SELECCIÓN Y PREPARACIÓN DE LOS COMPONENTES

Dea, our Lady and Goddess, would solve all mysteries, even the mystery of Death. And so she journeyed to the Underworld in her boat, upon the Sacred River of Descent. Then it came to pass that she entered before the first of the seven gates to the Underworld. And the Guardian challenged her, demanding one o/her gar­ ments for passage, for nothing may be received except that some­ thing be given in return. And at each of the gates the goddess was required to pay the price of passage, for the guardians spoke to her: "Strip off your garments, and set aside your jewels, for noth­ ing may you bring with you into this our realm. "

So Dea surrendered her jewels and her clothing to the Guardians, and was bound as all living must be who seek to enter the realm of Death and the Mighty Ones. At the first gate she gave over her scepter, at the second her crown, at the third her necklace, at the fourth her ring, at the fifth her girdle, at the sixth her sandals, and at the seventh her gown. Dea stood naked and was presented bejiJre Dis, and such was her beauty tb11t he

THE SACRED WICCAN TEXTS 47

himself knelt as she entered. He laid his crown and his sword at her feet saying: "Blessed are your feet which have brought you down this path. " Then he arose and said to Dea: "Stay with me

I

pray, and receive my touch upon your heart. "

And Dea replied to Dis: "But

I

love you not, for why do you cause all the things that

I

love, and take delight in, to fade and die?"

''My Lady" replied Dis "it is age and fate against which you speak.

I

am helpless, for age causes all things to whither, but when men die at the end of their time,

I

give them rest, peace and strength. For a time they dwell with the moon, and the spir­ its of the moon; then may they return to the realm of the living. But you are so lovely, and

I

ask you to return not, but abide with me here. "

But she answered "No, for

I

do not love you. " Then Dis said "If you refuse to embrace me, then you must kneel to death � scourge. " The goddess answered him: "If it is to be, then it is fate, and better so!" So Dea knelt in submission before the hand of Death, and he scourged her with so tender a hand that she cried out

"I

know your pain, and the pain of love. "

Dis raised her to her feet and said "Blessed are you, my Queen and my Lady. " Then he gave to her the five kisses of initiation, saying: "Only thus may you attain to knowledge and to joy. "

And he taught her all of his mysteries, and he gave her the necklace which is the circle of rebirth. And she taught him her mysteries of the sacred cup which is the cauldron of rebirth. They loved and joined in union with each other, and for a time Dea dwelled in the realm of Dis.

For there are three mysteries in the life of Man which are: Sex, Birth, and Death (and love controls them all ).

To

fulfill love, you must return again at the same time and place as those who loved before. And you must meet, recognize, remember, and love them anew. But to be reborn you must die and be made ready for a new body. And to die you must be born, but without love you may not be born among your own.

But our Godde.1:r is inclined to favor love, and joy and happi­ ne.l:r. ,)'bt• gwml1· t1nd L"herishes her hidden children in this life

and the next. In death she reveals the way to her communion, and in life she teaches them the magic of the mystery of the Cir­ cle (which is set between the worlds of men and of the gods).

CO M M E NTARY

-from The Aridian Tradition, Raven Grimassi, �y of the Strega

This text begins with the ancient Mystery Teaching that the God­ dess was originally incomplete in the integration of her totality. In

order to possess the knowledge of all things, she descended into matter and experienced decline and physical death (an ancient mythos in many religions). Her journey to the Underworld is sym­ bolic of her passage through the currents flowing between the worlds; ''And so she journeyed to the Underworld in her boat, upon the Sacred River of Descent. "

As the myth unfolds we encounter the theme of relinquish­ ment, noted in the demand for payment by the Guardians at each gate. The seven gates which the Goddess encounters are symbolic of the seven planes (see chapter seven). A surrendering of the Self in order to obtain enlightenment is an ancient theme, found not only in the Mystery Tradition but also in such public religions as Christianity and Buddhism. The items required by the Guardians each represent an isolating or insulating aspect of Consciousness. In this myth is the blueprint for our own surrender to enlighten­ ment, as seen in the drama of the Goddess.

At the first gate she relinquishes her scepter, which is a symbol of her personal power to extend influence outward over other things around her. The loss of such a state of Consciousness iso­ lates one and brings the focus of the Universe directly upon his or her own existence. The second gate requires her crown, symbolic of her authority; in other words, what others will grant submission to in recognition of her power or worthiness. This may be seen in our own lives as a loss of status among our peers or within our community. This separates us from being able to identify ourselves with our careers or families, leaving only what we n·ally arc,

THE SACRED WICCAN TEXTS 49

stripped of external references within the society in which we exist. In other words, we are not what we do for a living, or what we pro­ vide for others. When we can no longer identify who we are with what we do, then what remains is who we truly are.

The Guardian of the third gate requires the necklace of the Goddess. This item is symbolic of her claim to personal value, her achievements and accomplishments. In modern society, wealth is viewed as a sign of personal power. It states that the individual is successful and influential according to the standards of the society in which the person operates. This is the cultivated self-image of the individual. Where an individual uses career or position as a buffer to shield the true Self from the perception of others, he or she is employing Self-Image as a shield against per­ sonal introspection.

