Wicca is a Neopagan religion and a religious movement found in various countries throughout the world. It was first popularized in 1954 by a British civil servant named Gerald Gardner[1] after the British Witchcraft Act was repealed.
Wicca was invented by the devil ( Satan ) and it stands for white magic and it is not of Satan or a satanic RigelALbut it is still bad and if you dont repent you will burn in heck.
Wicca is a group of people that call themselves "witches". To find out more about it, here are some websites:
WNW.wicca.com/celtic/wicca/wicca.htm
WNW.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.htm
If you are a christian, you will not practice or condone this kind of activity. Stay away from it.
Jessica, you will get some very valid explications and some very off track explanations. Your best bet is to go to go ogle and type in Wicca. Many sites will pop up with history and belief structure. It's not always a wise idea to ask on this type of forum, especially in the religious section; there are too many people who are completely misguided as to what Wicca is.
It is a peaceful religion that worships nature though.
Wicca is a religion that not only celebrates God the father but also The Mother Earth. There are many wonderful Wiccan sites around search for yourself before making any judgments about it. I did and found the element that was missing from my life.
Blessed Be
It's witchcraft, but not black magic or anything evil. They do good works, help people, etc. The Christian Bible says it's a sin to do works of witchcraft, or divination, or anything like that. If it's against God, it's evil. They wear the pentagram, but right-side up. That signifies "spirit over the flesh." That's what Christians believe, too. Spirit over the flesh!
Professed witches often identify with Wicca?defined in one dictionary as ?a pagan nature religion having its roots in Prue-Christian western Europe and undergoing a 20Th-century revival.? Consequently, many also refer to themselves as pagans or pagans.NS
Wicca is an "Earth Relgion". Wiccans do not worship the devil, in fact, they don't even believe in the devil. Wiccans pray, they meditate, they love their children, they respect their neighbors, and they are human beings. And yes, they are witches. Another thing to think about is that some people consider themselves witches, while not considering themselves Wiccans or Pagans. They are a complex and mainly private group because they have been persecuted for so long. They see the connection between humans and nature and recognize the need to care for the Earth.
Wicca is rather free form earth based religion. There are really only two main tents to it - An it harm none, do as thou wilt - being the main one. The second is called the Three Fold Law, and is the concept that whatever energy you send out in the world returns to you, threefold, for good or ill.
Wiccans believe in the Divine and worship it under the aspects of both male and female, believing in the balance of that duality - they often use older gods and goddesses from many different belief systems to symbolize these aspects for them. The belief is that the Divine is not limited to just one form, but manifest in all things. This fosters a respect for all living beings, human, animal, and plant.
Wiccans believe in the use of Magic, through spells. Magic being the name for the conscious focus of will and energy to manifest reality; and spells being a means to create that focus.
There is no one way to do or believe in Wicca, and there are many different subsets of the religion - including personalized ones for each individual. There is no One Book, like the Bible, or Q'uran or Torah, that Wiccans follow, though there are many books on the subject.
I recommend anything by Llewellyn or Starhawk as a place to get started.
Wicca is a recognized religion of what some would call Noe-pagans, others would call pagans, others would call witches and others would call devil worshipers.
It is said to be the modern survival of an old witchcraft religion, which had existed in secret for hundreds of years, originating in the Prue-Christian Paganism of Europe. Wicca is thus sometimes referred to as the Old Religion.
It is thought by some that written Wiccan theology began to be compiled no earlier than the 1920s, although you can occasionally find Wicca type books that date back to the 1700 and 1600's.
While Wiccans consider themselves a type of witch, not all witches are Wiccan and not all witches believe in Wiccan.
Wiccans worship a goddess and a god; they observe the festivals of the eight Sabbats of the year and the full-moon Esbats; and they have a code of ethics that most live by. Wicca is thus distinct from witchcraft, which may or may not imply any specific religious, ethical or ritual elements, and is practiced in various forms by people of many religions, as well as by some atheists.
Should also point out that Wiccans do not believe in the Devil or Satan.
