Wicca Religion?

Question

I am extremly interested in this religion, and have been for the last 6 years. I have a couple of books but they just dont give the information that I am looking for and I would like to know if anyone knows of any good sites out there about the topic. I know very little, but the things I do know is that we worship two or more god or goddesses, but who are they, where do they come from? How do I know wich one to worship, wich one is right for me? I do know that you can practice solotary and I know that's what I want to do, but where do I start? What is the history of Wicca? Every time I look it up on the internet I get the same things, you know, the old wicca is not evil, we dont worship the evil ext ... I know that already, I want to know more. Im ready and want to learn. Any good sites anyone, please :-)

Answer 1

www.witchvox.com has TONS of sites to go to...

www.wicca.com helped me once...

also, the horned god is the god we worship, and the goddess is mainly portrayed as 3 women... diana-mother, selene-maiden, and hecate-crone...god is associated with the sun/gold, goddess with the moon/silver, wicca is witchcraft just sounds better than calling yourself a witch to "other people". if you have any other questions please ask me. the history of wicca/witchcraft predates christianity by like 28,000 years.

Answer 2

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/wicca101/Wicca_101.htm

Q. How do You Know Which Gods to Worship?

A. This can be a difficult concept to grasp for anyone used to a simple, monotheistic faith. There is no confusion or questioning when there is only one God to deal with. But what about when there are hundreds to choose from? First of all, don't worry about it. If you find that the numerous pantheons are too complex to work with at first, there is nothing wrong with simply worshipping the God and the Goddess as unnamed Deities. Many Wiccans believe that "All Gods are one God, and All Goddesses are one Goddess" meaning that all the various Deities really just boil down to a single Being anyway.

If you prefer a more individualistic approach, you will want to work with a specific God or Goddess. So how do you choose? One way is to spend some time in meditation, and ask that a Deity make themselves known to you.

Then watch your life carefully for any signs that a God or Goddess is trying to get your attention. This passive approach works for some, but not for everyone. Remember, this is a very personal religion you've chosen and many experiences are different from one person to the next. If there doesn't seem to be any signs, then it's up to you to take the matters into your own hands.

Take some time and research the various pantheons (groups of Gods, such as Greek or Egyptian) and get a feel for them. Choose a God or Goddess that you feel would suit you. Don't choose based on some immediate need either. You're going to be developing a long-term relationship here. Learn everything you can about that God or Goddess, and then approach them. Invite them to your rituals, add items to your altar that reflect their qualities, spend more time in meditation looking to connect with Them.

Answer 3

As far as which God(s) or Goddess(es) you worship, that is mainly up to you, as the practitioner. The tradition you choose will have a bearing on the choice of Deities. You will know instantly after studying the myths and legends of certain gods or goddesses whether or not they resonate with you, it will just feel right(or it won't). A solitary witch should first look up all the info on the basics of witchcraft(which I see you doing), after studying for a while to "get a feel for it" you will need to find yourself an initiation ritual suitable for your purpose, one that speaks to you.
There are many sites that can help you with this, let me suggest the Book of Shadows at www.beyondweird.com.


Blessed be.

EDIT: Check out the answerer below me.These GODS and GODDESSES that I worship predate Judaic and Christian beliefs by at least 25,000 years, ergo, they must be evil spirits from YOUR religion, makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?

Answer 4

Depends on if you are looking for a history of Wicca or wicca (as in witchcraft).
Wicca is easy, Gerald Gardner "Witchcraft Today", " The meaning of Witchcraft", " High Magic's Aid". and his first book "A Goddess Arrives".As far as the other there is a very wide field to explore. Then it might depend on the particular type of witchcraft you were interested in.
you may be able to google it if you know the branch you are looking for.
As far as practicing as a solitary I strongly suggest Scott Cunningham's Guide for the Solitary Practitioner and Raymond
Buckland's Scottish Witchcraft, The History and Magick of the Picts.
BB
)O(

Answer 5

Books are best for information on Wicca, as there are different traditions that you can follow. The net will only get you so far.

Also, the God and Goddess go by many names, it is really up to you to get to know them and it wont happen overnight. The Goddess isn't always worshipped as Hecate/Selene/Diana, as there are many others which would follow the Triple aspect of her. The God also comes in many forms - Herne, Cernunnos, Pan, etc...

As for where they come from, I suppose we might never know, but my own theory, is that they simply evolved with the earth, as we did, but perhaps faster, or different to make them as they are now... I don't know. I don't think they simply appeared out of nowhere.

