Personal Degree System

Creating a personal degree system means that the practitioner is free to develop a system of learning that is individually tailored to personal goals and desires. The individual is also free to develop his or her own timetable, award systems, titles, or any other part of the system that is desired. Though this system is created by the individual, it does not mean that one must go it entirely alone. At every step of the way, the practitioner should seek out wisdom from many sources including books and articles, Pagan support groups, teaching circles, seminars and classes, and personal teachers. But remember, it is the individual seeker that determines what is ultimately right and true. Trust in yourself and discard that information which does not further your own goals. Most of all, believe in your own self and personal goals.

Ever since the publication of books such as Scott Cunningham's Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner and others which advocated and supported the independent Wiccan, the growth of the number of solitary Wiccans has increased dramatically. For several decades, spiritual seekers, dissatisfied with traditional religious offerings have turned to the inspiring and joyous religion of Wicca. Being free to practice a religion on one's own and having the freedom to develop that religion by following one's own heart rather than through set dogma is an exciting soul-lifting experience. It is no wonder that many have turned to the Wiccan spiritual experience. As an occult practice, Wicca is concerned with the search for inner truth. Teaching that there is no one set way of discovering this truth, Wiccans maintain that it can be found through many different sources and teachings.

This is one of the great strengths of this religion - the encouragement to seek out truth from many wisdom traditions. However, for the solitary practitioner, this task of learning may seem a bit daunting. The advantage of being in a traditional coven is that initiates are given a set path of learning. This path of learning is often incorporated into a degree system. The most traditional form is a set of three degrees, each of which involves the initiate in a complex range of teaching and learning experiences. As with any degree system, each level expands upon and increases experiences from previous levels. Traditionally, the ultimate goal is to learn to be a high priest or priestess with the capability of starting and leading another coven. For the solitary practitioner, the goal of "hiving" off a new coven may not be the point of his or her personal practice. Rather, this type of practitioner is, more often, interested in personal and spiritual growth. The advantages of seeking truth on one's own are many, but a great disadvantage is that there is no degree system to lead the practitioner through a detailed study of development. It is possible, however, for the solitary Wiccan to develop a personal degree system and the purpose of this article is to offer some ideas for devising such a system. In creating your own personal degree system, it is important to first determine the ultimate goal of your learning.

Understand that this may change as you develop but it is important to have some initial goals in mind. Determine how many levels you will create and define a goal for each. Instead of three, I recommend five levels of advancement, each of which is based on one of the five elements symbolized by the pentagram.
These elements are Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Spirit.
These five elements are also represented by the equilateral cross which is the essence of the Wiccan altar and magick circle. Though the order and placement of the elements within this cross can be any way you like, the traditional placement is used here and is based on the four cardinal points of the compass.
It is traditionally believed that through these five elements and their correspondences in all of nature, all things are created and made to exist. Though it is no longer believed that these five things are actually the basic elements of creation, they represent five forces or energies that exist in and represent all things. There are many correspondences to these elements but the ones that concern us here for the sake of personal development are those that relate to the five elements that make up the human individual. Those are the mind (the intellectual), the heart (the emotional), the soul (the personal spiritual), the body (the physical), and the center (the essence or the spirituality of the whole). Each of these five human elements are related to the five basic elemental forces.

