Aspects of Being

Nature: vast and dynamic, true.
In this instance known and unknown,
as revealed as hidden,
here and there.

On the tides of Nature,
so be our Personage
the greater and lesser.

Through our craft, therein awaits Unity.
Seeking the means to see;
beholding the Mysteries.
The wisdom to balance
Nature's delicate scales;
to forge complimentary Accords.

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Dualities of Nature

Mundane and Ethereal
The mundane and ethereal planes are the individual threads that weave together to create the tapestry of Nature. As their paths track, turn, and cross, they influence and affect each other, making the realities we experience possible.

The mundane plane is the physical world, comprised of the parts of Nature that we can sense. It is the firm ground beneath our feet, the air we breathe, the heat of the sun; the lights, sounds, and scents that we observe. The mundane has form, comprised of shapes and patterns, and is measurable and definable.

The ethereal plane, in contrast, is beyond our normal awareness, being a place without form or definition. It is sometimes referred to as the spiritual plane or simply the "otherworld." This is where we find the pneuma of Nature: the spirits of the keepers, the guardians, and our ancestors. We reach them not through our traditional senses, but through our extra-senses.

As sentient practitioners of witchcraft and therefore having connections to both the mundane and the ethereal, we bear the responsibility of tending to Nature. We must glean information from both planes and focus our intentions onto both planes to fully realize our magick.

Orb and Sky
We experience communion with Nature through the parental-like personifications of Orb and Sky. As their kith and kin, they share with us the wisdom and knowledge that allows us to more fully understand our connections to Nature. Together they demonstrate and teach the circle of life: birth, maturing, waning, and death.

Orb governs the space below us, composed of the land and sea on which we live, and is therefore rooted in the elements of earth and water. She most completely represents the stages of Nature: being born as the Maiden, maturing into the Mother, and aging into the Crone. She is our connection to the mundane aspect of Nature.

As the caretaker that nurtures us, Orb encourages our endeavors and consoles us when necessary. While she is the feminine of Nature, she has a facet of masculinity, represented by the animals living on the land and in the seas.

The space above us is the domain of Sky, comprising the element air that we breathe and the element fire that warms us under the blazing sun. He mirrors the two halves of Nature's cycle: growing in the increasing light as the Oak Sire, then waning into the enveloping darkness as the Holly Sire. He serves as our link to Nature's ethereal aspect.

Sky is our protector, watching over us, instilling confidence, and challenging us to excel. He is Nature's masculinity, as seen in the power of the sun, but also reveals his femininity through the beauty of the moon.

Dualities of Oneself

Lower and Higher Selves
Mirroring the planes of Nature, our existence is twofold: as a corporeal (mundane) vessel; and as a transcendent (ethereal) spirit. The corporeal aspect is a temporary manifestation styled as the lower self; whereas the transcendent form is more persistent and deemed the higher self.

Our lower self, bound by the traditional five senses, is connected to the conscious mind. Through its interpretation and reasoning, we gain an awareness of and ability to interact with the physical world around us. For the higher self, coupled with the subconscious, more subtle senses give us the capacity to reach and communicate with the ethereal world. The use of magick brings together the common and subtle senses, the conscious and subconscious.

Because the higher self is regarded as being perpetual, it may seem to be the more important of the two forms. This is far from true though. The higher and lower selves are not two separate entities; they each rely on the presence of the other in order to have the complete experience of life.

As Athiccans, we therefore seek to nurture and expand the interactions between our two selves. In so doing, it is necessary to tend to each fully and with equity. We do this through our practice of witchcraft. Only through the mutual health and engagement of both selves can we reach our greatest potential as magickal beings.