But almost all Wiccans, as well as almost all Witches, believe one fundamental: If it harms no one, do it. Unlike Christians, they don't do things that hurt others.
The question should be "What is Wicca". I am a Wiccan High Priestess and practitioner, as well as a witch, of many years, and feel qualified to answer.
Wicca is a modern religion based on older practices. Founded in England during the late 1930s/1940s by Gerald Gardner, it is a combination of beliefs and spiritual practices overlaid on the native English practice of "witchcraft".
Witchcraft, taken out of the "Christian context" and placed back where it belongs, is a naturalist way of life, much more like a practice of natural healing, spiritual counseling, and practicing sympathetic magics. Witches, originally, were more like the local healers, advisers and elders (or shaman, if you will) of certain European areas. I am not going to go into what they are not. Ask a Christian what they are if you want those answers. I am telling you what we were/are.
The word "Wicca" is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word for the local wise man/woman of the area. British Traditional Witches use the word "Wicca" and "witch" interchangeably.
It has become today a very earth based practice, falling back on natural healing methods and spiritual guidance, working with elemental energies and still falling back on sympathetic magics. In the US it has become intermingled with the local folk magics and still retains it's spiritual overlay.
Wicca adds a spiritual aspect to these natural practices. It is very polytheistic - having at least a duality of God/Goddess as reflected in nature. It retains it's natural roots by being a life style as well as a spirituality. A witch, as the practitioners are called, lives in harmony with the cycles of the earth and the universe, following a lunar and solar calendar. We tend to be very concerned about the health and welfare of the earth and all things that live on it.
Most believe in reincarnation, again a cycle as reflected in nature, of life, death and rebirth. We have some very deep attachments to Deity, which a personal choice and makes this a polytheistic religion. It is an experiential religion, not something learned from a book. It is a practice, and as I said, a life style. We are personally responsible for our actions and hold only ourselves accountable for our actions. We have the Wiccan Rede, an advice for living, which is the "Harm none - do as you will" line. It is suggestive of personal responsibility. We have also the "Law of Return", a three fold law that affects on three levels - the physical, the spiritual and the emotional - and is self explanatory - what you do returns to you.
Some folks practice in groups, called covens, or as solitary practitioners. We also have legally recognized "organizations" which represent the welfare of some of the Wiccan practitioners. Most groups are, however, independent.
Wicca is a recognized 501c3 religion, and is honored by many government organizations including the IRS, and the military who requires their chaplains to be familiar with Wiccan practices.
While there are many forms of Wicca, just as there are many forms of Christianity, not all of the practitioners out there are "fluffy" and "white lighters". Many who you do not see everyday are serious practitioners and know their stuff. The more visible seem to be the ones who are just playing at it, as there are many people playing at being Christians. This is common to all religions.
Wicca is a relatively new religion. Some folks scoff at it because of it's young age, but remember, all religions have to start somewhere.
Hope this answers your question. I have included a history book title on the origins of British Traditional Witchcraft, or Wicca as it is known today, if you are interested in further reading.
Old religion refers to the religion of nature, where man learns to commune with all of creation. This unstructured religion is known as " Wicca", the most famous practitioner is Merlin of the King Arthur legends. The religion is very personal, without any form or gospel, and practiced for self enlightenment. It is simply a study of nature, its forces, its pattern, and to communicate with it. Unfortunately, Wicca has been lost and replaced by " witchcraft". The sad part is losing the inherent beauty of the art, being replaced by something less than spiritual.
What is Witchcraft? Who are these Witches anyway?
A practitioner of a nature-based belief system or religion. Not all Witches follow the same belief system. Some practice what is called the "old religion" which has its roots in pagan Prue-monotheistic folk ways and beliefs and usually follows the seasonal cycles. These belief systems or "traditions" of Witches are often based upon the particular culture from whence they originated. Many Witches believe in a polytheistic deity structure (usually based upon the local gods and goddesses of the area of origin), but some simply practice magi ck (sometimes spelled with a 'k' to differentiate it from stage magic). Witches may practice alone as 'solitaries" or in covens. There are also family groups or traditions which trace their practices and beliefs within the same close group throughout several generations.
