In the tradition of the Church of Wicca, we call elementals in the four directions. To those we have added grandfather Sky, Mother Earth, and the Center. The Gardnerian tradition calls lords of the watchtowers. When we first heard this, we thought it was chauvinistic; to be quite honest, we still don't understand it. We don't know what a psychic watchtower is.
Nor do we understand people who think of themselves as Celtic calling such entitites as Raphael, Asasael, Gabrial, Michael ... and the rest of that set -- straight from Hebrew tradition. That's like saying 'Amen' when you could say 'So let it be.' But be that as it may. . . .
I hear that some groups are now calling 'guardians of the watchtowers.' We think that this being gender non-specific (inclusive) and being more in tune with what we are doing makes more sense.
But why just call guardians? If we are going to call guardians, why don't we give those guardians some attributes? Of course, that gets us back into thinking about the eastern blue sylphs (if you think air belongs in the east); about the southern fiery salamanders (if you think fire belongs in the south); about western watery undines (if you think water belongs in the west); and about Northern earth gnomes (if you think earth belongs in the north). Or you can quite happily switch north and west. Se we of the Church of Wicca put the worker gnomes in the west and the watery undines in the north -- which we personally are comfortable with. Anyone for a schism?
When we construct a circle, aren't we asking for the presence of guardians? We are not demanding the presence of a god-ess force. But we could select a deity for each of the directions and reverently ask for the protection of that deity while we work. If we want protection, should we then use the most powerful deity we can for each of the diretions? Perhaps a god from one panteon and a Goddess from another pantheon.
If all this confuses you, it confuses us too. If we could define some basic ideas about what we are trying to do, then maybe we could develop some underlying guidelines about what it is we are doing. Then we could decide what is most appropriate to call and to dismiss.
As usual, we invite your comments. We are not trying to offend anyone or scorn their tradition, so please be constructive. Our hope is that we all may arrive at a shared understanding of what we are doing. If you know a better way and the reasons behind it, please share that better way with the community at large.
Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):
Starhwak - The Spiral DanceNevrom Ydal - Preparing The Ritual Area And Yourself
Peter Henry Emerson - Welsh Fairy Tales And Other Stories
Anonymous - Thelema A New Spiritual Tradition For A New Age
Frances Billinghurst - Is Wicca The Right Spiritual Path For Me
