Information on Witchcraft/ Wicca?

Question

I have been interested, or you could say drawn to Wicca for sometime now. This isn't a fad or something I want to play around with, I am interested in learning so much.
What kind of information can I find and where do I look to get started? I'm kind of at a standstill right now.

I live in NE Ohio and haven't been able to find any "stores" that are geared toward Witchcraft.
As for finding God and he will forgive my sins...I was raised in a "Christian" home, I am tired of following what others feel I "should" do...this is something I am looking into for me and what I feel is right.

Answer 1

I use to be Wiccan. I can teach you everything you need to know.

Wicca is a religion concocted by a man named Gerald Gardner in England circa 1950. Prior to Gardner, there was no Wicca. Gardner's original Wicca seems to have been little more than an excuse for him to be tied up and beaten by strong willed women, according to Adian Kelly, a Wiccan traditionhead and author of "Crafting The Art of Magic".

These past answers may be helpful to you...

History of Wicca
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AhU3APMDMy3JSWiLuyb6vR_sy6IX?qid=20060915145049AAkDSCG
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnmpBWCNQ4STCeOacIJt2avsy6IX?qid=20060923114119AAAusg9&show=7#profile-info-85e3efd122e8f209277b7bb6e4c2d432aa
Meaning of word Wicca
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AgXeuUT6PMwvqlnBRPezIfvsy6IX?qid=20060915145049AAkDSCG&show=7#profile-info-AA10929287
Meaning of word Witch
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvAGLfx2yAunbOKyoditCmXsy6IX?qid=20060924205638AAvbb6K&show=7#profile-info-68090b5d557ec89c0e51a9c78de0dafbaa
Silver Ravenwolf Wiccan Money spell
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AgXeuUT6PMwvqlnBRPezIfvsy6IX?qid=20060918191343AA1dAL3&show=7#profile-info-f49ad034abd28a4bd6e30b7088b096a3aa
Jenny's Frostie Wicca Expose'
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiPNdQz1cyOLeB7iTkvU9R7sy6IX?qid=20060920141547AA0e3fT&show=7#profile-info-79401d523b04ee9784e7438998679c4daa
Christian Wicca
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AtY0mxKoZHtpI56Zxm67CtHsy6IX?qid=20060922162423AAcU9lu
Salem Witch Trials
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AjJ7TpnKS_XXcZfDiK0CpNTsy6IX?qid=20060904163917AAcBiEQ&show=7#profile-info-AA11725587
Wicca vs. Satanism
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=An.v6DF_RGP.oG2FNsRshDzsy6IX?qid=20060924212214AA8bflE&show=7#profile-info-8c76be37c6da788dc5d6e0fe923aaef1aa

Answer 2

To answer your question hunni, there is alot of information available about witchcraft and wicca in a variety of sources. First there is always your local library that should have books available for you to read about. Also many libraries do what is called an "intra-library" loan, meaning that if the library where you live at doesnt have the book you want but another library nearby does, you can request that book be loaned to you through your library. Of course there is always the internet. The only problem with the internet is that it might not have what you are looking for and many of the websites either give out false information or make it so confusing so that you can't understand it so be careful there. As for shops, well since you said there aren't any where you live you can either look around at some of the bigger cities near you or you can go online as well. Here is a good site. The shop used to be located in Topeka, KS but they are only available online now. There website is www.enchantedwillow.com. There is another good shop that I know of that has an online website too but there store is under construction right now so I will get you there website later on. Just to let you know, if you enter in either witchcraft or wicca on google about the first 2-3 pages are mostly starting points that will help you out. Be aware though that some of the sites request registering an account and I personally try to avoid those but it is your choice on what to do there. My own personal preference would be either books or going to the Crystal window or Enchanted Willow but then again its your choice hunni. Hope this helps you out babes talk to you later muahs.

Answer 3

I understand. I, too, was called from the ranks of Christianity. Remember that this is your journey. Noone has the right to interfere. Don't let anyone get in your head.

You will find your way. Read what you can - learn what you can. It is said that when the pupil is ready, the teacher will come. I know this is true. Mine did.

While you're waiting, start meditating. It'll save time later.

And remember the distinction. Wicca is a religion, but witchcraft can be practiced by anyone. I would suggest also researching pagans, and possibly even shamans and druids to find what resonates with you.

Oh - as you would expect, in this there is no shortcut. Beware of anyone who says that there is, or attempts to sell you a lot of stuff you "need". Your tools will call to you in due time. Wait for them.

If you have any specific questions, I would be happy to answer what I can. Goddess bless.

Answer 4

This is what I have available. If you want any Send me an Answers e-mail and we'll work away to get some to you. It should be obvious that I can't send all. Check my "fans" for reassurance. I would subggest Wicca 101, it's written by working Wiccans not commercial writers who make their living writing "readable" books.

