should I be Wicca?

Question

My family are christen but I don't really believe in their faith. I slightly believe in parts of it. I don't practice Wiccan but I want to. How should I tell them? Also what would change? Holidays are super impotant in my family. Would I be giving that up? Plus, how old do you have to be to start training? Please tell me all you can about being Wiccan so I know what I am getting into?

I just want to say that your words are appreciated so much. I'm scared because I don't know how my parents will react and what will happen. You guys are a big help!

Answer 1

Wicca's a bunch of b/s. Witches don't exist. You should be what you believe in.

Personally, I recommend agnosticism. No matter what religion you pick, there is absolutely no way to prove it. Agnosticism recognizes this.

Answer 2

Wicca is modern construct, based on folk traditions and other completely invented concepts that the founders liked.

I'm a trad witch, not a Wiccan. My personal worship has manifest itself since I can remember. Originally, it focused on the moon, on identifing with and calling up the winds and storms, on researching pagan pantheons, ESP, ghost sightings and witch stories in elementary and junior high, and on personal mythology. My rituals were minimal, and involved candles, objects of personal significance incluing an anthame, offerings to the spirits, etc. Even a seance and guided meditations to my fellow tweens, and writing down spells I had read of significance. I was an ambitious child. When I grew up, I realized I had been practicing witchcraft all my life; right down to the familar cat, hat, knife, cape, and other tools that I've had since I was 12 years old. Well, that's useful to know.

Not everyone 'plays' with magic as a child. Only witches do. If you practice magic, and believe it works for you; if you see things no one can see and believe them to be real; if you're always wanted to dress up as one, or try to hear your cat talking to you, or anything that could get you burnt by Xians as a witch, then you are one, whether you choose the Wiccan style or not. I personally don't care for it, but many find it useful for the structure. You can even be a Xian witch, a Jewitch, or any other type of pagan practioner and still use the religious symbolism from other traditions. I even know a few Islamic witches. We're very egalitarian.

Answer 3

Heres a quote from a site that is no longer running, it sums up about telling your family, then one of my rants will follow:

"If you'd ever read Wicca's 161 laws, you'd know that you're not supposed to claim Wicca as a religion -- in fact, you're supposed to preach that witchcraft is evil and deny that you practice it. But then you wouldn't be able to campaign for Sabbats off at work or send angry letters to your senators... let alone wear plate-sized pentacles to get attention!"

If you dont have a set belief and all you know is Christianity, I advise you look around before dedicating yourself to any set religion, if you believe in some Christian views, theirs Zoroastrianism, pretty much like Christianity, just a Persian version, your've got Judaism, the religion on which Christianity was built, Islam... then you have a lot of others spanning through Asia and Africa, Polynesia and so forth. Look around before dedicating yourself to Wicca.

If your serious, get some books by Gerald Gardner, since he created wicca in 1952, the foundation of Wicca would be the best place to start.

Answer 4

I strongly reccomend that you examine your moral and ethical foundations before you ever learn to use magick. If anger, self-importance, being 'right', seeking vengence over petty squabbles are a part of your life-style then please avoid making your karma even worse by learning magick. I would suggest that you study the teachings of the Buddha and apply them to your life for at least a year before you begin working with energies. I have seen too many get into a magickal practice for the wrong reasons and they become a pariah to others in the 'community' and end up causing themselves alot of harm in the long-term view. If you decide to study Wicca, you can do so without training for magick. This is good because you should have a well grounded understanding of the Wiccan philosophy, symbology, and world-view before you get into any advanced studies. You can research without training.

Answer 5

I wouldn't tell your parents until you've done enough research to know if it is really for you. No sense in getting them all upset if you decide it's not for you.

You can celebrate whatever holiday you wish with your family. There's nothing saying you can't have Christmas dinner with them, or Easter Mass, etc.

To begin training with a Coven, you must be 18 years of age.

In the meantime there are MANY good books and internet resources you can work with.

Please feel free to message me if you have specific questions about Wicca in the future. You can evade the Christian guilt trips this way.

I also have suggested reading lists and other info for you.
http://www.allexperts.com/user.cgi?m=4&expID=73844&catID=3207

Answer 6

You should only be Wicca if you believe in it, not just because you want to practice it...people who try to practice and don't believe are called Dabblers and usually things don't go as planned. But Wicca is a very beautiful religion based in nature and communal understanding--why not? Do some research, ask many questions. Locate a coven in your area and set up an interview. Don't make a rash decision.

