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The Rule of Three |
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Ever
mind the Rule of Three Three
times what thou givest returns to thee What
is it? The
Rule of Three is the one basic law all Wiccans must follow. This Rule is one
of the few things that never changes... it is timeless, as old as religion
itself, and not something that is to be easily dismissed. Ever mind the Rule
of Three is a very serious warning. Basically stated, it means everything we
do, every sort of energy we put out comes back to us three-fold... BASIC
PRINCIPLES OF THE CRAFT The
American Council of Witches 1.
The first principle is that of love, and it is expressed in the ethic,
"DO AS YOU WILL, SO LONG AS YOU HARM NONE"
a) love is not
emotional in it's essence, but is an attribute of the individual as expressed
in relation to other beings;
b) harming others
can be by thought, word, or deed;
c) it is to be
understood the "none" includes oneself;
d) the harm which
is to be regarded as unethical is gratuitous harm; war, in general, is
gratuitous harm, although it is ethical to defend oneself and one's liberty
when threatened by real and present danger, such as defense against invasion. 2.
The Witch must recognize and harmonize with the forces of the universe, in
accord with the Law of Polarity: everything is dual; everything has two poles;
everything has it's opposite; for every action there is a reaction; all can be
categorized as either active or reactive in relation to other things.
a) Godhead is one
unique and transcendent wholeness, beyond any limitations or expressions; thus,
it is beyond our human capacity to understand and identify with this principle
of Cosmic Oneness, except as It is revealed to us in terms of It's attributes
and operation.
b) The most basic
and meaningful attribute of the One that we, as humans, can relate to and
understand, is that of polarity, of action and reaction; therefore Witches
recognize the Oneness of the Divinity, but worship and relate to the Divine as
the archetypal polarity of God and Goddess, the All-Father and the Great
Mother of the universe. The Beings are as near as we can approach to the One
within our human limitations of understanding and expression, though it is
possible to experience the divine Oneness through the practices of the
Mysteries.
c) Harmony does
not consist of the pretty and the nice, but the balanced, dynamic, poised
co-operation and co-relation. 3.
The Witch must recognize, and operate within the framework of the Law of Cause
and Effect; every action has it's reaction, and every effect has it's cause.
All things occur according to this law; nothing in the universe can occur
outside this law, though we may not always appreciate the relation between a
given effect and it's cause. Subsidiary to this is the Law of Three, which
states that whatever goes forth must return threefold, whether of good or ill;
for our actions affect more than people generally realize, and the resulting
reactions are also part of the harvest. 4.
As Above, So Below. That which exists in the Macrocosm exists, on a smaller
scale and to a lesser degree, in the Microcosm. The powers of the universe
exist also in the human, though in general instance they lie dormant. The
powers and abilities can be awakened and used if the proper techniques are
practiced, and this is why initiates of the Mysteries are sworn to guard the
secrets from the unworthy: Much harm can be done by those who have power
without responsibility, both to others and to themselves according to the Laws
of Cause and Effect and of Threefold Return.
a) Since our
philosophy teaches that the universe is the physical manifestation of the
Divine, there can be nothing in the universe which does not partake of the
nature of the Divine; hence, the powers and attributes of the Divine exist
also in the manifest, though to much smaller degree.
b) These powers
can be awakened through the various techniques of the Mysteries, and, although
they are only capable of small effects in and of themselves, it is possible to
use them in order to draw upon the forces of the universe. Thus humanity can
be the wielders of the power of the Gods, a channel for Godhead to act within
It's own manifestation. This, then, is further reason for the oath of secrecy.
c) Since the
universe is the body of the One, possessing the same attributes as the One,
it's Laws must be the principles through and by which the One operates. By
reasoning from the known to the unknown, one can learn of the Divine, and thus
of oneself. Thus the Craft is a natural religion, seeing in Nature the
expression and revelation of Divinity. 5.
We know that everything in the universe is in movement or vibration and is a
function of that vibration. Everything vibrates; all things rise and fall in a
tidal system that reflects the motion inherent in the universe and also in the
atom. Matter and energy are but two poles of one continuous phenomenon.
Therefore the Witch celebrates, harmonizes with, and makes use of the tides of
the universe and of life as expressed through the cycle of the seasons and the
motion of the solar system. These ritual observances are the eight great
Festivals of the Year, referred to as the Wheel of the Year. Further, the
Witch works with the forces and tides of the Moon, for this body is the
mediator of much energy to our planet Earth and thus to ourselves. 6.
Nothing is dead matter in the universe. All things exist, therefore all things
live, though perhaps in a different manner from that which we are used to
calling life. In view of this, the Witch knows that there is no true death,
only change from one condition to another. The universe is the body of Godhead,
and therefore possesses one transcendent consciousness; all things partake of
the consciousness, in varying levels of trance/awareness.
a) Because of this
principle, all things are sacred to the Witch, for all partake of the one
Life.
b) Therefore the
Witch is a natural ecologist, for Nature is part of us as we are a part of
Nature. 7.
