Nature is considered to be the Great Teacher. The Ancients taught that the "Creators" placed into the fabric of Creation, a reflection of that which created it. Therefore, the laws of Nature are reflec- tions of Divine Laws or Principles, which operate in a dimension behind and above those of physical Nature. Thus, the Ancients coined the phrase "as above, so below". This means that that which is below, is (in essence) like that which is above.
Studying the Ways of Nature gives us a glimpse (crude though it may be) of the Divine Ways, and from these we see the returning of the Seasons (reincarnation) and the laws of Cause & Effect (Karma) con- cerning the use (and misuse) of the Earth's land, air, resources, and living creatures. The ways of the "Gods" are imprinted upon the Ways of Nature. Understanding Nature, allows one to begin to understand the Creators.
One of the reasons for the Seasonal Rituals is to saturate us, and harmonize us, with the focused Essence of Nature at these appoin- ted times. Properly cast ritual circles serve to attract and condense these energies, so that we are "bathed" in them. The more that we gather at these times of Nature's energy flow, the more we become like Nature, and when we become more like "Her", it is easier to understand "Her", and "Her " Ways.
This is why the Ways of the Old Religion are fashioned according to the Ways of Nature. Everything from the ritual circle construction, to the way we move within it, to the way in which we create magic (cast spells, etc) are all modelled after the principles of Nature. This is where the term Occult Sciences comes from. It is not hocus-po- cus, it is Metaphysical Science.
This is why it is also quite difficult to simply make something up, and call it a Tradition (although this is exactly what many people do).
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