Eklekticizam i wicca

Na pojam "eklektik" se obično gleda negativno jer iz nekog razloga mnogima podrazumijeva neodlučnost, neodređenost, ili nasumično miješanje stilova. Za one koji nisu upoznati s ovim pojmom, pridjev "eklektičan" se odnosi na nešto što komponira mnoštvo različitih stvari u jednu cjelinu s ciljem izvlačenja najboljeg ih svih njih. Eklektičar (osoba koja je eklektična) je osoba koja bira kombinirati odabrane ideje (obično i najbolje po procjeni te osobe) time stvarajući vlastiti sistem vjerovanja. Implikacije koje sam poviše navela su zaista neistinite jer eklektičari ne biraju ideje nasumično,  niti su neodlučni o onome što žele (naprotiv, potrebno je biti jako odlučan kako bi se stvorio vlastiti sistem vjerovanja), a ujedno su i vrlo sigurni u svoje odabire.

Naravno, eklekticizam ne postoji samo u kontekstu religije; on je primjetan i u mnoštvu umjetničkih stilova, dizajnu, filozofiji i drugim područjima života. Ne vidim razloga zašto se i kulinarstvo ne bi moglo nazvati eklektičnim ako se radi, na primjer, o kombinaciji začina iz jedne zemlje, tehnike pripreme jela iz druge zemlje i nekog egzotičnog glavnog sastojka iz neke treće zemlje.

Kada je riječ o eklekticizmu u religiji, ono bi se trebalo razlikovati od sinkretizma (o kojemu sam prethodno govorila u postu o paganizmu i dvovjerju). Sinkretizam se obično definira kao kombiniranje obično dvaju različitih religija. Iako oba pojma uključuju neki oblik "miješanja", sinkretizam se obično događa isključivo između dvije vjere koje se u potpunosti stapaju. U slučaju eklekticizma se može raditi o kombinaciji više vjera koje ne moraju biti kombinirane u potpunosti već iz svake mogu biti uzete određene ideje prema osobnom ukusu.

Govoreći iz paganske perspektive, za očekivati je da ću u postu najviše govoriti o eklekticizmu unutar paganizma i wicce, no ovo ne znači da se ova pojava ne može naći i u drugim vjerama i duhovnim pravcima. Susrela sam se s ateističnim wiccanima i katoličkom paganima od kojih bi se neki nazvali eklektičarima zbog ovoga dok drugi pokušavaju pratiti oba pravca (što ih u suštini čini sinkretistima).

Kako god bilo, ja sebe smatram eklektičnom wiccankom. Iz vlastite perspektive mogu iskreno reći da mi zaista smeta kada ljudi gledaju s visoka na eklektičare. Često se priča o odnosu "tradicionalista" i "eklektičara" unutar wicce što stvara ambijent netolerancije (a da ne govorimo i elitizma). "Tradicionalisti" o kojima govorim obično u potpunosti slijede wiccu, i to ne općenito već slijede određeni pravac unutar nje. Ovi su pojedinci često i inicirani u taj isti pravac. Eklektični wiccani su kontrastno ovome često i samotnjaci (tj. wiccani koji rade sami, ili ponekad u manjim skupinama). Ovaj samotnjački način rada je često neminovno povezan s eklekticizmom. Naime, samotnjaci uglavnom nisu inicirani u neki wiccanski pravac, ili u koven što im ujedno i omogućuje istraživanje raznih tradicija i drugih duhovnih uvjerenja, rad s drugim grupama i otvorenost novim idejama. Zbog ovoga se pojmovi "samotnjak" i "eklektik" često koriste kao sinonimi. Iako osoba može biti eklektični wiccan, ali biti i član kovena. Čak je u posljednjih nekoliko desetljeća zabilježen i porast broja eklektičnih kovena! Samo kratka napomena, često ću u postu koristiti pojmove "samotnjak" i "eklektik" naizmjenično, pa vas molim da to ne uzmete za zlo; naprosto je jače od mene. :)

Nadovezujući se na prethodni paragraf, nadam se da nećete krivo shvatiti moje riječi. Nemam ništa protiv tradicionalista ni iniciranih wiccana. Zapravo ih u potpunosti podržavam! Naprosto mi se ne sviđa što neki pojedinci koji spavaju u navedene skupine gledaju s visoka na svoje kolege eklektičare. Naravno, generalizacija ovdje nipošto ne vrijedi; ne gledaju svi tradicionalisti ili inicirani wicca s visoke na eklektičare, ali osjećam da trebam neke stvari u ovom postu napomenuti zbog manjine koja to čini.

No, da se vratimo na glavu temu, eklektični paganizam je jako opširna tema jer može značiti da osoba uzima neke ideje iz wicce, neke iz Asatrua, a neke čak iz šamanskih praksi. Kombinacije su beskrajne. Zbog ovoga bih se zadržala na temi eklekticizma unutar wicce.

Eklekticizam i wicca

Wicca (i mnogi drugi paganski pravci k tome) je jako liberalna po pitanju vjerovanja; ona dopušta svojim sljedbenicima veliku slobodu i daje im moć prilagođavanja svog duhovnog pravca sebi. Ovo je dovelo do brojnih mišljenja da wicca kao duhovni pravac ne postoji, da nije dobro određena, a to je opet dovelo do toga da ju se ne shvaća ozbiljno. Istražujući ovu temu sam naišla na neke podatke u knjizi autorice po imenu Deborah Lipp koja nosi naziv The Study of Witchcraft: A Guidebook to Advanced Wicca (slob. prev. Istraživanje vještičarstva: vodič za naprednu wiccu). Htjela bih prevesti jedan odlomak jer zaista ne vidim kako bih mogla bolje sažeti misli od nje. Ukratko, ona kaže da su sljedeće točke ono što je zajedničko svima wiccanima (pa i eklektičarima!):

• Polarnost: wiccani mogu biti monisti tj. mogu vjerovati da su sva božanstva u konačnici Jedno. Mogu biti duoteisti, odnosno mogu vjerovati da su svi bogovi jedan Bog, a sve božice jedna Božica. Mogu biti i tvrdokorni politeisti i vjerovati da je svako božanstvo zasebno i da nije aspekt ili komponenta nekog većeg Jedinstva ili Para. Što god vjerovali, wiccani radi s polarnošću - obredno i duhovno. Bez obzira koliko božanstava wiccan štuje, na oltaru će za vrijeme obreda uvijek stati jedna figura božica i jedna figura boga. 

• Imanentnost: svetost ljudskih bića je ključno u wicci. Ovo se može objasniti mnogim izrazima: "ako unutar sebe ne nađete ono što tražite, nećete nikada to naći ni izvan sebe", ili "Vi jeste Bog", ili "Ako ne naudite nikome, činite vama po volji". Neće svatko prihvatiti sva tri opisa, ali će svaki wiccan uvijek imati jedno geslo tj. osnovno vjerovanje koje uključuje ideju da su bogovi/božice unutar nas naši istinski vodiči.

• Priroda: wiccani slavi blagdane koji su u skladu s godišnjim dobima i izvode rituale u skladu s Mjesečevim mijenama. Oni štuju božanstva prirode u koja se skoro uvijek ubraja Majka Priroda u nekom obliku. Oni također priznaju svetost fizičkog, uključujući ljudskog tijela i seksualnosti.

• Magija: ne prakticiraju svi wiccani magiju, ali wicca kao vjera prihvaća magiju kao stvarnu, nešto što ljudi mogu činiti te kao nešto što je ljudima dozvoljeno, ili na što ih se zapravo i potiče.

• Krugovi i četvrti: struktura wiccanskih rituala može enormno varirati, ali bačeni krug s četvrtima (kojih je očito četiri i koja predstavljaju, ili korespondiraju s četirima elementima), je fundamentalni format wiccanskog rituala. Ben Schuman spominje i peti element, duh, kao ponekad nužni faktor u wicci. Neki wiccani dodaju peti element, a neki ne, ali zrak, vatra, voda i zemlja su uvijek prisutni.

Ove podatke možete pročitati u poglavlju "Modern Wicca Described" prije spomenute knjige koje je meni zaista poslužilo jer je sistematski i jednostavno napisano te se direktno tiče upravo ove tematike. Stoga se nadam da vam neće smetati ako još koji put citiram gđu Lipp u ovom postu.

