Seeker's Perspective

Wow, long time no post.

Anyway, happy 2010.

Like my last piece, this is one that concerns the Gardnerian Tradition, but obviously from the outside looking in. This is my personal overview of what I know of the Trad.

Let me begin by explaining a concept that will be mentioned throughout this piece, what I refer to as “the Mysteries.” For me, there are two kinds of Mysteries, Greater and Lesser. The Greater Mysteries are open and available to anyone willing to seek them out. Call it God, call it Nirvana, call it Enlightenment, call it complete understanding, it is that ultimate place that I believe all religions, spiritualities, and disciplines of science are attempting to achieve, comprehend, and explain. These Mysteries are for everyone to seek in whatever way best suits them. The Lesser Mysteries then are those religions, spiritualities, and disciplines; they are the paths to that shared destination. However, if these Lesser Mysteries were readily available to everyone, they would no longer be Mysteries. The Greater Mysteries are Mysteries precisely because we have not reached them, they remain unknown to virtually all of us. Lesser Mysteries are Mysteries to the uninitiated or uneducated. This is why working in the sciences requires much formal schooling and training. This is why oathbound paths exist. Hence, Gardnerian Wicca is comprised of such Lesser Mysteries.

Gardnerian Wicca is Traditional, meaning there is a specified path that utilizes the repetition of form to facilitate function; the actual movements and words are the same at each ritual, however it is the experience that differs and is truly the most important. This is an orthopraxic approach, that of correct practices leading to Divine experience, rather than orthodoxic, that of correct belief. However, that is not to say there do not exist commonly held beliefs that unite Gardnerians as well, and neither does it mean that some measure of belief is not required for the practice of the Tradition.

Gardnerianism is non-dualistic, in that it contends that the whole of existence is comprised of equal and balanced opposites - male and female, light and dark, life and death, etc.. The whole is broken down into these manageable aspects and are all honored in their times, but doing so, according to Gardnerians, still honors that whole.

Gardnerianism is an esoteric, oathbound practice. This means that there are certain things that are not to be revealed to non-initiates, and that initiates swear an oath to protect those aspects (an oath they are expected to keep for the rest of their lives, even if they leave Gardnerianism at a later time). This is not meant to be used as an ego-trip or a form of elitism on the part of Gardnerians, but is instead in place to protect the experience of the Tradition and its rites and Mysteries. However, Gardnerians do not contend that their path is the only way one may reach and experience the Mysteries, just that this is the way that suits them. What is kept secret, then, are the names of the Gods, the specifics of ritual, the identities (Magickal and mundane) of those who participate in the rituals, the tools used in ritual, and any other non-ritual contents of the Tradition's Book of Shadows.

God-names are kept secret because They (the God and Goddess honored) are considered "tribal," wholly unique to the Gardnerian Tradition. In non-initiate training rituals, the Priest and Priestess may choose to utilize place-holder names of similar Deities, the most common choice of culture being Celtic. However, some may choose to simply use the non-specific terms "God and Goddess" or "Lord and Lady” instead of proper names. That decision is left up to the Priest and Priestess of the ritual/group. If place-holder names are used, they are then a tool to help teach those in training about the God and Goddess they will meet and commune with during and after initiation, so that there will be some degree of familiarity once the initiate comes to face the Gods honored in Gardnerian Wicca. These Gods are understood to be the Great Mother and the Horned One.

The specifics of ritual, as was aforementioned, are not told to non-initiates to protect the experience. Think of it this way; you and a friend both want to see a newly premiered movie, and your friend gets the opportunity to attend a showing before you do. How impolite and improper would it be for your friend to not only tell you every single detail of the film (including the ending), but also the emotions it will evoke from you, and the impact it would have on your life in general? I’m betting anyone would be pretty darn upset. This is the same reasoning behind Gardnerian rituals being kept secret, so that each initiate who experiences them does so as “untainted” as possible. This explains secrecy in regards to those seeking initiation, but for those who do not, a similar analogy is appropriate; if you see a movie but your friend has absolutely no interest in it, regardless of your opinion of said movie, they probably won’t want to hear about it at all. The logic then is that, since those not seeking initiation are assumed to be uninterested in Gardnerianism all together, what reason do they have to concern themselves with its practices? Additionally, this secrecy maintains the authenticity of the rituals, and also the integrity of the initiating line back to the Tradition’s founder, Gerald Gardner. Thus, the rituals cannot be altered or misused, and only those properly experienced in the Lesser Mysteries of Gardnerianism can go on to teach them to others.

