In the shadowed world of initiatory Witchcraft, the seeker does not merely learn, they are undone.

The Goddess who calls us does not offer simple blessings. She offers fire. She offers the blade. She offers the scourge no one else dares to hold.

Freedom, Power, Humility, Submission, Leadership, these are not virtues.

They are tests.

They are the keys to the soul’s unfolding, forged through blood, silence, surrender, and awakening.

No true Witch is granted these mysteries without ordeal.

Let those who seek the Old Religion understand:

Freedom: The Burden of Choice

The Witch speaks often of freedom but freedom in the Mysteries is no light thing.

It is not the right to act without consequence. It is the burden of shaping one’s destiny with full knowledge of the price.

The Goddess strips away false freedoms (the illusions of control, the comforts of ignorance) and lays bare the terrible gift:

To be free is to be utterly responsible for the life you weave.

No higher hand will save you from your own Will.

Thus, true freedom is earned through mastery of Self, the first and most relentless adversary.

Power: The Scourge of the Soul

Power, to the unprepared, is a poison that sweetens the tongue and rots the heart.

To the Witch, it is the natural birthright and the eternal trial.

The Goddess bestows power not as a trophy, but as a mirror.

Whatever resides within (rage, compassion, vanity, wisdom) will be amplified, reflected, and unleashed.

She whispers:

“What will you do when the world bends to your breath? When life and death heed your call? Will you serve Me or yourself?”

Those who serve themselves alone are left barren.

Those who kneel to the greater currents become conduits of Power untainted.

Humility: The Cloak of the Wise

The strong may tower above, but only the wise bow.

The Witch is taught to wear humility like a cloak, not to hide, but to walk unseen among the Powers, to pass through the Eye of the Needle.

Humility in the Craft is the memory that:

You are a spark, not the flame itself.

You are a weaver, not the Loom.

You are an heir, not the Throne.

Without humility, the Witch becomes brittle, and the Gods of the Wica, in time, shatter what does not bend.

Submission: The Crucible of the Spirit

There will come a time when the Witch is brought low, when all pride, certainty, and strength are stripped away.

This is not punishment. It is initiation.

Submission is the soul’s crucifixion before its rebirth. It is the moment you place your Horned or Crescent crown and Craft jewels, your name, your selfhood, your all at the feet of the Goddess and say:

“All that I am is Yours. Shape me. Make me into what you deem worthy.” 

Not all survive this surrender intact.

Some turn away.

Others are remade into something luminous and eternal.

Leadership: The Crown of Thorns

Leadership in Witchcraft is not seized. It is thrust upon the one most willing to bleed for the sake of the Work.

To lead is to serve:

To bear the burden of others’ fears.

To hold the Circle steady through storm and silence.

To be the last to feed and the first to fall.

The Goddess tests Her leaders without mercy. She adorns them with beauty to tempt their pride, offers them admiration to test their humility, grants them power to weigh their heart against it.

She watches:

“Will you lead for Me or for yourself?”

Only those who answer rightly endure.

The Goddess as Weaver of Trials

She is not the soft Mother of lullabies here.

She is the Dark Hag, the Silent Blade, the Flame that Consumes and Purifies.

She tests:

Freedom: Can you wield it without losing your soul?

Power: Can you hold it without corruption?

Humility: Can you bow low enough to be lifted high?

Submission: Can you die before you are born again?

Leadership: Can you bleed without demanding a crown?

She lays beauty at your feet, to see if you worship the form, or the Spirit behind it.

She offers you control, only to demand its surrender.

She grants you power, only to see if you wield it in Her name.

Those who emerge from Her tests are few but they are radiant beyond reckoning, clothed in a strength that does not need to boast, a beauty that does not need to conquer, and a wisdom that echoes through the unseen realms.

They are Witches, true born of the Stars and the Earth, keepers of the Flame.