Seax Wicca
(taken from a list)
The father of Seax Wicca is undoubtedly the well-known occultist and
author Raymond Buckland. The tradition itself being brought about in
the early 70`s, was in response to the growing number of spurious
covens at the time practising their one-upmanship and elitist degree
systems. Secrecy meant power and power was everything.
The craft needed to develop beyond ego
trips and self-gratification
into a bone-fide religion, which did away with an oath of secrecy and
became democratic and enjoyable. Seax Wica is just that, allowing all
to have a relationship with the God and Goddess. With access to the
mysteries and kinship with all, "Love is the law, Love is the bond".
In a Seax Coven until you have been initiated
you would be termed a
Ceorl (pronounced-cawl) you would spend time with the other members
of the Coven learning all you could before you were ready for your
intuition.
As you near the date it is advisable to
make or obtain a robe of some
description, or even an item of clothing that can be discarded into
the fire marking your transition from Ceorl to Gesith (Priest or
Priestess of Seax). During your initiation an oath is made; "As this
libation drains from the horn, so shall all blood drain from by body
if I should do ought to hurt the God and Goddess or those in kinship
with their love"
Started by Raymond Buckland, who was originally
a leader in promoting
the Gardnerian Tradition, as an alternative to the existing Covens.
Unlike most traditions, which consider the Coven group to be the
normal unit of division (ie. all ceremonies/Rituals = Group Rites),
the Seax version has provision for lone witches (often referred to as
Solitaires). Another thing which sets this particular brand apart is
its non-reliance upon being properly initiated into the Wiccan
community.
Many of the other groups require that new
members be brought to
existing covens to be ceremonially initiated into that Tradition, and
that only after years of study within the group is one ready to start
a new coven. The Seax tradition, recognizing that there may not be a
friendly, neighborhood Coven, allows for self-initiation, and Auto
setup of a Coven.
This tradition was founded in 1973 by Raymond
Buckland and seems to
have a Saxon basis. Buckland had been dissatified with the corruption
and ego trips he saw in some covens and developed Seax wicca to
answer those concerns.
The coven is democratic in that its leader
is chosen by election.
There is no binding or ritual scouging as in Gardinarian Wicca.
Covens decide for themselves whether to worship clothed or skyclad.
The tradition is also open to anyone.
In Seax-Wicca (Saxon Witchcraft developed
by Raymond Buckland) the
Book Of Shadows known as 'The Tree'; a reference to Yggdrasil, the
World Tree of Germanic mythology. The pages within it therefore
become 'leaves of the tree'.
The History of Seax-Wicca is a short and
interesting one. There are
no long myths of the origins of the tradition, no claims to
antiquity, and very few conflicting versions of how the tradition
came to be.
Mostly Seax-Wicca came from the vision
of one man, Raymond Buckland.
While he was in America teaching the tradition he learned from
Gardner to us willing Americans, he found his own ideas developing
along lines that differed in important ways from Gardner's. So, he
kept true to his oaths of silence and split with Gardner. He spent
many years researching Pagan traditions, and he sat down and wrote,
from start to finish, Seax-Wicca.
Seax-Wicca has a basis of Saxon belief.
Because of this, you have a
Norse influence in the Gods' names. Instead of something completely
different, the God is Woden and the Goddess is Freya. If you didn't
know that the Saxons were heavily influenced by the Norse, you could
get more than a bit confused by this seeming deity displacement.
Along with the deity influence, probably
the best known feature of
Seax-Wicca is the runescript. In research done on the Internet to
find Seax-Wicca, there can be found over 30 different pages with just
the rune script on it, and no other information on Seax-Wicca. This
is interesting since this runescript is very close to that used by
the Norse and their famous FUThARK script.
One thing that was a novelty in 1974 when
Buckland started Seax-Wicca
was that none of the ceremonies or rites were secret. There was no
oath of secrecy binding members of the groups together, nor was there
an iron-clad rule that stated everything learned must be passed down
without any changes. Individual Priests and Priestesses were
encouraged to do research and add to the tradition if it suited them,
and to share that knowledge with everyone that was interested.
Regardless of any of that, Raymond Buckland
developed Seax-Wica in
1973. This path encourages the seeker to look beyond what he wrote
and to add it to the tradition if they wanted to.
The rituals are on a solar cycle, although
Moon rites are encouraged.
However, unlike many traditions, it is not only the God that is
celebrated during the Sabbats, but both deities, and the same holds
true for the Moon Esbats as well. Both God and Goddess are honored at
each rite or ritual held in their honor. There is no ritual sacrifice
of the God, no supremacy of the Goddess and the Priestess.
