Wicca

[Emilija]

I feel drawn to Wicca, and wanted to create a thread to discuss it.

 

Would anyone care to share their faith?

[rjmamula14]

I am a Presbyterian Christian but I believe it does not conflict with Wicca and I love to study it.

[PathWalker]

For those who need a very 'quick and dirty' overview of Wicca beliefs, you could start with the wiki entry

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca

 

Here you'll find a brief overview of the most commonly held tenets, including belief in the Goddess and God as dualistic representations of divinity and celebrations of seasons and phases of the moon. But Wicca is a very wide, and non-structured belie system, so many variations exist.

 

Blessings

PathWalker

[DanielJUK]

good explanation from Pathwalker there  <3

 

Wicca is a modern type of ancient Pagan religion all centred around nature. Wicca came around in the 1940 and 50's.

 

What I really like about it is that it's flexible as a belief system or spirituality, some people believe in a God with it, some people believe in several Gods and Goddesses, some people believe that it's spirits in the nature around us and some people are atheists and have no God belief. Some are in groups that celebrate their spirituality and others do it alone.

 

It's linked to old Britain and Witchcraft and some people do spells to bring things to them using nature. Some Wiccans have an altar in their home with coloured candles (depending on the season / candle magic spells), some people have flowers on their altar. People have a Cup, a ceremonial Knife, something representing each element.  It's really a space to think.

 

It's really fun to research all the different beliefs and ideas it encompasses and take from it what you want and what suits you  :)

[isawhale]

I feel drawn to Wicca, and wanted to create a thread to discuss it.

 

Would anyone care to share their faith?

I was atheist growing up...my mom was strict catholic with christian family...my dad was atheist with muslim family. I was not having any part in that. I really don't do well with spiritual authority or any sort of reigning authority that is comprised of man.

 

I had a change of heart; I felt what I feel is a higher power at work many times so will never be an atheist again.

 

I'm drawn to wicca, buddhism, and parts of hinduism, I like some parts of major religions as well...generally I resonate with paganism...but I don't worship and feel put off if a religion calls you to worship anything or anyone or even blindly follow a leader (other than nature ;))..but honestly I don't personally believe in following any one religion unless the religion is of our own path and of our own spiritual experience and evolution rather than what we feel we must do because so and so says or because this or that book tells you to...more often than not imo religion cuts off our connection to the divine esp that's what I notice around major religions that enforce there is only one way, right way, holy way to "god."

[Emilija]

good explanation from Pathwalker there  <3

 

Wicca is a modern type of ancient Pagan religion all centred around nature. Wicca came around in the 1940 and 50's.

 

What I really like about it is that it's flexible as a belief system or spirituality, some people believe in a God with it, some people believe in several Gods and Goddesses, some people believe that it's spirits in the nature around us and some people are atheists and have no God belief. Some are in groups that celebrate their spirituality and others do it alone.

 

It's linked to old Britain and Witchcraft and some people do spells to bring things to them using nature. Some Wiccans have an altar in their home with coloured candles (depending on the season / candle magic spells), some people have flowers on their altar. People have a Cup, a ceremonial Knife, something representing each element.  It's really a space to think.

 

It's really fun to research all the different beliefs and ideas it encompasses and take from it what you want and what suits you  :)

 

Thank you for your response. Are you saying that people can be monotheistic, polytheistic, or a non-theist? I seem to see a lot of things about the Goddess and God. I don't know why, but something about magick and the circle of seasons makes it seem so magical to me.

[PathWalker]

Well, YOU as an individual can believe anything you'd like to  :)

For myself I do consider Wicca to be about about the Goddess and the God, and I myself also practice magic, although not all Wiccans do.

 

My advise would be to read as much as you can find about Wicca, and other pagan paths - make notes of authors whose work appeals to you, do whatever research calls to you, and gradually find your path. One exercise I did after a few months of research was to write out a list of what I believed, and what was important to ME, rather than worry about if I fitted in with other people.

 

This thread has some book suggestions

 

https://www.thetarotforum.com/spirituality/wicca-shamanism-and-druidry-where-to-start/

 

They might help a bit  :)

[EmpyreanKnight]

One noob question - are Wicca and magick entirely separate disciplines or can they also overlap? I'm more familiar with the latter, not so much the former.

[PathWalker]

I would try and describe it by saying magic is a discipline, an activity, and Wicca is a faith, a belief system.

 

So some Wiccans practice magic, but not all. And you don't have to be Wiccan to practice magic, although I guess the way you'd go about it, and your understanding of why and how things happen may be different.

 

Does that make sense at all?

(Just the one coffee so far. . . )

 

PW  :)

[Tanga]

:)  ^-^

PathWalker has covered it.

 

I am presently a solitary eclectic Wiccan - my practice having evolved from lots of reading, and some experience in several open, and one closed Wicca group.

 

Happy journey Emilija.

 

 

[Raggydoll]

I would also consider the duality of a god and a goddess to be a key aspect to Wicca, but I have indeed heard about Christian wiccans and wiccans that are all about goddess worship. I myself do not identify as Wiccan, my path is more eclectic pagan and I practice magick in a very eclectic way as well. So I can’t really comment to much on this topic, but I will say this: Never forget that your spiritual path is yours, and yours alone.

 

It does not have to make sense to anyone else, what matters is that it is truly meaningful to you. It might sometimes even be advisable to keep most details about ones spiritual practice private as to not invite too much opinions in. You really don’t need anyone’s approval, just follow your own sense of what is right to you. And read about anything that catches your interest. You don’t have to decide on one specific path, you are entitled to explore as many as you want to. And you can combine them in any way you like. Yes, really. Life is way too short to limit oneself on a spiritual level. And most paths of faith have a tendency of ending up in the same place anyway. Much love  <3

[Vasixlisa]

good explanation from Pathwalker there  <3

 

Wicca is a modern type of ancient Pagan religion all centred around nature. Wicca came around in the 1940 and 50's.

