Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

INNER LIGHT

The term as used in mysticism and occultism is thought to be the light of God within an individual. The experiencing of the inner light is equated with the Cosmic Consciousness and represents a profound level of magical attainment. Sometimes the term is used to declare that every person is potentially divine and possesses a spark of the Godhead. This view is sometimes characterized as the microcosm with the macrocosm, or the Hermetic axiom: "As above, so below" - God is in us, so we are in God.

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc