Thirteen Goals of a Witch
Lady Bridget © 1998
Note: This list has been published in Scott Cummingham's "Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner", and was also accessed through a British Traditional Source. I do not know who the original author of this list is, but the comments that follow are my own.
1-Know yourself.
As far back as Socrates, and most likely much farther, this was advice best followed. If you don't know what you want, you are not likely to get it. Consequently if you don't know what makes you happy, you are not likely to find your happiness. You also need to know your own strengths and weaknesses.
2- Know your craft.
Wicca is a craft, hence the term Witchcraft, the Craft of the Wise. This is not something you learn from reading a few books, although they can point you in the direction your path can take. This is something you will learn by living it. Know what you want to study - understand your spiritual path.
3- Learn.
Learn everything you can, everything you have an interest in. You don't have to master every subject completely, but a thorough knowledge of many subjects will help you grow spiritually, and be open minded about subjects you don't know anything about.
4- Apply knowledge with wisdom.
This is perhaps one of the hardest to practice. Put it this way: You can read a dozen books, but until you put into your life what you have read, it is useless to you. Also, the wise person will use their common sense regarding whatever it is print, and especially on the internet. One person's "truth" is not necessarily truth for all; only you know in your heart of hearts what rings as "truth" for you. Knowledge is power, but without wisdom, you will not be able to have control over that power.
5- Achieve balance.
Is this like "moderation in all things"? YES! Your time cannot be totally consumed by something without the rest of your life suffering the consequences. We have a tendency, most of us, to dive into a new area with total concentration, and that can be wonderful, as long as we don't ignore everything else. Women are usually pretty good at this, since we have to balance husband's needs, children's needs, and job needs all at once. What most often suffers, though, are our own needs. Many times we all feel as if we are too rushed, and pulled into many different directions at once. Try to balance your life so that you feel invigorated instead, and so you also enjoy what you are doing.
6- Keep your words in good order.
Have you heard that "A witch is only as good as her word"? It comes from a time when the person's word was their bond, and it still is as important today. When you say a thing, you make it so. Why does your magick work? Because you say "So mote it be", and your words and your will have that power. When you don't keep your word, you are breaking that bond. Be very careful HOW you speak, what you say, negatively or positively, is what you bring into manifestation. Another reference to this is found in the Christian Bible, in Genesis, where it says "In the beginning was the word". Words have power, which is recognized many religions.
7-Keep your thoughts in good order.
"Energy follows thought" is another Wiccan saying. Again, what you think, thought often enough, you bring into manifestation. Every single invention started out as a thought. Think about it! Positive thinking and positive affirmations can make a difference in your life.
8- Celebrate Life!
Life is meant to be joyful! The whole earth is alive, and so are you! Think about all the senses you have, and all the sensations you feel, and how fantastic that is! We are linked to all life, everywhere.
9-Attune with the cycles of the earth.
Be aware of the seasons, and the phases of the Moon. Wiccans do this by celebrating the Esbats and Sabbats. Everything runs in cycles, our bodies, the animals, and the plants. Gardners know that timing is important in planting, not just with the seasons, but also with the moon. You can even do such things as trimming your hair more effectively by utilizing the moon's cycles.
10- Breathe and eat correctly.
Breathing is very important to life, and to proper magick, to energy raising, not to mention, your health. Breathing deeply from the diaphragm should be mastered. Also breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth, especially during meditation, or other forms of energy control and conciousness control. Eat to live, don't live to eat. Eat what is a proper diet for you, and not until you are stuffed. Eating the wrong foods, and eating too much of anything, will inhibit your ability to do much except take a nap!
11- Exercise the body.
This is so important, and gets ignored so much in our techno-pagan society. Exercise relieves stress, tones muscles, burns fat, and adds years to your ability to enjoy life. This is the physical vessel your soul has incarnated into, at least take care of it! And while we're on the subject, along with exercising, drink plenty of water, at least 6-8 glasses a day. This will flush out the toxins that are caused by stress, as well as by other factors.
12- Meditate.
This concept one of the most misunderstood by many students today. What people think of when they see this word, is perhaps an Indian Yogi sitting in the Lotus position and chanting "om". While that is one valid way to meditate, there are many others, including mediation through concentrating on an object, a thought, your own breath, your own body rhythms, or concentrating on nothing at all. Other ways to meditate are to dance, to move the body, as in T'ai Chi, or Sufi Dancing, or just in exercises such as walking, when you are being at one with your body and not thinking about anything at all. Another form of mediation is by doing a skill over and over, something repetative, to the exlusion of all other thoughts, except the total concentration on the skill you are doing. Many people who say they can't meditate, or have trouble with it, are only aware of one kind. There are so many different ways to do this, that there is a method to suit each person. (For more information, get the very small book "How To Meditate" by Lawrence LaShan.)
13- Honor the God and Goddess.
Since God/Goddess dwell within ourselves, while we are honoring them, we must also show honor to ourselves, and to others. Try this simple exercise: the next time you are standing in line somewhere, try to see the God and Goddess in each person in line with you. Really look at them and see their innate deity. This is one that may take practice, but when you really see it, it will have impact. We are all divine, we are all God and Goddess both.
