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Chado2423 · 10-07-2007, 05:13 AM

Oct 7th

It is now the Witch's hour... midnight that is... Which makes it the new day! Therefore I can bring you the word of the day.

In response to Angela's Request I have prepared Wiccan word of the day to be... Symbology
(unfortunately I am not entirely sure that this is what she is referring to, so please, Angela correct me if I had been mistaken.)

)0( Symbology (Symbol) [noun, noun]

Symbology is the study of a symbol and its inherent meaning. As individuals and as a nation (or nations) we often-times collectively attach certain meanings to certain symbols. The particular symbol (any symbol) technically has no meaning until we attach a meaning to it. Certain symbols may have one meaning in one context and another meaning in another. For example take this word "sin", these three symbols used together represent contextually in the English language an injustice done against the teachings of God, however the same connection of the same symbols in the Spanish language represent the state of being "without" or "lacking". Think about what you are reading right now. You are reading a system of many symbols whose collective units create a meaning that had been attached to them. Each word is a system of component symbols with meanings that had been attached to them. These symbols are called letters. Each letter represents a sound, and each collective representation of sounds represents a word, and each collective unit of words equals a phrase, and each phrase represents a contextual meaning, meaning that had been attached to the symbols. Wiccans often use symbols in their rituals, or texts as a means to connect with the desire of their intent, whether it be to call upon the Divine and honor Deity, or to invoke a God to help them through granting a request.
But let me take a breather and speak about Energy...
Wiccans believe that everything has components of energy. (Actually I'm pretty sure most scientists do too!) But in Wiccan ideology this is energy that is connection with the web of life, a constant and ever growing universe. And this life force is known as energy (and some call her Spirit.) As a Wiccan casts the ritualistic circle they typically invoke the symbol of the Pentegram or perhaps other symbols depending on their particular tradition. The Wiccan/Pagan Pentegram is a symbol of five aspects of humanity in connection with the Divine in the ever continuous, never ending, circle of life. Upon casting this circle Wiccans believe that they permeate their energy in connection with the force of the true nature of the Divine, and become in one working setting connected to... in tune with... in harmony with... the spiritual forces. This spiritual force is in direct relation to the nature of Spirit, and is indicative of the Spirit Goddess who in Pagan thinking flows through all of nature, all animals, everything and everyone. "And you who seek to know Me, your Goddess, Mother and Queen, know that the seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless you know [not] the Mystery: for if that which you seek, if you find it not within yourself, you will never find it without from thee." ---The Charge of The Goddess

There are many ways to utilize the properties of symbols, these symbols may be physical representations of aspects of Divinity, or purely envisioned symbols through visualization and imagination. The most common ways to utilize these symbols in Wiccan practices are Consecration, Enchantment, and alchemical manipulation. Consecration is the cleansing of the property... such as casting a circle is cleansing it, to make it a sacred place (and all things are Sacred in Wicca... even YOU!, because everything hath been born from the many aspects of the Divine.) Enchantment is imprinting energy upon an object. As one example of enchantment, common tradition holds that talismans are objects for enchantment, alchemical manipulation in many traditions is still quite a secret study, but... the system mechanics for the enchantment skill and the consecration skill are essentially identical, and the alchemical processes are (technically) just more complicated formulas encompassing one or the other or both skills. It could be said that the scale of progress would be consecration (low), enchantment (medium), and alchemistry (high). Many traditions teach that an item which has been enchanted may never be consecrated, and vice versa, whereas less formal or less dogmatic traditions may teach quite the opposite. Experimentalists within the Wiccan faith may determine which course of action best suits them. (Solitaires may often be considered experimentatlists.) The purpose of these "techniques" however remains somewhat consitent throughout the many sects of the Wiccan faith and often other Pagan traditions as well... the purpose is to connect with the power of will, ultimately it becomes, or some would say should become a system used to connect with one's true purpose, i.e. "the spirit within"! One gypsy Book of Shadows that I had been given to me has the saying "As above so below," but this gypsy also wrote "as within so without." Each symbol used in a religious working, usually has a specific meaning, which may not always be very evident to a casual observer. Just as the bread and wine has symbolic meaning for a Roman Catholic, so do the cakes and ale at Samhein [prounounced Sow-en] (or cookies and juice- he-he) have symbolic meaning for the Wiccan ritual. Some people, especially those in formulized Traditions view symbology as necessary when undertaking magickal workings, however others (including myself), believe that "all this wand waving ritual stuff" is just a stepping stone toward helping a practioner gain a better understanding of the undertaking of connecting with the Divine, not just daily, but moment by moment. Some Wiccans understand the theory that all of life is illusion, and that even the symbols themselves that they identify with are illusitory in a fashion. This is not to say that physicality is not real, but rather that they believe that... that which is real is also unreal. They come to believe that all they need to do is see the thing done, and it is done. More advanced Wiccans understand and/or believe that witchcraft (btw, Wicca and Witchcraft are not synonyms) and even the variety of Pagan faiths or any faith for that matter are merely tools (symbols) to help one's true self find one's true road. This is ultimately what is meant by the phrase "all roads are one!" Many Wiccans understand that the tools of the ritual, and even the practices of "magick" are symbolic of the tools of the Spirit of life tself, and that it is not the tools we need, but rather the Spirit of Life that is needed!! It is not the religion we need, but rather the experience of being, of relating, of living, learning and growing. Wiccans do believe in the usage and energy of the tools, but I personally believe the tools should never be used as Seperate from that which could be created from the pure power of the Spirit.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Today I also just wanted to share a thought for you, irregardless of your religious creed...

