This is the next installment on that 'Blog of Shadows' I referred to in my first post -
Magic and Wicca, what's the connection?
Wicca (not to be confused with witchcraft, even though many people both within and outside the craft confuse the terms) is a religion which promotes the ethical use of magic. (I'll do another post one of these days about the differences between the terms Wicca and Witchcraft)
In order to try to communicate about Ethics, you've almost got to start with religion and spirituality.
Some say that religion and spirituality are in opposition. This is partially due to the swing in connotation of the term 'religion' from that of a set of spiritual teachings to that of a religious organization.
I'm not comfortable with this change in meaning (quite a bit is probably due to semantics, but there is a little more to it than 'just' word definitions).
To me religion and spirituality are not antagonists in the field of the psyche. They are instead (or should be) a team. If the inspirational fire of spirituality runs loose without the focus provided by a religion of some sort, it will flare and be lost. This makes the role of religion, in my opinion, then, to be preservation of spiritual knowledge.
In the interests (hopefully) of clarity here, let me explain what I mean by those terms.
Religion - The Way by which the individual re-connects with the divinity of the creator(s) ('personal' religions are every bit as valid as 'organized' ones in this).
Spirituality - The indescribable personal communication between the individual and the divine.
Spiritual Knowledge - The (again indescribable) Knowing that is within the individual's spirit after a Spiritual Moment.
Preservation of Spiritual Knowledge - The attempt in a Religion to describe Spiritual Knowledge so as to help others who follow the same or similar Ways to find their own Spiritual Moments.
I would be blind to the ways of the world if I thought that most 'religious organizations' succeed in their holy trust to preserve spiritual knowledge. If I substitute 'religious organizations' for 'religions' I would be much more in agreement the more and more common belief that they are the antithesis of spirituality.
My point here (bet you thought I'd never arrive at that, huh?) is that we should not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Religion is important, it holds the framework to ethical behavior, and (if one can get past the hypocrites and fanatics that use religious organizations for their own ends) provides wonderful insight into the nature of our relationship with the divine...
OK, so what does all this 'religious' and 'spiritual' stuff have to do with ethics or magic? Without the guidance of Spirituality and Religion Ethics can become too malleable to provide a firm sense of right and wrong. Without firm Ethics, magic becomes merely Power, and we've all heard about power corrupting.
Another consideration about magic is that it is comprised of both your Self and that which is beyond your Self, it is therefore stronger than you. If you've slipped in your ethics and are becoming corrupted by the abuse of magic, there will be consequences. This is not something to 'play' with, it's Dangerous.
Then why do magic at all? Best question anyone could ask, and I have no straight answer for it, only the reasons from my own personal religion.
Magic is all around us, we are a part of it as it is part of us. Recognizing this, in order to live and grow in this life, I must learn to move with (and sometimes against) the currents of magic that are my world to join with the Creator(s) in bringing about harmony in creation.
To do anything else would be both wrong and more dangerous than leaving the problems alone.
Once you're aware of something, whether you support it, fight against it or leave it be, you are acting on the situation, abstinence is an action. Almost all Wiccan Traditions (sects) teach that each individual bears the responsibility of their actions. Therefore, when a wrong is done, the proper thing to do is to heal the damage as much as possible.
Keep in mind that this is *My* reason for working magic, and most often I act by abstaining from attempting to impose my will on the world around me and try instead to find the harmony that I've missed, magic is there and I work with it, but that doesn't always mean casting spells.
There are many Wiccan traditions out there (we're a bit like congregationalists in that each tradition interprets the teachings differently). There is no "One Way" for Wiccans, this is merely my way of seeing things after nearly 40 years of practicing the craft and 35 years as one of its priests.
Please let me know if I've completely confused the issues :-) and I'll try to better clarify my points...
Blessed Be