A Pagan Past

by Mobius

Email:  mobius@wiccacraft.com

 

I personally consider myself a Wiccan or Witch (to me they are interchangeable).  As of late I’ve really been searching for what being a Witch really means.  I truly consider the whole Witchcraft and Pagan movement as something new.  In general we all accept the Rede “An it harm none…” is some shape or form. But what does that truly mean in relationship to what we are trying to revive?  The closest things to ancient Witches are the Shamans and Medicine Men and Women of old.  They cursed when necessary and helped when necessary or when paid.  The only people they generally did their best to help were “family”, not necessarily blood relation but people that they knew or people from their town.

 

In general it seems that even other religions always had a Priest of some sort blessing the troops before they went out to war on another people.  When Native American tribes went to war their Shamans did a prayer of some sort for their tribe.  They had no qualms about doing harm to other Native Americans.  And it is the same throughout the world, the Celts, Vikings, etc. all their Priests of whatever faith they were practicing at the time would use whatever knowledge or power they possessed to help their sons and daughters come home safely with a victory.  I am also sure that they really didn’t care about who were the aggressors, and who were the victims.  So, yes I personally believe that it is “OK” to conduct war and/ or violence when it is perceived necessary.  Either in self defense or as a perceived threat, or even when you feel it is necessary to continue your existence.

 

I know I failed to mention it but I am also serving in one of the branches of the US armed forces.  I know that at some point, if not now, that I could be ordered to fight in a war that I would personally feel is unjust, unwarranted, or immoral.  Those feelings are really caused by the society that we live in.  Back with our Pagan ancestors, news traveled slowly.  We didn’t have the luxury of hearing how one tribe was being mistreated by another, or that was all we heard.  Unbiased news was unheard of, as well as differing opinions.  They were only told what their rulers wanted them to hear.  Which caused each side to always believe that they were on the side of “right”.  In this day and age of the computer, television and radio, we can hear what is going on in other parts of the world as they are happening.  We “see” it for ourselves, and we can make at least somewhat informed opinions on what we see and hear.  If we don’t like it we speak out against it, and we say something should be done about it.  Since no one else is, we take it upon ourselves in our own personal vendetta to end the harm to other people, but in the end we are really no different than other people doing the same.  No different than another sovereign nation trying to do what they think is best for themselves and/ or their people.  We approach it differently with our own ideas of what we think is right and just.

 

I firmly believe that the country that I live in (The United States) is the best country when it comes to personal freedoms.  If I truly didn’t believe that I would be moving to a country that I thought was better.  I fight in the armed forces to protect this country from any other that would try to take these freedoms from myself or my family and friends.  I may not agree with everything they do, but I think it is better than the alternative.  Remember that this is a government for the people and by the people.  The people of the United States don’t realize and or use the power that they have.  If we don’t like what is going on we flood our representatives with demands, remember that is what they are representatives; they are supposed to express our (the people’s) opinions not their own.  But I digress.

 

My personal opinion is that yes I do try not to harm anyone or anything.  I also realize the type of life that I lead.  I do eat meat, as well as vegetables, but why does that cow have more or less of a right to life than I do, and why does that that tomato have more or less of a right to life than I do.  The answer is that they don’t.  In order to survive, to live the way that I choose to live, I need to have animals and vegetables killed to support me.  It’s not right, or “moral” it just is.  This philosophy is the main way that I approach other problems as well.  Does it really hurt me or “mine” if foreigners handle their affairs the way they want to in other countries? not really.  It doesn’t hurt me if others countries have weapons of mass destruction, I mean isn’t that what the nuclear arms race was all about, how many weapons do we need if we already have enough to destroy the entire planet a few hundred times over?  We had nuclear bombs to prevent them from using their own nuclear bombs against us, ok sure.

 

As far as I’m concerned we see the way they are treating their people, and we don’t think that it’s right (like it’s our right or responsibility to help them), and we are taking steps to make sure that it stops and doesn’t continue there or anywhere else.  They say that weapons of mass destruction, and biological weapons are illegal, but according to who?  What right do we have or any other country have to tell a sovereign nation what to do and not to do.  Basically it goes back to might.  If we and some of our friends don’t like what you are doing we are going to make you stop, and if we win then we are “right”, because the winners make the policy and the losers must abide by them.

 

So in conclusion, as a Witch and a Pagan, I think that it’s best to try to live up to an ideal of not harming anyone or anything.  But when push comes to shove and someone is going to get hurt no matter which choice that you make, then the only options are to try to cause the least amount of harm possible, while still maintaining your own beliefs, morals, sovereignty, and coming to a solution that you can live with.  Short of that do whatever it takes to ensure that you and your people (friends, family, and “tribesmen”) come home safely.  I truly think that is the way that the United States is handling itself now.  We saw an injustice being done, and we didn’t want those “innocents” getting hurt, and we also perceived it as a potential future threat against us.  To stop the injustices currently happening and to prevent any future injustices from happening either there or here at home, we are taking the steps necessary to prevent that from happening.  Is it right or moral, probably not, but it is perceived as necessary to ensure that a minimal loss of innocent lives are taken now to prevent a greater number of lives being taken later.  Given one chance to kill Hitler as a newborn, to snuff his life out as a bright and shining innocent, would you do it to prevent all the trouble he caused later in life.  I know I would, and I also know that it wouldn’t be right or moral, but to prevent future suffering I think I would find the strength to perform such a heinous act.  I firmly believe that is what we are doing now, but only time will tell, and at least this isn’t some “innocent” we at least know some of the damage that our perceived enemies have caused.

 

 

Bio:  I am a soon to be 30 year old, serving in the US armed forces.  I am married and have a three year old girl and a set of twins (boy and girl) of 7 months.  We are a Wiccan family who try to serve the Goddess and our God the best way possible.  I also help run a Pagan study group that caters to military personal and run a website (www.wiccacraft.com), where you can normally find most of my essays.

 

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