It is also traditional in Wiccan practice to create circles of power and protection. To invoke power, the circle is created in a clockwise fashion. Banishing is enacted by going in the opposite direction. Starting from the center, a circle of invocation is created and then completed by returning to the center. The practitioner can then develop five levels of advancement based on these five elementals. By starting with a physical act, the dedication, the practitioner begins a symbolic circle of personal invocation and can then advance in the circle by moving forward to the next point in the path. Thus, after having completed the act of dedication to this system of learning, the practitioner can begin the process of advancement. The next step in the process would be to develop a first degree based on the first element - Air. Since the element of Air deals with the intellect, the practitioner can make intellectual development the focus of this degree. Begin by setting goals for intellectual learning. Create a checklist covering the things that should be understood as a practicing Wiccan. Be willing to expand upon this list. I recommend the traditional minimum of at least a year and a day of study for each level. Then, begin the work of learning from as many books, articles, people, and traditions as you can. I recommend that your goals for the first degree include at least the following: begin a journal and a Book of Shadows; study Pagan history; learn about the Wiccan Rede, Threefold Law; the elements and correspondences, the phases of the moon, the Wheel of the Year, the energies of the planets, basic astrology, different religious pantheons and philosophies, the basics of ritual and meditation, the basics of healing and divination including the use of chakras, and mystic symbolism and alphabets. You may add or subtract from this list as you see fit. At the end of the first degree, it becomes time to develop the emotional side of the practice by engaging the heart. At this level, the practitioner learns to put into practice all that was learned in the first level. If the motto of the first level is "to learn," the motto for the second degree might be "to experience." This is the point where the practitioner gains a personal experience of those things discovered earlier. For the second degree consider engaging in a variety of growing rituals and meditations that expand your personal know-ledge and experience of the things learned in the first degree. Work on opening the chakras, enact meditations on the first four elements (Air, Fire, Water, and Earth) and their correspondences and on different symbolic systems such as the Tarot, the Runes, the Qabala or similar systems.

Work on how to raise and direct energy, the development of psychic energies such as in dream work or astral travel, and begin to develop your skills in healing and divination. Create your own list of activities and steps for achieving your goals. Be sure to allow time to truly learn and practice each one. For the third degree, the practitioner learns to expand upon what has been experienced. He or she goes out into the world while also seeking a sense of the divine (the Gods) in all things. At this point, the learner goes beyond developing and practicing basic concepts. Here, the learner experiences the true purpose for these concepts by understanding how one is connected to the divine. Here also, the practitioner learns to use what has been gained for the good of others. Divination, healing, and the teaching of others in the ways of Wicca are all proper goals for this level. The motto of this level might be "to reveal," for the seeker both reveals to others what has been learned but also learns to reveal the real truth inherent in all existence. Consider creating and developing rituals for sabbats and esbats. Learn the principles of counseling and ways to lead others (if it is your desire to do so). Develop an advanced study of your chosen method of healing and divination and take on the task of teaching and helping others with what you have learned. For yourself, engage in meditations that focus on the spiritual in all things - however you may define that reality. Focus on the element of Spirit and see it living and breathing in all things and people. Further develop your ability to raise and direct energy for the good of all. The fourth degree returns the practitioner to the realm of the physical. This is the stage where one can put all that has been learned and experienced onto the page for others. The practitioner is ready to lead and teach others with confidence, experience, and wisdom either directly or through the written word. Consider turning your Book of Shadows and all your notes into separate hand-written and beautifully illustrated grimoires. I also suggest that this is the time to engage in a complicated life-changing ritual of re-birth. If you have come this far in learning, then it is time to put that learning into use and to be re-born as a person dedicated to a life of Wiccan practice.

At this point, it is time to decide whether one wants to live the life of a true Wiccan. If everything learned cannot apply to life as a whole then what is the purpose? Wicca can be an exhilarating way of life but it takes a great deal of learning, experience, and a strong commitment to its principles in order to become fully engaged in a Wiccan way of life. To create this sense of re-birth, I recommend a three day ritual of fasting, contemplation, and direct experience of the gods as the final activity of this level. This will and should be a life-changing event where a life is forever altered from one that practices Wicca into one that fully lives Wicca. In the fifth and final level, the level of the spirit, one learns how to apply all that has been learned into a daily and life-long practice. For this degree, consider finding ways of putting your religion into action for the good of one and all. Find ways to apply what you have learned and experienced to create a better world in which to live for all beings. Share your joy for your spiritual pursuit. Develop a way of living that reflects all you have learned. Apply the energies of the Moon, the Sun, the planets, and all other forces you have experienced in your development to your daily life and affairs. In short, find the means to live your life fully as a Wiccan in everything you do and then put it all into practice.