Htjela bih nadodati da, iako wicca dopušta veliku slobodnu svojim praktičarima (čak i onim tradicionalnima), ipak ima neke granice tj. odrednice kao što imaju i svi duhovni pravci. Mora postojati neka vrsta "kontrolne liste" koja može pomoći odrediti tko je wiccan, a tko nije. Ja vjerujem da je poviše navedeni popis upravo ono što se traži. Čak i ako je neki pravac eklektičan i uklapa mnoštvo vjerovanja u sebe (čak i iz više religija), mora postojati neki okvir unutar kojeg će sve te ideje spasti i biti nazivane "wiccanskima". Stoga je potrebno da svaki eklektični wiccan, koji se barem tako naziva, zaista stane i iskreno porazgovara sam sa sobom te dokuči uklapa li se, ili ne uklapa u ovaj okvir. Naravno, nema ničeg lošeg i ako se ne uklapa! Pošto je wicca samo jedna grana paganizma, moguće je da će se ovaj pojedinac više pronaći u nekom drugom paganskom pravcu što je i te kako vrijedno istraživanja.

Usporedba tradicionalizma i eklekticizma

Tradiciju se obično definira kao dugostojeći običaj ili vjerovanje koji se prenosio s koljena na koljeno. Najstariji sistem vjerovanja u wicci kojeg se također prenosi s generacije na generaciju jest gardnerijska tradicija. Dakle, kada se govori o tradiciji u wicci nije moguće izbjeći ime Geralda Gardnera. Smatra se da je gardnerijska wicca bila prva wiccanska tradicija iz koje su gotovo svi ostali pravci wicce proizašli. Rezultat ovoga jest to što svi pravci imaju slične karakteristike koje se kose s eklektičnom wiccom.

Iz nekog razloga obožavam tablice; mislim da su praktične, lako razumljive i uredne. Zato vam dajem tablicu koja uspoređuje glavne karakteristike tradicionalne i eklektične wicce (još jednom zahvaljujem Deborih Lipp čija mi je shema poslužila kao osnova za ovu tablicu, iako sam ju nadopunila nekim vlastitim usporednicama).

	Tradicionalna wicca	Eklektična wicca
1.	Porijeklo	Nije potrebno porijeklo
2.	Inicijacije	Samoinicijacija, ili nema inicijacije
3.	Sustav stupnjeva	Pomični stupnjevi
4.	Prisega tajnosti/odanosti/bratstva	Nema prisege
5.	Rad u grupi/kovenu	Samostalna praksa
6.	Knjiga sjenki	Knjiga sjenki (drukčija percepcija)
7.	Prihvaća se Vještičju pouku i Trostruko pravilo	Vještičja pouka i Trostruko pravilo su iznimno važni

Hajdemo sada pojasniti ove točke. :)

1. Porijeklo

Gerald Gardner

Tradicionalni wiccani, poput onih koji slijede gardnerijsku tradiciju, se svrstavaju u ovu skupinu jedino ako ih je inicirao drugi wiccan (ili wiccanka), ako je njih inicirao wiccan i tako dalje. Ako se ide pratiti ova slijed tj. ovo porijeklo, doći će se kad-tad do Geralda Gardnera i njegovih inicijata. Ukratko, prema tradicionalnoj wicci osoba postaje wiccan samo inicijacijom od strane drugog wiccana. Ako osoba nije inicirana, nju se ne smatra wiccanom iz perspektive iniciranih jer, kako i sama Deborah Lipp kaže, "it takes a witch to make a witch" tj. potreba je vještica da stvori vješticu (usput, gardnerijevci koriste pojmove "vještica" i "wiccan" kao sinonime iako se ne slažem s ovim; objasnila sam zašto u ovome postu).

Eklektični wiccani se ne slažu s ovim. Oni smatraju da je dovoljno samo slijediti osnovna uvjerenja wicce (poput onih koje sam navela poviše; polarnost, imanentnost itd.) da se osoba može nazvati wiccanom. Također, s popularizacijom samoinicijacije (ili možda bolje rečeno samoposvećivanja), eklektični wiccani su mogli prakticirati svoja uvjerenja i učiniti ih "formalnima" na neki način bez praćenja strogih tradicionalnih pravila. Ovo nas vodi do sljedeće teme.

2. Inicijacija / Samoinicijacija

Alex Sanders inicira Janet Farrar

Kao što sam objasnila, tradicionalni wiccani vjeruju da je inicijacija potreba da osoba postane wiccan(ka). Osoba koja izvodi ovaj obred inicijacije treba biti kvalificirana (tj. treba biti inicirana u treći stupanj, ali više o ovome kasnije) i treba biti inicirana od strane drugog tradicionalnog wiccan/wiccanke.

Eklektični wiccani vjeruju da svatko može sam sebe "inicirati" jer svaka osoba može biti vlastiti svećenik/svećenica. Wiccansko vjerovanje u imanentnost koje sam prije pojasnila ovo jako lijepo objašnjava; ako su Bog/Božica dio svake osobe, onda svaka osoba ima potencijal biti svećenik/svećenica - samo je pitanje pobuđivanja ovog aspekta sebe. U konačnici svaka osoba može samu sebe blagosloviti i inicirati u ime Boga/Božice. Naravno, ovo se ne bi smjelo raditi tek tako, iako je to upravo i slučaj s mnogim wiccanima. Ipak, zbog ovoga se samoinicijacija popularizirala, a ako želite pročitati više o ovoj temi, možete pročitati moj post o samoinicijaciji.

3. Sustav stupnjeva

Trostruki sustav stupnjeva je danas prihvaćen u većini wiccanskih tradicija. On je sastavni dio gardnerijske tradicije (što objašnjava prvu rečenicu) te, kako samo ime kaže, sustav je baziran na trima stupnjevima inicijacije od kojih svaki "daje" inicijatu nakon određenog vremenskog perioda (tradicionalno je to minimalno godina i jedan dan, iako može biti i znatno duže). Inicijat također treba posjedovati određeno znanje i iskustvo kako bi bio iniciran u novi stupanj te, po inicijaciji, dobiva nove zadatke, ali i nova saznanja (s kojima dolaze i nove obaveze tijekom rituala).

Kontrastno ovome, eklektični wiccani zapravo nemaju sustav stupnjeva. Samoinicijacija je dovoljna uglavnom svim eklektičarima. Također, stupnjevi ne bi značili mnogo u ovom kontekstu jer eklektičari često rade ili sami, ili u promjenjivim manjim grupama u čijim ritualima ne sudjeluju uvijek isti ljudi niti isti broj ljudi. Zbog ovoga se svećenik i svećenica mijenjaju za svaki ritual i određuju prethodno (što se u mom iskustvu pokazalo jako zanimljivim i korisnim). Zbog ovoga koristim pojam "pomični" stupnjevi kako bih definirala ovaj naziv funkcioniranja jer nitko zapravo nema stupanj već preuzimaju uloge kako situacija nalaže (a ove uloge su ekvivalente onih koje bi imale osobe prvog/drugog/trećeg stupnja inicijacije).

4. Prisega tajnosti

Tradicionalni wiccani poput gardnerijevaca polažu prisegu tajnosti za vrijeme svoje inicijacije čime se obavezuju da neće otkriti određene informacije neiniciranima. Ovu se prisegu ne može odvojiti od prisege odanosti i bratstva dijelom zbog njezine povijesti. Naime, ona vuče korijene još iz srednjeg vijeka kada su pagani i vještice bili proganjani zbog svojih vjerovanja. Nije bilo načina da se ogradi tj. nitko nije mogao biti sigurna da ga netko neće odati inkviziciji zbog prakticiranja svojih vjerovanja, ali su se ljudi ipak trudili smanjiti vjerojatnost ovoga inicirajući samo članove svoje obitelji (što je još jedna poveznica s pojmom porijekla) te uvodeći obveznu prisegu tajnosti pri inicijaciji.

Ova se praksa pokazuje sve manje i manje potrebnom s porastom vjerske tolerancije. Većina eklektika vjeruje da je ovaj običaj samo ostatak jedne drevne tradicije koje više nema smisla u modernom svijetu kada svatko može naći sve podatke koji ih zanimaju na internetu, ili u knjizi. Također, samo riječ osobe više ne garantira njihovu čast, što je tužno po meni. Prije se znalo da svaka osoba rijedi samo onoliko koliko njegova riječ tj. obećanje. Danas više nije tako, no ovo je druga tema.

5. Koveni, ili samostalni rad

Deborah Lipp jako lijepo objašnjava da gernerijevci rade u kovenima. Oni zapravo i koriste riječ "koven" isključivo kao naziva za grupu iniciranih wiccana, a ne kao naziv za bilo koju grupu ljudi koji se okuplja u štovanju po "wiccanskom principu". Ovo ipak ne isključuje opciju povremenog samostalnog rada, iako će svatko tko pročita bilo koji tradicionalni wiccanski ritual odmah shvatiti da je namijenjen za izvođenje u grupi. Grupni tj. kovenski rad se smatra moćnijim od samostalnog jer je uključeno više ljudi, a time i veća količina energije.

