The Teachings of Aradia
Nature
Nature is the great teacher, in her are all things revealed. Nature reflects the higher ways of the spirit. The creators established the law of nature so that through them we might come to know the laws of the Great Ones. Therefore, observe the ways of nature around you, both great and small. Everything has a purpose and reason. Be not confused by its seeming cruelty, for there s a duality in all things.
Respect Nature in all ways. Take only that which you must from her, and remember nothing can be taken except that something be given. This is law for all Witches.
Know that the winds speak of the knowledge of the earth, and the spirit of the kindness of all living things emanates from everywhere.
Nature teaches all living things all that must be known. She teaches birds to make their nests, animals to hunt and survive, children to crawl and walk. She teaches life. Once she taught all people of her ways, but they chose to go their own way. They chose to oppose her and to control her. But for the witches there can be no other way than hers. A witch must live in harmony with the forces of nature.
The Earth
The Earth is the nurturing power of the mother. She nourishes us and from the soil she returns that which we sow. She gives us healing herbs and herbs by which we work our magic. The very Earth gives us life, without which we would perish.
There is a healing power in the Earth, and a vital force. We know that a wounded animal lay against the earth to heal its wound. They understand, and we are one with them through our religion.
I have you the secrets of the circle, for therein is the secret of the power of Earth. Everything that the world does, it does with a circle. The Earth teaches us the doctrine of cycles, the Sun and the Moon, and the seasons come and go, and return again and again. Even so it is with the cycles of our own lives. The Earth teaches us just as Nature does for they are one. Earth is the boy, and Nature is the spirit.
We must live in harmony with the earth and with nature. To do otherwise is to court disaster. The forces of the earth are greater than any power we can safely master. To strive against these forces is foolish.
Do nothing to the Earth that shall take away from the purpose its serves in Nature, for this is the natural balance. And the earth shall always move against us to restore itself.
Do not think that we are greater than the Earth, or than Nature. For surely they shall both crumble and dissolve all that we shall erect. And there shall be floods and earthquakes, and hostile weather to show us our errors, and teaches us perspective.
Life
We live upon the Earth because we are not prepared to live in the ways of the spirt. We are not physical beings and this is why physical life is often difficult.
It is not our way to disregard the physical, for we dwell within it. So it is best to live in harmony with the world. But for us to become involved in the physical so as to disregard the spirit is likewise harmful. This binds us to rebirth, and to unhappiness.
A witch respects life, and all living things. Life must not be taken without necessity. The purpose of physical life is to learn the higher ways of the spirit through knowledge of the lower. And to prepare our spirit for the existence for which it was created.
Death
Every beginning is also the ending of that which was before it. Every ending is likewise a beginning of that which is to follow. Coming and going are simply the two sides of the one journey.
Death is merely a change of awareness and of form. It is unfeared by the spirit, but often feared by the personality of the dying one. Yet the realm of death is like the dream worlds to which we journey in our sleep, and just as brief. Know that the spirit always moves to a higher state, and always toward the light. The shadows of death cannot keeps us.
Upon dying we are purified by the laments as we rise into the ether. From life we go to dwell upon the moon (within the lunar and astral realms) and there await our return. In Luna we are given vitality and made strong again.
If the Great Ones, who created all things, have seen within us the purity of light, then shall we go forth to be forged by the Sun and taken to dwell among the Stars, in our new divine form. If this is not to be, then shall we be given unto rebirth (according to our deeds) within the world of physical matter.
Love
Love is the gift of the spirit's blessing. It is the emanation of spirit within. Love is the great attainment.
Receive love when it is offered, and offer love regardless. Yet do not allow the duality of love to cause you despair. For love can lift up your heart and it can likewise drag it down.
Accept love in the manner in which it comes to you. Do not possess it, or attempt to control it or shape it. For love is free, and shall come or go in its manner.
Sexuality
The sexual power of a man or woman is the strongest power that may be raised from the body. The Christians teach that sexuality must be repressed and thereby rob the people of their personal power.
Do not be confused by the duality of sex, for it can be physical alone or it can be spiritual alone. It can also be both together.
Share your sexuality with those whoever you may, in whatever manner you may. For all acts of love and pleasure are rituals to the Old Ones. It has been written that you shall be free, and so shall you be free in body, mind and spirit.
Be not be like the Christians who teach shame and modesty, and false morality. Blessed are the free.
You have heard it said that homosexuality is unnatural, yet I say to you that heterosexuality is likewise unbalanced. Everything is masculine and feminine in essence, and bear all the divine spark of the God and Goddess within them. Realize this, and do not exalt the one above the other. A witch must live with inner and outer harmony.
You have heard the Christians condemn adultery, and say that the spouse is the property of the other. Yet no one may rightly dictate the will of another. Do not confuse love with sex, nor sex with love.
