source: WorldNetDaily, 2/27/2008, http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=57429
NOTE: This is an interesting & funny article by an author from "Whistleblower" magazine. It is included here on the Thelemic Studies news feed because it is a recent article talking about wicca, occultism, and Aleister Crowley. Initially the whole article was posted here but it is much too long and many parts are too impertinent to Thelema for inclusion on this website so excerpts have been taken from the article. For those who are interested, the author of this article may be contacted at dkupelian@worldnetdaily.com ... Please try to retain a respectful tone if you contact him, but honest attempts at correcting his misconceptions are encouraged -IAO131
...A few basics: "Wicca" and "witchcraft" are often used interchangeably, but they aren't exactly the same. While witchcraft goes back into ancient times, with many varieties springing from diverse cultures and worldviews, Wicca is a relatively modern nature-based religion first popularized in the 1950s by an Englishman named Gerald Gardner. Most "witches" today, at least in the Western World, are followers of the Wiccan religion. Although Gardner claimed he was resurrecting an ancient pre-Christian, matriarchal pagan religion, that is disputed – some historians saying he just made up parts of it. And while there are other forms of Wicca today besides "Gardnerian" Wicca, each with their own variations of belief, ritual and practice, all share certain basic features.
According to Wiccan teachings, to find balance, practitioners must worship both the male and female aspects of deity, the god and the goddess, embodying the life-force manifest in nature. Although males are welcome, Wicca is predominantly a female religion, and the goddess dominates the god...
...Wiccans worship the sacred as immanent in Nature, often personified as Mother Earth and Father Sky. As polytheists, they may use many other names for Deity. Individuals will often choose Goddesses or Gods from any of the world's pantheons whose stories are particularly inspiring and use those Deities as a focus for personal devotions. Similarly, covens will use particular Deity names as a group focus, and these are often held secret by the groups...
...Most Wiccan groups also practice magic, by which they mean the direction and use of "psychic energy," those natural but invisible forces which surround all living things. Some members spell the word "magick," to distinguish it from sleight of hand entertainments. Wiccans employ such means as dance, chant, creative visualization and hypnosis to focus and direct psychic energy for the purpose of healing, protecting and aiding members in various endeavors. Such assistance is also extended to non-members upon request...
The core ethical statement of Wicca, called the "Wiccan Rede," states "An it harm none, do what you will." The Rede fulfills the same function as does the "Golden Rule" for Jews and Christians; all other ethical teachings are considered to be elaborations and applications of the Rede. It is a statement of situational ethics, emphasizing at once the individual's responsibility to avoid harm to others and the widest range of personal autonomy in "victimless" activities...
...That's the problem with Wicca, magic and occultism of every variety, and it's the very reason the Bible condemns them all: In the eyes of God, it's an abomination for people to try to harness the hidden powers of nature and beyond nature, for whatever purposes they will – because they are literally playing god. All they accomplish, if anything, is to open spiritual doors and allow malevolent entities to take up residence in their bodies – which were meant to remain the temple of the Living God alone...
In "Magick in Theory and Practice (Book 3)," notorious British occultist Aleister Crowley, an important mentor to Wicca founder Gerald Gardner, defined "magick" (he always spelled it with a "k"), as "the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will." "Will" was a big deal to Crowley, whose central credo was: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." (In case you didn't notice, this is utterly insane.) Thus, Wiccans claim magic spells, ceremonies and rituals focus the practitioners' hidden reservoir of psychic energy, along with the aid of benevolent spirits, in the service of the witches' will...
source: WorldNetDaily, 2/27/2008, http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=57429