"Remember that in certain settings as you set upon your journey through your life you are likely one of the people of your belief system and ideals that other people have met or will ever meet (and more importantly than this, you ARE the only YOU that other people will have met.) Whether it is fair or not, whether it is right or not, the truth is others will more often than not judge you by your conduct. It's a heavy burden to bear, but the reputation of the nature of your TRUE SPIRIT, ultimately rests with you."

If you feel led by Spirit please sign this petetion for a public apology by President George W. Bush on behalf of Wiccans.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/149059200

If you need further information about the reason for the implementation of this petition please private message me.

And once again I share a Traditional Pagan Chant/Song
Audio: Wiccan chants - The Earth The Air The Fire The Water - MarsVioletâ€™s Blog on Vox

10-07-2007, 05:13 AM	#4 (permalink)
Chado2423 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 388	Oct 7th It is now the Witch's hour... midnight that is... Which makes it the new day! Therefore I can bring you the word of the day. In response to Angela's Request I have prepared Wiccan word of the day to be... Symbology (unfortunately I am not entirely sure that this is what she is referring to, so please, Angela correct me if I had been mistaken.) )0( Symbology (Symbol) [noun, noun] Symbology is the study of a symbol and its inherent meaning. As individuals and as a nation (or nations) we often-times collectively attach certain meanings to certain symbols. The particular symbol (any symbol) technically has no meaning until we attach a meaning to it. Certain symbols may have one meaning in one context and another meaning in another. For example take this word "sin", these three symbols used together represent contextually in the English language an injustice done against the teachings of God, however the same connection of the same symbols in the Spanish language represent the state of being "without" or "lacking". Think about what you are reading right now. You are reading a system of many symbols whose collective units create a meaning that had been attached to them. Each word is a system of component symbols with meanings that had been attached to them. These symbols are called letters. Each letter represents a sound, and each collective representation of sounds represents a word, and each collective unit of words equals a phrase, and each phrase represents a contextual meaning, meaning that had been attached to the symbols. Wiccans often use symbols in their rituals, or texts as a means to connect with the desire of their intent, whether it be to call upon the Divine and honor Deity, or to invoke a God to help them through granting a request. But let me take a breather and speak about Energy... Wiccans believe that everything has components of energy. (Actually I'm pretty sure most scientists do too!) But in Wiccan ideology this is energy that is connection with the web of life, a constant and ever growing universe. And this life force is known as energy (and some call her Spirit.) As a Wiccan casts the ritualistic circle they typically invoke the symbol of the Pentegram or perhaps other symbols depending on their particular tradition. The Wiccan/Pagan Pentegram is a symbol of five aspects of humanity in connection with the Divine in the ever continuous, never ending, circle of life. Upon casting this circle Wiccans believe that they permeate their energy in connection with the force of the true nature of the Divine, and become in one working setting connected to... in tune with... in harmony with... the spiritual forces. This spiritual force is in direct relation to the nature of Spirit, and is indicative of the Spirit Goddess who in Pagan thinking flows through all of nature, all animals, everything and everyone. "And you who seek to know Me, your Goddess, Mother and Queen, know that the seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless you know [not] the Mystery: for if that which you seek, if you find it not within yourself, you will never find it without from thee." ---The Charge of The Goddess There are many ways to utilize the properties of symbols, these symbols may be physical representations of aspects of Divinity, or purely envisioned symbols through visualization and imagination. The most common ways to utilize these symbols in Wiccan practices are Consecration, Enchantment, and alchemical manipulation. Consecration is the cleansing of the property... such as casting