21.12.14

Zvjezdice s lješnjacima


Yule je vrijeme kada slavimo jačanje Sunca koje nam od zimskog suncostaja donosi sve više svjetla i topline. I naše Sunce je zvijezda, pa zašto ne proslaviti Yule uz ovaj prigodan simbol? 

Kao što vidite na slici, koristila sam razne oblike kalupa za svoje kekse - petokrake i šestokrake zvijezde, božićna drvca, zvijezde repatice, zvončiće i tako dalje. Naravno, svi ovi simboli imaju svoje značenje za Yule. Zvončići još od davnina predstavljaju zaštitu jer se vjerovalo da njihov visok zvuk tjera zle duhove i negativnu energiju. Božićno drvce je potomak julskog panja, a oboje predstavljaju isto ideju - prevlast života na smrću (Sunce se ponovno rađa i život se vraća zemlji, a drvo koje se uzima za julski panj, ili božićno drvce je gotovo uvijek zimzeleno, ili barem izrazito snažno i izdržljivo). Zvijezde su izvor svjetla, a svako Sunce je primarni izvor svjetla i topline. Ovi simboli su posebno prikladni za julsko slavlje kada se Suncu ponovno pruža dobrodošlica.

A sada pređimo na recept kako biste mogli i vi uživati u ovim finim, prhkim blagdanskim kolačićima!

Potrebno je:

  • 200 g maslaca
  • 150 g šećera
  • 200 g mljevenih badema
  • 200 g pšeničnog oštrog brašna
  • 150 g pšeničnog glatkog brašna
  • 1 čajna žličica cimeta
  • 2 žumanjka
  • 2 bjelanjka
  • šaka lješnjaka
  • 1 žlica jogurta
  • marmelada po želji (ja sam koristila marmeladu od miješanog voća)
  • kalupi za kekse (po vašem odabiru, makar se preporučaju zvijezde)

Priprema:

  1. Izmiješajte omekšalo maslo, šećer, bademe, cimet, žumanjak i brašno. Pritom izdvojite bjelanjke u posebnu zdjelu i ostavite u hladnjaku.
  2. Zamotajte tijesto u prozirnu foliju i ostavite u hladnjaku barem pola sata.
  3. Lješnjake zamotajte u prozirnu foliju i istucite maljem za meso (slobodno ostavite i neke veće komade).
  4. Obložite lim za pečenje papirom za pečenje.
  5. Izvadite tijesto iz hladnjaka, razvaljajte tanko i kalupima oblikujte kekse (ponavljajte ovo dok vam ne nestane tijesta).
  6. Složite kekse na lim, premažite bjelanjkom i pospite lješnjacima (pošto se 2 keksa marmeladom kasnije spajaju u jedan, ja sam ih slagala "u parovima" i samo bih svaki drugi keks premazala bjelanjkom i posula lješnjacima).
  7. Pecite na 175°C 10 minuta. Pazite da vam se keksi ne zarumene previše (možda će vam trebati i manje od 10 minuta ovisno o jačini pećnice).
  8. Kada su se keksi ohladili, premažite ih marmeladom i lijepite 2 keksa istog oblika zajedno.
Želim vam sretan i blagoslovljen Yule! Budite mi veseli i debeli za ove praznike. :)
Vaša Witch's Cat

Hazelnut Stars


Yule is the time of year when we celebrate the Sun's rebirth which, from the winter solstice onward, brings us more and more light and warmth. As our Sun is a star, why not celebrate Yule with this fitting symbol?

As you can see in the picture, I used all sorts of cookie molds - five-pointed and six-pointed stars, Christmas trees, comets, bells and so on. Of course, all of these symbols have a special meaning in regard to Yule. Bells have been a symbol of protection for ages because it was believed that their light tones could ward off evil spirits and negative energy. The Christmas tree is descendant of the Yule log, but they both symbolize the same notion - the predominance of life over death (the Sun is reborn and life is once more returned to the earth, in addition to this, both the Yule log and Christmas tree are always of some evergreen tree, or at least a tree that is a symbol of strength and endurance). Stars are a source of light and every Sun is a primary source of light and warmth. These symbols are therefore especially fitting for the Yule celebration when we welcome the Sun once more.

But let us now move on to the recipe so you can enjoy these fine, crumbly holiday cookies!

You Will Need:

  • 200g butter
  • 150g sugar
  • 200g ground almonds
  • 200g hard wheat flour
  • 150g plain wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 egg whites
  • a handful of hazelnuts
  • 1 spoon yogurt
  • marmalade (whichever you prefer, I used one made of mixed fruits)
  • cookie molds (your choice, although stars are recommended)

How To Prepare:

  1. Mix together softened butter, sugar, almonds, cinnamon, egg yolks and flour. Separate the egg whites in a small bowl and put then in the fridge.
  2. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave it in the fridge for at least half an hour.
  3. Wrap the hazelnuts in cling film and smash them with a meat tenderizer (feel free to leave a few bigger pieces in there).
  4. Cover your baking tray with baking paper.
  5. Get the dough out of the fridge, roll it out thinly and form the cookies using your cookie molds (repeat this until you run out of dough).
  6. Place the cookies on the baking tray, daub with egg whites and sprinkle the hazelnuts on them (since 2 cookies are later "glued together" with marmalade, I placed them in pairs, so to speak, and only covered every second cookie with egg whites and hazelnuts).
  7. Bake for 10 minutes at 175°C. Take care not to let the cookies get too golden-brown (you may even need less than 10 minutes depending on the strength of your oven).
  8. Once the cookies have cooled down a bit, smear marmalade on them and glue 2 cookies (of the same shape) together.
I wish you all a joyous and blessed Yule! May you be cheerful and fat these holidays. :)
Yours,
Witch's Cat

13.12.14

Yule - slavlje ponovnog rođenja Sunca

(c) Anne Stokes - Spirit of Yule (Duh
Yulea / Kralj božikovine)
Dva kralja se bore za prevlast – Kralj hrasta i Kralj božikovine. Ali ovo nije tipična borba, jer oni nemaju vojsku, a bore se znajući da je sve u prirodi ciklično, pa tako i njihova vladavina. Oni su od pamtivijeka u sukobu, ali znaju da tako treba biti. Kralj hrasta vlada ljetnim dijelom godine (od zimskog do ljetnog suncostaja), a Kralj božikovine zimskim (od ljetnog do zimskog suncostaja). Stoga je Kralj božikovine poznat svima kao mračni kralj, onaj koji vlada opadajućim dijelom godine te kao onaj koji donosi duge noći i kojeg prati slabljenje Sunca.

Na dan borbe - Yule, zimski suncostaj - kraljevi su svjesni svoje uloge u kolu rađanja, smrti i ponovnog rađanja. Sada je red na Kralju hrasta da ponovno zavlada prirodom. Kralj božikovine se povlači, a skupa s njim i tama koja je obavijala zemlju. Dolazi vrijeme jačanja Sunca, produljivanja dana i oplodnje tla. No, ovo istovremeno za ljude znači kraj odmora i gniježđenja jer bez rada nema plodova.

Ove godine pagani slave zimski suncostaj (prvi dan zime), odnosno Yule 21. prosinca. Za nas, ovaj dan predstavlja važan prijelaz u ciklusu života. Zimski suncostaj označavaju najdulja noć i najkraći dan u godini. Međutim, za pagane ovo nije razlog za tugovanje već za slavlje jer od ovog datuma dani postaju duži, a noći kraće…Sunce dobiva na snazi – ono se ponovno rađa. Upravo na temelju ovoga mnogi shvaćaju Yule kao početak nove godine. Sunce se u paganizmu personificira figurom Boga, kao što se Mjesec ogleda u figuri Božice. Stoga se i Bog, poput Sunca, ponovno rađa na ovaj datum. Da nije tako, ciklus prirode se ne bi mogao nastaviti. 

Za Lughnasadh je Bog podnio žrtvu, dao svoje tijelo Majci Zemlji i time omogućio urod. Na Mabon njegova životna energija brzo opada, da bi u konačnici preminuo na Samhain. Božica tada tuguje za njim u aspektu Starice, ali se oboje, i Bog i Božica, preporađaju za Yule. Božica prolazi magičnu transformaciju iz Starice u Djevu te rađa Boga kako bi skupa mogli nastaviti okretati Kolo godine.

Zanimljivo je da sam naziv ovog blagdana, Yule, dolazi od nordijske riječi iul/hjól koja znači „kolo“. Na osnovu ovoga se Yule može shvatiti kao prvu žbicu na Kolu godine. Kao kod svakog početka, prvi okretaj ovog kola je uvijek najteži i najdulje traje. Stoga cijela priroda miruje u ovom razdoblju i u tom odmaranju se priprema za rad koji će stići na proljeće. Ona se zagrijava za nadolazeće okretaje.

