#belifes

This is a tough one to answer simply, because among all the other things witches are, we are individualists. We each make our own relationship with Deity, and each grow and love in our own way. It is said that if you ask a room full of thirteen witches a question, you'll get twenty-five different answers. And it's true.

That said, there are some fundamental beliefs that pull us together strongly enough to create the sort of loving community you see here. Wicca is a spiritual path, a way of seeing the world and Divinity, and our relationship to it. It is a very simple ethical principle. It is a way of life. And it is a way of tuning into the shifting energies of life around us and tapping into those energies to make the world a better place; this is what we mean by magic.

We believe that Deity/Source/God/dess is imminent in the world around us. Divinity permeates every living thing. . .and most of us define rocks, soil, water, air, fire, and the planet Herself as living things. Just look with an open heart at a dew-filled spider web or a lacework of bare winter branches covered with ice crystals, and you'll see what we mean. God/dess is IN there. S/He's in each one of us, too.

This idea has many ramifications.

First, it means every living thing is sacred. We don't believe in a hierarchy of God above man above animals above plants. We believe Divinity permeates everything, and so everything has an equal right to our love, reverence, respect, and protection. Witches tend to be dedicated environmentalists. But more than that, we let ourselves be guided by a very simple and powerful ethical principle:

"An it harm none, do as ye will."

Instead of listing a number of "Thou shalt nots," we say that as long as one's actions don't harm any living thing, including ourselves, in ANY way, we can do whatever brings joy and love into our lives. So, fun between consenting adults --with suitable precautions-- is okay. Using any sort of physical, mental, emotional, or magical coercion if someone is reluctant, is NOT.

Second, because we believe that Divinity is in everything we see, we don't create a hierarchy of values based on things of the spirit being of more worth than things of the body. Our bodies are rather miraculous gifts God/dess provides to allow us to live in and learn from on the physical plane. We see it as a spiritual imperative to take care of them. Every act that helps us maintain our physical existence thus takes on a spiritual dimension. When doing dishes or cleaning out the basement become sacred acts, life is a whole lot richer.

We also believe that our thoughts, actions, emotions, and prayers create energy. This energy goes out into the world and, in the process of being reflected by the other beings there, is multiplied before it returns to us. Some say threefold, others say tenfold; it may vary. But what we put out returns to us multiplied, whether that be love or fear, anger or compassion. So most of us work actively to try to diffuse our fears, express our anger cleanly and let it go, and to develop a greater understanding of the world around us.

Our lives are gifts, and if we need to protect ourselves, we do; generally through the most peaceful means possible. Often this takes the form of surrounding ourselves with light to reflect or deflect anything that means us harm. We do kill to eat; most creatures do. Some of us are vegetarian. Personally, because I see plants as people, too, and know that something must die so I can survive, I eat a variety of foods, expressing my gratitude for this food to the creatures who supply it.

Another belief that many of us share is that our souls cycle through many lifetimes. We will be back to enjoy the progression of the seasons again. Among witches, there are many different visions of the time and space between lives; most are joyful places where we meld more closely with our Gods. But because we know we'll be back again, we know that any mess we leave behind will be here when we return (possibly even multiplied in the interim). Another strong motivator to live in harmony and respect with all others in our world.

If you want to stalk and harass people for their beliefs and life style. You all do realize that’s harassment and stalking , right? I’m not even talking about trolls but those who willingly seek out OtherKin and say stuff and keep doing it. Go on make a record for yourself. We know our given right.

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