Wicca

Religion

Wicca is a nature-based religion with one main belief. It has one main philosophy called the Wiccan Rede or Wiccan Law which is more of a guideline for all Wiccans to follow. It is as follows: "an ye harm none, do as ye will." This summarizes the Wiccan religion very well as it states to harm nothing and no one and let others do as they will and believe what they wish. When people refer to it as an "open religion" they are being very literal as Wicca, after those guidelines, allows the believer to believe in different things. It goes right into separating the religion into three sections;

First Branch — orthodox traditionalist — follows the old traditions

Second Branch ‚ reformed traditionalist — follows a more modern version of the old traditions

Third Branch — eclectic — very open to your personal beliefs, just so long as you follow the main thinking of Wicca.

Every Wiccan believes in an afterlife, either being reborn or living in a spirit realm connected to our own. Each Wiccan believes that everyone should be able to practice their own beliefs and religions without prejudice. They do not participate in bigotry of any kind and have a firm belief that everything in life has a balance. There are many Wiccans that take the "harm ye none" part of the Rede so far as to become vegetarians while others say that everything in life has a balance including death to survive. Unnecessary killing, torturing, fur farming, modern farming methods (such as cutting the tip of the beak off of chickens), clear cutting and other things that might harm the environment is not acceptable to a Wiccan. Sex to Wiccans is a personal choice as the belief is that as long as both parties are consenting and you are being safe (i.e. using birth control), there does not have to be an age limit or marital status involved.

Satanism vs. Wicca

Wicca is commonly confused with Satanism and Voodoo and, without anyone to educate people, is frowned upon in modern society. Wicca is the complete opposite of Satanism and has nothing to do with Voodoo. Wicca uses a pentagram and an inverted pentagram (F1 and F2) as their main symbols, which every point of the star represents the elements (fire, water, earth, air and spirit). The inverted pentagram is used by the third, and highest level, of Wiccan. Generally a priest/priestess or elder. The Satanic cross and Satanic Circle (F3 and F4) are what the Satanists use to show their religion. The inverted cross (F5 and also known as Saint Peter’s Cross) is neither Satanic or Wiccan, but Christian, another common misconception by both Christians and the general public. Wicca and Satanism practice two very different ways as a Satanist will summon demons, sacrifice animals and humans (most famously virgins).

The Practice of Magic

It is not part of the religion that you have to practice. It follows that not all Witches are Wiccan and vice versa. Most Wiccans do practice small things like runes, tarot, gems, charging or protection charms. Some Wiccans practice heavier magic such as charms, sleep spells, communication with ghosts (seances or Ouija) and in extreme cases, exorcism or "cleansing." The most common type of magic to practice is sleep, dream, and finding your guardians. The mistake that most new practitioners make is to find their guardians alone, as it takes extreme meditation and can sometimes lead to fainting, nausea, or other more serious effects. With everything there must be a balance though. Wiccans will not participate in any dark magic or curses, following The Rule of Three very closely.

The Rule of Three and Balance

Balance is a very important part of Wicca. Wicca, being a nature-based religion, is all about the balance found in life and death. For everything good there has to be a bad counterpart, which is where The Rule of Three comes in. The Rule of Three is a very serious rule that takes into account the balance of the world, stating that "whatever you do comes back three times on you." Basically what this states is that what you do, good or bad, will come back on you three times stronger than what you have done, whether it is good or bad. Talk about karma.

Misconceptions and Society’s View

From the time when Wicca and Witches started to appear in media, they were painted in a negative light. From the Witches in Macbeth to misconceptions that people have today, Wicca and Pagan have been confused with Satanism and Lucius. Common ideas of Wicca are devil worshipers, having orgies, sacrificing animals, inferiority of women, women being better than men, dancing around in a circle in the nude at night, dresses in all black with pentagrams everywhere, summoning demons or making potions. Part of the problem that most people have when talking about Wicca is that they do not know what Wicca is or what it’s about. They get what they know from the media or from a Christian on some corner preaching that Wicca is evil and devils craft. One Wiccan shared a story stating; “I was walking down the street with my friend and we were coming out of the Wiccan shop on main street. A preacher saw us and just started screaming at us about how we were going to hell and how we were devil worshipers. This was a full-grown man yelling at two teenagers about going to hell in the middle of the street. There were so many people staring, my face was so red.” During a random survey at Centre Wellington District High School, three-fourths of people interviewed admitted that they didn’t know anything about Wicca or even what it was.

History

Witch Trials

The witch trials where a very trying time for Wiccans. Wiccans were hunted alongside regular people as Devil Worshipers and Witches, which were thought of as "evil" and "against the Lord's plan." So in 1692 when a doctor diagnosed multiple children of being victims of witchcraft, the hunt began. Records show that only 20 people were put to death during the year that this gruesome event took place but countless other accused died in jail awaiting trial.

The only methods of execution used in the Massachusetts where 19 counts of hanging on Gallows Hill and one account of pressing (slowly being crushed to death by heavy rocks). The myth of the accused being burned at the stake is a common misconception founded by the fact that the European Witch Trials used burning alive as a very common method of execution. Other ways people died where drowning and crushing. Crushing is where they would throw you off of a high cliff or hill to your death. Some of the many ways people died in prison included starvation, beatings by guards and trampling to death due to overcrowding.

Wicca’s Beginning

Not much is known about the beginning of Wicca, although it is a fairly new religion. There is much debate about where it originated although it was derived from multiple aspects of Paganism. Of course Wicca holds the ideals of adapting and changing to fit the times that it’s in while still keeping its base in nature. One theory is that a man named Gerald Gardner started the religion in the USA in the 1940s. Another theory is that Wicca was derived from the pagans in Ireland and is one of the earliest religions known. Despite these variations in opinion one thing is certain, Wicca’s history will always be derived from Paganism.

Wicca Today

Wicca today is very different than Wicca when it first started out. The morals are still the same and balance is still one of the biggest parts of the religion. Modern Wicca has adapted to the new age society including constantly striving to find balance between technology and nature. Wicca always strives to adapt to the times and, because it varies from practitioner to practitioner, continue to adapt throughout the ages. One example of the modern changes is the access to supplies online. Another could be the ease of swapping information, stories, spells, and experiences online and over the phone in some cases. Wiccans from all over the world can share their personal beliefs with others and different tricks to complete different tasks. Modern technology is also incorporated into the practice of magic. Apps that allow you to track the cycle of the moon and even apps for grimoires (spell books). Access to plants and their english translation from latin or old english has become easier from books, the internet and plant shops.

Further Information

This is the very basics of Wicca as the information varies from person to person. It all depends on the type of Wiccan, the deities you pray to, if you are a witch, if you are only religious, and what branch you are a part of. If you wish to learn more about Wicca there are many insightful websites you can check out or contact a Witch/Wiccan directly. Tumblr also has a lot of good information. There are links to some websites below.

Branches on the Wiccan Tree

The Wiccan Rede

Were witches burned at the stake during the Salem Witch Trials?