| what is wicca?
Posted: 7/10/2006 7:44:08 PM | Now I'm really confused.. I thought I was understanding this more but then you threw in the satanism and I was way off on my thoughts on that.
I think I'm swayed more towards the older religion.. or paganism
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/5/2006 12:58:17 AM | | Is there room for the agnostic witch? Is it a dichotomy? | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/5/2006 8:29:20 AM | I am only posting because i have an issue with the posting of wiccanenchantress, her assertation that judaism is a male dominated religion that excludes the female aspect of the creator. Read a translation of the Zohar by gershome shalome (msp?) Most people who do any reading on the subject understand that god is neither male or female but both aspects in one. Man being the limited creature that he is though still uses the he or him for god. but anyone who does some research or in a christains case crack a bible knows that god is "all" alpha omega all that stuff.
If you ever get a chance watch the movie DOGMA by kevin smith its freakin hilarious and pokes fun at organized relgion but it does have several incites that is food for thought. you just have to get past the jay and silent bob stuff lol.
And whats up with this millions of women massacred dont forget MEN were also burnt at the stake as witchs or stoned or drowned you name it it happened to guys too. | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/5/2006 10:09:50 AM | I am an eclectic solitaire.
Wicca is an Earth-oriented religion dedicated to the Goddess and the God. It's a personal, positive celebration of life and nature.
We try to live in harmony with nature. We believe that the Goddess is in everything, not some force standing out there somewhere watching us. We believe in one diety, "The All", that we divide into male and female spiritualites, the God and the Goddess, the Lord and the Lady.
Wicca is a very personal religion. It means different things to each of us. | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/6/2006 2:24:31 AM | | ^^^^concise and very accurate in my view as a Wiccan | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/6/2006 3:27:31 AM | | Does Wicca facilitate a belief in supernatural physical entites? | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/6/2006 9:27:05 AM | A belief in WHAT?
What exactly is a supernatural physical entity?
Yeah, at the risk of sounding stupid, I do have to ask. | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/7/2006 1:33:01 AM |
The Threefold law involves the belief in karma and retribution
The "threefold law" has NOTHING to do with Karma. Too many people in western culture misunderstand just what karma is. let go of a pen, it falls to the ground: THAT is Karma.
Some traditions even see karma is a NEGATIVE thing, something to rid oneself of in order to progress.
Please, do not simply assume that karma is just the universes way or rewarding/punishing someone for their actions. | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/7/2006 9:45:29 AM | Wicca is nothing more than glorified christianity, turn the other cheek and all shit like that. I cringe when somebody says "oh you're Wiccan". Not even for a moment am I wiccan, "do what thou wilt" at my own disgression and conscience. Gerald Gardner was a pompous a$$, although he knew his stuff.... still a pompous a$$.
:))
Witchy | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/7/2006 12:20:55 PM | Glorified Christianity? "Turn the other cheek and all shit like that."
Wow. You are highly intelligent and added so much. | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/8/2006 4:37:54 AM |
Glorified Christianity? "Turn the other cheek and all shit like that."
Wow. You are highly intelligent and added so much.
It actually depends on which tradition of Wicca you are looking at. In some of the traditions it is very strongly monotheistic with a very strong emphasis on the whole "turn the other cheek" motif. I, myself, am a hardcore polytheist, but if you listen to some Wiccans you will hear one of three views on deity:
1. The Gods are one God and all the goddess are one Goddess
2. All the gods & goddesses are just the different faces of The Goddess
3. There are many gods & goddesses, each unique in their own way
This whole Wiccan Rede thing? The "Do What Thou Wilt, Harm Ye None" - is a wiccan version of the Christian Golden Commandment - lovey thy neighbour as thy self.
Wiccans, depending on their location, can be just as dismissive of other pagan paths as some christians are dismissive of pagans in general. Where I'm from it is basically "wicca city" with a small smattering of Reconstructionists (the Asatru basically keep to themselves and don't go out to any pagan events), Druids, Shamans and to some extent the Ceremonialists. | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/8/2006 8:33:04 PM | Glorified Christianity!!! OMG that is such an interesting point of view, and would like it explained a little please Witchy
Here is why I don't agree with that.
