Weblog
05 Apr 2006: Wiccan Belief: The Nature of Deity
Originally published March 26, 2006]It's been pointed out to me that getting an answer to the question "What do Wiccans believe?" is a bit like asking "Who's on first?" An article I read recently on interfaith dialogue between Wiccans and Buddhists suggests that Buddhists will find little in Wicca to disagree with, because Wicca has so little in it!
Part of the "problem" here is the fact that Wicca has no central authority, no dogmatically accepted scripture and no accepted body of philosphy. There is no one enforcing orthodoxy. That's hard to do when there is no orthodoxy.
The downside to that is there is this mish-mash of beliefs present, many contradictory, and all claim to be "Wiccan". It can be confusing for those wanting to start a conversation.
In the interests of those conversations, I've decided to post some definitive-sounding statements on Wiccan belief. The usual caveat about no one being able to speak for all of Wicca applies. However, I've come to believe that we can create schools of thought within Wicca similar to schools of thought that exist in other religions.
On that note, I proceed with the topic alluded to in the title: Wiccan Belief on the nature of Deity.
Ask Wiccans about their concept of the Divine, and you will definitely hear about The Goddess and the God, the Divine Polarity that expresses itself in terms of gender. Start to explore this concept with a little more depth, and most Wiccans retreat to a technique we're very good at: dissembling with cross-correspondences. That is, we start innundating the listener with lists of various Gods and Goddesses, what their historical spheres were and are, and when you might call upon, say, Ceres instead of Epona. While it demonstrates a certain breadth of mythological knowledge (or often, a dreadful lack of it), it isn't really answering the question about what we Wiccans think about Deity. So here's what I believe.
There is this thing called "Deity", which I usually refer to as "the One". The One is aware and encompasses all of what the Eastern mystics call the Void: the great potential from which all other things arise. Many Buddhists refer to this as Emptiness, but the analog isn't perfect.The difference between the One and the Void is awareness; The One is, and typically, the Void isn't.
The One is practically impossible for a human mind to truly contemplate, much less relate to, and for this reason, the One is expressed as dynamic polarities, which manifest Themselves as the Gods. This is not to say the Gods are not truly real. They are, easily as real as you or me.
The Gods are omnipotent, but that isn't the same nor as simple as "They know the future." It's a better comment to say, They know all futures, all the qantum probabilities that arise from the myriad decisions made every day.
The Gods came from the One's desire not to be alone. That yearning caused the One to become the Two. Ever since then, the Two have re-joined in that ecstatic union, the Greatest of Rites, and from that union, all else has descended.
I believe that the ultimate destination for all who live is to rejoin with the Gods from Whom we sprang. But that's another blog entry.
