Any suggestions on beginning the study of Wicca?

Question

I'm sure there are a number of excellent books. If someone has some experience in individual study of Wicca, I would appreciate any guidance you might give me. I don't know where to begin, but I am ready to start my journey.

Answer 1

You would really need to be a little more specific about what sort of guidance you are looking for, I not only studied Wicca but taught Wicca myself, I can safely say if someone does not know what help they really need there is no real way of giving it.

General tips would fall into – study study study – with a lot of misinformation about Wicca it is easy for people to fall into thinking they are Wicca when in fact they are not, I have honestly met people who have called themselves Wicca for 10 years without actually realising they are not Wicca as until that point they had been unable or unwilling to step out of their comfort zone to study further into Wicca past their bad sources they had been used to for so long. Don't fall into that trap, Wicca is a constant learning path and it is no good closing yourself off to new information that challenges your current ideas on what Wicca is – although misinformation is hardly a positive there is at least one thing to be said of misinformation about Wicca, it helps determine those serious about becoming Wicca from those unwilling.

With that said there are things to avoid – Wicca is an initiate-only oath-bound priesthood working within a pagan mystery tradition, generally if a book or web site says otherwise they are not a reliable source, there are other signs to avoid such as people who use the spelling 'magick' are often uneducated themselves, people who use mechanical magic (i.e. copying spells from books or each other) – that is not to say these sources cannot teach you something. You will find most people will pooh-pooh people such as Horne, Ravenwolf, Buckland, etc. however valid their complaints are there are often some parts of their writing that are valid, and if nothing else you can use these as a test to your own knowledge as the more you study the more you can tell the reliable information from the nonsense.

Get yourself into a good forum, you will find many forums are filled with people who look to Wicca as an escape from Christianity or as a fashionable title, however there are some groups around that do have Wicca that have a strong community that can help you study and guide you in the right direction – Amber & Jet being a prime example of this. Another idea would be to find yourself local Pagan contacts or go along to local pagan meetings to form study groups, find a coven, find a teacher, or simply have a community to support you or just chit-chat with (a note here, study should come before training, or else you won't know who is really knowledgeable on the subject and who is not when it comes to finding a teacher or coven).

With that I suppose all I can do is give you some reliable links and books to look through – with books if you cannot afford them try swapping with others online or in your area, try going to your library and remember you don't have to just stick to books on Wicca but can also get books from your library on related subjects such as paganism, herb lore, mythology, divination, etc.

Good luck :o)


WICCA LINKS;

