See, around a month ago I started experimenting with the Wicca religion. What I have read, they are all about peace and no harm to anybody.
But alto of people have said they are associated with witches and spells. It is true there are Wiccan spells, but they are only to help.
I WA just wondering if anybody was a Wiccan and can tell me anything about it, or if anyone has ideas or comments.
Thanks!
I have been struggling with God and such for a while, and at one point I was an atheist.
Oneness with the universe sounds awesome and peaceful. How could it be witchcraft when they are promoting goodness and no harm?
Spells are spells whether they are intended for good or bad. Wiccans are known to call themselves witches, and yes.... doing spells is witchcraft. The Bible says it is an abomination to God, so although some people want to believe that being a Wicca is compatible with Christianity or Judaism, it is obviously not. One must choose whom they will serve. I choose to serve God.
The history of Wicca is much debated. Gardner claimed that the religion was a survival of matriarchal Pagan religions of Prue-historic Europe, taught to him by a woman known either as "Dafo" or "Old Dorothy". Doreen Valiente identified these as a single person, Dorothy Clutterbuck,[22] however modern researchers such as Philip Heselton have theorized that Dafo and Clutterbuck were two separate individuals.[23] It has been posited by authors such as Aidan Kelly and Francis X. King that Gardner himself invented it, following the thesis of Dr. Margaret Murray and sources such as Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches by Charles Godfrey Leland,[24] and incorporating practices of ceremonial magic. While Clutterbuck certainly existed, Ronald Hutton concluded that there was no evidence for her involvement in Gardner's Craft activities.[25] Philip Heselton, citing more recent evidence, concludes that while Gardner may have been mistaken about the ancient origins of the religion, his statements about it were largely made in good faith. Gardner's account is as follows: After retiring from adventuring around the globe, Gardner encountered Clutterbuck and her New Forest coven in the region, and was initiated into the coven in 1939, where he stayed for years until England's witchcraft laws were repealed. At this point, and later claiming to fear that the Craft would die out,[26] he worked on his book Witchcraft Today, releasing it in 1954, followed by The Meaning of Witchcraft in 1960. It is from these books that much of modern Wicca is derived.
While the ritual format of Wicca is undeniably styled after late Victorian era occultism (even co-founder Doreen Valiente admits seeing influence from Crowley), the spiritual content is inspired by older Pagan faiths, with Buddhist and Hindu influences.
Due to historical suspicions, it is seems very likely that Gardner's rites and precepts were taken from other occultists and was not in fact anything new to the world. There is very little in the Wiccan rites that cannot be shown to have come from earlier extant sources. The original material is not cohesive and mostly takes the form of substitutions or expansions within unoriginal material. Roger Dearnaley, in An Annotated Chronology and Bibliography of the Early Gardnerian Craft,[27] describes it as a patchwork.
Philip Heselton, writing in Wiccan Roots and later in Gerald Gardner and the Cauldron of Inspiration[23], argues that Gardner was not the author of the Wiccan rituals but received them in good faith from an unknown source. (Doreen Valiente makes this claim regarding the "basic skeleton of the rituals," as Margot Adler puts it in Drawing Down the Moon.) He notes that all the Crowley material that is found in the Wiccan rituals can be found in a single book, The Equinox vol 3 no. 1 or Blue Equinox. Gardner is not known to have owned or had access to a copy of this book, although it is certain that he met Crowley towards the end of the latter?s life. Gardner admited "the rituals he received from Old Dorothy's coven were very fragmentary, and in order to make them workable, he had to supplement them with other material."[28]
Some, such as Isaac Bonewits, have argued that Valiente and Heselton's evidence points to an early 20th century revival predating Gardner, rather than an intact old Pagan religion. The argument points to historical claims of Gardner's that agree with scholarship of a certain time period and contradict later scholarship. Bonewits writes, "Somewhere between 1920 and 1925 in England some folklorists appear to have gotten together with some Golden Dawn Rosicrucians and a few supposed Fam-Trads to produce the first modern covens in England; grabbing eclectically from any source they could find in order to try and reconstruct the shards of their Pagan past." Crowley published the aforementioned Blue Equinox in 1919.
