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Willow Firesong's
Here you will find our beliefs, our myths, our holidays and their meanings, all of the foundations for our religion. Our ethics and our actions all arise from our basic beliefs about the nature of the world.
Circle of Firelight is a neopagan religion as defined by Willow Firesong and BarleySinger, and followed by anyone who believes and act in accordance with those definitions. That simply means that it is a recently described nature-based faith unrelated to Christianity or any Biblical faith. The individuals in question make no claim about the validity of the path for others, it is simply a definition of the path on which they find themselves.
Throughout the ages of humankind, people have sought within themselves and the world around them for the answers to the questions of ethics and the nature of the universe. We have found, over time, that we are not the only ones to have reached the conclusions we have from this search. We recognize the common path we share with those others, now and throughout history.
We do not know when anyone first reached these views; we are writing them down for our own purposes in the closing months of 1998 CE. Since we do not accord the written word any superstitious respect that we would not grant its author were we to meet them in person, we do not feel that the volume of written material supporting any person's beliefs changes the validity of their reasons for believing as they do. We all live in the same world, though we may understand it differently, and so the test for the validity of any belief is always the same, accordance with reality.
We recognize that many people have voiced sentiments that are in accordance with our beliefs, and state them beautifully and eloquently. These statements, and the people who made them, are an intended addition to this site, as Words of Wisdom by teachers of many faiths.
No. We acknowledge that each person is called to the path which most accords with their understanding of reality. When we seek to interact with others, we need to define our terms before we can have a meaningful discussion on most religious, spiritual, magical or metaphysical topics. When we accepted the call we had felt to ordination, allowing us to help broaden the choices and opportunites available to pagans and witches to celebrate their beliefs and the major events in their lives, we realized that there was a need for us to define our beliefs in a way that could be clearly understood by others, who could then decide if they were comfortable reaching out to us. Our beliefs need not match yours exactly for us to wish to reach out, or reach back, and share what we can with those who respect our beliefs.
We know that there are many different pagan paths, and we do not seek to pass judgement on any other path by acknowledging the distinguishing factors that mark our tradition as distinct from others. If you share our beliefs, and live by them, we recognize you as a fellow-traveler upon this path, and a member of a common tradition, by whatever name you choose to call it. If you differ here or there, we will think no less of you, if the differences are not such as to violate our ethics. Whether we agree with you or not, we accept the followers of all non-harmful paths as positive in their beliefs and worthy of our respect. We extend also the respect of acknowledging seriousness of belief in all, regardless of path.
We encourage everyone to define their own beliefs clearly, for their own understanding and clarity. If you are open to sharing your beliefs with others, having a clear understanding of your own most basic beliefs makes it easier to communicate them to others. It also helps ensure that you are less likely to be swayed into blindly accepting the beliefs of others as your own. When we try to follow whatever path is being eloquently propounded at the moment, we risk trying to believe things which are incompatible, which may be viewed as a form of schizophrenia. Our beliefs should accord completely with reality as we understand and interact with it. When they do not, we should evaluate them, and consider the cause of the disparity, and what implications it holds for our beliefs.
No. While Circle of Firelight has much in common with Wicca, it also has certain areas of difference.
Among these, we do not feel that we can hand off the responsibility for defining our beliefs and judging the rightness of our actions to others. Because of this, we do not recognize the writings of any person, including Alaistair Crowley, Gerald Gardner, or the founders of any branch of Wicca as the definitive guide to our actions and ethics. If you wish to understand what we believe, you must turn instead to reading our own writings, asking us questions, or observing our actions for yourself.
We acknowledge that the duality of nature, encompassing polar opposites only in equal proportion, does not require our efforts to ensure that balance, and we should therefore not emphasize one aspect or gender of god/dess over another, even in an attempt to redress apparent imbalance. When the pendulum has swung off-balance, this is best corrected by removing the obstructing force that keeps it there, not pushing on it even harder until it swings at least as far off-balance the other direction. When we emphasize one gender over another, we feel that we are encouraging imbalance, a violation of our ethics due to the harm inherent in such actions. Many Wiccans feel that the Goddess is the preeminent defining aspect of their religion, neglecting or omitting the balancing male God element. Please note also that many other Wiccans respect this balance, and are often disturbed by the gynocentric view of their religion promoted by only a portion of its followers.
That depends on your definition of WitchCraft. There are so many definitions for that term, many of them emotionally loaded, that we prefer to let the individual make that judgement for themselves.
We are not the classical "witches" of the Spanish Inquisition, the image that has been passed on to modern times; no one was. That image was created to persecute anyone who believed something other than was believed by the religious sects responsible. The descriptors were such as would describe any older woman of the peasantry, thereby terrorizing the entire population with the image of their mothers and grandmothers being accused of witchcraft, a crime that required forfeiture of the "witch's" property. This was often then split by the church, which acted as judge and jury, with the very person who brought the accusation. Over the many years of the Spanish Inquisition, most of the opposition to the power of the Church fell victim to the tortures of the Inquisition. Educated men and women of all kinds, midwives and artists fell to the accusations. None of them were any more likely to follow a non-Christian or nature-related religion than their neighbors, their crime was having something someone wanted, or being in someone's way, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
We are not the "witches" of "The Craft", "The Witches", "Hocus Pocus", "Practical Magic", "Sabrina", or any other recent movie or TV show. They aren't real. Someone made them up to entertain us and make money. We can be entertained, or not, but we should not confuse these fantasy worlds with reality.
Religion is a word having its roots in the Latin word for "re-linking". When the creators of Circle of Firelight sought to re-link with the world around them, and the spiritual aspects thereof, these beliefs were the result. Eventually, we felt the call to share these beliefs and our own spiritual resources with others; that path lead us first to ordination, and then to sharing these understandings with others. Circle of Firelight is the result; a place where we share our understandings with others.
