Witches & The Gods
The gods of Wicca are not statues, nor do they take the form of the stylized pantheon of the Greeks and Romans. They bear many names and hold sway over the various components of nature, yet they are but one god, parts of a single entity beyond the comprehension of human mental processes.
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We can no more determine the true nature of that entity than cats can decipher calculus. We simply do not have the tools necessary to describe such a force. However, we can and do acknowledge that this Supreme Being does exist, for the evidence is all around us.
Speculation about whether this being allows the Universe to follow its own path within the laws that define its existence or acts as a master puppeteer, intent on controlling the destiny of each monad within the macrocosm, has fueled theological and philosophical debate for centuries.
The issue will not be resolved here.
Faith is a matter of individual belief. No one has the right to dictate how another must view his personal god. General Wiccan interest in these matters begins and ends with whatever practical advantages humanity can realize from learning about the nature of the All.
The latter term, borrowed from Hermetic philosophy, refers to any personal concept of universal supremacy you wish to entertain, as long as you recognize that the term excludes NOTHING.
To paraphrase the Bible, with the All, all things are possible.
That means both the good and the bad, the tragic and the comic, the catastrophic and the ecstatic. Wiccans have no churches. To a witch, the idea of building a house for a supreme being would indicate that the deity existed apart from the witch and could be contained in such a structure, rather than inhabiting all things, from the rocks in a river bed to every kind of living creature, including man.
Since the All can be found everywhere, witches hold all of creation in reverence.
Most people are aware of the respect ancient hunters gave to their prey, apologizing for killing it and explaining to its spirit the need for its sacrifice that the hunter and his family and tribe might survive. Witches extend this recognition of the life force beyond animate objects.
To the witch, everything is “alive” to some greater or lesser degree, and, therefore, worthy of respect. Hermetic philosophy teaches that all things vibrate and that the observable universe is composed, not of matter and energy, but of a single plasma whose perceived forms result its frequency and amplitude of vibration.
This view coincidences with the modern science’s theory of quantum physics and with the ancient adage “as above, so below”.
One axiom of magic states that to have power over a given entity, one must learn its name. This magical name is not an arbitrary moniker applied for the convenience of conversation, but reflects the true nature of the thing in question. To learn a magical name, one must become the object and experience life from its viewpoint.
You must learn the name the object calls ITSELF!
For example, suppose you encounter your neighbor’s dog during your morning jog and wish it to tag along with you. Calling the animal “dog” will not produce the desired result, although that name certainly defines the beast. Calling the dog by its given name, Rover or Spot or whatever, will prove much more effective at securing you a partner for your jaunt.
Note that the dog’s name has been given it by a human. Being the wonderfully bright creatures that we are, we tend to choose pet names that reflect the nature of the pet. Seldom, except to exhibit our sarcastic wit, will we call a pet by some name that does not fit its perceived personality. There are very few black dogs called “Snowball”.
Magical names come from many sources, including psychic contact with the object in mind and through revelations during Otherworld travels and meditation. However, most names result from our observation of traits exhibited by a particular entity.
The ancient gods possess names derived from human contact with those deities. Simply put, humans named their gods.
Names allowed man to categorize his gods based on their authority over particular aspects of creation. Rituals were recipes for contacting the appropriate deity to the work at hand. One did not petition a solar deity for rain nor a sea god for a good corn crop.
Ritual work became god-specific. One would bedeck the working area with decorations corresponding to the tastes and affinities of the particular entity being solicited for help. Whether these devices had an effect on beings living on a different plane was speculative.
However, there was no question that stimuli matching the work profoundly influenced the seeker by producing an excellent atmosphere for contacting the entity in question.
The gods became tools for survival. The ancients recognized that these gods were mere fragments of the All. Propitiation of the All seemed inappropriate, like our taking a traffic ticket to the supreme court. It seemed much more reasonable to request the aid of that small portion of the All that held responsibility for that facit of existence one hoped to influence. Judeo-Christian belief to the contrary, the ancients did not worship idols. Only those of great ignorance believed idols to possess power.
Statues representing the gods held no special power. These representations made visualization easier for the common man and witches alike. The notion that the representation itself possessed the ability to act on nature would be laughable.
Respect for such objects arose from a recognition of the craft that went into making an image of a god. The artists and craftsmen who made representations of the gods did so with reverence, hoping through their efforts, to express love and to honor the actual deity, not to capture the godforce in a piece of stone.
Even the great natural phenomenon’s like volcanoes and great trees expressed the characteristics of the gods. They were not thought to harbor the gods, nor were they themselves deified, except by the ignorant.
It is written that a witch best loves the gods by mastering. To the Wiccans, both ancient and modern, the gods, the angels, and all of the various inhabitants of the nether planes exist for our use.
They are not so far removed from our version of existence that we cannot request their help. Not only will they listen to our imprecations, they also care dearly for us and the plane upon which we live. These entities reward us by assisting us in our troubles and punishing us when we damage our world and scar the Great Mother.
They do not seek worship, nor would any witch abase her/himself before them. They respect those who take responsibility for their own actions and accept the obligations rendered through the actions of others of our species.
To the gods, we are one tribe. The ravagers of the environment are our responsibility. We may choose to punish these imbeciles or repair the damage they do. Either way, we must accept the debt they incur as a parent does the wayward child. In the eyes of the gods, we are all High Kings. As we prosper by joining with the land, so will the land (and all of creation) prosper with us.
The gods have no sympathy for hermits who choose to ignore the rest of humanity and divorce themselves from the world’s troubles. Ascetics certainly have a place, but they remain ultimately members of the human tribe.
Witches approach the gods as equals worthy of honor and respect. Such lofty status must be earned and demonstrated every day in all the witch undertakes.
Those true to their responsibilities will find the gods friendly and willing to help. While the least of the gods possesses more power than the most exalted witch, the gods honor character, not preternatural potency. They understand that you live on a plane different from their own, where godlike power would be inappropriate. It is as though a track star were to meet a great author bound to wheelchair.
The author’s inability to compete in a track meet would not diminish your respect for him one bit.
The gods exist because we need them. Without them to bridge the distance between us and the
All, we would be cut off from any contact with the divine creative force.
No other being suffers this disassociation from the other levels of existence. Why should we?
Bond with the gods and work with them daily. Learn to recognize their influence on your life.
You may call them guardian angels, spirit helpers, Faeries, or gods. You may address them through elaborate rituals, quiet meditation, or simple prayer. If you will listen, they will answer.