Remember that pleasure belongs to everyone, and rightly so; therefore harm no one through your own will, nor place your will above another's.
Marriage
When a man and a woman join their lives together through ritual, and the love which they share, then are they linked to each other in another life to come.
Yet shall always be others with whom each of you may desire to share a closeness, either physical or spiritual. This is as it should be. Let your love desire fullness of life for each other and also pleasure for each other. Honour each other with openness and honesty.
Because you have joined your lives together, you are sanctuary and comfort for each other. Together shall you stand in all things, for you are true friends.
You are together because of your love, and you remain for this reason. Yet if this reason for coming together is forgotten, or fades, then it is well to part if needs be such. You do not honour the joining by remaining without love. Neither do you honour each other.
The Old Gods
Know that the Gods need our worship, even as we need food and drink. Do not think that they serve us, for we are the servants. Therefore do not bargain or demand through prayer or ritual. The Gods shall provide that which is needed.
Do not blame the sorrows of life upon the Gods. For it is humankind which creates the despair on Earth.
Do not doubt the reality of the Gods, for they do exist and are many. They have been since long before the people walked upon the Earth. Yet as we are capable of understanding them, they are no older than we. For they are not the personifications, nor the images which we establish. But the Gods do respond to us through these things. We are linked to them by virtue of our yearning towards a higher nature.
The Gods are attracted to our rituals because of the sacred signs which we use, and because of our worship (which is vitality). They are attracted by the ritual fires and incense, and by purity of our naked bodies. They give and take the vital essences which we both need, through power which we raise.
Each God is like us, for our ways are but reflections of theirs. Each God has likes and dislikes and must be approached in accordance. Each God is linked to the culture of the people who give worship to it, and must be called by the appropriate ties.
Yet beyond all of this are the God and Goddess who together are the One; herein does the true worship belong.
Worship
Remember to keep, and observe, all the sacred gatherings. For therein does the power flow, and emanate forth into our Being. Observe the time of the Full Moon, and all the Holy Days of the Goddess.
Honour the Sun and Moon, for they are the sacred symbols of the God and the Goddess (which they placed in the heavens as a token of their covenant with us). But do not worship them, for they are but images of the Old Ones.
Remember the times of union and the rites there of.
All acts of reverence toward Nature, and towards life, are acts of worship. So is it too with love and pleasure. Therefore, let each day be your rituals of adoration to the Great Ones.
Freedom
We have been enslaved. We are persecuted, hunted, and murdered by the Christian Church. We are outlaws.
Because of our plight we have come to know the meaning of Freedom. To be free is the essence of life.
Freedom allows the mind, body, and spirit to be rid of shame, guilt and restriction (which the Christians teach).
The freedom to act as you desire, harming no one by your deeds, is the gift of Freedom. The Old Ways free us from the restrictions of society and the expectations of other people.
Therefore, you shall be free. And as a sign that you are truly free, you shall be naked in your rites. And you shall sing, dance and make love.
The Law of Return
Every act which you perform will draw to itself three times the nature of the act. Such is the Law.
This effects not only the acts of each day, but reaches into the future as well. Here the Law establishes those debts which must be paid. Therefore consider well your actions. Nothing escapes the Law, nor is anything hidden from it. The Law does not punish nor reward. It only returns the intent of each action to its origin.
If you step off from a high place you will fall, and this is consistent. There is no intent, there is nothing good nor evil. It may be good to leap upon your enemy from a high place and surprise him, or it may be bad to fall and be injured. But the nature of the descent itself is only the Law. So too is the nature of the Law of Return.
Prophecies
Now it shall come to pass that our ways will no longer be mere heresy in the eyes of the Church. But they shall make of our practices an evil thing, and they shall seek to destroy us. So shall they steal independence from the people, and make them dependent upon the Church and its priests.
When the Pope shall come again into Rome and establish his power anew, then shall you know the first of all sorrows. With this shall the eyes and ears of all the Churches be upon our ways. And they shall make strict laws against us. Then shall come the great sorrows, for they will openly hunt us down and slay us. In their prisons shall they torture us and create all manners of lies, forcing us to bear witness to all that they say.
Not shall this time pass quickly, for the Church shall grow in power. But their time of power shall not last, for the Age of the Son will pass away, and the Age of the Daughter shall come upon the world in all its glory.
Now when the Age of the Daughter shall come, then shall reason be restored and the world shall be complete.
To herald the coming of the Daughter, and to keep it remembered upon the Earth, there shall arise a prophet. And a prophet shall come among the people every two hundred years, that our ways shall not be forgotten.