(c) Anne Stokes - Oak King (Kralj hrasta)
Ipak, i ljudi su dio prirode pa i oni sudjeluju u svemu ovome. Ovaj zimski period mirovanja ljudima daje potrebno vrijeme za refleksiju na prošlost, na same sebe i na njihova okruženja. Yule je ujedno odlično vrijeme za razmišljanje o budućnosti i postavljanje ciljeva (koji su u ovo doba još poznati kao novogodišnje rezolucije). Čišćenje, kako fizičko tako i emocionalno i duhovno, također nije na odmet jer nitko ne želi ući u Novu godinu s bremenom, glavnom prepunom nedoumica i kućom koja je u neredu.

Jedini nered s kojim ćete se morati nositi jest gomila borovih iglica po podu. I da, čak i pagani mogu krasiti božićno drvce u vrijeme Božića. Zapravo, Božić i Yule imaju mnogo više sličnosti nego što bi se očekivalo. Dublja usporedba bi zahtijevala ulaženje u povijest obaju blagdana koji su se svakako ispreplitali, ali ću ovdje istaknuti samo neke zajedničke običaje i osnovne ideje. Ono što kršćani nazivaju božićnim drvcem, pagani nazivaju julskim drvom. Ponekad se koristi julski panj koji predstavlja u suštini isti koncept – vječnost. Zimzelena drva poput bora, ili ponekad ona najčvršća (poput hrasta od kojeg se najčešće priprema julski panj) su simboli vječnog života jer oni, barem naizgled, nikada ne umiru. Bor ostaje zelen tijekom cijele godine i time predstavlja prevlast života nad smrću, a hrast može doživjeti starost od nekoliko stotina godina i poznat je po tvrdoći drva i izdržljivosti svoga korijenja. Nije ni čudo da se ova stabla i sva ona slična njima uzimaju kao simboli vječnog života! Mnoštvo drugih zimzelenih i sezonskih biljaka i plodova se također koriste za ukrašavanje – božikovina, imela (i druge bobice), češeri, žirovi i tako dalje. Svi ovi materijali se koriste za izradu vijenaca, ukrasa za stolove, za stablo i dom općenito.

Još jedan običaj koji je svima drag u ovo vrijeme bez obzira na duhovne/vjerske stavove jest ostajanje u kući s ljudima koje volimo, uživanje u toplini doma, lijepoj hrani i toplim čajevima, ili kuhanom vinu. Ugođaj postaje još ljepšim kada dođe vrijeme za razmjenu poklona. Iako se danas ovaj običaj sveo na nešto puko materijalno, stari Rimljani su imali običaj poklanjati svijeće jedni drugima u ovo vrijeme. U začecima ovog sunčevog blagdana pokloni uopće nisu postojali, ali su uvedeni kao znak pažnje i ljubavi, ali i zaštite. Svijeća je simbol svjetla koje se samim poklanjanjem daruje osobi. Svjetlo u ovom kontekstu ima višestruko značenje – simboliku otjerivanja i zaštite od zlih sila (što je slično zvoncima koji su još jedan prikladan simbol) te solarnu simboliku (paljenjem svijeća se predstavlja porast Sunčeve snage koji se događa u ovo vrijeme, a po nekim vjerovanjima se Sunce čak i potiče na ovaj način). Možda je ovo dobro vrijeme da se prisjetimo da bit poklona nije sam poklon i njegova materijalna vrijednost, već namjera koja ide uz njega.

Uz sve ovo – bližnje, toplinu, hranu, piće, darove itd. – je dobra zabava zagarantirana! Yule je naposljetku jedan od osam paganskih sabata i samim time povod za slavlje. Ovaj mjesec slavimo povratak Sunca i pružamo mu dobrodošlicu. Stoga je prikladno da i sami počnemo zračiti svjetlošću i toplinom te njima ispunimo naše živote i one naših bližnjih.

Sretan vam i blagoslovljen Yule!

(c) Rick Landry - Winter Solstice Sunrise (Izlazak Sunca na zimski suncostaj)

Yule - the Celebration of the Sun's Rebirth

(c) Anne Stokes - Spirit of Yule
(The Holly King)
Two kings fight for dominance - the Holly King and the Oak King. But this is not any usual battle as they do not have an army and they fight knowing that everything in nature is cyclical, as is their reign. They have been rivals since the beginning of time, yet they know that this is how it must be. The Oak King rules during the summer half of the year (from the winter solstice to the summer solstice) and the Holly King during the winter half (from the summer solstice to the winter solstice). Hence the Holly King is known to all as the dark king, he who rules during the waning half of the year, he who brings dark nights and who is followed by the fading of the Sun.

On the day of the battle - Yule, the winter solstice - the two kings are aware of their roles in the birth-death-rebirth cycle. It is now the Oak King's turn to once more govern over nature. The Holly King draws back, as does the darkness which cloaked the earth. The time comes for the Sun to regain its strength, for the lengthening of the days and the fertilization of the land. Yet, at the same time, this means the end of the resting and nesting period for people because there are no fruits without labor.

This year, Pagans celebrate the winter solstice (the first day of winter) a.k.a. Yule on December 21. For us, this day represents an important transition in the cycle of life. The winter solstice is marked by the longest night and the shortest day of the year. However, for Pagans, this is not a reason to grieve but rather for celebration because from this day on, the days become longer and the nights shorter...the Sun begins to regain its strength - it is reborn. It is precisely on this basis that many see Yule as the beginning of the new year. In Paganism, the Sun is personified by the God, just as the Moon is mirrored in the image of the Goddess. Thus the God, as the Sun, is reborn on this date. If it were not so, the natural cycle could not carry on.

For Lughnasadh, the God sacrificed himself, gave his body to Mother Earth and in this manner enabled the yield of crops. On Mabon, his vital energy quickly ebbs and he dies on Samhain. After this, the Goddess mourns him in the aspect of the Crone but both the Goddess and God are reborn at Yule. The Goddess undergoes a magical transformation from Crone to Maiden and gives birth to the God so they may continue to turn the Wheel of the Year together.

It is interesting that the very name of this festival, Yule, comes from the Nordic word iul/hjól which means "wheel". Based on this, we may understand Yule as the first spoke on the Wheel of the Year. As with any beginning, the first turn of this wheel is always the hardest and always lasts the longest. Thus nature in its entirety remains sedate during this time of year and in this resting phase prepares itself for the work that has to be done with the coming of spring. She warms herself up for the oncoming turns of the wheel.

(c) Anne Stokes - Oak King
Still, humans are a part of nature as well so they too take a part in all of this. This winter period of resting gives people the necessary time to reflect on their past, on themselves and their surroundings. Yule is also a wonderful time for thinking about the future and setting goals (which are also known as New Year's resolutions during this time of year). Cleansing, be it physical, emotional or spiritual, also doesn't hurt because nobody wants to enter the new year with a burden, a head full of doubts and a messy house.

The only mess you may have to put up with is a bunch of pine needles on the floor. And yes, even Pagans can decorate the Christmas tree during Christmas time. Actually, Christmas and Yule have much more in common that you might expect. An in depth comparison would require looking into the pasts of these two holidays which most definitely were intertwined, but I will only mention a few common traditions and basic ideas here. What Christians call the Christmas tree, Pagans call the Yule tree. Sometimes a Yule log is used in stead of a tree, but they both represent the same idea really - eternity. Evergreen trees such as pine, or sometimes just the stronger trees (for example oak from which the Yule log is most often made) as symbols of everlasting life because they at least seemingly ever die. The pine tree remains green throughout the entire year and in this represents the prevalence of life over death. The oak tree can live up to a few hundred years and is well known for its hardness and the durability of its roots. It's no wonder that these trees and all those similar to them are taken as symbols of eternal life! A number of other evergreen and seasonal plants and fruits can also be used for decorations - holly, mistletoe (and other berries), pine cones, acorns and so on. All of these materials are used to make wreaths, table decorations, decorations for the Christmas/Yule tree or the home in general.

