Clarification, Please? (About Wicca)?

Question

So. I'm very deeply interested in becoming Wiccan. All my life I've pretty much thought that there must be some form of higher power, and I do very much so believe in reincarnation.

But, I was just wondering, can I be a Wiccan but still believe in evolution? I have always believed evolution but thought that a higher power was the cause of it (The Great Goddess).

And one last thing: You believe people can be reincarnated as other animals, and other animals as people, correct? Also, I need to know if you believe that all living animals have souls.

Blessed Be

Answer 1

Ask 5 Wiccans & probably get 8 answers back.

Having said that, my _personal_ beliefs are based on my experiences. (Nursed in a Old Folks home for years) I've been fortunate to witness a number non-violent deaths.

I know I've already said this tonite, but I cannot reconcile with the belief that the sole/Id/life force/essence is not recycled if every other part of a body is.

So yes I believe in a form of reincarnation. Recognising it might be different to the Budhist's model.

.

Answer 2

Wicca, and many other pagan religions, aren't focused as much on beliefs as on actions. People are Wiccan because of what they do, how they relate to the divine and bring that into their lives, not because of what they think about it. They can think anything they want--what makes them Wiccan is that they find a certain way of worshiping to work for them, not because they agree on the exact meanings and purposes of that worship.

So some Wiccans believe in evolution. A lot of Wiccans and other pagans believe in both evolution and creation--a divinely-inspired or divinely-guided transition of life from simple cells to the complex forms we have today. There's no contradiction between the two concepts.

Many Wiccans believe in reincarnation, of several types. But there's no specific belief that's shared by all Wiccans, or required of all Wiccans.

Wiccans believe all life is *sacred*--whether it has "souls" is a matter of semantics and debate. Can't answer that without knowing what you mean by "soul."

Answer 3

Plenty of religious people (Wiccan or otherwise) also believe in evolution. I've yet to meet a Wiccan who didn't believe in evolution.

The traditional view of reincarnation within Wicca is that human souls reincarnate as human. However, I wouldn't say you couldn't be Wiccan or would even be less Wiccan by having a different view. It's not what I would consider a core belief. Personally, I believe that animals have a different kind of soul than humans.

Answer 4

Wicca has no specific universally accepted creation myth; what one believes about the origin of life is up to the individual Wiccan or is taught in the lineage of a coven. Therefore, accepting evolutionary theory is quite common among Wiccans.

As for reincarnation... depends on which Wiccan you ask. Everyone has their own set of beliefs. Personally I do not think that I have enough evidence to determine exactly what happens after death, although reincarnation in some form makes a certain logical sense given the recurring theme of cycles in the universe.

In my opinion, if people have souls, so do animals.

Hope that helps. :-)

Answer 5

Wellll, depends on the Wiccan (or pagan).

For me (as a pagan) I believe science is the How of things, and religion is the Why. Therefore they work together just fine.

As to animal souls, I personally believe all things have spirits of a sort, and that we can incarnate into a variety of physical forms. I also work with the concept of Otherkin and therianthropy, which includes a belief that one's past lives as nonhuman entities can carry over and affect this life as a human being (though not all Otherkin see themselves as products of reincarnation).

Since you asked specifically about animals, here are a couple of good links on therianthropy:

http://liesk.feralscribes.org
http://www.absurdism.org
http://www.dreamofhorn.com/therian/index.html

Answer 6

The first thing to know is that Wicca is not a single religion; it is similar to Christianity in that Christianity is a term to describe a huge variety of beliefs. So it is with Wicca. Wicca is a generic term for a variety of different forms of that faith.

Wiccans generally believe and trust science. As such, they generally believe in evolution. My personal take on it stems from my experience as an engineer. To me, the ultimate goal was always to create something that would operate independently and without intervention. If deity created a universe, how much more marvelous would that universe have to be if it was able to recreate itself (perhaps through evolution)?

As far as reincarnation, I'm not sure that we come back as other animals. Perhaps we were other creatures earlier on, maybe some do come back as Eagles and such ... I don't know. I do believe that there is good evidence for reincarnation. One good earlier work is "Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation", published by the American Society for Psychical Research. It's worth a look.

If you would really like to study Wicca, why not take a look at the free course available at http://www.magickaschool.com

The first one-year course is absolutely free and will give you a fantastic overview of Wicca.

Answer 7

a million.) i'm no longer a large fan of reincarnation in my opinion, yet I imagine the idea is that classes will be transmitted subconsciously, and that each and every existence brings about its personal unique existence classes. 2.) by no skill heard the time period in 2 many years of interpreting Wicca. Do you mean something like spirit classes? no longer specifically Wiccan. 3.) What do you mean "spirits"? it really is an extremely wide-spread time period. As for threat, each and everything in existence has a factor of threat. Crossing the line has threat. Going to varsity has threat. So is Wicca indirectly thoroughly immune to threat? No. the most problem-free threat I see are those who get into Wicca with out being grounded in truth and convincing themselves of all styles of fantastical nonsense. Will demons take know you in case you start up education Wicca? No. 4. No. we are actively adversarial to it, easily. 5. No idea. A god is a male deity. A goddess is a lady deity. We trust in both. 6. study, meditation, dedication to motives linked with suggested deities, etc. 7. Meditation makes a speciality of connection really than communique. 8. representative of male skill, besides as a device to direct skill.

Answer 8

I am pagan, my beliefs are based mostly on Wicca (less ritualized though) hedge witchery, and a splash of native american beliefs.
I believe in the goddess and the god, and that they are part of nature. Yes I believe in evloution, for nature is always evolving, changing, and adpating, just as we as individuals do.

I do believe in reincarnation, It seems to be that *most* reincarnations happen within the same speices, depending on what lessons you have to learn durring various lifetimes. I also believe that animals have thier own soul/spirit. Many plants also have spirits, often places and things not living also have thier own energy.

These are my own beliefs, and there may be other Wiccans and Pagans whose ideas differ than mine, but as a whole most are tolerant of difference in personal beliefs. find what is right for you, there are many other pagan religions other than Wicca, that may be more suitable for you.

Answer 9

I'm new to Wicca but my first instinct on this is that you can believe whatever you want and still be Wiccan.

I wholeheartedly agree with Deirdre that you should visit Magicka School www.magickaschool.com - I am taking the
Wicca Revealed course and enjoying it very much. The forums are also a great source of information and everyone is extremely nice and helpful. The beginner courses and forum are free.

Blessed Be!

Answer 10

I'm not wiccan and I believe animals have souls