No. We believe in the truths of the world around us. Circle of Firelight is our way of explaining the experiential understanding that we have reached in communing with the same world you live in, the same world that is available to you to learn from. We believe that the grass is green, the sky is up, and the earth is fertile. We believe what we have seen, and touched, and felt; experience of all kinds has gone into our beliefs. Any belief that does not accord with reality is subject to being re-evaluated and changed to reflect the truth of objective fact.
We believe that our world is sacred. We believe that nature encompasses the entire living world, and that sacred nature is present in each and every living being. We are pantheists - we believe that divinity may be found in each and every element of the world of nature. We believe that nothing is unnatural, since we are a part of nature, even the belief that we are not part of nature, or are above its rules, though we find that idea less than credible and quite destructive. We believe that nature does not need us, or our worship, but we may choose to live in harmony with nature, and we will benefit by not attempting to fight the world around us at every turn. We believe that our actions return to us in kind several times over. We believe that at heart all of the universe is energetic in nature, that the smallest level to which matter has been divided is, in fact, energy. We believe that the energy of all living beings interacts with the energy of the world around them, and with each other's energy, depending on proximity. We believe in the cycles of the seasons and the stars, that many things are cyclic in nature, and that action brings reaction in proportion to the energy released by the original action.
As mentioned earlier, Circle of Firelight has much in common with Wicca; one of the commonalities is the belief in the precept of "An (if) it harm none, do as thou wilt". That means that any action which harms no one, including the person taking the action, is acceptable; however, our definition of harm is very strict, encompassing any negative result that impacts another living being. Since we also believe that nature is in a constant state of conflict, with each life form being dependent on the death of another in order to stay alive, we recognize that at times one must act in a way that harms another. In that case, one's responsibility is to minimize the harm that comes of the action one must take, causing no harm that is not necessary to sustain life. Each individual is responsible first and foremost for self and any dependents (children, pets, etc.), then to their family, their community, their species, and their planet. Where conflict of interest arises, it is to each person to evaluate the risks and benefits of each course of action available, choosing that which causes least risk of harm, and greatest benefit in accordance with our responsibilities to each other.
We recognize what is called in some neopagan circles "The Law of Karma", or "What goes around, comes around". Some are familiar with it as the 3-fold law, but we do not believe in a set limit to the degree to which one's actions return; we are only certain that they do. Every action that we take, for good or ill, sets in motion a chain of events that will eventually return the nature of the action to us. If we help another, they benefit, they may be able to help another person, who also benefits, and that person in the end may speak of us with good will - another benefit. If we cause harm to another, they will bear ill will against us, and speak ill of us, withholding their aid in the future; one way and another, our actions rebound upon ourselves, and it is for us to determine if that will be for good or ill. Each action is likely to return at least 3-fold, but that is not a set limit. The practical result of this belief is that we live in accordance with the principle that we must "do unto others as we would have them do unto us". The basis for this belief may vary with the religion, but it is common to most religions we recognize as positive.
We do acknowledge that religions, as with any other organized group of individuals, are bound by the same laws of ethics and return that bind the individual. This means that those which cause unnecessary harm to others have violated our code of ethics, and we consider them to be negative. Those religions which acknowledge the sacred nature of life, and the universe around us, and which seek to abide by our ethical standard of refraining from causing any harm unnecessary to maintain life, we consider to be positive. Some religions have an overall tendency to be positive or negative, while others vary from sect to sect, or from individual to individual.
Christianity has a lot of positive teachings, which we recognize and accept on their own merit. It has also many negative teachings, including a division between man and nature, and a concept of man's supremacy to nature, as well as the belief that this world is only a prelude, or a testing ground, for a greater world to come. As such, we have to recognize that there are positive practicioners of Christianity, and negative, without regard to branch or sect. We do, however, feel that some sects bear within them a tendency toward a more positive or negative attitude; we respect most the beliefs of the Coptic, Gnostic, and Celtic Christian sects, while finding ourselves greatly disturbed by the persecutorial attitude of the Evangelical Protestant sects.
A modern Christian is only responsible for the actions of historical Christianity insofar as they follow the same belief system, promote the same attitude, or create the same conditions, positive or negative. If a Christian expresses regret for the harm done by the religion, together with an active attempt to promote the more positive aspects of the religion, that person shares responsibility for the positive aspects; as long as they do not, by their beliefs and actions, promote the same conditions that caused the harm historically attributable to the religion, they cannot be held responsible for it. This is true in reverse, as well.
We have no more, or less, in common with the Satanist churches than we do the Christians. Satan, Lucifer, the Devil - all are Judeo-Christian concepts, and have no close counterpart in pagan religion. Though people have sought and drawn superficial similarities between Satan and some of the pagan deities of sexuality, or death and the underworld, these tend to fall apart on closer inspection. Satan, as the Jewish concept of the Adversary in a point under formal discussion or argument, can only exist within an adversarial system.
Some Satanists claim to believe only that this world is all there is to be for them, and their pleasures must come here, yet they are otherwise caring, generous, and positive in their outlook and approach to life. Others believe that they are not bound by the conventions and concerns that bind people and all life together, having deliberately and intentionally turned their back on that connection with others; these tend to show no concern toward the effects of their actions on others, and we must consider them negative.
We find that we have a lot in common with many Native American, First Nations, or other aboriginal shamanistic traditions. The Shinto beliefs have much in common with our own as well, recognizing the spirit of life within all things. Both Buddhism and Hinduism have much in common with our own beliefs, either inward or outward. Buddhism recognizes that wisdom and insight must be found within, while Hinduism recognizes the balance between male and female principles, and the presentation of archetypes for each aspect of life. On the other hand, Islam, as a Biblical tradition, together with Judaism, have some areas of essential difference that we suspect are likely to continue a rift in our ability to share basic fundamental concepts essential to our beliefs, in either direction. In general, any transcendent religion is apt to have a significant difference from our own, as we honor the very world those religions seek to transcend. On the other hand, nature based teachings are apt to be strongly similar, as nature has only one set of lessons to teach to any who would listen.
