Wicca
Wicca is a modern version of the original pre-Christian, european shamanic relgious tradition. It is a Pagan religion, that is, a religion not Judeo-Christian in origin. The word Pagan comes from the Latin root, paganus, meaning "not of the city," or rural. Because Christianity spread most slowly in the outlying rural areas, it was the Pagans who were converted last-and sometimes incompletely- so there faith became a mixuture of the old and new religions. Many local saints are Christianized versions of Pagan deities (like Saint Brigit), adapted so that locals would more easily integrate Christianity into their beliefs.
Wicca is earth-, nature-, and fertility-oriented; its followers worship at the turn of the seasons and at new and full moons. They generally acknowledge both male and female Deities, and believe in reincarnation, magick, and divination. While Wicca is a spiritual and philosophical path, it is first and foremost a Religion, termed "the Craft," meaning the craft of the wise.
The word Wicca has two possible sources. The first in the Anglo-Saxon "wic" or "wit," meaning wise or learned. A person "of the Wicca" was a person who had knowledge (usually of healing and herbs) which placed them apart from ordinary people. Another possible origin is the Celtic word "wick," which means to bend or be supple. Wiccans were people who bent as life and conditions warranted. in the story of the Oak and the Willos, the oak does not bend and is blown down in the storm, while the willow is supple, bends, and survives the storm with little damage. Another interpretation of the wick, or beding, is "bending with your Will" as one does in proces of Magick.
Wicca is unique as a religion in that it lacks a doctrine imposed by a heirarchical organization, does not provide a bible or holy book which Wiccans can turn for spiritual guidance and instruction, includes a number of Traditions, allows individuals to worship and practice by themselves, and significantly assumes that each person will develop and continue to refine their own belief system and spiritual practices.
An individual's practices tends to draw from practice of other Wiccans whith whom they interact. If a person in an area where there are several Wiccan-type groups, they have the luxury of choice. More often there is only one esisting small group that becomes their model. some estmate that up to half of practicing Wiccans practice solo, or solitaire. Most Wiccans are ecologically-minded in some way, are spiritual, seek knowledge and self-improvement, try to be tolerant and accepting of others, and are just "regular people."
The emphasis on individualism within Wicca is both a strength and a weakness. Wiccans are strongly encouraged to think for themselves, they also sometimes suffer from numerous disagreements, which all that individualistic thinking can generate. Wiccans have a tendency to go off by themselves if they are not happy with the current state of things in the local coven, group, community or whatever. Therefore Wicca is not a strongly cohesive relgion. One can be in a coven or toher small group, and be very tightly-knit, but there may not be a lot of inter-group loyalty or cohesiveness. Still most Wiccans have more in common that they do differences, so they gather at Festivas or in larger groups for interaction, communication, and to share the benefits that larger communities offer. These gatherings tend to be more time-specific than permanent and ongoing.
Here is a list of of a number of beliefs which most Wiccans hold in common. With all the differences, it is good sometimes to remind ourselves just how much we do have in common.
The Council of American Witches finds it necessary to define modern Witchcraft in terms of the American experience and needs.
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