There is also a transition time from the
Lord to the Lady and vice-
versa. In the Seax-Wicca tradition, Samhain is the time of the start
of the new year, and it is also the time when the Lord is more
influential than the Lady. The Lord is supposed to lead the Wiccans
through the night of winter into the spring. At Beltane the Lady
takes over from the Lord and leads the Wiccans through the summer and
fall, when the Earth is alive and growing.
Note that one is not supreme to the other,
but rather it is a
division of who has more guidance over the world during their times.
Like every good parent, if necessary the Lady will respond if called
upon during the winter and the Lord will act if called upon during
the Summer.
There are no power plays because the Covens
are truly autonomous and
democratic. Each year a vote is taken by the Coven, and a new Priest
or Priestess may be elected at this time to lead the Coven for the
coming year. Some Covens elect both at the same time each year,
others elect the Priest in the Summer, and the Priestess in the
Winter.
But it is plain that it is almost impossible
to have a "Coven
Cronies" syndrome without some extraordinary circumstances occurring.
There are no degree systems, no initiations, other than the one that
makes one a Wiccan. After that, the new initiate has the same right
and authority to speak and be heard as the Priestess of the Coven.
From the moment of initiation, the new Wiccan is considered a
Priest/ess of the Gods.
One of the more prominent differences between
Seax-Wicca and other
traditional practices is the Athame (called a Seax in Seax-Wicca). In
this tradition it can be single or double edged. The Seax is also
used in a variety of everyday uses that many traditional
practitioners would be shocked to find a ritual knife being used for,
from cutting herbs in the garden to cutting the roast for the dinner
table that night.
The rationale for this is that the more
you use a ritual knife, in
whatever purpose, the more of yourself you put into the blade and the
better able it is to mesh with your energies during a ritual.
This is the reason that many of the standard
tools are missing from
Seax-Wiccan practice. For example, the White Handled Knife, normally
used for making inscriptions, is replaced by the Seax. The same for
the Boline or herb knife. The Cords, used in many traditional Covens,
are absent from most of the Seax-Wiccan tradition except during
initiation and cord magick, in which any cord can be used. There is
also no Scourge and no ritual flagellation in the Seax-Wican
practice. A spear is added to the ritual implements for one of the
officers to use in the execution of his duties.
Seax-Wicca is focused more on the religion
of Wicca than the
Witchcraft and spellcraft aspects. In writings there is some
information on spell casting, herbs and divination, but a practicer
of Seax-Wicca would be well-rewarded to get some supplemental works
and books on magick and divination to round out their education. This
is intentional. The Tree assumes that the person going into Seax-
Wicca is either already well read in Witchcraft or they are willing
to become so.
Another change is the absence of the Maiden
and the Crone coven
positions. There are four officers in a Seax-Wiccan coven, but to
replace them, the Thegn (pronounced Thain) and the Scribe were made.
The thegn position combines many duties but mostly they act as the
coven Seargent-at-Arms. They are responsible for summoning the Coven
for the ritual, drawing the physical boundaries of the Circle and
acting as the Stage Manager during the ritual. The holder of this
position uses the Spear.
The Scribe is the Coven secretary. This
person is responsible for
keeping all of the coven records, from membership rolls to monies
received from donations, to agreements for hand partings. If the
coven chooses to become a legal church, this would be the person that
handles all the paperwork involved in this undertaking.
One other major difference is that Seax-Wicca,
unlike most
traditional groups, recognizes self initiation. The rationale for
this stance can be summed up in one phrase, "who initiated the first
Witch?" As such, the declaration of Self Dedication is seen as just
as valid as a coven initiation and little to no emphasis is placed
upon "So and so, initiated by whom, initiated by this person..." or
the lineage of a witch.
While this can and does cause some conflict
with other traditions, it
also encourages those who have little to no contact with other like
minded people to acknowledge their deities and their choice of
religion. There are those who are not able to find a coven to join or
a practicing group to initiate them who were able to be with the Gods
and participate in an environment that is, to all intents and
purposes, free of politics.
This leads to many various levels of knowledge
in the Seax-Wicca
community as a whole. One good thing that comes out of the sparsity
of information is that if you do have a call upon your heart, the
finding of information is a joy, and all the others will probably
fall along the wayside.
The rituals as written by Buckland and
his wife, Tara, are somewhat
perfunctory. This "minimalistic ritual" can be good in that there
is
little to read or memorize for a specific ritual and it leaves a lot
of room for elaboration. The rituals, like the hand fasting, are
exceedingly powerful if done properly.
