Samhain is the pivotal turning point of the year – once regarded as the new year point by the ancient Celtic people. It is the point of death and rebirth, of release and renewal, achieved through remembrance of union with the ancestors and all of the spirit world – with the acceptance that in order to rise high on that energy we must be prepared to take the inward, healing journey through the darker winter months before the light of spring dawns.
This makes it a perfect moment to recognise and commit to renewal and rebirth within ourselves, to consciously align ourselves with the cosmic flow of the planetary cycles, recognising that our bodies, minds, hearts and spirits are part of that flow, not separate from it. By attuning to the solar and cycles we foster healing, well-being and personal growth within ourselves.
There are certain key texts that have provided much of the foundation for the expansion of pagan practice and wisdom in the last few decades. One of the most important of these is The Spiral Dance by Starhawk, first published in 1979 with updated editions coming out since. Below are some excerpts from the book about the nature of pagan witchcraft and about being part of a coven, which is the most powerful and effective way to explore the craft with others via rituals around the Wheel of the Year.
There is no scripture or dogma in paganism, and there are in fact many different traditions, but all stem from the same basic point of connection to the elements via the elements, the cosmos, the ancestors and deities that appeal to us. Starhawk trained in the Faerie Tradition, developed from British Celtic witchcraft – and has become one of the prominent leaders in the revival of earth-based spirituality and Goddess religion in the world. She is a co-founder of Reclaiming, an activist branch of modern Paganism.
In the Spiral Dance, Starhawk give us her understanding of:
WITCHCRAFT:
The world view of Witchcraft is, above all, one that values life. The cosmos is a polarized field of forces that are constantly in the process of swirling into form and dissolving back into pure energy. Polarity, which we call Goddess and God, creates the cycle that underlies the movements of the stars and the changing of the seasons, the harmony of the natural world and the evolution within our human lives. We perceive the interplay of forces in two basic modes, the holistic, intuitive “starlight” mode of the right hemisphere and the unconscious; and the linear, analytic, conscious mode of the left hemisphere. Communication between conscious and unconscious, between Talking Self and Younger Self, and through the latter to the Deep Self, the spirit, depends on an openness to both modes of awareness. Verbal concepts must be translated into symbols and images; unconscious images must be brought to the light of consciousness. Through open communication, we can become attuned to the cycles of nature, to the primal, ecstatic union that is the force of creation. Attunement requires sacrifice, the willingness to change, to let go of any point on the Wheel and move on. But sacrifice is not suffering, and life in all its aspects, light and dark, growing and decaying, is a great gift. In a world where the endlessly transforming, erotic dance of God and Goddess weaves radiant through all things, we who step to their rhythm are enraptured with the wonder and mystery of being.
Ecstasy is at the heart of Witchcraft—in ritual, we turn paradox inside out and become the Goddess, sharing in the primal, throbbing joy of union. “The fundamental characteristic of shamanism is ecstasy,” according to Mircea Eliade, and although he interprets the state somewhat narrowly as “the soul forsaking the body,” he admits that “in all probability the ecstatic experience in its many aspects, is coexistent with the human condition, in the sense that it is an integral part of what is called man’s gaining consciousness of his specific mode of being in the world. Shamanism is not only a technique of ecstasy; its theology and its philosophy finally depend on the spiritual value that is accorded to ecstasy.”18 Witchcraft is a shamanistic religion, and the spiritual value placed on ecstasy is a high one. It is the source of union, healing, creative inspiration, and communion with the divine—whether it is found in the center of a coven circle, in bed with one’s beloved, or in the midst of the forest, in awe and wonder at the beauty of the natural world. Ecstasy brings about harmony, the “music of the spheres.” Music is a symbolic expression of the vibration that is a quality of all beings. Physicists inform us that the atoms and molecules of all things, from an unstable gas to the Rock of Gibraltar, are in constant motion. Underlying that motion is an order, a harmony that is inherent in being. Matter sings, by its very nature.
Witchcraft does not maintain, like the First Truth of Buddhism, that “All life is suffering.” On the contrary, life is a thing of wonder. The Buddha is said to have gained this insight after his encounter with old age, disease, and death. In the Craft, old age is a natural and highly valued part of the cycle of life, the time of greatest wisdom and understanding. Disease, of course, causes misery, but it is not something to be inevitably suffered: The practice of the Craft was always connected with the healing arts, with herbalism and midwifery. Nor is death fearful: It is simply the dissolution of the physical form that allows the spirit to prepare for a new life. Suffering certainly exists in life—it is a part of learning. But escape from the Wheel of Birth and Death is not the optimal cure, any more than hara-kiri is the best cure for menstrual cramps. When suffering is the result of the social order or human injustice, the Craft encourages active work to relieve it. Where suffering is a natural part of the cycle of birth and decay, it is relieved by understanding and acceptance, by a willing giving-over to both the dark and the light in turn.
