Wicca is not Satanic. We do not believe in the existance of Satan except in the minds of Christians and Satanist. Satanism is a separate and distinct religion in and of itself.
Male witches are not called Warlocks. The term Warlock comes from two Middle English words Waer and Loga which translated means "Oath or Word Breaker". Historically the word has been used to label men who broke their oath to the church. The term is still used today in some Wiccan circles to denote a person who has broken his or her oath to a coven. For those who know what the word means, it is one of the worst insults.
Wicca as we know it today began with Gerald Gardner in 1949 with the publication of a semi-factual novel entitled "High Magics Aid", and after the repeal of the last anti-witch laws in england in 1951, Gardner wrote his book "Witchcraft Today" in 1954. While Gardner stated that he had long been a member of a secret coven, this has never been substantiated to my knowledge. Witchcraft itself has been around for many centuries, but the "religion" of Wicca only for 50 years. The meaning of the word "wicca" has also been debated, some say that it means "wise one" and others say it means the "unknown". There are several other interpretations of the word as well. One thing that is known is that there is a masculine and feminine form of the word. The masculine is "wicca" and the feminine is "wicce".
Wicca or Witchcraft is a positive religion that is in tune with nature and its cycles. It is a modern religion that can trace its roots to pre-historic times. By examining cave drawings and artifacts, evidence shows that "cavemen", worshiped "nature" in its various aspects and sought to control it through magick. Throughout history "nature" was worshiped as the "pantheon of god/dess". Each culture had their own names for the different aspects of god/dess.
I believe that our modern day wiccan practices have become as involved and complex as our modern day living. Early spell weavers were simple folk who used magick as an everyday part of life with simple spells, simple ingredients, and simple rituals.
I prefer to use the simple method because it works for me. Whether you choose to simplify your spells and rituals or to use a more elaborate approach is up to you, it is a matter of personal choice, and one way is certainly not more correct than the other.
Magick is a practice that involves harnessing the "power" which surrounds us in the world and is a part of each of us by focusing it to do our will for the benefit of all. Please keep in mind the Wiccan Rede and the Three-Fold Law when performing any magickal act. Magick should always be used only for positive goals, never to harm or to control anyone (including yourself). Keep your magick positive, and surround yourself with positive energy. Use your magick to cause harm to another and you will bring three times the harm to yourself.
Magick is real and it does work. Use it carefully, respectfully, and wisely.