The idea of primitive matriarchal religions, deriving ultimately from studies by Johann Jakob Bachofen, was popular in Gardner's day, both among academics (e.g., Erich Neumann, Margaret Murray) and amateurs such as Robert Graves. Later academics (e.g. Carl Jung and Marija Gimbutas) continued research in this area, and later still Joseph Campbell, Ashley Montagu and others became fans of Gimbutas' theories of matriarchies in Old Europe. Matriarchal interpretations of the archaeological record and the criticism of such work continue to be matters of academic debate. Some academics carry on research in this area (such as the 2003 World Congress on Matriarchal Studies). Critics argue that such matriarchal societies never actually existed and are an invention of researchers such as Margaret Murray. This is disputed by documentaries such as "Blossoms of Fire" (about contemporary Zapotec society).
The idea of a supreme Mother Goddess was common in Victorian and Edwardian literature: the concept of a Horned God ? especially related to the gods Pan or Faunus ? was less common, but still significant.[29] Both of these ideas were widely accepted in academic literature and the popular press at the time.[30]
the two are commonly intertwined today, and remnants of witchcraft, excluding testimony concocted by the Church or obtained under torture, does suggest that modern Wicca is based on older witchcraft - just not the parts the Church made up to demonize witches.
Yes, although they would not seeing it as worship ping Satan. From deeply studying Wicca myself, I would say most Wiccans are ignorant (not in a bad way, but just don't really grasp what they are dealing with).
They would see it as honing powers. From what the Bible teaches, there are only two supernatural forces:
1) God, good spirit
2) Satan, evil spirits
Seeing that they reject God & His son Jesus, you can only conclude that they do not understand whom they concur.
They also believe that they control their powers, when if they would experiment, the powers actually control them.
Well not all vicunas are witches and not all witches are Wicca. However the 2 are closely related. Read up on the history of the Wiccan faith. I recommend "Drawing Down the Moon" by Murray (I think).....no wait it might be by Margot Adler.
Some followers of Wicca call themselves "witches". It is an ancient word that simply means "wise one" that was taken and given "bad rep" by the ignorant (and not so ignorant) Christians of the dark ages. Witchcraft is the use of The Craft (i.e. spells) by a "witch" It has nothing to do with evil or "the devil" (which, BTW, true witches/vicunas don't even believe in). A spell is simply a different way of making your intentions known to the Universe, it has been called "Active Praying". There is a great book called "Witchcraft Today" by Scott Cunningham I highly suggest you read.
Yes Wicca is a type of witchcraft.
They are a very nonviolent group interested in oneness with nature.
If you're of the Christian mentality this will definitely NOT be for you. We all know how judge mental and hateful Christians are! They're not into oneness with anything! ONLY DIVISION!
Wicca is a religious practice. Some people who are Wiccan also work magic. Some do not. I participate in Wiccan worship rituals with people who never do spell work of any kind and also with those who do..
Also, there are people who are not Wiccan who also practice magic - Ceremonial Magicians, Santeria, Vodun, and so on.
They are not one and the same.
And then there are people like me, who are Wiccan (religion) and also Witches (practice magic).
Many Wiccans call themselves witches. Not all of them do. Witchcraft is a blanket term, it can cover many different religions, including Shamanism. I am Wiccan. I also consider myself a witch but I never cast spells. All people who didn't convert to Christianity in Europe were labeled witches. Since I believe Wicca is a European religion that is older than Christianity, I think the term fits. Don't use it if it makes you uneasy. Use the label that is most comfortable to you.
Wicca is a true religion of witches.....people tend to think of witches as bad and green with warts on their noses....vicunas are in touch with earth, moon, nature.....i had a period of interest in it.....
Yes we call our selves Witches but we do not call our religion, Witchcraft. there is a difference. Most people of Wicca faith call themselves Wiccans, I do. Also we are not evil and have a code that we live and follow by, Kind of like the bible but not in book form. That code is the Wiccan Reed.
Here is a site that is good
http://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.htm.
a good book to explain Wicca is
When someone you know is Wiccan
I've heard/read there's 'black' (not nice) magic and 'white' (good). BUT, if you aren't especially careful, messing around with it could bring the wrong 'force' into your life. Example: on a show I watched, some girl cast a love spell but instead of working on the guy in question, it worked on someone else who ended up stalking her. Of course, it was around Halloween so I don't know how credible the story was, but I'd still be careful if I was trying to alter the natural state of things.
