What are wicca or wiccan beleifs?

Question

Is it a group? If so where do you join? What are the core beliefs? Can I wear a cool black hat?

Answer 1

There are groups aka covens. You cant just walk up to a coven and say can I join? Most covens wont accept any new members into the coven without 1 year and 1 day of studies. Mostly with a high member of the coven. There are different covens just as there are different denominations of the christian religion. There are several groups on yahoo etc.. that allows new members to join to learn more about the religion.
However even tho there are several different types of wiccans, there are those that follow the Gardnerian trade, alexanderian trade, celtic, eclectic,
Here are a few quotations from a good site...
1."If you take [a copy of] the Christian Bible and put it out in the wind and the rain, soon the paper on which the words are printed will disintegrate and the words will be gone. Our bible IS the wind and the rain." Herbalist Carol McGrath as told to her by a Native-American woman.
2."When one defines oneself as Pagan, it means she or he follows an earth or nature religion, one that sees the divine manifest in all creation. The cycles of nature are our holy days, the earth is our temple, its plants and creatures our partners and teachers. We worship a deity that is both male and female, a mother Goddess and father God, who together created all that is, was, or will be. We respect life, cherish the free will of sentient beings, and accept the sacredness of all creation." Edain McCoy

The american council of witchs in 1974 gave this basic list of 13 principles. These principles are not the exact wording for every trade but a good list to start off with understanding with wicca beliefs.
1. We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarters.
2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility towards our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.
3. We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary it is sometimes called "supernatural", but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.
4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity-as masculine and feminine-and that this same Creative Power lies in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship. 2
5. We recognize both outer and inner, or psychological, worlds -- sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, Inner Planes, etc. -- and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.
6. We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.
7. We see religion, magick and wisdom-in-living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it -- a world view and philosophy of life which we identify as Witchcraft, the Wiccan Way.
8. Calling oneself "Witch" does not make a Witch -- but neither does heredity itself, nor the collecting of titles, degrees and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with Nature. 3
9. We believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness, that gives meaning to the Universe we know, and our personal role within it.
10. Our only animosity towards Christianity, or toward any other religion or philosophy of life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be "the only way," and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practice and belief.
11. As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the origins of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present and our future.
12. We do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do we worship any entity known as "Satan" or "the Devil", as defined by Christian tradition. 4 We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do we accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another.
13. We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.

Wiccan Deities: Beliefs differ: Most Wiccans believe that a creative force exists in the universe, which is sometimes called "The One" or " The All". Little can be known of this force.

Most regard the Goddess and the God as representing the female and male aspects of the All. These deities are not "out there somewhere;" they are immanent in the world.

The term "Wicca" normally implies that the person's religion is based upon Celtic spiritual concepts, deities, and seasonal days of celebration. Some Wiccans include beliefs, practices and symbols from ancient Pagan religions (e.g. Egyptian, Greek, various mystery religions, Roman, Sumerian) or upon Aboriginal religions (Native American Spirituality, Shamanism).

It cannot be stressed enough that Wiccans have no supernatural being in their pantheon of deities who resembles the Christian-Muslim Satan.

Wicca is a natural religion, grounded in the earth. All living things (including stars, planets, humans, animals, plants, rocks) are regarded as having a spirit. Many Wiccan rituals deal with bringing harmony and healing to nature. Wiccans tend to share a great concern for the environment.

That is just part to get you started... along with the 13 principles every wiccan lives by what is known as "the wiccan rede" or "three fold law". This is one version, other versions differ by slightly changing of words...
Bide you the Wiccan laws you must, in perfect love and perfect trust.
Live and let live, fairly take and fairly give.
Cast the circle thrice about, to keep the unwelcome spirits out.
To bind the spell every time, let the spell be spake in rhyme.
Soft of eye and light of touch, speak little and listen much.
Deosil go by the waxing moon, chanting out the Wiccan rune.
Widdershins go by the waning moon, chanting out the baleful tune.
When the Lady's moon is new, kiss your hand to Her times two.
When the moon rides at Her peak, then the heart's desire seek.
Heed the North wind's mightly gale, lock the door and trim the sail.
When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss you on the mouth.
When the wind blows from the West, departed spirits will have no rest.
When the wind blows from the East, expect the new and set the feast.
Nine woods in the cauldron go, burn them quick and burn them slow.
Elder be the Lady's tree, burn it not or cursed you'll be.
When the wheel begins to turn, let the Beltane fire burn.
When the wheel has turned to Yule, light the log, the Horned One rules.
Heed you flower, bush and tree, by the Lady, blessed be.
Where the rippling waters go, cast a stone, the truth to know.
When you have and hold a need, harken not to other's greed.
With a fool no seasons spend, or be counted as his friend.
Merry meet and merry part, bright the cheeks and warm the heart.
Mind the Threefold Law you should, three times bad and three times good.
When misfortune is enow, wear the blue star on your brow.
True in love you must ever be, lest their love be false to thee.
These words the Wiccan Rede fulfll: An it harm none, do what you will.