Another tradition that is dear to everyone in this time of year regardless of their spiritual/religious beliefs is staying home with loved ones, enjoying the warmth of the home, nice food, warn tea, or mulled wine. The atmosphere becomes all the nicer when the time comes for exchanging presents. Although this practice has been reduced to something merely material nowadays, the ancient Romans had a habit of giving candles to one another for this occasion. In the beginnings of this solar festival, presents didn't even exist, but were introduced as a symbol of caring and love, but also protection. The candle is a symbol of light which is also given to somebody in the very act of giving the candle. In this context, light has multiple meanings - banishing evil forces and protection from them (which is similar to the symbolism of bells which are yet another appropriate symbol of the season) as well as solar symbolism (by lighting candles, one represents the growth of the Sun's strength which occurs in this time of year and, according to some beliefs, the Sun is actually stimulated by this act). Perhaps this season is a good time to recall that the main point of presents aren't the gifts themselves and their material value, but rather the intention that goes with them.

With all of this  - loved ones, warmth, food, drinks, presents and so on - good fun is guaranteed! After all, Yule is one of the eight Pagan Sabbats and is therefore a cause for celebration. This month, we celebrate the return of the Sun and say welcome. It is only fitting that you too begin to emanate light and warmth and, with it, fill your own lives and the lives of your loved ones.

I wish you all a joyous and blessed Yule!

(c) Rick Landry - Winter Solstice Sunrise

10.12.14

Paganizam, magija i vještičarenje - intervju s Iolarom

Krajem prošle godine je izašla knjiga Paganizam u teoriji i praksi koja je izdana u tri sveska. Drugi svezak nosi podnaslov "Magija i vještičarstvo". Autor ove knjige, Iolar, je već jednom gostovao na emisiji "Na rubu znanosti" kada je predstavio svoju knjigu i detaljno pričao o prvom svesku (Doktrina paganizma).

Nekidan je izašao još jedan intervju s autorom u kojemu se priča o drugom svesku. Moje mišljenje je da je ova tema izuzetno osjetljiva i da ju je Iolar lijepo pokrio. Očito je da se trebalo sve požurivati i kratiti kako bi se sve stiglo pojasniti u kratkom vremenskom periodu, ali usprkos tome cijela priča ima glavu i rep. Naravno, ovaj video nikako ne može pružiti sve informacije koje knjiga pruža. Dapače, potrebno je pročitati puno više knjiga kako bi se dobila potpuna slika o magiji i kako bi ju se u cijelosti razumjelo. No, ovaj video je solidan početak. 

Moram priznati da mi je bilo drago čuti Iolara kako ruši neke stereotipe i hrabro izlazi u javnost s temom koja je toliko stigmatizirana. Svaka čast autoru!

A sada vas puštam da neometano uživate u intervjuu. :)


26.11.14

Pagan Morals

This post was originally written for the 5th number of the online magazine "Puni Mjesec" (Full Moon). Since I publish all my texts on my blog, I decided to do the same with this one. In addition to this, I think that this article could be useful to every Pagan and in general those that want to be informed on the topic of Paganism and the cornerstones of this spiritual path. I can only hope that I am right about this and that my words will give you some new insight. 

The Difference between Morals and Ethics

Morals and ethics are exceptionally similar terms, to the extent that morals are actually a part of ethics. To elaborate, morals are the stance an individual, or a group takes towards the principles of good and evil; it refers to behavioral customs and ideals which are closely related to conscience. We often say that a person is moral, or virtuous and by this, we usually mean that they behave in accordance with his/her own (or perhaps a socially defined) codex of good behavior, that they are fair and that they have a highly developed sense of their role in society. Ethics, apart from it being a distinct philosophical discipline, refers to the behavior that is in accordance with morality rules. As we have established, morals don't have to be individual; they can also belong to a group. Different historical periods had their own morals (e.g. medieval morals), as do different cultures or professions (we can therefore talk about tribal morals, or medical morals). There are also religious morals which are specific for every religion/faith. So, for example, Christian, Islamic and Pagan morals may differ. Yet, there is one important difference between ethics and morals, which is that ethics are global and timeless; they do not have temporal, cultural or geographical boundaries. Ethics implies simply behaving in accordance with morals, regardless of which group or period they belong to. On the other hand, morals are conditioned by these factors. This is why the title of this post is "Pagan morals" in stead of "Pagan ethics".

The Basics of Pagan Morals

Pagan ethics stem from aesthetics. It's important to emphasize that, in this context, "aesthetics" doesn't imply the concept of beauty which is defined by social conventions. On the contrary, it doesn't even have to refer to secular beauty! Aesthetics refers to beauty in any form and in the broadest sense of the word. Aesthetics also includes any form of harmony (or as the ancient Greeks called it - cosmos). It is human to strive towards cosmos i.e. order in any shape and in any aspect of our lives. If everything in our lives was chaotic, then we would be unhappy because chaos by the very definition of the word denotes a sort of abyss, or chasm from which cosmos (order) should and will come forth. Therefore, chaos signifies ugliness and disharmony. Pagans believe that by behaving ethically, they contribute to creating order, beauty and harmony in general. Since anything that is beautiful and harmonious is also aesthetic, we ultimately create aesthetics by behaving ethically. It is precisely because of this that Pagan ethics stems from aesthetics. 

Furthermore, Pagan morals are based on love. In Paganism, and almost all global faiths/religions/spiritual paths, there is something called the "golden rule". It reads: "Do to other as you want them to do to you". This rule exists in Christianity, Judaism, Islam but it was also known to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese and many other cultures. It simply changed is form according to the culture and time, but it is essentially about the same things - love. It is expected that people, as social beings, behave nicely towards the society they live in as well as towards themselves. You are surely aware of the old saying: "You must first love yourself before you can love another". There is some truth in this. Anyway, love, or in the least respect towards others (and ourselves) is essential for individual and group development. The golden rule speaks precisely about this. If the whole world functioned on the basis of mutual respect (if love is not possible all the time), there wouldn't be as many problems.

The Pagan "Golden Rule"

Pagans have their own version of the golden rule which in its longest form reads: " 'An ye harm none, do what ye will". The short version, which also happens to be the most frequently used version reads: "Harm none". Although this "rule" originally wasn't generally Pagan, it gradually took its honorary place in the Pagan moral system (more information in the post "The Wiccan Rede"). It originally comes from Wicca - a Neopagan denomination which was formed in the 50s in England. Gerald Gardner, who is thought of as the father of Wicca, mentions it for the first time in his book Witchcraft Today
They [witches] are inclined to the morality of the legendary Good King Pausol, “Do what you like so long as you harm no one ". But they believe a certain law to be important, “You must not use magic for anything which will cause harm to anyone, and if, to prevent a greater wrong being done, you must discommode someone, you must do it only in a way which will abate the harm." This involves every magical action being discussed first, to see that it can do no damage, and this induces a habit of mind to consider well the results of one's actions, especially upon others, This, you may say, is elementary Christianity. Of course it is; it is also elementary Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and Judaism, to name only a few.

Surely, Gardner was inspired by Aleister Crowley whose texts he researched in depth, whom he privately knew and with whom he also cooperated in the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) into which he himself was initiated. In his Book of the Law, which is one of the basic literary works of this path, Crowley wrote the following: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will. There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt. (...) but in practice, only one act is lawful for each one of us at any given moment. Therefore Duty consists in determining to experience the right event from one moment of consciousness to another". Crowley writes the words "Law" and "Duty" (and in some versions also "Will") with capital letters. By doing so, he emphasizes that he isn't just thinking of any duty, will or law but rather of something personal and transcendental. Will is transcendental because it is correct/lawful (of course, for every person individually). The law is also true because it is true for every person individually (every person knows their own law which is true from their perspective). Duty is also individual and is conditioned by Will and the Law. Therefore, a person's own and true will is that which is intrinsic, which is true for him/her and towards which he/she has to strive. According to Crowley, if everyone were to follow their true Will, there would be no problems in the world because the universe is a cosmos in the complete sense of the word (everything has its place i.e. everything is in order so every person's Will also has its own orbit and nobody's Wills clash). Nevertheless, there is one condition to achieving individual Will - "love is the law, love under will". Gardner paraphrased this condition and turned it into: " 'an ye harm none". Essentially, Pagan morals claim that you can do whatever you want as long as love and/or respect are present because only while it is present can be ensure that no harm will be done. It is important to note that "do what thou wilt" doesn't only refer to actions, but to passive actions as well (or the lack of them). Also, the word "none" includes the doer of the action and not only the beings around him/her. So, both principles offer complete freedom ("do what ye will"), but they also condition it. This is how complete freedom is turned into relative freedom.

Relative Freedom - What Does It Imply?

When talking about relative freedom in the context of morals, the central topic is free will. Free will is that which enables every person do decide what they are going to do and what they aren't. Through this, a person takes on a certain amount of moral responsibility towards him/herself and their surroundings because their every action can and will have a reaction.