As far as participants' identities go, that's fairly self-explanatory on one level; "outing" someone as a Witch is not something taken lightly, regardless of where one counts one's self on the spectrum Wicca has become. But there is another level to it, in that Gardnerians keep their lineage oathbound as well. One's lineage is the line of initiating High Priestesses that leads from one initiate back to Gerald Gardner and his High Priestess. In general terms though, for purposes of verifying that potential initiators are in fact properly qualified to teach the Tradition they claim, a seeker will often be given the names and contact information of persons up-line who can then vouch for said initiators.

And lastly, the tools used and the other, non-ritual contents of the Book of Shadows (BoS) are oathbound because they are related to the specifics of Gardnerian practice and experience, and so revealing them can take away from those elements, just as describing pivotal scenes from a movie can taint the enjoyment of the whole thing.

Pre-initiate groups are sometimes called Groves or Outer Courts, with the group of initiates being called a Coven, and sometimes also the Inner Court. Initiates are generally members of both groups. Gardnerian Covens (and any Groves under them) are autonomous, meaning that they each function an individual units under the guidance of the High Priestess and High Priest. However, just as the American concept of the "nuclear family" is yet a part of a longer heritage, so too do Gardnerians remember and respect where they came from. A High Priestess may turn to her initiators (who are then granted the titles of Queen and Magus, once someone has hived from them and formed their own Coven) for counsel, but she is not ruled by those who came before her. As long as there are no concerns regarding oath-breaking or proper teaching of the Tradition, or allegations of unethical or illegal behavior, how a Coven/Grove is run is of no business to anyone except the leaders and members thereof.

Before one is allowed initiation, at least a year and a day of serious, positive, dedicated training is usually required. Such training generally includes attending Sabbat and Esbat rituals throughout the year, and also participating in discussions, reading certain books and/or other materials, and/or writing papers on various topics. These rituals, discussions, readings, and papers done as pre-initiates are all meant to teach the general basics of Gardnerianism, and give the High Priest and High Priestess a chance to evaluate if the candidate will be a proper and beneficial addition to the Coven and Tradition as a whole. It serves the same purpose as taking pre-requisite classes before being admitted to a more advanced course; what is done in training is meant to prepare candidates for what will be learned and experienced once initiated. Furthermore, the High Priest and High Priestess act in a similar capacity to a store manager who decides whom to promote to assistant manager; they gauge who has the appropriate knowledge and experience to take that next step. In addition, this period of study fosters what is known as “Perfect Love and Perfect Trust.” Not only do the teachers and students develop a learning relationship, but also one of parents to children, so that the students are confident that the High Priest and High Priestess act in the students’ best interests when they themselves don’t yet have all the pertinent information necessary to judge if they are ready to take their next step.

Initiations are always done male-to-female, so that the High Priestess initiates men, and the High Priest initiates women. Also, any Magickal work is done in male-female pairings as well, referred to as “working partners.” This is because the Gardnerian system works with a variety of equal and balanced opposites, similar to a battery. A battery needs both the positive and negative ends connected to the equal and opposite node to function. So too do Gardnerians find the complimentary pairing of males with females to be highly effective in Magickal and ritual workings. Additionally, since Gardnerianism recognizes a God and a Goddess, each pair then represents Their Union, and so Gardnerians are then as aligned and attuned to the ultimates of Divinity as possible. However, one’s personal sexual orientation or gender identity has no bearing on whether one may be initiated into Gardnerianism, so long as one has the ability to see beauty and worth in, and recognize the functionality of, heterosexual pairings. Some Coven leaders may insist that whether one can act as a Priest or a Priestess is determined by external physical sex rather than internal gender identity, but that is something that varies from Coven to Coven. (See also my piece on Gender Issues.)