Bide within the Law you must, in perfect Love and perfect Trust.
Live you must and let to live, fairly take and fairly give.
For tread the Circle thrice about to keep unwelcome spirits out.
To bind the spell well every time, let the spell be said in rhyme.
Light of eye and soft of touch, speak you little, listen much.
Honor the Old Ones in deed and name,
let love and light be our guides again.
Deosil go by the waxing moon, chanting out the joyful tune.
Widdershins go when the moon doth wane,
and the werewolf howls by the dread wolfs bane.
When the Lady's moon is new, kiss the hand to Her times two.
When the moon rides at Her peak then your heart's desire seek.
Heed the North winds mighty gale, lock the door and trim the sail.
When the Wind blows from the East, expect the new and set the feast.
When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss you on the mouth.
When the wind whispers from the West, all hearts will find peace and rest.
Nine woods in the Cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow.
Birch in the fire goes to represent what the Lady knows.
Oak in the forest towers with might, in the fire it brings the God's
insight. Rowan is a tree of power causing life and magi ck to flower.
Willows at the waterside stand ready to help us to the Summerland.
Hawthorn is burned to purify and to draw faerie to your eye.
Hazel-the tree of wisdom and learning adds its strength to the bright fire burning.
White are the flowers of Apple tree that brings us fruits of fertility.
Grapes grow upon the vine giving us both joy and wine.
Fir does mark the evergreen to represent immortality seen.
Elder is the Lady's tree burn it not or cursed you'll be.
Four times the Major Sabbats mark in the light and in the dark.
As the old year starts to wane the new begins, it's now Samhain.
When the time for Imbolc shows watch for flowers through the snows.
When the wheel begins to turn soon the Beltane fires will burn.
As the wheel turns to Lamas night power is brought to magi ck rite.
Four times the Minor Sabbats fall use the Sun to mark them all.
When the wheel has turned to Yule light the log the Horned One rules.
In the spring, when night equals day time for Ostara to come our way.
When the Sun has reached it's height time for Oak and Holly to fight.
Harvesting comes to one and all when the Autumn Equinox does fall.
Heed the flower, bush, and tree by the Lady blessed you'll be.
Where the rippling waters go cast a stone, the truth you'll know.
When you have and hold a need, harken not to others greed.
With a fool no season spend or be counted as his friend.
Merry Meet and Merry Part bright the cheeks and warm the heart.
Mind the Three-fold Laws you should three times bad and three times good.
When misfortune is enow wear the star upon your brow.
Be true in love this you must do unless your love is false to you.
One of Wicca?s core tenets is that nature has power we can tap into ? and that this power is neutral, meaning it?s neither good nor bad. Wiccan Scott Cunningham clarifies
The power at work within folk magic is just that ? power. It is neither positive nor negative, neither good nor evil. It is Th intention and goal of the magician working with it that determines whether this power is used for helpful or harmful ends. (5
In other words, if we tap into and channel nature?s power for ?good? purposes, we?re ?white witches.? Significantly, the Bibl says something quite different. It teaches that our universe USN?t permeated with only one neutral power, but is re all inhabited by two highly personal forces. One is infinitely creative, warm, and loving, while the other is cold, diabolically wicked, and deceptive. Notice carefully: Jesus Christ sent Paul to mixed-up humans,
?...to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God? (Acts 26
Here two powers are described Satan and God. That?s the Bible view. The Bible also presents God as so personal that He even sacrificed His Son to save sinners from sin. Jesus Christ said:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).
Not just Power; but a Person motivated by love. And this short phrase, ?God so loved the world? includes you, me, and every witch. It is the goal of this document not only to help you find that love, but to help you avoid the end-time tricks of the master seducer who may appear like ?an angel of light? (2 Corinthians 11:14) but whose goal is to trap and destroy every naive human being who unsuspectingly wanders into his snare.
Modern Wicca, from my understanding, can be traced to Gerald Garnder, a British civil servant, who wrote a series of books on religion in the 40's. Wicca contains Celtic deities, symbols, seasonal days of celebration and components of ceremonial magic and practices of the Masonic Order.
