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The Religion of WiccaWhat is Wicca? Wicca is an earth based, Pagan, religion that believes in both God and Goddess. Both Gods and Goddesses have equal value and power, and are given equal respect. There is a great respect for all living things in this religion. Followers of this religion are called witches, and the actual practicing of witchcraft and spell work is considered The Craft. Note: Men are also called witches, not warlocks. A warlock is actually a reference to someone with an unsavory character. The actual definition is an “oath-breaker or deceiver”. Since this is a religion full of powerful women, and Goddesses, it does attract large numbers of women, but men follow this path, as well. (There are plenty of powerful men and Gods to match those of the women and Goddesses.) Whether man or woman, as a witch following Wicca, you are bound by the Wiccan Rede. The short version of the Rede is simply: “And it Harm None, Do What you Will”. Karmic Law and the Three Fold Law are given a lot of weight, and ultimately respected. Some practitioners believe that Karma will return any energy you have sent out, ten fold (10X). The Three Fold Law states that any energy sent out will be returned to you, three-fold (3X). Because of this, white magic, positive or “good” magic is all that is ever attempted by a true follower of Wicca. This is explained further in the Witch's Creed. The five elements of creation: earth, air, water, fire and spirit, are also a powerful aspect of this religion. The elements are called upon during any ritual or spell work. Sometimes a specific element will be used to manifest a specific desire. Any properly set up altar used for spell work will include all of the elements in one representation or another. Wiccans celebrate the Old Ways and the old Pagan holidays, called Sabbats. For these, they preform rituals or spells that are based in the ancient ways of the harvest. Their rituals coincide with the Sun’s progress across the sky. There are four (4) main Sabbats, and four (4) lesser Sabbats that are celebrated during the solstices and equinoxes throughout the year. The progress of these celebrations are known as The Wheel of the Year. They signify the process of birth, life, aging and death that is experienced by all human beings. They may also celebrate Esabats, which are Moon based celebrations. These take place either during full moons, or new moons. This is a prime time for spell work, as the process of the lunar cycle is taken into consideration when creating spells to achieve certain purposes. For example, banishings are done as the moon is waxing from full to new, and drawing, or attracting, spells are done when the moon is waning from new to full. For an in-depth look at Wiccan spirituality, check out this site. There is loads of valuable information that delves much deeper into the beliefs than I did. What’s the biggest myth with Wiccan If you are Pagan, you worship the Devil or Satan. This is simply not true. The Devil (Satan) was created by ancient Christian religions to scare people away from The Craft and the Old Ways. As their new religious order came into being, the founders had to find a way to convert people over to Christianity. By calling worshipers of the Old Ways and practitioners of The Craft, “Devil Worshipers” and heretics, they were able to convert many to their beliefs. For those they were unable to convert, they created laws that made it possible to eliminate them. The remaining practitioners of the Old Ways hid their beliefs and their practices to protect themselves and their families. Now days, our society has become a little more accepting, and a little more understanding, and the Old Ways are becoming more popular. More and more people are openly practicing Pagan religions, such as Wicca. Search Amazon.com ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Want to ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Return to New Age Gifts
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