Samostalni wiccani također ne rade uvijek sami već se i oni ponekad znaju odvojiti od definicije njihove "etikete" i raditi u manjim grupama (koje oni također nazivaju kovenima, iako je očito da ova riječ ima drukčije značenje nego u tradicionalnom smislu). Ipak se samotnjake naziva samotnjacima jer većinu vremena rade sami. Ja kao samotnjak vjerujem da se rituale može prilagoditi za samostalni rad te da oni mogu pružiti jako puno praktičaru, primjerice intimni razgovor s božanstvom u vrlo udobnom i privatnom okruženju. Naravno, i samostalni i kovenski rad imaju svoje dobre i loše strane. Na pojedincu, ili možda na okolnostima, je da odredi koji mu put najviše odgovara.

6. Knjiga sjenki

Pojam "knjiga sjenki" je poznat svakom wiccanu, a gotovo svaki jednu i posjeduje. Ipak, postoji razlika između načina na koju ju percipiraju tradicionalisti i eklektičari. Za one kojima ovaj pojam nije poznat, Knjiga sjenki je teka/knjiga u kojoj se zapisuju rituali i raznorazne informacije vezane uz wiccu i vještičarstvo. Može je posjedovati jedna osoba, ili više ljudi koji je dijele. Možete saznati više o ovome pod pojmom "Knjiga sjenki" u pojmovniku, ili možete pročitati ovaj post. U svakom slučaju, Knjigu sjenki se obično prenosi s koljena na koljena u tradicionalnoj wicci. Svaka nova generacija kopira staru verziju i onda dodaje nove podatke svoju kopiju s vremenom. U slučaju kovena, ponekad cijeli koven dijeli jednu Knjigu sjenki koju čuvaju Visoka svećenica ili Visoki svećenik. Ovakve Knjige sjenki sadrže podatke vezane uz koven; rituale koje su skupa obavljali, magiju koja se grupno izvodila, ishode, povijest kovena i tako dalje. Naravno, svaki član kovena može imati vlastitu Knjigu sjenki dok god ne prekrše svoju prisegu tajnosti pišući u njoj stvari za koje se dogovorilo da će se zadržati tajnima (ovaj se materijal jedino može naći u kovenskoj Knjizi sjenki).

Kada su u pitanju samotnjaci, svaki pojedinac ima vlastitu Knjigu sjenki koju mogu podijeliti s kim god žele jer nisu vezani prisegom tajnosti. Ove knjige obično sadržavaju sve ono što pojedinac smatra važnim za svoj duhovni put. Ako je samotnjak ujedno i eklektičan, što je često slučaj, materijal u knjizi pokriva širi dijapazon, dok će materijal u knjizi pojedinca koji slijedi isključivo jednu tradiciju wicce biti mnogo uže orijentiran te govoriti isključivo o toj tradiciji i temama koje su vezane uz nju. No, pretpostavljam da je ovo sve veoma logično.

7. Vještičja pouka i Trostruko pravilo

Vještičja pouka je wiccanski tekst koji sažima glavne točke wiccanskog rituala i, što je još važnije, morala. Oduzelo bi previše vremena da sada krenem u raspravu o ovoj temi, no da samo kratko ponovim, skraćena verzija ove pouke glasi: "Ako ne naudite nikome, činite vama po volji" (eng. An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will). 

Trostruko pravilo nije pravilo u doslovnom smislu riječi već je još jedna moralna osnova wiccanskih vjerovanja koje se također može naći u Vještičjoj pouci: "Triput dobro ili triput loše bilo, imaj na umu trostruko pravilo" (eng. Mind the Three-fold Laws you should three times bad and three times good). Osnova bit ove rečenice jest da se sve što osoba učini njoj vraća trostruko. Vrijedi istaknuti da većina wiccana ovo ne shvaća doslovno nego gleda na brojku tri kao metaforu. Prevladava mišljenje da je Trostruko pravilo naprosto wiccanski način percipiranja karme.

Kako Deborah Lipp ističe, većina tradicionalnih wiccana manje, ili više prihvaćaju Vještičju pouku kao dio svog duhovnog pravca, ali eklektičari zato na nju gledaju kao nešto što ih definira. Za tradicionaliste bi se moglo reći "potrebna je vještica da stvori vješticu", dok bi se za eklektičare moglo reći "potreba je Vještičja pouka da stvori eklektičara". Također, većina eklektičara se žestoko zalaže za Trostruko pravilo. Ono je sigurno poznato i tradicionalistima, ali opet mnogo više znači eklektičarima i više ih definira nego što je slučaj s tradicionalistima. Očito je da i Vještičja pouka i Trostruko pravilo mnogo više definiraju eklektičarima.

Mislim da smo ovim pokrili većinu sličnosti i razlika između tradicionalista i eklektičara/samotnjaka. Htjela bih još reći da bez obzira koliko nesuglasica postoji između ovih pravaca, ne postoji opravdanje za netoleranciju među njihovim pripadnicima. Uvijek se može nešto dobro naučiti iz drugih pravaca. Iako mnogi gledaju na eklektičnu wiccu kao nešto loše za opću reputaciju ovog duhovnog pravca, zasigurno postoje dobre strane eklekticizma! Da nije bilo eklekticizma, wicca nikada ne bi postala poznata javnosti, a time ne bi nikada bila ni prihvaćena u društvu. Pošto je inspirirana mnogim duhovnim pravcima, dopušta praktičarima golemu slobodu za kojom oni žude; neki jer naprosto vole ovu slobodu, a drugi jer im je dosta ograničenja organiziranih religija. Osobno ne vidim ništa loše u "posuđivanju" od drugih vjerovanja; ako ništa drugo, ove poveznice stvaraju prisnije odnose među praktičarima svih tih različitih vjera i njihovih praktičara. Također vjerujem da je u prirodi svega da se miješa i isprepliće pa zašto ne bi bilo isto i s vjerom? Naravno, možete se pričati na dugo i na široko o dobrim i lošim stranama eklekticizma, ali i tradicionalizma, ali mislim da bi bilo bolje da to ostavim za neki drugi post.

Za sada se nadam da sam vam uspjela približiti eklekticizam barem malo i dokazati da nije toliko loš koliko se nekima možda čini. :) Glavno je da izaberete onaj duhovni pravac koji odgovara vašoj prirodi i duhu te da ste sretni sa sobom i svojim odlukama. 

Do sljedećeg puta, 

vaša Witch's Cat

Eclecticism and Wicca

The term "eclectic" is often frowned upon because it somehow implies indecision, uncertainty, or random mixing of styles. For those that are not familiar with this word, the adjective "eclectic" refers to something that includes many different things (i.e. a mix of them all) with the intention of utilizing them to get the best out of them. An eclectic (a person who is eclectic) is a person who chooses to incorporate the best (which is sometimes subjective) out of many different ideas into their own belief system. The implications stated above are indeed very inaccurate because eclectics don't randomly pick out ideas, nor are they indecisive about what they want (on the contrary, they are very decisive, because it is necessary to know what you want in order to make it) and they are also very certain of their choices.

Of course, eclecticism doesn't only refer to religion; it can refer to artistic styles, designs, philosophies and many other areas of life. I see no reason why a dish couldn't be defined as eclectic if it incorporates, for example, spices from one country, culinary techniques from another and an exotic main ingredient from a third country. 

When talking about eclecticism in religion, it should be differentiated from syncretism (which I previously talked about in my post on paganism and dual faith). Syncretism is usually defined as combining (usually two) different religions. While both terms include some sort of "mixing", syncretism usually happens between two religions and they are often combined completely. Eclecticism implies that there can be more than two religions involved and they don't have to be combined as two wholes, but certain parts from them can be taken according to personal choices. 

Speaking form a Pagan point of view, I will be talking about eclecticism in Paganism and Wicca, but this does not mean that it cannot occur in other religions/spiritual paths. I have encountered Atheistic Wiccans and Catholic Pagans some of which would call themselves eclectic because of this, while some try to follow both paths and are essentially syncretic.

Nevertheless, I call myself an eclectic Wiccan. It is from this perspective that I speak when I say that it really bothers me when people look down on eclectics. There is a lot of talk about "eclectics" and "traditionalists" in Wicca which imposes intolerance (and not to mention elitism). The "traditionalists" are usually those who follow Wicca completely, and not even Wicca in general, but a specific Wiccan path. These individuals are initiated into the same path. Eclectic Wiccans are often Solitaries (i.e. Wiccans who work alone or occasionally in small groups) and this Solitary path most often leads to one being eclectic. Solitaries are usually not initiated into any coven or Wiccan path and are able to explore many traditions, work with many groups and are constantly open to new ideas. This is why the terms "Solitary" and "eclectic" often go hand in hand. Although, someone can be an eclectic Wiccan but still be a part of a coven. In fact, there has been a rise in eclectic covens in the last couple of decades! Just a short note, I will often use the terms "solitary" and "eclectic" synonymously, so please do not take any offense to this. It is simply stronger than me. :)

In reference to the previous paragraph, I hope you will not misunderstand my words. I have nothing against traditionalists or initiated Wiccans. I completely support them! I just dislike the fact that some individuals among these groups look down on their fellow eclectics. Generalization is out of the question here; not all traditionalists and initiated Wiccans look down on eclectics, but I feel that I have to write this post for the minority that does.

