what is wicca ? plz tell everything u know about witchs and magic in short?

Question

plz plz help

Answer 1

I found this to be a wonderfully accurate and understandable explanation of Wicca......

Contrary to what those who choose to persecute or lie about us wish to believe, Wicca is a very peaceful, harmonious and balanced way of thinking and life which promotes oneness with the divine and all which exists.

Wicca is a deep appreciation and awe in watching the sunrise or sunset, the forest in the light of a glowing moon, a meadow enchanted by the first light of day. It is the morning dew on the petals of a beautiful flower, the gentle caress of a warm summer breeze upon your skin, or the warmth of the summer sun on your face. Wicca is the fall of colorful autumn leaves, and the softness of winter snow. It is light, and shadow and all that lies in between. It is the song of the birds and other creatures of the wild. It is being in the presence of Mother Earths nature and being humbled in reverence. When we are in the temple of the Lord and Lady, we are not prone to the arrogance of human technology as they touch our souls. To be a Witch is to be a healer, a teacher, a seeker, a giver, and a protector of all things. If this path is yours, may you walk it with honor, light and integrity.

Wicca is a belief system and way of life based upon the reconstruction of pre-Christian traditions originating in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. While much of the information of how our ancestors lived, worshiped and believed has been lost due to the efforts of the medieval church to wipe our existence from history, we try to reconstruct those beliefs to the best of our ability with the information that is available.

Thanks to archaeological discoveries, we now have basis to believe that the origins of our belief system can be traced even further back to the Paleolithic peoples who worshipped a Hunter God and a Fertility Goddess. With the discovery of these cave paintings, estimated to be around 30,000 years old, depicting a man with the head of a stag, and a pregnant woman standing in a circle with eleven other people, it can reasonably be assumed that Witchcraft is one of the oldest belief systems known in the world toady. These archetypes are clearly recognized by Wiccan as our view of the Goddess and God aspect of the supreme creative force and predate Christianity by roughly 28,000 years making it a mere toddler in the spectrum of time as we know it.

Witchcraft in ancient history was known as "The Craft of the Wise" because most who followed the path were in tune with the forces of nature, had a knowledge of Herbs and medicines, gave council and were valuable parts of the village and community as Shamanic healers and leaders. They understood that mankind is not superior to nature, the earth and its creatures but instead we are simply one of the many parts, both seen and unseen that combine to make the whole. As Chief Seattle said; "We do not own the earth, we are part of it." These wise people understood that what we take or use, we must return in kind to maintain balance and equilibrium. Clearly, modern man with all his applied learning and technology has forgotten this. Subsequently, we currently face ecological disaster and eventual extinction because of our hunger for power and a few pieces of gold.

For the past several hundred years, the image of the Witch has been mistakenly associated with evil, heathenism, and unrighteousness. In my humble opinion, these misconceptions have their origin in a couple of different places.

To begin, the medieval church of the 15th through 18th centuries created these myths to convert the followers of the old nature based religions to the churches way of thinking. By making the Witch into a diabolical character and turning the old religious deities into devils and demons, the missionaries were able to attach fear to these beliefs which aided in the conversion process. Secondly, as medical science began to surface, the men who were engaged in these initial studies had a very poor understanding of female physiology, especially in the area of a women's monthly cycles. The unknowns in this area played very well with the early churches agenda lending credence to the Witch Hunters claims and authority. The fledgling medical professions also stood to benefit greatly from this because it took the power of the women healers away giving it to the male physicians transferring the respect and power to them.

Unfortunately these misinformed fears and superstitions have carried forward through the centuries and remain to this day. This is why many who follow these nature oriented beliefs have adopted the name of Wicca over its true name of Witchcraft to escape the persecution, harassment and misinformation associated with the name of Witchcraft and Witch not to mention the bad publicity the press and Hollywood has given us simply to generate a profit.

