Black Walnut Magazine
Dance the Dance of the Walnut Grove

Initiation within the Occult
© By Ariana ~ 2006,

Revised 2009 Sept

Initiation as defined by the Meriden Dictionary is as follows 1 a: the act or an instance of initiating b: the process of being initiated c : the rites, ceremonies, ordeals, or instructions with which one is made a member of a sect or society or is invested with a particular function or status 2 : the condition of being initiated into some experience or sphere of activity : knowledgeableness.

Brief History

Personally, within our circle I will not perform any level of initiation other than HPs anymore, as I do not accept the three level initiations, as I have always really questioned them. Initiations are lessons learned and when you have learned and gain wisdom from them, and have shown your dedication and more and have earned such a rite, then I initiate one to a HPs.

Now in the olden days there was no such ritual of initiation in which one went through to obtain growth, knowledge, lessons learned and ultimately wisdom. Initiations were life?s experiences, one would be seen for all they learned and overcame and how much they dedicated their time to home, studies, how loyal they were and how honest one was, this all determined who a woman or man would become. This is the most important of all initiations. The ?true mothers? and ?true fathers? of the Old Religion initiation was only done in a secret rite at the time one was to be initiated to HPs and not before. This typically was completed at the age of 50 and at 51 you were allowed to teach. In the times when Witches could not gather together they were solitary and in fact had no other form of initiation other than going out in a field and standing, kneeling before the Gods skyclad hands held high to the Moon until such a sign/omen was seen or heard and only then was it time to return home, in this we proclaimed this to be our way of life that of the Ancients. Is it to say their initiations were invalid, No, as that was the way.

Today, so many say if you are not so initiated by man, then your initiation is not valid, this is a false statement, and one in which I had to overcome personally. When looking at initiation who truly is doing the initiation man or the Goddess and God? The Goddess and God obviously are the initiators, in that all you overcome and accomplish are the Works in which you do to honor them and your path, however, it is up to you to prove you have earned such a Rite in how you present yourself and your Works afterwards that truly makes you a HPs of the Craft. A title is only a title on paper, and does not make a HPs, your actions and how your carry yourself is what makes a HPs within the Craft.

Do we go through initiations all the time? Yes, we do. We go through initiations within the mundane realms as well as the spiritual realms and it is in those initiations that it is a true initiation, as it is what is called out of circle initiation. This is not to say we do not have the Rituals in which one is initiated by the Goddess and God that is performed by another HPs or HP, however, our only act in performing such a Ritual, it to be the portal for the Goddess and God and take you through the spiritual initiation. Are self-initiations accepted? Yes and No. This depends on the various traditions, however, to mention self-initiations are less accepted than accepted in Wicca or Wicce traditions. There are one or two Wicca Traditions in which self-initiations are accepted.

However, for one to become HPs it is not overnight and it takes many years of studies, training, discipline, patience and more to earn such a rite under the eyes of the Goddess Mother and God Father. Nothing work obtaining comes easy.

Definition of Witch, in which is Taught by Rev. Lori Bruno Elder HPS

Wisdom
Integrity
Truth
Courage
Honour to Self, Ancestor, and above all the Gods, you are they and they are you.

Degree System

Today within the Craft or in Wicca there is a three level degree of initiation. There is the First Degree, Second Degree, and Third Degree, which in Wicca makes you a HPs. The first degree is obtained by studies and works of letting go of old or bad habits and is most usually done after a year and a day of one?s time with a specific tradition or coven. Upon this one is prepared and goes through a secret rite, though in many Wicca Covens, the members are allowed to attend with their backs turned to the actual rite being performed. This is completed by one being given typically a white cord and a chalice. Second Degree is achieved typically in the same manner, however, the journeys do change it is a time of victory?s over battles on the mundane plane as well as the spiritual plane, in this again after another year and a day {though not suggested} one goes through another ritual in which they are to be disrobed and scourged [figuratively speaking] and in turn they are to a level of now where they would typically receive [depending on the coven or tradition] a red cord and a sword as a gift. Third Degree in Wicca is just a formal way of saying one has reached the highest level of his/her training and is ready to move onto running their own coven. This is Wicca, and typically one can become HPs within 3 years and 3 days. A bit too fast for one?s level of growth, I would say.

The degree system is also part of most Traditonalist Path, yet to become a HPS or HP takes many years of training and inner journey workings, for the traditionalists take much of their core training from the older pathways of the Old Religion, yet with the incorporation of Wicca, Hermetic and Masons.  Moreover, depending on the Traditionalist path you follow there can be up to Nine Levels of training.

Where did the degree system of initiation originate from? The Masons. The Masons in their occult studies introduced the degree system as a way to protect the secrets and their members from being known outside of the lodge in which they were members. When looking at the initiation ceremonies in which originated from the Masons and was carried over into Wicca, you will see similar acts in which are performed, and they to have titles in which go to each of the three degrees. Anything beyond two degrees is not spoken of outside of the Masons and is held by secret oath and silence. The Entered Apprentice is the initiates? first level of entrance and the Fellow of the Craft is the second level of initiation, and the Master is the one who is over the lodge, this would be equivalent to the First, Second and Third Degree in Wicca Traditions. The initiation rites that Wicca uses are all adapted from the initiation rites of the Masons. As far as details on such rites, that cannot be disclosed as each rite is done in secrecy, [or suppose to be] in order to protect all the members and their identity within such levels. When you look at the true symbols within the introduction of Wicca from Gardener, you will notice that he using all three sigils associated to the Masons on his book the Meaning of Witchcraft, however, disguised to the alchemical symbols of air and water to create unity between the female and male energies.

