Part One: Everything Is Divine
To achieve an understanding of a Wiccan world view, one must start with a basic concept: there is nothing that is not of the Gods. Everything is divine. Everything from the smallest sub-atomic particle to the largest solar star. Every person, animal, rock and mineral...everything.
Allow me to explain further...
The Divine, who Wiccans see as the God and Goddess, created all that exists. This isn't anything startling, after all...just about every theistic religion believes the same thing (that their version of the Divine created everything that exists). It's just that Wiccans don't acknowledge any arbitrary separation between creator and creation. We see the act of creation as a Divine act, so if a Divine force performs a Divine act of creation, it only goes to follow that that which is created is Divine as well. The Gods have created all that is from Divine matter, and it carries with it the imprint of it's Divine source.
And thus, the universe is Divine. Everything in it, even the things we don't think of as holy, are themselves made of Divine matter, and thus are Divine as well. Every rock, every grain of sand, the very chair you're sitting in or the keyboard you type on...it's all from the Gods, and thus is made of divine matter. The rather dull, ordinary-ness of the mundane world is just a byproduct of our limited perception. Carl Sagan used to say that we were made of "star stuff", because all of the useful elements were created in the fusion reactors within stars. Well, who made the stars? Who released the powers of space and time to create the universe?
While this may sound similar to ordinary pantheism, the way it plays out in Wiccan Theology is decidedly unordinary. For one thing, classical pantheism tends to discount the concept of a personal God, while Wiccans still have intensely personal relationships with the divine. Also, traditional pantheism tends to view the Divine as solely immanent, while Wiccans have an immanent/transcendent viewpoint that is quite unique (and which will be covered in a later installment). While classical pantheism denies the Divine having a persona (or personality), Wiccan theology embraces not only personal Deity, but a relationship with the Divine where we can come to know the Gods as people...as friends.
"There is nothing that is not of the Gods..." this is a phrase found in many Wiccan rituals, and it is a key phrase in understanding Wiccan theology. Basically, the Gods resonate in every fiber of the universe...all that we see comes from them, and it is all sanctified by that touch.
Part Two: You Are God
Thou Art God
Thou Art Goddess
Those two phrases, at one point, were at the beginning of every Wiccan Book of Shadows (book of rituals). Even if the exact wording isn't at the forefront today, this basic concept is at the heart of the relationship between Wiccans and the Divine. It is perhaps the greatest differance between the religions that we were raised with and the one we have chosen, and one that non-Wiccans have the biggest trouble understanding.
It only goes to follow if everything is divine, then that would apply to us as well. However, unlike other traditions, Wiccans don't just see the Gods as dwelling within us (like Jesus being in one's heart), but that we ourselves are Divine.
Think of that for a minute...you are God. You are Goddess. You are not some fallen creature separated from that which created you, but are an expression of that very being. God looks at the world through your eyes, hears through your ears. To connect with the Divine isn't a cry in the darkness, it's just remembering who you really are.
However, before you think that this is some massive ego trip, remember this...if you are God, then so is everyone else. That woman behind you in line at the bank is the Goddess. That guy driving beside you in traffic is the God. Your spouse, your kids, your boss...even Karl Rove (hey, I never said that Wiccan theology is easy!!!). We are not only all the children of the Gods, we are the Gods.
I know that some may have a hard time understanding this. "after all," you might say, "if I'm God, then why can't I do miracles? Why can't I make it snow in July? Why can't I raise the dead? Why can't I make George W Bush get a clue?" The answer is that while our true nature may be infinite, our perception in this world is limited. We are incarnate in the world of matter, with boundaries, limitations, and boarders. Not only are we in a limited universe, the organic processors through which we interface with the world (our brains) really couldn't handle omnipotence. It is a function of this life to have limits on our perceptions, and one we chose when we incarnated.
Perception...that's an important word here. We perceive ourselves to be separate from one another, we perceive ourselves to be separate from the Divine. But perception is not always reality, and even though facing reality may not fundementally alter the limitations that one must operate under, it does make one more aware of the possibilities.
Some might charge that viewing ourselves as Divine may encourage some to act without regard towards the welfare and well-being of others. After all, why should a God worry about what others think? However, to become aware of our Divine nature is not to give ourselves a pass to indulge our basest impulses, but instead is an encouragement to view all others, every man, woman, and child, as being like ourselves. They are not some nameless, faceless object to use and abuse on a whim, but are instead Divine in and of themselves. They are not only like us, they are us, and we should treat others as we ourselves would like to be treated. (I know, this sounds familiar, but it's amazing just how often others forget this golden little rule!)
This is not to say that our personalities are just illusion...we are who we are, both mortal and immortal. Why would the Divine place itself inside of billions of people, you might ask, and put up with all of the limitations of being incarnate in a limited universe? Why wouldn't the Divine be content to just be? And why wouldn't God make a world more perfect...why is there such suffering? There's a very good answer....I don't know why.
To say that "I don't know" isn't a cop out, it's just to say that none of us, in our limited form, know the ultimate will of the ultimate Divine. In fact, none of us know anything about why the Divine does anything. Instead, we construct religions to try to answer these questions....and we still search.
The next logical question is: what do Wiccans get from this kind of immanent outlook on the Divine? That can change from Wiccan to Wiccan. for myself, it gives me the most intimate relationship with the Gods that I feel I can have. Yes, I am ever deepening my relationship with the Divine, but it's like the process of knowing myself. I am connected with all of creation, because I am a reflection of that which created. I am no mere pawn in the hands of powers beyond my control, I am part and parcel of that creative process. I am not distant, not alienated, not estranged from the Gods...at least not in reality. Any sense of distance I feel is one of perception, and that is something I can readily fix. I do not fear God's will or wrath, for I am inseparateable from the Source.
I fear no eternal punishment...God would never banish himself to hell. I know that the good and the bad are but opportunities to learn and grow, to evolve ever closer to that from which I came, for I am both creator and creation. I fear no Earthly man, for that which I am is not able to be harmed or hurt in reality. This physical form may wither and die, but that which is my true essence is eternal and indestructable.
This is something about which many volumes could be written, but I will leave you with one more thought:
Immanence And Trancendence
While this "God within" ideal might lead some to colour us as being believers in solely an immanent Diety and not a Transcendent one, this isn't really the case. In reality, while some might emphasise one over the other, classical Wiccan theology has the Divine as being both immanent and trancendent at the same time. Wiccans see the Gods as both here and now, as well as being larger than all creation. They are both creator and creation, extant and incarnate within each of us. Even though the Divine dwells within, we can still relate to the whole of Divinity by reaching out and within at the same time. Remember, it's our perception that sees us as separate, but live with this perception we must. No amount of wishing will change this outlook while we're incarnate. The Gods are both of this world and beyond all physicality at the same time. They are both within every molecule and outside of space and time. They are both eternal and within the temproal. Truly, their power is infinite and unbound. To us, it seems a mystery. To them, it's just being.
Blessed Be,
Taliesin