Don't answer this question if you are going to answer stupidly or judge me?

Question

I have been hearing a lot about Wicca lately and I don't really know much about it and I am just curious...I am not saying I am ready to convert or anything like that...but I try to make a point of not judging others and being open minded enough to except other peoples religions, beliefs, and way of life, but I believe that the true mark of intelligence is that of learning at least a little bit about everything so that you can make up your mind about what you believe instead of just judging and condemning something that you know absolutely about...so anyway the point is I want someone to tell me about wicca and so you can either answer here or im me on yahoo my s/n is madameblueberry2001...thanks!

I thought I had made it clear that I was not looking to convert. I am very strong in what I do believe and therefore I am unafraid to learn about other religions and accept others for what they believe. While I do not accept all of the principles of this religion I do think after learning more that there are some things about it that are true as is with every religion. Even though I thought I had made it clear some people still thought that I was just lost and had no religion, although I do believe in a lot of cases that RELIGION does a lot more harm than good and I am more a of a believer in spirituality than religion and I am not an athiest so don't go thinking that. I just wanted to learn about wicca for my own personal knowledge and I feel that I have done that now. Only and ignorant person will condemn or judge something he knows absolutely nothing about and I have chosen in my life to never condemn or judge but to accept and understand. Also many people condemned Joseph II for...

his answer and while I can uderstand those peoples points of view...I am very greatful for his answer as it helped me to realize something about another aspect of my life so Thank You to Josheph II. I will be choosing my best answer now.

Answer 1

Wicca is actually not one of the oldest religions, its actually one of the newest religions, though its roots are partially based on pre-Christian religion. Wicca (as a religion) is an amalgamation of ancient Paganism, Ceremonial magick, and folk magick. Wicca got it's start in England, with a man named Gerald Gardner.

[when I say Wiccans, I mean MOST Wiccans... not everyone practices the same way- these are my beliefs, YMMV]

Wicca is an earth based religion, for most. Many Wiccans (though not all) practice Witchcraft. IMO, Wicca is a religion, Witchcraft is a practice, like prayer or meditation that can be applied to many religions. Wiccans celebrate at least eight holidays called Sabbats a year. These are the two equinoxes, and two solstices, as well as the cross-quarter days. The cross quarter days have many names, as they were celebrated in ancient times by Pagans all over Europe, but we usually call them by their Celtic names.

Many Wiccans practice Witchcraft, or magick. Since its seperate from the religion itself, I'll save that for another post sometime.

Wiccans believe in polarity, honoring the God AND the Goddess. This might mean that they believe that each god and goddess are in itself a deity whole unto itself... or it might mean that they believe all gods are aspects of one god, and all goddesses are aspects of one goddess. There are many pantheons (groups of gods based on geography) to explore.

The main rule/law of Wicca is the Wiccan Rede: As ye harm none, do what ye will. Harm none. When attributed to spellwork, this usually also means "manipulate none", ie: love spells, etc.

Wicca is a specific Pagan tradition. Some Wiccans believe that you must be initiated into a lineaged coven in order to call yourself a Wiccan. Some feel as though if you practice Wicca as it was meant to be practiced (ie: follow the Wiccan ritual outline, hierarchal structure, polarity, etc) you can call yourself Wiccan. (I believe the latter, but I TRULY believe that if you want to call yourself Wiccan, you need to follow Wiccan ritual process).

Paganism is an umbrella term that describes many different earth-based traditions. Most Pagans I meet are not Wiccan, but are eclectic Pagan, meaning that they pick and choose what they'd like to believe, and follow their own religions path and practices.

Most Wiccans believe in reincarnation, with the ultimate goal of learning all of your life lessons.

Some Wiccans practice solitary and some practice in a coven. There are many arguements for both sides, pro and con. I've done both, and currently I lead a coven in California. I like the coven life, because you learn to lean on your spiritual sisters (mines all female) and its like a real family.

I believe that each person has their own spiritual path to follow. If you want any more info, have any questions or need anything cleared up, I'll be happy to help you... just email me using my yahoo name....I just use @yahoo.com

I think its great that you are being open minded and learning about other peoples points of view. I apologize for any spelling/grammar mistakes. Blessed be!

Answer 2

This all depends on how strong it is, but you can't really lose weight by taking it only once. Someone can be on this one effect for a week and they might start to lose about 10-20 pounds depending on what they do when they're "high". If they do things like allot of housework or exercise then they would be burning more calories then if they sat surfing the web or getting into something like puzzles. This works the same as if you lost weight the right way. The rules apply whether you are taking meth. or just eating healthy and exercising, because you must take in less and burn more calories to lose. Even if good, the "high" might only last about 3-4 days, and if they get into anything that doesn't burn the calories, then they won't lose anything. Hope this helps and that you're wrong. I would hate it if anyone I knew tried to lose weight this way. You are a great friend for looking into this so you can try to help. If someone has convinced them otherwise, and has conned them into thinking that this is the fastest and best way, as soon as they start to eat again they will gain any lost weight right back again.Please save this person from this if you can. It's not only a waste of money, but it can really harm your health too. Good luck and God Bless

Answer 3

"Wicca" is a word that is Nordic/Old English in origin; it is the root-word for "Witch".