http://amberandjet.spiralpaths.org - Amber & Jet
http://www.cyprian.org/Articles/gardchron.htm - Gardnerian Chronology and Bibliography
http://www.wargoddess.net/index.php - Enyo`s Workshop
http://wicca.timerift.net/ - Wicca: For the Rest of Us
http://www.starkindler.org/ - StarFire Rising
http://www.asiya.org/ - Asiya`s Shadows
http://www.whywiccanssuck.com - Why Wiccans Suck
http://www.newwiccanchurch.net - New Wiccan Church International
http://members.tripod.com/~Moonpfyr/gardnerian.html - Gardnerian Tradition
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/2416/wildrose.html - Wild Rose Outer Grove
http://members.shaw.ca/stoneandcauldron/ - Coven Of The Stone And Cauldron
http://www.oldeenchantments.com/coven/ - The Hollywood Coven
http://www.geocities.com/DesertHenge - Desert Henge
http://www.geocities.com/firestonecoven/ - Firestone Coven
http://draknet.com/proteus/proteus.html - Proteus Coven’s Webspace
http://belladonna.hypermart.net/Sage-and-Sickle/index.html - Sage & Sickle Coven
http://paganwiccan.about.com/ - PaganWiccan
http://www.cogcoa.ab.ca/ - Covenant of Gaia
http://www.chasclifton.com/ - Chas Clifton
http://www.ravenwood.com/coven.htm - Ravenwood
http://www.avalonia.co.uk – Avalonia
http://www.rosemoon.com/ - Rosemoon
http://www.geocities.com/k_garber/wicway.html - The Wiccan Way
http://www.wildideas.net/temple/ - The Temple
http://www.candledark.net/silver/ - Pour Down Like Silver
http://www.thewellhead.org.uk/ - The Wellhead
http://dasa.on.ca/qs/ - Quicksilver Site
http://www.gis.net/~nagel/grovepage/ - Page of the Mists
http://www.geocities.com/gwydionfl/ - Pagan Place
http://www.geocities.com/reikihealer2001/ - NFTD
http://www.nectw.org/ - N.E.C.T.W.
http://www.doreenvaliente.com - Doreen Valiente 1922-1999
http://www.boniface.us/CTW/index.html - Compact of Traditional Wicca
http://www.pagansunite.com/ - Witch/Pagan Resources
http://www.geocities.com/thespiraloak/ - The Spiral Oak
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4177/ - Manor-House For Wiccan Studies
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~sjgavula/wiccahist.html - History of Wicca in England
http://geocities.com/sphinxmuse/wicca/index.html - Wiccan Religion
http://davensjournal.com/index.htm?Header.xhtml&0 - Daven`s Journal
http://www.pangaeasanctuary.org/darkwood/ - Darkwood of PanGaea
http://www.wicca.utvinternet.com/ - Wicca na hErin
http://www.tryskelion.com/ - Tryskelion
http://www.mothersmagic.net/ - Breathless Noon
http://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.htm - Wicca, the religion
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/religions/wicca/faq/ - Wicca FAQ
http://www.allonewicca.com/ - All one Wicca
http://www.cuew.org/cffn/index.html - Coven of the Far Flung Net
http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/gbos/index.htm - Gardnerian Book of Shadows
http://www.paganspath.com/ - The Pagan`s Path
http://www.rantingwitches.com/ - The Ranting Witches
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca - Wicca
http://janus.spawnfar.net/ - The Janus Gate
http://www.hiddenmuse.com/ - Hidden Muse
http://www.geraldgardner.com/ - Gerald Gardner
http://beaufort.bravepages.com/index.html - Beaufort House`s TradList
http://www.tradwicca.org/beginnings.html - A Traditional Alexandrian Coven
http://www.waningmoon.com/ethics/rede.shtml - The Wiccan Rede
http://www.glasstemple.com/home/ - Glass Temple
http://www.witchipedia.org - Witchipedia


BOOKS ON WICCA:

The Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches' Handbook - Janet & Stewart Farrar.
The Witches' God - Janet and Stewart Farrar
The Witches' Goddess - Janet and Stewart Farrar
The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft - Ronald Hutton.
Witchcraft Today - Gerald B. Gardner.
Witchdom of the True - Edred Thorsson
Wicca: the Old Religion in the New Milennium - Vivianne Crowley
Advanced Wiccan Spirituality - Kevin Saunders
The Elements of Ritual: Air, Fire, Water & Earth in the Wiccan Circle - Deborah Lipp
What Witches Do - Stewart Farrar


BOOKS ON NEO-WICCA:

Witch Crafting: A Spiritual Guide to Making Magic - by Phyllis W. Curott
Positive Magic - Marion Weinstein
Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner - Scott Cunningham
The Circle Within: Creating a Wiccan Spiritual Tradition - Dianne Sylvan
Book of Shadows - Phyllis Curott
The Second Circle - Venecia Rauls
The Heart of Wicca: Wise Words from a Crone on the Path - Ellen Cannon Reed
Evolutionary Witchcraft - T. Thorn Coyle
The Wiccan Path: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner - Rae Beth
21st Century Wicca - Jennifer Hunter
Witchcraft: A Concise Guide - Isaac Bonewits
Way of Four - Deborah Lipp

