A. J. Drew - A Wiccan Bible

For thousands of years, we have been told that God was a man. Then someone reminded us of when God was a woman. Now we have a reference for the sensible folk who have always felt that it takes two. If you have ever thought there was more to religion than ancient rituals performed for reasons unknown, this book will show you exactly what you have been looking for. If you have already come to the realization that Wicca is the religion for you, this book will help fill those many blanks that have been left by other books.

A. J. Drew

Exploring the Mysteries of the Craft from Birth to Summerland

ePub r1.0

Sharadore 19.11.14

Original Title: A Wiccan Bible: Exploring the Mysteries of the Craft from Birth to Summerland

A. J. Drew, 2003

Cover Design: Cheryl Cohan Finbow

Editor digital: Sharadore

ePub base r1.2

Dedication

For Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin; you have not been forgotten.

For Steven Branch, Christopher Byers, and (James) Michael Moore; you have not been forgotten.

For the seated Governor of the State of Arkansas, I beg that the principles founding this great nation not be forgotten by your states legal system.

Acknowledgments

Normally, I would have a much longer list of acknowledgments. It took a great many people for this book to manifest, but two people stood out so much, that their names have to appear by themselves. Thank you, Mother, for your eternal love. Thank you, Paula Ravensfyre Newman, for your eternal friendship. Thank you both for the months of time you dedicated to the creation of this book.

[1] A prayer was recorded by Ahmed ibn Fadlan in 922 C.E.and attributed to the Norsemen of south east Russia (near the Volga River) of the time. I cite Albert Stanburrough Cooks Ibn Fadlans Account of Scandinavian Merchants on the Volga in 922, Journal of English and Germanic Philosophy, vol. 22 (1923), pages 54-63.

[2] I have not been able to confirm or deny this, but I believe the quote Our creator as evidenced by our creativity was originally the motto of the creator of the Dazzle Screen saver. Unfortunately, I think that was back in the days of DOS X when a 286 was hot property. I am afraid I cannot confirm its origin.

[3]The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.

[4] From the story of the great flood as presented by the Gilgamesh Epic which appears in countless books. I cite here the version I copied as a teenager, but do not know the exact origin of these exact words.

[5] A variation on the Serenity Prayer, originally written by Reinhold Nieburhr.

[6] The story of Ash and Elm and indeed all of Genesis should be considered a construct to explain evolution and the accumulation of humanitys basic knowledge of his or her world. At position one (1) on the map that accompanies this chapter, humanity probably numbered about 10,000 and not two as is implied in The Book of Genesis. The principles set forth in this chapter are based on the modern science and study of mitochondrial DNA. This is a relatively new science. I first became aware of this science and the new Out of Africa theory by watching a show on the Discovery Channel. See bibliography for specifics.

[7] As cited by the Associated Press, November 9, 2002.

[8] From the story of the Great Flood as presented by the Gilgamesh Epic that appears in countless books. I cite here the version I copied as a teenager, but I do not know the exact origin of these exact words.

[9] Generally attributed to Aleister Crowley. This quote has appeared in several of his works.

[10]The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.

[11] Presented here is a greatly condensed version of the manuscript originally written as Liber ab Planta. It was originally written as both a spiritual and encyclopedic look at the first order of plants in much the same way Liber ab Clementia appears. Unfortunately, due to space considerations the publisher could not include it in its entirety. As a result, the complete Liber ab Planta is now an ongoing and expanding work, which might at a later date find its way into publication.

[12] A quote from notes that I took at a presentation by Tatia Kingslady. She spoke at a good pace, so I might have missed a word or two as I was recording what she said with a pen and paper.

[13]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/411639.stmpublished Thursday, August 5, 1999.

[14] Although the Wiccan Redes author is often cited as Lady Gwen Thompson, she did not claim to have written it. She simply submitted it for publication under the title Rede of the Wiccae, stating that it was given to her by her grandmother, Adriana Porter. Looking back on those early days of the movement, we see there was a great deal of material provided by grandmothers and never credited to the original author.

[15] Cited from The Origins of Imbolg by Tatia Kingslady. Published by Poison Pen as part of the Imbolg 1974 installment of The Wheel.

[16] Presented here is a condensed version of Liber ab Familia. The original manuscript included an expanded and encyclopedic look at our critter friends. Unfortunately, the editor felt it was far too long to be presented here. It is now an ongoing work, which I hope to one day offer for publication.

[17] From The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.

[18] Some cite the Neolithic Revolution as taking place 10,000 B.C.E., but the majority of cites place it at between 6,500 and 7,000 B.C.E., or 8,500 to 9,000 years ago. As the revolution was a process and not a single event, it is hard to pinpoint an exact date.

[19]The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.

[20] The first line from the first letter written by Damien Echols to A.J. Drew.

(Otherwise Known as My Last Ritual)

I am a creature of habit. I find things in this world that I like, and I do those things again and again because they make me feel good. These regular rituals are usually simple things. I meditate with my iguana on my lap or let my ferret run around my bedroom, her little butt running faster than her front end until she trips over herself again and again. At night, I watch the OReilly Factor at 11 p.m. with my mother, and in the morning I buy a bottle of Mountain Dew on my way to work.

In the course of writing this book, almost all of this has changed. My iguana and ferret died within days of each other, despite every effort to save them. It felt as if my heart had been ripped from my chest. I had fed my iguana Fred some grapes from Chili, and the next morning she was horribly ill. Then I fed a grape to Thumper never thinking that grapes from a grocery store could be poison. Shortly thereafter, she took ill. In my attempts to save them, each of these friends took their final breath after days of being stuck with needles and IVs. So not only did I kill them, but in my great effort to save them I caused them to leave this world thinking I was a monster.