 

What I really like about it is that it's flexible as a belief system or spirituality, some people believe in a God with it, some people believe in several Gods and Goddesses, some people believe that it's spirits in the nature around us and some people are atheists and have no God belief. Some are in groups that celebrate their spirituality and others do it alone.

 

It's linked to old Britain and Witchcraft and some people do spells to bring things to them using nature. Some Wiccans have an altar in their home with coloured candles (depending on the season / candle magic spells), some people have flowers on their altar. People have a Cup, a ceremonial Knife, something representing each element.  It's really a space to think.

 

It's really fun to research all the different beliefs and ideas it encompasses and take from it what you want and what suits you  :)

 

isn`t there also an older source of witchcraft and wicca? I thought I read about it being one of the oldest nature religion. Started even decades before christi. This might only be the mytholical history but I kinda believe in its origins

 

Here you can read more about it: http://www.moonlightmessages.com/wicca-101/history-of-wicca

[Raggydoll]

Witchcraft has been around since the dawn of times, but Wicca (in the way it’s defined these days) originated less then a hundred years ago. Most ancient religions would not have been patriarchal but revolved around women as the source of all life, basically because they did not know that men had anything to do with the baby-making process. In their eyes it must have looked like women magically grew children inside their bodies and that these women were capable of producing the necessary elixir that would keep their babies alive as well.

 

So women would have held a special position (I hesitate to use the word matriarchal because there is no evidence - that I’m aware of - of men ever being oppressed by women during those times). Many archeological finds seem to support the theory that men and women were equals, at least in the part of the world where I come from. But I am certainly not an expert and the books that I gravitate towards focus mainly on the history of goddess worship in Scandinavia (pre Viking and ‘Norse mythology’ era). 

[Tanga]

...isn`t there also an older source of witchcraft and wicca? I thought I read about it being one of the oldest nature religion. Started even decades before christi. This might only be the mytholical history but I kinda believe in its origins

 

Here you can read more about it: http://www.moonlightmessages.com/wicca-101/history-of-wicca

 

As has been said.

Wicca - was invented around the 2nd world war in the UK (and then spread to the US and  mutated into different forms including inclusive of Christianity and sole Goddess worship - so when referring to the UK format - one calls it British Traditional Wicca).

It originally has the duality of Goddess and God, though there is flexibility within this - meaning one doesn't have to stick strictly to this, depending on what the practice occasion is.

It is a combination of things from pagan practices, old English folklore, and bits from the Western traditions.

 

Witchcraft in many forms (casting spells) - has been practiced since the dawn of time.

You can be a Witch without being Wiccan. You are a Witch if you are Wiccan because spell craft is a part of Wicca.  Though I suppose some solitary Wiccans may not practice spell craft... (shocking!!!    :o :) ).

 

Spellcraft is integral to coven Wicca (i.e. being in a closed/private Wiccan group).

Originally (apparently - and still now if you ask coven members) - you could not be considered Wiccan if you were not in a coven - because Wicca is about the group dynamic and the initiatory levels within it, as was it's design (but then you could argue that the originators were not Wiccan  ;) ). I can say - that the group dynamic and organic development of the Wicca coven is like no other and of course, cannot be reproduced as a solitary.

If you wish to have some idea of this - attending an open circle run by Wiccans is the way.

(i.e. a Wiccan ritual/ceremony open to public attendance).

 

...For my journey - discovering a format that gave more freedom in choosing the Deity,

stating that beautiful places outdoors were the best for communing with the Divine,

and dancing and celebrating together with a group of friends under a full moon... 

These were the things that "clicked" for me (compared to rigidly sitting in a Roman Catholic church pew trying not to inhale the Frankincese - and feeling that everyone was attempting to outdo everyone else in their "sunday best"  ;) ).

 

I love my Altar and my props (wand, athame, chalice and pentacle etc.). I love that I can make an Altar with props out of all sorts of things - even in Nature.

I really enjoy inventing my own rituals and spells for specific things.

I like attending circle with others (only occasionally now) out in the open - the chanting

and focus on creating the experience with the group is interesting and fun.

I like seeing the magick in my life, and believing  :o :o :o ;D

[Tarotphelia]

I don't know why, but something about magick and the circle of seasons makes it seem so magical to me.

 

It could be something that's missing from much of modern life , yet still resides below the surface of our knowing . A current from ancient times . What else was there but the Wheel of the Year ? It was the baseline of existence. Our physical bodies may still interact with it in ways we've forgotten . Coming into harmony with seasons and the spirits of place might be one key to the magickal universe.

 

The more you delve into Wicca / Witchcraft , the more contradictory opinions you run into . What it is, what it was , who did what , what you should be doing , blahblahblah. Following that simple thread of magickal feeling might work out .

[G_Dren]

As a practicing Wiccan; I lean strongly on the Celtic aspects of Paganism, and found that for many. spell work and Wicca go hand in hand. I particularly enjoy candle magic, and divining with Tarot. I believe strongly in the 3 fold law; meaning that if I really don't want it coming back by the power of 3, I do not put it out there. part of the Wiccan Rede states: An ye harm none, do what ye will! 8 times a year I honor the changing season; (Blessed Samhain BTW); Samhain is here, our new year and the night the veil between the living and the dead is pulled back and the dead can be among us. It also represents the old Goddess is lain to rest for the coming winter and the Lord takes over the season. The time of harvest is upon us. For the practitioners of Wicca; the season change is magical!