Wicca 101

NOTE: I wrote this to explain my religious beliefs as succinctly as possible to my friend Adam. I ran it past the ladies of Luna's Wheel for their thoughts, and they were encouraging. So I'm posting it here, mainly just so I can keep track of it because people often ask me, "What's the deal with Wicca?" Well, here it is! (Thanks to Adam and the witches of Luna's Wheel)


Here's the deal with Wicca, according to me (again, this is just my opinion and should not be taken as concrete fact, ESPECIALLY the bits at the end about my own personal beliefs):

My history: My family is Catholic, though my parents are Unitarian now and my sister is some kind of Christian. Anyway, I grew up feeling mostly Catholic. As a freshman in high school, I met a group of kids claiming to be witches and I was intrigued for all of the normal teen-aged reasons. We focused on magic and spellwork, within a Wiccan framework. In college, I was part of a larger group that explored the more philosophical parts of Wicca, rather than the sensational. And the Circle I'm part of now is very much about experiencing Wicca as a religion, both during holidays and on a daily basis.

Paganism: is a REALLY broad term, usually referring to nature-based, often polytheistic, religions, spiritualities and philosophies. Specifically, Neo-Pagan is a term used to describe a number of religions that have gained popularity over the past forty or so years, many of which have their roots in older religions. For example, much of Wicca (particularly the calendar of holidays) derives from ancient Celtic practices. Other Pagan groups have based their new practices on Druidism, Native American spirituality (Shamanism), and even Norse and Greco-Roman mythology. Many Pagans practice a hodge-podge of a bunch of those older practices. A number of people have used this ancient influence as an argument that Wicca itself is an ancient religion, but I don't believe that. The roots of Wicca as we practice it today began in the early 20th century, our terms and tools notwithstanding.

Wicca: is a kind of Neo-Paganism. Since there is no strict dogma, and no holy Book, practices vary widely, but there are common elements:

The Wiccan Rede: the closest thing we have to dogma is only eight words: "An it harm done, do as ye will." I take this to mean harm no one, including yourself. It's kind of a short-hand for all the Commandments, and the Beatitudes to boot. Wiccans often believe in the Three-Fold Law, too, which states that whatever you send into the world (negative or positive) will come back to you three-fold.

Deity: Most Wiccans believe in the Goddess, who may have many names and forms. Many also believe in a similar God, although there is a form of Wicca called Dianic Wicca that is only for women, and they don't acknowledge the God. The God and Goddess are often called by ancient names (Zeus, Thoth, Odin, etc. or Athena, Inanna, Isis, Freya, etc.), depending on which aspect of the deity you need to work with.

The Elements: Most Wiccans revere and work with the Four Elements: Air, Fire, Water and Earth, and many add a fifth: Spirit, which is a kind of combination of the other four. The Elements are often paired with the Directions (East, South, West and North, respectively, with Spirit at Center), and each element/direction combination has a set of characteristics associated with it. For instance, Fire/South is creative, energetic, sensual, passionate, etc. and is associated with the color red. This focus on the elements is part of why Wicca is considered a Nature religion, and why most Wiccans revere nature.

Tools: typical Wiccan tools include: ritual knive (called an athame), staff and/or wand, cauldron, pentacle, chalice, candles, incense, etc.

Wheel of the Year: the year is typically split into eight cross-quarters according to solar movement, with holidays celebrated at each:

1. Samhain (10/31)
2. Yule/Winter Solstice (12/21-ish)
3. Imbolc (2/1)
4. Ostara/Vernal Equinox (3/21-ish)
5. Beltaine (5/1)
6. Midsummer/Summer Solstice (6/21-ish)
7. Lughnasa (8/1)
8. Mabon/Autumnal Equinox (9/21-ish).
   

We also tend to acknowledge the phases of the moon, celebrating full moons (Esbats) or simply reserving certain types of magic for certain times of the moon cycle.

Magic: lots of Wiccans believe in magic. (Some spell it "Magick" to differentiate it from storybook, fictional magic, but I find that spelling irritating). I don't think there's a good consensus about what the definition of magic is, though. So I'll give you mine: I believe in divine energy, and I believe that magic is the conscious manipulation of that divine energy for a specific purpose. As opposed to prayer (which we also do), which is asking deity to manipulate the divine energy ON YOUR BEHALF. For me, you can do magic without doing a spell. For instance, I believe that my Circle does magic every time we get together and create a sacred space. Spells, on the other hand, are a way to perform a VERY SPECIFIC magical task using props and/or incantations in a ritualized way. (I, myself, don't do a lot of spellwork these days.)

Ritual: there is a basic outline to many Wiccan rituals:

1. grounding and centering (preparing oneself energetically for the ritual)
2. casting a circle by calling in each of the directions and/or the God/dess (this creates a sacred space in which to work)
3. doing whatever work the ritual is meant to accomplish (magic, prayer, worship or some combination)
4. simple feast (kind of like Communion, except we all give each other food and drink), and
5. releasing the circle

I think that about covers the basics.

As for me, I basically believe in a Divine energy. I can feel it all around me all the time, if I concentrate. I have witnessed its power. I can't really describe it, although I don't really believe that it is as sentient and meddlesome as some Christians seem to think. I don't think human beings are very good at understanding, describing or interacting with that Divine energy. I think that ALL religion is our pitiful, human attempt to try to wrap our tiny brains around what this energy is, how to get a handle on it and how to incorporate it into our lives. So when Christians talk about God or Muslims talk about Allah, I believe they are talking about and trying to describe the SAME Divinity that I call Kuan Yin, or Green Man, or simply Mother, depending on my mood. When they pray, I think they are tapping into the same energy that I am when I pray or do magic. (This is all just my opinion; there are witches in my Circle who don't believe this.) I believe that any religion is a set of man-made tools to help us get in touch with the Divine. Wicca is the best tool set I have found for me. I understand the Elements, I like the diversity of Deity that I have to choose from, and the Wheel of the Year makes sense to me. Wicca has helped me find my strengths and recognize my weaknesses, and I have found solace, beauty and understanding there. The only other religion I know much about (Christianity) does not work as well for me for many reasons. But I have the utmost respect for those who have found other religions (or even other areas of humanity, like science or academics) to be a better fit for them. At the end of the day, I think whatever works to help you be a better person is the "right" religion.