We recognize that nature encompasses many forces. As humans, we can best relate to these forces by humanizing them. Gods and Goddesses are these humanized expressions of forces of nature. The shape we give them dictates what aspect of nature we are dealing with in that deity, and it is therefore ESSENTIAL not to attempt to interact with a major force of nature in the form of a God or Goddess one does not fully understand.
The most fundamental unit of functioning of the human mind is energy, and that energy impresses itself on the world around us; a group of people who all believe in a God or Goddess will lend that deity a strength of form that is beyond the ability of one individual to reshape. One should not expect to be able to address only those aspects of a deity one wishes to; the shape lent by the belief of many will cause the whole to manifest where even a part is successfully invoked.
So, while we recognize the ability of belief to shape a force or aspect of the natural world into a more comprehensible humanized form, which we may call a god or goddess, we believe it is often wiser to approach nature as is, without seeking to humanize or influence it. It is difficult to know what baggage may be attached to any god or goddess, and until that baggage is fully understood, it is wisest not to seek to call upon or interact with that personification of deity.
We believe that it is possible to both evoke the aspects of a deity within one's own being, and to invoke a deity on an external plane, calling forth that aspect of nature to be predominant in a given space for a time. As mentioned above, this is not always a very good idea, and should be done with care and consideration at all times.
The answer to that again depends upon your definition. We believe that it is possible to interact with, and act upon, the world in ways that are not currently accepted by the scientific establishment. We do, however, believe that only one set of laws govern all of the natural world, and that if we were able to understand those natural laws fully, we would find that they abide by the principles of empiric science, and encompass much of what we currently consider to be "magical", or outside the realm of known science.
We know that our minds function energetically, at their most basic level, just as our body generates electricity to stimulate our hearts to beat. Our minds, therefore, are conceivably able to interface directly with the energetic phenomena of the larger world, just as we are able to perceive the energy of light or heat. This is the explanation we currently accept for much of what is considered psi or psychic phenomena, as well as much of what is considered to be magic.
However, it is important to remember that our religion, as with all else in our world, is subject to the laws of empiric science. Given a replication of circumstances, action, objects, and input, it should be possible to replicate the result. This is what prevents falling down the slippery slope of superstition.
The historical record on divination, as well as anecdotal evidence, is marked by a mixture of sensationalism, fraud, wishful thinking, partial accuracy, and occasional wild success. Clearly there are many elements involved here, which should be sorted out from one another in order to answer this question fully.
Outright fraud is never acceptable, whether the nature of the fraud is knowing deception in divination or in business. Divination, as with all else in life, is subject to the ethical stricture that we cause knowing harm to none, or suffer the effects of the action several times over. Some practicioners of divination, particularly those who use it in a religious context, do not believe in accepting any money for their magical or religious practise. However, money is not the only criterion for fraud, and it is still possible to knowingly delude a person and cause them harm when money is not involved. This is illegal, unethical, and unacceptable.
Where there is no intent to deceive, it is still possible to be deluded, finding chance similarities and hanging on them a tissue of lies or wishful thinking. Even where genuine effects are achieved, one would be wise to ensure against interference by random, mischievous, or malignant metaphysical energies. After all, many people use Ouija boards and other techniques to attempt to contact the dead; even if one should succeed in this attempt, would you go up to a person at random and ask them questions about what is to happen in your life, or the nature of the universe?
When divination is practised with consistent accuracy, by a person who has taken reasonable precautions against random or deliberate interference, including fraud, it can be considered to be genuine, and used to provide beneficial insight. Even when the cards or other divinatory tools are used in a non-metaphysical way, they can be of genuine benefit in the counseling of individuals seeking better understanding of their own minds and beliefs. The interpretation put by a person on the cards or other divinatory tools before them can be very telling, and allow them to gain insight into their own understanding of the situation or their feelings about it, especially in the hands of a trained and experienced counselor. Some members of the pagan clergy use divinatory tools as part of their counseling techniques, and this is not subject to criticism as long as the standard ethical guidelines are followed, as always.
Even accurate divination is subject to change. Divination, as I understand and practise it, is like reading the signposts on a road. You can tell where you have come from, where your current path will take you, and what lies in you your immediate environment. We are always free to choose to leave our current path, to backtrack, choose another path, or set out cross-country. We are confronted by choices at every turn, and each choice determines our eventual destination.
Our brains are structured to respond to patterns. It is the ability to analyze and respond to those patterns that creates a portion of our intelligence. It is reasonable, then, to believe that a ritual, or pattern of stimuli, could evoke a consistent response within the brain. In fact, many religions and philosophies embrace the use of repeating patterns to access certain aspects of the mind, and/or the brain. We believe that, just as writing depends on a set of abstract symbols that acquire meaning through their pattern of relation, we can create meaningful change within the brain by selecting symbols of meaning to us, and arranging them in a ritual, or pattern. Since the brain is our primary tool for creating change in our outer world, the use of ritual can create change on the larger scale through the changes it evokes in the brain.
There are other means of creating change within the brain, and these can be applied instead of, or in conjunction with, ritual. The most important element to bear in mind is that ritual is only a tool, one of many, and we must never allow our tools to control our lives.
Just as ritual can create changes in the individual, so, too, it can create similar changes in a group of people, bonding them together for a moment toward a given end and purpose. Group ritual provides a means of celebration, mourning, and providing support to one another through the ups and downs of life.
