One of the things that we love about living out in the country is that it gives us the opportunity for much of the year to hold our rituals outdoors. I have always contended that it you're going to be a "nature" religion it helps when you can get in touch with nature on a regular basis. So we held Mabon this year under the spreading oak tree on the edge of our upper meadow. By the time we were ready to step into circle it was dark and the moon had risen over the trees. The circle was lit with the glow of torches and candles. The air was actually cool and dry. Underfoot the leaves crackled as you walked on them, giving off the scent of autumn and reminding us that the Wheel turns inevitably towards Samhain and Winter.

We held our usual feast prior to ritual. This year I found a wonderful recipe for a caramel apple cheesecake. The cheesecake was truly decadent, being topped with a warm apple topping laced with apple brandy and warm caramel sauce. It was scrumptious and so perfect for the season.

What with the drought this year and the failure of many of the crops for the local farmers we are reminded of just how precarious the lives of our ancestors had been. For them this year's crop failures might have marked their destruction in the cold months to come. Then it would only have been the presence of the clan that permitted the old, the very young, and the weak to survive. Now when the food on our table comes to us wrapped in plastic and we do not have to work day and night to bring it forth from the earth we forget the lessons that our ancestors knew. We forget the need for family and clan and we fail to reach out to others in need, even when we have plenty of our own. As we stood hand to hand and passed the cup around the circle we reminded each other of how we were clan as well and that we were there always for each other when there was need.

After ritual we all sat under the stars and moon for a long time simply drinking in the beauty of the night and enjoying the company of family. Soon the colder months will be here and we'll be moving indoors once again. But we have been blessed by one more chance to stand before our Gods even as our ancestors did. And for that I give thanks this harvest season.

 

Since the topic has come up, I thought it might be a good time to discuss the degree system in Wicca so that those who have not worked in a coven setting might have a better understanding of both the history of degrees and the process of earning a degree.

Let's start out by defining the term "Degree" as it is used in Wicca. Used in the manner in which it was envisioned when Wicca began, a Degree is a recognition by one's peers that a person has mastered a specific body of knowledge, that they have demonstrated ritual competence, and that they have demonstrated through the way that they live and through service to their community that they have attained a certain point in their spiritual journey that the group feels deserving of recognition.

When Wicca was created by Gerald Gardner, this definition of Wicca was used carefully to create, not a hierarchy where one is better than another, but rather a system where one could be able to know what to expect in terms of knowledge and competence in practice of anyone practicing Wicca by simply knowing what their Degree was. And in the Gardnerian Tradition, since all groups granted Degrees based on the same system, that was true then, and holds true pretty much today. In other words, if I meet someone who can legitimately claim to be a 2nd Degree Gardnerian, I would pretty well know what I could expect from them in a ritual setting.

One problem that has arisen since Wicca has strayed so far from its original roots, is that the Degree system has suffered from both a lack of understanding and from a watering down of what is expected of the Initiate earning the Degree.

In the Tradition in which I was trained, and in which I now lead my own coven, Degrees are always 'earned' through hard work and study..and through showing in the way one lives ones life that you have come to be deserving of recognition by your peers. You might like to take a look at the Student Program of our group on our website at http://www.tangledmoon.org/student_program.htm

On the other hand, there are groups out there who hand out Degrees based on how long someone has been in the group, on reading a book, even on who one is sleeping with. I remember one young man who came to us and felt that, based on his former group, he should be considered the same as one of our Third Degrees. But his program consisted solely of reading some books and taking a quiz on what he had read. He never had to actually 'DO' anything. He was not happy when we told him that we could not see that his Degree and our Degree were identical.

But this is why there is so much confusion over Degrees in the Wiccan community these days. There is no common standard by which to know how a Degree was earned or what it says about the person who claims it. And with the loss of value of a Degree, there has come the question as to whether a Degree system is merely a way of creating a hierarchy in which some are considered better than others. I can tell you in my group that having a Degree is NOT a case of being a better person or a better Witch than anyone else. What it does mean is that the person has shown the ability to do more work..and therefore we'll give them more work to do.

Because the Degree system is not clearly understood, and not well explained in most books that those just starting out on this path are apt to read, those who practice outside the coven setting often get confused about it. They feel that they either deserve a Degree through their own practice, or they feel that they won't be considered a 'real' Witch unless they have a Degree.

Neither of these concepts is valid. Taking the latter idea first...having a Degree does not make one a Witch, nor does it make one better than another just because you have a higher Degree. One receives a Degree (if done rightly) because you were showing that you were already deserving of recognition, because you were already living as our spiritual path teaches.