Then when the Age is near my prophet shall arise, and he shall prepare the way for She who will establish reason. When the Age is near there shall be an awakening in the awareness of women, and their wills shall be asserted. Laws will then change and women shall walk in the ways of men. And the followers of the Old Religion shall receive a sign, for the last of the laws which persecute us shall vanish. In that year my prophet will be born, and he shall prepare the way for She who will come. And he shall be a teacher of the Old Ways, and many shall call him the Silent Prophet.
When the Age of the Daughter replaces that of the Son, then shall the Daughter appear and establish her power. And she shall be thirty-six at this time.
Such changes will occur in the Earth, which the people of that time have never seen before. And there shall be upheaval and renewal. Out of the ashes shall arise the new world of reason. People shall no longer be ruled by governments. Nor shall one people oppress another. There shall be no rulers, but only teachers and counsellors. No one shall possess power over another, nor shall anyone restrict or control any other person.
The Earth shall be of one people, and they shall all live under the emanating rays of love, peace and reason.
Magic
There is a force which dwells in all things, which is called the Numen. The power of an object is the power of its Numen. This essence has, of its own accord, a definite consciousness. If you are in harmony with the Ways, then you may call upon any Numen which you desire, and it will assist you. This is but one aspect of Magic rapport.
Know that all things of the same nature (or essence) are as links in a chain. Through one you may influence the other. By this law do we make use of clay poppets. Yet even the mind is linked by thoughts and has power to reach out on its own. The substance of Magic is best controlled and directed through the use of ritual. Ritual attracts power, and through repetition it is then accumulated.
Certain channels of power are formed through ritual, which becomes a link to the desired response or contact. Thus do we make use of the secret signs, symbols and gestures (which are thus empowered). Repetition is necessary as well as is consistency.
As Strega, we draw power down from the Moon, and also do we draw power from Nature. The God and Goddess oversee our works, as do the Grimori. When our Magic does not produce the desired effects, it is because a greater power resists its power. This is often a sign that the nature of the Magic was improper. Yet it can be that another Strega works against you. If this becomes the matter, than seek this person out and resolve your differences.
Understand that you must always work in harmony with the phases of the Moon, and under the blessings of the God and Goddess, and in accordance with the laws and ways.
The Moon symbolizes the hidden things revealed in the darkness. The night is the side of life which is unknown. The light of the Moon is subtle and active on hidden levels. So too is our Magic.
The powers which are obtained through the knowledge of the Old Ways are neither good nor evil, it is only the way in which you use them that is good or evil.
The mind is most receptive to the influence of power when the person is intoxicated or asleep (within two hours of awakening). This is true also of trance, which is induced through chant and dance. The mind which dreams (the subconscious) is directly linked to the Moon Worlds (the Astral Realms) just as the mind which knows the daylight (the conscious mind) is directly linked to the Physical World. It is through the dream mind that the Moon Worlds are contacted. It is through the Moon Worlds that Magical influences, and Magical forms are created. These, in turn, influence the Physical World.
It is the purpose of symbols to speak to the dream mind, and plant the Magical seeds which will manifest. It is the purpose of rituals and spells to establish the patterns of power. These patterns are established to either draw upon power or to raise power, or both.
Magical and ritual correspondences are incorporated to take advantage of the Numen qualities in objects, times of power, links to Deities, and states of consciousness (awareness).
The art of Magic is a blending of inner or personal power with that of natural powers and divine powers.
The Elements
There is a vaporous, subtle and invisible quality to each of these things which we called the physical elements. The ancients have told us that all of creation was brought into being when the Spirit drew the four elements unto itself. These elements are called Earth, Air, Fire and Water. And they are controlled by Spirit.
Each of these elements possesses an etheric double. It is this essence which gives vitality, or fertility to the physical object. Just as the physical realms of matter contain their own forms of life, so too do the etheric realms. These entities have been personified as the many spirits and creatures of myth and legend. It is their activity which creates and maintains the vital essence within all matter.
The etheric powers of the lements also give potency to spells and works of Magic. It is within their realms that Magical powers ebb and flow. Thus are the spirits of the elements summoned to assist us.
The Grigori
Before the people walked upon the world, there dwelt those beings which we call the Grigori. Some have called them spirits and gods. Some have spoken of them as powers and forces.
The old legends tell us that the Grigori once were physical beings, but that they are no longer. It is said they dwell among the stars. They are the Watchers of the Worlds, and of the entrances and exits to the Worlds. Once it was said that the stars were the camp-fires of their armies, ever watching over us.
The Grigori have set their towers at the four quarters of the world, and stand vigil over the portals which lay between the worlds.
Once they were called the powers of the air, and so did they come to be linked to the winds. Know now their names: Tago, Alpena, Settrano, Meana.
The Old Ones come to our rituals to witness our rites, for we have a covenant with them. So do they watch over our works and help us. Our covenant with them was established at the end of the Second Age, and from this time so we mark the years of our ways.
