Journal Entries
Calan Mai
Posted Apr 30, 2003
Well I'm off for a few days to celebrate Calan Mai, what some people call Beltaine. I expect that the first day of Summer will dawn damp and windy 
, but we shall see.
A blessing on you all for the festival of the bright fire.
Matholwch /|\.
Discuss this Journal entry [6]
Latest reply: Apr 30, 2003
The Wiccan Rede
Posted Apr 24, 2003
I see this little ditty displayed on more websites than I care to mention. It is put up in a spirit akin to the Lord’s Prayer. Never explained, never questioned and rarely thought about it seems. The last couplet in particular is bandied about all over the place, even in non-Wiccan circles.
So what is this piece of rote that has become so enshrined in the Pagan mind, and who dares criticise it?
Of its history I neither know much, nor I am interested in it. However, I do feel that like any piece of Christian dogma, we pagans should not accept it out of hand. It is our nature to question so here goes.
Oh yes, before you get on your high horse, it is not my intention to rubbish the Wiccan ‘faith’……lol .
"Bide the Wiccan Laws we must
In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust."
Abide by my laws oh children of Israel….. I’ve never liked orders from any religion. It is a voluntary thing so no ‘musts’ for this man.
What is ‘perfect love’ and ‘perfect trust’? In its context the latter sounds like a plea for blind faith… very Catholic.
"Live and let live,
Fairly take and fairly give."
This seems like good advice for living.
"Cast the Circle thrice about
To keep the evil spirits out."
Okey dokey, what evil spirits? In my experience ‘evil’ is very much a term created to explain the duality and polarity of Christian dogma. Spirits may be hostile though, so perhaps that is what it means.
"To bind the spell every time
Let the spell be spake in rhyme."
In rhyme? Oh brother! The channelling of magical or divine power no more relies on having a nice piece of verse than it does having bell, book and candle handy. Else wise how do other faiths do it?
"Soft of eye and light of touch,
Speak little, listen much."
Ok, more good advice.
"Deosil go by the waxing moon,
Chanting out the Witches' Rune."
Forgive my ignorance, the Witches Rune? Strange, not seen this on all the witchy websites.
"Widdershins go by the waning moon,
Chanting out the baneful rune."
Likewise. One thought, which way does a witch go at full or new moon when it is neither waxing nor waning….hmmmm?
"When the Lady's moon is new,
Kiss the hand to her, times two."
Fair enough, giving respect to the deity is good. However, where is the Lord? Most witches of my acquaintance revere the lord as well as the lady, if not an entire pantheon of deities and spirits.
"When the moon rides at her peak,
Then your heart's desire seek."
Interesting……
"Heed the North wind's mighty gale,
Lock the door and drop the sail."
Except in the southern hemisphere of course.
"
When the wind comes from the South.
Love will kiss thee on the mouth."
Really? What everytime?
"When the wind blows from the West,
Departed souls will have no rest."
This is getting a bit ridiculous now. I know of no Celtic or Norse tradition to support this or the other windy couplets.
"When the wind blows from the East,
Expect the new and set the feast."
Right…see above.
"Nine woods in the cauldron go,
Burn them fast and burn them slow."
Now this a good trick if you can manage it, besides the fact that the wood goes around a cauldron, not in it. Must have a metaphysical reasoning I cannot fathom.
"Elder be the Lady's tree,
Burn it not or cursed you'll be."
Elder wood is rarely much good for fires anyhow, but as a druid I know of no reason for this one.
"When the Wheel begins to turn,
Let the Beltane fires burn."
At last, back to a tradition I can relate to, and that has some backing.
"When the Wheel has turned to Yule,
Light the log and the Horned One rules."
And Samhain, and Lammas? And since when did Cernunnos become the Lord of Winter?
"Heed ye Flower, Bush and Tree,
By the Lady, blessed be."
Bit vague, but right enough.
"Where the rippling waters go,
Cast a stone and truth you'll know."
Sorry but I have to take issue with this one. A water spirit is going to look pretty poorly upon the offering of a stone. Food or drink at the very least. The Celts were fond of offering silver and gold jewellery for a water spirit’s advice or blessing.