After initiation one is considered a First Degree Gardnerian, and past that are two, more advanced degrees. The same time period of study as before initiation takes place between each degree elevation as well. At the final, Third Degree, one can choose to "hive off" and begin a new Coven. Generally when this happens, it is a pair of working partners that begin the new Coven (although I’m told that Gardnerianism allows for a High Priestess to run a Coven alone, I’m not certain if she would be allowed to start a Coven without a High Priest). Sometimes these partners are in fact a married couple, but not always. Additionally, often times this pair has begun training potential future initiates before the official hiving takes place, and in some occasions, one (or more) of these trainees is initiated as a part of the hiving proceedings.

The traditional number for members of a Coven is thirteen, however that is neither a minimum nor a limit, so Covens vary in size (but are usually considered to need at least three people - a High Priestess, her High Priest, and one other initiate). The only real determining factors are how many students the High Priest and High Priestess are willing to take on at one time, and the number of bodies that can physically fit in the designated ritual room (that is, if rituals are held indoors. If the climate allows for regular outdoor rituals, this is less of a concern).

Gardnerian workings are done "skyclad," or naked. This is done to make the participants psychologically and spiritually naked, open to the energies and influence of the ritual and the Gods. I have been told by many a seasoned Gardnerian that, while in ritual, one does not see the physical bodies of those around them, but instead their spiritual essences (an example, a High Priestess I was once acquainted with told me she has a full-body tattoo, but a long-time Coven member of hers said that he could not draw said tattoo on a doll, he is utterly unable to describe it. Despite being in the presence of his High Priestess when she was undressed in countless rituals over many years, he has never seen her tattoo). Also, it’s been said that there’s so much else going on with performing the rites that one really doesn’t have time to look at all the naked bodies; it’s not as if everyone’s just sitting around staring at each other. The vast majority of the time though, pre-initiate rituals are done robed, and the change of clothing is used to facilitate the same sort of necessary change in mindset that being skyclad would.

While the practice of Gardnerianism is a set and prescribed one, whatever spiritual/religious activities an initiate engages in outside of Gardnerian rituals has no effect or bearing on their status as a Gardnerian, so long as their oaths are not violated. A Gardnerian initiate may even attend Christian services if they so desire. Additionally, any other God forms one may recognize in one’s own personal practice is of no consequence, so long as one still reveres and honors the Gardnerian Gods in Gardnerian ritual. However, simply because a Gardnerian initiate may engage in a certain practice (such as Chakra or Reiki healing, or reading Tarot cards, or growing an herb garden, etc.) that does not automatically make said practice a “universal” Gardnerian one. Just as there is a certain set of actions one must perform in order to drive a car, there is a certain way to practice Gardnerianism - the flip side of that being that, even if one has a driver’s license, that doesn’t obligate one to always travel by driving a car, or to travel at all. Nor does the use of other transportation methods or abstaining from using them all together revoke that license. It also does not make using those other transportation modes equivalent to driving a car - just because one is capable of riding a bicycle, does not automatically mean one can also drive a car. So it is that a Gardnerian initiate practices Gardnerianism in Gardnerian rituals, but there is nothing to stop them from honoring other Gods in other ways outside of those rituals, while still being a Gardnerian.

This is about all I know concerning the Tradition, aside from those elements that are common to much of Wicca (celebrating the Sabbats, the inclusion of the Wiccan Rede, etc.). I would caution that anything more specific or in-depth that you may read about Gardnerianism, whether in books or on the web, was probably either written by someone who's making it up to gain money or some sort of undeserved prestige, or someone who has broken their oath to the Gods. So think about it; in either case, they're a liar. Would you trust their information?