SECTION IV - ASK AUNTIE AHN

Lammas. Reflection, thanksgiving and forward thinking. The first harvest. In the old days we would offer gifts to the Gods in gratitude for another season of sustenance; today we might instead donate to the local Food Bank. It is a time to remember the Mother cannot rest easy. Our polluting ways terrorize and threaten Her. We have disturbed the balance and are responsible for the results. We must guarantee that Gaia is nourished and renewed.

It is the time when the God reflects on his sacrifice. Responsibility. Accountability. Knowing that for each action there will be an inevitable result. The Lord of the Dance sees the blood upon the corn. We comprehend the "death" of ego is necessary to attain connectedness. A thanksgiving offering at the level of our psyche.

Krishnamurti reminds us that "Death is always there watching, waiting. But the one who dies each day is beyond death." Sacrifice is a natural, invigorating progression towards renewal. The fiery sunsets of late Summer cast crimson shadows. Through visions of ancient harvest celebrations we understand the importance of separating the wheat from the chaff. We must make room for new growth. Our soul is a fertile field.

I wish you gentle moments of contemplation amidst bursts of vigorous renewal!

Ahneke, who is AuntieAhn@aol.com

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I have chosen to consolidate many letters. We constantly receive questions on the differences between "pagan" and "Wiccan." In my personal experience that question was moot. I came up through a time when neither was used. The umbrella of "feminist spirituality" generally covered everything and provided a common vocabulary. However, today we often see the words pagan and Wiccan, and, especially those new to our ways, wonder if they are interchangeable.

As kind of an "Auntie Ahn Brain Exercise" I decided to list how those who use the descriptions paint themselves. Their self-portraits would, of course, go far beyond this. The canvas here is faded. We are more than either description. Some of our colors are thus lost. My search was for shared ground. With a humble acceptance that each of us is in actuality the jewel tones of our unique colors.

PAGAN

Pagans share the feeling that everything done in this world has consequence. There is an acute awareness of free will in combination with accountability. Personal and global responsibility.

We feel connected to the land and the cycles of the seasons. Birth, death, decay and renewal are natural to us, not only in the physical sense, but within the fecund soil of the psyche.

We are attuned to the life force within. We are animists, living in inter-relatedness, seeing all existence as one organism. We are neither greater nor inferior, but simply part.

We concur there is no absolute truth. The search is the point. The journey the reason.

We practice spirituality or simply delight in being part of the greater whole. We agree there is inherent value in each and every existence. That there is no need for atonement, and that we did not arrive in this life as anything less than perfect. We do not believe in sin, but we do believe in estrangement, and accept that it is our singular deeds which will determine our degree of connectedness or isolation.

We tend towards intellectual curiosity and are fearless in the quest for experience. We believe there can be no growth without exploration.

We are environmentally astute and believe in political activism to achieve green goals. We see all action as an expression of our connectedness.

We revel in the simple act of "being."

WICCAN

Wicca is a religion. It involves acknowledgement of Deity within and without. Wiccans are pagans. They are, additionally, pantheists, believing that Deity is immanent within all. Most are polytheistic. Whether worshipping many Gods, or, more commonly, by comprehending the One as manifested in a myriad of forms.

Wiccans conceive of creation as both a material and nonmaterial reality. Matter and spirit. Pagans may believe in this plethora of dimensions, but Wiccans additionally relate to the Divine which they see "beyond" all dimensions. The Wiccan path is one of exploration of relationship to the Divine in all its manifestations.

We believe in community. Not individual salvation or enlightenment, but growth and transformation through interactions. We know we are tapping a common force. A collective consciousness. If we are not part of a coven, we still connect to this force in our rituals. None of us is in reality solitary. A Wiccan is a member of a specific community of the soul. "Becoming" Wiccan is dedicating to this cooperative. An understanding of the entities, thought forms and archetypes which comprise our Gods. A shared celebration of the seasonal cycles at the quarters and cross-quarters, the phases of the Moon, and the rising and setting of the Sun.

We practice the creation of sacred space as a crossover between worlds or as place of meditation and change in consciousness. We train to enter these altered states to provide us with connection to Deity. We believe in a balance of inner/spiritual work with outer work. That there is a natural world which hovers between substance and shade.

We believe in magick. An ecstatic union with the Divine, the result of which shapes reality, effecting change. We have an inner sense that each magickal act brings about consequences that we must face with full and respectful awareness.

We believe that our myths, legends and archetypes represent inherited wisdom. We accept that experience is the teacher, not the memorization of facts. That we must fully exist and feel in order to mature.

Ours is a religion of mystery. We thrive on knowing we are in touch with something just beyond our ability to name. We believe in moments of intuition and divination which emanate from the core of this inspiration.

When you combine the essences of the physical and immaterial worlds, the explainable and the incomprehensible you have touched upon the Mysteries of the religion of Wicca.