"When ye have a true need,
Hearken not to others' greed."
Not well written…but it rhymes. ‘Take only that you truly need’? Good advice.
"With a fool no season spend,
Lest ye be counted as his friend."
And what is wrong with being a friend to a fool? Here comes the intellectual snobbery.
"Merry meet and merry part,
Bright the cheeks and warm the heart."
OK.
"Lest in self defence it be,
Mind the Threefold Law you should,
Three times bad and three times good."
Three is a good number, it balances, but here we have the principle of Karmic Retribution slipping in from the east. Probably put in as a check on the irresponsible use of our power. Sorry, threats don’t work on the evil or stupid, so what then?
"When misfortune is enow,
Wear the red rose on thy brow."
Don’t understand this one at all. I can find no reference to roses being lucky, or offering protection.
"True in Love ever be,
Unless thy lover's false to thee."
Oh I see, you got to be good, unless your lover’s bad, then its ok to be bad…so much for the threefold law. And here we see the personalised concept of love being used……a very thin and flawed philosophy indeed.
"Eight words the Witches Rede fulfill:
An ye harm none, do what ye will."
And so we come to the grand finale. See the essay below on this phrase….
An ye harm none, do what ye will.
Oh sister! I doubt any religious phrase in the western world has been so widely misunderstood and misapplied as this since God said to Moses "Thou shalt not kill" ( and promptly approved the Israelites setting off on a forty year killing spree).
My oh my, where to begin?
An ye harm none – just what or who does the term ‘none’ apply to? Lets be extreme…does it include insects, microbes and plants? Animals? Trees? Or does it just refer to people? If it does I have a major problem with it from the start. I am a druid, also an animist, who believes that all things are imbued with the spirit of life. So as you can see, from my perspective, this phrase is nonsense.
You cannot help but harm things each time you draw breath, walk across a lawn or eat a burger! The trick lies in taking responsibility for this and trying to live a life that justifies this cost.
Let us, for a moment, imagine the author merely meant people…human beings. What then the definition of harm? If you get a new job you could say that the other applicants were harmed by that (disappointed at the very least).
However, if we are kind and take the phrase as a whole it comes out as: Take care not to hurt people by what you do. I can accept that, especially if taken in the context of the use of witchy magic and powers and stuff. The main problem with this is that every action we take has endless repercussions.
For example, you fancy someone. Should you use your powers to attract them? Well if you charm them you are essentially raping them, removing their free will. If you make yourself more attractive you may attract them away from someone who might suit them better and make them happy…and so it goes.
For example 2: A friend is hurt/sick and you use your powers to aid their recovery. Who are you to interfere? Their sickness may have had a reason….a lesson (maybe they broke the threefold law), or maybe they needed the illness to build up an immunity to a possibly more serious bout later?
More dangerously, you may have saved their life. This is dangerous for two reasons:
1. Once you have saved a person’s life, anything they later do is your responsibility.
2. You may have prevented their natural transfer to the next life.
So what do we do? Well as a pleasantry, I have no problems with this phrase. But if it is the cornerstone of a philosophy (which it is rapidly becoming) then it is seriously flawed. The ‘young’ will misunderstand it, and the ‘wise’ will see through it. And thus it has little value.
So what is my overall opinion of the rede? I’m afraid it is pretty low. It seems to have been written at a time when a more scholarly or thorough philosophical approach was either not available or not considered necessary. I am sure with the many excellent wiccans and other witches now around a much more logical and philosophically sound set of ‘rules’ could be established. They could even make the whole thing scan and rhyme a bit more attractively….lol.
Blessings,
Matholwch /|
A man in expectation of a good whuppin'.
Discuss this Journal entry [37]
Latest reply: Apr 24, 2003
A Prayer For A Friend
Posted Apr 23, 2003
This is a prayer I devised for a friend a little while ago. Now that that crisis has mostly passed I have decided to share the prayer with you all, for I have found myself using it in my daily life, and maybe it may help others.
You will note that it is not directed to any particular deity and thus is available for any to use. The inspiration for it came from the author Frank Herbert's excellent "Fear is the mindkiller....".
