LYMMITE WICCA
The Lymmite Wicca faith was begun by a lady simply known as Delyth of the Mist and Princess Rhosyn. Folklore tells that Delyth arrived in the Kingdom at a time of crisis and using her powers was able to guide the King through the problems. She carried out a miracle saving the Queen from death during childbirth and producing twins when the Queen was sure she was only carrying one child. As part of the bargain for saving the Queen's life Delyth was permitted to educate the first born child, Princess Rhosyn. The two effectively established a system of faith that is still followed today and includes an hereditary leadership structure focused on an almost teacher-student relationship.
What do they believe in?
The Delyth of the Mist and Princess Rhosyn taught that there are two all powerful Gods. The first is the Horned God, he is male and is responsible for all creatures except humans. He is also known by many names including Karnayna, Atho and Brân. Many stories also include the Horned God forming himself into several different Avatars and these becoming great historical legendary figures. He is considered almost like a gamekeeper for humanity and keeps the balance between nature and the spirit world.
The world itself though was created by the "Mother Goddess" who it is believed birthed the Universe into creation and allowed the Horned God to come into existence as her lover. While he is said to have made all creatures it is the Mother Goddess who created mankind, and unlike the Christian faith, she created women first and blessed them with the ability to summon Magik. The Mother Goddess.
The two Gods must be respected and worshipped for allowing our existence. When a person dies their soul splits into two parts. One part remains on Mundus and keeps watch over the world, the other ventures to the "Summerland" where it lives in a beautiful forest where if male it sits and learns from the Horned God and if female from the Mother Goddess. After a period of reflection and learning the soul in the Summerland is given a choice about how it is unified with the Mundus dwelling part. An individual may return to Mundus to be reborn in another human body or it may request the Mother Goddess allow it to remain in the Summerland for eternity, however if the Mother Goddess rejects you then your soul is destroyed for all time. It is believed that only Delyth of the Mist has been granted permanent residence of the Summerland and that the sound of hooves heard inside her tomb following her burial was the Mother Goddess riding to claim the Mundus bound part of her soul.
The faithful believe that any individual can harness Magik but females are much more powerful. Those trained specifically to carry out rituals and rites are those considered exceptionally strong with Magik and are referred to as witches. A man may become a witch but these are exceptionally rare.
How do they pray?Lymmite Wicca focuses on rituals and rites of passage done at various times. Each home is expected to have a alter which features a symbolic presence of the two Gods. In addition gifts are daily laid out for the two, these generally are things such as flowers or food. All followers belong to a Coven, these are groups of faithful who follow a particular Witch and her descendants. Friday is considered the most holy day and Covens gather at their meeting point, for some this is a building known as a Casting, or for many places in nature are used. At various times through the year certain festivals are carried out for praise of certain things. While common beliefs exist each witch may have her own variations so long as given approval by a White Witch. Each Covens leading witch maintains a "Book of Shadows" which contains that Covens spells and rituals. This is a "living document" which each generation maintains.
A typical Friday ceremony involves nine stages
1. Purification of the sacred spaces and those worshipping. Each witch has her own method of doing this but often this can include such things as ritual washing, use of salt and use of fire.
2. Casting The Circle. A sacred circle must be formed, this must be large enough to contain thirteen people, including the Witch. It is believed no magik can take place unless there are 13 people in attendance. It is believed that the circle acts as a portal between Mundus and the Summerland allowing the two Gods to hear our prayers and also increasing the witches power.
3. Calling of the Souls. Spells are used to attract certain souls to the circle to even further increase the powers of the Magik. These are often ancestors and former leaders of the Coven.
4. The Cone of Power. The Witch in charge of the Coven utilises spells to harness the energies of the 13 that have made the circle. This sends out a Cone of Power that extends to the Summerland. The two Gods can utilise this energy to revitalise themselves. In return for this sustaining energy the Gods ensure we are protected. Once prayers for the Gods have been said the Cone is used to carry out Magik relevant to those in the Coven, for example a pregnant women will have energy directed her way for the health of the baby or a student about to sit exams will have it harnessed to support them in the upcoming tests.