But to get back to the topic, eclectic Paganism is a very broad subject because this can mean that someone takes some ideas from Wicca, some from Asatru, and some even from Shamanic practices. The combinations are endless. This is why I would like to focus on eclecticism in Wicca.

Eclecticism and Wicca

Wicca (and many Pagan religions at that) are very liberal when it comes to beliefs; they allow their followers great freedom and the power to "customize" their own spiritual path. This has led to many beliefs that Wicca as one spiritual path doesn't exist; that it is not well-defined, and as a result, it has not been taken seriously. While doing a bit of research on the subject, I came across some information in Deborah Lipp's book The Study of Witchcraft: A Guidebook to Advanced Wicca. I would like to quote her because I don't see how I could summarize this any better. She basically says that the following points are that which all Wiccans (including eclectics) have in common:

• Polarity: Wiccans may be monists, meaning they believe all gods are ultimately One. They may be duo-theists, meaning they believe that, in Dion Fortune's words, “All Gods are One God, and all Goddesses are One Goddess.” They may be hard polytheists, meaning they believe that each individual deity is precisely that, an individual and not an aspect or component of a larger One or Two. Whatever they believe, however, they work with polarity—ritually and spiritually. However many deities a Wiccan may worship, there is always only one goddess and one god on the altar during ritual.
• Immanence: The sacredness of the human being is essential to Wicca. This can be described in many different ways: “If that which thou seekest, thou findest not within thee, thou wilt never find it without thee”; or “Thou Art God”; or “An' it harm none, do what you will.” Not everyone will embrace every description, but a Wiccan will always have some creed that includes the idea that the gods/goddesses within us are our truest guides.
• Nature: Wiccans celebrate holidays that are attuned to the seasons and perform rituals attuned to the phases of the Moon. They worship nature deities, almost always including Mother Earth in some form, and they recognize the sacredness of the physical, including the human body and sexuality.
• Magic: Not all Wiccans practice magic, but Wicca as a religion accepts that magic is real, something that people can do, and something that people are allowed or encouraged to do.
• Circles and quarters: The ritual structure of Wicca can vary enormously, but a cast circle with four quarters, representing or corresponding to the four elements, is the fundamental format of Wiccan ritual. My friend Ben Schuman describes the fifth element, spirit, as the “sometimes Y” of Wicca. Some Wiccans add a fifth element and some do not, but air, fire, water, and earth are always present.

This information comes from the chapter of her book entitled "Modern Wicca Described" and I have to admit that I found it tremendously helpful and very easy to understand. So, I hope you won't mind if I quote Ms Lipp a few more times in this post.

I would like to add that Wicca, although it allows a lot of freedom to its practitioners (even the traditional ones), does have its boundaries, or better said determinants, as does any spiritual path. There must be some sort of "checklist" which can help people determine who is a Wiccan and who isn't. I believe that the above list is that checklist. Even if a path is eclectic and does incorporate many ideas (even from different religions) into its system, there has to be some framework into which it will fit and thus be called Wiccan. It is therefore necessary for any eclectic Wiccan, who calls themselves that, to sit down, have a heart to  heart with themselves and find out whether or not they really do fit into this framework. Even if they don't, there's nothing bad in that! Since Wicca is essentially a part of Paganism, which is a much broader term, it may be more applicable to the individual at hand.

Traditionalism Contrasts Eclecticism

Tradition is usually defined as a long-established custom or belief that has been passed on from one generation to another. The oldest standing belief system in Wicca that is indeed passed on from generation to generation is the Gardnerian tradition. So, when one talks about traditional Wicca, Gerald Gardner simply has to be mentioned. Gardnerian Wicca is thought to be the first Wiccan tradition and almost all the Wiccan paths that exist today stem from it. The result of this is that most Wiccan paths have the same characteristics which contrast to eclectic Wicca.

For some reason, I love tables; I find them practical, easy to understand any tidy. So here's a table that compares the main characteristics of traditionalism to eclecticism (thanks again to Deborah Lipp whose scheme served as a basis for this table, although I added a few more of my own notions).

	Traditional Wicca	Eclectic Wicca
1.	Lineage	No lineage necessary
2.	Initiations	Self-initiated or not initiated
3.	Degree system	Movable degrees
4.	Oath of secrecy/loyalty/brotherhood	No oath
5.	Group/coven work	Solitary practice
6.	Book of Shadows	Book of Shadows (different perception)
7.	The Rede and Rule of Three are acknowledged	Importance of the Wiccan Rede and Rule of Three

Let's go into detail, shall we?

1. Lineage

Gerald Gardner

Traditional Wiccans, such as Gardnerians, call themselves as such only if they were initiated by another Wiccan and if that person was also initiated by a Wiccan and so on. If one follows this pattern, or this lineage, they will come to Gerald Gardner or one of his initiates. Basically, according to traditional Wiccans, one may become a Wiccan only if they are initiated by a Wiccan. If a person isn't initiated, they aren't seen as a Wiccan in the eyes of most initiates because, as Deborah Lipp stresses, "it takes a witch to make a witch" (by the way, Gardnerians use the term "witch" and "Wiccan" interchangeably, although I do not agree with this and I explained my view in this post).
Eclectic Wiccans, disagree with this. They claim that just following the main principles of Wicca (such as the points stated above; polarity, immanence etc.) is enough for a person to call themselves a Wiccan. Also, with the popularization of self-initiation (or better said self-dedication), eclectic Wiccans were able to officiate their beliefs in a way without having to follow strict traditional rules. This leads us to the next topic.

2. Initiation / Self-initiation

Janet Farrar being initiated by

Alex Sanders

As I have explained, traditional Wiccans believe that initiation is necessary for a person to be called a Wiccan. The person performing the initiation has to be qualified (i.e. has to be a Third Degree initiate, more on this later) and has to be initiated from another traditional Wiccan. 
Eclectic Wiccans believe that anyone can "initiate" themselves because each person can be their own priest/priestess. The Wiccan belief of immanence mentioned before explains this nicely; if the God/Goddess are a part of every person, then every person has the potential to be a priest/priestess - it is just a matter of waking up that aspect. Ultimately, each person can bless and initiate him/herself in the name of the God/Goddess. Of course, this shouldn't be done light-heartedly, although many Wiccans. This is how self-initiation was popularized (if you want to read more on the subject, you can have a look at my post on self-initiation).

3. Degree systems

The three-degree system has been adopted in most Wiccan traditions. It is an essential part of the Gardnerian tradition (which explains the first sentence) and, as its name states, the system is based on three degrees of initiation, each of which is given to the initiate after a certain period of time (traditionally a year and a day, or sometimes more). The initiate has to have certain knowledge and experience to be initiated into a new degree and, upon initiation, is given new tasks and more knowledge (and often more obligations in rituals).
In contrast, eclectic Wiccans don't really have a degree system. Self-initiation is basically enough for most eclectics. Also, degrees wouldn't mean much in this context because eclectics mainly work in variable groups which don't always have the same members or the same number of members present at rituals. This is why the priest and priestess are decided upon before each ritual so one often finds that each ritual is lead by different people (which has proven to be quite interesting and useful in my experience). This is why I used the term "movable" degrees to refer to this way of functioning because nobody really has a degree, although they change roles as the situation indicates (these roles simply resemble the roles of a certain degree initiate).

4. Oath of Secrecy

Traditional Wiccans, such as Gardnerians, take an oath of secrecy at their initiation ceremony vowing not to reveal certain things to noninitiates. This oath is inseparable from the oath of brotherhood and loyalty and is supposed to date back to Medieval times when Pagans and witches were prosecuted for their beliefs. There was no way to be sure that someone wouldn't inform the Inquisition of your practices and beliefs, but people tried to slim the chances down by initiating only family members (which is another connection to lineage) and by making each initiate take an oath of secrecy. 
This practice is no longer needed as religious tolerance has grown considerably. Most eclectics believe that taking such an oath is simply a remnant of an old tradition which no longer makes sense in the modern world where one can find all the information they need on the Internet or in books. Also, and sadly in my opinion, people's words no longer guarantee their respectability. Before, a man (or woman) was only as good as their word. This is not the case nowadays. But this is a different topic. 

