What Do Gaiaist Wiccans Believe?

We believe that the Earth is a dynamic system of interconnected life force energy - that every plant, animal, mineral, element and being on this planet create the body of Gaia - named for a primordial and primal cosmic goddess.  James Lovelock, a British scientist, coined the phrase Gaia Theory in 1979.  His work is instrumental in the development of the principles and practices of the Gaiaist religion, which takes many forms within and apart from other practices of spiritual connectedness.

As Wiccans, we believe that we have the power to affect change in all areas of our existence - body, mind and spirit - through the force of our human will aligned with Divine Energy to create and maintain the highest good for all, with harm to none, according to free will.  We also recognize that "harm to none" is an impossible goal - that part of the interconnectedness of life involves the polarity of creation and destruction, birth and death, predator and prey, and other forms of energetic polarity (not duality).

What is Wicca as Defined by the Gaiaist Wiccans?

Wicca as we define it is

• a transformational and experiential religion
  
• practiced primarily in small groups of believers
• who are part of a larger body of believers
  
• with an implicit hierarchy of initiated priesthood
  
• based on standards set by each group according to their lineage, tradition, or specific belief system.  

We believe that Initiation is a necessary part of understanding the Mystery of the Divine, and that levels of Initiation matter only to others working within that specific and congruent circle of believers.  We honor the teachings of the founder of Wicca as a 20th Century religion and the writings of Doreen Valiente, who documented the birthing of this new religious philosophy as the Mother of Modern Wicca.

The Divine, Magic(k), and Spirituality

We believe that there is one Universal Creative Life Force Energy that exists in some form in all living things. For humans to more readily identify with it, this Power can be easily understood through anthropomorphizing this energy into the polarity of the Divine Masculine (God) and the Divine Feminine (Goddess).  This force does not bless or curse, in the sense of bestowing reward or determining punishment, but is governed by a series of natural laws on the earthly plane, and by a series of spiritual principles on the ethereal plane.  This Life Force Energy is also understood through a rich and powerful language of culture-specific, and/or commonly held, and or innately personal symbols and metaphors. 

We honor the Power as represented by the Four Directions of East, South, West and North, and the Center where this Energy resides as the pivot point for the needle of the Spiritual Compass, to form and define the magickal circle.  We work with the Elemental Powers that correspond with these Four Directions - Air, Fire Water, and Earth.  Each of these 4 quadrants has their own set of tools, and lore to help us work with them to manifest our magick.

Magick is the ability to change our conscious reality through an act of our free will, for the highest good of all, with harm to none.  To put it much more simply - "change your thinking and change your life", or "cognitive psychotherapy with props."  Magick is part of the super-natural, not the paranormal world - it is part of life and part of the Mystery of living.  We represent our magickal intent through the integration of our symbolic language to physically represent what our spiritual intent may be.

Living a Sacred Life - The Gaiaist Path

We believe that the earth is sacred, and thus we live in Sacred Space at all times.  However, for the purposes of achieving a deeper spiritual focus, we "cast a circle" to define a time and place to more deeply invest in and nurture our spiritual life, away from the distractions of the mundane world.  We do this through the use of "Ritual" - an order of service which involves recognizing and honoring the Four Elements and Directions, Invoking the Goddess and the God,   See our page on Ritual Liturgy to worship with us in congruence.

We believe that our spirituality is not a part of our life, but a fully integrated component of living.  Whatever is held to be sacred in life cannot be separated out from a wholeness of being.  Our lives depend and are interwoven with the complex environments that support our existence.  All things are connected, all things are inherently sacred.  Sacredness is not separate from any of the functions of living, but is a part of that experience - birth, death, sex, work, play, body functions, preparation and sharing of food, sleep, household chores ... all people share these activities (and in some form, do all life forms on this planet).  None is more or less sacred than the other. 

The acceptance of change, and the cycle of life is an important aspect of Gaiaist Wicca as a living spiritual tradition.  It can be practiced in many ways - we present one of them, as defined by this particular Tradition of Gaiaist Wicca.  There is much to learn, to integrate and to share, and even more that we do not know (or know that we do not know).  We do know that we have an intrinsic relationship with this planet, and with all life that shares it with us.  We do know that we need to continue to change our relationship with other life forms, and with the planet Herself.  Gaia was not created for us humans as a playground, nor were Her resources put here for our personal use and exploitation at the cost of destroying the balance, and exploiting Her gifts for our own greed.

We believe that we understand the nature of the Divine with our human mind, and that all other beings may have their own unique and unknowable relationship with Divinity as they understand it.  We believe that Death is part of an eternal and universal cycle.  Birth - Death - Rebirth may be interpreted as a form of reincarnation - or of regeneration, depending upon the individual belief of practitioner.  The only way that we, as human citizens of Gaia can "sin" (miss the mark) is to live in a way that disconnects us from our relationship with and to Gaia, as a co-creator of our collective reality - in essence squandering the gifts and resources that give us life.  The only remedy for this behavior is a change of attitude and action, to return to a life in balance, to the best of our ability. 

To live a life in balance - to the best of our ability will mean different things to different people, depending upon their geographic location, economic reality, political situation, etc...  As Gaiaist Wiccans we acknowledge that we are all in some way accountable for, and diminished by the destruction of our planetary ecology, and the hatred, discrimination, violence, and exploitation that occurs between humans, and between humans and the natural world that must sustain our individual and collective lives.

The Gaiaist Wiccans Believe That:

1) Life is sacred, and therefore Gaia, as a personification of our planet’s complex ecosystem, is our metaphorical deity. In order to live, life must consume life - so Gaiaist Wiccans may choose to be vegan, vegitarian, or omnivorous - based on their own personal dietary preferences.

2) The sciences of Cosmology, Climatology, Oceanography, Geology, Ecology, Biology, and Xenobiology, are sacred sciences, intrinsic to the understanding of life itself. Technology is indistinguishable from magick, and a Gaiaist Wiccan needs to have some familiarity with the basic tennets of science in order to understand the workings of energy, and the natural laws of the universe.

3) The human species is multi-gender, not bi-gender, and these genders are: androgyne, female, intersex, male, and transsexual.

4) All forms of human consensual adult sexuality are sacred, including heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual relations, and unions.

Gaiaists holds the following as crimes:
1) Violence against humans, including physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, as well as sexual interference with minors. Violence committed as an act of self-defence is an exception, including defence of Gaia.

2) Violence against animals, including sexual abuse. Humane slaughter of animals for consumption is an exception.

3) Violence against Gaia, including dumping of toxic debris, and the destruction of endangered animals or habitat.

4) Discrimination and/or the promotion of violence against others based on their color/race, or gender/sexuality.

Gaiaist worship includes the following:

1) The practice of a non-violent lifestyle.

2) The practice of an eco-friendly lifestyle.

3) The acceptance of all people regardless of their color/race, or gender/sexuality.

4) Research into or support of the sacred sciences.