What Witchcraft is:
Witchcraft is a spiritual system that fosters the free thought and will of the individual, encourages learning and an understanding of the earth and nature thereby affirming the divinity in all living things. Most importantly however, it teaches responsibility. We accept responsibility for our actions and deeds as clearly a result of the choices we make. We do not blame an exterior entity or being for our shortcomings, weaknesses or mistakes. If we mess up or do something that brings harm to another, we have no one but ourselves to blame and we must face the consequences resulting from those actions. No ifs, ands or buts and no whining...

We acknowledge the cycles of nature, the lunar phases and the seasons to celebrate our spirituality and to worship the divine. It is a belief system that allows the Witch to work with, not in supplication to deities with the intent of living in harmony and achieving balance with all things.

The spells that we do involve healing, love, harmony, wisdom and creativity. The potions that we stir might be a headache remedy, a cold tonic, or an herbal flea bath for our pets. We strive to gain knowledge of and use the natural remedies placed on this earth by the divine for our benefit instead of using synthetic drugs unless absolutely necessary.

Wiccan believe that the spirit of the One, Goddess and God exist in all things. In the trees, rain, flowers, the sea, in each other and all of natures creatures. This means that we must treat "all things" of the Earth as aspects of the divine. We attempt to honor and respect life in all its many manifestations both seen and unseen.

Wiccan learn from and revere the gift of nature from divine creation by celebrating the cycles of the sun, moon and seasons. We search within ourselves for the cycles that correspond to those of the natural world and try to live in harmony with the movement of this universal energy. Our teachers are the trees, rivers, lakes, meadows, mountains and animals as well as others who have walked this path before us. This belief creates a reverence and respect for the environment, and all life upon the Earth.

We also revere the spirits of the elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water which combine to manifest all creation. From these four elements we obtain insight to the rhythms of nature and understand they are also the rhythms of our own lives.

Because Witches have been persecuted for so many centuries, we believe in religious freedom first! We do not look at our path as the only way to achieve spirituality, but as one path among many to the same end. We are not a missionary religion out to convert new members to think the same as we do. We are willing to share our experience and knowledge with those who seek our wisdom and perspective however. We believe that anyone who is meant for this path will find it through their own search as the Goddess speaks to each of us in her time and way. Wiccan practice tolerance and acceptance toward all other religions as long as those faiths do not persecute others or violate the tenant of "Harm None."

What Witchcraft is not:
More information about Witchcraft is available in the Frequently Asked Questions section, but in the interim, here are the main points.
Witchcraft or Wicca is not a cult. We do not proclaim ourselves to be spokespersons for the divine or try to get others to follow us as their leaders.


We do not worship Satan or consort with Demons. Satan is a Christian creation and they can keep him. We do not need a paranoid creation of supreme evil and eternal damnation to scare us into doing the right thing and helping others. We choose to do the right thing and love our brothers and sisters because it IS the right thing and it feels good to do it. I suppose it is a maturity thing.


We do not sacrifice animals or humans because that would violate our basic tenant of "Harm None." Anyone who does and claims to be a Wiccan or a Witch is lying.


We have no need to steal or control the life force of another to achieve mystical or supernatural powers. We draw our energy from within, our personal relationship with the divine and nature.


We do not use the forces of nature or the universe to hex or cast spells on others. Again, "Harm None" is the whole of the law.


Witches have a very strict belief in the Law of Three which states that whatever we send out into our world shall return to us three fold either good or bane. With this in mind, a "True Witch" would hesitate in doing magick to harm or manipulate another because that boomerang we throw will eventually come back to us much larger and harder then when we threw it.

This is not to say that Witches are perfect, we are human too just like everyone else and make mistakes and errors in judgment. Just as there are parents who love and nurture their children, there are parents who abuse their children. As there are many who devote their lives to giving and helping mankind, likewise there are those who devote their lives to taking advantage of and using people for their own gain. Unfortunately the same flaws in human nature applies to witches too.

Most of us continually strive to consider all potential outcomes of our thoughts and actions pausing to seriously consider the consequences before undertaking a ritual, spell or rite that could go astray. It is when we follow the path with the love of the Goddess in our hearts and adhere to the basic tenant of the Reed that our works are beneficial and we achieve harmony and balance with all things.