1. Christianity has one God. and Wicca has a God and Goddess (or many)
2. Wicca is based on reverance of nature and Christians seem to think that nature is there to serve them.
3. (probably most important) Christians have a savior and Wiccans take responsability for their own actions and don't need to be "saved"
4. plus there is the fact that Christianity mocked and adopted all the pagan high days, symbols, and everything in order to convert the "non-believers" and Wicca does not believe in converting "non-believers" ... every religion is right for it's followers. | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/9/2006 5:08:52 AM | If you speak to any BTW practitioner they are either monotheistic (all the gods & goddesses are aspects of The Goddess) or duotheistic (the Lord & the Lady).
There are fundamental differences between Christianity and Wicca, but there are also some very strong similarities. One of the progentitors of Wicca was Ceremonial Magick, which was heavily Christian until the latter half of the 20th.
The whole calling the 4 watch towers was calling the 4 arch-angels for the 4 directions.
Though Wicca, in of itself, is a pagan religion many of its adherents were Christian and they do bring a certain "experience" over when they convert - this cannot be helped. I still hold to the theory that the Wiccan Rede is a pagan version of the Christian Golden Commandment. In any other pagan religion you do not see anything that approximates the Rede. | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/9/2006 7:23:16 AM | Druie, that makes a bit of sense. But could the similarities between Christianity and Wicca be that Christianity adopted so much from paganism in order to convert the non-believers. Most pagans I talked to (including myself) did not "convert" from other religions, they felt so uterly out of place and went searching.
The old ways (which Wicca is based on) were assimilated by the early christians to make christianity more appealing to the masses. That is why I don't understand "Glorified Christianity". Because, even though Wicca is only technically 60 years old, the old ways are thousands of years older than Christianity. | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/9/2006 10:13:02 AM | I agree.
Christianity did copy much from the old ways.
Since pagans existed long before Christianity, then it could be said as:
CHRISTIANITY IS NOTHING MORE THAN GLORIFIED PAGANISM.
And to some on here....Don't knock or comment on things you obviosly know very little about. | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/9/2006 10:41:14 AM | | Wicca has stolen from many other belief systems, and individuals. One being Aleister Crowley. | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/9/2006 10:56:12 AM | | And about how paganism existed before Christianity...read the definition somebody posted from religioustolerance.org. Paganism thousands of years ago referred to non-Christians, and even country dwellers. Neo-paganism has only existed for approximately 50 years. | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/10/2006 7:44:33 AM | (replying to Jay)
What Wicca "does" is quite different from what the pre-christians practiced.
Yes, the early Church Fathers (for lack of a better term) did try to insert themselves by using Pagan Festivals. But this wasn't a new method. The Romans were doing it well before Christianity existed. For a general populace to accept a new religion it was standard practice by "conquerors" to take on the local mythos and amalgamate it into their already pre-existing system. That's why you'll see in Roman Britain combos like Bellanos-Ares etc.
I myself am not Wiccan, but what I am is a Baltic Reconstructionist. And Wicca does not do anything that even closely approximate what half of Europe (Eastern Europe) did as practices - and still do to some extent.
Wicca is an amalgam of various influences - ceremonialist (they were influenced by the kabbalah and eastern mystism, with a strong dash of Christianity), a smattering of anglo/celtic mythos, and cross pollination from other neo-pagan groups like the British Druids (who were doing Fire Festivals in the 50s while the Wiccans were doing the quarters..mix the 2 up and you get the 8 High Holidays).
The structure of a Wiccan ritual is nearly identical to that of a ceremonialist rit. The calling of the 4 quarters, casting a circle, the raising of energy, and a very strong emphasis on the duality of masculine & feminine (as embodied in the Chalice/Blade portion of the rit). Ask any Celtic Reconstructionist (and it was celtic practices that the early Wiccans were theoretically being influenced by) and they will tell you that they do not cast a circle. In point of fact, most pagan paths do not cast a circle - it's only the Wiccans. They had enclosures, but those were physical (to keep the animals out) but it wasn't to create sacred space but to say "this is where we are doing this rit"..
