INVOKING EARTH

by

Catherine

INVOKING EARTH is the child which Steve and I created through love, with love as its aim.

Steve and I were initiated into an Alexandrian coven, although neither of us would consider ourselves as belonging to any particular tradition. We had both worked within the occult field for some time, and had always followed Pagan beliefs. We were working as part of our initiating coven, but independently formed the opinion that our way was different, and decided at the same time that we would leave.

We contacted various people with the idea of finding a group with ideals closer to our own, but the further we looked, the clearer it became that we would not find what we were looking for. Through private occult work, meditation, and conversation, events led us to the double concept of making divination techniques more realistic and in keeping with occult teaching, and bringing more realistic and down-to-earth approaches to this work, and by [sic] forming a network of people who shared our aims and beliefs in the Craft. So Invoking Earth was re-awakened.

Gradually a group began to form. We are still a fairly small group here but are in contact with people in other parts of the country doing very similar things. Information on Invoking Earth has been handed out at psychic festivals all over the country and is being spread by word of mouth. These are early days for us, but we are open to expansion in all ways and to new members.

To explain all that we are trying to do would take the lifetime it will take to achieve them, but here, as simply as possible, are our concepts and what they are based upon. From all we have experienced and observed within the Wicca as it is, we felt that the prime objectives of Unity and Balance were being lost, and that the Craft was becoming too Lunar and Matriarchal, therefore the positive [S]un force was being lost, leading to a lack of positivity and to problems between the Priests and Priestesses, where the reality of the Earth Mother has almost totally given way to the illusionary [L]unar aspect of the Goddess without balance.

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Our Work, therefore, is towards restoring that balance of Sun and Moon, Priest and Priestess, each equally important and different, each balancing the other in harmony of the God and Goddess.

We do not doubt the validity of initiation as ritual, but our group does not initiate. We feel that the original intentions of initiations and degrees have been lost, and are often given for the wrong reasons, and that this causes a basic misunderstanding about the roles of High Priest and High Priestess. Initiation is between the seeker and his deities, and formal initiation should be a statement that the commitment has been made, with degrees according to the standard of magical achievement reached. This perhaps makes our work more difficult, as commitment must come from the members of the group without pressure from us. As I have said, we do not have a hierarchy, although Steve and I usually officiate as magical partners, or one or the other of us with another member of the group. We hope that eventually any two people who choose will be able to devise, write, and perform the rituals we use, so that we are entirely interchangeable, or that members will, in turn, form their own groups and ideas. Responsibility for welfare still rests with us, but by building a group relationship we hope to be able to help each other, therefore those who come into contact with us. The group is, however, individualistic, its members coming through various channels and from widely differing backgrounds, each contributing their various giftes [sic] to a shared teaching/learning situation. Within this group we are open to expansion, or will offer help or contact to any new or existing groups who wish to share. We have already a strong existing group in Wales as part of our network.

From its Pagan origins, the Craft was a religion of the people. We feel, however, that the movement has become too middle class and intellectual in its outlook, and that many would-be seekers are put off by the fact that they don’t know the ‘Right Words’, or that they must be involved in the psychic sciences (although this usually happens at some time). Our way is open to all people who seek in Truth and who are genuine in their approach; each person’s gifts are precious. In the same way we feel that it is very important to dispel the fears and doubts that people have of Wicca, and to show them that we are ordinary people with a strong belief, and not characters from fairy stories or Dennis Wheatley novels.

With this aim in mind we want to open the Craft to all those who wish to know. The real secrets within the Craft can only be learned by increasing awareness, and through living and experiencing on all levels; we feel that is every person’s right to work towards this aim. The initiation oath states that the secrets must not be revealed to those not ‘Properly Prepared’, i.e. initiate[d?], but to us life and commitment to the Great Work are the only preparation. Most rituals have been published almost completely, but without a working knowledge they are useless and frustrating. We understand that to enter a circle for the first time bound and blindfold[ed] is indeed Perfect Love and Perfect Trust. We prefer that those who wish to enter should have the right to see and understand before they commit to a group. How much is seen and understood depends on, and is a real test of, their awareness. Obviously there are people who, for their own good and for the good of others, would not be admitted, through instability or a perspective which might be dangerous. We try to make decisions on a group basis as far as possible.

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We work regularly as a group, keeping the Sabbats in the traditional fashion, with our rituals built on a framework of Craft and the Alexandrian/Gardnerian Book of Shadows, but by using the changing aspects of the God and Goddess rather than ignoring one or the other. We work New and Full Moons, again within a framework of Craft, but building into [it] techniques of Ritual Magic, Cabbalah, and psychotherapy techniques, to find the elements within ourselves and direct our energies into positive uses. Our Aim is to provide people with the chance to experience and see our beliefs and religion, whatever names they use, and to destroy the myths that have grown up around us.

And, of course, to work towards our own enlightenment. We know of course that there are any number of people doing the same thing, and we are happy to hear of anyone else on a similar path.

Blessed Be

Cat & Steve