With the lessons coming up, the subject of how to make best use of them must be on the minds of many of us. I know that I've been asking myself how to make them most useful. We've been pouring over our books and I guess that's the most logical place to start. Terrastel and I put together a list of books which we would be referring to throughout the lessons. Our choices reflect books that we feel comfortable recommending as basic resources. We aren't requiring any of them but feel that they could be useful should you be wondering what books to get.
Re-reading Scott Cunningham's Living Wicca it's hard to miss that he starts the book with a section he calls "Tools Of Learning." He divides the chapter into four segments: Study, Thought, Prayer, and Experimentation.
By STUDY he means that students of Wicca (and paganism) should read everything that they can get their hands on. He points out that often the books contradict each other and gives some tips on how to avoid confusion. "Each book is a different teacher." I'm sure that many of us had teachers in school who we hated (I can think of a drawing instructor I had in college who I despised... I took 3 classes from him, not because there was no one else but because he pushed me and he made me push myself...) that doesn't mean that they didn't know what they were talking about, just that their style and ours didn't exactly mesh.
THOUGHT is equally important. Possibly more important... We need to be critical of what we read (though this critic's sense must not come only from the mind, but from the heart and spirit as well. The wonderful thing about Wicca as a religion is that it gives us a freedom to practice what works for us and eliminate what doesn't. I, for example, am more of a kitchen witch... I've found that what works best for me is what is organic, impulsive, and usually done with the help of what's in my kitchen (much to the joy of my dinner guests...)
Terrastel and I will probably be using the 'Net as a tool, giving exercises which involve searching the web for information. If you haven't already noticed, ANYONE can set themselves up as an expert on ANYTHING on the web and the only tool you have to tell the real experts from the frauds is your mind and your ability to think critically. (If you don't believe me, check out some of the religious hate sites out there... Santerians sacrificing hundreds of thousands of animals a year, Wiccans as Satanists performing child sacrifices in abortion clinics...) The anonymous people who put up the web pages count on people's ignorance and willingness to believe simply because it's there for all the world to see...
PRAYER is a touchy word... Many of us associate it with a worldview which we've left behind, the trappings of which we would just as soon leave with it. It is, however, a powerful tool. Our ability to communicate directly with the Divine (or with the akashic record, the collective unconscious, our superego, our subconscious mind...) is one of the greatest gifts of our path. We should probably all use it more than we do. If you go to bed with a question on your mind, often you can count on the wisdom of the Lord and Lady to answer it. If you look to the sky for the answer to a dilemma, don't be surprised if the hawk that flies past seems to carry a message on its wings. And if you find yourself agonizing over the right thing to do, sometimes a walk in the woods brings with it a whisper carried gently to you on the wind.
The last tool that Cunningham discusses, and potentially the most valuable, is EXPERIMENTATION. Wicca, and paganism by extension, is not a religion of rigid doctrine and strict liturgy. It is a religion made up of a bunch of people who believe that the higher power, whatever name it answers to, will guide you to the path that works best for you. Who believe that if it works for you and brings you peace then it is right for you.
To Cunningham's tools I would add, ORGANIZATION. Find a place to keep your books: you may need to refer to them frequently. A notebook (or a collection of notebooks for different purposes) can be invaluable for keeping like materials together. Keeping file folders of printouts (from this class, from any of the many pagan discussion forums out there, from websites) and articles will allow you to find them later if you want to refer back to them.
Eventually many of you will want to start a Book or Disk of Shadows. A Book of Shadows is simply a Witches' personal collection of religious/magickal lore: information, rituals, spells, etc. Some are handed down within traditions; eclectic Witches gather their BoS information from everywhere. I have more than 50 books in my collection and the book that I refer to most frequently is actually a 3 ring binder which contains my Book of Shadows. I'm sure that B/DoS will be a popular discussion topic, and that by the end of the class you will all know the advantages and disadvantages to both formats. I hope that you will also have some idea of what to include in yours.