Traditional Wicca:
A modern form of Witchcraft is called "Wicca." Traditional Wicca is based on the teachings of Gerald Gardner, is coven based and each coven can trace its lineage (line of teaching passed on by initiated Traditional priests and priestesses) back to Gardner himself. There are offshoots of Gardnerian Traditional Wicca such as Alexandrian Wicca, Georgian Wicca and many others. Traditional Wiccans are considered a 'mystery' religion, require initiation by the coven and have a "degree system" or different levels of rank based upon coven training and the readiness of the initiate to accept the duties and responsibilities of that degree. They have a core of inner knowledge-often called the "Book of Shadows"-which is known only to initiated Wiccans. Most Traditional Wiccans believe in the balance of male-female divinity. Traditional Wiccans are seldom solitary except for those 'Elders'-usually former priests and priestesses-who may have retired from active coven involvement.
Other Forms of Wicca:
A newer form of Wicca has developed since the 1970's which is looser in structure and practice than the Traditional Wicca. These practitioners may follow a mixture of various or "eclectic' pagan and/or non-pagan beliefs. Some have formed 'traditions' or covens of their own, with or without a degree system, and have written a "book of shadows" outlining their own belief system and coven structure. Many are solitary practitioners who practice their beliefs and formulate their rituals in their own way.
Pagans:
Since the terms Witch and Wiccan are often mistakenly interchanged, many simply call themselves "pagans" or Neo-pagans" when talking with others who may not be familiar with the complexity of the different belief systems. But just as not all Christians are Lutheran or Catholic, so not all pagans are Witches or Wiccan. Neo-paganism is a term used most often to describe people who follow an earth-based belief system or religion. Druids and the Norse tradition of Asatru (who tend to prefer the term 'heathen") are considered to be pagan belief systems, but their adherents are neither Witches nor Wiccans. Neo-paganism should also not be confused with the "New Age" movement as pagans are almost exclusively involved in distinctive nature religions or earth-based practices while New Age spirituality draws from many sources and esoteric spiritual techniques.
Q: Are you a good Witch or a bad Witch?
A: When you ask if someone is a "good" Witch or a "bad" Witch, it is the same as asking someone if they are a "good" Presbyterian or a "bad" Presbyterian. Wiccans adhere to the Rede, "An it harm none, do as ye will." Witches, Druids and other pagan belief systems and religions have their own ethical standards. There are good and bad people in every society and in every religion. When a person breaks the laws of society or the tenets of their religion, they are called to account for their actions. To judge a person as either "good" or "bad" based upon nothing more than their religious preference alone has a label, too. It is called bigotry.
Q: Do you worship Satan?
A: Satan is a part of the Christian and Muslim religions. Since pagans are neither Christian nor Muslim, Satan is not part of our deity structure at all.
We believe that each and every human being is completely responsible for his or her own actions. To us, evil is a choice, albeit a bad one, that a human might make, not an embodied entity to blame our actions upon.
If an individual chooses to do evil, most pagans believe they will be punished via the laws of karma or as a result of "cause and effect.". In other words, "What goes around usually comes around."
Many Witches and Wiccans believe in some form of reincarnation, that the results or karma of past deeds can follow a person from one life to the next. This may also help to explain why terrible things sometimes happen to wonderful people or why some people seem to have been born with certain skills and knowledge. It may also explain why some people seem to lead a 'charmed" life.
Some pagans believe in an after-life spent in another plain of existence. Known as Summerland, Avalon, Valhalla or simply the "Other Side', they believe that they will be reunited here once again with friends and family.
Q: So why do you use that "Satanic" symbol?