5. Coven or Solitary Work

As Deborah Lipp says, "initiated Gardnerians work in covens. In fact, they use the word 'coven' to refer to a group of initiated Wiccans, not simply to any group gathered in Wiccan worship". This does not exclude the option of working alone every now and then, although anyone who looks at a traditional Wiccan ritual will clearly see that it is intended to be performed in a group. Group/coven work is though to be more powerful because more people and thus more energies are involved.
In comparison, solitary Wiccans don't always work alone either. They sometimes meet in groups (which are sometimes referred to as covens, although this term has a slightly different meaning in this context than it does in a traditional sense). Still, solitary Wiccans are called "solitary" because they do work alone most of the time. I myself, as a solitary, believe that rituals can be adapted for this kind of work and that it can enable the practitioner to have a private conversation with a deity in a very comfortable and private environment. It goes without saying that both coven and solitary work have their ups and downs. It is up to the individual, or simply the circumstances they are in, which option they will choose.

6. The Book of Shadows

The term "Book of Shadows" is familiar to any Wiccan and almost every Wiccan has one! Though there is a difference between the traditional and eclectic view of this object. For those of you that are not familiar with this term, it refers to a book/notebook in which rituals and basically any information regarding Wicca and witchcraft is kept by a person or several people. You can find out more under the term "Book of Shadows" in the glossary, or you can read this post. In any case, the BoS (short for Book of Shadows) is usually passed down from generation to generation in traditional Wicca. Basically, each new generation copies the old one out and then adds their own information to it. In the case of covens, sometimes a whole coven shares one BoS which is kept by the High Priestess or High Priest. This BoS contains anything that has to do with the coven; group rituals, group magic, outcomes, the history of the coven and so on. Although, each member can  have their own personal BoS as long as they do not break their oath of secrecy by writing material in it which was agreed to be kept secret (this material can usually only be found in the coven's BoS). 
When it comes to solitaries, each person keeps their own Book of Shadows which they can share with whomever they please since they are not bound by any oath of secrecy. Their books usually contain any material which they find relevant to their path. If the solitary is also eclectic, which is often the case, the material will be of a wider span, whereas a solitary witch that follows a specific tradition will usually write specifically about that tradition and topics related to it. This is all very logical, I hope.

7. The Wiccan Rede and the Rule of Three

The Wiccan Rede is a Wiccan text that summarizes the main points of Wiccan rituals and, more importantly, ethics. To discuss it here would take too much time, but just to briefly recap, the shortened version of the Rede states: "An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will". 
The Rule of Three isn't a rule per se, but it is another moral foundation of Wiccan beliefs which can also be found in the Wiccan Rede: "Mind the Three-fold Laws you should three times bad and three times good". What it basically says is that everything you do will return to you three times. It's worth noting that most Wiccans understand the number three as metaphorical and simply see this Threefold Law (or Rule of Three) as being the Wiccan interpretation of karma. 
As Deborah Lipp nicely points out, "although most traditional Wiccans also use the Rede and accept it as part of their Craft to a greater or lesser degree, eclectics view it as definitive. While 'it takes a witch to make a witch' might be the definition of a traditionalist, you could say, 'it takes the Rede to make an eclectic Wiccan.' Most eclectics are also fervent proponents of the Rule of Three: Whatever you do will come back to you three-fold. Like the Rede, this rule is familiar to traditional Wiccans, but to eclectics, it is often definitive". It is quite obvious that both define eclectic Wiccans more than they do traditionalists. 

We have basically covered all the similarities and differences of traditional and eclectic/solitary Wicca. I would just like to say that no matter how many discrepancies there may be between these paths, there is no reason for slander. There is always something good to learn from everything. Even though many see eclectic Wicca as something bad for the general reputation of the faith, there are many good sides to eclecticism! Firstly, if it weren't for eclecticism, Wicca would have basically never become known to the general public and thus never accepted in society. Since it is inspired by many faiths, it allows the practitioner an enormous amount of freedom which many long for; some because they simply like being free, others because they are tired of the limitations of organized religion. I personally don't see anything wrong with "borrowing" things from other faiths; if anything, these connections form bonds between them and also between their practitioners. I also believe that it is in the nature of everything to simply mix and intertwine, so why wouldn't it be the same with faiths? Of course, the good and bad sides of both the eclectic and traditional paths could be discussed at length, but I think I should save that for another post.
For now, I hope I managed to bring eclecticism closer to you, dear reader, and prove that it isn't as bad as some make it seem. :) The main thing is that you choose the path that agrees with your nature and that you are happy with yourself and your choices. Until next time, yours, Witch's Cat

Spuštanje Sunca

U prijašnjem postu "Vodstvo Božice (Charge of the Goddess) - povijest, izvori i tumačenje" sam spomenula obred Spuštanja Mjeseca. On tvori srž svakog kovenskog obreda (iako ga se može prilagoditi za samostalni rad) jer upravo za vrijeme njegovog izvođenja Visoki svećenik uziva Božicu u tijelo Visoke Svećenice. Spuštanje Mjeseca se izvodi za vrijeme Rituala otvaranja (tj. prvog dijela svakog rituala), a sami uziv je njegov vrhunac. Možete pročitati cijeli obred Spuštanja Mjeseca u Ritualu otvaranja, ali bih ovdje svejedno htjela ukratko objasniti što se događa za vrijeme ovog rituala i kakve ovo ima veze s temom ovoga posta.

Tijekom Spuštanja Mjeseca, Visoka svećenica privremeno postaje glasnica Božice odnosno Božica progovara kroz nju za trajanja ovog dijela rituala (makar bi ponešto njezine energije moglo ostati i nakon rituala). Nakon što obred izvede Visoki svećenik, Visoka svećenica recitira Vodstvo Božice. Upravo se tijekom ove recitacije Božicino prisustvo najjače osjeti u glasu, govoru tijela, izrazima lica i općoj fizionomiji svećenice. 

Vodstvo Božice i obred Spuštanja Mjeseca stavljaju naglasak na Božicu i na ženske energije. Ovo je za očekivati u wicci koja je uglavnom fokusirana na žensko božanstvo. Bez obzira na ovo, određeni pojedinci su shvatili da je došlo do neujednačenosti kao posljedice ovog fokusa. Naime, počelo se Boga zanemarivati. Ali koliko god wicca bila orijentirana ka Božici, ona ujedno traži jednakost i ravnotežu. Bilo je samo pitanje vremena kada bi se dio fokusa ponovno vratio na muško božanstvo da se vrati ravnoteža. I tako dolazimo do glavne teme ovog posta.

Što je Spuštanje Sunca?

Na Sunce i Mjesec se uglavnom gleda kao na suprotna nebeska tijela iz Zemljine perspektive. U arhetipskom smislu se Božica veže uz Mjesec (koji korespondira svemu ženstvenom uključujući i ženskom menstrualnom ciklusu), a Sunce se povezuje s Bogom i općenito muškim energijama. Mogli ste do sada zaključiti da će obred Spuštanja Sunca biti veoma sličan Spuštanju Mjeseca, ali s jednom bitnom razlikom - on se fokusira na Boga umjesto na Božicu!

Ukratko, Spuštanje Sunca je također dio Rituala otvaranja tijekom kojeg Visoka svećenica uziva Boga u tijelo Visokog svećenika. Naravno, invokacije Boga su postojale i do izuma ovog rituala, ali nijedan od njih nije bio toliko intenzivan koliko i Spuštanje Mjeseca. Naprosto se činili ispravnim jednaki naglasak staviti na Boga i Božicu. I tako je nastao obred Spuštanja Sunca.

Kako ne obred nastao...

Spuštanje Sunca su napisali Janet i Stewart Farrar  u ranim 80ima. Prvi put je objavljen u njihovoj knjizi The Witches' Way (slob. prev. Vještičji put). Vodila ih je misao o seksualnoj ravnoteži koja ih je dovela do zaključka da je svaki muškarac jednako sposoban da uzove (ili bude "glasnogovornik") Boga kao što je svaka žena sposobna da uzove Božicu.

Naravno, ovo ne znači da muškarci nisu sposobni uzvati Božicu, ili da žene ne mogu uzvati Boga. U svojoj knjizi Progressive Witchcraft, Janet Farrar i Gavin Bone komentiraju ovo i kažu: "It is seen all the time in religions such as Voudon, and according to Ray Buckland, who has studied their practices for many years, it is also not unusual for the loa to manifest contra-sexually (a female loa “riding” a male adherent and vice versa), something he told us he once witnessed. There should be no surprise in this, as spiritual mediums have always been able to do the same thing." (str. 97). Slobodno prevedeno (i parafrazirano), oni navode primjer u Voudonu u kojem, kako kaže Raymond Buckland, postoji situacija u kojoj se loa manifestira kontraseksualno (tj. u suprotnom spolu). Tako ženski loa može ući u tijelo muškarca i obratno. Oni također kažu da ovo nije neobično jer su psihički medijatori oduvijek imali ovu sposobnost. Slažem se s ovom tvrdnjom jer su različiti ljudi usklađeni s različitim energijama. Stoga ne postoji razlog zbog žena ne može biti više usklađena sa svojom muškom stranom, a muškarac sa svojom ženskom.