As for witchcraft, doing spells that try to dominate manipulate or control another person are against the Wiccan Rede, so I would assume that Wiccan really is not witch craft... but for more see my link below.. it is a great resource on all religions!
Witchcraft/Witch is a slang term that can mean many things depending upon the user of the term. The term(s) originally developed as a mispronunciation of the old word "Wicce" which meant wise person, usually referring to a herbalist, midwife, or healer (not a cackling green skinned female with large war ted nose). Wicca is a very specific religion. You are correct in your research finding that Wicca is about peace and one absolute rule is to harm none. No one who causes harm is a true Wiccan any more than someone who causes harm in the name of Jesus is a true Christian. To answer your question, if you define Witchcraft as a religion of peace and harming none, then Wicca would qualify. If you define Witchcraft as evil people flying on brooms and boiling up small animals, Wicca would not at all qualify.
Do Wiccans do spell work? Yes. Not all Wiccans, but most do.
Is spell work all there is to Wicca? No. Not hardly. Wicca is about a spiritual connection to the Divine, honoring God and Goddess as the masculine and feminine energies of the world.
Do only Wiccans cast spells? No. Many other beliefs and religions and philosophies work with magic. And not all of them are guided by the Wiccan Rede that says "An it harm none, do as ye will."
Are Wiccans "witches"? Some call themselves that, yes. That the word has a negative connotation to people who don't know any better isn't the Wiccan's fault.
How do you "experiment" with the Wiccan religion? Do you "experiment" with Christianity? Do you "experiment" with Islam or Judaism? Wicca is a religion, with a set of beliefs and guidelines. If you're turning to Wicca because "I get to cast cool spells", in my opinion you're turning to Wicca for the wrong reason, and in fact you're missing the entire point of Wicca.
Witchcraft is a tool. Wicca is a religion. A lot of people think Wicca means Witchcraft but it doesn't. There are many Wiccans who do not use magic/spells/etc. Just as there are Pagans who have no part in Wicca but do use witchcraft. Those who say All Wiccans are Witches obviously have no knowledge of the religion to begin with.
I was Wiccan back in the 80's till the late 90's. There is a lot of "Fluffy" stuff you're going to have to wade Thur in order to get to the truth of the religion. But it's the same with all religions. I suggest that when you start to study, be honest. Don't just take one writers word for something just because they claim to have been in it for years or they claim all of their knowledge was handed down from their great great great grandmother. Everyone GTE's knowledge from their ancestors in one way or another, so this is not some spectacular claim.
You seem to believe that the words "witch" and "witchcraft" are synonymous with the word "evil", I assure you they are not. The word witch comes from the middle English word "Wicca" meaning "wise". Witchcraft is then, "the craft of the wise".Note, many of our practices are similar to the practices of the Native American faiths, yet no one ever accuses Native Americans of "devil-worship". Most see it for the peaceful and beautiful religion that it is. So why is our faith singled out? Simple, because the Catholic church made a few dogmatic statements against it back in the Middle Ages.
As a Wiccan I can tell you that not all Wiccan's practice witchcraft. Some follow the religion, but do not do rituals. Kind of like not all Catholics are priests and do Sunday mass. Which in it's most basic form IS a ritual, isn't it?
Also, witchcraft as it really is, is nothing like others would want you to believe. You can't put "spells" on someone to harm them, you can't make potions to fly like Harry Potter. Witchcraft as it is practiced by Wiccans is all about ritual and promoting positive changes in ones life. Rather than just kneeling and praying, doing magi ck is a participant action. Kind of like if everyone at mass was participating with the priest.
And yes, Wicca is all about peace and no harm to anyone. As you probably already know part of the Wiccan Rede is "Harm None". This goes for others as well as the earth.
Wicca is close to Native American Shamanism and borrows much from Buddhism in it's approach to self improvement and enlightenment.
Wicca is a religion of personal transformation and self-respect, not a religion of guilt and self-doubt.
That is the big split between Wicca and Christianity. Wicca is personally empowering. Christianity revolves around guilt of sin and thus promoting self-doubt through which only the Church can save you.
Christianity doesn't like the idea of self-empowerment much.
Is the Wicca religion really witchcraft?