Within philosophy, there are two prominent, contrary systems which talk about free will. One of them is determinism according to which everything is predetermined. Therefore, a person's free will and human activity have no effect whatsoever. In this sense, free will doesn't even exist. A contrary belief system is indeterminism which speaks of the existence of absolute free will. That is to say, people can do anything they want because causal reactions do not exist. It's also worth mentioning predestination which is very similar to determinism, but according to predestination, God is the one that decides the fate of everybody and everything.

Pagans are somewhere in between these two extremes because they mainly believe that free will exists, but as a part of a determined world. This could be called the philosophy of compatibilism. Since Paganism doesn't have a strictly prescribed moral codex, opinions may vary, but no one opinion will go to extremes. But even Pagans believe in some sort of conditioning. This can be seen in the Pagan version of the golden rule which, although it confirms the existence of free will, also posts a condition for its existence (" 'an ye harm none"). Our actions, lives and fates generally can be conditioned by many factors; some of them will be external (the world around us, general life conditions in which we find ourselves, or the surroundings into which we are born), and others will be eternal (we can condition ourselves). In this sense, a condition is something that we cannot influence. But this is why all the things that we can influence are subjected to our free will. Nevertheless, we mustn't let ourselves get drunk with free will and in the process stop thinking about the repercussions of our actions. Remember that free will and moral responsibility are inevitably linked together.

Karma - As You Sow, So Shall You Reap

The principle of karma comes from Indian philosophy and primarily speaks of moral retribution. Simply put, every action has a consequence (the law of cause and effect), or rather every action has a reaction. A more common way to put it is: "As you sow, so shall you reap". If this saying is taken literally, it is easy to conclude that the land will not yield tomatoes unless a person first plants them.

Any individual's free will and thus their intentions, play a key role in karma. Namely, people have several choices in any given moment of their life - to do something or not do something. The intention (the final goal, meditating on the path that should be taken) and free will (the very act of choosing a path) define the further development of the situation/life. For example, person X has the intention to go to work that day and decides to do so of their own free will. This person chose one path (a different path would be not going to work, for example). By deciding to go to work, he/she opened many more doors and an myriad of repercussions of this decision. Maybe person X gets a raise at work that day but if he/she hadn't had gone to work, that wouldn't have happened.

One could say that karmic outcomes can be seen in the future (be it the near of distant future). According to Indian philosophy, they can even occur in another lifetime because the notion of karma originally implies the belief in reincarnation (rebirth). Pagans are divided on this topic because some believe that the repercussions of an action have to be visible in the lifetime during which the action was done, while others believe that they can be passed on from life to life (which agrees with Indian philosophy).

Still, Pagans almost always agree with Indian philosophy when it comes to one thing - that every cause (action) has to have a proportionate repercussion (reaction). This repercussion doesn't have to be of the same nature, but it has to correspond to the cause proportionally. This is how balance in the universe as well as the state of cosmos (order) are maintained.

Before this was brought into awareness, a large number of Pagans believed in the Threefold Law which originates from Wicca. According to this "law", the reactions to an action are three times as large as the action itself. For example, if a person does something good, he will receive something three times better. Equally, if they do something bad, they will receive something three times worse in return. Doreen Valiente, Gardner's student, High Priestess and friend (who some see as the mother of Wicca) claimed that too many people had understood Gardner's theory too literally and that too many misinterpretations appeared after this. It simply doesn't make sense that one type of karma applies for Wiccans/witches and another type for everyone else. This rule isn't logical in a secular respect either because, if we go back to the aforementioned example, why would a person's land yield three times as many tomatoes as that person planted?

Either way, karmic reactions are the fruit of conscious actions and choices. The key word here is "conscious" because what we do unconsciously we also don't do with intention. Also, we don't include the factor of free will or active choice-making in the mix. And we have established that intention and free will are essential for the existence of karma.

But what's the whole point of being conscious of the effects of karma? Karma is there to remind us that our every action (or perhaps non-action) has an influence on us and our surroundings. This is why we should be careful about what we do (or do not) do. In addition to this, it's always good to have in mind the golden rule which essentially speaks of basic human values and what our parents teach while we are little - love others (or at least respect them), do what you can for your surroundings, take care of your loved ones, be honest, help those that are weaker and so on. Through all this, an individual develops a sense of responsibility towards him/herself, towards others but also towards their surroundings (Mother Earth).

We could summarize this in the following few sentences:
"Pagan ethics can be compared to a tree which has several big branches. (...) Everything starts with love. Love is the tree out of which the first branch grows: our respect and adoration of the cosmos (order, unity, harmony) from which stem beauty and an affinity towards aesthetics. The second branch is absolute freedom which sends the message that everyone should do what their will tells them to do. The third branch is relative freedom, that is conscious restriction of our own freedom with the freedom of others. This is the principle of nonviolence (harm none). The fourth branch is the branch of compassion, that is the feeling of obligation to help someone who is in distress. The fifth is the branch of avoiding false sentiments and giving up on the people that don't deserve either help or compassion. By doing this, you are actually protecting yourself, which is your most sacred duty. This is how Pagan ethics is entirely rounded and complete." (translation, Iolar, p. 223)


SOURCES:

  1. FARRAR, JANET. FARRAR, STEWART. A Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches' Handbook. London: Robert Hale Ltd. 1984.
  2. IOLAR. Paganizam u teoriji i praksi: doktrina paganizma (knjiga 1). Zagreb: Despot Infinitus d.o.o. 2013.*
  3. VALIENTE, DOREEN. Witchcraft for Tomorrow. London: Robert Hale Ltd. 1978.

*Iolar's books were only published in Croatian and there is no translation of them (yet), but the group title of the three volumes is "Paganism in Theory and Practice". The full title of volume 1 is "Paganism in Theory and Practice: the Doctrine of Paganism".

24.11.14

Paganski moral

Ovaj post je originalno bio napisan za 5. broj časopisa "Puni Mjesec". Pošto sve svoje tekstove objavljujem na blogu, isto sam napravila i s ovim. Uz to, smatram da bi ovaj članak mogao biti koristan svakom paganinu, ali i onima koji se žele informirati o paganizmu i osnovnim polazištima ovog duhovnog pravca. Mogu se samo nadati da sam u pravu i da će vam moje riječi omogućiti neka nova saznanja. :)

Razlika između morala i etike

Moral i etika su izuzetno bliski pojmovi, do te mjere da je moral zapravo sadržan u etici. Da pojasnim, moral je stav kojeg pojedinac, ili neka skupina, zauzima prema načelima dobra i zla; on govori o običajima ponašanja i idealima koji su usko povezani sa savješću. Često za neku osobu kažemo da je moralna, a pod time uglavnom mislimo da se ponaša u skladu s vlastitim (ili pak društveno određenim) kodeksom dobrog ponašanja, da je poštena i da ima jako razvijenu svijest o svojoj ulozi u društvu. Etika, uz to što je zasebna filozofska disciplina, se odnosi na ponašanje koje je u skladu s pravilima morala. Kao što smo ustanovili, moral ne mora samo biti pojedinačan, već i grupni. Različiti povijesni periodi su imali svoj moral (npr. srednjovjekovni moral), kao što imaju i različite kulture, ili profesije (pa tako možemo govoriti o plemenskom moralu, ili liječničkom moralu). Uz to postoji i vjerski moral koji je specifičan za svaku vjeru. Stoga će se, na primjer, kršćanski, islamski i paganski moral razlikovati. No, postoji jedna bitna razlika između etike i morala, a to je da je etika globalna i svevremenska; ona ne pozna vremenske, kulturne i geografske barijere. Etika je naprosto ponašanje u skladu s moralom, kojoj god on skupini ili vremenu pripadao. Moral je, s druge strane, uvjetovan navedenim čimbenicima. Zbog toga naziv ovog članka glasi „paganski moral“, a ne „paganska etika“.

Osnove paganskog morala

Paganska etika proizlazi iz estetike. Vrijedi istaknuti da se u ovom kontekstu pod „estetika“ ne misli na ljepotu koja je određena društvenim konvencijama. Ona čak ne mora označavati svjetovnu ljepotu! Ovdje se misli na ljepotu u bilo kojem obliku i u najširem smislu riječi. Estetika ujedno pokriva i bilo koji oblik sklada (ono što bi antički Grci nazvali kozmos). Ljudski je težiti ka kozmosu, odnosno redu u bilo kojem obliku i u bilo kojem aspektu naših života. Kada bi sve u našim životima bilo kaotično, onda bismo bili nezadovoljni jer kaos po samom značenju riječi označava nekakav ponor ili bezdan iz kojeg treba i hoće proizaći kozmos (red). Stoga, kaos označava ružnoću i nesklad. Pagani vjeruju da se etičkim ponašanjem pridonosi stvaranju reda, ljepote i harmonije uopće. Pošto je estetski sve ono što je lijepo i skladno, etičkim ponašanjem se u konačnici proizvodi estetika. Upravo zbog toga paganska etika proizlazi iz estetike.

