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Old 05-16-2010, 06:12 AM
brianna_the_angel777's Avatar
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Default What exactly does being a Wicca entail?

So I've been looking up different religions and Wicca is the one I'm stumped on. I want to know about what Wiccans believe in. (I hope a real Wicca will answer this question, but if anyone else knows something about this religion please answer this!)
I have done my own reading on the religion and I'm still confused.
Thanks for the answers in advance!
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Old 05-21-2010, 06:12 AM
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WNW.witchvox.com

That should help you find someone close to you who will explain it.
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Old 05-26-2010, 06:12 AM
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http://wicca.timerifft.net has an excellent Wicca 101 FAQ section which should answer most of your questions.

In brief, Wicca is concerned with honoring and adoring the Goddess and the God of our faith, attuning ourselves to the cycles of the universe (Their living body) through holy days tied to the lunar and solar calendars, conducting rituals in a particularly Wiccan style, and choosing the Wiccan Rede as a code of ethical conduct.

Very few Wiccans will use the phrase "believe in" when referring to our Gods. To us, that would be like saying that you "believe in" your own mother and father. As priest/eases of our Gods, we have frequent personal contact with Them and base our religious practice on those intimate spiritual experiences.

ETA: The Wiccan Rede does not simply mean "harm none". It consists of eight words ("If you harm none, do what you will") and suggests that all actions leading to no harm or minimal harm are morally acceptable actions. It makes NO statement concerning necessary acts of positive harm, which are left to the conscience of the individual Wiccan.
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Old 05-28-2010, 06:12 AM
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First of all, "Wicca" is the name of the religion. A practitioner of Wicca is called a "Wiccan".

Go here for some Wicca 101:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_faq.htm
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Old 06-01-2010, 06:12 AM
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To sum it all up:
We believe in a Goddess and a God (sometime more than one) but we do not believe in Satan or Hell.
Our only rule is the Wiccan Rede: "An ye harm none, do as ye will" which means do whatever you want as long as you don't hurt anyone or anything. This means physically, emotionally, etc.
We believe in polarity. A balance between light and dark, masculine and feminine, good and bad.
Wicca is a nature-based religion in the way that we worship nature because we believe that the Goddess and the God are within everything, even us.
The majority of Wiccans practice magi ck or witchcraft, but no curses, hexes-things that harm people in any way.
There's a lot more information, but that's just the basics.

If you have any questions feel free to email me.
Good luck
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Old 06-04-2010, 06:12 AM
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Wicca is not easily summed up because it is actually a generic term for a whole group of belief variants rather than one single monolithic doctrine. Each individual Wiccan is actually autonomous, being responsible for deciding for themselves the precise structure of their own belief but a large number tend to clump together in groups of similar beliefs (called traditions). Some of those individuals may belong to multiple traditions - so there may be even more layers to the confusion than first meets the eye of an outsider. That having been said the rough outline is fairly simple and should be more or less accessible through reading the sites above or by investigating the following links;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca
http://www.wicca.com/celtic/wicca/wicca.htm
http://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.htm
http://www.crystalinks.com/wicca.html

On the Wilcox site, mentioned above - there are many many pages of fascinating information, so you may wish to look here initially to see the FAQs;
http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usfl&c=basics&id=2870

Likewise for the Wicca.timerift.net site; http://wicca.timerift.net/wicca101/index.shtml

I think those first two are about the best but I like a multitude of sources when I do research.
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Old 06-05-2010, 06:12 AM
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Prairiecrow gave a very good answer. Asking people to sum up an entire religion is difficult. It's a belief system, not a sound byte. So if there are specific things that confuse you about Wicca, you might find it helpful to ask about those specific things. That way we can give specific answers instead of trying to sum up an entire religion. There are several long-time Wiccans on Y!A that are happy to answer questions.
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Old 06-07-2010, 06:12 AM
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I agree with Prairiecrow and Nightwind.

AmericanPrincess has made some statements that are worded inaccurately and could cause further confusion.

I disagree with saying "our only rule is the Wiccan Rede". Rather, the Wiccan Rede is a foundation on which our codes of conduct & ethics are built. Rede does not mean "rule", it means to counsel or advise. We do not have "commandments" a list of rules that are impossible for everyone to follow throughout their whole entire lives. We strive to live an ethical lifestyle based on Wiccan teachings & philosophies.

Saying we "worship nature" makes people think we worship trees and rocks. Not the case. We worship our gods - we connect with them through nature, we revere in the creation, respect it.

I agree with checking out that website that prairie crow recommended and then asking more specific questions if you have them. As Nightwind said, rather difficult to sum up an entire religions beliefs and practice in a few short paragraphs.
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