7IN1.zip The 1991 alt.religion.wicca FAQ
12INVOC.ZIP 12th CENTURY Herbal Invocation
3FOLD.ZIP Karma, the Three Fold Law and grace.
91WICHIST.ZIP Wicca in England- 1939 through 1991
ABOUT_KI.ZIP Info on Tao
AIDSHEAL.ZIP Aids Working
ALFRED_WICCA.ZIP What may be the earliest use of the word Wicca spelled as it is today.
ANCTART.ZIP The Ancient Art
arianrrhod.zip The Rite of Arianrrhod
ARTICAL.ZIP My Craft Ethics
ARW_FAQ.ZIP The 1996 FAQ on alt.religion.wicca
ASCENT.ZIP Ascent Info
ASTHMA.zip Circle Purification for asthmatics
ASTRAL.ZIP Monroe Techniques for Astral Projection
ATHAME.ZIP Making and working Athame
BALANCE.ZIP Gays in Traditional Craft
BANESDEF.ZIP Mirrors versus Banes & Shields discussed
BARDCYCL.ZIP The Bardic year; rituals for Wicca
BASCRAFT.ZIP Basic Principles of the Craft
BASICMAG.ZIPThe basics of the practice of Magick
basic_drums.zip A discussion of basic drums and where to find help learning.
BELIEFCAW.ZIP Principles of Wicca belief -- CAW 1974
BELIEF.ZIP Beliefs and Customs
BIBLIO01.ZIP Neo-Paganism Bibliographies
BLACKMAG.ZIP Getting Specific about Magical Ethics
BLESWI.ZIP Blessed Be: Touching The Power of Witches
BLOOD.ZIP Blood Sacrifice
BOOK_WORDS.ZIP The Book of Words & The Veiled Child
BURNTIME.ZIP Burning Times Song
CABOT.ZIP Newspaper article on Wicca
CAll.ZIP A call to the Lord and Lady -- Bordeaux
CANDLCOL.ZIP Candle Colors and what they mean.
CANDLMAS.ZIP Candlemas
CARPE.ZIP Info on CARPE
CAULDRON.ZIP Elemental Cauldrons
CAW.ZIP Principles of Wiccan Belief
CHALICE.ZIP Use of the Chalice as a feminine symbol
CHAPWICCA.ZIP The "Chaplain's Manual Entry on Wicca"
CHARGE.ZIP The Charge of the Goddess.
CHARMED.ZIP "Charmed I'm Sure" -- The ethics of Love spells.
COURSE1.ZIP Lesson guide & files to teach basic Wicca
COVEN.ZIP Looking At Yourself & Your Coven
coven_stages.zip A discussion of the stages a new coven will pass through
COVEN_v_SOLITARE2.ZIP An Essay on being a solitaire rather than a coven member.
COVENS.ZIP The pros and cons of Coven training.
COVENVSOL.ZIP A discussion of Solitary versus Coven
CRAFT.ZIP Getting Started in the Craft
CREED.zip A Ritual Creed for covens
CRONING.ZIP The transition from Mother to Crone
CROWLEY_WICCA.ZIP On Crowley's relationship to Gardner and Wicca
CRYSTAL.ZIP Crystals and Gemstones for Healing
DARKLRD.ZIP "The seasonal cycle and the Wiccan Darklord," by Lorax
DARKMAID.ZIP DISCOVERING THE MAIDEN GODDESS
DESIRE.ZIP An essay on "Desire" by Gale
destruct_wicca.zip The Dark Side of the Solitary Movement
destruct_wicca2.zipThe Destruction of Wicca
destruction.zip A list discussion on the Destruction of Wicca
DIANIC.ZIP Dianism in a Nuit-Shell
DISCORD.ZIP The Principles of Discordian Magick
divination-question.zip A discussion of Divination
DRUIDS.ZIP What Neopagan Druids Believe
ETHICLAW.ZIP The Ethics and Laws of Wicca
EXEGESIS.ZIP Exegesis on the Wiccan Rede
FORMS.ZIP Formal Magick
GARDNERI.ZIP Garderianism
Generalbeliefs.zip A list of the "general beliefs" of Wicca.
GNDSHLD.ZIP Grounding Shields
GODDESS.ZIP Info on the Star Goddess
GODDESS5.ZIP The Fivefold Nature of The Goddess
GREATRI1.ZIP The Great Rite (Symbolic)
GREATRI2.ZIP The Great Rite (Actual)
GREEK_FIRE.ZIP The Greek Fire Initiation
HALLOWEEN.ZIP A short treatise on Halloween/Samhain
