Wicca is a modern pagan, witchcraft religion

Wicca is a diverse religion with no central authority or figure defining it.

Wicca often involves the ritual practice of magic, though it is not always necessary

Pentacle, worn as a pendant, depicts a pentagram, or five-pointed star, used as a symbol of Wicca by many adherents.

Beliefs in Wicca range from hard polytheism to even monotheism.

Wicca is typically duotheistic, worshipping a god and goddess traditionally viewed as a mother goddess and horned god.

The term Wicca first achieved widespread acceptance when referring to the religion in the 1960s and 70s

Application of the word Wicca has given rise to "a great deal of disagreement and infighting".

The Goddess and the God may be regarded as the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine

The God and Goddess are generally seen as lovers and equals, the Divine Couple who together co-create the cosmos.

Traditionally the God is viewed as a Horned God, associated with nature, wilderness, sexuality, hunting and the life cycle

The Horned God is given various names according to the tradition, and these include Cernunnos, Pan, Atho and Karnayna.

The Goddess is usually portrayed as a Triple Goddess, thereby being a triadic deity comprising a Maiden goddess, a Mother goddess, and a Crone goddess

Some Wiccans, particularly from the 1970s onwards, have viewed the Goddess as the more important of the two deities, who is pre-eminent in that she contains and conceives all. In this respect, the God is viewed as the spark of life and inspiration within her, simultaneously her lover and her child.

Showing posts with label initiation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label initiation. Show all posts

Saturday, January 3, 2009

The Power Of Astral Initiation

The Power Of Astral Initiation
Everyday I receive letters from a sincere seekers of Light who live in a town, community or country that does not have a physical temple. Usually, the first question in their letter is: "Frater, do you have a temple near my city?" I must humbly apologize because often times our Order, The Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn, does not have a temple within a few hundred mile radius from where they live. Since the early days of re-establishing our Order of the Golden Dawn, when there were only a handful of members and adepts, we have managed to grow into a world wide community of dedicated Hermetisists, alchemists, healers and seekers after truth. Today, our Order continues the tradition as established by SL MacGregor Mathers and furthers the older tradition of the Second Order, which stretches back to antiquity. Yet, with all this work, and all the effort by so many brethren around the world, I am sad to say I don't have a temple in every city. The good news is that we do have sanctuaries and a temples in: Europe, a growing study group in London that will eventually be a sanctuary and grow into a temple; a temple in the southeast region of the United States; a huge temple or the healing and light center in the Midwest serving the Chicago area; a soon-to-be temple in Indiana; a temple serving Canada in the grand city of Toronto; a beautiful active temple in the Seattle area serving members in the northwest; a growing sanctuary in the Dallas, TX area; a sanctuary in South America; and of course the Grand Temple in Southern California just outside the city of Angeles - the Temple of Isis Mighty Mother. In addition, the world landscape is dotted with study groups from Alaska to Paris, and everywhere else in between. Our Order still has a long way to go; and in the tradition set forth by SL Macgregor Mathers, and carried out by the succeeding Chief of the Order, Moina Mathers (his wife), today we carry on the classical tradition of complete, legitimate astral initiation. Brothers and Sisters, if we believe in the magic of Light, then we must also disassociate our self from the time space continuum, and understand that the Magic of Light and initiation work outside of the normal laws of physics. Look, no one in the right mind is going to believe that people dressed with various colored robes holding painted sticks, provide true and lasting initiation. True initiation is a spiritual transformation that allows the individual to grow and move closer to the Divine Source. We cannot put physical constraints on true spiritual transformation or initiation. In all Golden Dawn initiations, the officers create something called, "godforms." These godforms act as energy centers and play an active role in carrying out the true and real initiation. The sacred theater of initiation, while important psychologically, may have no more lasting effect on the individual's psyche than watching a good movie or attending a play. Astral initiation works because ALL TRUE INITIATIONS ARE ASTRAL BY NATURE. While many so called temples today are running correspondent courses and charging hundreds of dollars for them, they are selling only the dry dust of information; information that the industrial student could discover on his own. On the other hand, the Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn provides complete membership and initiation into a worldwide fraternity whereby spiritual transformation is the objective. In addition, we provide online classes, personal mentoring and proctoring, but most importantly, we connect you to the fabric of the Western Mysteries that stretch from today back to antiquity. In our Order, you are sharing the same energy that mystics before you have bathed their spirits in. While we are proud of our temples and sanctuaries, we are even more proud of our astral initiates who do not have a nearby temple to prop them up; we make no distinction between astral or physical initiates. Yet, as a courtesy for our members, we regularly hold conclaves and Power Weeks to provide the physical counterpart as well. Let me go on record now and say that you must question the authenticity, credentials, and knowledge of anyone who questions the validity of true, astral initiation. www.esotericgoldendawn.com Your Brother in the Great Work, Frater PDR