Secondly, if you are practicing as a solitary then Degrees are meaningless. As I have already described, a Degree represents recognition by ones peers of the mastery of a certain body of knowledge, generally that which is passed down in a particular Tradition. And a Degree is granted, not based on one's feeling that one should be given one, but based on the consideration of others of that Degree of higher. Face it, our egos often tell us that we are deserving of things that we are not. To grant oneself a Degree is to exhibit the crime of deluding oneself, of hubris.

Now some do this self-granting of Degrees out of lack of knowledge. But we also have those in the Wiccan community who do so in order to gain power, prestige, and followers. They do so in order to gain something for themselves, not to give back to the community. And those of us who do have Degrees which we worked hard to earn are on the lookout for the frauds. Not just because they are fakes, but because through their claims they cause harm to others. So if you encounter someone who claims a Degree, but whom you have some doubts about, it is never wrong to ask for credentials which can be verified. If they refuse, well then I personally would have nothing more to do with them
.
The fact that you have the same kind knowledge of as a 1st Degree in a particular group does not confer any title or rank upon you at all. It is merely a statement that you are doing the same sort of things that their students do. But to try to claim that that means you can claim a degree for yourself would be the same thing as saying to a high school drop-out that they have learned the same thing as one who stays in school and can call yourself a graduate. That may well be true, but you aren't a high school graduate until you are tested by the administration and granted that degree. And you can't go to the admissions office at a college and claim to be a graduate based on self study..you have to have that piece of paper in hand. That's how a degree system works. The degree must be conferred by a coven or it is an empty claim.

© Lark 2003

 

I've had a couple people ask about the initiation process that people go through. I thought that I would write down some of my ideas about it.

Keep in mind that every tradition is different, and a majority of the traditions out there won't share all the details of what it takes to initiate into a coven, but this gives some idea of the different requirements out there before a person goes through that life-transforming moment.

Here's some links to different traditions describing what they expect for a person to seek initiation:

http://members.cox.net/phoenixspirit/initiation.htm

http://caileahherne.tripod.com/id16.html

http://members.tripod.com/witch_g....11.html

http://www.covenantofthebluemoon.org/FirstDegree.html

http://northwind.faithweb.com/guides.htm#MINIMUMS%20FOR%20INITIATION:

In my own Tradition, study for initiation involves several different processes. First of all there are the required readings and classes where the material we require the student to know is presented to them. Basic outlines of the course requirements can be found at http://www.tangledmoon.org/student_program.htm
But student assignments may also contain additional material assigned at the discretion of the preceptor depending on the student's needs or interests.

We also require the student to successfully demonstrate mastery of the skills necessary for attainment of the particular degree. For instance, at First Degree the student must successfully cast a circle for group ritual and in the presence of Initiates who are not their teacher, and who can judge not only whether the student has mastered the words and gestures of the ritual, but also whether they successfully raised the energy to cast the circle.

But there is much more to the initiation process than just the items mentioned in the syllabus.

One thing that we are looking for is for the mental and spiritual changes that tell us that the student has reached the period in their spiritual growth where they have the ability to understand the Mystery that they will encounter during the initiation.

And the other that we look for has to do with our Tradition itself. We are a Trad that prides itself on preparing caring, competent Wiccan clergy. We want to initiate those who are going to carry on this tradition of service, who are a credit to the Trad itself, and who have their own personal and spiritual life in order. So it is perfectly possible (and has happened before) that someone could complete the coursework and be a perfectly technically capable Witch and not be initiated into our Trad.

I have seen groups where the initiation process consists only of "read this book, take this test" and I personally think that those groups are fooling themselves and their students and don't really understand what initiation should be about.

Ellen Cannon Reed said it best in her essay "A Plea for Initiation Standards". You can read that at My Webpage

-Lark-

We are home again from the War.

We drove up on July 28th and had a very pleasant trip going to the War. As usual we stopped in Columbus for the night and a good rest going up, then drove on to Cooper's Lake the next day which gave us plenty of time to get our camp set up.

It was HOT! It was HUMID! The first week was mostly hot and dry. Fortunately the nights were relatively cool so sleeping wasn't an issue. Even the night of the wine tasting party was fairly cool. But did I mention it was HUMID??

The second week saw rain, rain and MORE RAIN! We faired pretty well all things considered. We had a couple of damp spots on the floor where some rain ran under the ger, but overall we stayed dry. Thank all the Gods that the Hill stays pretty well drained and we don't have to worry about flooding and mud. But the rain and the humidity meant that everything was clammy and damp nonetheless. And the battle against the mildew is ongoing.

Still I had a wonderful time seeing friends I get to see only once a year. And I did get to some classes, including some private lessons on weaving on a rigid heddle loom. Oh Gods, I've found another addictive hobby! And of course I had a ball at the A&S exhibition chatting with the people who stopped to see my embroidery. Many, many projects for the next year!

