to people who practice wicca..?

Question

what exactly is it?
what do you practice?
do you believe in god or are there other gods you believe in?
is it true that you have like... powers..? (idk how else to explain it.)

ive always wanted to know what it was

Answer 1

It means different things to different people.

There's many good articles out there.

If you are just interested in learning about (but not converting) I'd suggest reading

A Christian speaks of Wicca (http://wicca.com/celtic/wicca/christian.htm) & US Military views & Wicca (http://wicca.com/celtic/wicca/military.htm)

Good luck.

.

Answer 2

OH geeze not another one.

Listen it takes a year and a day of study to learn about the mysteries. I had to study, so why should you not have to?

If you really want to learn about Wicca there are books available to you. Web sites too. You are wasting your time here in Yahoo answers as the information is not sound or even good.

Truth can be found but not here. Go to a search engine and type in Wicca. You will find more information that way then you could ever find here.

Answer 3

Wow, that previous answer wonderful and very thorough. It might seem a little overwhelming for a newbie, so let me add this -

Wicce can be the simplest thing in the world. It's believing that the Universe is our Divine Mother, and that we are all inseparable parts of Her. You are never alone, and always loved.

It's agreeing to harm none, and do as thou wilt, knowing that what you give, you get back.

Our power comes from our active awareness of the connection of all Life.

The best place to start, IMO is with Ariadne's Thread by Shekhinah Mountainwater.

Bright blessings~

Answer 4

I'm not exactly Wiccan, but my thoughts and practices are similar, so I can answer the last one for you.

We have "powers" in a respect, but no more or less than the power inherent in all life, particularly human life (takes a relatively decent mind to control energy, in general :P)

Just Wiccans, and many/most pagans, and certain other types (acupuncture/massage, reiki, etc) have learned to work with energy flows and direct them to their will. Wiccan are generally very trustworthy energy users to not cause trouble, due to the rede rule, but there are a number of other types of energy users who use their talents and skills to malicious ends. Much to my displeasure, and often to the extreme displeasure of Wiccan, too.

A difference, though, is Wicca is generally very ritualized in the actual application of energy work/magick, whereas many free form pagans (such as myself) use energy directly, without the use of rituals, tools, or astrological indicators. That's the major reason I'm not Wiccan, is I don't believe in the necessity of the excessive (IMO) rituals.

Also, Wiccan virtually always place emphasis on herbs, astrology, symbols, rituals and the distinction of genders. With free style pagans, you can get an assortment of things, including people who prefer to be regarded as gender neutral, seeing gender seperation/distinction as a means to make one gender seen as inferior to the other, and the only true balance can come when people realize that spirits have no gender. (though they can affiliate)

Anyways, there's a clarification on energy work and beliefs. Prairie Crow can give you all the Wiccan-specifics you need :P But here's a bit of "outside looking in."

Answer 5

Wicca is an old religion. When Christianity came to the people of North Western Europe and Britain wiccan were punished for practicing their faith. The tenants and practices of their faith were lost.
There has been a revival of Wicca in the twentieth century, but the knowledge of old was lost. So new things have taken their place.
Wiccans worship everything that surrounds us. The Earth, fire, water, living things and plant things as well. All these are alive.There is an Energy that they call the Great Mother ( meaning Mother Earth ) that brings life force to all things.
Gods? I don't think so.
Powers? Such is the power of prayer.

Answer 6

wiccans do not belive in a christian god they belive in the Goddess and God or Lord and Lady there are many names for them they are basically all around you in the earth in the air in all life forms.you channel the energy that is inside you to do magickal work.do wiccans have powers?they have the power to control thier lives and help others and do good in their lives journey.once someone channels thier energy thier power is endless.wicca is a nature based religion but that doesnt mean they worship trees.its much more than that.i havent aquried alot of knowledge on the subject i am just begging my journey i tried to anwser to the best of my knowledge and level of explatnation i would take the advice of and experianced seasoned wiccan on this for the best answer i hope i was of some help though.oh wiccans do also have other deities that they may pray to or ask for guidence from when that deities powers are needed.

Answer 7

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

An explanation of the religion by a Wiccan:

http://www.uri.org/Wicca_Portrait.html

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