Ono što je uslijedilo nakon ovog obreda je još jedna prekrasna pjesma od Doreen Valiente. Kao što je ona "stvorila" (uvjetno rečeno) Spuštanje Mjeseca i Vodstvo Božice, tako je stvorila (ali ovaj put u potpunosti) dvojnika Vodstva Božice (eng. Charge of the Goddess) i nazvala ga Vodstvom Boga (eng. Charge of the God). Izgleda da je Doreen čak smatrala da je ranije postojao obred sličan Spuštanju Sunca, ali da se s vremenom jednostavno izgubio.

Kada se izvodi obred?

Već smo ustanovili da se Spuštanje Sunca obavlja unutar Rituala otvaranja kojeg, po standardnoj ritualnoj formi u paganizmu, sačinjavaju sljedeći dijelovi: 

1. Priprema prostorije i oltara
2. Pročišćavanje vode solju
3. Otvaranje kruga athaméom
4. Označavanje kruga elementima 
5. Vizualizacija zaštite kruga
6. Zazivanje elemenata (u kovenima uglavnom svi ponavljaju za svećenikom/svećenicom koji zazivaju)
7. Zazivanje Boga i Božice: Spuštanje Mjeseca (peterostruki poljubac+Vodstvo Božice) + Zaziv Boga (ponekad i Spuštanje Sunca)
8. Plesanje vještičje rune (neobavezno)

Kao što možete primijeniti, obred Spuštanja Sunca se obično izvodi nakon Spuštanja Mjeseca. Farrarovi objašnjavaju da je ovo najbolji način izvođenja obreda jer je Visoka svećenica obično ta koji vodi ritual. Tek onda kada ona postane glasnica Božice, ona može invocirati Boga u tijelo Visokog svećenika u ime Božice. 

U širem kontekstu, Spuštanje Sunca se izvodi za četiri Velika sabata (koji su još poznati i kao vatreni blagdani tj. Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh i Samhain) i na ljetni suncostaj (tj. Lithu). Svi ovi sabati imaju jednu stvar zajedničku - oni svi slave Sunca, a skupa s njim i Boga. Neki od ovih sabata potiču Sunce na rast, neki slave njegovu toplinu i svjetlo, a drugi se opraštaju sa zalazećim Suncem te umirućim Bogom. Kako god bilo, oni se svi fokusiraju na središnju zvijezdu ovog Sunčevog sustava te na muške energije u atmosferi.

Obred Spuštanja Sunca

Konačno dolazimo do samog rituala. Naravno, sebe ne mogu nazvati autoricom. Sljedeći ritual je citat iz knjige A Witches' Bible od Janet i Stewarta Farrara (str. 68-70).

At the end of Drawing Down the Moon, after the High Priestess's words "Here I charge you, in this sign", the High Priestess and High Priest change places, moving deosil, so that he stands with his back to the altar and she faces him from the centre of the Circle.

The High Priest picks up his athamé from the altar and holds it in his right hand over his left breast, points upwards. 

The High Priestess gives him the Fivefold Kiss as follows: 

"Blessed by thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways" - kissing his right foot and then his left foot. 

"Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar" - kissing his right knee and then his left knee. 

"Blessed be thy phallus, without which we would not be" - kissing him just above the pubic hair. 

The High Priest spreads his arms to the Blessed Position, still holding his athamé in his right hand, point upwards. 

The High Priestess continues: 

"Blessed be thy breast, formed in strength" - kissing his right breast and then his left breast.  

"Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the sacred names." They embrace, length for length and with feet touching, and kiss each other on the mouth. 

The High Priestess steps back a pace and kneels. She invokes: 

"Deep calls on height, the Goddess on the God,

On him who is the flame that quickens her;

That he and she may seize the silver reins

And ride as one the twin-horsed chariot.

Let the hammer strike the anvil,

Let the lightning touch the earth,

Let the Lance ensoul the Grail,

Let the magic come to birth." 

She touches with her right forefinger his throat, left hip, right breast, left breast, right hip, and throat again (thus forming the Invoking Pentagram of Fire). She then spreads her hands outwards, palms forward. Meanwhile she continues to invoke: 

"In her name do I invoke thee,

Mighty Father of us all -

Lugh, Pan, Belin, Herne, Cernunnos -

Come in answer to my call!

Descend, I pray thee, in thy servant and priest." 

The High Priestess stands and takes a step backwards. The High Priest makes the Invoking Pentagram of Fire towards her with his athamé, saying: 

"Let there be light!"

Hrvatski prijevod: 

Napomena: ovo je moj slobodni prijevod i zasigurno nije jedini mogući, pa slobodno u komentarima napišite ikakve zamjerke, ili savjete koje imate. :) 

Na kraju Spuštanja Mjeseca, nakon što Visoka svećenica kaže "Šaljem vas unutar znaka", Visoka svećenica i Visoki svećenik se zamijene za mjesta kretajući se oposuno tako da on stoji leđima okrenut oltaru, a ona stoji u središtu krug okrenuta put njega. 

Visoki svećenik podigne svoj athamé s oltara i drži ga u desnoj ruci preko lijeve strane prsa s vrhom okrenutim put gore. 

Visoka svećenica mu daje peterostruki poljubac na sljedeći način: 

"Blagoslovljene bile Tvoje noge koje su Te dovele ovim putem." - ljubi mu desno stopalo i potom lijevo. 

"Blagoslovljena bila Tvoja koljena koja će klečati pred svetim oltarom." - ljubi mu desno koljeno i potom lijevo. 

"Blagoslovljen bio Tvoj falus bez koje mi ne bismo postojali." - ljubi ga točno iznad pubičnih dlaka.

Visoki svećenik raširi ruke u Blagoslovljenu pozu i dalje držeći athamé u desnoj ruci s vrhom put gore. 

Visoka svećenica nastavlja: 

"Blagoslovljene bile Tvoje grudi koje su stvorene u snazi." - ljubi mu desnu stranu prsa i potom lijevu.

"Blagoslovljene bile Tvoje usne koje će izgovarati Sveta Imena." Oni se zagrle oboje stojeći uspravno tako da im se stopala dodiruju i poljube se na usta.

Visoka svećenica uzme korak unatrag i klekne. Ona invocira: 

"Dubina poziva visinu, Božica poziva Boga,

Onoga koji je plamen koji ju ubrzava;

Da on i ona mogu stegnuti srebrne uzde

I kao jedno upravljati dvama konjima u kolima.

Neka čekić udari nakovanj,

Neka munja pogodi tlo, 

Neka Koplje podari dušu Kaležu,

Neka se magija rodi." 

Ona sa svojim desnim kažiprstom dotakne njegovo grlo, lijevi kuk, desnu dojku, lijevu dojku, desni kuk i ponovno grlo (time tvoreći invocirajući pentagram Vatre). Ona potom ispruži ruke put vanka s dlanovima okrenutima put naprijed. U međuvremenu nastavlja invocirati: 

"U njezino ime te ja uzivam,

Moćni oče nas svih -

Lugh, Pan, Belin, Herne, Cernunnos - 

Odazovi se mom pozivu!

Molim te da se spustiš u svog slugu i svećenika." 

Visoka svećenika ustane i korakne unatrag. Visoki svećenik u zraku učini invocirajući pentagram Vatre prema njoj s athaméom govoreći: 

"Neka bude svjetla!"

Napomene: za one među vama koji nisu najbolje upoznati s terminologijom, kretati se oposuno (eng. deosil) znači kretati se u smjeru kazaljke na satu. Takozvana "blagoslovljena poza" je poza tijela u kojoj su stopala spojena a ruke naprosto ispružene tako da tijelo tvori slovo T (također je poznata kao i gesta dobrodošlice kako sam objasnila u svom postu o magijskim gestama i minimalističkim ritualima). U ovoj situaciji navedena poza služi kako bi svećenica mogla poljubiti svećenikova prsta pošto su je u prethodnoj pozi njegove ruke sprječavale u tome. Što se tiče invocirajućeg pentagrama vatre koji se spominje dva puta, možete vidjeti kako on izgleda u slici odmah do teksta. Razlog zbog kojeg je odabran baš ovaj pentagram je jer je invocirajući (a ipak se pokušava uzvati tj. invocirati Boga!), ali i jer je vatra suštinski muški element koji emitira muževnom, jakom, gotovo agresivnom energijom. Također, iako je tradicionalno da se svećenik i svećenica poljube na usta kada završavaju rituale, kada predaju nešto jedno drugom i sl., ovo je u novije vrijeme postala nešto rjeđa praksa jer se sada oni uglavnom ljube u obraz. Peterostruki poljubac je također normalni dio obreda Spuštanja Mjeseca koji se samo ponešto modificirao za ovu priliku.

