responses I've heard, this doesn't seem to be a problem.
On the other hand, the question may create answers that other people hold as definitions. A kind-hearted person could be turned away from a response that contains anything negative and harmful. A person who does not hold ethics such as "harming none" may be offended by a response that refers to all witches as following some sort of karmic law. Some people forget that "witch" isn't defined by any codes of conduct, ethics, et cetera. The word "witch" is defined as a practitioner of witchcraft. Witchcraft can contain many things, good and bane. Anything that falls under "witchcraft" can be used in a personal definition of "witch."
Although the question, "What does being a witch mean to you?" may be misleading in some cases, it is a great question for self-reflection. The question needn't be asked publicly and answered in mass. An individual can ask it of themselves. "Know thyself."

Fluffy? Crazy?

In the past, I think I may have been quick to judge others and consider them "fluffy" fakers or leaning on a crazy side. But time and time again, I have agreed that belief is power. If one true heartedly believes in what they say they do, then it must be true, even if only to them. Coming to this conclusion, I wonder if maybe these people come across those that do not believe them for a reason. If we give comfort and advice while briefly believing what they believe (a connecting of personal worlds), then we can offer them reassurance that they are on the path they need to be (that they aren't just crazy). By advising them while believing what they believe, we aid them in their progression, though it be in a different state. In return, they open our minds to the possibilities and worlds or realms that we may otherwise have over-looked, and thus somehow aid in our own progression. Perhaps, these past millenia, we humans have been thinking inside the box. Maybe it's time to open the top and explore what else the Universe has to offer our souls.

"Exacting" Authors

Some of the best books on Wicca are exacting. The authors are presenting their ideas as fact. For some readers, it doesn't matter how much the author stresses that they are presenting their way, if they use words like "must," then the are too exacting and not worth reading.
Why?
Is a book full of lies and immoral "ethics" a better source of information just because it doesn't have words like "must," than an accurate and ethical book that does? The word "must" is not a dirty word. Readers give it more power than the authors intended it to have. An example:

An author opens a book stating, "The procedures in this book are based on my personal practice." In a later chapter, they say, "The altar must always face East."

Readers forget the opening statement and focus on that part alone calling the author too exacting when all he/she said was, "In my personal practice, the altar must always face East." What's wrong with that? It's exacting for the author, but he/she never said your practice absolutely had to be the same as theirs.
The point is, even if a reader flinches at "exacting" words, they should remain open to the information that is presented. Why waste a possibly great source of information just because of a couple words?

Hushing the Truth?

In fear of spreading discrimination in the Wiccan community, we often sugar-coat the past. Whenever authors write a wonderfully accurate account of Christianity and the Church's early days and their actions to "take down" the old religions, we are harsh to them by saying they are being too hard on Christianity. Newcomers will read it and suddenly start the "more persecuted" complaint and hold irrelevant grudges against innocent followers of Christianity.
After reading over these comments, I begin to wonder if we go overboard with this. While there are a limited few authors who write these accounts with a (hidden) intention of promoting rebellious, hate-filled emotions, most authors are just presenting facts. Christianity's past is filled with more bloodshed than most other religions. It is a fact. But does this say Christianity is the only religion linked to bloodshed? Does this mean all Christians like to see spilt blood? Of course not! Some of the world's greatest people have had shady pasts. Why shouldn't that be true of a religion? While the Church may have caused many problems including the quality of life, it has finally evolved in recent decades. They are moving on beyond their past.
It is hard to explain what happened when only presenting a small portion of a side of story. It's like hearing only one side of a long phone conversation. We shouldn't be attempting to censor the truth, but perhaps explain the truth in ways to avoid the confusion that leads to discrimination and/or hate. Who are we to scream, "Truth! Integrity! Diversity! Tolerance!" when we're trying to hush others?

Harming Others Using Magick

In our community, we have people who do place curses and hexes on others. They have their reasons, and they are moral ones. However, others, and by that I mean the larger portion of the community, are quick to judge them. They claim those people are immoral and have broken the Rede. Even those who understand the Rede as, not a law, but advice, are quick to scream that the Rede was ignored. Who are these people to judge?
When determining such a thing for Wicca, we should look at its early beginnings. We turn to Gerald Gardner. Yes, I know, "Don't be so Traditional," and "Religions are meant to evolve." But this is a matter of going in the "wrong" direction. Yes we are meant to evolve, and as such some things will change. However the past is sometimes the key to understanding our present and future.
"[Witches] are inclined to the morality of the legendary Good King Pausol, 'Do what you like so long as you harm no one.' But they believe a certain law to be important, 'You must not use magic for anything which will cause harm to anyone, and if, to prevent a greater wrong from being done, you must discommode someone, you must do it only in a way which will abate the harm.' This involves every magical action being discussed first, to see that it can do no damage, and this induces a habit of mind to consider well the results of one's actions, especially upon others." - Gerald Gardner The Meaning of Witchcraft
Obviously, from the very beginning, we were meant to keep protective measures in mind. To randomly place curses or hexes or to do so for vengeful reasons is, in Wicca, immoral. However, to curse/hex/bind someone in order to prevent them from causing harm (harm to prevent a greater harm), is not immoral and cannot be looked down upon. Such an action must be given twice the amount of thought, and, indeed, I have never met anyone who has placed a true curse that did not heavily weigh the options over and over again.
The Law of Return does do its job even in such moral cases. No matter the outcome, the one who performed the curse must live with the consequences of their action. For someone who has weighed the options and cursed to protect themselves and others is brave and admirable.
There is a reason that people say, "Judging others is wrong." They say it because it's true. If one must judge, they must have all the information from all sides of the situation. There are bad people in the world. There are seemingly nice people who do bad things. But do not assume that someone is one of these people just because they did something that you believe is wrong. Not everything can be light and fluffy. There are dark sides to all the good in the world.