Nadalje, paganski moral se temelji na ljubavi. U paganizmu, ali i skoro svim svjetskim vjerama/religijama/duhovnim pravcima, postoji nešto što je poznato kao „zlatno pravilo“. Ono glasi: „Postupajte prema drugome onako kako biste htjeli da drugi postupaju prema vama“. Ovo pravilo je prisutno u kršćanstvu, judaizmu, islamu, a bilo je poznato još i drevnim Egipćanima, Grcima, Kinezima i brojnim drugim kulturama. Ono je samo mijenjalo formu u skladu s kulturom i vremenom, ali se u srži radi o istoj stvari – ljubavi. Od čovjeka se, kao od društvenog bića, očekuje da se ponaša lijepo prema društvu u kojemu živi, ali i prema sebi. Zasigurno vam je poznata ona „Čovjek mora prvo voljeti sebe da bi volio druge“. Ima u tome nešto istine. Svakako, ljubav, ili u najmanju ruku poštivanje prema drugima (i nama samima), je ključna za individualni i grupni razvoj. Zlatno pravilo govori upravo o tome. Kada bi cijeli svijet funkcionirao tako da se svi međusobno barem poštuju (ako se već ne mogu voljeti), ne bi bilo toliko problema.

Pagansko „zlatno pravilo“

Pagani imaju vlastitu inačicu zlatnog pravila koje u punoj verziji glasi: „Ako ne naudite nikome, činite vama po volji“. Skraćeni oblik, ujedno onaj koji se najviše koristi jest „Ne naudi nikome“. Iako ovo „pravilo“ u početku nije bilo općepagansko, ono je s vremenom zauzelo svoje počasno mjesto u paganskom moralnom sistemu (više informacija u postu "Vještičja pouka"). Izvorno dolazi iz wicce – neopaganskog pravca koji je ustanovljen 50ih godina u Engleskoj. Gerald Gardner, kojeg se smatra ocem wicce, prvi ga put spominje u svojoj knjizi Witchcraft Today
They [witches] are inclined to the morality of the legendary Good King Pausol, “Do what you like so long as you harm no one ". But they believe a certain law to be important, “You must not use magic for anything which will cause harm to anyone, and if, to prevent a greater wrong being done, you must discommode someone, you must do it only in a way which will abate the harm." This involves every magical action being discussed first, to see that it can do no damage, and this induces a habit of mind to consider well the results of one's actions, especially upon others, This, you may say, is elementary Christianity. Of course it is; it is also elementary Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and Judaism, to name only a few.
Slobodno prevedeno: One [vještice, wiccani] su sklone moralu legendarnog dobrog kralja Pausola [izmišljenog lika iz jednog romana francuskog spisatelja Pierrea Louÿsa], „Čini što želiš dok god to nikome ne šteti“. Ali one vjeruju da je određeni zakon važan: „Ne smijete koristiti magiju za išta što će povrijediti ikoga i, ako morate uzrokovati nekome nepriliku kako biste spriječili da se neko veće zlo dogodi, to možete napraviti samo na način koji će umanjiti štetu“. To znači da se o svakom magijskom činu mora prvo raspraviti kako bi se ustanovilo da ne može uzrokovati štetu. To potiče mentalnu naviku razmatranja posljedica nečijih djela, pogotovo onih koji utječu na druge. Možda ćete reći da je to elementarno kršćanstvo. Naravno da jest; ono je ujedno i elementarni budizam, hinduizam, konfucijanizam i judaizam, da navedemo samo neke pravce.

Svakako, Gardner je bio inspiriran Aleisterom Crowleyem čije je tekstove duboko proučavao, koga je privatno znao, ali s kim je ujedno i surađivao unutar Reda Istočnog Hrama (Ordo Templi Orientis, O.T.O.) u kojeg je i sam bio iniciran. Crowley je u svojoj Knjizi zakona, koja je jedno od temeljnih djela ovoga pravca, rekao sljedeće: „Čini što ti je Volja i to neka ti bude sav Zakon. Ljubav je zakon, ljubav pod voljom. Nema zakona nad 'čini što te volja' (…) Ali u praksi, samo je jedno djelovanje zakonito za svakog od nas u bilo kojem trenutku. Uslijed toga, Dužnost se sastoji u odlučivanju da se iskusi pravi događaj od jednog do drugog trenutka“. Crowley piše riječi „volja“, „zakon“ i „dužnost“ velikim početnim slovom. Time ističe da ne misli na bilo kakvu dužnost, volju, ili zakonitost već na nešto osobno i transcendentalno. Volja je transcendentalna jer je ispravna (naravno, za svakoga pojedinačno). Zakon je također istinit jer je za svakog pojedinca istinit (svaki pojedinac poznaje vlastiti zakon koji je iz njegove perspektive istinit). Dužnost je također individualna i uvjetovana Voljom i Zakonom. Dakle čovjekova osobna i istinska volja je ono što je urođeno u njemu, što je za njega istinito i čemu on treba stremiti. Prema Crowleyu, kada bi svatko slijedio svoju istinsku Volju, onda ne bi bilo problema u svijetu jer je univerzum kozmos u pravom smislu riječi (sve ima svoj red, pa tako i svačija Volja ima svoju putanju i ničije Volje se međusobno ne sudaraju). Ipak, postoji jedan uvjet za ostvarivanje pojedinačne Volje – „ljubav je zakon, ljubav pod voljom“. Gardner je preoblikovao ovaj uvjet u „ako/dok ne naudite nikome“. U osnovi, paganski moral kaže da čovjek može raditi što ga je volja, dok je god ljubav i/ili poštivanje prisutno jer samo kada ona/ono postoji nikome se neće nauditi. Potrebno je istaknuti da se „čini što te volja“ ne odnosi samo na aktivne radnje, već i na pasivne radnje. Također, riječ „nikome“ obuhvaća i samog činitelja, a ne samo bića oko njega. Dakle, oba načela pružaju potpunu slobodu („čini što te volja“), ali je ujedno i uvjetuju. Time se potpuna sloboda pretvara u relativnu slobodu.

Relativna sloboda – što to podrazumijeva?

Kada se govori o relativnoj slobodi u sklopu morala, pritom se misli na slobodnu volju. Slobodna volja je ono što omogućuje svakom čovjeku da odlučuje što će raditi, a što neće. Time čovjek preuzima na sebe i određenu moralnu odgovornost prema sebi i okolini jer svako njegovo djelo može i hoće imati posljedice.

Unutar filozofije postoje dva istaknuta oprečna pravca koji govore o slobodnoj volji. Jedan pravac je determinizam, prema kojemu je sve predodređeno, pa time čovjekova slobodna volja i ljudsko djelovanje uopće nemaju nikakvog utjecaja. Stoga slobodna volja zapravo ni ne postoji. Njemu kontrastni pravac, indeterminizam, govori o postojanju apsolutne slobodne volje. Odnosno, čovjek može raditi bilo što jer uzročno-posljedične reakcije ne postoje. Također vrijedi spomenuti i predestinaciju koja je jako bliska determinizmu, no prema njoj je Bog taj koji odlučuje o sudbini svega.

Pagani se nalaze negdje na pola puta između ovih krajnosti jer uglavnom vjeruju da slobodna volja postoji, ali unutar determiniranog svijeta. To bi se moglo nazvati filozofijom kompatibilizma. Pošto paganizam nema strogo propisan moralni kodeks, mišljenja se mogu razlikovati, ali nijedno neće ići u krajnosti. No, čak i pagani vjeruju u neku uvjetovanost. To je bilo vidljivo iz paganske verzije zlatnog pravila koje, iako potvrđuje postojanje slobodne volje, također postavlja uvjet za njezino postojanje („dok ne naudiš nikome“). Naša djela, životi i sudbina općenito mogu biti uvjetovani raznim čimbenicima; neki od njih će biti eksterni (svijet oko nas, opći životni uvjeti u kojima se trenutno nalazimo ili okruženje u kojemu smo rođeni), a drugi će biti interni (možemo sami sebe uvjetovati). U tom smislu uvjet je nešto na što ne možemo utjecati. No, zato sve ono na što možemo utjecati podliježe našoj slobodnoj volji. Ipak ne smijemo sebi dopustiti da postanemo opijeni slobodnom voljom i da pritom prestanemo razmišljati o posljedicama svojih djela. Sjetite se da su slobodna volja i moralna odgovornost neminovno povezani.

