CORRELLIAN WICCA

The Correllian Wicca is based upon the teachings of members of the High-Correll family. 

The High-Correll family were descended from a line of Cherokee Didanvwisgi who intermarried with a line of Scottish Traditional Witches, whose descendants were further influenced by Aradian Witchcraft and by the Spiritualist Church.

The founder of the Tradition is the blv. Orpheis Caroline High Correll. She is said to have founded the Tradition as an entity separate from her ancestry, on September 4, 1479 Pisces (1879 AD

Orpheis Caroline was a practicing psychic, spiritual healer, and herbalist, and spent many years with the traveling circus which she owned with her husband, John Correll.

In creating Correllian Nativist Wicca, Orpheis Caroline drew upon her Native American heritage, as well as ideas of European Witchcraft, Spiritualism, and Hermetic thought.

The early history of the Correllian Tradition is somewhat unclear, with familial and religious structures wholly interconnected. The family followed a very formal, matriarchal and matrilinear structure with its roots in Cherokee custom, from which the current offices of the Correllian tradition derive their form.

Lady Orpheis called the Tradition simply Nativist, and this would remain the Tradition’s primary designation until the appellation of the term “Correllian Nativist” in 1592 Pisces (1992 AD), or as we now more commonly
call it; Correllian.

Lady Orpheis’ Nativism was a highly political and deeply synchretic form of Pagan universalism, which stressed the need for the world’s Native (Pagan) religions to unite in the face of colonial Christianity.

Whether Correllian Nativism was originally a branch of what would later be called “Wicca” or not is a matter of debate. Correllianism’s claim to Wiccan status rests both upon Lady Orpheis’ claimed Scottish Traditional lineage, and also upon her Aradian lineage, which she acquired in 1504 Pisces (1904 AD) through Lydia Beckett, 
a student of Charles Leland. We would say that any such debate would be only a matter of semantics anyway.

There have been many changes instituted in the Tradition over the years, particularly in the Council of 1579 Pisces (1979 AD) and the Council of 1592 Pisces (1992 AD) both of which struggled with the necessities involved in adapting the Traditions forms to the modern world and to the needs required for a public Tradition.

Correllian Wicca. Rev. Don began work on lesson of Correllian Naticist Wicca assisted by Lady Krystel, Lady LaVeda, and Lady Gloria -then First Elder of the Tradition who all took part in the compilation of the first lessons.

The draft copy of these lessons was finished and approved by summer of 1586 Pisces (1986 AD), but little was done with them. Proposed revisions were delayed by the passing of key members of the Tradition, as well as the success of other Tradition projects.

By the winter of 1590 Pisces (1990 AD) the revisions had been completed and plans were made to produce both printed and video-taped versions of the lessons. A working partnership was established with Ed Hubbard (who had not yet entered the Tradition) and his company, Psychic Services Incorporated, with a view toward producing and disseminating the material. In January of 1591 Pisces (1991 AD) filming began on the video-taped versions of the lessons, only to be halted when Rev. Don suffered a serious accident which would leave him bed-ridden for months and in recovery for several years.

During the First Priest’s illness the lessons were set aside. By the time Rev. Don was able to again turn his attention to the lessons, it was decided that the original materials were outdated, and needed a second revision.

Work began on the revisions in 1597 Pisces (1997 AD), and the first of the revised lessons would be presented 
to the Tradition in 1598 Pisces (1998 AD).

The new lessons were much deeper and more thorough, with a stronger emphasis on the inner nature of Correllian teachings. After twenty years, the Lessons in Correllian Wicca were finally completed early in 1599 Pisces (1999 AD).

THE NATURE OF CORRELLIAN WICCA

The Correllian Tradition is based upon the idea that inner truth is universal in nature, and that inner truth is expressed through many outer forms. Correllianism teaches that Deity comes to the person in a manner that is best understood for the individual, and which is unique to him/her.

Correllianism believes that all paths lead ultimately to the same source, and that we must respect each person’s different way of expressing his/her spirituality. Correllianism believes that "the Gods" are the human way of understanding and interacting with Deity, which is transcendent in nature and beyond humankind's ultimate ability to fully understand. ‘The Gods’ fulfill the individual’s needs in reaction to their time and place, to help them interact with Deity in the most effective way available to them. The many faces which people have developed for Deity are all equally true and equally accurate, but also all equally short of the ultimate transcendent nature of Deity.