The heart of Wicca is not something summed up into a few short words and can often take on different meaning to each since the Lord and Lady touch us in different ways. To gain a fuller understanding of the Craft, I urge you visit the other pages on this site as well as following the links to a select group of exceptional Wiccan and Witchcraft sites. Through the wisdom and words set down through the ages, you will find that you are able to understand the basis of our beliefs and how they may apply to you. Your inner voice will also quickly let you know if the intent of what you are reading is for superficial purposes to benefit self instead of working to benefit the whole. Remember to read with your heart, for it is when you see life and the world with your heart and spirit that you truly gain an understanding of what Wicca is.

Blessed Be!

Answer 2

Wicca;
New Age term for Witchcraft chosen during the 1960's - 1970's.
From the original word Wicce which means "Wise Woman/ person".

Anything you already know about prayer is exactly what 'magick' is. Witches are actually not the only group out there and among the Shamans, Pagans, Druids, and all the rest.... Witches may not even make up a majority. That being said, they are more prevalent here in the USA.

The basic idea behind Wicca is that everything in nature has a Male/ Female aspect and Wiccans ( as well as most Pagans) feel that modern Judeo-Christian beliefs have minimized the female aspect long enough. Rather than one male Deity known as 'God' (with the confusing Jesus.... of God/ from God/ Not-a-God???) there are usually two known as the "Lord" and the "Lady" (either can come 'first' in that phrase.

Magic is simply the influencing of your environment through the attempt to bring in a more powerful outside force and request it to do something on your behalf.

Any Christians reading this, don't judge too harshly.... I just described what a 'prayer' is. Just as in the Judeo-Christian faiths, the more that pray (cast spells) the better the odds of success.

Two HUGE differences however;
1- Pagans are not supposed to harm anyone with this, "Harm None, do what thy will" being the Witches Credo.

2- Pagans do not try to convert people to their beliefs, that would fall under the rule above since it would not be something that the other person asked for or wished to receive.

Answer 3

First, you must realize that Witchcraft and Wicca are separate. Witches practice a craft. Witchcraft contains no deities, no dogma to follow, whereas Wicca believes in a Goddess and God, and follow the Wiccan Rede and the Threefold Law. Also, Magic is colorless...it is the intention we place into it that colors the magic. "Do you have to be born into a Wicca/Witch family to become one yourself?" --Absolutely Not!!! A witch is made. Becoming a witch is a conscious choice made. No one is born a Christian, nor a carpenter. They decide when the time is right to follow these paths, just like Witches. Heredity witches are witches who follow a family line of Witchcraft, all of whom have made the conscious decision to continue to practice witchcraft that was practiced in the family. "Would I be considered a fake and an impostor for trying to become one?" --Only if you don't take the belief and practice seriously, and are only looking into it to be: 1) popular 2) to be feared 3) to dabble "Do the other Wiccas/Witches out there believe in letting wanting outsiders in?" --Wicca is a fairly open religion, depending on the tradition you follow. Many prefer to follow an eclectic path as it allows them to form their own tradition and follow what feels right to them. But research actual traditions in case there is one that fits you, before deciding if you want to be an eclectic. Sometimes people prefer standard traditions to eclecticism. "I have heard from some of my older friends that say to become a Wicca/Witch you also have to be physic? Is this true?" --No. Psychism is an ability that ANYONE can posess, and you don't have to be a witch to practice it. Its just coincidential that some witches practices psychism as they are better able to control themselves enough to concentrate. If there are any more questions, ask away, for when we ask questions we learn, and learning has never been a bad thing. Don't let those who don't believe get you down, as there will always be those who won't understand our workings.

Answer 4

In short? okay. Wicca is an Earth based religion (we honor nature) that believes everything is a part of the Divine. As such all life is sacred and should be honored. We believe the sum of all masculine energy is the God and the sum of all feminine energy is the Goddess. We believe in reincarnation. We believe that all paths to the Divine are valid. We have but one law called the Wiccan Rede: "An in it harm none, do as thou whilst" that also includes harming ourselves.

