DESCRIPCIONES DE LOS ELEMENTOS DE DISEÑO

Hear now the words of the witches, The secrets we hid in the night, When dark was our destiny's pathway, That now we bring forth into light. Mysterious water and fire,

The earth and the wide-ranging air, By hidden quintessence we know them, and will and keep silent and dare. The birth and rebirth of all nature, The passing of winter and spring,

We

Four times in the year the Great Sabbat Returns, and the witches are seen At Lammas and Candlemas dancing,

On May Eve and old Hallowe'en.

When day-time and night-time are equal, When the sun is at greatest and least, The four Lesser Sabbats are summoned, Again witches gather in feast.

Thirteen silver moons in a year are, Thirteen is the coven 's array. Thirteen times at Esbat make merry, For each golden year and a day.

The power was passed down the ages, Each time between woman and man, Each century unto the other,

Ere time and the ages began. When drawn is the magical circle, By sword or athame or power,

Its compass between the two worlds lies, In Land of the Shades for that hour.

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This world has no right then to know it, And world of beyond will tell naught, The oldest of Gods are invoked there, The Great Work of magic is wrought. For two are the mystical pillars, That stand at the gate of the shrine, And two are the powers of nature,

The forms and the forces divine. The dark and the light in succession, The opposites each unto each,

Shown forth as a God and a Goddess: Of this did our ancestors teach. By night he's the wild wind's rider, The Horn 'd One, the Lord of the Shades. By day he's the King of the Woodland, The dweller in green forest glades. She is youthful or old as she pleases, She sails the torn clouds in her barque, The bright silver lady of midnight, The crone who weaves spells in the dark. The master and mistress of magic, They dwell in the deeps of the mind, Immortal and ever-renewing, With power to free or to bind.

So drink the good wine to the Old Gods, And dance and make love in their praise, Till Elphame 's fair land shall receive us In peace at the end of our days.

And Do What You Will be the challenge, So be it in Love that harms none, For this is the only commandment, By Magic of old, be it done!

Eight words the Witches' Creed fulfill: If it harms none, do what you will!

CO M M E NTARY

This text basically outlines Wiccan practices and philosophies con­ nected with the rituals of the seasons and the worship of the God and Goddess. In the opening we find a reference to the time of the Inquisition when witches met at night in secret places. The Burn­ ing Time, as it is called, lies deep in the spirit of witches today, a remembrance of the violent persecution and a recollection of the bravery and suffering of so many who died by order of the church. The magickal power of witches is referenced in the second stanza, the ability to evoke the very substance of Creation itself: earth, air, fire, and water. Here we also find the words of the Magus or Master ofMagick: to know (one's will), to dare, and to be silent. Power shared is power lost.

The third through sixth stanzas address the seasonal and lunar rites. The periods of the eight Sabbats mark the time of powerful tides of energy that flow across the earth. To participate in ritual at these times is to become saturated with the energies associated with the season. Thus one becomes aligned with the vibration within Nature and the chakras resonate in harmony to the fre­ quency. Aradia (an Italian witch of the fourteenth century) taught that the powers of a witch could only be maintained by an unbro­ ken participation in the rites of the wheel of the year.

The seventh stanza contains the ancient teaching that initia­ tion was to pass between people of the opposite sex. This is an issue dealing with sexual polarity and the psychic/magnetic energies associated when opposites come into contact with each other. The resulting energy opens up channels within the psyche and stimu­ lates the chakras. This in turn makes the initiate more receptive and the initiator more energized. I will not debate here the subject of heterosexuals vs. homosexuals, but wish only to pass on the teaching of polarities.

The eighth and ninth stanzas remind us that a circle properly cast exists between the physical world and the astral world. It is, in effect, a corridor linking these dimensions. Wiccans refer to it as the world between the worlds. Here magick can lw Jll'rfi u·nwd and

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the gods may be evoked. This dimension is neither substance nor dream. It is the shadow's edge between both realms of existence. Therefore magick is the law of metaphysics here, creating a micro­ cosm according to the design of those who gather within the sacred circle.

The tenth and eleventh stanzas reveal the polarities of Divine Consciousness. These are the God and Goddess, the mystical pil­ lars of light and darkness. \Vi thin \Vicca, the Source of All Things (the Great Spirit) is perceived of as a great Consciousness com­ prised of masculine and feminine qualities. The God and Goddess are equal but different aspects of Divine Consciousness.

Stanza twelve describes the God-Force as the Horned God of the Woodlands. This is a symbol of the antiquity of his aspect dat­ ing back to the days of the hunter-gatherer. He is also seen as the Lord of the Underworld who draws the departed souls from the physical world into the realm of the spirit world. In the ancient mythos, he was the Sun God who rose each day from the Under­ world and moved across the sky, gathering the souls of those who had died during the night. As the Sun set, the God descended into the Underworld carrying with him all of the newly departed souls. Stanza thirteen describes the Goddess as she is associated with the moon. She is ever changing and ever renewing, just as the moon is. She appears waxing with youth or waning with age as she pleases. She is the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. The God­ dess is the Queen of Heaven and the Mistress of Magick. In _the

ancient mythos she receives the souls from the God in the Under­ world and carries them off to the moon. As the souls are collected, the light of the moon increases until it is full. As the souls are reborn again into the world, the light of the moon diminishes, eventually disappearing into the dark night.

Stanzas fourteen and fifteen tell us that the God and Goddess are also aspects of our own consciousness, dwelling deep within our subconscious mind. To love them and celebrate them is to gain liberation. To fear them and dread them is to become a prisoner to one's own mind. Therefore, \Viccans are encouraged to celebrate with wine, song, and love all in their praise.

Stanza sixteen contains the now-famous verses that comprise the Wtccan Red e. This addresses the issue of finding your true will and pursuing it, letting nothing stop you or turn you aside. This is to be done under love with harm to no one else. So the final stan­ za reads: If it harms none, do what you will!