is anybody wiccan?

Question

my boyfriend is wiccan and his mom tells me that the way i act and things i do i would make a good wiccan can anybody brief me about how to be a good wiccan and how would i convert to being a wiccan from morman and just the basics of the religion

ok ive never really been into the morman religion i only call myself morman because its what i have always been told i am... i dont know much about being morman and i red the book of shadows more than i read the book of morman stories..

i want to learn more aboput it because from what i DO know it seems very interesting

Answer 1

I'm not sure what you'd need to do in order to take leave of the Mormon faith, but the way to become a Wiccan is to start living and thinking like a Wiccan. This involves resolving to avoid causing harm when it is possible and practical to do so, to view all things in the world as interconnected, to act mindfully and take responsibility for all your decisions, and to connect with the Divine presence as manifest in yourself and in the world around you (in part by taking part in the sabbats and esbats as explained below).

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 (it will give you the information you need to start practicing the religion on a daily basis), and "The Triumph of the Moon" by Ronald Hutton (for accurate history). 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 2

Honestly, I find you BF's mother's comment insulting. A "good Wiccan" is someone who believes as Wiccans do. Since you don't even know about Wicca, that's clearly not the case. You can't look at someone and judge the religion they should be in! That's awful! There's also more than a hint of proslytising going on in that statement, which Wiccans generally reject.

The simplest answer here is...do you believe as a Mormon? Are you happy as a Mormon? Does it spiritually fulfill you? Then you shouldn't even be considering converting. We are talking another religion here. Among other things, we're polytheists.

If you're interested in learning about Wicca from an academic perspective (such as to better understand your BF), you can get an overview on Wikipedia and then start looking in the library for books. You can also borrow books from your BF. Be wary of information on Wicca online - there's a lot of silly stuff out there on the Web.

Answer 3

wow! i used to be a mormon too, and am now looking at becoming a wiccan. Firstly, don't let yourself be pressured into leaving your faith to become a wiccan. Take your time, and if you don't feel it's you, don't become part of it. Mormon to Witch is a big change!

Wiccans believe in the 'old religion' of witchcraft and magick (yes it's spelled that way). They believe in more than one god, usually a god and a goddess. they have 8 sabbats- 4 to celebrate the seasons, and 4 other festivals. there's plenty of info on the net about this. wiccans also believe in a 3-fold rule. this means that anything you do will come back to you 3 times. you can hex people, but keep this rule in mind when you do, because it will come back to get you.

wiccans and pagans have tools which they use to cast spells. there is lots of information on this and most of it is easily enough to get your hands on. your wand can just be a tree branch. as i said, there's heaps of in-depth information out there on the net and in books. i just borrowed a whole heap from the library.

i would love to talk to you further on this! email me if you have any more questions.

[e-mail]

Good luck!

Answer 4

Boy, is that a long way from home. Wiccan comes from inside of you. It states in the bible that they stones/scourned/burned folks like us. Yet, that go to Prophets~Head to people to speak in tongues~Run to folks who interpet dreams~~Darling~~wiccan is inside of you. You're born with it. Look inside yourself and discover that you're everything they tell you is wrong. I've always seen "folks". So should I stone myself?

Answer 5

I don't think people convert to wicca. You just get a book and start learning and find other people who are wiccans and learn from the teachings.

Answer 6

Prairiecrow---that was a fantastic answer, I'm still looking up all the links----best answer by far.

BTW----there are people who consider themselves "Morwics" who are both Mormon and Wiccan. I live in Utah and know a few myself.

Answer 7

Wicca (sometimes called Wicce, The Craft, or The Old Religion by its practitioners) is an ancient religion of love for life and nature.

In prehistoric times, people respected the great forces of Nature and celebrated the cycles of the seasons and the moon. They saw divinity in the sun and moon, in the Earth herself, and in all life. The creative energies of the universe were personified: feminine and masculine principles became Goddesses and Gods. These were not semi-abstract, superhuman figures set apart from Nature: theywere embodied in earth and sky, women and men, and even plants and animals.

