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Page 2
Initiations, on many levels, prompt a paradigm shift in the initiate. (That's a fancy term for "a change in the way a person views the world and his/her place in it.") As you take your place within the group, take on new responsibilities, and begin to understand the Mysteries you've seen, you'll start to come to a new understanding of Wicca. Covens may also make available certain portions of oathbound material (secret information kept specific to that coven) that will change your understanding of how your group practices.
Dedications may have this sort of shifting too. I have a few very good friends online who talk of being "initiated into the Mysteries" by the Gods, and I think this is a good example of a paradigm shift without a formal initiation. The triggers for your "ah ha" moment are external and not orchestrated by anyone else in this case. While I don't think such dedications are rare, I don't believe they are common, either. You can't just sit back and wait for the Gods to bring the Mysteries to you; rather, you sort of fall into the experience while you're walking on your path. I realize a few of you may be scratching your heads at this point, especially if you're new to Wicca and have never worked with (or talked with anyone who has worked with) a group. Some of these concepts are pretty complicated and high-level, such as talking about the Wiccan Mysteries. I remember being new, reading books, and seeing authors throw around "Mysteries" without ever attempting to explain what it meant. I was definitely confused. Mysteries are things that you can experience but you can't really explain to someone else. Childbirth, for example, is a Mystery. You can't understand exactly what it's like to be pregnant and give birth until you've done it. Conception is another Mystery that even science doesn't fully understand yet. The afterlife is a Mystery... we don't really know what's going to happen, though we try to explain it based on faith and what little "evidence" we can find. One of the Wiccan Mysteries can be found in Doreen Valiente's "Charge of the Goddess". Loosely paraphrased, it states that if you don't have what you seek within you, you'll never find it without. I'll leave further interpretation up to you, as it is a Mystery, after all. What I've come to realize from that statement may not be exactly what you'll get out of it.
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