Since this class if geared for beginners, I suggest that you keep a 3-ring notebook for this class. Print out our lessons, other people's pertinent posts about the lessons, and write your own responses to the lesson in your notebook (whether or not you decide to share your answers with the group). I suggest this for all participants in the class, from the learners to the seekers to the practitioners, do this. Later, if the beginners decide to continue along this path, they can transfer the information they think is pertinent to their own personal BOS.
Cunningham gives some tips, pointers to help with the learning process. Included below is a list of such tips, some from him, some from me, and some from other sources...
Books are tools that are meant to be used. They provide lessons; we have to put the lessons to work.
Books can't answer every question, but neither can any High Priest/ess or teacher.
Be discriminating when reading books. If an author makes wild statements that you know to be untrue, consider the book as a possible source of incorrect information.
Mark up your book. Underline (with pencils) important passages, or use bookmarks to indicate valuable sections. If you've checked books out from the library, photocopy the stuff you feel you'll need later (chances are not good that the book will be there if you ever want to get it again...) Take *A LOT* of notes.
Combine information from a number of books on a specific topic. For example, I have a section in my notebook dedicated to tables of correspondence. I copy correspondence information from books into that section so that I can find it easily. Why search the pages of 6 books every time you want to write a ritual when you can copy that information once into your notebook and have it every time you need it.
Books are valuable resources. If you can't afford them, haunt your library or borrow them from friends, just be sure to return them... it's just good karma. Ask for bookstore gift certificates as gifts... most importantly, be discriminating what you buy. Develop a strategy for judging the worthiness of the books you are considering.
Reading is an ACTIVITY. Be active. Think, ask yourself questions, take notes, become involved in your own learning process.
Determine questions. Ask yourself questions as you read. Ask yourself questions when you are choosing books. When you study journalism you are told that a news story must address Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? Figure out what questions need to be answered by your reading and studying and *REALLY* ask yourself if they are being addressed.
Study to learn, to uncover truths, to expand yourself. Choose subjects that interest you. You can learn from a great many sources. I recently saw a study list for a metaphysics class which included "The Velveteen Rabbit" as one of the texts. I have learned as much from children's stories and mythology as from Scott Cunningham or Starhawk.
As you read, ask yourself how you feel about what you're learning. What does it mean to you? Does it have value to you? How does/can it apply to *YOUR* life. Use your intuition. If it doesn't feel right to you, it probably isn't right *FOR* you.
Keep some sort of written record of your experiences: a notebook, journal, book of shadows, whatever. Write in it regularly. Do you write poetry? Maybe your developing beliefs will influence your poetry. Has a quote from a book ever jumped out at you? I have a collection of quotes from everything from Hesse's Demian to the Tao of Pooh. Keep a magickal diary, which I call a Mirror Book. This book is much like a diary, but it has to do with religious/magickal happenings: not so much texts of spells or rituals, but my experience of them; my reactions to books, comments made on mailing lists, things that make me think, etc. Maybe it would be helpful to have a Dream Journal next to your bed. Or, maybe, a three ring binder with indexed dividers could serve all of these purposes in one.
Go to a bookstore and find the metaphysical books. Look at the selection available to you. Browse. Look at the tables of contents to see how they are organized. Figure out which, if any, of those books you would like to have and which do not interest you. Try to figure out how you are making that decision. What questions are you asking, how do you judge a book?
Get a 3 ring note book, one that you can take pages out of and move pages around in. Get dividers and start trying to figure out what types of divisions you would like to have for the class. Allow me to suggest 6 sections for assignments in the Shadow structure we are using and maybe a glossary. If you would like to have a Mirror Book or a Dream Journal, you could keep them here as well.
Surf the World Wide Web, looking for pagan sites. How are they organized? Which topics interest you? Topics that interest you may one day become sections of your personal BoS.
There are other teachers here on this list. I would encourage them to offer to the group other suggestions on how to learn in a spiritual forum such as this.
Document Copyright (c) 1997 Andi Woods-Fasimpaur
This and all related documents can be re-published only as long as no information is changed, credit is given to the author, and is provided or used without cost to others.