Where are the Gods and Goddesses?
Donald Michael Kraig
In a recent issue of the journal Keltria (P.O. Box 33284, Minneapolis, MN 55433), a writer contends that "the essence of the Mysteries [of Wicca] is that the Gods are within us." I wrote a letter to Keltria that I disagreed with that concept, and I want to share some of my ideas.
The idea is that the Gods (and, I will add here, the Goddesses!) come from three primary sources. The first is a leftover Christian heresy (often referred to in Christian circles as "The Perennial Philosophy"). This is based on the notion that Jesus told some followers that "Ye are Gods." He was alluding to the judges in ancient Judea who were called "little gods." This quotation is totally out of context. Jesus never meant to imply that people are Gods.
While this may seem to have little bearing on Wicca, one should note that for over 2000 years there have been many things that have influenced Paganism. Some of these may have rubbed off on some neo-Pagan thinkers.
The second influence is the need for justification. Not being able simply to accept the existence of the Deities, some people need to look for a way to understand them. In modern scientific terms they look to the works of psychological thinkers such as C. G. Jung who worked with mythological symbolism. Examples of some modern followers of this include the Farrars.
But Jung used mythology to explain psychology. That is one use of myth for what Jung called the process of individuation—the development of a complete personality. While this has great value to our psyches, it does not eliminate the possibility (and I believe actuality) that the sources of myth are real. We do not need to justify a belief in the God and Goddess by merely saying they are part of our psychology.
The third influence comes from a novel: Stranger in a Strange Land, by Heinlein. That book, with its idea's of sexual freedom and spirituality, came as a revelation to many people in the 1960's. In fact, a group called The Church of All Worlds developed out of that novel and "grok" and "water brother" became popular terms. Another phrase from the book, "Thou art God," became a greeting of this Church. Later, under the less patriarchal influence of Wicca, the phrase changed to "thou art God/dess." Still, it was taken from a novel—not a book of history or fact.
Why the Gods and Goddesses are not only Within
Some of the people who maintain that Gods and Goddesses are only within (the author of the above mentioned letter compared them to the emotions) have not, I feel, completely thought out the implications of this notion.
WORSHIP: If the Gods and Goddesses are simply part of our psychology, then any worship is nothing more than sheer egotism. You would be worshipping yourself.
POWER: If you are a God or a Goddess, then, by definition, you have the power, authority and right to rend, rape, destroy, mutilate and follow your whims on any other person or thing. Why not, if you are God/dess?
ANSWER: If other people and things also have a God or a Goddess within them, then they deserve as many rights and privileges as you do. But if all the Gods are aspects of The God and all the Goddesses aspects of The Goddesses, then we must conclude that the God and the Goddess are both internal and external. Or as I like to put it, we are part of the Gods. This obviously spiritualizes every person and thing and makes every action a spiritual act. Every action that hurts another also hurts our own spirituality and our relationship with the Divine.
And Magick, Too
The author of the letter I mentioned also claimed that all magick was internal. I find that I must reject that notion for several reasons. If magick is all-internal, then there is no need for ritual and socialization. You could simply sit in a corner and do your magick. The person claimed that ritual was needed to put your mind in the "right" mood, but with a little practice you should be able to develop the mood without ritual. Yet, most people I know find that ritual helps them. Why?
If we assume that The God and Goddess are in everything, then by working with other things (herbs, stones, the elements, other people, etc.) we are tapping into more spiritual power. Therefore, the magick can become more powerful. (Of course, this would depend on the talents and capabilities of the person doing the magick, too.)
If the magick in question is all within, then where are the fairies, elves, feys, natural and artificial elementals, angels and other nonphysical entities that so many people work with when doing magick? If they're all in the mind, why bother using them as a crutch? Just simply sit in a corner and meditate. There would also be no reason to use herbs, oils, stones, crystals, etc.
Of course, there is one type of magick that is all mental. It is known as creative visualization and has been described in many places, including in my book, Modern Magick. But that is certainly not all forms of magick!
The author of the letter to which I responded implies that he has the knowledge of the true inner mysteries of Wicca, and that anyone who disagrees obviously does not know the true secrets of Wicca. This was meant as an attack on me. But it is also an attack on anyone who comes from a different belief that falls within the rather vague boundaries of what is called Wicca. Wicca has many traditions, and I know of no one who can speak for all of them. Be wary of anyone who says, "Wiccans believe such-and-such." What that person really means is that in his particular system, this is what he believes. There is no `Grand Poobah of Wicca.' If there ever comes a time when there is a Wiccan Pope, it may be time to start calling ourselves something else. | 
