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FAQ
WHAT IS WICCA??????
Don't be ashamed if you've never even heard the word before, because
WICCA is a fairly new term. Early definitions ranged from 'devil worship',
to 'cults made up of feminists', 'lesbian cults', 'hippie revival cults'
. . . or simply said 'SEE SATANISM'. Some of these and others were
total fabrications based on nothing more solid than pure rumor and myth.
Another word used is PAGAN. This term some people
are a bit more familiar with. If you ask them to define it they once
again reach for the trusty word, 'satanism'; or they'll refer you to that
old Dragnet movie with Tom Hanks and Dan Akroyd, describing in detail the
snake worshipping, drug dealing old men wearing KKK uniforms that the detectives
were hunting. Sadly to say, neither of those are true either.
In order to properly answer the question of "What Is
Wicca?" we should start with Paganism.
Paganism is a nature orientated religion with a two
faceted deity. These are The God, and The Goddess, sometimes refered
to as the Lord and Lady. The God is the master of all beasts and ruler
of the forest. The Goddess is the source of all fertility and watcher
of earth. She tends to it's gardens and to her children, all people
and animals, who have been fathered by The God. Paganism boasts a high
respect for nature, the earth, and the environment. There are five
(5) Elements that represent nature to most Pagans. These Elements are
free roaming forces that answer to the Lord and Lady and to those who honor
them. The Elements are Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit.
Wicca, is a branch of this divine and gentle religion.
A common statement says: All Wiccans Are Pagans, But Not All Pagans
Are Wiccans. This is true because while Wiccans follow the religion
of Paganism, they take their beliefs one step further. Wiccans use
the trust and faith of the Lord and Lady, in conjunction with the 5 Elements
to perform magick. This magick can exist in simple forms such as talismans
and herbal sachets, as well as complex spells and rituals to bring good luck,
happiness, love, wealth, peace, etc . . . Wiccans also practise the
arts of Divination, or 'fortune telling'.
It is very common to hear both of these groups of people
refering to themselves as WITCHES.
DO
PAGANS WORSHIP SATAN?????????
Plainly put, the answer to this question is NO.
Pagans do not honor, worship, or idolize 'Satan'; or even recognize that
he exists. Pagans and Wiccans believe in The Lord and Lady, not the
Christian 'God'. If one does not believe in 'God', how can one believe
in his arch enemy? Pagans do not recognize Jesus Christ either. Many
of them treat the stories in and the Bible itself just as they do the ancient
mythologies of Greece and Rome. They are believed to be wonderful
inspirational stories, but not true.
When the world was young and nearly all of Europe consisted
of Pagans, Christianity was slowly developing. When it was eventually
adopted by a few kings and lords, almost as if it was the 'cool' thing to
do, the Pagans that lived on their land were expected to become Christians
overnight as well. One of the first things that Christians pointed
out about Pagans was that their god was (usually) depicted as a horned deity.
This made sense to the Pagans themselves. Many of the animals
that were hunted for food, such as bison and deer, were not only large and
proud, but horned. Shouldn't the ruler of all beasts have a magnificent
set of antlers to be proud of? The Christians shouted from the rooftops that
since The Lord was horned, he must be 'Satan'.
So, as you can hopefully see, the rumor of Pagans
worshiping 'Satan' was just that, a rumor spread to steer people away from
joining the Pagan religion.
WHAT POWERS DO YOU HAVE?????
Can you fly? Can you read minds? Can you start
a fire with a wave of your hand? Can you summon demons with a mere
word? Can you knock someone off their feet by wiggling your nose?
Well....can you? Of course you can't. And witches can't
either.
Witches aren't supernatural beings. They merely
have a greater understanding, faith, and respect for those forces that can
not be seen with the naked eye. In return for that, Witches do at
times seem to have a way with the elements. They believe in their psychic
abilities, no matter how shallow the resource may be, and so they are more
aware. Yes, most witches can sense almost immediately whether someone
has a good or bad nature.
Through ritual, Witches may get that raise they've
been needing, or that secret admirer to finally ask them on a date.
Through the knowledge of herbs, Witches know how to treat their illnesses
for mere pennies compared to the high costs of over-the-counter bottles,
jars, creames, and pills.
I've never known a Witch that can fly, but through
meditation and faith, I've seen a few that can turn traffic lights to their
favor, find lost objects for people, sense colors with their hands . . .
etc.
DO YOU SACRIFICE ANIMALS (OR INFANTS, BLOOD,
PEOPLE,
ETC...)???????
Pagans have such a high respect for nature and life
that they would never even dream of such atrocities. Every life force
has the right to grow, learn, and love, whether it's a cute little snail
or your power hungry supervisor. No Witch has the right to offer another's
life force up for sacrifice or any other purpose.
Now, I must be completely honest with you about the
blood question though. Many Pagan women have been known to offer their
own menstrual blood to honor the Lady during the Waxing cycle of the moon.
This is because the Lady's symbol is the Moon (the Lord's being the
Sun). The Full Moon represents the Lady's fertility, as does a woman's
menstrual cycle. Men who envy this ability in women have been known
to offer a few drops of blood from the tips of their fingers using a
pin.
Pagans never cut themselves or others with knives,
razors, . . . anything for ritual purposes. Such actions are dangerous
and should not be undergone by anyone. An unattended cut can cause
death either by loss of blood or serious infection. A Pagan's dagger
(a ritual tool known as an athame used to cut energy and direct it towards
the ritual's means) is never used to cut flesh or other material objects.
Most of these dagger's blades are often dulled just to emphasize
this.
All that babble about 'eye of newt' and 'tongue of
dog', is all nonsense as well. Herbs known as 'cat's tongue', 'kangaroo
paw', 'dragon's blood' and the like were simply named so because their latin
names are long and difficult to remember, so the Pagans gave these plants
very suggestive names so that they would be more easily identified in the
woods.
Advanced
FAQ
I know that initiation into a Coven is needed because there are
specific traditions, rankings, tools, and private rites to learn, but why
is an initiation needed when you're a Solitaire Wiccan?
Does my initiation have to be performed by another Pagan, or a
Coven?
Does Paganism support Creation or Evolution?
Is it possible to be Christian/Catholic and still be a
witch?
Any Other Questions Can Be Sent To Me
At
kmclain@csonline.net
Send all Comments, Quereys, and
Propositions to Myst here:
kmclain@csonline.net