Karman – kako siješ, tako ćeš žnjeti

Načelo karmana proizlazi iz indijske filozofije i primarno govori o moralnoj retribuciji. Jednostavno rečeno, svako djelo ima posljedicu (uzročno-posljedične veze), odnosno svaka akcija ima reakciju. U narodu bi se reklo „Kako siješ, tako ćeš žnjeti“. Ako se ova izreka gleda doslovno, lako je zaključiti da čovjeku neće uroditi rajčice ako ih ne posadi te godine. 

Slobodna volja pojedinca, a time i namjera, igraju ključne uloge u karmanu. Naime, čovjek ima više izbora u svakom trenutku u životu – napraviti nešto ili ne napraviti nešto. Namjera (konačni cilj, razmišljanje o pravcu kojim se treba ići) i slobodna volja (sami čin odabira pravca) odlučuju o daljnjem razvoju situacije/života. Primjerice, osoba x ima namjeru otići na posao taj dan i svojom slobodnom voljom odluči otići na posao. Ta osoba je odabrala jedan put (skrenula bi drugim putem kada bi, na primjer, odlučila ne otići na posao). Time što je odlučila otići na posao, otvorila su se brojna vrata i bezbroj posljedica odluke. Možda osoba x taj dan na poslu dobije povišicu, ali da nije otišla na posao, to se možda ne bi dogodilo.

Može se reći da se karmanske posljedice očituju u budućnosti (bila ona bliska ili daleka). Prema indijskoj filozofiji, one se mogu pojaviti i u nekom drugom životu jer koncept karmana izvorno uključuje i vjerovanje u reinkarnaciju (ponovno rađanje). Pagani su podvojeni po pitanju toga jer neki vjeruju da se posljedice djela moraju očitovati u životu u kojemu se uzrok dogodio, dok drugi smatraju da se one mogu prenositi iz života u život (što je u skladu s indijskom filozofijom).

Ipak, pagani se u jednom pogledu gotovo uvijek slažu s indijskom filozofijom – da svaki uzrok (radnja) mora imati proporcionalnu posljedicu (reakciju). Ta posljedica ne mora biti iste naravi, ali proporcionalno mora odgovarati uzroku. Na taj način se održava ravnoteža u univerzumu te se održava stanje kozmosa (reda).

Prije nego se to počelo osvještavati, velik broj pagana je vjerovao u Trostruko pravilo (eng. Threefold Law) koje izvorno potječe iz wicce. Po njemu su posljedice trostruko veće od uzroka. Primjerice, ako čovjek učini nešto dobro, to će mu se vratiti trostruko bolje. Isto tako, ako učini nešto loše, to će mu se vratiti trostruko gore. Doreen Valiente, Gardnerova učenica, visoka svećenica i prijateljica (koju neki smatraju majkom wicce) je tvrdila da je previše ljudi doslovno shvatilo tu Gardnerovu tezu i da su nakon toga nastale brojne zablude. Naprosto nema smisla da jedna vrsta karmana vrijedi za vještice/wiccane, a druga za sve ostale. To pravilo nema logike ni u svjetovnom pogledu jer, ako se vratimo na prije navedeni primjer, zašto bi čovjeku urodilo triput više rajčica nego što je zasadio?

Kako god bilo, karmanske posljedice su plod svjesnih radnji ili odabira. Ovdje je ključna riječ „svjesnih“ jer ono što radimo nesvjesno ne radimo s namjerom i ne uključujemo faktore slobodne volje i aktivnog odabira. A ustanovili smo da su namjera i slobodna volja ključni za postojanje karmana.

Ali zašto uopće osvijestiti utjecaje karmana? Karman je tu da nas posjeti da svako naše djelo (ili pak nedjelo) ima utjecaja na nas i na našu okolinu. Stoga bismo trebali paziti što (ne) radimo. Uz to je uvijek dobro imati na umu i zlatno pravilo koje u suštini govori o osnovnim ljudskim vrijednostima i onome što nas uče roditelji dok smo još maleni – voli druge (ili ih barem poštuj), radi ono što možeš za svoju okolinu, vodi brigu u svojim bližnjima, budi iskren, pomaži onima koji su slabiji i tako dalje. Kroz sve ovo u pojedincu se razvija osjećaj odgovornosti prema samome sebi, prema drugima, ali i prema okolini (Majci Zemlji). 

Mogli bismo sve ovo sažeti na sljedeći način: 
„Pagansku etiku možemo usporediti s drvetom koje ima nekoliko velikih grana. (…) Sve počinje u ljubavi. Ona je stablo iz kojeg raste prva grana: naše cijenjenje i divljenje kozmosu (redu, poretku, skladu, harmoniji) iz čega proizlazi ljepota i sklonost estetici. Druga je grana apsolutna sloboda koja nam govori da svatko treba činiti što ga je volja. Treća grana je relativna sloboda, tj. svjesno ograničavanje vlastite slobode tuđom slobodom. To je načelo nenasilja (ne naudi nikome). Četvrta je grana samilost, tj. osjećaj obveze da pomognemo nekome tko je u nevolji. Peta je grana izbjegavanje lažnih sentimenata i odustajanje od onih koji ne zaslužuju ni pomoć ni samilost. Time zapravo štitite sebe, što je vaša najsvetija dužnost. Tako je paganska etika posve zaokružena i cjelovita“ (Iolar, str. 223).


IZVORI:
  1. FARRAR, JANET. FARRAR, STEWART. A Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches' Handbook. London: Robert Hale Ltd. 1984.
  2. IOLAR. Paganizam u teoriji i praksi: doktrina paganizma (knjiga 1). Zagreb: Despot Infinitus d.o.o. 2013.
  3. VALIENTE, DOREEN. Witchcraft for Tomorrow. London: Robert Hale Ltd. 1978.

Čarobnjaci, vještaci i vještice

(c) Lucas Graciano - Gandalf the Grey 

Pošto je ovaj post u originalu bio napisan na engleskom, trebam navesti njegovo prvotno ime pa će vam onda možda biti jasnije o čemu ću govoriti: "Wizards, Warlocks and Witches". Jezične razlike uvije postoje, pa stoga pojmovi u ovim dvama naslovima neće značiti isto u svakoj kulturi. Engleski pojam wizard prevodim kao "čarobnjak", warlock kao "vještac", a witch, naravno, kao "vještica". Zapravo su sporni jedino pojmovi čarobnjaka i vještaca jer stereotipi oko njih nisu toliko izraženi u hrvatskom jeziku koliko u engleskom. Stoga ćete mi morati oprostiti navođenje i engleske i hrvatske terminologije u ovom postu. No, dosta uvodnih riječi. Bacimo se na posao!

Kada čujete riječ "vještac" (wizard), što je prva stvar koja vam padne na pamet? Vjerojatno Harry Potter ili Gospodar prstenova, zar ne? Važno je imati na umu da je tu riječ o popularnoj kulturi koja nema činjeničnu osnovu. No nemojte me shvatiti krivo; pročitala sam sasvim dovoljno dijelova Harrya Pottera i gotovo sva djela od Tolkiena. Međutim, svjesna sam da romani ovog tipa (i njihove filmske adaptacije) nisu najbolji izvori "okultnih" i "vještičjih" informacija. Upravo sam zbog toga odlučila napisati ovaj post. Postoji previše nedoumica po pitanju pojmova "vještica" (witch), "vještac" (warlock) i "čarobnjak" (wizard). Nadam se da ćete do kraja posta znati razliku između njih, razumjeti što ovi pojmovi zapravo znače i zašto su njihovi odrazi u popularnoj kulturi krivi.

Možda se pitate što ovo radi na paganskom blogu. Odgovor je jednostavan. Vještičarstvo je usko povezano s paganizmom (iako svi pagani nužno ne prakticiraju vještičarstvo). Ne biste mi vjerovali kada bih vam rekla koliko me ljudi do sada pitalo kako se može postati vješticom/čarobnjakom, ili su tvrdili da su muški pagani/wiccani čarobnjaci/vještaci. Naprosto je previše zbrke. Stoga ću pokušati malo razjasniti stvari. :)

Vještice (eng. witches)

Albrecht Dürer - Witch Riding on a
Goat (cca. 1500/1501.g.)
Stereotipni prikaz vještice kao stare babe koja nanosi zlo je stara izmišljotina srednjeg vijeka i reinvencija 20. stoljeća. Ako pogledate unatrag, vještice, spiritisti, proroci i drugi slični njima su obično bili prikazivani (u likovnoj umjetnosti i literaturi) kao žene, makar je njihova doba rijetko, ako ikada, bila istaknuta. U staroj Grčkoj i antici uopće, proroci (odnosno proročice) i duhovni mediji su uglavnom bile lijepe mlade žene koje su trebale biti čedne (tj. djevice). Njihova nevinost je bila jedna od stvari koja je omogućavala bogovima da govore kroz njih. Čak i srednjovjekovna umjetnost prikazuje vještice kao mlade, lijepe žene.