Blessings,
Matholwch /|\.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Regret.
Regret is a coiled serpent.
It tightens around my memories and hardens my heart.
It feeds upon my past failure and robs me of the capacity to hope.
The serpent cares not for now, only for then.
Then is gone and cannot be changed.
I will focus on the joy I have now.
The serpent cannot hold onto life, only onto the dead.
I am alive and feel the bright hope in my spirit.
So the serpent cannot hold me.
I will not give in to the serpent.
The pain is real but all wounds will heal, if I let them.
The serpent cannot prevail, unless I let it.
I shall not be the slave of regret.
Discuss this Journal entry [8]
Latest reply: Apr 23, 2003
The Blackthorn Tree.
Posted Apr 8, 2003
Upon the hill, beneath the brow,
Glowers an ancient Blackthorn Tree.
Just Shrike dare sit upon its bough,
And use its thorns for butchery.
Through summers long, and winter’s chills,
It’s weathered snow, and gale and rain.
Come spring its crown with blossom fills,
To start the Goddess’s song again.
Its head in sky, its roots in stone,
A stream about its feet doth course.
It stands upon its heights alone,
A dark, foreboding, watching force.
Its watched man grow from savage child,
To reach the moon, in one short age.
From friend of Sidhe with voice so mild,
To bringer of poison, death and rage.
It reflects upon man’s great endeavour,
And wonders at the kingdom.
Who yet could be so fine and clever,
With not a drop of wisdom.
But the Norns’ hands move upon the loom,
Where fate is bound and myth revealed,
And the Blackthorn knows that man’s doom,
Is, by his own hand, now sealed.
For peoples come, and peoples go,
And who remembers the Firbolg’s roar?
To live you must with the Goddess flow,
Or be cast down, from loom to floor.
The Blackthorn knows naught of human pride,
Or thoughts of greed and glory.
It has always been on the Goddess’s side,
In the telling of the story.
So mighty man, in your declining years,
Regard the Blackthorn Tree with awe.
And learn at its feet, despite your fears,
The path to another door.
For between the Blackthorn's tangled feet,
Lies the gate to a shining land.
But a final challenge must you meet,
To pass, you must first understand.
The earth cannot be owned by one,
Its wealth and lands to plunder.
A steward’s place is yours my son,
Or all will be rent asunder.
The Blackthorn has seen the dark face,
Of the Goddess in her anger.
And felt the cold earth’s dark embrace,
Of those who would defy her.
Beneath the hills, beneath the stone,
Lie the bones of those lost races.
Who thought like man, that they alone,
Were the masters of all places.
An ancient, sturdy Blackthorn stands,
Upon the hills, beneath the brow.
It sings out at the empty lands,
‘Ozymandias, where are you now?’
Blessings,
Matholwch of the Blackthorn /|\.
Discuss this Journal entry [8]
Latest reply: Apr 8, 2003
The Spiral Path.
Posted Apr 1, 2003
We walk upon an empty shore,
Striding in a new day’s light,
Where we wander we are not sure,
Or which way is truly right.
In the distance speaks a golden man,
His face always in shadow,
His words we cannot understand,
Nor his footsteps follow.
Beside him is a silver maid,
Who never meets our gaze,
She sings songs as yet unsaid,
We hear not what she says.
Behind us on a wind-lashed hill,
The shepherd’s host doth falter,
No longer to do his bloody will,
No more sacrifices for his altar.
Before us the man and maid do wait,
For us to approach upright and free,
To engage them in the great debate,
On what it means to be ‘we’.
Then he shall speak of ancient truth,
Of lands long gone and yet to be,
She shall sing the sacred sooth,
And teach us how to really see.
That there are many worlds in this way,
Each one within another,
But through each one wends a sacred ley,
That will lead us to the mother.
We are not alone upon our lifelong quest,
Many trod these paths before,
They speak to us from the isles of the west,
And guide us to our mother’s door.
So men and women on the spiral path,
Walk upright and free,
Listen well where the spirits laugh,
And you’ll always blessed be!
Discuss this Journal entry [11]
Latest reply: Apr 1, 2003
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