The polarity of the Female and Male Principles should not be taken as a general pattern for individual female and human beings. We each contain both principles; we are female and male both. To be whole is to be in touch with both forces—creation and dissolution, growth and limitation. The energy created by the push-pull of forces flows within each of us. It can be tapped individually in rituals or meditations, and it can be attuned to resonate with others. Sex, for instance, is far more than a physical act; it is a polarized flow of power between two people. The Male Principle is first seen as a nearly androgynous figure: the Child, the flute-playing Blue God of love. His image is connected with that of the personal Blue God, the Deep Self, which is also androgynous. Gentle youth, beloved son, He is never sacrificed. The Green aspect is the vegetation God—the corn spirit, the grain that is cut and then replanted; the seed that dies with every harvest and is eternally reborn each spring. The Horned God, the most “male” in the conventional sense, of the Goddess’s projections, is the eternal Hunter, and also the animal who is hunted. He is the beast who is sacrificed that human life may go on, as well as the sacrificer, the one who sheds blood. He is also seen as the sun, eternally hunting the moon across the sky. The waxing and waning of the sun throughout the seasons manifest the cycle of birth and death, creation and dissolution, separation and return. Goddess and God, Female and Male, Moon and Sun, Birth and Death swing in their orbits—eternal, yet ever changing. Polarity, the force that holds the cosmos together, is love, erotic, transcendent, and individual. Creation did not happen once in a fixed point in time; it goes on eternally, occurring in each moment, revealed in the cycle of the year.
THE COVEN:
Witchcraft is not a religion of masses—of any sort. Its structure is cellular, based on covens, small groups of up to thirteen members that allow for both communal sharing and individual independence. “Solitaries,” Witches who prefer to worship alone, are the exception. Covens are autonomous, free to use whatever rituals, chants and invocations they prefer. There is no set prayer book or liturgy. Elements may change, but Craft rituals inevitably follow the same underlying patterns. The techniques of magic, which has been termed by occultist Dion Fortune “the art of changing consciousness at will,” are used to create states of ecstasy, of union with the divine. They may also be used to achieve material results, such as healings, since in the Craft there is no split between spirit and matter.
The coven is a Witch’s support group, consciousness-raising group, psychic study center, clergy-training program, College of Mysteries, surrogate clan, and religious congregation all rolled into one. In a strong coven, the bond is, by tradition, “closer than family”: a sharing of spirits, emotions, imaginations. “Perfect love and perfect trust” are the goal.
the coven becomes an entity in itself, with a personality of its own. It generates a raith form,† an energy swirl that exists over and beyond its membership. There is a quality of synergy about a strong coven. It is more than the sum of its parts; it is an energy pool on which its members can draw.
Covens usually develop a specific orientation and focus. There are covens that concentrate on healing or teaching; others may lean toward psychic work, trance states, social action, or creativity and inspiration. Some simply seem to throw good parties; after all, “all acts of love and pleasure” are rituals of the Goddess.
A coven is a group of peers, but it is not a “leaderless group.” Authority and power, however, are based on a very different principle from that which holds sway in the world at large. Power, in a coven, is never power over another. It is the power that comes from within. In Witchcraft, power is another word for energy, the subtle current of forces that shape reality. A powerful person is one who draws energy into the group. The ability to channel power depends on personal integrity, courage, and wholeness. It cannot be assumed, inherited, appointed, or taken for granted, and it does not confer the right to control another. Power-from-within develops from the ability to control ourselves, to face our own fears and limitations, to keep commitments, and to be honest. The sources of inner power are unlimited. One person’s power does not diminish another’s; instead, as each covener comes into her own power, the power of the group grows stronger. Ideally, a coven serves as the training ground in which each member develops her or his personal power. The support and security of the group reinforce each member’s belief in herself. Psychic training opens new awarenesses and abilities, and feedback from the group becomes the ever-present mirror in which we “see ourselves as others see us.” The goal of a coven is not to do away with leaders, but to train every Witch to be a leader, a Priestess, or a Priest.
When we participate in a ritual or ceremony, we know that we belong to something larger than ourselves, and we achieve that sense of belonging without making some other group the ‘other’, those who don’t belong. We feel a sense of common purpose and support that is tangible, and we are moved by the beauty and inspiration that comes from our community and from those great forces of birth, growth, death and regeneration that move through the world. We draw strength from the struggles of the ancestors and hope for the world of our descendants.