Some times and seasons, both in the world and in the lives of individuals, naturally lend themselves to gathering together in groups, to celebrate, blow off steam, or find support in a common experience. Among these are agricultural holidays, like planting and harvest, when we work together in concert on a great effort; seasonal holidays, like the darkest depths of winter when the light returns; and personal events, like marriages, births, and deaths. When we come together to mark these occasions, we share our strengths and minimize our weak areas - there is someone among us to cook the festive meal, sing the songs of the occasion, write the ritual with which we celebrate, and make the event a light burden for the earth on which it is held, and those who may dwell in that space, by cleaning up after the gathering. Many hands make light work, and many voices raised in song make beautiful harmonies of the voice and the soul.
However, not every event is suited for group celebration, and we must not discriminate against those who choose to celebrate or contemplate alone. At one time or another, each of us hears the call to solitary contemplation, or feels the need to mark something deeply personal and private. There is within each of us a balance between the need for others, and the need for quiet time alone.
Sometimes, especially when we are first searching our souls to discover what we believe, or have left another form of organized religion, we feel a need to retreat from others, to ensure that the still, small voice we hear is our own inner voice. Many of us feel a need to make other people comfortable or happy, and we can lose our sense of self in this if we are not careful to maintain a strong awareness of our own ethics and beliefs. For this reason it can be wise for any person to take some time alone to reflect upon what is important to them, and whether their life reflects that, or meets their needs. This can involve evaluating every belief, every habit, every major action and decision; religion and ethics are not the only aspects of life subject to evaluation. Some cultures have rituals to help a person through these periods of self assessment; these can be useful, but are not strictly necessary. What is important is honest self-evaluation, and respect for one's own person and beliefs.
The repeatability of so-called "near death experience" phenomena, where the individual is actually experiencing clinical death for a period of time, however brief, leads an objective observer to the strong suspicion that something does, indeed, continue past the point where we consider the death of the body to take place.
We believe that the body is only one representation of the energetic life form that we are in our truest representation, just as science has shown that each of the molecules and atoms that make up our beings is, at heart, no more than energetic phenomena. Just how that life form continues past the point where it ceases to inhabit the 3-dimensional physical representation we are accustomed to considering to be the body, is as yet undetermined. However, we do believe that something continues, and that that something can return, reborn in the body of another person, for reasons as yet unknown.
This belief is based in part on repeatably documented evidence collected by a variety of researchers, most notably a woman who recently collected the stories of hundreds of children who could clearly recall past lives, which were then researched to a specific individual who had died before the children were born. Since these children were too young to have researched the material necessary to their stories on their own, we consider this to be adequate scientific evidence for the possibility of rebirth of an individual's consciousness.
We believe that it is possible that an individual's beliefs can create the experience they undergo upon the death of the physical body. Therefore, it is possible for an individual to experience Heaven or Hell if they believe in it wholeheartedly. Some of us also acknowledge the possibility of an after life experience that is dictated by the beliefs of others, since energy can affect other energetic phenomena. However, it is rare that many people will be spending their energy on dictating that another person go to Heaven or Hell, so this can be considered an uncommon possibility. For the most part, we believe it is only likely that an individual will experience Heaven or Hell if they believe strongly enough that they will go to either place. Interestingly enough, we don't believe that their belief will dictate whether they experience Heaven, or Hell, simply that they will experience one or the other. Which one may be determined by the subconscious beliefs of the individual, or the teachings of others.
A person's beliefs are among the forces that determine reality, for that individual and others, but they are only one set among many forces that all act together to create what we consider to be objective reality. If you stand under a large object, and it falls, it doesn't matter how hard you disbelieve, it will still squash you if you don't move in time. The energy of your belief or disbelief is negligible compared to that released by the falling object.
Sex is a sacred and beautiful experience, meant to be shared by consenting adults, who choose to share their bodies and selves with each other, and take responsibility for any children who might result from their union. It should be entered into with a clear understanding among all parties involved as to exactly what is being promised, and for how long. Sexuality is too important and essential to our natures to be allowed to be tainted by anything that is not "safe, sane, and consensual". In the words of the Church of All Worlds, "If you don't want it, you can't have any." What is important is that everyone understands what is being agreed upon, and is comfortable and happy with it. What is even more important is providing for any children of the union; children deserve stability and love.
Homosexuality, together with polyamory, monogamy, polygamy, polyandry, polyfidelity, and nearly every other form of sexuality, is found throughout the natural world. We, as part of that natural world, are as subject to these varying forms of sexuality as the rest of the animal kingdom. We believe that people are subject to innate variations in their desires, and that most people fall somewhere in the spectrum between extreme homosexuality and extreme heterosexuality. Experience and circumstance can influence what aspects of our innate tastes and desires are expressed, but cannot create a desire that is not innate to the individual.
Homosexuality also does not preclude the desire to have children, or to raise them. Many men and women who are homosexual or bisexual by natural desire make excellent parents, and should be encouraged in their desire if there is an acceptable means available to them to do so. Only the parents, and any other parties directly involved, can determine what constitutes an acceptable means to them; for some, the desire is for a child of their body and/or their genetic lineage, while others are glad to adopt an infant or child in need of a safe, loving and stable home. There is every indication that loving parenting in a stable home by homosexual parents has no influence on the sexual or other development of the child, save perhaps encouraging an open-mindedness and self-awareness that is not as common in the population at large. Since this is beneficial to the child, there is no reason to discourage any stable and loving home from adopting or fostering a child, no matter what the internal relationship of its members.
Love is the strongest bond that can exist between people, and where it exists, gender is no reason to reject it. This is true in religious and magical practice as it is in day to day life. It is important to remember that the balance of opposites, dark and light, male and female, is true of the whole of nature, and we have no need to enforce it any more than we need to enforce gravity. If a man feels called to draw upon the feminine, or goddess energy, that is his right and prerogative, just as a woman may be called to draw upon the god. What goes on between a person and their sense of the divine inspiration is internal and subjective, and not subject to criticism or rejection by others. There is no need to balance the genders within a magical gathering, as long as the energies within are in balance.