A: The pentagram, or five pointed star, is not Satanic. Pythagoras used it as a symbol of health and his followers wore them in order to recognize one another. In Medieval times, some Christian knights used the pentagram as their symbol. To modern Wiccans the pentagram means many things; The five points correspond to the elements Air, Earth, Fire and Water with the top point corresponding to "Spirit". The pentagram in a circle may also represent a human with their legs and arms outstretched, surrounded by universal wisdom or the "Goddess" - humankind at one with the environment. Many Witches and other pagan practitioners do not wear the pentacle at all, but have other symbols of special meaning to them.
Satanists turn the symbol upside-down, which puts the elements of Fire and Earth at the top (Fire symbolizes willpower and passion and Earth, prosperity and earthly goods) and Spirit, spirituality, at the bottom. Satanists also turn the cross upside-down. This, in itself, does not make the cross or pentagram a Satanic symbol. In some Wiccan traditions, the reversed pentagram is a symbol of "second degree" status - one who has been elevated from "initiate". To members of these traditions, the reversed pentagram is considered highly positive and has no connection to Satanism. A symbol is simply an image or mark in itself. It is the mind and the beliefs of the beholder which attribute to it a particular meaning.
Q: Do you do blood sacrifice?
A: Goddess NO! The nature of sacrifice is to give up something of one's own in order to gain something more important. Wiccans believe in the sanctity of all life. Most pagans believe that animals are part of the same natural cycle of life as humans are. Witches have long been associated with animal companions known as "familiars." Check out the TWV "Cats of Witchcraft" page. Do these animals look abused to you?
Q: Do Witches and Wiccans cast spells?
A: Yes. Well, some do anyway. However, the term "spell" is widely misunderstood.
Spells, are somewhat like prayers and are used to create needed change in one's own life or the life of a loved one. But while prayers are a petition to an external Deity to create the change, most Witches and Wiccans believe that Deity is present in everything, including ourselves. Spells, then, are the channeling of our own divine selves, our own energies, to create the change.
Spells such as those which use love magic to gain the attention of a specific individual, or curses, are considered "manipulative". Most Wiccans believe that anything manipulative-that goes against the free will of another-is considered wrong. Many other pagan paths have similar codes of conduct based upon the tenets of their tradition or belief and almost all believe that the responsibility for their actions will lie with them.
Q: Are Witchcraft or Wicca cults?
A: A cult by definition is a group of people who blindly follow one leader. As Witches, Wiccans and pagans tend to be free-thinkers, there is no one person that we consider to be THE leader. Thus we cannot be called a cult.
Q: Do you have ritual orgies?
A: These rumors come from our lack of taboos regarding sex. We have no rules which prohibit homosexuality, nudity or pre-marital sex. Sex as the generative force in nature is seen by most pagans as something utterly sacred. We feel that the physical act of love is to be approached with great respect and responsibility.
Q: Why do all Witches/Wiccans wear black?
A: We all don't. Many Witches/Wiccans actually seem to favor green and/or purple. Black, however, is in many cultures a symbol of clergy. Priests, Ministers and Rabbis all favor black as the main color of their ritual garb.
Scientifically speaking, color is energy. The colors you see are the ones which are reflected and not the ones absorbed. Therefore, what appears to be white, which is the culmination of all colors in the light spectrum, is actually reflecting all colors and absorbing none. What appears to be black, is absorbing all colors and reflecting none. This is evident in the fact that when one is wearing white, one feels cooler - as the fabric is sending the heat energy outward, and when one wears black - the heat energy is absorbed in the cloth that one is wearing, making one feel warmer. Many Witches feel that wearing black attracts and holds more natural energy.
Q: Aren't all Witches Women?
A: No. Neither are Wiccans or those in other pagan paths. Witches can be either men or women. The term "Warlock" is never used to describe a male Witch as it is considered to be a religious slur. "Warlock" is an old Scottish word meaning "traitor" or "oath-breaker". Men and Women alike can be Witches, Wiccans or pagans.
Q: Why would anyone want to be a pagan, a Witch or Wiccan?