As you can see from this introduction to
Seax-Wicca, there are many
strengths to it. This tradition of Wicca is one that has a great deal
going for it, but it is also a tradition that has mostly been
dismissed by more traditional groups because of it's lack of
antiquity. However, if one accepts that all religious paths are
ultimately made by humanity for humanity, then this lack of roots
becomes a small matter.
It can even become the basis for an in-depth
study of many Pagan
paths, as well as a starting point for a lifelong seeking of
knowledge. Seax-Wicca is also a good starting point. That starting
point can lead to Celtic Religions, Druidry, and other forms of
Witchcraft. It teaches a sense of who one is, and Seax-Wicca can show
what one does and dosen't want in a religion that one follows. Many
believed, in the beginning days of Seax, that Raymond Buckland was a
God and that everything he said was the TRUTH and he was completely
infallible.
And also many believed that the picture
of Covens he painted was the
truth, where all the members got along, and cooperated with each
other and that the members loved each other with everything they had.
They believed that Wiccans were a group of people who had identified
what was dark and negative inside themselves and that they had taken
steps to eradicate it in their lives. Many believed it so strongly
that they desperately wanted to be part of that group. Today those
many people, because of how Seax-Wica was presented to them, and how
Wicca was presented through Seax-Wicca, still wish to be part of this
group.
Seax-Wicca is not for everyone. If you
decide to follow this
tradition there will be much asked for by the Gods. Study, practice,
reading and research, internalizing lessons and evolutions of
yourself will all become necessary. You will be asked to present the
Best of what a Wiccan Priest/ess can be at all times, to your fellow
Wiccans, and to others who will never understand what Wicca is about.
But despite all that, or because of it,
your relationship with the
Gods will truly become personal and internal. This is an excellent
starting point, so long as you are willing to work and do your share.
And, ultimately, isn't that what a religion is supposed to do?
These days there were many more people
wanting to become Witches than
there were spaces in covens for them. As it was in the beginning, and
as it still is now, this was in the days of the "it takes a witch to
make a witch" belief and when there was little or no good, let alone
complete, material available for seekers.
Even today it is still a time of turmoil
and problems within Wicca.
Witch wars were common and a few High Priestesses were fighting
over "witch queen" titles. Meanwhile, incomplete versions of
Gardnerian ritual were being published by Lady Sheba and the Frost's
controversial The Witch's Bible appeared on newsstands and
bookstores. These books were being snapped up by people hungry for
craft knowledge.
Buckland decided to leave Gardnerian Wicca
and start a new tradition.
Hoping to avoid the problems Gardnerian and Alexandrian Wicca were
then having, he wanted to a tradition which would be open and more
democratic. Seax-Wicca, embodied in its Book Of Shadows, is the
result of that decision. Seax-Wicca broke with a number of what were
then Wiccan traditions.
First, its beliefs and rituals were not
secret as its book of shadows
was publicly available. Second, Seax-Wicca had only one degree and
that degree could be reached either by initiation by a coven or by
self-initiation. Third, Buckland admitted up front that Seax-Wicca
was a modern creation based very loosely on the Saxons in early
Britain. Fourth, Seax-Wicca covens elected their High Priest and High
Priestess annually.
The Seax Book Of Shadows was one of the
first Wicca 101 sources of
information, although it may bear little resemblance to some to what
we think of as a Wicca 101 book today. The Seax Book Of Shadows
wasn't designed to lead the reader by the hand, explaining everything
in detail. Instead, it was written like most of the Gardnerian and
Alexandrian books of shadows, sparsely. It assumed that anyone
wishing to use it would either be well-read on esoteric matters or
willing to become well-read.
It was the complete source of Saxon Witchcraft
in that it gave you
everything necessary to practice Seax-Wicca as an individual or
group. Unfortunately, modern neophytes expect "complete" to
mean "everything you could ever need to know is here" and are often
disappointed. While many traditional Wiccans of the time treated
Buckland's new tradition and its Book Of Shadows like some type of a
joke, many Seax-Wicca Covens sprang up around the world in the decade
after it was released.
The Seax Book Of Shadows fulfilled a great
need. While there doesn't
seem to be as nearly as many Seax-Wicca groups as there once were,
Seax-Wicca is still a solid path. If you are looking for an example
of more traditional Wicca than what you will find in most 1990's
Wicca 101 books, This path can be very helpful. If you are looking to
start a Wiccan group from scratch and wish to still be a part of a
larger tradition, Seax-Wicca is still an excellent choice.