THE CRAFT OF THE WISE

The word Witchcraft comes from the old Anglo-Saxon Wiccecraft, meaning "the Craft of the Wise." The wicce (m. wicca) were the ones who were wise in that they had the knowledge of herbal lore and of healing, divination, and magic. This was part of a Pagan way of life that also incorporated a belief in deities of nature, and worship of those deities in the form of a god and a goddess. Over many centuries—dating from pre-Christian times—form was given to the religion, with a priesthood and regular observance of seasonal rites. Groups remained autonomous, however, and many Witches, or Wiccans, practiced and still practice as solitaries. Despite tremendous persecution by the Christian Church throughout the Middle Ages, the Old Religion remained alive, and today Wiccans are once more able to practice openly. There are many different traditions of modern Witchcraft. Certain symbols are shared by most traditions, if not all, while some symbols are peculiar to a particular tradition. Many traditions have a degree system for advancement. Let's start by looking at the signs for these degrees, as used by Gardnerian and similar groups, since so many Wiccan traditions are based on the original Gardnerian works.

First Degree

This is an inverted triangle. As with all of the degree signs, it would be drawn after the Witch's name when signing any document, though it is only used with the Wiccan name and not with the person's mundane name. The inverted triangle indicates the points that are kissed in the "Three-Fold" salute of the First Degree: breast, breast, genitals, and back to breast, to close the triangle. (In some traditions this takes the form: genitals, breast, breast, genitals.) Whatever pattern it follows, it forms an inverted triangle.



The triangle is the triad, a design frequently associated with the female principle (the square is associated with the male principle). It ties in with the three aspects of the Goddess-Maiden, Mother, Crone—and concerns the Trinity. It was sacred to the ancient Egyptian Trinity of Isis, Osiris, and Horus; to the Indian Trinity, or Trimurti, of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva; and to the Greek Artemis, Selene, and Hecate. The Greek letter D, or delta, is a triangle and is described as "the letter of the vulva," and also as the "Holy Door." The Jewish tradition of triangular hamantaschen for Purim was almost certainly adopted from the ancient Egyptian custom of making triangular cakes for public rituals. In numerology, the number three, the number of the triangle, is ruled by Jupiter.

Second Degree

There is both a Three-Fold salute and a Five-Fold salute for the Second Degree. The Three-Fold follows a triangle, with its point at the top, and is mouth, breast, breast, mouth. In this normal position—with the point at the top—the triangle is also used as a symbol for fire, while inverted—with the point at the bottom—it is a symbol for water. (Upright with the tip cut off it symbolizes air; inverted and with the tip cut off it is a symbol for earth.)



There is also a Five-Fold salute for the Second Degree that is an inverted pentagram, or five-pointed star. The pattern of the salute again follows the pentagram shape: genitals, right breast, left hip, right hip, left breast, genitals.