a circle is cleansing it, to make it a sacred place (and all things are Sacred in Wicca... even YOU!, because everything hath been born from the many aspects of the Divine.) Enchantment is imprinting energy upon an object. As one example of enchantment, common tradition holds that talismans are objects for enchantment, alchemical manipulation in many traditions is still quite a secret study, but... the system mechanics for the enchantment skill and the consecration skill are essentially identical, and the alchemical processes are (technically) just more complicated formulas encompassing one or the other or both skills. It could be said that the scale of progress would be consecration (low), enchantment (medium), and alchemistry (high). Many traditions teach that an item which has been enchanted may never be consecrated, and vice versa, whereas less formal or less dogmatic traditions may teach quite the opposite. Experimentalists within the Wiccan faith may determine which course of action best suits them. (Solitaires may often be considered experimentatlists.) The purpose of these "techniques" however remains somewhat consitent throughout the many sects of the Wiccan faith and often other Pagan traditions as well... the purpose is to connect with the power of will, ultimately it becomes, or some would say should become a system used to connect with one's true purpose, i.e. "the spirit within"! One gypsy Book of Shadows that I had been given to me has the saying "As above so below," but this gypsy also wrote "as within so without." Each symbol used in a religious working, usually has a specific meaning, which may not always be very evident to a casual observer. Just as the bread and wine has symbolic meaning for a Roman Catholic, so do the cakes and ale at Samhein [prounounced Sow-en] (or cookies and juice- he-he) have symbolic meaning for the Wiccan ritual. Some people, especially those in formulized Traditions view symbology as necessary when undertaking magickal workings, however others (including myself), believe that "all this wand waving ritual stuff" is just a stepping stone toward helping a practioner gain a better understanding of the undertaking of connecting with the Divine, not just daily, but moment by moment. Some Wiccans understand the theory that all of life is illusion, and that even the symbols themselves that they identify with are illusitory in a fashion. This is not to say that physicality is not real, but rather that they believe that... that which is real is also unreal. They come to believe that all they need to do is see the thing done, and it is done. More advanced Wiccans understand and/or believe that witchcraft (btw, Wicca and Witchcraft are not* synonyms)* and even the variety of Pagan faiths or any faith for that matter are merely tools (symbols) to help one's true self find one's true road. This is ultimately what is meant by the phrase "all roads are one!" Many Wiccans understand that the tools of the ritual, and even the practices of "magick" are symbolic of the tools of the Spirit of life tself, and that it is not the tools we need, but rather the Spirit of Life that is needed!! It is not the religion we need, but rather the experience of being, of relating, of living, learning and growing. Wiccans do believe in the usage and energy of the tools, but I personally believe the tools should never be used as Seperate from that which could be created from the pure power of the Spirit. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Today I also just wanted to share a thought for you, irregardless of your religious creed... "Remember that in certain settings as you set upon your journey through your life you are likely one of the people of your belief system and ideals that other people have met or will ever meet (and more importantly than this, you ARE the only YOU that other people will have met.) Whether it is fair or not, whether it is right or not, the truth is others will more often than not judge you by your conduct. It's a heavy burden to bear, but the reputation of the nature of your TRUE SPIRIT, ultimately rests with you." If you feel led by Spirit please sign this petetion for a public apology by President George W. Bush on behalf of Wiccans. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/149059200 If you need further information about the reason for the implementation of this petition please private message me. And once again I share a Traditional Pagan Chant/Song Audio: Wiccan chants - The Earth The Air The Fire The Water - MarsVioletâ€™s Blog on Vox Last edited by Chado2423; 10-07-2007 at 08:18 PM.