What is Wicca?

Question

Do you all believe in witchcraft and devil-worship? I have heard this from my friends at school and was wondering if this was true.

Answer 1

Wicca is a Neopagan religion and a religious movement found in various countries throughout the world. It was first popularised in 1954 by a British civil servant named Gerald Gardner[1] after the British Witchcraft Act was repealed. He claimed that the religion, of which he was an initiate, was a modern survival of an old witchcraft religion, which had existed in secret for hundreds of years, originating in the pre-Christian Paganism of Europe. Wicca is thus sometimes referred to as the Old Religion. The veracity of Gardner's claims cannot be independently proven, and it is thought that Wiccan theology began to be compiled no earlier than the 1920s.[2] Various related Wiccan traditions have since evolved or been adapted from the form established by Gardner, which came to be called Gardnerian Wicca. These other traditions of Wicca each have distinctive beliefs, rituals, and practices. Many traditions of Wicca remain secretive and require that members be initiated. There is also a movement of Eclectic Wiccans who do not believe that any doctrine or traditional initiation is necessary in order to practice Wicca.[3] The 2001 American Religious Identification Survey estimated that at least 134,000 adults identified themselves as Wiccans in the US.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/wicca...
http://www.religioustolerance.org/witchc...
http://www.witchway.net/
http://www.witchvox.com/
http://www.wicca.org/

Answer 2

Most Wiccans do not even have a concept of the devil. However, it is not impossible that some youngsters at your school worship the devil and call it Wicca.

Wicca has a serious knowledge gap, 10% that know more than 90% of what there is to know and 90% that know less than 10% of what they need to know.... If your school friends are in the know-nothing majority, who knows what they are doing?

Most of the websites quoted by people above will give you good data.

However, the poem above, which begins "bide the Wiccan..." is the copyrighted poem of Gwen Thompson, from Green Egg in the mid-1970s. It is the belief of a group called NECTW, NOT all Wiccans, and the author should always be given when publishing it.

Answer 3

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.


***Wiccans don't worship the devil, nor acknowledge his existance.
So your friends at school, better not drop out.

Answer 4

Witchcraft, yes, Devil worship, definitely not. There is no devil in Wicca. Our Gods are Nature Gods that are neither Good nor Evil we consider these terms to be relative and not part of our Dogma.

There are 13 Principles of Modern Wiccan Belief
http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_stat1.htm

They will help you understand.

Also, check out my You Tube page, it's got lots of vids on Wicca
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=BlueFireWitch

Answer 5

I've never met a Wiccan who worshipped the Christian Devil, or any other Devil for that matter. There are many different gods and goddesses in Wicca, but none are Middle Eastern, like the Devil is. You have to go to great lengths to claim someone else's god is actually the evil god of your own mythos. Wicca is more about learning how to be in harmony with nature, including the spirits of nature and the gods of your anscestors, and maybe even your anscestors too.

Answer 6

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 ("If it harm none, do what you will"), the vast majority of Wiccans will not curse or perform magic to bring harm upon anyone else.

Wiccans honor Deity as both male and female, God and Goddess -- or at the very least as Goddess. Many Wiccans 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 generally 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.

We do not have any being equivalent to Satan in our cosmology.

You might find the following webpage informative:

http://www.religionfacts.com/neopaganism/paths/wicca.htm

And thanks for asking this question instead of just assuming that what your friends told you was true. I do hope you'll go back to your friends and tell them what you've learned.

Answer 7

witch is the olde english word for wise. therefore, witchcraft simply means craft of the wise. wicca also means wise but probably comes from the aborigine tradition of witch doctors, or, "Wicca men". witches (synonymous with wiccans) do not worship the devil as we do not believe there is such a thing as a devil, god, ghost, etc. wiccans do not cast spells - at least in my order. but everyone of us tries to cast a spell at some point in our lives, but it has nothing to do with wicca. have you ever been so mad at someone you wished they were dead? sounds like a spell to me. wiccans treasure nature and believe the most magick thing out there is a garden. many wiccans are into gardening. there's this guy who does gardening spots on local tv stations during the noon news who seems to be a wiccan. his name is alan smith. (I love to out people). but wicca is also a lifestyle, and foremost is preserving the planet. wicca is such a rich faith, it's impossible to really explain it here. try reading anything by Raymond Buckland. he's the worlds foremost authority on the occult, and began his own type of wicca called SEAC during the 1950s. he didn't convert to wicca until he was over 50 years old. he has been a guest player on Charmed, and Buffy. Bright Blessings!

Answer 8

Why would they believe in worshipping the devil? That is a Christian belief. If you friends said the school was floating in the air what would you do? Question everything. It's good for you.

Answer 9

Witchcraft yes, devil worship, no. I would recommend doing a Google search or visiting Witchvox.com for more knowledge.

Answer 10

A form of witchcraft that is based on Pagan beliefs. Some people practice it today.