5. Drawing Down the Gods. It is now expected that the Gods be given some form of gift. During seasonal rituals such as at Harvest this is in many Covens an animal sacrifice. On Friday prayers however this is usually something that can be burned such as flowers or food.
6. Spellcasting. Now that the Gods are themselves within the circle collecting and enjoying their gifts each member of the Coven is permitted to ask the Witch in charge for help with a spell. These can be for anything so long as it is judged by the Witch in charge not to go against the concept of "Do no harm".
7. The Great Rite. The person leading the ceremony asks that the Gods enter into them if they wish. At this point the Witch is joined by a male partner allowing the Gods to enter the correct gender. Often following this individuals may seek a private audience with the two involved as to ask if the Gods had any message or wisdom for them. Often faithful will ask questions to the two undertaking the Great Rite prior to them beginning. While there is no set Rite each "Book of Shadows" has a method for this. In some this can involve the two tying themselves together while on grand occasions "Sex Magik" takes place, while the name may suggest intercourse between the two this is largely now not the case and the symbolic act of a male placing a sacred knife inside the a sacred challice held by a female.
8. Wine, cakes, chanting, dancing, games. The Coven enjoys social time together. Adults will often enjoy an alcoholic drink and food while socialising while children play traditional games. Communities often sing folk songs and traditional dancing is popular. Honey cake is a favourite and seen as a ritually important part of the meeting. It is believed that the Two Gods become pleased seeing a sense of community among their faithful and that the socialisation is blessed by them and strengthens the Coven.
9. Closing the Circle. Rituals are undertaken to thank the Two Gods and other spirits that have attended and the circle is formally closed.
The Rede & MoralityWhile the faith has no central sacred text, instead prefering each witch to have their own "Book of Shadows"
One central part of the faith is The Rede, which is a simple phrase that says "Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill, An it harm none do what ye will" . This is taken as the central part of the faiths morality. There is however much debate over what it actually means, some Wiccan believe for example the "none" means no person while others interpret it to also include animals, as such is estimated that around 25% of those following the faith are vegan or vegetarian.
Other moral codes include the "Rule of Three". The faithful believe that whatever energy you put into the world, positive or negative, will be returned to you three times. As such Wicca are careful about their actions.
WitchesThe faithful find the image of a woman in black with a broomstick and hat rather offensive. A Witch in the faithfuls eyes is someone who has been blessed with powerful Magik and has displayed signs of great knowledge, probably from their time in the "Summerland". It is believed that Magik runs in families, particularly down the female bloodline and as such the title of Witch is largely hereditary. To become a witch a serving witch must take you on as their apprentice. This is often a mother and daughter practice. After being an apprentice for a year and a day an individual may request a "Screening" where they are tested by witches from three other Covens. If this is not done before two years and two days the Apprentice will always be rejected but may remain an Apprentice for life. If they are deemed to be knowledgeable they are called a "First Degree Witch" and may now cast spells at prayers. Following three further years they may apply for recognition as a "Second Degree Witch" if approved they may now lead rituals. Finally after five further years they may apply to be a "Third Degree Witch" this means that they may now lead a Coven or even establish one of their own. Beyond "Third Degree Witch" are several positions known as Biddies which give the faith a leadership structure. The Biddies are selected by the White Witch, which is a hereditary position from a bloodline thought to date back to Princess Rhosyn.
While men can be Apprentices only 5% of those who then apply to be a Witch are successful.
Book of ShadowsIt is believed that each witch harnesses the power of the Gods and Magik differently. As a result each Coven maintains a Book of Shadows. This is a document (does not have to be a physical book) which contains the rituals, spells and other information needed for a witch to carry out their duties. Some families can trace their book's history back to the 12th century. The most noted Book of Shadows belongs to the Hiraethog family which have provided the White Witch for some 300 years and can trace a bloodline back to Princess Rhosyn. Their book of Shadows is also known as the Kingdoms Shadow. Traditionally the book must be written by hand however some Covens now also posses a digital copy. It was customary for pages to be left blank for future witches to write in and the Book is considered a living document always being edited. Upon being enrolled in a Coven it is tradition for an Apprentice to hand write the Book of Shadows for that coven to make their own copy.