A Wicca, or Wiccan, was always an elderly stalwart of the village: a midwife, usually. She knew the ways of herbs and other natural curatives and was, in the Dark Ages, the equivalent of the town doctor. As 'medicine' at the time was two-thirds spiritual, they were also considered to be mages, priests, shamans.

As Christianity grew in power, it was to the benefit of the new local bishops to remove their competition. Then the "Burning Times" began.

Today, so-called "Wicca" is but an attempt to resurrect a long-dead (killed, actually) tradition. Very little is known of the ways and practices of the pre-christian 'holy' as most evidence and written history was burned by the Soldiers of Christ. So what you read, and hear, today can only be educated imaginings. At best.

If you'd like to learn more, contact me. I'll hook you up with websites, readings material and a cautionary note or two,

Answer 4

Wicca is one of the oldest religions. It's based on the Earth's seasons, and there is a lot of knowledge of herbalism and other life-sciences involved in it. In that sense, it's a very practical thing to learn, and it's very empowering to have that sort of knowledge. Other parts of Wicca have to do with casting spells, making charms, and suchlike. It can involve learning geomancy, astrology, and numerology. That part of it is both very old and very "New Age." There may be beliefs in numerous gods, goddesses, and other spirits that represent the Earth, the planets, the sun, moon, etc., and various festivals are celebrated to honor these entities. If you choose to study Wicca, know that it's not necessarily an all-or-none thing: You can choose to, for example, study herbalism but not worship Gaia or The Green Man or cast runes or follow astrology.

One thing that's really good about Wicca is that it's not patriarchal: It's all about gender egalitarianism, empowering women and encouraging our independence.

Answer 5

I have a good book about the Wiccan doctrine and how complex it really is, it's called ( Wicca's Charm) by Catherine Edwards Sanders.
You can't really gain an understanding of this movement by talking to any one person. The complexity and diversity of it's beliefs is very widespread and is often as different as the number of people following it. Much of it's roots have grown out of witchcraft and paganism but the actual Wiccan movement was started by men in the past century.
The four tenets of neo-pagans includes:
1. All is one (all living things are of equal value)
2. You are divine (they are powerful god's and goddesses)
3. Personal power in unlimited ( not limited by deity)
4. Consciousness can and should be altered through the
practice of rite and ritual ( altered consciousness )

Answer 6

I know absolutely nothing about Wicca!

Or anything else for that matter. I'm agnostic. But agnosticism doesn't have to be just a means to an end! Oh crap, I'm being evangelical! Feel free to tell me to shut up.

Exploring religions like wicca can be benefictial, but you don't have to feel like you have to be intimidated into finding something. Deciding on being undecided is a valid path as well (or rather, deciding that you can't decide for sure). That's part of being open minded as well, that there is no perfect answer that we can "know."

Hmmm... what I have heard of Wicca is that it tends to be downplayed when taken seriously, as there's just a whole lot of hype about it... if you were to truly explore it, you might find you have to deal with some people who aren't being as serious as you are, not to mention that you'd have difficulties with people thinking you're a witch due to your open mindedness. It's nice to be willing to put up with that (it's kind of tantamount to declaring oneself a martyr, though less arrogant I guess), though I know I wouldn't be willing to...

Sorry if this answer is somehow stupid

Answer 7

The best advice I can give you is try to find someone locally you can talk to about it. Different covens (I believe that's what they call their groups) do things in certain ways, and each is a little different, much like each church in other religions is different.

While it is possible to practice Wicca by yourself, it would be more beneficial to find others to practice with, at least at first, if that's what you choose to do.

You might try going to the library and checking out a few books on it. You could also start here for some basic info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca

Good Luck

Answer 8

Wicca is a set of religious practices based upon nature spirits. It is also commonly referred to a witchcraft. Practitioners obviously shy away from that word for the negative connotations. I beleieve they are also split into different camps as far as which holds priority, one being spiritual, and the other earthly. The two sides are symbolized by the pentagram(five pointed star). The apex point shows which one they follow. If it is up they are spiritual over earthly, if it is down(inverted) they are earthly over spiritual.

Now that having been said. You should not pursue Wicca, because they deny God, and follow their own ways. Witchcraft is also associated with the devil. This part of the message is from my Christian faith. The info is from a friend of mine who was a practitioner of Wicca.

Answer 9

Well, first I want to say that you seem like a very fair person. And it's true, learning a little about everything opens your mind. You learn to understand things, other religions for example. And the ability to understand them prevents any hatred.

Anyway, I'm not part of the Wiccan religion myself, but I've heard from others who are that it is based on nature.

Answer 10

Wicca is an earth-based religion that appreciates the Gods and forgotten Goddesses of Christianity. It uses spells and rituals mostly like you would use prayer in Christianity. Wicca is not Satanism in any form, in fact, Wiccans do not even believe in the devil, but only in good and bad. Wiccans believe in the three-fold law which is do harm and you get harm three-fold, do good and you get good returned three-fold, pretty much like karma.