Each ritual begins with the creation of a sacred space, the “casting of a circle,” which establishes a temple in the heart of the forest or the center of a covener’s living room. Goddess and God are then invoked or awakened within each participant and are considered to be physically present within the circle and the bodies of the worshippers. Power, the subtle force that shapes reality, is raised through chanting or dancing and may be directed through a symbol or visualization. With the raising of the cone of power comes ecstasy, which may then lead to a trance state in which visions are seen and insights gained. Food and drink are shared, and coveners “earth the power” and relax, enjoying a time of socializing. At the end, the powers invoked are dismissed, the circle is opened, and a formal return to ordinary consciousness is made.** Entrance to a coven is through an initiation, a ritual experience in which teachings are transmitted and personal growth takes place. Every initiate is considered a priestess or priest; Witchcraft is a religion of clergy.
LOVE FOR LIFE:
Love for life in all its forms is the basic ethic of Witchcraft. Witches are bound to honor and respect all living things, and to serve the life force. While the Craft recognizes that life feeds on life and that we must kill in order to survive, life is never taken needlessly, never squandered or wasted. Serving the life force means working to preserve the diversity of natural life, to prevent the poisoning of the environment and the destruction of species. The world is the manifestation of the Goddess, but nothing in that concept need foster passivity. Many Eastern religions encourage quietism not because they believe the divine is truly immanent, but because they believe she/he is not. For them, the world is Maya, Illusion, masking the perfection of the Divine Reality. What happens in such a world is not really important; it is only a shadow play obscuring the Infinite Light. In Witchcraft, however, what happens in the world is vitally important. The Goddess is immanent, but she needs human help to realize her fullest beauty. The harmonious balance of plant/animal/human/divine awareness is not automatic; it must constantly be renewed, and this is the true function of Craft rituals. Inner work, spiritual work, is most effective when it proceeds hand in hand with outer work. Meditation on the balance of nature might be considered a spiritual act in Witchcraft, but not as much as would cleaning up garbage left at a campsite or marching to protest an unsafe nuclear plant. Witches do not see justice as administered by some external authority, based on a written code or set of rules imposed from without. Instead, justice is an inner sense that each act brings about consequences that must be faced responsibly. The Craft does not foster guilt, the stern, admonishing, self-hating inner voice that cripples action. Instead, it demands responsibility. “What you send, returns three times over” is the saying—an amplified version of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” For example, a Witch does not steal, not because of an admonition in a sacred book, but because the threefold harm far outweighs any small material gain. Stealing diminishes the thief’s self-respect and sense of honor; it is an admission that one is incapable of providing honestly for one’s own needs and desires. Stealing creates a climate of suspicion and fear, in which even thieves have to live. And, because we are all linked in the same social fabric, those who steal also pay higher prices for groceries, insurance, taxes. Witchcraft strongly imbues the view that all things are interdependent and interrelated and therefore mutually responsible. An act that harms anyone harms us all. Honor is a guiding principle in the Craft. This is not a need to take offense at imagined slights against one’s virility—it is an inner sense of pride and self-respect. The Goddess is honored in oneself, and in others. Women, who embody the Goddess, are respected, not placed on pedestals or etherealized but valued for all their human qualities. The self, one’s individuality and unique way of being in the world, is highly valued. The Goddess, like nature, loves diversity. Oneness is attained not through losing the self, but through realizing it fully. “Honor the Goddess in yourself, celebrate your self, and you will see that Self is everywhere,” says Faery priest Victor Anderson. In Witchcraft, “All acts of love and pleasure are My rituals.”
Sexuality, as a direct expression of the life force, is seen as numinous and sacred. It can be expressed freely, so long as the guiding principle is love. Marriage is a deep commitment, a magical, spiritual, and psychic bond. But it is only one possibility out of many for loving, sexual expression. Misuse of sexuality, however, is heinous. Rape, for example, is an intolerable crime because it dishonors the life force by turning sexuality to the expression of violence and hostility instead of love. A woman has the sacred right to control her own body, as does a man. No one has the right to force or coerce another. Life is valued in Witchcraft, and it is approached with an attitude of joy and wonder, as well as a sense of humor. Life is seen as the gift of the Goddess. If suffering exists, it is not our task to reconcile ourselves to it, but to work for change. Magic, the art of sensing and shaping the subtle, unseen forces that flow through the world, of awakening deeper levels of consciousness beyond the rational, is an element common to all traditions of Witchcraft. Craft rituals are magical rites: they stimulate an awareness of the hidden side of reality, and awaken long-forgotten powers of the human mind.
.
rainbow messenger 