What's Wicca?

Question

Seriously, I've never heard of it before coming to this website. Can you give me a description of Wicca?

Serious answers only, please and thank you.

Answer 1

Wiccan is a religion that we normally call a witch. Some will state that it is one in the same. However the vast majority will state that it is only a variation of the term witch. In other words it's like calling a Christian a Catholic to some. There are even some that think of the witch term to be predudice or evil.

Wiccans are ussually good. Ussually better people then most other religious people are.

As for thier belief structure, it is more complex then the Christians. In other words Christians have probably around 30 different religions inside of it. Wiccans don't have different religions inside of it by name like the Christians do, they are all Wiccan. Sure some of the groups inside have formed names, but it's ussually like "The Earthbound Wiccans" or so forth.

Different Wiccans can believe in many different things including thier creator. Some believe in only a Goddess, some believe in multiple Gods, heck some don't believe in any, and a very few believe in the Christian God. Even some of there rules are different.

However the general or most common rules of the Wiccan religion can be seen in many places. From the movie "The Craft" to t.v. shows like Charmed.

2 of the most common rules are:

the rule of 3: Whatever you do will come back to you threefold.

Wiccan Reed is the genaral guidelines to most of the Wiccan religions. It states stuff like not causing harm to anything.

Wiccans have also been called tree huggers. They ussually believe in the power of the Earth. They respect the Earth.

Now even though most Wiccans will say they belong to a very old religion this is totally wrong. The Wiccan religion started around 1930's. It has roots in older religions then any other today, however the Wiccan religion is not that old.

It's kind of like the Christian religion. It has roots in the Jewish religion, but the Christian religion is only 2006 years old.

I know what your going to say. How could people have hated Wiches before they were even formed. The truth is the term witch is older then the Wiccan religion. Yes the Wiccans are often called witches, however Witches were around well before that. Example Witch doctors, and wise men.

Oh my gosh I used the term wise men to describe a witch. Why do you think that is?

The reason is before they were concidered evil and called witches they were called wise men and women.

added:

I noticed something somebody wrote and had to comment on it. Wiccan reed, "And it harm none, Do what thy will." This is a common misunderstanding. They take the last 2 lines to make the whole reed sound bad. The truth is what Wiccan conciders harm to others is extreme compared to others. For instance if I said my religion is right. Then that is concidered to them as causing harm to you. This is different with different Wiccans, but most what most Wiccans see as harm to others including nature, most people would not concider harmful.

Answer 2

Very briefly, Wicca is a religion which worships the God and Goddess. Some traditions follow entire pantheons of Gods and Goddesses, others simply worship the Lord and Lady. It is an earth religion, which means that we believe nature is sacred. There are numerous different types of Wicca, and all are practiced in two different forms (either within a coven or as a solitaire). However, we all believe in and live by the Wiccan Rede, which is sort of the Wiccan version of the Ten Commandments. Above all else, the law we live by is "An' if it harms none, do what ye will." We do not practice animal sacrifices, or worship the Devil (we don't even believe in a Devil).

There are numerous excellant websites for further information, such as www.witchvox.com, a large variety of discussion groups on Yahoo, and a huge selection of books to choose from.

Blessed Be

Answer 3

Wicca is a new religion based on older concepts. Wicca is not always Neo-pagan, contrary to a previous copy and paste answer. Some Wiccans follow Neo-pagan ways, but not all.

Wicca in the strictest sense is a nature-based religion that believes in polarities and primarily worships The God and Goddess, excluding Dianic Wiccans that only worship the Goddess.

Many beliefs for Wicca stem out of ancient religions from the Celtic, Norse, Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Sumerian, and Babylonian beliefs. Nothing in Wicca is new, but it is all compiled.

It is a polythestic belief, that is non judgemental, and has few rules. Some Wiccans, but not all will practice magic, but not in the sense most think of it. A spell is like a prayer in Christianity, only more complex, and only black magic will yield immediate results- and black magic is to be stayed away from.

The beliefs of Wicca vary, some Wiccans believe in fairies, some believe in being kind to everyone, some believe in spirits and ghosts, and some only believe in the connection between all spirits. I hope this helps a bit!