Astrology can be useful in marking and interpreting the flow and ebb of the
tides of our solar system, and thus of making use of those tides; astrology
should not be debased into mere fortune-telling. 8.
Throughout the development of the human race, civilizations have seen and
worshipped many and various attributes of the Divine. These universal forces
have been clothed in forms which were expressive to the worshipper of the
attribute of the Godhead which they expressed. Use of these symbolic
representations of t h e natural and divine forces of the universe, or god
forms, is a potent method for contacting and utilizing the forces they
represent. Thus the Gods are both natural and truly divine, and man-made in
that the forms with which they are clothed are products of humanity's striving
to know the Godhead.
a) In keeping with
the Law of Polarity, these god-forms are brought into harmony by the one great
Law which states: All Gods are one God. All Goddesses are one Goddess. There
is one Initiator. This law is an expression of our understanding that all of
the forces of the universe, by whatever ethnic god-form is chosen to clothe
and relate to whichever force, can be resolved into the fundamental polarity
of the Godhead, the Great Mother and the All-Father.
b) It is the use
of differing god forms, of differing ethnic sources or periods, which is the
basis of many of the differences between the various Traditions of the Craft.
Each Tradition uses the forms, and thus the names, which to that Tradition
best express and awakens understanding of the force represented, according to
the areas of emphasis of the Tradition.
c) Because we know
that differing names or representations are but expressions of the same divine
principles and forces, we require our members to swear that they will never
mock the names by which another honors the Divine, even though those names be
different from and seemingly less expressive than the names and godforms used
by our Tradition (for to the members of another Tradition, using it's names,
ours may easily seem equally less expressive). 9.
A Witch refuses to allow her/himself to be corrupted by the great guilt
neuroses which have been foisted on humanity in the name of the Divine, thus
freeing the self of the slavery of the mind. The Witch expresses
responsibility for her/his actions, and accepts the consequences of them;
guilt is rejected as inhibiting to one's self-actualization, and replaced by
the efforts of the Witch to obey the teachings of harmlessness, responsibility
for t h e consequences of one's actions, and the goal of actualizing the full
powers of the individual.
a) We refuse to
believe that a human being is born innately sinful, and recognize the concepts
of sin and guilt are tremendously inhibiting to the human potential; the
consequences of the Law of Cause and Effect, called karma by some, are not
punishment, but the recurrences of situations and their effects because the
individual has not gained the Wisdom needed to handle or avoid such situations.
b) There is no
heaven except that which we ourselves make of our life on Earth, and likewise
there is no hell except the effects of our unwise actions. Death is not
followed by punishment or reward, but by life and the continuing evolution of
the human potential.
c) One cannot damn
the divine in oneself; one can, however, cut one self off from it through the
rejection of wisdom and a refusal to strive for self-realization. This cutting
off does not lead to personal suffering in "hell", for there is no
Self to suffer if the tie to one's own divinity has been severed; what remains
is merely an empty shell, a "personality" or thought-form devoid of
it's ensouling Spark of the Divine Fire. 10.
We know of the existence of the life-force which ensouls all living things,
that is, all that exists. We know that a spark of this Divine Fire is within
each and every thing that exists, and that it does not die; only the form of
it's existence changes. We know that this spark of the life-force returns to
manifestation again and again in order to fully realize and actualize it's
potential, evolving finally to the peak and essence of existence which is pure
being. In this process of reincarnation each form returns in the same type of
form, though it's ever-increasing actualization may lead to higher levels of
existence of that form. Man returns as man, cat as feline, mineral as mineral,
each class of form evolving as the individual forms of that class evolve. 11.
This process of evolution through successive incarnations in manifest form
works through the utilizations of wisdom gained, th e essence of the
life-experience. This essence of experience, or Wisdom, is an attribute of the spark of life itself, one and
inseparable (see 9a). 12.
We must care for the body, for it is the vehicle of the spark of life, the
form by which we attain. Thus we must heal the body of it's ills and keep it a
tuned and perfected tool; so must we heal others (both physically and
psychologically) as far as it is within our power to do so. However, we cannot
interfere with the life of another, even to heal, except at their request or
with their express permission; unless such non-interference would be
inhibiting to our own, ethical existence and development -- and even then the
responsibilities and consequences must be understood and accepted. This, then,
is one of the important reasons for the communal life the Witches under the
guidance of t h e Priesthood: That the group may be guided by wisdom and
experience, with the aid and support of one's peers; and that one's actions
may be guided by the influence of the ethical life of the group as a whole. 13.
Harmony with, and utilization of, the great natural forces of the universe is
called magick. By magick we speak, not of the supernatural, but of the
superbly natural, but whose laws and applications are not as yet recognized by
the scientific establishment. The Witch must strive to recognize these forces,
learn their laws, attune her/himself to them, and make use of them. The Witch
must also be aware that power corrupts when used only for the gains of the
self, and therefore must strive to serve humanity: Either through the service
in the Priesthood, or by example and effects of his/her life on others. The
choice must be made in accord with the true nature of the Witch.
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