Magic is best explained as a form of pray except that instead of asking a Divine entity for help, we believe the power exists within ourselves.

If you want to know more I would suggest reading the book "The Truth About Witchcraft Today" by Scott Cunningham.

Blessed Be )O(

Answer 5

Witches are those who do magick. You don't have to be Wiccan to be a witch, but many witches are Wiccan.

Most Wiccans do not actually worship any Gods or Goddesses, at least not in the Christian way - - - we're not looking for salvation or any beyond-life favors. We engage in rituals to celebrate the Deities whose ways we enjoy, or with whom we have personal agreements, or that we are trying to learn about or contact; and we engage in these rituals sometimes to appease Deities whom we may have offended or to contact and make new personal agreements with other Deities. We rarely consider that any of these Deities created the world or are responsible for all of fate, we consider that they are part of existence, part of the season turning, part of the moon rising. There's a 'nameless' Deity whom almost every Wiccan revere just called the Goddess, and She is a part of all life everywhere. One of the reasons that we do not worship them in the Christian, or Judeaic, or Muslim way is that we have been taught and recognize that they and we are actually equal in ultimate power, just that the focus of their existence is metaphysical and the focus of ours is physical, and that they need to interact with us just as much as we need to interact with them. In discussing these things with Wiccans, you will discover a more reverent, sacred attitude that may disagree with some of these statements, but keeping looking deeper, and you might find that my perception is close to correct.

There are belief-branches, but rarely does anyone in anyof these branches say or have the attitude that 'we are right and they are wrong' - - - the different traditions or ways are considered choices that are like different flavors of food that are all ultimately nourishing. There are some traditions that are more dogmatic or judgemental than others, of course. Listing the traditions is difficult - - - you might do internet searches for 'Wicca Traditions'
.
Two very widespread Wicaa Traditions are the Gardnerians (based on the work of Gerald Gardner) and the Alexandrians (based on the work of one of Gardner's students).
Most Wiccan Groups have a rite of entrance that is nothing more than a social ceremony that they call initiation. Many more have a kind of dedication rite. But some have serious initiation rites, in which the person involved goes thru a simulated 'death', changes and begins learning to do magick purposefully (whether there is a spiritual focus or not). Most Wiccan groups have some version of the 'three degrees' strata of spiritual development, spending at least a year and a day in each degree. What is involved in each varies with the tradition, but almost uniformly only 3rd degrees can be High Priests or High Priestesses. In our rites generally the High Priest does not pray to any particular God so much as invoke that God and temporarily become that God's mortal incarnation, and the same with High Priestess and the Goddess involved.

I hope that helps!

Answer 6

I am so pleased that you did not get a bunch of crap from the ignorant ones! There are some really good answers here, but as you can plainly see you cannot possibly get all one knows about wicca, witches & magick in short!
BB
)O(

Answer 7

Hmmm... Kinda hard to make it short but....
Wicca is a way of life, it celebrates life in all forms. It is also aware of the energies that flow from anything living. Magic is a way of controlling those energies. (It is not that instant gratification you see on TV)
If you are interested there are many good books on the subject, they are good for starting to learn more.

Answer 8

I have a friend who is Wiccan. She believes in nature and everyone is part of it. They do do spells and what not but only for the good. Wiccan's preform white magic and not black magic. That is about all the more I can help you with it.

Answer 9

Wicca is a neo-pagan religion. Here is a link to more detailed information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca

Answer 10

Wicca is a very old, pagan, Celtic religion. It is based on the principles of loving and respecting every piece of nature and living being and using nature around you to create a result(i.e. magic/majick). This religion is beautiful actually. The only thing I couldn't get used to is the polytheism(They celebrate and worship the God AND Goddess).

Answer 11

It's a Pagan religion. If I remember right, Wicca in it's present form is pretty new, compared to other Pagan religions.