Answer 4

Wicca is a Neopagan religion and a religious movement found in many different countries, though most commonly in English-speaking cultures. It was first publicised in 1954 by a British civil servant named Gerald Gardner[1] after the British Witchcraft Act was repealed. He claimed that the religion, of which he was an initiate, was a modern survival of an old witch cult, which had existed in secret for hundreds of years, originating in the pre-Christian Paganism of Europe. Wicca is thus sometimes referred to as the Old Religion. The veracity of Gardner's claims cannot be independently proven, and it is thought that Wiccan theology began to be compiled no earlier than the 1920s. Various related Wiccan traditions have since evolved, or been adapted from, the form established by Gardner, which came to be called Gardnerian Wicca. These other traditions of Wicca each have specific beliefs, rituals, and practices. Most traditions of Wicca remain secretive and require members to be initiated. However, there is a growing movement of Eclectic or Solitary Wiccans who claim to belong to the religious movement, but do not believe any doctrine or traditional initiation is necessary in order to substantiate the claim.

Answer 5

The history of Wicca can be traced back to the mid-forties, and Gerald Gardner.

The mythology of Wicca was created from what _some_ scholar's believe to be the beliefs, and myths of pre-Christian Europe.

The rituals of Wicca come from the writings of Aleister Crowley.
There is documentary evidence to suggest that Gerald Gardner created Wicca, as a portal group for O.T.O.

Wicca is probably the best known of the groups that fall under the banner of "Contemporary American Witchcraft", which in turn, is probably the largest segment within the contemporary neo-pagan religious groups. There is some evidence that it is the fastest growing (percentage-wise) religion in the US.

The Wiccan Rede is: "And it harm none, Do what thy will."
This is the core of Wiccan ethical practice.

Answer 6

Wicca is a nature based religion which usually worship a god and a goddess it honors the changing of the seasons there are eight major holidays. Spaced out throughout the including the equinox and the solstice. Esbats are also considered power full days which are full moons for magic and ritual, which are thirteen a year.

There are a broad range of traditions in Wicca such as Celtic, Norse and many others. Contrary to popular belief Wiccans do not belief in Satan or the devil.

Answer 7

Wicca is an earth based religion that is older than Christianity. Wicca has a deep respect for nature and all deities including the women of Christianity that have all been forgotten. It is not evil, the rituals or spells that people talk about are only tokens of thanks for the gifts of nature and life and requests for assistance with something in life. Wiccans do not practice evil because they believe in the three-fold law that anything you do, including bad thoughts come back to harm you three times over. Wiccans try to live a positive life with a deep respect for the earth and all of the earth's creators.

Answer 8

Wicca is a nature based spiritual path/religion. We revere nature in all forms. We worship a deity that has male and female aspects, so some Wiccans, myself included, like to refer to them as the God and Goddess. Some of us, myself included, perform magick rituals to praise the God and Goddess and ask for guidance. We are not Satanist, we do not believe in the Christian God and Satan. We do not sacrafice animals, babies, or virgins. We are people, human beings. We are not evil. We are non-violent. Our law states, harm none, do what you will. So as long as we harm no living thing, we can do what we want. We also believe in personal responsibility, meaning everything we do is our choice, and ours alone. And whatever we send out into the univers, be it good or bad, will come back on us three times. I hope this helps you. Blessed Be and Merry Meet.

Answer 9

There are many sites to explore on this subject. It is a religion started in the last century based on the old ways, gods, goddesses, respect for mother earth, tuning into natures cycles, healing, and simpler way of being. It is worth looking up and studying, even if you don't want to practice it. Most of the Wiccans I know are kind, inquisitive and have a great need to be in service of others. They are cops, teachers, nurses, EMTs, social workers, etc. Most pagans seem to be this way even if they aren't "wiccan". I know I am.

Answer 10

Wicca
A Neopagan, Earth Centered Religon

http://dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Religion_and_Spirituality/Faiths_and_Practices/Paganism/Traditions_and_Paths/Wicca_and_Witchcraft/