This viewpoint is still central to present-day Wicca. To most Wiccans, everything in Nature - and all Goddesses and Gods - are true aspects of Deity. The aspects most often celebrated in the Craft, however, are the Triple Goddess of the Moon (Maiden, Mother and Crone) and the Horned God of the wilds. These have many names in various cultures.

Wicca had its organized beginnings in Paleolithic times, co-existed with other Pagan ("country") religions in Europe, and had a profound influence on early Christianity. But in the medieval period, tremendous persecution was directed against the Nature religions by the Roman Church. Over a span of 300 years, millions of men and women and many children were hanged, drowned or burned as accused Witches. The Church indicted them for black magic and Satan worship, though in fact these were never a part of the Old Religion.

The Wiccan faith went underground, to be practiced in small, secret groups called "covens" For the most part, it stayed hidden until very recent times. Now scholars such as Margaret Murray and Gerald Gardner have shed some light on the origins of the Craft, and new attitudes of religious freedom have allowed covens in some areas to risk becoming more open.

How do Wiccan folks practice their faith today? There is no central authority or doctrine, and individual covens vary a great deal. But most meet to celebrate on nights of the Full Moon, and at eight great festivals, or Sabbats throughout the year.

Though some practice alone or with only their families, many Wiccans are organized into covens of three to thirteen members. Some are led by a High Priestess or Priest, many by a Priestess/Priest team; others rotate or share leadership. Some covens are highly structured and hierarchical while others may be informal and egalitarian. Often extensive training is required before initiation, and coven membership is considered an important commitment.

There are many branches or "traditions" of Wicca in the United States and elsewhere, such as the Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Welsh Traditional, Dianic, Faery, Seax-Wicca and others. All adhere to a code of ethics. None engage in the disreputable practices of some modern "cults", such as isolating and brainwashing impressionable lonely young people. Genuine Wiccans welcome sisters and brothers, but not disciples, followers or victims.

Coven meetings include ritual, celebration and magick (the 'k' is to distinguish it from stage illusions.) Wiccan magick is not at all like the instant 'special effects' of cartoon shows or fantasy novels, nor medieval demonology; it operates in harmony with natural laws and is usually less spectacular - though effective. Various techniques are used to heal people and animals, seek guidance, or improve members' lives in specific ways. Positive goals are sought, cursing and evil spells' are repugnant to practitioners of the Old Religion.

Wiccans tend to be strong supporters of environmental protection, equal rights, global peace and religious freedom, and sometimes magick is used toward such goals.

Wiccan beliefs do not include Judeao-Christian concepts as original sin, vicarious atonement, divine judgment or bodily resurrection. Craft folk believe in a beneficent universe, the laws of karma and reincarnation, and divinity inherent in every human being and all of Nature. Yet laughter and pleasure are part of their spiritual tradition, and they enjoy singing, dancing, feasting and love.

Wiccans tend to be individualists, and have no central holy book, prophet, or church authority. They draw inspiration and insight from science, and personal experience. Each practitioner keeps a personal book or journal in which s/he records magickal 'recipes', dreams, invocations, songs, poetry and so on.

To most of the Craft, every religion has its own valuable perspective on the nature of Deity and humanity's relationship to it; there is no One True Faith. Rather, religious diversity is necessary in a world of diverse societies and individuals. Because of this belief, Wiccan groups do not actively recruit or proselytize; there is an assumption that people who can benefit from the Wiccan way will 'find their way home' when the time is right.

Answer 8

? i think wiccans have a lot of practices. Like during the full moon, or summer solctice, winter solctice etc.

Answer 9

I like to call myself one, because it best fits what I believe.

I believe their are distinct goddess and god forces in the universe.

That my observances of nature should guide my worship.

That I should choose my own path in worship.

That my ancient ancestors were not very far off when they chose their gods and goddeses based off of what they saw in nature.

I believe that if I harm no one I should be free to do as I choose.

Answer 10

You seem very immature and insecure to be able to just jump from Mormonism to wiccan by someone's suggestion. You need to sit down and really think about what you want for your eternal salvation. Neither of those choices are going to get you into heaven;they are both created by man and are displeasing to God.

Answer 11

I'm Wiccan.

I think the first answerer covered all the bases. Give him best answer.

:)