Just look up anything on wicca or wiccan/pagan beliefs and you can find alot of info on the different trades. also this site is pretty good.
www.witchvox.com

Answer 2

Wicca is a polytheistic nature based religion. Most of us belive in a Goddess and a God and celebrate the changing of the seasons and the cycles of the moon. Wicca is not witchcraft. Witchcraft is a non-religious practice that can be done by anyone of any religion and while it is true that most Wiccan are witches not all witches are Wiccan. Our main laws are the Wiccan rede which states that as long as you do not hurt anyone do what you want, and the law of return which states that all that you do will return to you three times (karma). Wicca is not really organized but there are some groups called covens or circles that you can look into once you have studied a bit more. Black hats aren't really a part of our religion. Blessed be (thats a Wiccan blessing.) )O(

Answer 3

If your mother doesn't want you to get books on Wicca, then she probably doesn't want you reading about it on the Internet either. Respect her wishes. Wicca will still be here when you turn 18. In the meantime, if your mother will permit it, read about world religions, mythology, meditation, ecology, biology, and so forth. Read Victorian and Edwardian literature -- the Wiccan concept of the Mother Goddess and the Horned God sprang from those sources. There are a lot of things you can learn about that will be useful if you decide to pursue Wicca later on. I can't stress enough that it's impossible to praise the Gods with the same mouth you use to lie to your earthly parents (thank you, Labgrrl, for that particular analogy). If you can't convince your mother to let you study Wicca... don't. Secrecy and lies are a very poor basis for a spiritual practice and you'd end up regretting it in the end.

Answer 4

Wicca was started by Gerald Gardner in New Forrest England circa 1950. He was a nudist & masochist and basically created Wicca as a sex cult. Followers nowadays like to forget that part, and instead fantasize they have magical powers.

Adian Kelly wrote a book on the history of Wicca called "Crafting The Art of Magic" in the 1980's. Wiccans had a fit when it was published, and pressured Llewyllyn to take it out of print. It was supposed to be the first in a series of books. I think Adian Kelly probably summed it up best when he said this about the Gardnerian "Book of Shadows", the closest thing Wicca has to a sacred book:

" [M]any of the Book of Shadows rituals did not exist in 1954 (when Witchcraft Today was published) but instead were still being written. [T]he major sources from which the rituals had been constructed included: (a) Mather's edition of the Greater Key of Solomon; (b) Aleister Crowley's Magic in Theory and Practice; (c) Leland's Aradia (d) some Masonic rituals akin to those described by Duncan and those of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (aside from those transmitted by Crowley; and (e) Margaret Murray's The Witch Cult in Western Europe. There were also bits and pieces from other works by Leland, Jane E. Harrison, Gilbert Murray, James Frazier, and other great classicists from the 19th century. That accounted for EVERYTHING in the rituals! There was nothing left that differed in any important way from what you can find in those sources- - but that is NOT at all what Gardner had claimed!"

It's a religion where anything can be added in, where the followers mistakenly think they have magic powers, and it's not older than rock and roll, even though it's called the "Old Religion". Authors like Gavin and Yvonne Frost, Silver Raven Wolf, Raymond Buckland, Scott Cunningham crank out books about how to get love, money, and above all else "protection". The Frost's Magic Power of White Witchcraft says "Witchcraft Can Make You Rich in a Ghetto" according to the title of chapter 11. However, the Frosts themselves aren't rich. Coincidentally, they claim to have taken a "vow of poverty" according to one of their webpages, to explain why they apparently can't make their spells work either.

When I visited England (the birthplace of Wicca) in May, I found it was practiced mostly by juvenile deliquents, much the same way Satanism is here in the U.S. No one seems to take it seriously over there. An very knowldgeable historian I talked to in Kent, when asked about Wicca, told me I should try a pub!

Eventually Ronald Huitton wrote his own history of Wicca, called "Triumph of the Moon". Hutton is a history professor at Oxford, so he is not easliy dismissed. Even though some Wiccans have realized their history is a sham, they still want to cling to the "witch" fantasy by calling it a "reconstructionist movement". But you can't reconstruct something which never existed in the first place. Even so, these types still seem to allude to their religion being thousands of years old.

Answer 5

Wicca does have some organized groups, but it is not an organized religion. You are free to worship in wicca pretty much as you please. It is more based on your own experiences using Mother God metaphors more than on any core set of beliefs. I'm not wicca, but this is my very basic understanding of it.

Answer 6

This is my standard reply to such questions, I'll admit. :-) But here goes...

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. Some Wiccans practice in covens, which are generally initiatory and require a long period of study (traditionally a year and a day) before entering. Others practice in loosely affiliated groups of solitaries, which are Wiccans who practice outside of traditional coven structure. Others simply practice alone.

