Many people ask me, "What exactly is Wicca?" In here I hope to explain it (as well as other pagan religions and
Witchcraft) well enough that you yourselves will have an understanding of this wonderful religion. After reading this,
you may decide that you want to learn more. If that's the case, then there are hundreds of books and webpages for you to
try. I have included some of the better ones at the end. If you decide that Paganism is not for you, well that's fine
too. I'm not trying to convert you or brainwash you in any way. You are more than welcome to make your own choices and
decisions on the path that you have chosen. Don't let anyone else try to sway you from what you feel in your heart to be
right.
Ok. Now for the basics! Everything will be discussed in more detail later on. I just want for you to get a general
"feel" for our beliefs.
Wicca is a nature-based, polytheistic, religion. We worship a Mother Goddess and a Father God (both of which take on
many forms in our symbology). The Earth is the embodiment of the Goddess and the Sky the God. The Goddess is seen in
the moon. The God is seen in the sun. etc. All forms of nature and life are sacred to us. Celebration is a major part
of our lives, and we celebrate every aspect of life. The Goddess wants us to be happy and pleasure is one of her many
gifts to us. Even the creation of life - sex - is a sacred act.
We believe that all parts of nature has energy. This energy connects all of us to everything. We are connected to the
trees, the insects, the birds, the animals, each other, gems, minerals, crystals, and a host of other things. This is
usually called the "All" by pagans. It's also known as "The Divine Spirit", "The Spirit", "The Holy Spirit" and much more
by other religions of the world. We also believe in magick! Yes, I spelled it with a "k"! And yes, I do mean actual
magick. We also believe in divination, and spirits, and many other things mystical.
We have but one law. It is called the Wiccan Rede (aka. The Pagan Rede, and The Witches' Rede). It says, "Do as thou
wilt, and to none thou shall harm." Put simply, "Do whatever you want so long as you cause no harm in doing so." It's
not as simple as it sounds. But, nothing in life ever is. The rede is also supported by the Law of Three (our variation
for "karma").
We also believe in reincarnation. Life and death are a cycle. There are many other cycles in life which we see every
day. Constant changes in the universe always coming back similar but never quite exactly the same. Some very subtle,
others very reliable and even predictable.
We have eight sabbats (or holy holidays). Some traditions only recognize the four major ones, while others recognize all
eight. They are known by many names and I've included those in the section for the Sabbats. Here I just included the
most common ones. Imbolg (February 2nd), Spring Equinox (March 21st), Beltaine (May 1st), Midsummer (June 21st),
Lughnasadh (August 1st), Vernal Equinox (September 21st), Samhain (October 31st), and Yule (December 22nd).
There are ceremonies that we use for everything from a Sabbat, to a marriage (called a "Handfasting"), to a funeral
(called a "requiem"). For these ceremonies, we use ritual. Later on I will go into detail about rituals and the tools
used therein. It should be said however, that in Wicca (and most pagan religions) we do not condone animal or human
sacrifices. This is partially because we hold life sacred (all living creatures are children of the Goddess. She is
their Mother and as such wouldn't require her children to be sacrificed in her name) and partially because blood magick
can be highly dangerous if isn't properly trained.
There is so much to say about Wicca and her beliefs that I've included the above into more detail in the following
sections. If you are just starting to learn about Wicca, Paganism, or Witchcraft then it would be best for you to read
as much information as you can. None of this is for "dabblers".