This excludes so-called "Women's Mysteries" and "Men's Mysteries", which are specific to the gender with which the person lives each day. These are explorations of the spiritual, metaphysical, and personal aspects of being male or female, and require that a person has lived within the gender before they can bring an understanding to the proceedings. This does not preclude a gathering choosing to throw itself open to an outer Silent Circle of those who would listen, of any gender, or any age. The ages, too, have Mysteries specific to them, and when those of a given age choose to gather to explore these, those outside the age have no place save in the Silent Circle.
Some members of our community are affected by various factors in their prenatal development and formative years. This can result in everything from certain forms of cancer to a condition known as gender dysphoria, in which the external or apparent gender does not correspond with the internally experienced gender of the individual. These people are fortunate when they are listened to and understood by their medical practicioners, and allowed to undergo the prescribed medical treatment for this condition, which includes psychological and/or psychiatric evaluation and counseling, living within the internally experienced gender, and eventually corrective surgery to allow the external gender to correspond with the internal.
Many people with gender dysphoria are not this fortunate. They tend to be at a severe disadvantage in employment, housing, daily life, and are even commonly disowned by families who are unable to accept their child's medical condition. During "Transition", the period in which the pre-surgical transsexual must live as the internal gender while the external body is still attempting to express the wrong gender, especially, many transexuals are completely unable to find employment, and there have been cases where presurgical transsexuals were unable to find money to sustain themselves, much less pay for their surgeries and medical treatment, without subjecting themselves to horrors far beyond the experience of the ordinary person, and beyond the scope of this page in nature.
Any person who would undergo such cruelty and horror as even the luckiest of persons with this medical condition is subjected to on a regular, if not daily basis, must be assumed to be quite sincere and certain in their perception of their internal gender. They are also the person in best position to know, and must, therefore, be treated in all circumstances as the gender they discern in themselves and present to the world, and which their post-surgical body will express if they are fortunate enough to be able to afford the surgery. Even in those unfortunate persons for whom surgery is but a distant possibility, due to financial circumstance, the choice to live under another gender must be honored; in fact, these people are worthy of more compassion and understanding than their more fortunate fellow sufferers, because they are likely to have to live with a body that violates their very sense of self, their soul, for the rest of their life.
Any person suffering this condition has done more self-questioning than we could ever do for them; they should not be subjected to questioning by their family, friends, and casual acquaintances. The only persons with any right, reason, or responsibility to ask questions verifying the gender of social interaction are medical personnel involved in treatment of the individual, those who are seriously considering an intimate physical relationship with the individual, and those in charge of preserving the gender-distinction in places where this is of serious concern - this does not include the relatively private space of a public restroom, with its individual stalls, though it can apply to Men's or Women's Mysteries where the material being dealt with is of an intense and personal nature. In these latter cases, one asking of the question should suffice; given understanding and acceptance of the responsibility held by the person in question, the person being asked should give their reasonable cooperation.
If you encounter a person whose apparent gender does not match the gender division of a space you have chosen to be in, and you have serious grounds for concern due to the nature of the circumstance, it is best to examine your reasons for concern; if they still seem significant, approach the individual in charge of maintaining gender distinction, generally the organizer or leader of the event, or the person in charge of the location. They are almost certainly aware of the person in question, and can confirm their status; if not, they are the best person to enquire into the matter, being the only person with the right and responsibility to affirm the gender of those present. They can also ensure that those individuals of unusual appearance are not subjected to multiple inquiries; even well-meaning and in the best of faith, these can ruin the gathering for the person thus singled out. If there is enough trust and caring present in the gathering, the transsexual confronted with this type of situation may choose to educate, but s/he is not obligated to do so. This is daily life, and we know better than to force sufferers of life-altering medical conditions to explain the nature of their existence to every casual inquirer or person with whom they must interact.
There is a significant disproportion in numbers of transsexuals who are women born in men's bodies, vs. men born in women's bodies. Ten times as many transsexuals are Male to Female than seek surgery to change their external body from Female to Male. This may be related to the presence of extremely high levels of xenoestrogens, or chemical contaminants that act as female hormones, in our environment. Male to Female transsexualism is often associate with the use of DiEthylStilbestrol, or DES, by their mothers prenatally; this is a female hormone sometimes used as a fertility drug. It is possible that our pollution of our air and water with female hormones may be causing more women to be born, even in men's bodies. It is known scientific fact that the proportion of male to female births in the US has shifted from the standard 49-51 (more women than men are born in every nation), to a statistically significant 47 percent male births, 53 percent female.
It is also important to note that gender is no guide to sexual orientation, even among the transsexual population. Just as with the rest of us, transsexuals of either variety fall somewhere on the spectrum of sexuality, from love of one gender, through love of both, to love of the other. Their status, pre or post surgical also has nothing to do with it. Currently, laws in all US states require transsexuals to dissolve any legal marriages before surgery, but this is a legal discrimination being fought by these persons, in conjunction with a number of civil rights groups.
Transsexuals are as capable of loving monogamous marriage, both pre and post surgery, as any other persons. They are also as capable of responsibly or irresponsibly enjoying their sexuality after surgery as any other person. Before surgery, however, it is another story - I do not know how many of us could function sexually with no problems while attempting to operate a body that is not even our own gender. Counseling and therapy, including hormonal therapy both before and after surgery, can make it possible for these medically challenged individuals to overcome the handicap they face, and become more balanced and healthy in their attitude toward sexuality than many who are not confronted with such challenges to their very sex and sexuality, among the most basic defining elements of the self. Some of these persons experience profound feelings when they find that they are, in fact, possessed of divine archetypes, in the person of Hermaphrodite, and other deities who bear within them elements of both male and female, or in Kore, or other goddesses who have suffered imprisonment. The feeling of being a goddess trapped within the body of a man is not uncommon to pagan transsexuals, and this imagery can be very powerful. This aspect of pagan religion can offer the potential for significant healing experiences for many persons of unusual gender, transsexual or otherwise. Many have been told that they are unnatural, and to find a religion that accepts them and their place in the natural world is a welcome and healing experience.
