Wicca
"Wicca...centering around reverence for nature as seen in the Goddess and the God. It's spiritual roots in antiquity, acceptance of magick and mysterious nature have made it particularly appealing...Wicca is a joyous religion springing from our kinship with nature. It is a merging with the Goddesses and the Godes, the universal energies that create life. It is a personal, positive celebration of life."
font taken from Scott Cunningham's A Guide for the Solitary Practicioner
Although Wicca itself is a fairly new religion, with its popularity raising in the 1950’s, it’s magickal roots are from the one of the earliest civilizations- the Shamans. The Shamans were the first humans with knowledge, which they recognized as being a form of power, a belief that Wiccans also share. The Shamans used this knowledge in all aspects of their life and religion, and through application of this knowledge formed many practices that are used by Wiccans today. One of the most important and well-known practices of the Shamans was reaching different states of conscience. Wiccans have incorporated this practice into their religion, with some exceptions. The Shamans used pain and hallucinogens to reach these different states of conscience, and the Wiccans have replaced these practices with singing, dancing, meditation, ritual plays, and invocation of the deity. These practices are used in just about all Wiccan rituals, and many Shaman rites are still practiced by Wiccans today.
Although Wicca is not considered an organized religion by its followers, it does contain some structural organization. Wiccans have two forms of practicing. The most traditional is practicing in a Coven, or group of Witches with similar beliefs and ways of practicing. Members of a Coven are usually invited to join and usually participate in some form of initiation ceremony. Another form of practice is the solitary path, practicing alone. This seems to be the most common. Also, the difference in practice and beliefs has caused Wicca to be divided into many traditions, or branches of Wicca, some of the most common being the Gardnerian, Cabot Witches, Starhawkians, and the Alexandrian. All were formed based on the beliefs and philosophies of various individuals. As the evidence shows, Wiccans, like many other religions, have some structure.
In the past, Witchcraft has been kept in secrecy and many misconceptions arose, hiding the true beliefs and practices of Wiccans. The most common misconception is that Wiccans worship the Christian Devil and that they believe in evil. In the past, Christians were widening their empires and found native pagans uncooperative and in the way. To make sense of a life-style they did not understand or accept, they labeled the early pagans as “Satanists”. Witches do not believe in the Christian Devil, a belief that is backed by the Witches’ belief of taking responsibility for their own actions, in both lives, instead of placing the blame on something else. Witches have also been accused of having a Satanic symbol- the pentacle. The Witches’ pentacle, with the single point of the star facing up, is not a Satanic symbol, especially because Satanism is not part of their beliefs . Also, according to common media portrayal of Witches, they apparently fly on broomsticks. This is not true, although brooms are used in certain rituals, such as handfastings (a Wiccan wedding) as a symbol of fertility, not something to fly on. The real, though general, Wiccan beliefs are summed up in Wiccan Rede and the Thirteen Principles of Belief. The Wiccan Rede is said to be rooted from Gerald Gardner. The last two lines of the poem, “An it harm none, do as thou wilt.,” are the most important and mean that a Wiccan can do anything he/she wishes, as long as it does not hurt her/himself or someone or something else. This clears up many misconceptions, such as the idea that Wiccans hurt animals and people. The Thirteen Principles of Belief is a document that was adopted at the Spring Witchmeet in Minnesota to inform the public of Wiccan beliefs. This document states that Wiccans celebrate their deity through ritual, strive to live in harmony with nature, acknowledge deeper powers, believe in the God and Goddess as one, acknowledge the spiritual world as they do the seen world, have no hierarchy, incorporate religion, magick, and wisdom together, believe being a true witch means to incorporate it as a way of life, respect life, respect other religions as long as they respect them, believe there is not one true way to practice Wicca, do not believe in evil or the Christian Devil, and they work with nature instead of against it. Although it was disbanded in the same year, most Wiccans view it as the best source explaining their beliefs. One belief that separates Wicca from the majority of organized religions is their belief in the deity as being in two, gender-based forms- the God and the Goddess. Although both sides play different roles and stand for different things, both are considered equal, with neither being viewed as higher. Wiccans view the God and the Goddess as within us and around us, not as distant. The Wiccan belief in Reincarnation and Karma is one fact that makes it similar to some non-Christian religions. Wiccans call their after death experience Summerland. They believe that actually after death, they are united with the Goddess and God, until they are ready to be reincarnated. Wiccans believe that they are to continue reincarnation, until they achieve the ultimate karma (the idea of reaching the ultimate state of purity). The information shows that the Wiccan beliefs are very different from the many misconceptions that people have.
Like most other religions, Wicca has many days of power. Wiccans celebrate the thirteen full moon celebrations, called Esbats, and the eight celebrations of the sun, called Sabbats. The Esbats, which are associated with the full moons and their energy, are celebrated with ritual and are called minor feasts. Originally, there were two Fire Festivals, Beltaine (celebrated on April 30) and Samhain (celebrated on October 31), which were added to too make the eight Sabbat celebrations, which are Yule (Winter Solstice), Imbolgc, Ostara (Spring Equinox), Beltaine, Summer Solstice, Lammas, Mabon (Fall Equinox), and Samhain. Four of the Sabbats, Yule, Ostara, the Summer Solstice, and Mabon, are derived from the solstices and equinoxes, and the other four Sabbats are based on old folk festivals. The Sabbats are used to perform rituals in honor of the God, although the Goddess can be honored also, and the Esbats are used to magickal work and to honor the Goddess.