Correllianism believes in the providence of Deity - that is, all things happen in accordance to the will of Deity, which is ultimately for the good. Although certain events may be painful or seem destructive in the moment of their occurrence, we believe they happen for our growth and benefit; what is painful to the conscious mind in the moment is but a speck to the eternity of the soul.

Correllianism believes in reincarnation; that the soul is created from Deity and is never separate from Deity (although it may believe it is at times), sharing on an inner level the attributes of Deity, including immortality; that the soul leads many lives over the course of eternity, beginning with very simplest of life forms and becoming progressively more complex until, at last, it returns to the wholeness of Deity.

Correllianism believes in magic and the powers of the soul, which are accessible through effort by the conscious mind. We believe magic is a tool to help us better our lives, promote our spiritual growth, and fulfill our ever increasing innate potential.

Correllianism believes that as humans we have many different levels to our being, some of which we are consciously aware exist, and some of which we are not aware exist. These levels of being include the physical, emotional, and mental levels, as well as others levels, such as the astral level and the soul level.

The practice of magic helps to us to become aware of the levels of our being, of which we are not ordinarily conscious of existing, so we may work with these levels for our spiritual growth.

Correllianism believes there are ultimately only two religions in the world: the Native or Pagan religions which arise out of experience and observation, being passed on through tradition; and the book religions which are based upon a master race, as outlined in the Judeo-Christian scriptures, who are "chosen" by God alone among humanity and whose views are formed not by experience of reality but "revealed" through a book.

Correllianism teaches that all Pagan religions should acknowledge one another as kindred and stand together as equals. Our similarities as Pagans far outweigh our differences. Correllians believe that all things which live have a spirit, just as we humans have a spirit, and that all things which exist live. We believe in the concept of a living, spiritually sentient Earth, of which all of the Earth's eco-systems and creatures are components. We believe in the concept of a living, spiritually sentient galaxy, of which the Earth and other planets and stars are components. We believe in the concept of a living, spiritually sentient Universe, of which all galaxies are components. In short, we believe that all of existence is living, and spiritually sentient, with the souls evolving from sub-atomic particles to galaxies and beyond, with our present human form being only one step in this chain.

Correllianism believes in the Wiccan Rede; "Do As You Will, But Harm None." We hold the Wiccan Rede to be the highest moral statement and an effective pattern for a moral life. We are in full agreement with the statement of the Witches Congress of 1571 Pisces (1971 AD), which is explains the Wiccan Rede “is not open to interpretation." That is to say the Wiccan Rede must be taken according to its meaning in ordinary speech and traditional usage, not in extravagant or expanded interpretations.

The Correllian tradition is founded upon the philosophical teachings of members of the High-Correll family. Members of the High-Correll family include: Orpheis Caroline High-Correll, who put special emphasis on the universality of Pagan or Native thought and the importance of allegory in understanding it; Mable High-Correll, whose teaching expounded upon the illusory nature of time and its manipulation, as well as the multi-dimensional nature of existence; and LaVeda Lewis-Highcorrell, whose teaching focused upon the innate goodness of Deity 
and our being as a whole, as well as the transformative nature of existence which allows us to grow through many existences.

The basis of Correllian belief might be said to be the idea that everything is in a state of constant and ultimately beneficial growth and evolution, whether it be the soul, the planet, or the universe. Furthermore Correllian belief embraces the idea that all of existence is the mirror of Divinity, which is ever growing and evolving. This same idea must be applied to religion and to society. Morality is not a matter of how close or far we are from a static ideal of perfection, but a matter of how well our beliefs serve us in the situation in which we find ourselves. Beliefs and behaviors can be outgrown, and often are outgrown, and they must be

revised when this occurs – this occurrence is no less true of religion than of any other part of life. Ultimate truth is beyond the understanding of humankind, therefore it is only natural that our beliefs about Deity should develop and expand as our capability to understand grows.
 

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