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Sometimes it's hard, others it's not,
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"Mom.... I've got something to tell you...."
Of all the phrases in the world, these words (or words like it) are the ones that most of us dread to say. Coming out of the broom closet, whether to family, friends, or people we've never met can be very difficult, especially for those of us who have an acquaintance of some sort who might not be as accepting as others. This is not a "how-to" page, or any kind of instruction manual. When you come out of the broom closet, so to speak, it must be of your own free will and of your own accord, with your own emotions, thoughts, and beliefs to fuel yourself. If you feel it necessary, feel free to go ahead and show whomever this page. It has been created for your assistance, as well as with that particular purpose in mind. FIRST OF ALL, A FEW QUASHINGS OF UNTRUE BELIEFS..... 1) "Wiccans worship Satan." Sorry to say this to some of the hypocritical religious people out there, but this is a completely and utterly false statement. For one thing, the majority of Wiccans do not believe that there ever was a person called "Satan." For another, we do not "worship" anybody. It is very true that we do ask blessings of our Goddess, Mother Earth, she who is known by many names (I usually use the word "Deity" myself, genderless and not offensive to certain of those with whom I communicate), and it is also true that some of our Wiccan holidays are in celebration of her gifts to us. However, we do not truly "worship" Deity in the same sense as Christians might worship their God, as we believe that although Deity lends us strength or wisdom or whatever we need, it is we ourselves that accomplish our goals, and all the energies that we borrow are returned to Deity to be used again. 2) "Witches fly on broomsticks and sacrifice people." First of all, I would be the happiest person in the world if I could actually fly on a broomstick. Not only would it save money on gas, insurance, and car payments, but it would be a less expensive and cleaner form of transportation. Of course, we would have to look out for head on collisions with other witches, but that's a danger no matter how you travel. End of the joking around bit of our tour. The main purpose that brooms really have in Wicca is that when we have our rituals, we use our brooms as a symbol of sweeping away all the bad things that we have done and giving ourselves a clean slate, kind of like what many Christians do when they have Communion, the Lord's Supper, whatever you might refer to it as. Sometimes, a Wiccan couple who has gotten married will jump over a broom-this is simply a way for the couple to express their hope for fertility and healthy children in their homes and futures. As for sacrificing people, I have never before heard of a Wiccan willingly harming another living being, whether it be human or animal or even plant, without having a very good reason. There is no good reason in any event to harm another person unless it is in self-defense, which does occur occasionally as in any situation. Just as unfortunately, however, some Wiccans refuse to fight back, and are severely injured at the hands of others because of their pacifistic ways. 3) "Christianity and Wicca are nothing alike." This too is an untrue statement. I know that perhaps I will get criticism from some of my compatriots as well on a few of these points, but there is a whole lot more in common between these two religious factions than people believe there are. First of all, both religions are peaceful in most respects. They both have religious people in their midst, who believe that their side is the only right one and all the others are completely in the wrong. People from both religions communicate with Deity by prayer. Both have rituals that are used, using tools such as Candles, Wine, Chalices, Crosses (the cross is a symbol of the Celtic religion as well as of Christians), and other various things. There are more examples, email me and I will perhaps be able to give you a few of them. 4) "Pentagrams are signs of the devil and devil worshippers." The Pentagram/Pentacle is not a sign of the devil or devil worshippers or anything else. As was mentioned before, the majority of Wiccans do not believe in the existance of Satan. The Pentagram, a symbol inclusive of a circle surrounding a five-pointed star, is the symbol of the physical and metaphysical connections between the five Planes of Life: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Spirit. Inverted (meaning with one point facing straight down), it is the sign of the Horned God (just another name for the God-who is the Goddess's companion-the Horned God isn't a referrence to Satan). However, this particular sign doesn't account for much in some Wiccan sects as not all Witches believe in the existance of a Goddess and a God, simply a Goddess (for example, the Dianic Tradition of Wicca only celebrate the Goddess-there is no God in any part of the ceremonies). 5) "Witches are old women covered with warts that wear nothing but black and a little pointy hat." This is the stereotypical appearance of Hollywood's ideas of what an evil witch might look like. Unfortunately for them, Hollywood isn't always as right as they'd like to be. These kinds of witches are usually referred to as "Halloween Witches," since they usually are seen only around Halloween. The majority of witches look just like other people; same hairstyles, clothing choices, shoe styles. We Wiccans may be somewhat eccentric, but we're not that bad. ************** We all know that coming out to our family and friends is probably one of the hardest things to do. Most people do not realize what Wicca is, or they hold untrue beliefs about it. I know some people to believe that Wicca is simply a fad that the person in question will eventually "get over." However, as with someone who is Christian or Buddhist or Islamic or anything like that, we do not change our beliefs at the drop of a hat. Religion doesn't quite work that way. A BIT ABOUT MAGICK AND SPELLS We all know at least one person who will bring this subject up. They will say that we're bad because we use spells and Magickal means to "get what we want." The first thing that these people have to realize is that our spells are nothing more than PRAYER, we only use candles, gemstones, incense, etc., to help us focus our energies and will power on what it is we require. As well as that, Wiccans believe in the Rule of Three, that says whatever you do will come back to you times three, and in the Wiccan Rede, which the most important line is the one we live by: "AN IT HARM NONE, DO AS THOU WILT." Because of the beliefs that we have, we do not believe in sacrifices of animals or people. If a Wiccan has an offering, it will consist of wheat or barley or some other kind of plant, and we ALWAYS bury these things afterwards outside in our gardens, yards, or where ever they will help more plants to grow. We do not use many love spells (i.e. a spell to make a specific person like or dislike you) because this takes away their freedom of choice and in essence harms them, so it's against the Rede. If we do use a love spell, it will not be pointed towards one particular person (i.e. a spell to draw your unknown soulmate to you). Hexes are never used. Wiccans don't use hexes because they are against the Rede and will bring dire concequences to the one who places it on someone. If someone tries to put a hex on you, then they are not truly Wiccan and they will most certainly be paid back for it, even if it means that the shadow of their action will follow them into the next life. As for getting what we want.... that's not always the case. Many people think that you can use Wiccan spells to gain glamor, fame, fortune, anything your heart desires, and all you have to do is to cast a spell for it and it will be laid out on your lap. First of all, nobody ever gets everything they want, it's a fact of life. Wiccans are no different. We can ask all we want for fame and fortune but it will not necessarily ever work. When we have money spells, we ask only for what we need. If we have any intent of greediness in our hearts and ask for more than what we need, than it is very likely to not ever come to us. The same goes for glamor and fame. Becoming famous comes from alot of work, not just luck, and it is kind of a difficult thing to accomplish with or without Magick. If you truly want to become famous, then this is what you must do: go out and find an organization, volunteer alot and work hard at it, and someday you'll get your 15 minutes of fame, because everyone will see how much you care. Isn't that a much better way to go? |
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