Do followers of Wicca recite spells?

Question

I am just curious if followers of Wicca do witchcraft. Do they hold ceremonies and believe in magic? I remember a while ago I had a girlfriend that said that she would meet with other people and cast spells, and she said she was a wiccan but she did not keep up with it and I never really inquired. Is there a variety of Wiccans, do some of them do everything out of symbolism but not really believe in magic? Is there such a thing as an Atheist Wiccan?

I consider myself an Atheist, but I also believe everything comes from nature and everything is part of nature. At the same time I do not believe that nature is an entity that thinks for itself. Would this also be some of the beliefs of the members of Wicca?

Joleen,

I could do that.. But I would rather just ask here. Actually every question on this site has been appropriately answered and easily found through Google, but I like the interaction with people and also the variety of answers I receive.

I am not looking for a religion. I am just curious.

Answer 1

The questions are simple enough but the answers are very complicated, both because Wicca itself is a very specific often misunderstood religion and magic is not as the general population believe it to be. In other words it is very complicated to answer without an academic lecture or essay too long for Yahoo! Answers to cope with – but I'll sure try to answer best I can ;o)

All practicing Wicca are witches, it is a major aspect of their religion, so they do in fact hold ceremonies or rituals often for Sabbats and Esabbats (religious holidays) but also for other events and magic work, all those following Wicca believe in magic, and symbolism is an important part of that magic.

Magic within religious witchcraft has its basis in prayer and belief, but witchcraft in general works with manipulation of power/energy/intent (will, a 'power' everyone has for manipulating a situation), psychology (think Darren Brown's use of the mind) and nature (e.g. using herbs for healing work) – think less like the make-believe magic seen in TV shows like Charmed, and more along the lines of magic being lifehacks with a little mystery and natural know-how.

Spells are used within Wicca and witchcraft, these are a sort of mini-ritual often symbolic that are put together by the person casting the spell, but Wicca also use ceremonial magic like that of the Golden Dawn or Freemasonry – traditional stereotype being old guys in robes using highly ritual-based symbolic gestures in elaborate occult rituals, not quite the case but the easiest way of explaining 'higher-magic' to someone who does not know.

Wicca tend to practice in covens or working groups, but Wicca can and do practice solitary as well. Coven work tends to be thought of as more effective, but really it depends on what you are doing – solitary may be more personal which holds strength in working, groups may raise more power with shared intent. What is referred to as the 'cone of power' is a good example of why coven work is favoured over solitary in many cases - http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/c/cone_of_power.html

There is no such thing as an Atheist Wiccan – unless you count someone who has converted, you see once someone is initiated into Wicca they are always considered Wicca, so a person can be Wicca but later to convert to Atheism and technically be considered an Atheist and Wiccan [Atheist Wiccan] but highly unlikely to call themselves this. That is really just semantics.

Like any other religion there are a set of beliefs, practices, doctrines and gods, without following these things a person is not part of that religion, within Wicca they would follow their gods and practices, including witchcraft, just as if someone was a Christian they would believe in God and in most cases celebrate Christmas as part of their practice. StarFire Rising is the website of the Starkindler line, so a reliable source of information on Wicca, this is their explanation of what Wicca is - http://www.starkindler.org/wicca.html

What you are describing sounds a little like Scientific Pantheism, not Wicca. Pantheism is the belief that there is a divine being present in all things, where as with Scientific Pantheism it is more towards the belief that everything is divine or sacred, not necessarily that there is a divine being at all. Scientific Pantheism - http://www.pantheism.net/paul/index.htm

Answer 2

this question is multi layered, and very difficult to answer compleatly.

even the designation of a Wiccan is up for debate. some of the British Traditionalist's believe that you cannot become a Wiccan unless you go through one of their Covens and are trained to be Wiccan.

Many solitary wiccans in America and the rest of the world disagree.

Most people simply call themselves Pagan, and some such as myself will use a descriptor to tel which pantheon of gods that we follow. (i am a Celtic Pagan) naturaly i follow the Celtic Gods and Goddesses.

without getting too far off base,

most Wiccans do believe in Magic, be it from a natural source of something divine. there are a variety of Wiccans. the Solitary wiccans and what many call the Big W Wiccans(British Traditionalists)

I am sue that some do do things out of symbolism. however i would think that it would be hard to be a member of a Spiritual religion like Wicca and not have some belief in Magic or the Gods.

Wicca is rooted in God and Goddess worship. however like many Pagan religions it is very flexible as to which god and goddess you worship.