Because, perhaps, of the challenges they must face and overcome in seeking the health that is the most basic portion of every person, some cultures have revered the person of unusual, mismatched, or ambiguous gender and/or sexuality as spiritual in nature, partaking of both the divine male and female essences, in a mixture too intense for human flesh to sustain without strain or damage. It is true that these people have a unique perspective that may offer unique insights into the nature of the masculine and feminine aspects of nature and divinity. Some transsexuals consider themselves to be, as they put it, ninety degrees off from gender as we know it. From this angle, there may be much to be seen, and our culture, community, and religion cannot help but benefit from the richness of welcoming unique perspectives of all varieties, including this misunderstood and victimized segment of our population.
Polyamory is the sharing of a sexual experience by multiple persons, whether in succession or in conjunction. As has been said, we view sex as a sacred and beautiful experience, meant to be shared by consenting adults, who choose to share their bodies and selves with each other, and take responsibility for any children who might result from their union. It should be entered into with a clear understanding among all parties involved as to exactly what is being promised, and for how long. Clearly, there is nothing in this to preclude polyamory, if that is what is desired by all participants, and if it is being practised in a stable form if any party involved has children. Polyfidelity, the choice of a faithful sexual relationship involving more than two people, is the form of polyamory generally under discussion where children are involved.
Sexuality is too important and essential to our natures to be allowed to be tainted by anything that is not "safe, sane, and consensual". In the words of the Church of All Worlds, "If you don't want it, you can't have any." What is important is that everyone understands what is being agreed upon, and is comfortable and happy with it. This becomes increasingly important with each relationship that enters the picture. The addition of a single person to a two person relationship introduces not one, but three new relationships into the picture: the relationship of each of the original persons with the new person, for two, and the relationship of all three people together, which is the third. A single relationship offers challenges that most of us have known and found hard enough to deal with. The introduction of three more relationships offers corresponding challenges, and is not a decision to be undertaken lightly. Each person should take time to consider carefully, and confer with the others both seperately and together.
Even more important is providing for any children of the union; children deserve stability and love. This becomes even more important when there are more people involved in the relationship for the children to bond with. For this reason, where children are involved, we believe that there should exist a set of stable and commited relationships upon which the children may depend, and that no person should be introduced into the household, in a sexual context or any other, without first considering the impact upon all existing members of the household, and the relationships within it, ESPECIALLY the children's involvement. It is impossible to have a sexual relationship that escapes the notice of children who are brought up in a reasonable awareness and understanding of the world, and the place of sexuality within it. It shows in the parent's demeanor, if no other trace is left, and it is inevitable that the children will be impacted by any sexual or other serious involvement on the part of the parent or other responsible member of the immediate household. Children are a responsibility that takes precedence over the immediate enjoyment of their parents. The involvement of children need not, and should not, completely preclude the involvement of another adult into the home in a loving stable relationship, of a sexual nature otherwise, it simply must be done with due care and consideration.
As children grow into physical and sexual adulthood, their hormonal drive will created in them a desire to explore the sexual aspects of their natures, as these arise in their lives and consciousness. This is a normal and healthy part of development, and should not be condemned or vilified by the adults in their community or family; however, those same adults should be guarding the interests of the child in protecting them from inappropriate advantage being taken by an adult of the first stages of the child/adults's developing sexuality. For adolescents to explore their hearts and bodies together as they grow can be a natural, healthy, and wholesome activity, as long as it is not tainted by manipulation or abuse by a more experienced person.
One of the greatest gifts that loving adults can give a child is the ability to reach adulthood confident in their sexuality and unscarred by inappropriate and injurious experiences for which they were not ready, nor able to protect themselves, due to lack of experience on which to base their judgements. No matter how bright or advanced the young person in question, it is impossible to have a foundation for good judgement in an area in which one has no experience.
Puberty is the absolute minimum age for sexual expression, however - there is absolutely no excuse for encouraging serious sexual behaviour in a child who has not yet reached sexual maturity as expressed by fertility. Imitative play by young children is, of course, another matter, as is the natural curiosity about the difference in body types between the sexes - children who are not shielded from adult expressions of love, but are instead taught that these are for adults who love each other, are apt to mimic the healthy relationships they see, first in their play, then in their own lives. This is natural and healthy.
Sex is not only sacred, it is inherently a very strong form of personal energy. A powerful sexual experience can, and does, create energy that can be utilized by the mind in the way that we sometimes choose to term magic. If done intentionally for this purpose, this energy can be intentionally increased; even if done for other reasons, the energy is still available for direction by the mind. Any purpose toward which the Will is already focused will render direction for the use of any available energies, including those of sexual nature.
Marriage is a sacred contract between two or more consenting adults, to share their lives and selves with each other, and raise together any children of the household. It should be entered into with a clear understanding among all parties involved as to exactly what is being promised, and for how long. Some prefer to marry forever, others until parted by death, others until love ends. Some prefer monogamy, others other forms of fidelity, while others have no preference. Some want children, others don't, while others don't care. What is important is that everyone understands what is being agreed upon, and is comfortable and happy with it. What is even more important is providing for any children of the union; children deserve stability and love.