HNDFST.ZIP Handfasting Ritual
HUMOR.ZIP A parody of a Wicca FAQ from 1979
Hype.zip 1994 articles from "Champion" on Wicca.
ILLUSION.ZIP Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah
INERRANC.ZIP Inerrancy
INNER.ZIP Symptoms of Inner Peace
LIBGEMAT.ZIP Liber Gematria
Liturgy.zip A Liturgy for the Goddess of Love.
LORE.ZIP Info on LORE
MABON-93.zip The transcription of a full Mabon Ritual enacted in 1993
MAGIC.ZIP The Laws of Magic
MCCELE.ZIP THE ELEMENTS
MEDITATI.ZIP Basic Meditation Techniques
MYGREEK.ZIP For Greek based Wiccans
NICMABON.ZIP Nichols on Mabon
NOTCOVEN.ZIP What a Coven Is Not by Balachandra
On_spells.zip A discussion of Spells, by Kenyatta .
penta.zip The Pentagram in the Faerie Tradition.
pooh.zip The Coven at Pooh Corner
Popwicca.zip A discussion of the "popularizing" of Wicca from 1995.
RANDOM.ZIP Random Kindness & Senseless Acts of Beauty
REDE.ZIP EXEGESIS ON THE WICCAN REDE
REDE2.ZIP Two early versions of the Wiccan Rede
RITUAL.ZIP Ritual Theory and Technique
Robes9601.zip A practical guide to Robes.
RUNES.ZIP The Runes
SAMCIRC.ZIP A transcript of a Samhain Circle from 1993
Samhain.zip Halloween: Myths, Monsters, and Devils, (revised,) by W.J. Bethancourt.
SAMNORSE.ZIP NROOGD SAMHAIN, 1987, A Cymro-Norse ritual
SEASONAL.ZIP The Eight Sabbats of Witchcraft
SELFINIT.zip Self Initiation
SHADOW.ZIPA small Book of Shadows
Silversd.zip A version of the "future."
skyclad.zip A discussion on working skyclad
SMUDGING.ZIP Smudging: How to do it -- How NOT to do it
something_wiccan.zip Something Wiccan this way comes.
SPELL.ZIP Info on spells
STARHAWK.zip 1987 newspaper article "Touching The Power Of Witches" by Starhawk, the author of "Spiral Dance."
TCOURSE.ZIP A lesson guide for teaching Wicca
TEACHRSP.ZIP A Discussion of Power
Temple_critic.zip An article from "Druids Progress:" "Theology of Witchcraft: Objections to Temple Religions."
Theagenesis.zip Theagenesis: The birth of the Goddess.
three_fold_law.zip Karma, The Three Fold Law, & Grace.
TURKEY.ZIP The Turkey Curse
WANDUSE.ZIP The use of the Wand
weasel_wicca.zip Weasel Wicca: a Toon Trad
white_black.zip A discusion of "White" and "Black" Witches, Magick, etc.
Whoisgoddess.zip Who, on earth, is the Goddess?
wic4chri.zip Wicca for Christians FAQ
Wicahist.Zip A short history of Witchcraft/Wicca
WICCA.ZIP Info on Wicca
WICCA_H2.zip Wicca: History and Theoretics
Wiccalaw.zip The laws of Wicca,from Magicknet 1980s
WICATRU.ZIP A contrast & comparison of Wicca & Asatru
Wicca1.zip Witchcraft and Wicca, an essay.
Wicca101.zip A basic Wicca course
Wicca101crescent.zip A basic Wicca course from the teaching coven of the Three Crescents
Wicca4.zip The Basics of Magick for the Wiccan Seeker.
Wiccan_dedication.zip Self dedication ritual from the UCL.
Wicca_trads.zip Wicca, Wicca, who's got the Wicca? My tradition or yours?
wicca_blackmagic.zip A discussion of Wicca and Black Magic
wicca&blackmagic.zip An essay on Wicca and Black Magic from Two Crows
Wiccanrede.zip The full Rede as a poem; written in the late 60s or early seventies.
Wiccanredesources.zip A discussion of the sources of the Wiccan Rede.
Wicca47.zip 47 small text files on Wicca subjects.
WICROOTS.ZIP A discussion on the origin of Wicca