A: People are generally drawn to Wicca and other pagan paths for several reasons. Many women feel left out of more mainstream religions because of the lack of feminine divinity. For them, the Wiccan concept of the Goddess as Mother of all Living fills an empty space in their spiritual search. As a nature based religion, Witchcraft also appeals to those who feel a strong need to "get back to the Earth" and places a major importance on protecting the environment, which we are a part of, not apart from. People drawn to the mystical find pagan belief systems much more accommodating as we do not see anything unnatural about psychic ability or the use of magic to create needed changes in one's life. It gives us the freedom to make our own decisions about what is best for us.
Q: How do you convert new Witches/Wiccans/pagans?
A: We don't. We feel that the attempted conversion of others is a form of religious bigotry. i.e. If one tries to convert another to his/her religion, s/he assumes that the other person's beliefs are not as valid as his/her own. We feel that all paths are equally valid as long as they do not infringe upon the basic civil rights or free will of another. According to our beliefs, it is up to the individual to choose his or her own path. We do not try to manipulate others into our way of thinking, we only try to educate others about our religion so that they may better understand us. We do, however try to help guide those who have already expressed an interest in the pagan belief systems or religions.
Q: So what do Witches/Wiccans/pagans DO?
A: Pretty much what everybody does. We come from all walks of life. We raise families, go to work, throw steaks (or vegetables) on the "barbie" and hang out with our friends. We practice our religions and belief systems, celebrate our holidays with festivals and continue to study and explore our past while contemplating our futures.
Many covens and groups meet once a month to worship together under the moon. Pagans tend to hold ceremonies or "circles" out of doors as we feel that being with nature brings us closer to the divinity who creates it.
Some pagan beliefs may seem strange to those who have not heard much about them before. Pagans, on the other hand, are usually very well versed in the beliefs of other religions. They find the various religious systems interesting and often encourage their own children to learn about these other religions. Pagans believe in free will and free choice and that an educated choice is always better than blind obedience to any religion or dogma. We are not "against" other religions. We have simply made our choice to be pagan and we expect others to respect that choice as we respect theirs.
All that we ask is that we are allowed to practice our religion without prejudice or interference as is our right guaranteed here in the United States under the Constitution and as outlined within the constitutions of many other countries. The freedom to practice religion -or no religion-as you choose-whether it be Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or Pagan-is the freedom to follow your spirit and your heart. This precious freedom must be defended, protected and treasured by all or it will no longer be guaranteed for anyone.
The Wiccan Church of Canada, which represents the Odyssean Tradition, provides what I found to be the most useful and workable definition:
1. Wicca is an initiatory, oath bound mystery religion...
2. ...which is polytheistic, honoring a variety of gods and goddesses...
3. ...but also dualistic, seeing individual deities, at least to some extent, as aspects of one God and one Goddess...
4. ...and pantheistic, viewing divinity as immanent within the natural world.
5. It cent res around the mysteries contained within the Charge of the Goddess and the Legend of the Descent of the Goddess...
6. ...and encompasses the practice of magic...
7. ...as well as religious devotion.
8. Its ethical basis is expressed in the Wiccan Rede ("An it harm none, do as ye will")...
9. ...and the Threefold Law ("What ye send returns three times over"). [Referred to here as the Law of Return]
10. Ritually, it involves casting a circle as the basic setting for spiritual and magical work...
11. ...and emphasizes the Platonic four elements of earth, air, fire and water...
12. ...plus some form of gender polarity, be that theologically in the image of the God and Goddess, and/or mundanely in the physical gender of participants as well...
13. ...and usually incorporates some form of the "Great Rite" (union of the God and Goddess), frequently symbolized in the blessing of the ritual wine by the conjoining of the Athene and chalice.
This is not, however, meant to be an all-or-nothing definition. As the WCC site explains:
Wicca itself contains a lot of diversity, and not all forms of Wicca include all these elements, but most include most of them to some degree, and the more of them a given tradition, group or ritual includes, the more sense it makes to describe it as "Wiccan" rather than simply "pagan".
What is a Wicca. I know it's some sort of religion, but what is it really?