A friend of mine has been a Celtic Recon for 20+ years and he takes exception to the idea that pagans celebrate 8 holy days. The quarters were actually minor observances to the ancient Celts - the Fire Festivals (Imbolc, Beltain, Lughnasadh & Samhuinn) were the important ones.
Wicca is a great expression of what it terms the ancient ways, but it is not the continuation of those practices. It has taken those practices and adjusted them to fit into what is now neo-paganism. | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/15/2006 8:42:54 AM | Hi Druie.
Sorry for the long delay, I've been incomunicato, camping and diving all week
I do see your point. I have "dabbled" in Wicca and now that I have found myself in Druidry i do see the differences. I don't really consider myself a reconstructionalist as the druidic path never really died, it just went underground and hid.
It seems that Wicca is very Celtic in origin, but that is because its founder, Gerald Gardner, was from the british isles (forgive me for not quite remembering, but i think he was english). It also takes from ceremonial magic (as you mentioned) and the free massons to name but a few. So I guess it could be seen as a "revival" of the "old ways" but a loose revival, because of all the other influences. Then of course, people of non-celtic descent have taken that and adapted it to their culture.
I have a friend who practices Egyptian Wicca but she is getting more and more into the actual ancient ways and I would actually start to consider her a reconstructionalist rather than actually a Wiccan, but she stil hold to alot of those wiccan edicts.
And BTW, the ancient romans mythos, if you look carefully, is practically a complete mirror of the greeks with the names changed (Jupiter instead of Zeus, Mars instead of Ares, Neptune instead of Poseidon, Heracles instead of Hercules, etc)of course it did evolve into its own system once that happened. | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/16/2006 4:42:12 AM | Hey Jay,
I'm actually part of 2 paths, which I some how manage to keep separate - Druidry (member of OBOD) and Romuva (though I call it Recon, it isn't, as it never died out and never went underground...the beliefs and traditions lasted well into the 20thC)..
Anywho, I would say that Wicca superficially appears to be Celtic in origin. The deities are there, but the ritual structure, the structure of covens (secrecy & degree system) is not very Celtic at all. But it appears that we both sort of agree on this, so I won't belabour the point. :)
I agree with regards to the Romans. They came, they saw, they conquered the Greeks and took on the god forms & mythos. The same can be said about the whole Isis-Aphrodite cult as well - a constant search by the ancients for syncronicity. | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/18/2006 11:01:57 PM | I thought I'd drop in and give a simplified answer....
There are as many types of wicca as there are Witches. Forget the gardenian and alexandrian, which were dictated by other witches... go back to the start of it all. Basically, we all have at least one belief in common, or we wouldn't be witches, wiccans, pagans, or whatever you wish to call us.
If you are truly free of spirit, and celebrate life, love and the earth, you can call yourself a witch- If you dare to know the knowledge of the universe, if you cause harm to no one, if you can respect yourself and stand up for what you believe in, you're there.
Rituals, tarot cards, and spells are not needed.
All acts of love are rituals.
Tarot cards are fun to play with (especially if you know how to use them).
And spells are true wishes of the heart, pure, harmless to all, and recognized and granted by the universe.
There's a really good site for this stuff: www.witchvox.com
Blessings, Lady Raven
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/19/2006 10:40:53 AM | I agree, Lady Raven. There are as many types of Wicca as there are Witches. Unless you belong to a specific coven or trad (tradition), no two witches will practice the Craft 100% the same way. Also, thanks for including the witchvox site--very good site.
Blessed Be,
Luna Silverwolf | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/23/2006 6:31:56 PM | I think it is hard to explain it all in a forum string, so let me point you to some good books of reference so you can find out for yourself. That is how most people come to find out about Wicca and Paganism. People get sick of the hypocrisy and emptiness of Christianity and other Western religions. I also find Eastern religions to be quite fascinating as well!
