SECTION IV - ASK AUNTIE AHN

Ask Auntie Ahn
By Ahneke Greystone

Seasons greetings! We have a few questions to address this month, with one below being an interesting question regarding the tradition of the holiday wreath. A friend asks about Wiccan beliefs regarding reincarnation, and another is interested in the lore of the inverted pentagram. I hope you will find our replies of interest. 

There were many general questions regarding the holiday season, especially from young people. It is often confusing for our young fiends as they celebrate their first or second Yule while living in Christian homes or within communities separate from the pagan family they encounter online.  I have attempted to address that feeling of loneliness as well as my belief that the season is a human celebration of connection regardless of spirituality in a separate article this month. The article is entitled "The Child of Promise."

I hope to hear your comments and questions addressed to me at AuntieAhn@aol.com

My Yule gift to you all is the moment of reflection the following poem will bring:

For in this season
The Sacred Child is born
Of the Goddess.
He of the Sun, who shall reign in Joy
With bounteous seasons of life,
Ever rich, for all.
With song and dance
Shall we worship both 
The Mother, ever gracious,
The Child of Promise most glorious.

Q: What is Wicca's take on death and beyond? I'm interested in retaining myself after death, not becoming part of some homogenous mass.

A: Wicca does not have a particular "take" on death and the beyond. In general Wiccans believe in reincarnation. Beyond that, the process is very much a matter of personal belief. 

The vast majority of Wiccans believe in reincarnation as the means to evolve as a soul and attain enlightenment. For every Wiccan practitioner there is a slightly different view on the meaning of the soul and of its growth. Some believe we live our lives in chronological order, the repetition of them being the tool by which we perfect our human experience. And that we reincarnate as the same entity, retaining individuality. Some believe we share a greater soul with a group of souls where experience is shared upon our passing over. Reincarnation from that soul group is sometimes seen as a "remixing" of personalities and sometimes as souls retaining their individuality while gaining from the experiences of their soul family. Others believe that every time we pass over our soul becomes part of the great spirit of all life and that when we are reborn we are some combination of those souls, not a consistent reincarnation. 

In my personal experiences with American Wicca, we most generally believe in chronological reincarnation where a unique soul evolves through many lives until achieving enlightenment. Most Wiccans do see enlightenment as a time when the "individual" is no longer differentiated and becomes part of the Divine whole. In fact, many traditions teach that enlightenment is when an old soul realizes it is no longer an individual and in that discovery returns to the Godhead. 

Q. Can you please tell me what does it mean when a Wiccan is wearing an inverted pentagram?

A. The inverted pentagram is a symbol of the Second Degree of initiation in Gardnerian Wicca. The pentagram represents the four quarters and the four functions of the Self. Its fifth aspect is that of Akasha. Which is transcendency. Akasha can be explained as the unknown life force. The Spirit or the All. That which we strive to understand in our training. The other four points of the pentagram are associated with the immanent Divine. The part of us and of all that is Divine and shared. Tangible. The fifth point, representing transcendency, is the symbol of moving beyond the immanent to that which is the separate and distinct Divine. Whether one sees that fifth aspect as God, Goddess, the Life Force, or the All, it is the Spirit which creates. The Creator/Creatrix. 

In Gardnerian training, by focusing on the first four elements we connect to the immanent Divine and seek to understand the transcendent Divine by understanding the natural world and studying our selves and our human and Divine potential. A pentagram worn inverted, with the fifth point facing downwards, indicates that one is on a path to comprehending transcendency. By the third degree, the pentagram is worn with the point upwards, indicating a degree of knowledge which encompasses the Transcendent Divine. 

All of this talk of imminent and transcendent can confuse a poor witch, I know. In its simplest terms, a novice in pagan studies comprehends the God/dess they can see in the world around them. At the more advanced level of training, the student begins to comprehend the Spirit which is beyond the tangible world and which exists as a separate Life Source. When one begins the shift in mindset from seeing God/dess imminently to seeing the Divine as both imminent and transcendent, it is the time the inverted pentagram will be righted. It is a symbol of attainment of a certain degree of understanding, while acknowledging, as the five points always do, that there is eternally that which is just beyond understanding. That is often symbolized by a circle drawn around a pentagram. The circle represents Mystery.

Q. An older witch friend of mine recently visited as I was decorating my house for the holidays. She was very concerned when she saw me hanging a wreath on my door after I had decorated the inside. Do you know why this might be?

A. One of the delightful superstitions which has come down to us through the years is the hanging of a wreath on the door of our homes. The wreath is a powerful symbol at this time of year, representing the wheel or circle of life. Made of greenery which may include the sacred holy or mistletoe. There are many wonderful myths and stories told about the power of the circular wreath. Wreaths were often created as a way of bringing Winter's greenery into homes. They were used extensively when the Catholic Church outlawed the use of evergreens in the house as a pagan tradition. A small wreath was often a way to adhere quietly and unobtrusively to one's ancient traditions in a way that would not call notice from the Church.

One tale regarding wreaths would explain your friend's discomfort with your decorating technique. The tradition is that one must begin decorating one's house with a wreath on the front door. No decorating to have been done before that. Then you proceed to decorate your house, working in from the front door. The wreath you placed there at the start will guarantee nothing but good energy enters the house, and the energy will follow the decorations within, leading into the heart of your home. The reverse is true; you should always take down the wreath as your very last task when you are removing your holiday decorations.