Just as I believe in gravity, whether it's convenient or enjoyable, so too, I believe in divorce. It exists as a necessary means of undoing mistakes, or acknowledging change that has caused those in the marriage to grow apart. However, it is not a primary solution, but rather a last-ditch solution when all else has failed. If all parties enter into a union with a clear understanding of what is wanted, expected, and commited to, it is unlikely that divorce will be a necessary option. When people grow from a place where they are truly together, they rarely grow apart. This is why it is important that all parties be honest with each other, and make sure they know each other well from the start.
We have no objection to interfaith marriages, per se, as long as the couple remain compatible enough to be happy together, and have come to a comfortable decision regard which tradition to raise the child or children of the union, if any. It is likely to be necessary that the other faith be one that we consider to be positive, as it's hard to imagine a comfortable union between people who are disturbed by one another's beliefs.
Until such time as a non-human wants to marry with a human being, and can clearly demonstrate and attest to that fact, and the human is willing, I do not believe there will be such a thing as an interracial marriage. People of all colors and heritage can be happy together; the only requirements are that they be people, and follow similar social rules.
We believe that people should know each other well, and in all seasons, before committing to something as serious as marriage, whether to an individual, or to a community. The best way we have found to ensure this is a handfasting, a commitment to make a commitment, if all are suited to it. The people involved are essentially engaged, and the commitment is binding and serious, but on a trial basis, to make sure all are truly suited before committing to what cannot be undone. Genes cannot be unmixed once a child is engendered, and marriage should recognize that. A handfasting can be for any length of time, in various traditions, but in ours we prefer the common year and a day - this ensures that all parties see each other in all moods and seasons. Summer love is very different under the bleak light of a February or November sky.
Children are a joy and a blessing, and the greatest responsibility known to humankind. They are our own gift to ourselves and to the universe around us. They must be raised in a loving atmosphere, by parents or guardians who have chosen to make them a priority, worthy of care for their health, well-being, and individuality. They deserve stability where possible in an ever-changing world, and love as a constant, in the form of the ready availability of a loving adult throughout their entire growing into their own adulthood. Their schooling should reflect the same attitude, giving them every opportunity to develop to their fullest potential; the direction of their development should be appropriate to their own character, aptitude, and desires, for only then will they be able to give the most to themselves and the world.
Freedom is among the most important elements to maintain in the life of a child, but even more important than that is safety and security and love, the elements in life that allow a child the true freedom to develop in health. Parents, and all other loving adults who have chosen to allow themselves to be important in the life of a child, are responsible for balancing these elements, allowing the child the freedom to develop into the adult they are capable of becoming, while ensuring the safety and health that they need to reach that potential. Above all, they must always make themselves available, or assure themselves and the child of the ready availability of a trusted adult - and that means trusted BY THE CHILD, AND THE PARENT(S)!
For the purpose of this discussion, the parents of a child are the adults who have made themselves responsible for the care and well-being of a child, generally through bringing that child into the world, but often through other means, such as adoption, or fostering. What is most important is that the child love them, that they love the child, and that the care and well-being of the child is the foremost consideration in their decisions until the child reaches adulthood, and is able to care for hirself*. It is impossible for a child to come into this world without some adult somewhere having a responsibility to this new life that is not to be denied; if that person does not remain available, or is unable to care for a child to the best interest of that child, that responsibility may/must be passed on to another person(s), who becomes the parent(s) for the purpose of this discussion. It does not seem to matter to the development of the child what age or gender the adults are, or the nature of their relationship, as long as they provide a loving and stable home.
Whatever the nature of the parenthood, these adults should not have to function alone; the healthiest children remain those who are brought up in a community of caring, trustworthy adults. Children are a 24-hour-a-day responsibility, 7 days a week, though the degree changes as the child grows to adulthood and takes on responsibility for elements of hir own life. It is difficult for 2 healthy young adults to keep up with this demand and still meet the demands of providing for the family; where there are health problems, or a single parent must function alone for whatever reason, the demand can be devastating to the resources available, unless there is a strong community of dependable family or friends to draw on. Providing this community of support for themselves and their family is in many ways a paramount responsibility of the parent(s). Children don't give you sick days, or vacation; there are no kennels where they can be placed when you have no one to care for them. They need a caring adult to watch over their development, and ensure that no danger suddenly arises for which the child is not yet able take the responsibility of response.
As the child grows, and acquires the experience necessary to judge each situation for hirself*, these adults need to gradually release the responsibility for each aspect of life to the manifesting adult, as it becomes appropriate to do so. This does not release these loving adults from the need and desire to keep the newly adult member of the community safe and healthy, insofar as they would do for any other adult that they care about. It is simply an acknowledgement that the developing adult has benefitted from the time and opportunity provided to learn life's lessons in a safe environment, and is now able to take responsibility hir own life. This does not happen all at once, but for each aspect of life in turn, as that point is reached.
We do not believe in working any form of magic on any person without their informed consent. Therefore, we do not have any ritual which acts on the newborn child, like the Christian baptism into the body of Christ and his church.
However, there is nothing wrong with welcoming a child into the community, and having adults who pledge to be there for certain aspects of the child's life as the child grows. The birth of a child is cause for celebration, and when the baby is old enough to go out of the house, it is a good time for a welcoming ritual.
The classic image from the fairy tales, of the godmothers gathering around giving gifts, is a good inspiration for the type of welcome that can be suitable. Most important is to welcome the child into the community, making it not just the child of its parents, and so their concern, but the child of the community, and so everyone's concern. The gifts should be hopes, dreams, teachings, and love - the gift of music, of laughter, or knowledge of a craft.