Although Wiccans consider all of nature their temple, they do have two physical forms of scared space- the altar and the Sacred Circle. A Witch’s altar is a place of her/his power and a spot that belongs to the Goddess and God, and a place where magickal workings are performed. The set up of an altar varies from tradition to tradition, coven to coven, and practicioner to practicioner. Also, the altar set-up depends on the ritual, magickal work, etc. that is to be done. Common items found on an altar are an altar cloth, illuminator candles, candles for other perposes (balance, light, a spell, etc.), representations of the God and Goddess, the materials needed for a certain ritual/magickal work, and more. The second form of sacred space is the magickal circle. The Circle stands as a mental bridge from the everyday physical world to the spiritual world and is a mental and physical space, at the same time. The mental circle is visualized as extending below (as in below the floor/ground) and above (into the sky). The physical circle, which some Wiccans chose to use and other chose not to use, is usually nine feet in diameter, although solitary Wiccans usually have smaller circles, with nine representing the Goddess. The physical circle can be either outdoors or indoors and can be temporary or permanent.
Wiccans incorporate magick into their spiritual lives. Whether or not a practicioner will say all Wiccans do so or just some depends on their personal definition of the word. The word has two variations in spelling- “magic” and “magick”. “Magic” is considered the type of magic, which is performed by entertainers. Wiccans often add the “k” to the end to distinguish their form of religious magick from the other forms. Religious magick is separated from other forms of magic because of its envoking of the God and Goddess. Scott Cunningham, a well known Wiccan author, describes magick as “…the practice of moving natural (though little-understood) energies to effect needed change...” and states that magick is “…used as a tool to sanctify ritual areas and to improve ourselves and the world in which we live.” Wiccans believe that will, imagination, and visualization are the only mental things needed for magick. A great tool of magick, used by most Wiccans, but not all, is spell working. Spells, which can be worked by anyone, consists of having an intent, visualizing it coming true, and directing energy to make it happen by using tools, symbols, herbs, candles or any other tool of spell work. These magickal boosters are used to increase focus of the Wiccan and to have the correct energy flow, which will determine the success of the spell. The most common boosters are the four elements- Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. The elements connect a spell to the powers and energies of nature and to the powers and forces of the Spiritual World. Also, when Wiccans perform magick, many keep in mind the Three-Fold Law of Karmatic Return, which means that whatever they do, good or bad, will be returned to them (times three) in equal form. This belief, which some Wiccans follow and some do not, is one that teaches the Wiccan to wisely choose his/her magick and to take responsibility for their actions.
Wiccans perform worship and magick worship through ritual. Wiccan rituals are usually performed on the Esbats and Sabbats, although they can still be practiced at anytime. During ritual setup, which is performed in the magick circle, candles are usually placed at all four directions, according to color. Also, an altar, with all the tools and things needed for the ritual, is placed at the northern point of the circle (though some traditions, covens, practicioners say this is not necessary). During a ritual, Witches have many different ways of dress. Many perform in skyclad (nude), a common practice by followers of Gerald Gardener, to dismiss social differences. Two other ways of dress are robes and capes, which are used to show that ritual is a special time, and street clothes, which many Wiccans feel more comfortable in. Although there are variations depending upon the type of ritual and the purpose, a basic Wiccan ritual consists of altar devotion, creating sacred space, casting the circle, calling the quarters, invoking the God and Goddess, performing the magickal work, raising the energy, thanking the deity, closing the quarters, releasing the circle, and grounding and centering.
During ritual, magick, and daily practice, many tools are used by a Wiccan. The most important is probably the Book of Shadows. This book is a Wiccan’s reference book and journal that contains spells, rituals, beliefs, magickal charts, lessons, rules, personal thoughts, poetry, or anything else the Wiccan wishes to include. The B.O.S., as it is usually called, is secret to a Wiccan and only showed to coven members or a selected and trusted few. Another important tool for a Wiccan is the pentacle, which has long been misunderstood and falsely associated with the Christian Devil. A pentacle is worn as a religious symbol, used as a means of protection, used in ritual and magick, and used to summon and evoke the deity. Other tools used by the Witch are the wand, the brooms, a censer, a cauldron, an athame (magickal knife), a chalice (cup), and a wand.
Because of the secrecy that has long been a part of Witchcraft, and therefor Wicca, the beliefs and practices have been hidden and replaced with lies, and Wiccans have been forced to conceal their way of life from others that might consider it a threat. Because of many writers and philosophers, such as Gerald Gardner and Scott Cunningham, Wicca has begun to be brought into the open and understood. With Wiccan now being written and talked about, hopefully, people’s false views of this wonderful religion and way of life will be replaced with the truth and Wiccans will be able to practice their faith openly and with their chin held high.
Recommend Sites for Further Reading:
Pagan Educational Network
Covenant of the Goddess