"Celebrate the Earth" - Laurie Cabot
"Drawing Down the Moon" - Margot Adler
"Power of the Witch" - Laurie Cabot
"Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft" - Raymond Buckland
"Faery Wicca" - Kisma Stepanich
I am a big fan of exploring your own spirituality and no one religion can be "right." I think it's a matter of what's right for YOU. All individuals need to figure out for themselves what makes sense to them with regard to spirituality, as it becomes more important in your life. Some people never find it an important topic, but I feel those people are very empty inside and never find anything (or anyone) really fulfilling in life. I like to feel connected to something, the earth, nature, God, whatever you feel is the Higher Power out there. It's a journey and I wish you luck as you discover your own spirituality. Peace out! | |
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| what is wicca?
Posted: 9/23/2006 8:52:25 PM | Wicca is a deep appreciation and awe in watching the sunrise or sunset, the forest in the light of a glowing moon, a meadow enchanted by the first light of day. It is the morning dew on the petals of a beautiful flower, the gentle caress of a warm summer breeze upon your skin, or the warmth of the summer sun on your face. Wicca is the fall of colorful autumn leaves, and the softness of winter snow. It is light, and shadow and all that lies in between. It is the song of the birds and other creatures of the wild. It is being in the presence of Mother Earths nature and being humbled in reverence. When we are in the temple of the Lord and Lady, we are not prone to the arrogance of human technology as they touch our souls. To be a Witch is to be a healer, a teacher, a seeker, a giver, and a protector of all things. If this path is yours, may you walk it with honor, light and integrity.
Wicca is a belief system and way of life based upon the reconstruction of pre-Christian traditions originating in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. While much of the information of how our ancestors lived, worshiped and believed has been lost due to the efforts of the medieval church to wipe our existence from history, we try to reconstruct those beliefs to the best of our ability with the information that is available.
Thanks to archaeological discoveries, we now have basis to believe that the origins of our belief system can be traced even further back to the Paleolithic peoples who worshipped a Hunter God and a Fertility Goddess. With the discovery of these cave paintings, estimated to be around 30,000 years old, depicting a man with the head of a stag, and a pregnant woman standing in a circle with eleven other people, it can reasonably be assumed that Witchcraft is one of the oldest belief systems known in the world toady. These archetypes are clearly recognized by Wiccan as our view of the Goddess and God aspect of the supreme creative force and predate Christianity by roughly 28,000 years making it a mere toddler in the spectrum of time as we know it.
Witchcraft in ancient history was known as "The Craft of the Wise" because most who followed the path were in tune with the forces of nature, had a knowledge of Herbs and medicines, gave council and were valuable parts of the village and community as Shamanic healers and leaders. They understood that mankind is not superior to nature, the earth and its creatures but instead we are simply one of the many parts, both seen and unseen that combine to make the whole. As Chief Seattle said; "We do not own the earth, we are part of it." These wise people understood that what we take or use, we must return in kind to maintain balance and equilibrium. Clearly, modern man with all his applied learning and technology has forgotten this. Subsequently, we currently face ecological disaster and eventual extinction because of our hunger for power and a few pieces of gold.
For the past several hundred years, the image of the Witch has been mistakenly associated with evil, heathenism, and unrighteousness. In my humble opinion, these misconceptions have their origin in a couple of different places.
To begin, the medieval church of the 15th through 18th centuries created these myths to convert the followers of the old nature based religions to the churches way of thinking. By making the Witch into a diabolical character and turning the old religious deities into devils and demons, the missionaries were able to attach fear to these beliefs which aided in the conversion process. Secondly, as medical science began to surface, the men who were engaged in these initial studies had a very poor understanding of female physiology, especially in the area of a women's monthly cycles. The unknowns in this area played very well with the early churches agenda lending credence to the Witch Hunters claims and authority. The fledgling medical professions also stood to benefit greatly from this because it took the power of the women healers away giving it to the male physicians transferring the respect and power to them.
Unfortunately these misinformed fears and superstitions have carried forward through the centuries and remain to this day. This is why many who follow these nature oriented beliefs have adopted the name of Wicca over its true name of Witchcraft to escape the persecution, harassment and misinformation associated with the name of Witchcraft and Witch not to mention the bad publicity the press and Hollywood has given us simply to generate a profit. | |
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