Answer 2

Here are some links that may be helpful.

http://www.newwiccanchurch.net/
http://www.wargoddess.net/essay/btw.php
http://www.tradwicca.org
http://bruncreate.www8.50megs.com/wicca/wiwicca.html

There are very few good websites or books on the subject. I'd recommend "What Witches Do" by Stewart Ferrar, "The Meaning of Witchcraft" and "Witchcraft Today" by Gerald Gardner, "Wiccan Roots" by Philip Heselton, and "Wicca" by Vivianne Crowley. That should give you a solid foundation to work from. Many disagree but I would stay clear of anything by Scott Cunningham or Silver Ravenwolf. Lots of misinformation there. Again, many will disagree but "what is popular is not always what is right and what is right is not always what is popular".

Answer 3

If you are starting out try the free lessons on Avalonia:

http://www.avalonia.co.uk/wicca_free_lessons/index.htm

I was going in circles reading books and asking questions on forums for some time before someone recommended it to me. It really helped me gain some insights and I hope it will do the same for you. Practice and experience is the only way forward. You may want to read books by authors who are experienced Wiccan practioners too. The people behind Avalonia has a book called "Circle of Fire" it is not quite a beginners book, but will help you towards an understanding of the symbolism and practices. Prof. Ronald Hutton's Triumph of the Moon is a must read for the history. If you want something simple and practical, you can do no better than any book by Kate West but in particular "The Real Witches Handbook".

Good luck and many blessings for your path.

Answer 4

"Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner" by Scott Cunningham I feel is the best book to start your journey with. I explains about the wiccan religion and more. Its the one I started with.

Here is a website that will give you information on the various pagan traditions (some wiccan some not) http://www.witchvox.com/_x.html?c=trads

Have fun learning. And read, read, read!!!!

Answer 5

I reccommend before reading a bunch of "stuff" to really ask yourself what you're seeking...what it is you're looking for. Do you have an idea of what you want to learn?

I've read plenty of books...the ones that have aided me in my path the most are Starhawks "The Spiral Dance". Margot Adler's, "Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today". I also liked Scott Cunningham's, "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner "

Good luck and bright blessings to you!

Answer 6

Read books by Scott Cunningham, SilverRavenWolf, and Ann Moura. Also, visit other people's Wiccan/Pagan Websites, and Witchvox.com. Also, there is the Idiots Guide to Wicca- you'd be surprised how helpful it is when you are just starting along the Path. Ask questions when you go to Metaphysical stores- they can usually help as well. If you go the Metaphysical secion of a Store (some actually will have a section related to Pagan/Wicca instead of Metaphysical- it depends on how conservative your community is) you can usually find many good books- just pick one that feels right in your hands.

Answer 7

It is a cult created circa 1950 by by British masochist Gerald Gardner so he could be beaten by strong willed women. Followers are self deluded into believing they have magical powers. Triumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton is a good start. You can also get more info here:

http://usminc.org

Answer 8

Read, learn, and don't go play with stuff you haven't really studied. I would suggest looking at witchvox and beliefnet.com - both have good information. I actually work more intuitively, but that is generally not the recommended course of action. Good luck and Bright Blessings on your path!

Answer 9

I can send you a list of some very good books to start with. When I get home from work I will send them to you. They're great for beginners. The best one to start with for the moment is "The truth about witchcraft today" by Scott Cunningham.

Blessed Be Seeker )O(

Answer 10

Poppycock!
I would start by going to your nearest bookstore and read a few books by Scott Cunningham. He is well published and I found his works to be informative in do's and dont's as well as basics. If you have any more questions you can email me at [e-mail]
I would be glad to give you the safe guidance you are asking for.
Blessed Be~

Answer 11

Find some wiccans in your area and learn from them. see if there are any covens in your area. Im actually leaning towards the peagan faith myself . it seems to be a very peaceful religion and the people are also very peaceful.