I onda je došao lov na vještice. Z vrijeme "gorućih vremena" (vrijeme spaljivanja vještica; 15.-18.st.), razvio se prikaz vještice kao stare, zle babetine koja štuje sotonu (iako su neka likovna djela i poneki propagandni materijali i dalje ponekad prikazivali vještice kao mlade, ali nimalo manje zle). Upravo je ovo omogućilo razvoj stereotipa kojeg danas poznajemo. Samo se sjetite Shakesepareovog Macbetha i njegovih triju vještice ("Double, double, toil and trouble..."). Ovakvi groteskni prikazi vještica su se nastavili još neko vrijeme, ali su postajali sve manje i manje užasavajući kako su progoni vještica jenjavali. No, ovo ne znači da su vještice nestale iz literature i likovne umjetnosti. I dalje su bile prisutne u svojem babskom obliku kao što su i danas.

U 19. stoljeću, umjetnost je bila obogaćena romantizmom - likovni pokret koji je htio ublažiti izgled modernog, industrijskog svijeta. Zbog toga su se romantičari fokusirali na mitologiju i folklor (s natruhom srednjovjekovne ideologije). Estetika im je bila iznimno važna pa su stoga čak i vještice prikazivali kao zanosne mlade žene u svojoj umjetnosti.

Luis Ricardo Falero - The Witches'
Sabbath (1880.g.)
George Wilson - The Spring Witch (cca. 1880.g.)





















Nakon ovoga više nije bilo pravila ili konvencija koji su se ticali prikaza vještica. Neki su se držali srednjovjekovnih prikaza, drugi su prihvatili romantičarsku viziju i, do 20./21. stoljeća, razvio se i prikaz "seksi vještice". Koji je onda prikaz vještica ispravan?

Odgovor glasi: niti jedan. Fizički izgled vještice nema veze sa značenjem ove riječi. Engleski pojam witch ima iste korijene kao i riječ wicca. Obje su došle od anglosaksonske riječi wicca (m.r.)/wicce (ž.r.) što znači "mudar/mudra". Također se mogu povezati sa staroengleskim riječima wit/witt (razumijevanje, intelekt, smisao, znanje, svjesnost, svijest) i wittan (znati). Riječi wicca i wicce su kasnije bile ukomponirane u staroengleski i počele su označavati magičare i čarobnjake (s tim da se wicce odnosi na žensku magičarku/čarobnicu). Nakon toga su se ideje zlobe i štovanja sotone uvukle u značenje ovih riječi. Stoga je riječ wiccian značila "prakticirati vještičarstvo" i može se usporediti sa starim njemačkim pojmovima wikken/wicken koji znači "koristiti vještičarstvo".

Hrvatska riječ vještica dolazi od pridjeva "vješt" (koji ima prakse, umije, poznaje, razumije se u što) i direktno je povezana s pravom ulogom vještica koje su originalno bile samo mudre žene/muškarci koji su obično imali posebna znanja o bilju i načinima korištenja istih (za detalje pogledajte post "Samotnjaci vs. koveni").

Shvaćate osnovnu bit pa vas neću više gnjaviti s etimologijom. :) Glavna poanta svega ovoga jest da je poimanje vještica koje imamo danas samo društveni konstrukt i da nema paralela sa stvarnim svijetom. Izričita povezanost među riječima "vještica" i "magija" i implikacija da su vještice žene (i to zle) su nastale tek u srednjem vijeku. Mislim da su se naši svjetonazori bitno promijenili od tada te da možemo zanemariti ovakve staromodne tvrdnje.

Još jedna pogrešna interpretacija jest da su "vještaci" (eng. warlocks) muške ekvivalente vještica. Hajdemo onda i to razjasniti.

Vještaci (eng. warlocks)

Hrvatska riječ "vještac" ima iste korijene kao i riječ "vještica" (u pridjevu "vješt"). To nije potrebno detaljno objašnjenje, ali je i te kako važno istaknuti definiciju ovog izraza u hrvatskim rječnicima gdje stoji da je vještac "star i zao čovjek". No, hrvatski jezik također ne pravi razliku između engleskih pojmova warlock (čita se /vorlok/) i wizard jer je za oba izraza prikladan prijevod riječ "čarobnjak". Za definiciju čarobnjaka u rječnicima stoji da je to osoba koja "ima moć da izvodi radnje koje nisu moguće po zakonima prirode". Ipak, s obzirom na povijest engleskih izraza o kojoj ću sad reći nešto više, smatram da je "vještac" prikladniji prijevod za riječ warlock, a "čarobnjak" za riječ wizard. Dakle, sve što slijedi se odnosi na engleski izraz warlock koji je sporan u engleskom jeziku.

Pojam koji se danas koristi (koji završava na -ck) dolazi iz škotskog jezika i znači upravo ono što mislite da znači - muška ekvivalenta vještice. No ovo nije pravo značenje riječi warlock. Njezino pravo značenje se može naći još u staroengleskoj riječi waerloga koja znači "izdajica, lažljivac, neprijatelj, vrag". Radi se zapravo o složenici koju tvore dvije manje riječi: waer (vjera/povjerenje, vjernost, sporazum, savez) i leogan (lagati). Ukratko, originalno značenje ove riječi jest "osoba koja krši zakletve" (eng. oath breaker) Kakve ovo ima veze s vješticama? Pa, moguće čak i u 11. stoljeću, engleski pojam se često odnosio na vraga (ili na osobu koja se ponaša kao vrag). U 14. stoljeću, ova je poveznica bila iskrivljena i time se stvorilo novo značenje - osoba koja ima savez s vragom. Sama imenica warlock skupa s njezinom popularnom definicijom (muška vještica tj. vještac na hrvatskom) nije bila prihvaćena sve to 1560-ih. A prisjetite se da je ovo ujedno i početno razdoblje progona vještica. Pošto su vještice tada (krivo) bile povezane s vragom, a isto se mislilo i za vještace (warlocks), stvorena je "logična" poveznica pa se "vještace" (warlocks) poistovjetilo s vješticama. Još jedna zanimljiva činjenica jest da je ovaj novi pojam bio toliko dobro prihvaćen da se čak u doba inkvizicije kao warlocka (uvjetno rečeno vještaca) imenovalo one vještice koje bi pod mučenjem dale inkvizitorima imena drugih vještica.

Očito je da moderne vještice, Wiccani i Pagani ne koriste engleski pojam warlock, pa tako ni pojam "vještac". U principu imenica "vještica" ne poznaje drugog roda i obuhvaća osobe muškog i ženskog spola.

(c) Andrey Shishkin - Forest King

Čarobnjaci (eng. wizards)

Naspram vještacima i asocijacijama koje prate englesku ekvivalentu ove riječi, čarobnjaci (eng. wizards) bi trebali imati puno ljepše asocijacije. Engleska riječ wizard dolazi od stare engleske riječi wys/wis što znači "mudar" (eng. wise) pa stoga označava mudrog čovjeka. Sama riječ wizard se počela upotrebljavati u 15. stoljeću, a tada je doslovno značila "mudar muškarac". S vremenom se njezino značenje proširilo pa se tako wizard odnosilo i na alkemičare,  vješte i mudre seoske ljude, čarobnjake/vračeve, vještice itd. Tako se razvilo mišljenje da su čarobnjaci naprosto muški magičari (a ponekad čak i muške vještice). U 16. stoljeću, smatralo se da čarobnjaci također prakticiraju proricanje i magiju (tj. da prizivaju zle duhove). Pretpostavljam da su se ove negativne konotacije odjednom pojavile upravo zbog progona vještice koji još traje u ovo vrijeme. Zapravo, tada se smatralo da je sve što je iole povezano s vješticama (koje se smatralo prvotnim problemom) zlo i povezano s vragom. Sa Zakonima o vještičarstvu, proricanje, magija, bajanje, izrada amuleta pa čak i traženje izgubljenih/ukradenih predmeta je postalo ilegalno jer se smatralo šarlatanstvom. Da pojasnim, posljednji od ovih zakona je bio zasnovan na teoriji da vještice ne postoje i da osoba koja se naziva vješticom je ništa drugo nego lažljivac i prevarant. Uz ovo, Crkva je smatrala da su proricanje i magija djelo sotone. I tako su svi "čarobnjaci" koji su bili optuženi za prakticiranje zle magije bili osuđeni jednako kao i vještice. No kroz cijelo 16. i 17. stoljeće, razlikovali sve dvije vrste čarobnjaka - seoski čarobnjak/magičar (koji je radio većinu poviše navedenih stvari) i visokog maga kojeg je više zanimala alkemija, neoplatonska filozofija, proučavanje grimorija i bilo koji drugi oblik intelektualnog rada. Upravo je iz ovog posljednjeg tipa proizašla moderna vizija čarobnjaka kao starog, sijedog, bradatog, naboranog čovjeka u dugim haljama. 