We planned on driving straight through to come home, but by the time we dropped our friend at the airport and got on the road it was getting late. We decided that we were tired enough to stop on the way, and we stayed the night in Florence, KY. Had a lovely, leisurely dinner at Macaroni Grill and a good night's sleep. We got home about mid-day on Monday.

Since then I have been dealing with huge piles of dirty laundry all over my kitchen floor. I've slowly worked my way through them, but I still have piles of canvas to deal with and dry cleaning that needs to go out to get done. The living room still looks a mess. But give me another week and we'll have battered it into shape again.

Only 363 more days to Pennsic 37!

 

 

We all have a tendency to drag negative thoughts and energies around with us every day. It's like a load we carry on our backs, each day growing heavier until one day it just seems like too much effort to even keep going. The solution is of course to rid ourselves of this negativity before it gets too big to deal with.

There are probably as many ways to shed negativity as there are Witches who need to do it. Some of them may be quite complex. Some of them are very simple.

One method I have used is a purification bath or shower. For the bath I add a handful of sea salt to the bathwater, and perhaps a few drops of sandalwood oil. As I soak in the bath I feel my cares and burdens wash away, running eventually down the drain and far away from me.

Even simpler is just to stand under the shower, close my eyes, and let the water wash away all of the negativity around me as it flows over me. (Remember that running water is a powerful cleansing tool of itself.) The water and the negativity eventually run down the drain and return to the Earth where it is purified.

Another method I have used is to pick up a pebble from the ground. As I hold it in my hands I visualize all the negativity inside of me as a dark mass. Then I use my own energies to "push" the negativity down through my arms and hands and into the pebble. When I feel that I have removed the negativity from myself and placed it in the pebble, I toss the rock over my shoulder and walk away...even better if you can drop the pebble into running water such as a stream or river.

Another useful exercise is to set aside time every day for a small ritual. Light a stick of incense to place on your altar and thank the Gods for five good things that happened to you that day. They don't have to be big or important things. It might be something such as thanking them for seeing a beautiful sunrise. The idea is that this reminds you that there is something good which happens to you every single day.

There are numerous meditations that one can find to help deal with negavity. One that I particularly like comes from the book "Mother Wit" by Diane Marie Child.

Shedding The Cloak of Negativity:

Relax, deepen and protect yourself. Here in this space out of time you are becoming conscious of the garment you are wearing, a cloak, a heavy black cloak. The dark, hooded robe is the cloak of your negativity. It symbolized all the negative thoughts, feelings, and experiences you carry with you. Feel the heaviness of it. Become aware of the texture and the feel of the cloth. Feel the weight on your shoulders, your whole body cloaked in negativity and despair. (Pause about one minute)

And now become aware that the cloak is gradually lifting up and away from your body and with it your negativity and despair. Now the cloak has vanished.

And your attention isw drawn to a fountain, a foutain of light, an incredible fountain of light. And the shimmering light is bubbling up and spilling over. A shower of light, a shower of stars, thousands of tiny stars, is streaming down upon you. The whole space is filled with a brilliant glow.

And you realize that you are gowned in a new garment, a sheer translucent cloak of light woven from the stars. And you are wearing this robe of love, joy, and protection. Wear it now and always. When you are ready, drift up and back to your waking reality filled with light and love.

Now getting rid of negativity once is great..but it tends to come back again. We pick it up at work or at school and we track it into our homes like mud on our feet. So it is a good idea to be aware of the negativity we are bringing hone with us and get rid of it before we come into our home.

I used to have a very stressful job that was causing me problems because I would bring it home with me every night. I decided that it would be a good idea to leave all that stress at work. So at the end of my day I would visualize all that stress and negativity sitting on my shoulders, and I would physically lift it up and place it on my desk, telling it that it needed to stay there and I would come back the next day for it.

Another way of leaving the stress and negativity outside of your home is to use the pebble exercise I mentioned earlier. Or to simply lay your hands on some object outside your home and push the negativity into it. (Warning, don't do this to a living object such as a tree or shrub..the negativity can kill them.)

And since over time some negativity WILL manage to get into your home, I recommend a periodic cleansing of your home. Smudging with a sage wand is a good way of doing this (But do be aware that burning sage smells like marijuana and neighbors might talk!). Personally I like to use a cleansing solution of water, sea salt, and a bit of lemon juice. It smells fresh and clean and does a good purification job. You can also burn a black candle, seeing the negativity absorbed as the candle is consumed.

These are but a few ways to rid yourself of negativity. I would also suggest combining these ideas with my affirmation exercise since negativity is basically a faulty way of thinking about ourselves.

-Lark-