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What is Wicca?
So you've decided that you want to practice the religion of Wicca. Do you understand what is involved in Wicca? Have you read the file on What Is Wicca? If you have not, that's the place to start. If you have, welcome. I hope that you find what you are searching for.There are a lot of places to start when beginning any new project, and learning a new lifestyle is perhaps more difficult than any other life change. And that is what turning to Wicca, Wiccan, and/or Witchcraft means.
- it means withdrawing into yourself to find truth and to find peace; it means giving yourself over to powers we cannot see (the Elements, the Goddess, the God) and it means putting something before yourself
- it means honoring nature, respecting your neighbor and learning about your environment.
The gifts that we have are not to be taken for granted. The fact that we can think, walk, breath, make love, and give joy are things that fulfill our lives and make us human. We should not take these things for granted under any circumstances. One way to reaffirm ourselves as witches and as humans is to give thanks. Always thank those that help up. Always thank those that give their time to us. Always thank those that offer good advice. Always thank those who make you happy. And ALWAYS thank the Earth and ALWAYS thank the God, ALWAYS thank the Goddess.
Wicca (sometimes called Wicce, The Craft, or The Old Religion by its practitioners)
is an ancient religion of love for life and nature. In prehistoric times, people respected the great forces of Nature and celebrated the cycles of the seasons and the moon. They saw divinity in the sun and moon, in the Earth herself, and in all life. The creative energies of the universe were personified: feminine and masculine principles became Goddesses and Gods. These were not semi-abstract, superhuman figures set apart from Nature: they were embodied in earth and sky, women and men, Ying and Yang, and even plants and animals.
This viewpoint is still central to present-day Wicca. To most Wiccans, everything
in Nature - and all Goddesses and Gods - are true aspects of Deity. The aspects
most often celebrated in the Craft, however, are the Triple Goddess of the Moon
(Maiden, Mother and Crone) and the Horned God of the wilds. These have many names in various cultures.
Wicca had its organized beginnings in Paleolithic times, co-existed with other Pagan
("country") religions in Europe, Long before Christianity had begun. and had a profound influence on early Christianity. But in the medieval period, tremendous persecution (also called the Burning Times) was directed against the Nature religions by the Roman Church. Over a span of 300 years, millions of men and women and many children were hanged, drowned or burned as accused Witches. The Church indicted them for black magic and Satan worship, though in fact these were never a part of the Old Religion.
The Wiccan faith went underground, to be practiced in small, secret groups called "covens" For the most part, it stayed hidden until very recent times. Now scholars such as Margaret Murray and Gerald Gardner have shed some light on the origins of the Craft, and new attitudes of religious freedom have allowed covens in some areas to risk becoming more open.
How do Wiccan folks practice their faith today? There is no central authority or doctrine, and individual covens vary a great deal. But most meet to celebrate on nights of the Full Moon, and at eight great festivals, or Sabbats throughout the year.
Though some practice alone or with only their families, many Wiccans are organized into covens of three to thirteen members. Some are led by a High Priestess or High Priest, many by a Priestess/ Priest team; others rotate or share leadership. Some covens are highly structured and hierarchical while others may be informal and egalitarian. Often extensive training is required before initiation, and coven membership is considered an important commitment.
There are many branches or "traditions" of Wicca in the United States and elsewhere, such as the Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Welsh, Traditional, Dianic, Faery, Seax-Wicca and others. All adhere to a code of ethics. None engage in the disreputable practices of some modern "cults", such as isolating and brainwashing impressionable lonely young people. Genuine Wiccans welcome sisters and brothers, but not disciples, followers or victims.
Coven meetings include ritual, celebration and magick (the 'k' is to distinguish it from stage illusions.) Wiccan magick is not at all like the instant 'special effects' of cartoon shows or fantasy novels, nor medieval demonology; it operates in harmony with natural laws and is usually less spectacular - though effective. Various techniques are used to heal people and animals, seek guidance, or improve members' lives in specific ways. Positive goals are sought, cursing and evil spells' are repugnant to practitioners of the Old Religion.
Wiccans tend to be strong supporters of environmental protection, equal rights, global peace and religious freedom, and sometimes magick is used toward such goals. Wiccan beliefs do not include Judeao-Christian concepts as original sin, vicarious atonement, divine judgment. we do not believe in the Devil, nor any part of a hell. Craft folk believe in a beneficent universe, the laws of karma and reincarnation, and divinity inherent in every human being and all of Nature. Yet laughter and pleasure are part of their spiritual tradition, and they enjoy singing, dancing, feasting and love.
Wiccans tend to be individualists, and have no central holy book, prophet, or church authority. They draw inspiration and insight from science, and personal experience. Each practitioner keeps a personal book or journal in which s/he records magickal 'recipes', dreams, invocations, songs, poetry and so on.
To most of the Craft, every religion has its own valuable perspective on the nature of Deity and humanity's relationship to it; there is no One True Faith. Rather, religious diversity is necessary in a world of diverse societies and individuals. Because of this belief, Wiccan groups do not actively recruit; there is an assumption that people who can benefit from the Wiccan way will 'find their way home' when the time is right.
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