Original Wolf Moon Principles of Unity
March 12, 1991
Though we define ourselves somewhat differently today, but
this was our starting point...
- In light of the current ecological crisis, everyone on the Earth has a responsibility to be aware of, and to take action to change, the state of the environment. As pagans, who worship nature and natural forces, we have a particularly strong reason to be concerned. And as people who work magic, we have means of creating change at our disposal that the ordinary environmentalist does not.
- We strongly reject the disturbing trend seen among some activist
pagans of considering magical ethics only when politically convenient.
The end does not justify the means. The best cause in the world does
not excuse unethical actions. Thus, we will perform no act of magic
that will cause any harm to anyone, nor will we manipulate or force
the will of any free being unless necessary to prevent serious harm
from taking place.
- Having stated that, we do recognize that ethics, magical or otherwise, are more complex than many people assume. For example, a lack of action can be an action in itself: by standing aside and knowingly allowing a harmful action to take place rather than acting to prevent it, you are guilty of complicity as surely as if you participated in it directly.
- Thus the human race as a whole is currently carrying an immense load of negative karma for allowing the massive damage to the environment that has already taken place. This can only be removed by a twofold process: refusing further complicity in the destruction of nature, and actively working to heal the damage already inflicted.
- In view of the complexity of ethics referred to above, and also the scientific, political, and economic complexity of many ecological issues, we will not act rashly or blindly, no matter how pressing an issue may appear to be, but will work to educate ourselves fully about any issue we are considering acting on, both through reading and research, and through meditation and divination.
- We reject the New Age-inspired tendency to create cute, fluffy, vague, sweetness-and-light rituals to "heal the earth" that lack any sort of focus or coherent intention. We recognize that effective magic requires clarity and specific focus, and thus we will direct our magical work toward specific issues, incorporating sympathetic or contagious links to the places and species affected when possible.
- We recognize that, in order to be effective, magic must be backed up by concrete action on the physical plane, and we will follow up our acts of ecological magic with concrete actions of whatever sort seem appropriate to the situation, keeping in mind once again ethics and a commitment to thoroughly educate ourselves about the issues.
- We recognize the need to balance outward-directed magic for concrete
social and environmental change with inward-directed work, both for
spiritual/magical development and for personal healing. We cannot
work magic and ritual effectively if we are not trained in their use,
or if we are too deeply wounded by the state of our world or our own
lives to have the energy to spare. Accordingly, we shall seek to keep
these three aims in balance — the three legs of the cauldron
that holds our coven identity. (Updated December 12, 1998)
- We have chosen the name Wolf Moon for our coven, for several reasons:
 The wolf is a
threatened species, extinct in many of its traditional habitats and
endangered in many others. It is a creature that, like wild nature
itself — and like the Craft — inspires both fear and awe,
is a subject of both fascination and misunderstanding, and because
of that fear and misunderstanding has been persecuted and nearly destroyed.
The Moon is the source of magical power, and governs the subtle tides and cycles of nature and the human mind and body. In the hostile dualism created by Western culture and religion, it is linked with the feminine principle, the unconscious, and nature, the things whose place in the balance must be reasserted if the Earth is to survive.
The Wolf Moon, in the lunar calendar used by many pagans, is the "extra" moon in a year, the moon which does not fit in with the standard lunar cycle. As such, it is magically the best time to do work oriented toward the breaking of old habits or destructive patterns, freeing oneself from a negative cycle. At a time when the human species as a whole is locked into a pattern or cycle which will, if unchecked, lead to the destruction of the planet, the energies of the Wolf Moon seem very appropriate to evoke.
In some versions of the calendar, the Wolf Moon is specifically indicated by a month with two New Moons rather than two Full Moons. The New Moon is a time of darkness, of turning inward, facing unpleasant truths, and re-evaluating where you're going. Again, this seemed very appropriate for our times.
|
![[wolf image]](/images/wolf.jpg)