Vodstvo Boga

Kao što sam prije već rekla, Vodstvo Božice je normalni dio obreda Spuštanja Mjeseca, iako se po mom istraživanju pokazalo da se Vodstvo Boga obično ne izgovara u sklopu Spuštanja Sunca. Ovo je ipak logično jer su autori posljednjih dvaju tekstova različiti (Janet i Stewart Farrar su napisali obred Spuštanja Sunca, a Doreen Valiente je naprosto bila inspirirana njima i kasnije napisala Vodstvo Boga). 

U potrazi za Doreeninim originalnim Vodstvom Boga sam naišla na mnoge varijante, a čak i više originalnih verzija pojedinačnih autora. Preporučam da pogledate sljedeće varijante jer su mi se jako dojmile:

Vodstvo Boga - napisao Christopher Hatton

Vodstvo Boga - napisao Jason Mankey

Vodstvo Boga - napisao Siobhan

Vodstvo Boga - nepoznati autor

Na žalost, jedini trag Doreenine verzije kojeg sam uspjela naći je s interneta. Pretražila sam knjige koje imam kući, ali nisam uspjela pronaći išta osim informacije da je Doreen Valiente zaista napisala jedno Vodstvo Boga nakon što je pročitala Spuštanje Sunca. Sljedeće Vodstvo sam pronašla na ovoj web stranici gdje autor tvrdi da je ovo Doreenino Vodstvo. Ono glasi:

Listen the the words of the Great Father, who of old was called Osiris, Adonis, Zeus, Thor, Pan, Cernunnos, Herne, Lugh and by many other names. 

My Law is Harmony with all things. Mine is the secret that opens the gates of life and mine is the dish of salt of the earth that is the body of Cernunnos that is the eternal circle of rebirth. I give the knowledge of life everlasting, and beyond death I give the promise of regeneration and renewal. I am the sacrifice, the father of all things, and my protection blankets the earth. 

Hear the words of the dancing God, the music of whose laughter stirs the winds, whose voice calls the seasons: 

I who am the Lord of the Hunt and the Power of the Light, sun among the clouds and the secret of the flame. I call upon your bodies to arise and come unto me. For I am the flesh of the earth and all its beings. Through me all things must die and with me are reborn. Let my worship be in the body that sings, for behold all acts of willing sacrifice are my rituals. Let there be desire and fear, anger and weakness, joy and peace, awe and longing within you. For these too are part of the mysteries found within yourself, within me, all beginnings have endings, and all endings have beginnings.

Hrvatski prijevod:

Čujte riječi Moćnog Oca, kojeg se od davnih vremena nazivalo Oziris, Adonis, Zeus, Thor, Pan, Cernunnos, Herne, Lugh i mnogim drugim imenima. 

Moj je Zakon Sklad sa svim stvarima. Moja je tajna koja otvara dveri života i moja je posuda soli od tla koja je tijelo Cernunnosa koji je vječni ciklus ponovnog rođenja. Ja dajem saznanje vječnog života, a po smrti dajem obećanje regeneracije i obnove. Ja sam žrtva, otac svih stvari i moja zaštita prekriva zemlju. 

Čujte riječi plešućeg Boga čija glazba smijeha uzburkati vjetar, čiji glas poziva godišnja doba: 

Ja koji sam Gospodar Lova i Moći Svjetla, Sunce među oblacima i tajna plamena. Ja pozivam vaša tijela da ustanu i dođu k meni. Jer ja sam meso tla i svi njegovi počeci. Kroz mene sve stvari moraju umrijeti i sa mnom se ponovno rađaju. Neka moje štovanje bude u tijelu koje pjeva, jer vidite, sva djela spremne žrtve su moji rituali. Neka bude želje i straha, bijesa i slabosti, sreće i mira, bojazni i žudnje u vama. Jer ovo je također dio mojih misterija koje možete pronaći unutar vas, u meni, svaki početak ima kraj i svaki kraj ima početak.

Sudeći prema odabiru riječi, ne bi me čudilo da ovo zaista jest originalno Vodstvo Boga koje je napisala sama Doreen Valiente. Naprosto se mogu uočiti mnoge sličnosti između ovog teksta i njezinog Vodstva Božice (u konstrukciji rečenica, generalnom stilu pisanja itd.). Kako god bilo, tekst je predivan. Ne vidim razloga zašto svaka osoba ne bi mogla sama napisati vlastito Vodstvo (makar korištenje ovog teksta u ritualu nije obvezno pa se ova dilema može u potpunosti i izbjeći). 

Očito je prema poviše navedenim primjerima Vodstva da čak i ona Vodstva koje nisu napisale "prve generacije wicce" mogu biti inspirativna te ih se jako lijepo može ukomponirati u ritual. Vi sami odlučite hoćete li, ili nećete koristiti ijednu od ovih verzija u vlastitim ritualima, ili čak napisati vlastitu verziju.

Što god odlučili je meni prihvatljivo, ali je moja glavna poanta sljedeća: Bog upotpunjuje Božicu jednako kao što ona upotpunjuje njega. Oni su dvije polovice jedne cjeline koji uzrokuju neuravnoteženost kada su izolirani. I Spuštanje Sunca i Vodstvo Boga su nastali zbog rastuće svjesnosti o ovom problemu. Zaista vrijedi zapamtiti da svijet ne čine samo žene, ili ženske energije. Naprotiv, svije sačinjavaju kontrastirajuće sile; ne bi postojalo ženstveno kada se ne bi moglo kontrastirati s muževnim jednako kao što ne bi postojalo bijelo kada se ne bi moglo usporediti s crnim. Priznavanje svih aspekata svijeta oko nas je potrebno za ravnotežu, prihvaćanje i sreću. Ako se ne slažete s ovim, slobodno se izrazite u komentarima, no ovo ostaje moje istinsko i skromno mišljenje. 

Bilo mi je zadovoljstvo pisati ovaj post. Sigurno ćete čuti do mene opet uskoro.

Vaša Witch's Cat

Drawing Down the Sun

In a previous blog post entitled "The Charge of the Goddess - History, Sources and Analysis", I mentioned a ritual called the Drawing Down the Moon. This ritual forms the core of any coven work (although it can also be adapted for solitaries) because it is precisely during this rite that the Goddess is invoked into the High Priestess' body (by the High Priest). The Drawing Down the Moon is performed during the Opening Ritual (i.e. the first part of any ritual) and the invocation itself is its climax. You can find the whole ritual in the "Opening Ritual" post mentioned above, although I would just briefly like to summarize what exactly happens and how all of this is related to this post topic.

During the Drawing Down the Moon, the Priestess temporarily becomes the Goddess' vessel; the Goddess speaks through her for a short period of time during the ritual itself (although a bit of energy may linger). After the ritual is performed by the High Priest, the High Priestess then delivers the Charge of Goddess. It is during this recital that the Goddess' presence is truly noticed in the voice, body language, facial expressions and the general physiognomy of the Priestess. 

The Charge of the Goddess and the ritual of the Drawing Down the Moon emphasize the Goddess and female energies in general. This is to be expected as Wicca is primarily focused on the female deity. Nevertheless, certain individuals began to notice an imbalance which occurred as a result of this focus. Namely, the God had begun to be neglected. Now, as much as Wicca may be Goddess-oriented, it also calls for equality and balance. It was just a matter of time when a certain amount of focus would be put back on the male deity to restore this balance. And thus we come to the main topic of this post.

What is the Drawing Down the Sun?

The Sun and Moon are generally thought of as opposing celestial bodies (at least from Earth's perspective). In an archetypal way, the Goddess has become associated with the Moon (which corresponds to everything feminine, including women's menstrual cycles), while the Sun has been compared to the God and essentially male energies. You may have concluded that the Drawing Down the Sun ritual will be very similar to that of the Drawing Down the Moon but with one main difference - it focuses on the God instead of the Goddess!

In short, the Drawing Down the Sun is also a part of the Opening Ritual during which the High Priestess invokes the God into the body of the High Priest. Of course, invocations of the God have existed up to the creation of this rite, but none of them were as intense as the Drawing Down the Moon was. It only seemed fair for equal attention to be paid to both the Goddess and the God. And so the Drawing Down the Sun was created.

