Information about Wicca....?

Question

We've been talking about Wicca lately in my office. Can someone give me accurate information so I at least know what I'm talking about.... :) gracias

Answer 1

Well, there are many different sects of Wicca with verying beliefs, but I'll give you some of the more common beliefs.
Wicca was created in the mid 1900s by Gerald Gardner, though some say he was taught by a woman named Dorothy. Wicca is based off of older Pagan beliefs, such as the Celtic and Native American beliefs. Gardner took some information from Crowley and other authors as well.
Alex Sanders is another well-known Wiccan, and the self-proclaimed 'king of the witches'. Though it's said he just copied off of Gardner. Then you have Raymond Buckland, who brought Wicca to the US. He started out as a Gardnerian Wiccan, but later he formed Seax-Wicca. One of the other more well-known sects of Wicca is Dianic Wicca, a female-centric version created by Z. Suzsanna Budapest, but enough of the history lesson.
Wiccans believe in a God and Goddess, and a triple version of the Goddess, aka Maiden, Mother, Crone. They celebrate the full moons, and have 8 solar celebrations as well, evenly spaced throughout the year. They revere nature, and the cycles of nature, and many hold their rituals outdoors. Some Wiccans are solitary, others work in a coven. Covens typically range from 5-13 members, and usually have a High Priestess and a High Priest. Many sects have 3 degrees of membership, Seax has 1, and solitaries usually don't have any. When there are 3 degrees, usually only the higher degrees are allowed to teach newbies. Wiccans generally believe in reincarnation, with the final resting place, or in-between place called the Summerland.
A good author: Scott Cunningham
A bad author: Silver Ravenwolf
Some good sites: www.witchvox.com (right now they have their most-read essays of the year posted, so you may want to check it out. witchvox also has current news, petitions, poetry, basic information, et cetera) www.religioustolerance.org (this is a unbiased site with information not only on Wicca, but on several other religions as well. Here you can find more info on the beliefs as well as how many Wiccans there are, why young woman are attracted to Wicca, et cetera)

Answer 2

Witchvox is an excellent source as mentioned by another poster. You can also read "The Truth About Witchcraft Today" by Scott Cunningham. It gives a very straightforward idea of real (as opposed to Hollywood) Wicca. You seem to have your head on straight, but I will mention this anyway: Avoid any and all who say they have the inside track or The Only Way. It's all about living the Wheel and that takes place at a very steady pace no matter what.( It should also be noted that Silver RavenWolf has been named traitor by many Wiccans for her active selling of the religion to teens. ) Other books to get you started: The Spiral Dance by Starhawk Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland Wicca: The Complete Craft by D. J. Conway and Jeanne Mclarney (DJ's a friend of mine and I can attest to her level-headedness) A Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches' Handbook by Stewart Farrar and Janet Farrar (a bit more nitty-gritty, lots of history and very well written) That should get you started! Follow your heart and trust that your teachers will arrive when you are ready. BB

Answer 3

Best thing for you to do is to start reading to get a variety of perspectives. That's the best thing to get yourself the basics of paganism. Here are a few sites to get you started:

http://www.witchvox.com
http://www.twpt.com
http://www.davensjournal.com
http://www.rendingtheveil.com
http://www.spiralnature.com
http://www.thegreenwolf.com/links.html

As for books (if you're feeling really ambitious), here are my three of my favorites:

"21st Century Wicca" by Jennifer Hunter - the most grounded intro to Wicca I've found, not just the usual "stuff"
"Contemporary Paganism" by Graham Harvey - a basic overview of some of the more common neopagan religions
"The Four Powers: Magical Practice for Beginners of All Ages" by Nicholas Graham - takes an even broader view of neopaganism, ceremonial magic, shamanism, occultism, and others, and is a *really* good book for helping you to figure out where to take your path next

You can find other books reviewed at http://lupabitch.wordpress.com

Answer 4

I agree with much of what has been said already.
In addition to the books already mentioned I suggest you check out "The Spiral Dance" by Starhawk and "Drawing Down the Moon" by Margot Adler.
Witchvox is a great website as well.
Blessed Be

Answer 5

I think wikipedia knows. No pun intended.

Wicca is a nature-based religion found in various countries throughout the world. It was first popularised in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant. 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.

Answer 6

There's a ton of information out there and wicca encompasses several religious belief systems. However, one of the best resources online is www.witchvox.com. This has a wealth of information and resources available. You can also check out www.silverravenwolf.com - this site is one of my favorite authors on the subject of wicca.

Answer 7

Check out Witchvox.com and The American Council of Witches

Answer 8

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 9

Wicca is a very complex faith which embraces widely varying practices and many different Traditions. The following, however, is what I consider to be "the basics".

Wicca is about 60 years old, with roots in Masonic practices, ceremonial magic, and the Romantic era's ideas of classical religions. Its founder was a British civil servant named Gerald Gardner.

http://www.geraldgardner.com/essays.php

It is in many ways a postmodern faith, embracing religious relativism, and one that resonates powerfully for increasing numbers of people.

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. Many Wiccans also believe in the Law of Threefold Return, sometimes called the Rule of Three: “Whatever you do, for good or ill, will come back upon you three times over.”

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.

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).

Wiccans have celebrations which are timed to both the solar and lunar calendars. The solar festivals -- held at the solstices, the equinoxes, and four points in between them -- are called sabbats.

http://paganwiccan.about.com/library/basics/blsabbats.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel_of_the_year

The lunar holy days are called esbats, and are held at the full moon each month, and sometimes at the new moon as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esbat

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

Another useful article:

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

A good site by Wiccans:

http://wicca.timerift.net

And the US Army Chaplains Handbook excerpt on Wicca:

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

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

If you have any further questions, please feel free to email me.

Answer 10

Basically, you can go by this. It's the Thirteen Principles of Wiccan Belief. If you need clarifications, please ask.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_stat1.htm