Musings of a Massachusetts Witch

Unverifiable Personal Gnosis 

Wicca has a foundation built on the idea of Unverifiable Personal Gnosis – meaning that our personal knowledge and experiences may not be able to be outwardly proven to others though we hold it as truth. In order to build and nurture our relationships with God Herself, to gain personal enlightenment or to seek the deeper understanding of the Mysteries, one is expected to experience moments of epiphany or gnosis. I would expect that when an individual lives a life dedicated to Wicca she or he would experience several moments of gnosis while communing with Deity either through meditation, contemplation or ritual. These are personal experiences that would not yield external proof but would bring that individual to a higher vibrational frequency and balance even if other Wiccans do not resonate with the insight refusing to accept the gnosis as their truth. The fact that others do not accept the gnosis does not tarnish what the individual who experienced it gains because at the core of Wicca as well as many other religions and spiritual practices is establishing and nurturing an intimate relationship with Deity or our Creator.

While Unverifiable Personal Gnosis is a significant part of Wicca it is also important in many other religions and spiritual practices. When I was a practicing Christian specifically Roman Catholic I had many moments of epiphany that other Christians did not and would never resonate with, one of which was when Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, spoke to me during an intense moment of prayer revealing to me her true nature. It was gnosis such as this that ultimately led me away from Christianity and onto my current Wiccan path. I believe that Wicca is as verifiable as Christianity is though I am acutely aware that many others will disagree with me claiming that there are historical accounts within The Bible and other sacred texts that Jesus Christ did exist and is the prophesized Messiah. While it may be true that Wicca has no sacred book to consult when we have questions, nor a holy text to check for verification of a spiritual belief, what we do have is shared experiences and personal gnosis. And if you are a person who does follow a religion with such reference material as Holy Scripture, how do you come to the belief that the sacred book or holy text that you readily consult is indeed the Word of God? Isn’t it through personal gnosis?

For myself I find that I am able to verify my Wiccan beliefs, truths and reality to my satisfaction by communing with the natural world around me. There I am able to witness the beauty of the sacred feminine in all her magnificent flora and greenery. I am able to feel the power of the sacred masculine in the weather and natural forces of the Universe that surround me. I can observe the cycle of life that dictates the path of all living beings that inhabit the Earth with me. Because I believe that Wicca is based in the understanding of the life cycle as I experience it, it is based in the reality I manifest for myself and the reality I create with others of like mind. It is the truth that I live each day here on the physical plane of Earth that we, you and I, have co-created. I come to these conclusions through unverifiable personal gnosis just as you have come to your beliefs through your own communion with Deity.