How It Came to Be...

The ritual of the Drawing Down the Sun was created by Janet and Stewart Farrar in the early 1980s. It was first published in their book entitled The Witches’ Way. They were led by the notion of sexual balance and came to the conclusion that any man is equally capable of invoking (or being the vessel of) the God as any woman is of invoking the Goddess.

Although, this does not mean that men are incapable of invoking the Goddess, or that women are incapable of invoking the God. In their book Progressive Witchcraft, Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone comment on this notion: "It is seen all the time in religions such as Voudon, and according to Ray Buckland, who has studied their practices for many years, it is also not unusual for the loa to manifest contra-sexually (a female loa “riding” a male adherent and vice versa), something he told us he once witnessed. There should be no surprise in this, as spiritual mediums have always been able to do the same thing." (p. 97). Different people are in tune with different energies and there is no reason why a woman wouldn't be in tune with male energies, or a man with female energies.

What followed this ritual was another beautiful poetic creation by Doreen Valiente. As she had "created" the Charge of the Goddess for the Drawing Down the Moon ritual, so she created a counterpart of the aforementioned Charge and fittingly named it the Charge of the God. Apparently, Doreen thought that a similar ritual to this one existed in the past but was lost over the years.

When Is the Ritual Performed?

We have already established that the Drawing Down the Sun is a part of the Opening Ritual which, according to standard Wiccan ritual form, is made up of the following:

1. Preparing the altar and ritual space
2. Cleansing the water with salt
3. Opening the circle with the athamé
4. Marking the circle with the Elements
5. Visualizing the protection of the circle
6. Invoking the Elements
7. Invoking the Goddess and God: Drawing down the Moon (the Fivefold Kiss+the Charge of the Goddess) + the invocation of the God (sometimes the Drawing Down the Sun)
8. Dancing the Witches' Rune (optional)

As you can see, the Drawing Down the Sun ritual is usually held after the Drawing Down the Moon. The Farrars explain that this is the best way of conducting any ritual because the High Priestess is usually the one leading everything. Once she has become the Goddess' vessel, she can then invoke the God into the High Priest in the name of the Goddess.

In a broader sense, the Drawing Down the Sun is usually performed at the four Major Sabbaths (also known as the cross-quarter days or the fire festivals: Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain) and also at the summer solstice (i.e. Litha/Midsummer). All of these Sabbaths have one thing in common - they celebrate the Sun and with it, the God. Some of these days encourage the Sun to grow, others celebrate its heat and light, while the others bid farewell the setting Sun and the waning God. Nevertheless, they all focus on the main star of our solar system and the male energies in the atmosphere.

The Drawing Down the Sun ritual

Finally, we come to the ritual itself. Of course, I cannot claim ownership. The following quote is from Janet and Stewart Farrar's A Witches' Bible (pp. 68-70). 

At the end of Drawing Down the Moon, after the High Priestess's words "Here I charge you, in this sign", the High Priestess and High Priest change places, moving deosil, so that he stands with his back to the altar and she faces him from the centre of the Circle.  

The High Priest picks up his athame from the altar and holds it in his right hand over his left breast, points upwards. 

The High Priestess gives him the Fivefold Kiss as follows: 

"Blessed by thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways" - kissing his right foot and then his left foot. 

"Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar" - kissing his right knee and then his left knee. 

"Blessed be thy phallus, without which we would not be" - kissing him just above the pubic hair. 

The High Priest spreads his arms to the Blessed Position, still holding his athame in his right hand, point upwards. 

The High Priestess continues: 

"Blessed be thy breast, formed in strength" - kissing his right breast and then his left breast.  

"Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the sacred names." They embrace, length for length and with feet touching, and kiss each other on the mouth. 

The High Priestess steps back a pace and kneels. She invokes: 

"Deep calls on height, the Goddess on the God,
On him who is the flame that quickens her;
That he and she may seize the silver reins
And ride as one the twin-horsed chariot.
Let the hammer strike the anvil,
Let the lightning touch the earth,
Let the Lance ensoul the Grail,
Let the magic come to birth." 

She touches with her right forefinger his throat, left hip, right breast, left breast, right hip, and throat again (thus forming the Invoking Pentagram of Fire). She then spreads her hands outwards, palms forward. Meanwhile she continues to invoke: 

"In her name do I invoke thee,
Mighty Father of us all -
Lugh, Pan, Belin, Herne, Cernunnos -
Come in answer to my call!
Descend, I pray thee, in thy servant and priest." 

The High Priestess stands and takes a step backwards. The High Priest makes the Invoking Pentagram of Fire towards her with his athame, saying: 

"Let there be light!"

Notes: For those of you that are not familiar with some of the terminology, to move deosil means to move clockwise. The "blessed position" is the body position in which the feet are together and the arms simply outstretched (it is also known as the welcoming gesture as I explained in my post on minimalistic rituals and gestures; in this ritual, this simply allows the Priestess to kiss the Priest's breasts as his arms were previously in the way). As for the invoking pentagram of fire which is mentioned two times, you can see what it looks like in the picture just next to this text. The reason for choosing exactly this pentagram is because it is invoking (and after all, we are trying to invoke the God!) and because fire is an essentially male element with emits masculine, strong, almost aggressive energies. Also, even though it is traditional for the High Priest and High Priestess to kiss on the mouth when finishing such rituals or when handing the cup to one another and so on, this has become a less common practice in modern times so it is possible for the two to kiss on the cheek also. The Fivefold Kiss is also a normal part of the Drawing Down the Moon ritual and it was simply modified for this situation.

The Charge of the God

As I mentioned in a previous post, the Charge of the Goddess is an essential part of the Drawing Down the Moon ritual, although it seems that the Charge of the God is not commonly seen in Drawing Down the Sun. This is logical because the authors of the latter two texts are different (Janet and Stewart Farrar wrote the Charge of the God, whereas Doreen Valiente was simply inspired by them and wrote the Charge of the God). 

In an attempt to find Doreen's original Charge of the God, I came across many variations and even more individual works by many authors. Here are some of the ones I found to be quality: 

Christopher Hatton Charge

Jason Mankey Charge

Siobhan Charge

Unknown author

Unfortunately, the only trace of Doreen's Charge which I was able to find was on the Internet. I looked through my books at home, but I didn't manage to find anything other than information that a Charge of the God was indeed written by Doreen Valiente. I came across the following one on this website which claims that this text was written by Doreen herself. It reads:

Listen the the words of the Great Father, who of old was called Osiris, Adonis, Zeus, Thor, Pan, Cernunnos, Herne, Lugh and by many other names. 

My Law is Harmony with all things. Mine is the secret that opens the gates of life and mine is the dish of salt of the earth that is the body of Cernunnos that is the eternal circle of rebirth. I give the knowledge of life everlasting, and beyond death I give the promise of regeneration and renewal. I am the sacrifice, the father of all things, and my protection blankets the earth. 

Hear the words of the dancing God, the music of whose laughter stirs the winds, whose voice calls the seasons: 

I who am the Lord of the Hunt and the Power of the Light, sun among the clouds and the secret of the flame. I call upon your bodies to arise and come unto me. For I am the flesh of the earth and all its beings. Through me all things must die and with me are reborn. Let my worship be in the body that sings, for behold all acts of willing sacrifice are my rituals. Let there be desire and fear, anger and weakness, joy and peace, awe and longing within you. For these too are part of the mysteries found within yourself, within me, all beginnings have endings, and all endings have beginnings.

Judging by the wording, I wouldn't be surprised if this truly was Doreen Valiente's Charge of the God as many similarities can be seen between this text and the original Charge of the Goddess in the construction of the sentences general style. Whatever the case, the text is still beautiful. I see no reason why each person can't write their own Charge of the God (then again, using it in a ritual isn't obligatory so this issue can completely be avoided in this case). 

It is obvious from the above examples that even those texts which weren't written by the "first generations" of Wicca can be inspiring and nicely incorporated into a ritual. You decide whether or not you will use any of them in your own rites, or write your own versions, or simply not include any version of the text.

Whatever you decide is fine by me, but my main point is this: the God fulfills the Goddess just as she fulfills him. They are two halves of one whole which cause imbalance when isolated. Both the Drawing Down the Sun rite and the Charge of the God came to exist because of a growing awareness of this issue. It really is worth remembering that the world isn't made up of women or female energies alone. In fact, the word is balanced out by contrasting forces; there would be no feminine if it could not be compared to masculine just as there would be no white if it could not be compared to black. Acknowledging all the aspects of our world is necessary for balance, for acceptance and for happiness. If you disagree, feel free to express your feelings, but this is my honest and humble opinion. 

It was a pleasure writing this post and you can expect to hear from me again soon. 

Yours,

Witch's Cat