At the fourth gate the Goddess removes her ring. The ring is symbolic of class level and personal labeling. In _{modern society the}

ring denotes relationships such as engagement and marriage. In ancient times it signified membership in organizations, orders, lodges, and various religious systems. To remove the ring is to stand alone without connection, association, or definition.

The Guardian of the fifth gate requires the Goddess to relin­ quish her girdle. The girdle symbolizes social status and the per­ sonal facades we establish. It is the recognition of our personal lim­ itations and imperfections manifested in the construction of out­ ward appearances. To relinquish the girdle is to open the Self to examination. In ancient Rome the girdle was worn by a woman as an outward symbol that she had now reached the stage of puberty. When the woman was to marry, her parents would tie a knot in the girdle which was later untied by her husband on the wedding night. A married woman continued to wear the girdle which her husband had knotted again after the wedding night. The knot was untied once more when the woman gave birth to her firstborn child, then her girdle was dedicated to Artemis and was no longer worn. In

ancient times a virgin was a woman who had not yet given birth, and so she lost her virginity during labor. Therefore the girdle could no longer be worn in public.

At the sixth gate the Goddess removes her sandals. This rep­ resents the chosen path we walk, or the politics we adhere to. It is what allows us to move along the belief system we embrace. To remove the sandals is to let our personal views drop away. We stand alone without personal agenda, self-direction, or political position. Thus stripped of all our self-imposed limitations (although we do not think of them as such) we can only walk the way of our spirit. Spirit is not concerned with the affairs of physi­ cal existence. Its focus is on matters of the heart and soul.

At the seventh and last gate, the Goddess drops her gown as the final payment to the Guardians of the Portals. The gown is the mortal covering, the connection to linear existence. It is also the Self and its fragile veneer, covering the spirit in a mantle of self-expression. It is what isolates the spirit from the whole of spiritual experience. Once the gown is removed then the spirit may join in union with the Community of Spirits. This is reflect­ ed in the Wiccan practice of celebrating skyclad (nude) in the rit­ ual circle.

At this point in the myth, the Goddess is brought to the Lord of the Underworld. She stands naked before him and so struck is he with her beauty that he kneels before her. Psychologically this is the meeting between the anima and the animus. It is the point at which life and death, increase and decline meet and renew the endless cycle. The Lord of the Underworld tempts her to remain with him and to embrace his realm of existence. This is the temptation to rest in slumber and avoid the labors of the day, for the seed to sleep beneath the soil and struggle not toward the light. The Goddess can end all strife and unite with her opposite, but on his terms.

In _{the myth the Goddess resists the Lord of the Underworld}

and protests against his role in the decline of life. Since she will not embrace him freely he compels her to accept his scourge. He teaches her that he is not responsible for decline and death; his is a role of comforting and transforming those who have crossed over. Thus the Goddess passes into an understanding of her polar­ ity and incorporates it into her own Being. This is reflected in her proclamation of new-found love for the Dark Lord.

THE SACRED WICCAN TEXTS 5 1

Next the legend relates that the Lord and Lady reveal their respective mysteries to each other. The Goddess receives the neck­ lace of rebirth, symbolic of the connective link between the worlds, the inner mechanism. The Dark Lord receives the cauldron of rebirth, symbolic of the power manifest. In the myth we are told that they love and become one. Here we find the achievement of balance between the life and death. No longer are they enemies, but equal participants in a cycle of renewal. The three mysteries in the life of humankind are revealed: Sex becomes the gateway to life from the Underworld, Birth is the renewal, and Death is the trans­ formation whereby old age becomes youth again. Just as a person must sleep in order for his or her body to be refreshed, so too must the soul rest and renew itself in the sleep of the Underworld.

The legend continues with the Mystery Teaching concerning reincarnation. Here we are told that we must meet, recognize, remember, and love anew. This teaching originates from the time of the early clans and is connected with the Slain God mythos. The sending of the willing sacrifice to convey the needs of the tribe before the Gods themselves is a very ancient concept. Once the sacrificial victim was dispatched the clan held magickal rites designed to ensure the rebirth of the soul among his or her own people. This is one of the reasons Hereditary Witch families are so concerned about blood lines.

The final passages in the legend address the issue of the enlightenment gained by the Goddess herself in the descent. To be one of her hidden children is to descend into the shadows and unite with her mythos. In _{so doing the soul is aligned with her}

renewal and unites with her in spiritual union (the way of her com­ munion). In the last verses we find that the magick whereby we become aligned to the Goddess resides between the worlds. The Circle of Magick on this plane is the ritual circle wherein we cele­ brate the wheel of the year and the Lunar rites. Once properly cast the circle moves between the worlds and we are magickally aligned with the Goddess. As above, so below, the Circle of Magick upon the planes is the unfolding of the Legend of the Descent whereby we encounter the Dark Lord and inherit the legacy passed to her in this Realm of Shadows, the legacy of renewal and rebirth.

In document MANUAL EXPOSICIONES DE FLORES (página 139-146)