Većina negativnih konotacija ove riječi se zagubila negdje u povijesti, ali su se povezanost s magijom i fizički opis zadržali. Ipak, ovi ostaci se zapravo mogu povezati s originalnom etimologijom riječi wizard jer se mudrost naposljetku i povezuje sa starošću.

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Nadam se da sada razumijete kako i zašto su nastali stereotipi koje danas imamo o vješticama, vještacima i čarobnjacima. Kao što sam rekla na početku posta, popularna kultura je zabavna, ali se njezinim interpretacijama ne bi uvijek smjelo slijepo vjerovati. Ponekad je potrebno pogledati unatrag stoljećima da bi se saznalo što neke stvari zapravo znače.

Do sljedećeg puta,
vaša Witch's Cat

21.11.14

Wizards, Warlocks and Witches

(c) Lucas Graciano - Gandalf the Grey 

When I say "wizard", what's the first thing that you think of? Probably Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, right? It's important to keep in mind that this is pop culture and it isn't really based on many facts. Don't get me wrong, I have read my fair share of Harry Potter books and have read almost everything by Tolkien. Nevertheless, I am aware that fantasy novels (and their big screen adaptations) aren't the best place to get "occult" and "witchy" knowledge. And that's why I decided to write this post. There is too much confusion about the terms "witch", "warlock" and "wizard". Hopefully, by the end of this post, you will know the difference, understand what these words really mean and why their depictions in pop culture are so wrong.

You might be asking yourself what this is doing on a Pagan blog. The answer is quite simple. Witchcraft is closely linked to Paganism (although not all Pagans practice witchcraft). You wouldn't believe how many people have asked me how they can become a witch/wizard or have claimed that male Pagans/Wiccans are wizards/warlocks. There's just too much confusion. So I'll try to clear things up a bit. :)

Witches

Albrecht Dürer - Witch Riding on a
Goat (cca. 1500/1501)
The stereotype of a witch as an old hag who does evil is an invention of the medieval times and a reinvention of the 20th century. If you look back in time, witches, mediums, spiritualists, oracles etc. were usually depicted (in both visual art and literature) as women, but their age was rarely, if ever specified. In ancient Greece and antiquity in general, oracles and mediums were usually young beautiful women who had to be chaste (i.e. virgins). Their purity was one of the things that enabled the gods to speak through them. Even medieval art depicts witches as pretty, young women. 

And then came the witch craze. During the "burning times" (15th-18th century), the image of the witch as an old, evil, Satan-worshiping hag developed (though some artwork and propaganda material still depicted witches as young, but no less evil) slowly giving rise to the stereotype that we have today. Just remember Shakespeare's Macbeth and his three witches ("Double, double, toil and trouble..."). These grotesque depictions of witches continued for quite some time, but became less horrific as the witch hunts died down. Though this doesn't mean that witches disappeared from literature or art. They were still present in their hag form as they are today.

In the 19th century, art was enriched by Romanticism - an artistic movement that wanted to soften the edges of the modern, industrial world. This is why all Romanticists focused on mythology and folklore (with a hint of medieval ideology). Aesthetics were of great importance to these artists so witches are always captivating in their artwork. 

Luis Ricardo Falero - The Witches'
Sabbath (1880)
George Wilson - The Spring Witch (cca. 1880)





















After this, there were no more rules or conventions as to how a witch should be depicted. Some stuck to the medieval depictions, other adopted the romanticist versions and by the 20th and 21st century, the "sexy witch" also developed. So which image of the witch is correct?

The answer is - not a single one. The physical appearance of a witch has nothing to do with the meaning of the word. The term "witch" has the same roots as the word "Wicca". Both words came from the Anglo-Saxon words wicca (m.)/wicce (f.) which mean "wise one". They can also be traced back to the Old English words wit/witt (understanding, intellect, sense; knowledge, consciousness, conscience) and wittan (to know). The words wicca and wicce were later incorporated into Old English and started to refer to magicians and sorcerers (wicce referring to a female magician/sorcerer). Later on, ideas of malevolence and Satan-worship were included in the meaning of these words. The word wiccian meant "to practice witchcraft" and can be compared to the Low German terms wikken/wicken meaning "to use witchcraft". You get the picture. :) I won't bore you with etymology anymore. But the main point here is that witches as we see them nowadays are a social construct and do not have parallels in real life. Witches were originally just wise women/men who usually had special knowledge of herbs and their uses (for more details, have a look at the post "Solitaries vs. Covens"). The explicit connection between the words "witch" and "magic" and the implication of a witch being a woman (and an evil one at that) came to exist in the Middle Ages. I think our worldview has changed quite a bit since then and that we can disregard such old-fashioned assertions.

Another misinterpretation is that warlocks are male equivalents of witches. So let's sort that out too. 

Warlocks

The exact term we use today (ending in -ck) comes from Scottish, actually and means precisely what you think it means - the male equivalent of a witch. But this is not the true meaning of the word warlock. The meaning of this word can be traced back to the Old English waerloga meaning traitor, liar, enemy, devil. This is actually a compound word made up of two smaller words: waer (faith, fidelity, agreement, covenant) and leogan (to lie). Basically, the original meaning of the word is oath-breaker. So how does this have any connection to witches? Well, possibly as early as the 11th century, the term oath-breaker was commonly related to the devil (or a person behaving like a devil). In the 14th century, this connection was twisted and a new meaning was formed - one in league with the devil. The exact noun "warlock" along with its popular definition (male witch) wasn't accepted until the 1560s which, if you recall, was the beginning of the witch craze. Since witches were (falsely) connected to the devil back then and so was the term warlock, a "logical" connection was made and "warlock" was equated with "witch". Another interesting fact is that this new term was adopted so well that, during the witch hunts, a person that gave the inquisition the names of other witches under torture was labeled a warlock (i.e. traitor).

Obviously enough, modern witches, Wiccans and Pagans do not use the term "warlock".

(c) Andrey Shishkin - Forest King

Wizards

As opposed to warlocks, wizards should call to mind much more pleasant images. The word "wizard" comes from the Late Middle English word wys/wis meaning "wise" and therefore refers to a wise man. The actual word "wizard" came into use in the 15th century and literally meant "wise man". Over time, its meaning got broader and soon enough, "wizard" also referred to alchemists, cunningmen, sorcerers, witches and so on. This is how wizards began to be thought of as male magicians or sorcerers (and sometimes even male witches). In the 16th century, wizards were also presumed to practice fortunetelling and magic (e.g. conjure up evil spirits). I'm guessing that these negative connotations suddenly appeared because of the witch craze (the 16th century is the beginning of the persecutions, after all) so anything even remotely connected to witches, who were thought of as the "initial problem", had to be evil and connected to the devil. With the Witchcraft Acts, fortunetelling, magic, spellwork, making charms and even finding lost/stolen objects became illegal because it was though of as charlatanism. To elaborate, the last of these laws was based on the theory that witches didn't exist and that anyone claiming to be one was a liar and a charlatan. In addition to this, the Church thought that divination and sorcery were works of the devil. And so all "wizards" accused of practicing harmful magic and were trialed as witches. But all through the 16th and 17th century, two types of wizards were discerned - the village wizard/magician (who did most of the above) and the high magician who was more interested in alchemy, Neoplatonic philosophy, reading grimoires and basically intellectual work. It is precisely from this figure that the modern image of the wizard (old, grey-haired, bearded, wrinkled, robed) comes from.

Most of the negative connotations of this word got lost in history, but the connection to magic and the physical description managed to survive. Still, these remnants can actually be connected to the original etymology of the word "wizard" because wisdom is generally associated with old age.

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Hopefully you now understand how and why the stereotypes of witches, warlocks and wizards we have today came to exist. Like I said at the beginning of this post, pop culture is fun, but its renditions shouldn't always be blindly trusted. It's sometimes necessary to look back in time to find out what some things really mean.

Until next time. Yours,
Witch's Cat