By: Keitha (FireWind)
Posted: November 23rd, 2001
Wicca is a much misunderstood spirituality that can be explained and described
in more ways than can be imagined. Ask a hundred people what Wicca is, and you
will likely get a hundred very different answers. This is because Wicca is a
personal spirituality, a journey that an individual undertakes in one of a
thousand different ways. It is unique to each and every individual that walks
the path. While this is one of Wicca's greatest strengths, it also makes it very
hard to describe what Wicca is in any kind of specific detail. In this article,
I've attempted to explain the more generally accepted beliefs and practices of
modern Wicca. My hope is that those with little experience dealing with Wiccans
might better understand what it is that we 'do'.
Wicca is a type of Neopagan Witchcraft. That is to say, we generally practice a
reconstructed version of pre-Christian European Pagan spirituality. Beliefs and
practices are generally centered around a culture of the practitioners choosing,
usually with a belief in that culture's deities and folklore, etc. However,
since Wicca is a personal spirituality, this does not hold true for everyone.
Many practitioners choose beliefs on the basis of what 'feels right', and you
will find those who practice a mix of Celtic, Greek, Native, Sumerian, Hindu,
Buddhist, and other beliefs. Wiccans have a high regard for the beliefs and
practices of others, and for the individuals right to find their own path. As
such, almost any combination of beliefs and practices is possible.
Being a Pagan spirituality, Wicca reveres the natural world. The Earth, the
seasons, the tides, the moon and stars: all things are sacred. All life, all
plants, animals, and peoples are sacred. I am sacred, and so are you, regardless
of our similar or differing personal beliefs. We build no physical "churches"
except when it is necessary. Our sacred places are outside, in the forests, in
the fields, in our hearts.
Wiccans generally believe in both male and female aspects of divinity. Usually,
both goddesses and gods are respected as equals, with neither aspect seen as
"more important" than the other. While Wiccans can worship many gods at any
given time, sometimes a general "Divine Feminine" is referred to as "The
Goddess", and a "Divine Masculine" as "The God". The Goddess is generally seen
as the shaper, the mother or wise one. It is She who brings forth life and
shapes the world. The God is generally seen as the giver, of energy and life. He
is the Horned One, the God of the forests, the grain, and the hunt. It is he
that sometimes gives the spark to the Goddess that she may create and form life.
The idea of The Goddess or The God is not an exclusive title or belief however,
and the individual is free to worship whatever gods and goddesses they please.
We have only one law that governs ethics and morality: "An it harm none, do as
ye will". We believe that all things are interconnected, and our thoughts and
actions echo through the world in ways we might never have imagined. As such,
all things we do are returned to us threefold- if we do ill, we are returned ill
three times. If we do well, we are returned this also three times. And so our
destiny is in our own hands, we must shape it as best we can. We are free to do
whatever we like, but be careful of causing harm even unintentionally.
Our services are called rituals, and we honour the gods and the Old ways. We
sing, we dance, we call our gods and celebrate life. It is hard to describe what
happens at an average ritual, because almost every single one will be different
from every other ritual. Everyone has their own idea of what a ritual should be,
and everyone does theirs a little differently. Generally, we burn candles and
incense, we talk with our gods, we look within ourselves, we try to understand
the world around us, and we try to become better people.
There are some things that we do not do, however, and it's a shame that I have
to cover them in this article. Because we claim the name 'Witch', there are some
strange misconceptions about us. Following are some of the common ones.
Our gods are sometimes horned. They can be very sensual and sexual. Some of them
die and some of them rule the Underworld. But none of our gods are the Christian
devil. Our horned gods are the ancient fertility gods; they can be both the
hunter and the stag. They are the power and joy of life itself. They are forces
beyond time. They are not vengeful or rebellious children engaged in family
feuding, and they care nothing for such things. Our gods are recorded on the
walls of ancient caves; they are complete within themselves. Those that label
them devils are misguided or confused. We are not satanists; we are Wiccans.
We are also frequently accused of performing sacrifices which take life. This is
also untrue. We do make offerings of food, wine and flowers from time to time,
but nothing much more than these. The closest we get to sacrifices is the pig
that roasts for dinner, for those of us who eat meat.
Finally, we are sometimes accused of trying to "recruit" people into Wicca. This
accusation is so groundless that I don't understand why it is still floating
around. We believe that everyone has the right to choose their own path. We
believe that no-one can tell another individual what is 'right' for them. We
believe in the fundamental right to believe in whatever we choose. And we
believe in your right to choose differently. Trying to force others to become
Wiccan goes against everything that we are. There are few things that you can
say is true for 'all Wiccans', but this I think is one of them. It is the
acceptance of differences that makes a true community.
Wicca is a 'mystery religion', as opposed to a 'revealed religion'. This means
that we have no holy books, no prophets, no holy people. There is no-one that
can tell us the answers that we seek. There is no book that will explain what we
don't understand. We believe that the answers are hidden within ourselves; we
must work to search ourselves for our answers. No-one else can do it for us.
We cast spells, and we do magick. But we don't harm or manipulate others lives.
If we were to do so, the law of three would return whatever we had done. I am
frequently asked for 'Love Spells' to make someone fall in love with the asker,
and I adamantly refuse. This isn't love. This is extraordinary disrespect for
the person you are trying to manipulate. A spell is like a prayer: it is
communication, and sometimes a request, we make of our gods. Frequently we will
work for healing, self improvements, inner strength, or help with skills like
self honesty. We pray to our gods for the same reasons that members of other
religions pray to their gods or God.
Is Wicca a "white light" spirituality? No, I would say not, although some may
disagree with me. We generally believe in balance in all things. Simply taking
the "happy" parts of life and assigning it a spiritual meaning is only half a
spirituality. Walking the Wiccan way involves a great deal of introspection and
self discovery. And you won't always like what you find. But there are lessons
in the hardships in life; there are valuable things to be learned. While we may
not actively seek out difficult life lessons, they do tend to find us
regardless. This is a part of being a human being. If something bad happens, it
is because it was meant to happen. There are things we need to learn, and even
the painful things have meaning. In embracing the dark and painful parts of life
as well, I believe that we, as well as many other major religions, are not
"white light" spiritual paths.
All these things we are; and yet I would like to say one more thing. To members
of other religions: we are not your enemy. I truly want to make this clear. We
respect the individual's right to believe in what they will. We believe in
other's rights to believe differently from ourselves. If sometimes we seem to be
at odds with other spiritual paths, it is simply because we feel we are not
being treated with the same respect. But we'd probably much rather sit down and
chat over tea than be at odds with anyone.
Being such a varied and individual spiritual path, there is much more
information I could go into. But I hope that this helps to explain some of the
basics of "what Wicca is". As I mentioned before, not everything holds true for
everyone, but this is the general basics of what it is we do and believe. If you
have any questions, please feel free to visit my "Questions from the Community"
section, and perhaps ask your own question.