I have never heard of an Athiest Wiccan, but i am sure that somewhere they exist.

Answer 3

When i was wicca, I heard that I could make up my own spells, thusly any spell used in harry Potter (if used in witchcraft) will work. There are the wicca/christians. Those who are saved and try to mix wicca with christianity wven though the Bible says that is a no go. There are christians that can curse and bless people, that is called the spiritual law of blessing and cursing. There are the hollywood wiccans, I hear, i don't know what that is, there are teen in it, but I think they are just into it because they want to feel powerful. There are the wiccans who are really serious about their religion and hold meetings and cast spells and come together in groups.

Answer 4

Some authorites say a new religion or a twist on an old one starts every month in a major way someplace on this planet. So if you think you are an atheist wiccan then you are! You don't need our approval. Although wicca having a central tenent of dual God and Goddess may not exactly coincide with true Atheism. Maybe secular humanism is more your theme, or rationalist with a twist of celtic philosophy? Whatever you say you are that's fine. You have nothing to prove to anyone as long as you are content with your belief system or lack of such.

Answer 5

Wiccans and Pagans do recite spells but it's alot of work to do, not only does your energy escape your body for the positive effect of the spell, but preparing also takes alot of energy out of you. We do hold ceremonies, some of those ceremonies are called sabbats, other times it's just a positive ritual. We do believe in magic yes, but it's more about positive thinking. It's not like we point at something and it appears.

You have similar pagan beliefs, except for not believing Mother Nature is an entity. She is, look at all the natural disasters we have: Hurricane Katrina and the Tsunami. Do you actually think it just happened? She is trying to tell us that there is something wrong in this world and we need to fix it before it all ends.

Anyways, that's my two cents

Answer 6

Yes, they recite spells. Whether or not they work...that's another question.

If there is any truth to the old saying "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.", that truth is found in the occult, and Wicca in particular. Silver Ravenwolf has written close to a dozen books on the subject of "The Craft", and claims she has been studying it since about 1969, which is almost as long as I’ve been alive. She has written a book on how to cast money spells, and includes a chapter on how to do so in her Teen Witch book. But the thing is, she doesn't particularly sound all that prosperous herself. Ravenwolf writes,

" For years I couldn't afford to go to a hair stylist (still can't, it's shop and chop for me). I got pretty good at stying my own hair from looking at magazine pictures" [SOURCE: Teen Witch, Llewellyn Publications, 2003 edition, page 145]

OK, she so rich she can't go to the hairdresser. Hey, get me a copy of that Prosperity Spell book!

Silver Ravenwolf seems to have inadvertently discovered that Wicca makes things worse, but won't ever admit it as such.
In Teen Witch she says

"A lot of people tell me how bad their lives have gotten after casting a spell and tell me they won't do Witchcraft anymore. I tell them their lives would have been much worse for not having cast the spell".

Gee Silver, you would think a lot of people would be saying things like "Hey, Silver Ravenwolf, my life has improved tremendously with Wicca!" if Wicca is as great as they claim. Instead it makes lives much worse, and even Silver Ravenwolf admits she hears this a lot!!!

Answer 7

Well if you like Paganism but don't necessarily believe in actual deities, you could look up Pantheism and Naturalistic Paganism (Pagan Humanism). Your view on Nature sounds very similar.

Here's some links
http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~leta/natpag/
http://www.pantheism.net/

Many Wiccans practice magic (not the kind Hollywood and Christian fundies think), it's more like folk magic or perhaps a better description is it's like a ritualized prayer to their God or Goddess of choice. Not all Wiccans practice magic however. And not all Pagans are Wiccans either. Some Pagans in fact never practice magic. It's completely up to the person and what they feel comfortable with.

There are some Pagans who view the Gods and Goddesses as archetypes.

Answer 8

Spells in Wicca/paganism are in a sence prayers much like those of other religions but not all wiccans practice their beliefs with others. There are several that practice by themselves.
Their power comes from there surroundings ( mother earth) as there is energy in every living being. You can learn more by doing a search for sites on wicca/paganism. One good site is www.witchvox.com

Answer 9

Yes, what you are describing are the basic beliefs of true Wiccans. Yes, spells, ceremonies and rituals are part of the Wicca life, but not as dark source. Wicca is about the balance of nature and it's energies.

Answer 10

There are several different traditions of Wicca, but that does not always dictate belief. Everyone has a different worldly interpretation, and with no dogma, it is possible, although unusual to find an atheist wiccan.(assuming they still take the god/goddess concept in some form)