Sicilian Strega

Within the of the Craft of the Wise there is not an initiatory degree system, moreover, one is welcomed in after attending over a period of time in the Open or Outer Court [only if formally requesting to become a student under the Head Mother and only if said request is accepted] and from that point you are taught from the beginning in which first and foremost is learning and gaining the knowledge of how to Psychically defend oneself as well as those who are close to them, or in which they too do magical workings. 

Many years of training go into becoming a High Priest/ess and it is not something in which within the Traditional system is taken lightly.  There is an Oath of Silence in which is taken and when taken it is as solid as Gold and ones' Word, if broken then said person must face the Gods in which he took the Oath under and accept the consequences of breaking ones' Word.

Moreover, Crafters of the Wise tend to shy away from titles as we first and foremost always consider ourselves Witches.  We hold a high value of ones' Word, the Deeds one applys him/her self to within the community, the Thoughts we project for in all things we generate by our Thoughts, Word, and Deed/s.  A High Priest/ess has a lot of responsibility to carry, working within the community within the area of residence and working with other Pagans, working to bring empowerment to women, protecting the innocent, guiding those who are worthy on the correct path, in which are only a few of the tasks we are responsible for upon being elevated.  This is a Gift from the Gods, and as a child is a gift to those who are blessed to have the children, this too is to be cherished and not taken lightly for this too is a life long commitment.

As taken from Dion Fortune's book Psychic Self-Defence, chp XIV

But in addition to the individual mental force of the members of a fraternity, and in addition to the collective force of its group-mind, there is another factor to be reckoned with when a genuine occult organisation is concerned in operations of either protection or destruction.

Every occult organisation depends for its power to initiate upon what are called its "contacts," that is to say, upon one or more of its leaders being psychically in touch with certain forces. If, in addition to this, the organisation has a long line of tradition behind it, a very potent collection of thought-forms will be built up in its atmosphere. Every initiation ceremony contains in some form or other the Oath of the Mysteries, which binds the candidate neither to reveal the secrets of the Mysteries nor to abuse the knowledge they bestow. This oath always contains a Penalty Clause and an Invocation wherein the candidate submits himself to a penalty in the event of a breach of faith, and calls upon some Being to exact the penalty. Some of these oaths are most formidable affairs, and they are administered with every circumstance of solemnity that stage management can devise. The way in which the occult fraternities have succeeded in preserving their secrets shows how seldom these oaths are broken.

In the event of a dispute with an occult fraternity, the force invoked in this oath may come into action automatically. If the recalcitrant brother is in the spirit of the tradition and it is his chiefs who are at fault, the power invoked in the oath will be a potent protective influence with which the chiefs themselves will collide. If, on the other hand, he breaks faith with the Mysteries, this avenging punitive current will come into action although his defection may pass undiscovered.  I was informed by an eye-witness of an incident which took place at an initiation, in which the candidate, a man to all appearances normal in every way, after taking the oath in the usual manner, suddenly screamed most terribly, startling everyone, and was ill for some weeks as if from a severe nervous shock, and never had anything more to do with occultism. No explanation of the incident was ever forthcoming. I was present myself upon one occasion when a batch of three candidates was being "done," and it was suddenly noticed in the course of the ceremony that the number of the candidates had become reduced to two. Enquiry elicited the fact that the third had taken fright and fled.

This being the main reason many do not elevate beyond this point, as upon Initiation this is the ultimate test of one's purity of heart, if the heart is un-pure madness occurs or worse, by the hands of the Gods.

This taking me to the ending of Harrison Ford's movie the Crystal Skull.  In the end the German Florien was so desperate to learn of the hidden secrets from the Extra terrestrial, she sought with desperation to the answers so well guarded and hidden.  Upon this request he looked upon her and, yes, showed her the answers she sought, the information so desired, and with that he too saw her Heart, what she intended to do with said information, because her intentions were to use it for harming others and using if for her own gain, the Extra terrestrial ended up destroying her. 

This is similar to one who entreés Initiation with an un-pure heart, all those things are revealed, yet if you are of an Un-pure heart or have ill intentions for the use of the knowledge given to you by the Ancient Mighty Ones, you so shall be driven mad and all knowledge removed from your memory.

Be sure you are prepared and ready to accept what comes with a True Initiation.

By Rev. Ariana Afsanay Clausen Küehl

Ariana is known for her work within the community as a volunteer with the Red Cross, she seeks to help and work for the betterment of the World.  Ariana is an Astrologer, Reader of the Stars, Wife, Witch, CEO, founder of Temple of Diana and an Ordained Reverend under Our Lord and Lady of the Trinacrian Rose Church as well as International Craft Fellowship.

Ariana loves nature and working with the elements to gain understanding to bring an awareness to natural healing through the use of natural remedies and prayers to the Gods.