Answer 5

Let me provide you a priceless reply my buddy. -) The Christians are incorrect. 'The Old Religion' was once faith that were practiced for enormous quantities of years earlier than Christianity got here into the arena. Everyone around the globe practiced The Old Religion. When Christianity was once born into the arena, its leaders desired energy. So they made up our minds to transform all people who adopted The Old Religion, into Christianity. Some humans might now not comply, and therefor Christianity sunk to an overly low degree: they made The Old Religion seem evil. Christianity then made up 'the Devil'. You see, The Old Religion's god was once the 'Horned God'. The Devil regarded A LOT like The Horned god, and as a result The Old Religion was once viewed to be evil. Modern paganism, Wicca and Witchcraft all derived from The Old Religion and its traditions. Some followed extra traditions than others, however all of them are hooked up to The Old Religion one way or the other. Because of the Church, us Witches (and others) have got to endure, being shy approximately our destiny and train. Also, plenty of non-Witches have died due to the fact that of the Church: who's evil? -) There are certainly Witches, Wizards and Magicians who train The Dark Arts. Magic is like fireplace: It's now not evil nor well, however impartial. It can warmness up your house, or wreck an whole woodland (the fireplace). It relies on how you utilize it, that makes it well or evil. -) Those who train magic don't 'holiday the legislation of nature'. Magic is the artwork of controlling and directing power to have a optimistic/terrible end result upon our lives. National Geographic as soon as did a photoshoot with a coven (a institution of Witches), again in Salem. Practically all of the pix from that photoshoot got here out with bizarre beams of lighting fixtures, which wasn't there on the time of the photoshoot. National Geographic then admitted it would've been the power that was once reward that day. -) The 5th 'detail' of the Pentagram or Pentacle, isn't the 'Great Spirit'. It's 'spirit', commonly referred to as 'aether'. It is symbolic for Deity the Divine, the All that's, or it may be regarded as cognizance. In besides, it's also awesome to all different factors; located on the best of the brand. -) Wands are an extension of 1's power. Wands are fabricated from steel, crystal and/or picket. Each of those factors both advisor power very good, or involves its possess air of mystery and power. They make the caster 'extra robust', permitting the caster to acquire the favored end result extra effectively. -) An altar is a collection of units upon a platform, which are utilized in a ritual. -) Runes derived from historic languages, such because the historic Egyptian language. They have symbolic meanings, empowering rituals and spells. -) If you are in Salem, seek advice from Laurie Cabot's retailer. She's probably the most interesting and popular Witches in the world. She has a shop in Salem, referred to as 'The Cat, The Crow and the Crown', on Pickering Wharf.

Answer 6

Go to any bookstore, or even the library. There are literally thousands of books out there. But the one I recommend again and again is Scott Cunninham's "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner". It's a very good book. Tells you ALL about the craft - from what it means, to the basic spells you need to know. Just remember ( and this book will tell you this, too) - it's not about how much money you spend - it's about belief. Don't let them fool you into thinking you need special tools or jewlery or anything like that. What nature provides is aways just as good. (Although it's just smart to have a good knife around) You're welcome to email me if you wish. May you find what you seek, and Blessed Be. :)

Answer 7

I will second everything Kel said. Please feel free to contact me and if I can answer any of your questions I would be more than happy to do so. I too am still learning, and the more I learn, the more I realize I will probably spend the rest of my life learning and discovering. I enjoy being a solitary witch, however, I have also found a few friends that, although they are not themselves witches nor do they follow any earth based path, they have been very supportive and even acted as a "coven" for me on a couple of occasions. Best of luck.

Blessed be

Answer 8

Angel,
As a life long Pagan and Crafter I can say that I would associate with the above person 'Terry'. He is extremely knowledgable and unbiased. He can offer you much information for you to use your instincts in choosing what is right for you.
Most importantly he can explain the most ancient beginnings and true understanding of these things as this is vital in learning about the Craft. One must have an understanding of its foundations before exercising the magic.
Blessed Be

Answer 9

Here is a good site by Wiccans:

http://wicca.timerift.net

If you're looking to do some reading, I'd recommend "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner" by Scott Cunningham, and "The Triumph of the Moon" by Ronald Hutton. I advise you to stay away from anything by Silver Ravenwolf, for reasons outlined in the following essay:

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

As for finding other witches/Wiccans close by, one way to do this is through 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 in your area.

EDITED TO ADD: The Witchvox page for Ohio is here:

http://www.witchvox.com/vn/hm/usoh.html

They list 38 shops and 536 events; hopefully one of them will be close to where you live. :-)

Answer 10

You can find this all online. If you are truly interested dedicate yourself and read, read, read. You'll learn a lot! Here are a few suggestions to look up:

- Start from the history of witchcraft
- Learn where Wicca began and and why it relates to Paganism
- Look up anything in relation to Wicca or Witchcraft like "witch" tools, the symbols like the pentacle and the pentagram, or even influential people that you come across a lot and learn the meaning and history behind them or that

Also, check out the author Starhawk. She's awesome.

Answer 11

A good book series to read besides Cunningham, is by Silver Ravenwolf. It starts with- To Ride a Silver Broomstick.

It's like a workbook- full of info for you, and books she recommends.

Amber K also has some great books out there, too.

If you get the chance, Pantheacon is held in Feb. in San Jose, CA. You can find more info from AncientWays.com about it.