by Melissa Brown
The Five Mystic Secrets
The Five Mystic Secrets is a wonderful testament to the faith and beliefs of all who follow the Wiccan path. It also addresses the public very well. Because this pamphlet was written during a time of common public religion, Lady Greenwood used terminology that anyone could relate to on a personal level. At the very beginning of the pamphlet she explains that she does not offer the keys to the Universe, inestimable power, and personal happiness. She explains that she offers five of the greatest secrets of life as conceived by her religion. This statement in itself shows that she is not looking to lead people down a path for personal profit, but rather to help them on the path enlightenment. One of the most important things about this work is that she makes clear at the beginning that it is not about the knowledge she is giving you, but rather about what you do with this knowledge. Intent is one of the most important parts of the Wiccan Path.
The first of these great secrets is Knowledge. Lady Greenwood explains that this can be one of the most important secrets that one is given. If a person does not gain a testament of the knowledge they have found for themselves, this knowledge turns into nothing more than “mental knickknacks”. She explains that blindly accepting others words, is to simply be blind to the truth. We all must search and understand truth for ourselves. She explains that it is important to listen to one’s conscience and good sense. By doing this we will find the truth that is right and works for us. She explains that there are many roads to the same end but some may be significantly harder on your feet. She also explains that only fools take the words of people to be true just because they swear it so. For what is a stranger’s word more than just that, words. We must search and ponder on truths before we decide if they are right.
The second secret that Lady Greenwood talks about is God. Lady Greenwood explains that God can wait for each of us. God isn’t vindictive and God does not look for a chance to smite us down. God is an artist and every great piece of art wasn’t finished in a day, just as all knowledge cannot be gained in one lifetime. She also explains that we must go to God. God will not come to us. It takes effort on our part to find God. She also explains that our actions cannot diminish God. She explains that God is our mother and we all came from her. God cannot be limited to the names we put on her. She also explains that God is just as much our father as our mother and because God is above our understanding many of the images we have for God are for our own convenience and do not change God. We are not part of a big war between good and evil. Our souls are not bargaining chips. As God is our parent, we are her children. That is the relationship. Only the qualities that we have gained in this life affect our immortal soul.
The third secret is the nature and patterns of life. God created life. God created all life. Many people think that God made mistakes in creation but this is untrue. Though we cannot see much of God’s plan there are no mistakes. Everything is how it should be. Like Lady Greenwood said at the beginning of the pamphlet, it doesn’t matter how long it takes us to get to God. God has time. She tells us to accept the concept of death with joy. Death is a release from the burdens of life. She explains it as turning a light on in the darkness. What joy this should bring us! Death brings us a new beginning and a new chance to live to the fullest! Many people fear death because it is not comfortable for them. They are used to life. A parable I heard is a great way to explain people’s fear. “Life and death came together. Life asked death ‘Why do people love me and hate you?’ To this death replied ‘Because you are a beautiful lie and I am a painful truth.” This holds true to many people. Life is a wonderful gift because it allows us to learn and grow. But death is inevitable and death was meant to be.
The fourth secret that Lady Greenwood spoke of is the Soul. Many people seek eternal life without realizing that they have it already. For as a body is meant to die, a soul is meant to live on. The soul is eternal. It lives through many lifetimes and takes many forms. Each person has an oversoul. The oversoul contains all the experiences and knowledge of each lifetime. She explains the concept of being born old. This is to say that someone has gone through many lifetimes and learned many things. This person may never need instruction but has the answers they seek within themselves already. As there is an oversoul, there is an undersoul. Lady Greenwood explains that the undersoul is the aspects of the soul that are supposed to manifest themselves in this lifetime. The undersoul is not a direct relation to the oversoul as the oversoul is the accumulation of many lifetimes. While pieces of the oversoul manifest themselves sometimes in our undersoul, as with the case of psychic abilities, the undersoul is not how the oversoul looks. Lady Greenwood uses the example of Down syndrome in the pamphlet. Just because someone has Down syndrome in this lifetime does not mean that the oversoul does, it is just how the soul was supposed to present itself in this lifetime.
The last secret is Freedom. This secret is to show us that we have no need to be shackled in place. If we are indeed shackled in place we ourselves possess the key to freedom. The purpose of this secret is to show us that we can obtain whatever we want! If we have something about us that we do not like we, ourselves can change it. If we want something we can have it. While we may not have exactly what we thought we wanted, if we never try, we will never succeed. Many people try to avoid mistakes, but mistakes help us to grow and learn. Learning and growing is the point of our existence. Another part of freedom is the freedom to take responsibility for our own mistakes. Many other religions blame our mistakes on the temptation of an evil force. This is not so. God wants us to take responsibility. She goes on to say that God is there to lend a helping hand not to be an obstacle. God rejoices in our successes just as we should rejoice in them.
These are the secrets to the Universe. The important thing that Lady Greenwood was trying to get across is that it does not matter how much knowledge you gain, if you do not come to the understanding of such knowledge yourself and gain a testament through this understanding it does not matter how much knowledge you gain. Life is about what we do. The intent of our actions and how we handle not only successes but our mistakes defines who we are in this life. God is there to be a helping hand. God doesn’t need us, we need God.