BB
)O(

Answer 6

I can help you on the history part.
This is a good lecture on the history of Wicca:
http://www.geraldgardner.com/History_of_Wicca_Revised.pdf

This is a short bio on the founder of Wicca, Gerald B. Gardner:
http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/g/gardner_gerald_b.html

The names of the deities that a Wiccan worships will depend on which tradition they follow and their personal experiences. You can start by reading about the deities worshiped by various cultures and see if you are drawn to any in particular. If Celtic deities interest you, I can give you some very good resources to learn about them. Just e-mail me.

Answer 7

Even if you'd like to worship/practice in solitary, it isn't a bad idea to get to know members of some local covens.

You don't have to practice with them-- HOWEVER it would be a great resource for you. They can tell you where the good book stores are, herbal shops, etc. Established practitioners in your region are great resources for those people just starting out.

(For example, there's a cobbler in our area...who also makes athames on special order. But there's no sign in his window, etc. You have to be refered to him by an existing client.)

I, too, keep my spirituality to myself. Its not something I've ever been comfortable sharing with the public. But I still have a good community of close friends who share views with me-- amongst us, we keep up to date on the news about the local businesses we frequent, our fellow friends in our community, etc.

Find people who believe as you do (or think you do!) and ask them as many questions as you can. What you believe to be true, you can interpret into your practices.
Take what you will, be a good person with good intentions and a good heart, and don't ever harm anyone else intentionally.

Answer 8

You worship satan! I know because I use to be into wicca and it will destroy your life. There are no gods and goddesses and powerful spells for protection. It is all satanic, no matter what other followers tell you, it is a LIE! You are being greatly deceived! These little so called gods and goddesses are fallen angels that they now call demons! They are all going to the lake of fire soon along with satan! Don't trust anyone who claims to be a witch! They are liars and they will lead you to evil! There is only one God and the only way for salvation is through Jesus Christ, who by the way saved me from what could have been an eternity in hell. I am now a born again Christian. Please take a look at this website and click on "false religions" then when you get on that page click on "wicca." It will tell you the truth. The REAL truth. There might be some other things that might interest you on there also. Don't put your trust in wicca as it is one BIG LIE and will ruin your eternity if you let it.

http://www.jesus-is-savior.com

Answer 9

Wicca is oath-bound, this means that the beliefs, doctrines, practices, mysteries and gods of Wicca are only taught to people within Wicca – as such no one but Wicca know what gods they follow as Wicca do not tell people who are not initiated. Wicca has its own specific gods that are thought to be European in origin, the gods within Wicca are known as the Horned God and Great Mother, these are outer court references meant to be used as place holders for the real names of their gods until the Seeker is initiated into Wicca and taught those names, and to help explain Wicca beliefs to those who are not Wicca without breaking any of their oaths.

You know what gods are right for you because they are the gods that you follow, it is no good looking into a religion that you know nothing about and hoping their god's suit what you are looking for. Belief is a very personal thing; you don't enter into a religion and change your beliefs to match those of the religion you have entered into.

Wicca can practice solitary, however in order to be Wicca you have to have been initiated first, solitary Wicca are those who have been initiated into Wicca via a British Traditional Witchcraft [BTW] coven and have left their coven for one reason or another. Without initiation into Wicca you cannot know the path that Wicca follow, there is however a religious path known as 'Neo-wicca' this is a spirituality that is based upon the outer-court teachings of Wicca (things about Wicca that are public knowledge), it is New Age so a person can have beliefs based on that of Wicca ideas but it can be highly personalised to suit your needs.

The history of Wicca itself is pretty brief, but there is a lot of history behind it in the way in which Gardner came to found Wicca and the history of influences that came to make up what Wicca is, such as Freemasonry, Paganism, and other occult sources. The short story is that Wicca was founded in around the 1930's when Gardner was within the New Forest Coven, the long story is far too much to post here, but the Gerald Gardner web site is probably the best place to start looking at the history of Wicca, here - http://www.geraldgardner.com – the book Triumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton is also a good resource for this, although a little bit heavy to read.

You start by reading, there is a LOT of ignorance and misinformation towards Wicca so it will take you a long time to learn the difference between a reliable and unreliable site or book – it helps a lot not just to read but to join an online forum or group so you can ask questions to help you find reliable information and answer your questions – Amber & Jet are particularly useful. The New Wiccan Church International has a fairly good letter to Seekers that may be useful to you, here - http://www.newwiccanchurch.net/seekers/index.htm

Any specific questions feel free to e-mail me from my profile.

Recommended web sites and books;

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.homecircle.info - Homecircle
http://www.starkindler.org/ - StarFire Rising
http://www.asiya.org/ - Asiya`s Shadows
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 10

www.thepagangrove.com Its a forum you can ask all kinds of questions. I am on there alot. Lots of nice ppl.