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Attaining Higher
Spirituality Through a Five-Degree System
In Hellenistic Greece (and probably earlier) several "schools" were
established, in theory at least, to teach people about the mysteries of the
gods. This learning took place in stages or degrees. Students began by
dedicating themselves to a particular school of study. With each successive
degree, the initiate delved into deeper and more profound studies.
Within modern Wicca, the urge still exists to find a particular school.
Covens are an option for some, but they can be hard to find. Even when you find
one, it may not satisfy your particular quest. Other practitioners live in areas
where it is not as easy to "come out of the broom closet," so they have little
access to groups. Additionally, many people who desire more direct access to
their god or goddess choose to practice alone. Self-Initiation for the
Solitary Witch is the solution for all of these dilemmas.
This much-needed text leads practitioners through five-degree studies, from
beginning concepts all the way through more advanced and integrative practices:
First Degree: Path of Intellect
Includes: history, ethics, tenets,
basic ritual, basic spellcraft and healing, and introductory divination
techniques.
Second Degree: Path of the Heart
Includes: celebrations,
meditations, energy work, cleansing and protection methods, and psychic work.
Third Degree: Path of the Soul
Includes: element of spirit,
kundalini raising, group dynamics, spiritual advising, and advanced magickal
study.
Fourth Degree: Path of the Physical
Includes: working on yourself,
rituals of rebirth, meditations on the Unity, service to others, and finding
wholeness.
Fifth Degree: Path of the Mysterious
Includes: community work,
earth consciousness, Wiccan lifestyle, and planetary and star studies.
Each Degree is a complete course of study. If you are looking for a path to
further spiritual development that you can do in your own time and on your own
terms, this is the one book you need.
Shanddaramon is a composer, musician, and writer. As Director of Music
and Arts at a Unitarian Universalist Church in North Carolina, he conducts
several choral and instrumental ensembles and coordinates events and activities
in the arts. He also leads workshops and writes articles about developing and
understanding the connection between spirituality and the arts and about Wiccan
spirituality. Shanddaramon is also a founding member and brother in the Sacred
Order of Living Paganism, which incorporates the five-degrees outlined in this
text.
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