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:

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

Witchcraft 101 would go something like this, at least as I was taught: All things in the universe are interconnected by energy, which some witches (including Wiccans) perceive as Divine in nature. This is how witchcraft works: by focussing my intent, and using sympathetic correspondances (certain herbs for courage, for example), I can create an amulet using those herbs which will stimulate courage in the person who wears it. Similarly, by using a lock of hair from a person who is ill, I can (with their permission) set energies in motion that will help them to heal.

Witchcraft is not a game, or a toy. It is a serious process of setting energies in motion, some of them quite large. And if you're not careful, the backlash can be very nasty.

Say, for example, you do a spell to get $2000 to pay a bill, but do not specify "with harm to none" or any other conditions. You might end up getting that $2000 dollars -- because you slipped on some ice, broke your arm, and are getting an insurance settlement worth $2000. Each spell has to be carefully thought out and prepared, and executed with focus, or else nothing at all is going to happen.

Witchcraft is not something you learn how to do overnight. It's a process of becoming attuned to yourself and the universe around you. One of the first lessons any Wiccan is taught is: "Know thyself." This isn't easy, and often it isn't pretty, but it IS necessary.

If you're seriously looking for Wiccans in your area, you can check out the Witches of the World section at Witchvox:

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

Just use the pull-down menus on the left to find individuals, groups, shops, and events.

I wish you the best of luck.

Answer 7

Although I doubt your sincerity with the "cool black hat" statement, this is the link to the answers I got with a similiar question.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Al_x1CqeWgClHQfW0TKrhaTsy6IX?qid=20060819074730AAL9kIV

Answer 8

Use google and go read websites on what it is.

Or you could even go visit your library and look up books on it.

Answer 9

1. Wicca is a religion
2. Some self dedicate themselves, some join a coven. http://www.witchvox.com/ will give you links to covens in your area
3. Here are the 13 Principles of Wiccan Belief from the Council of American Witches.


1. We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal quarters and cross-quarters. (Wiccans believe that the moon is a part of the power of the Goddess. That is relevant by its correlation to a woman's menstrual cycle and the tides. We have 8 Sabbats that make up the Wheel of the Year as well as 13 Esbats-Full Moons.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbaigo8rv...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvtyltahy...

2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept. We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than is apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary, it is sometimes called sometimes called "supernatural," but we see it lying within that which is naturally potential to all.
(Magick comes from an ability to control your environment through attuning with the elements and keys)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g3j7pteq...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4quqrsua7...


3. We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary it is sometimes called "supernatural", but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogT7qXpa3rg

4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the Universe as manifesting through polarity--as masculine and feminine--and that this same creative power lives in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sexuality as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of Life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7amcuqnoz...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edltlev1t...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f76p-xcsb...

5. We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological worlds--sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, the Inner Planes, etc.--and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.
(Our innerverse is ours to control and as part of that, we can contrl the outerverse)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pqrkigrb...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzxdya-qo...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guvf1guac...

6. We do not recognize and authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.
(We have high priests and priestesses, but we don't let them interpret what we believe. We make up our own minds and lead our own rituals.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sln_q73up...

7. We see religion, magick, and wisdom-in-living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it--a world view and philosophy of life, which we identify as Witchcraft or the Wiccan Way.
(Magick is everywhere and everyone does it. It shapes the way we look at the world.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwossk97y...

8. Calling oneself “Witch” does not make a Witch--but neither does heredity itself, or the collecting of titles, degrees, and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within him/herself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well, without harm to others, and in harmony with Nature.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zgbrutbo...

9. We acknowledge that it in the affirmation and fulfillment of life, in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness, that gives meaning to the Universe we know, and to our personal role within it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udy5upzmp...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axykowjsk...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l-hodcsl...

10. Our only animosity toward Christianity, or toward any other religion or philosophy-of-life, is to the extent its institutions have claimed to be “the one true right and only way” and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practices and belief.
(We believe that all people come to their own religious path. To interfere and try to actively convert someone away is a deception of the soul.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qylfbcj3e...

11. As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present, and our future.
(Some people claim that Wicca is a very new religion, others say it is pre-Christian. This does not concern us as we see our beliefs as personal and not political.)

12. We do not accept the concept of “absolute evil,” nor do we worship any entity known as “Satan” or “the Devil” as defined by Christian Tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do we accept the concept that personal benefits can only be derived by denial to another.
(The Devil or Satan is purely a Christian and Muslim concept. Wiccans don't see our Gods as having a Good and Bad persona. They are Nature and nature is both)

13. We work within Nature for that which is contributory to our health and well-being.
(Wiccans have a strong desire to be environmentally conscious)

4. Yes, you can wear a cool black hat, many witches go naked, too.