Answer 7

I am fourteen years old and a witch. You can believe in whatever you want, even combining more than one faith. You should do a lot of research before you commit yourself to anything. I do not now how it will go over with your family, because mine really didn't care. You can celebrate double holidays if you want, I do. You just celebrate your Wiccan holidays by yourself and celebrate your family's holidays with them Holidays can be about having fun :). You can be any age when you start training, as long as you understand what you are learning. I did most of my training from books and off the internet. Wicca is a religion, as serious as any other one. You have to be prepared to commit yourself to it and to all the positive ideas involved. There are no negative things in real Wicca. If you want to start training, I suggest To Ride a Silver Broomstick by Silver RavenWolf as an excellent introduction to Wicca.

Answer 8

How old are you? Everyone goes through a phase when they are a young teen where they are interested in magic, or magick. There is nothing wrong with Wicca, but I think you will have a lot of trouble with your family if you change now. Why don't you try going to a different Christian church instead. That will be hard enough for them. Are they Fundamentalist? Try going to the Episcopal Church for a change of pace. And in a years time if you are still interested in Wicca, get a book at the library and read about it.

Answer 9

That's something you should decide for yourself.

If you say yes, you'll have two multi-faceted gods, and lot's of nature loving ahead of you. You can still celebrate holidays, Hell, I've not been a Christian for 5 years now, and I still do Christmas and what not.

Also, wait to tell them until you are well versed in the practices and laws regarding it. If you are under 18, they can legally prevent you from practicing it. They may also see you as a devil worshipper.

Answer 10

If you want to know more about Wicca, Yahoo!Answers is not the place to look...word of mouth tends to displace information.
You should tell someone in your family with a one-on-one. but get ready for sparks to fly with your parents.

Answer 11

I'll tell you the basics of the Wiccan religion as I've learned it, and then answer your questions.

The central tenet of the Wiccan religion is the Wiccan Rede: "If you harm none, do what you will." This is a deceptively simple "commandment" which can take a lifetime to contemplate and to master.

Wiccans honor Deity as both male and female, God and Goddess -- or at the very least as Goddess. We believe that the universe is the body of God/dess, and therefore that all things contain Divine energy and that the world itself is sacred. Some Wiccans are polytheists (many God/desses); others are duotheists (God and Goddess, of whom all other Gods and Goddesses are simply aspects); others are monotheists (God and Goddess Themselves are simply aspects of an unknowable Source).

Wiccans do not believe that God/dess is separate from the world; therefore, we have no concept of salvation, since God/dess is present to all and always. Many Wiccans believe that God/dess is too big to fit inside one religion -- all religions/spiritual paths are ways of reaching the same goal, and atheism and agnosticism are honorable perspectives on the mystery of life.

Each Wiccan operates as their own priest/ess. We do not have a distinction between clergy and laity. Therefore, each Wiccan is responsible for their own personal development and for forging their own relationship with God/dess.

Wiccans do not usually have churches. We create sacred space as and where needed, by casting "circles" of energy which function as temples. When inside those circles, we invite the spirits of the four Platonic elements (air, fire, water, and earth) to join us, as well as the Goddess and the God (or at minimum the Goddess).

Many Wiccans practice witchcraft, which we see as working with the Divine energy that permeates the world to bring about change. In accordance with the Wiccan Rede, the vast majority of Wiccans will not curse or perform magic to bring harm upon anyone else.

A relatively objective (non-Wiccan) set of articles on what Wiccans do and believe, as well as the history of the religion:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.htm

Now, to your questions:

1) How should you tell them? I'd say don't, not until you make a firm decision. Wicca is a religion that requires a lot of dedication from those who follow it, and after looking into it you might decide that it's just not right for you.

2) What would change? That depends on you and how seriously you devote yourself to study, learning, and practice. Some aspects of Wicca can change your entire worldview. If nothing else, you'll develop a deeper sense of connection with all other life on Earth and with nature itself, as well as the Goddess and the God.

3) Would you be giving up holidays? No, not unless you want to. Wiccans have nothing that prevents us from participating in secular holidays, or from entering a church with respect for the religion being praccticed there.

4) How old do you have to be to start training? Most Wiccan groups won't accept students or participants below the age of majority in their area, for legal reasons, unless the parents give signed forms of consent. Wicca is a religion that has very mature themes, so I wouldn't recommend it for someone who isn't at least in their mid-teens. If you're interested in finding individuals and groups in your area, try the Witches of the World section on Witchvox:

http://www.witchvox.com/xvn.html

Use the pull-down menus on the left to choose your part of the world.

One book I would highly recommend that you pick up is "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner" by Scott Cunningham. Unlike Silver Ravenwolf, it's generally respected by more experienced Wiccans and will give you a good grounding in the basics. The following article describes "Why We Despise Silver Ravenwolf":

http://wicca.timerift.net/ravenwolf.shtml

I wish you the best of luck on your path.