Coven Philosphy and Theology

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Yesterday I hosted coven and we had a chance to have a pretty good discussion of our belief systems. One of the reasons we don’t fit a conventional definition of the word ‘coven’ is because we don’t all share a uniform set of beliefs. In fact, we don’t even have a single central theology at all. The one thing we all seem to agree on is that one can find the Divine in nature and that the Divine is immanent in this world.

It was interesting to find that while all of us subscribe to the Pagan mythology of the Wheel of the Year with the Lord and the Lady, where the Lord is child, consort, ruler and sacrifice, none of us interprets it literally. In fact, all of us understand that the whole myth is simply a human attempt to explain through metaphor that which is inexplicable: the Divine. To use the late Joeseph Campbell’s terminology, the Wheel of the Year myth is the mask of God that we have chosen.

We talked for a while about Native American traditions. The upshot of that discussion was that while we admired their belief systems as we understand them to be, we do not feel it is appropriate to take their rituals and adapt them to our use. We just don’t have the right. In terms of philosophy we do borrow. Native American spirituality seems, in principle, to be a parallel sort of belief system. I always find it important to say that I find that Wicca is a new religion being built upon the bones of an old one and we have little more than the bones left to work with. Much of historical Witchcraft and Paganism is lost to history and we do the best we can with what we have. Native American spirituality has suffered tremendous losses as well, and for similar reasons.

So perhaps our attitude towards Native American beliefs and practices could be summed up by the statement: admire from a distance, but don’t touch.

Jewel, a covenmate, broached the issue of what to do with cruelty and human evil. She pulled from author Richard Bach. I gather from her that in one of his books he has his ten year old self asking his adult self why God lets people get hurt and suffer. His older self asks: do you go out and play cops and robbers, or war? The boy affirms that he does. His older self asks him, how many times did you get killed today? The boy says at least a couple of times. His older self asks, did your mom worry about you getting hurt? No, replies the boy. God does not worry about people hurting and suffering, explains the adult, for the same reason your human mom does not worry about you getting shot while playing at being a soldier. It is all make believe. This life is here for us to learn. What happens during this life is not particularly important.

So, this life is only a lesson, is what she is trying to express I believe.

I can go along with that as far as it goes, I suppose. It does mesh with my beliefs that all of this is transitory. Jewel also points out that while be are responsible for helping those who wish to have our help, we should not help those who do not want it. It is her belief that forcing help or assistance upon those who are not willing to have it is actually harmful at times.

I agree with her. I would also borrow Rabbi Kushner’s belief that God is not omnipotent, that God itself has limits. I find it reassuring to think that the Goddess cannot stop acts of nature or prevent leukemia. If She could and did not, that would be a sort of evil and I do not want to accept that.

Good Morning Goddess Brigit, my name is Andy and I am an alcoholic. Your grace, and Your grace alone has kept me sober since Imbolc 2001. I’d like to take this moment and thank You for my daily reprieve. Today is a good day to be sober!

Please, Goddess, be with me today all through the day and help me to stay sober all day long. Show me your will for me and grant me the power to carry that out. Thy will, not mine be done. Be welcome in me and to me; body, heart, mind and soul. Thank You and Blessed Be.