Should children learn science? Remember, we consider the two to be facets of the same truth. Just as I would not teach a small child to make explosives, so I would not teach them any form of powerful action that could be dangerous to them, magical or otherwise. But there is no harm in teaching a child how to focus their will, or ground into the earth. In fact, I consider it important to teach a child how to manage their own energies, and their interaction with the energies around them. It might almost be viewed as a form of metaphysical toilet training those sensitive to the energy (electromagnetic or otherwise) found in their environment may be be disturbed by a child with a strong and vital energy who does not know how to manage that energy to keep it from impinging on those around them. From this point of view, a child with any propensity to interact with the metaphysical aspects of hir* world should be trained in the management of hir own energy.
Most of us teach our children the tradition we follow, as they are growing up. We encourage our children to explore whatever path they are drawn to, and hope that they will evaluate it carefully, with the tools we have given them, to determine whether it is positive and right for them. We hope they will do what is right for them. If it is to follow our path, that would make us happy, but it is not what is essential. What is most important is their well-being, mental, emotional, and spiritual. If we see them following a negative path, we are responsible for speaking to them, just as we would about any other danger to their well-being; if the danger is extreme, as with a young child fascinated by a dangerous cult that imperils its members, we are responsible for intervening on behalf of the well-being of our children, as we would with any other danger beyond their experience or comprehension. We hope that teaching our children to think clearly about the ethics, implications, and merits of different systems of belief will protect them from the dangers of any harmful path, but this does not remove our responsibility to protect them until they are old enough to protect themselves.
As our most basic ethical tenet is to harm none, creating no effects that we are not willing to experience ourselves several times over, violence is an option of last resort, only. When defending one's person, family, home, or loved ones, it is obviously acceptable to return to the initiator of violence the rewards of their action in kind. Even when violence has not clearly been initiated, if a clear state of threat exists, it is our right to defend ourselves. However, where violence would not be an act of protection or defense, it is not our role to initiate it, unless we wish to have it return to us several times over, as with all of our actions and choices.
It is important to remember that although violence is an option of last resort, there are appropriate times for taking such action. Our ethics bind us to harm NONE, including allowing harm to come to ourselves or others through lack of action to stop it - we are as strongly bound to protect ourselves and others as we are to refrain from initiating harm. We must never tolerate harm to ourselves through inaction based on ethical questions - we have as much right to benefit from our ethics as the next person, and we ourselves are worthy of protection.
Most wars create more injustice than they solve, and we cannot therefore reasonably lend them our support without supporting injustice, an act whose repercussions will return to us several times over. However, this is not true in all cases, and it is left, as always, to the conscience of the individual to determine the justice of the cause, and the war.
Within our environment we may find many substances that affect the operation of our bodies other than by simply fueling them. These substances are bioactive, and may affect us for positive or negative effect. Some substances have a routinely negative effect, and these we call poisonous. Some substances have a routinely beneficial effect, and these we call "medicinal", or "therapeutic", or even "tonic". Some beneficial substances can have a harmful effect in higher doses, or when used inappropriately, and those require caution. Some beneficial substances have no known negative effects, or those negative effects occur only under exceedingly unusual or unlikely circumstances, or at monstrous, nearly unattainable dosage levels; these we consider to be safe for unsupervised use. Almost all these substances may be considered to be drugs, with the possible exception of those poisonous substances for which absolutely no medicinal or recreational use has been found.
That said, it is difficult to make a blanket statement concerning all drugs. We tend to favor natural medicine, those forms of medicine that owe their efficacy to natural elements of our environment, or the way our bodies work. Synthetic drugs often come from dangerous sources, like petroleum distillates, that leave us questioning their safety for use in the human body without repercussions which there has not been adequate time to study, since these medicines have only been available in their synthetic form for a short period of time. We advocate educating yourself, and bringing up any concerns with the health care practicioner of your choice.
As for "illicit" drug use, most "illicit" drugs fall into the dangerous category, without adequate history of reliable evaluation to allow the final determination of their effects on the human body, but with initial results indicating significant dangers inherent in their use. An exception to this are the historically used ritual plant medicines of many native peoples; some of these have an extremely long documented history of safe use, in one case even producing such positive benefits, including apparently immunizing the user against other drug use, that the Brazilian government chose to legalize it for continued use by the native population. Those plant medicines that have been demonstrated as safe and beneficial should be available for appropriate use within the world population as a whole, whatever their current legal status in various nations.
We do not advocate recreational drug use of any kind, though we recognize that this encompasses every substance from white sugar to caffeine and chocolate, as well as alcohol and many harder substances - this choice is left to the individual, who is called to judge the potential harm in the situation, and make a responsible and ethical decision that causes harm to no one. It is difficult to imagine a circumstance in which less harm would result from choosing to use one of the harder drugs than from refraining from doing so, so it can be generally said that we are opposed to the use of any dangerous drug, or substance that causes harm or high risk of harm to the user or the persons in their environment, unless the alternative poses a worse threat.
We do recognize that it is nearly impossible to drive safely while under the influence of certain substances, including alcohol, and for this reason believe that it is unacceptable to choose to allow a situation to arise where one may foreseeably be called upon to drive under the influence of any substance or circumstance that may reasonably be expected to impair one's driving safety. This includes driving while under the influence of intense emotion, or extreme lack of sleep.
We believe that many drugs impair the ability of the user to adequately assess incoming information, and/or make a responsible decision based on that information, and therefore remove the ability of the user to give informed consent to any request that would require it. These and other substances can impair the concentration and ability to direct the mind and the will to a given goal or purpose, and therefore we strongly advise that no person attempt to act in a metaphysical way while under the influence of any substance that impairs the awareness, concentration, or other relevant functioning of the individual. One possible exception to this rule of thumb regards rituals such as visionquests, which historically possess a carefully designed ritual to ensure the safety of the participant, while allowing thereby the safe use of substances which alter the perceptions of the participant in ways that might otherwise endanger hir* safety. Ritual fasting falls in this category as well, along with any rituals that deprive the participant of sleep; all are best undertaken only under the supervision of an experienced practicioner, preferably one with medical training as well.
