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COGCOA Articles of Faith
This document forms the body of belief common to all our members.
Preamble
In these Articles, the following definitions are valid:
- "Pagan" refers to any earth-centered or nature-based religion or
any follower thereof.
- "Wicca" is the revival of the worship of the Earth Mother, Triple
Goddess and the old Gods in a modern context. "Wiccan" is any
practitioner of the Wiccan religion whether initiated or not.
The Covenant has formed to answer a need in the community, to
provide fellowship for the Pagans and Wiccans in Alberta. We accept
that some Pagans and Wiccans may choose to refer to themselves as
Witches.
The Covenant is structured as a group of congregations and solitary
members who come together and agree on many points, and agree to
disagree on others. The final control of the Covenant rests in the
members, who elect the Board of Directors and must approve major
policy decisions (see By-Laws). Each group in
the Covenant retains its autonomy as to organisation, exact forms of
the rites, and who is given precedence in worship.
We each have special reverence for a particular Goddess or God (or
multiples thereof). All beliefs are equally valid. The Covenant shall
be a mutual support group for its members, with the opportunity for
Friendship, mutual learning and teaching, providing religious and
pastoral services to all who request them.
Articles
We endeavor to live by one Law, and that is: If it
harms none, do what you will.
We also respect the corollary of the Law, that whatever you do will
return threefold upon you. We believe that each person has a right to choose, and so our
rites are non-violent and non-coercive. We shall strive to follow
these principles in our everyday lives as well. We aver that the Earth is sacred and we may choose to express
our relationship with the Earth as one of deep connection, of
stewardship, or of reverence for the Earth as our Mother
Goddess. We seek to live in harmony with nature. We celebrate the traditional holy days of the year, both the solar
and lunar cycles. We also hold community rituals of passage to
spiritually mark life changes such as birth, death, joining and
separation before our deities. We respect the traditional mysteries of our faith and acknowledge
the need of some of our Sisters and Brothers to keep their
religious affiliation confidential.
The Relationship between a worshipper and her deities shall be sacred
and inviolable, provided only that in the love of one's own deities,
one does not profane or curse the names of the deities of others. Divinity is as likely to manifest in female form as male. Many of
us believe in a Goddess / God duality. There is a sacred pattern to
the Universe, aspects of which we may perceive as the Goddesses and
Gods. They are immanent and may be evoked within us. They may also
be transcendent. We offer fellowship to all who profess Pagan faiths and we
acknowledge the spiritual validity of Pagans who may not choose to
join us. We respect all other spiritual paths, insofar as they
fulfill the Law and harm none. We do not proselytize, for we do not
aver that ours is the one, true, right and only path for all.
As Pagans, we understand that since divinity can be within us we
have no need for a Superior Earthly Spiritual Leader. Beyond the Law,
we do not have a legacy of infallible sacred texts. We share the firm
conviction that people were meant to lead lives filled with joy, love,
pleasure and humour. There shall be no charge for religious instruction or initiation,
but reasonable fees may be charged by our clergy for the conduct of
the Rites of Passage. We have a liturgy in general form for initiations, ordinations,
elderings, marriages and funerals, but these rites may be adapted
as the officiating clergy and participants desire. Neither this nor any of the above Articles may be amended or
removed from this document.
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