The Grigori observe our rites, protect us, and escort us to the Moon Worlds when we pass from the Physical World.
Rebirth
The human body will eventually fade away after the death experience. Yet the Soul cannot be destroyed, nor is it subject to physical actions or restrictions.
After the death of the body, the Soul is still connected to its form for three days. For a period of seven days the Soul is earthbound. After this it will be escorted by the Old Ones to the Moon Worlds.
For the Strega the desire is to enter the world of Luna and be prepared for rebirth. The Strega also desires to be born among the loved ones which he or she knew in lives which have passed.
The ancient teachings tell us that the Soul enters a cycle of seven lives through which it strives to be complete. Each cycle is followed by another until the Soul is complete and physical life is no longer necessary.
The memory of a past life is often hidden from the present consciousness so that each life is unique. Yet the memory can be recalled if truly desired. The memory of each life is contained within the Soul. The Soul is the True Self. Each physical body (and personality) is only a garment worn by the Soul. It is not important whether you are a man or a woman, for each is but a small lesson, and you shall be both many times.
The Law of Return governs the life experience and condition in each new life. But beyond all of this is the Underworld. Here are the Souls which are inclined toward evil. Here are they kept in restriction until the Great Ones decree their fate.
The Act of Rebirth
After the death experience has been completed, then the Soul is made ready to be born again.
When a couple is engaged in sexual union, a whirlpool of energy (a vortex) is created above them. This energy attracts Souls who are awaiting rebirth, from the plane which is harmonious to the energy of the union (the vortex is a composite aura of the couple).
Once attracted, the Soul will be drawn into the female womb and will enter into a new physical life (all conditions being procreant).
Before being born again, the Soul will obtain knowledge of the life to come. Then is the plan realized.
Luna
Luna is the purest of the Moon Worlds. It is where the Soul is taken to rest and be renewed. It is the place of eternal youth. Here there is union with the Gods and with those Strega who have gone before.
The portal to Luna is in the West, beyond the sunset and beyond the Ocean. Luna is a place of beautiful forests and meadows. A place of clear streams, rivers and lakes. Nature spirits inhabit these places as do all beautiful creatures of ancient myth and legend. In Luna it is always Summer, hence its other name of the Summerlands.
Each Soul experiences Luna in the manner which is most suited to its life experience. This is as it should be.
We must realize that the Moon is not truly the World of Luna but only a symbol. From the Physical World, and by the physical senses, you can never see or know the World of Luna.
Astral Plane
The Astral World, through the plane of forces, receives the thoughts and vibrations of actions from the Physical World. Just as solid materials are used to create objects in our world, our thoughts and vibrations create objects on the Astral Plane.
Therefore, what people strongly believe in enough can be created astrally. This is one method by which ritual Magic is performed. Energy is first raised with a simple purpose in mind, then this is given up to the Plane of Forces, where it is drawn and channelled to the Astral World, and so obtains a thought form. The true purpose of the Astral Plane is to prepare us for future lives and existences by burning out (purifying), or exhausting, all of our fears, desires and false concepts. These bind us to the lower worlds. So it is our afterlife experiences in the lower astral worlds which transforms us.
The Astral World is under the divine Law of Cause and Effect, action and reaction. It is the essence of the Three-fold Law.
The Astral Planes contain all the heavens and hells which the followers of all religions believe in. They will experience that which they believe awaits them.
On the Astral Plane, thoughts are things. And as you believe, so shall it be.
Christianity
You have heard the Christians say that only through Jesus Christ can you enter into the Great Realm. So I tell you that Jesus was the spirit of love, and only by love may you enter in.
You have heard the Christians say much concerning the teaching of Jesus, but how many have you seen follow them? So I say to you that Christianity, as Jesus taught it, died with him on the cross. Even his own disciples were more concerned with their self-images, and self-importance.
The Christians say that we are evil and dangerous, but who is the more so? They believe the world will end and teach others concerning this, speaking of the destruction which their God will bring. The mind has great power, and many minds of the one belief has much power (even to accomplish a great destruction). So I say to you that there shall indeed be this time of sorrow. But out of the ashes shall arise the new World of Reason. For the great Ones shall use this to fulfil the plan, through the teachings of the Daughter.
There shall never be peace between our religions, for they ever strive against us. It is useless to attempt to reason with them, for they have never been known for their ability to reason. They choose to have faith in place of understanding.
Therefore, it is best to avoid them so as not to anger them. For anger always follows lack of understanding. Remember also the time of persecution to come, and reveal nothing to them that shall harm our people or our ways.
It is said that our ways of spirit cannot be extended to, nor be shared with the Christians.
Hear the words of Aradia.