I will begin with a disclaimer: in the present post, I will use the words Wicca and witchcraft, and Wiccan and witch, interchangeably, because the author of the statement I'll be referring to uses both words that way. It does not reflect my personal belief, but that of the Correllian Tradition.
I have come across this statement in the last lesson (#48) of the class "Living the Wiccan Life," in the Self-Wiccaning's intro:
"I believe that Wiccans are born, not made. If this is the path of heart for you, you were born a Wiccan, and probably have been Wiccan in many if not all of your past lives."
I had to re-read it a few times to make sure I hadn't hallucinated.
Now. I have no problem with the idea that Wicca is a path of the heart.
However.
You CANNOT be BORN a Wiccan. This is absurd. Wicca is a religion! Can you be born a Christian? Or a Muslim? Or a Buddhist? No, no, and no. You are NEVER born into a religion. Saying you were born into a specific religious path is a segregationist lie. You CHOOSE, at some point, a certain faith, either by continuing to follow what you were taught or by changing religions, because that's where your heart and soul resonate. The same applies to Wicca.
Stating that one is born a Wiccan (in the sense of witch) is dangerously close to elitism. It is dangerously close to the “we, and not them” mentality. “You gotta be born into it.” This is, quite simply, a wrong value to uphold.
Not to mention the second part of the statement: “probably have been Wiccan in many, if not all, of your past lives.”
First, a bit of history: Wicca, as a spiritual path, has existed only since the late 1940's. Second, Witchcraft, from what little is known of it, was not exactly a religion before Gardner. AND, most importantly, thinking that one is part of only one religion in all of their incarnations, as is suggested here, is incredibly narrow-minded.
How can one presume that all of the followers of Wicca in 2010 have been witches in past lives (maybe all of them!), and that explains why they come to the craft now?
Don't tell me once a witch, always a witch. Don't tell me that today's witches could not have been, in another life, something else than a Wiccan. As we come in each incarnation to learn and experience, it goes without saying that we all have experienced different religious paths, including those who are opposed to the craft. Oh yes. Even those. Some Wiccans today HAVE sent people to the pyre, and some of those convicted witches are Christian Fundamentalists today.
If one was NEVER a witch in any previous life, but is a witch in this one, is s/he less a witch than another who was a witch 50 times before? Don't tell me that in order to be a true witch, one has to have been a witch in a previous life.
Don't tell me that today's Christian Fundamentalists, or the Talibans, or the atheists, have never been anything else than what they are today, or are forever condemned to remain so for the rest of their Soul's existence!
Don't tell me that a fervent Wiccan who, for some reason, at some point feels a call toward Buddhism and changes faith, was not a true Wiccan while he walked the path of Wicca!
Don't tell me that the Soul is forever attached to one walk of faith only... That speaks of discrimination.
Still, in a very subtle way, that statement hints at these very ideas....
Let's consider this: the Soul couldn't care less about religion – let alone Deity. Deity will put you on the path that will make you grow at a specific time – and that will change from life to life, and even during one life, it goes without saying. One is not Wiccan because it's their Soul's intrinsic nature – they are Wiccan because in this particular lifetime, or in this specific time of their life, their Soul needs them to be Wiccan in order to grow and experience.
Why did the above statement disturb me so much?
Because I am an initiate of the Correllian Tradition, and the person who wrote this statement is one of its co-heads, Lady Krystel Highcorrell. Due to her position within the Tradition, she represents the Tradition and its values... And she writes (and thus, most likely upholds) something like this.
I'm not done yet.
Same lesson (#48), still written by Lady Krystel:
"Because of the work you have done in these lessons, you are a Wiccan now."
Wait a minute.
A Wiccan NOW? Because one has done the work in the lessons??
I thought she said one was born a Wiccan, not made?!? If that was true, wouldn't one be Wiccan even BEFORE taking Lesson #1? Was one less of a Wiccan during Lesson#1 than during Lesson#48? Why is the student told he is a student *because* he's finished the lessons and done the work?
On one page, one is born a Wiccan, not made – on the other, one becomes Wiccan through work, thus “made”... Here's a nice contradiction! Which statement is true, then?
Let me quote a blogger (with his kind permisson) from another forum – he presents my view wonderfully:
People are not born on the path. They choose to walk it. No matter how many people in your family are/were practicing, no matter how much you might have been taught by them... Unless you identify as a follower of whatever path you are talking about and actually walk it, you are not in it.
-- Alorer the Greek (Stef)
I don't think I could make my point clearer than Alorer did.
To finish, I would appreciate (one can dream, right?) if someone of authority in the Tradition cleared that up for me. With a serious and precise answer – avoiding the politically correct bullcrap, and the side-step-and-dance replies that some favor.
This is important – as these are values put forth by a leader of the Tradition, thus reflecting what the Tradition holds true.
Brightest Blessings,
Rev. Elise
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