In Wicca, what do the Lord and the Lady stand for?

Question

I am learning about Candle magick and it says here to consecrate the candle in the name of the lord and lady... But doesn't elaborate any further.
Thanks

Answer 1

They don't "stand for" anything. The Lord and Lady are Deities, not symbols (though some Wiccans see them as symbols.) Wicca is a religion first, and a magickal system second. The Lord and Lady of Wicca are also known as the Goddess and the Horned God, or by secret names specific to each coven or tradition. Also, the High Priest and High Priestess in initiated coven traditions are given the title Lord and Lady, because they represent the God and Goddess during the ritual in a similar way that a Catholic priest represents Christ during the Mass. Wiccans believe that all Gods are One God, and all Goddesses are One Goddess -- so all the different Pagan deities in all the different cultures of the world are seen as aspects of the Lord and Lady. But there are many other Pagan paths under the umbrella of Neopaganism that hold a different view. Many Reconstructionist Pagans see all the different Gods and Goddesses as separate entities, not just different names of One God. Some Pagans see the Gods as aspects of their own minds, or Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious, and some Pagans see them as actual deities. Personally, I am a polytheist -- I believe in many Gods, not just two, and I believe that they are Gods, not just mental constructs.

But, if your interest is in the Magick and not the Religion, then study and practice Magick from multiple sources, and adapt it to your personal beliefs (and call it Magick, don't call it Wicca). Like Prairiecrow said, use the name of your own God to consecrate the candles. Magick depends on the relationship you already have with Deity. So, call on the aid of a deity with whom you have a relationship.

Answer 2

The Lord is the God and the Lady is the Goddess.

You may want to learn a little more before you actually start consecrating anything if you didn't know that. No offense, just that "Lord and Lady" is pretty basic and you should have come across that somewhere already.

Good luck!

)O(

Answer 3

Your question is the main reason that most coveners recommend that Solitaries join a working coven or at least go to the "Wicca 101" discussions and workshops that many metaphysical book stores hold around the US and in some places overseas.

Books rarely, if ever answer the questions that you have.

The term "Lord and Lady" are generic, for most Pagan or New Age authors. This is to allow you to use whichever God and Godess that suits you, depending on the Pagan path that you are on.

Generally speaking, if you were following the Norse traditions, you would use the Norse God and Godess; Celtic would use the Celtic God and Godess; Egyptian would use the God and Godess from the Egyptian pantheon and so on and so on, depending on your tradition or path.

So learn and know your pantheons well so that you may call the Gods and Godesses that work for your path and so that you may properly call the correct Gods and/or Godesses for whatever spells that you are working.

Answer 4

That means by the God and Goddess. You can simply say "By the Lord and Lady" meaning all Gods and Goddesses or you can name the specific names of your patron God and Goddess, if you like. (In my many, many years of practice and study, I have been taught that all Goda=s are one God, all Goddesses are one Goddess. This means that the different God/dess names simply respresent different aspects or personalities of the God and Goddess.)

I would, however, suggest that you learn more about magick, its uses and intentions and more history of the religion and "how to" before jumping in. Candle magick is less complicated than most, so is a good place to start as far as magick is concerned, but there is so much more to know than just magick and spells. I understand that not everyone who is interested in magick is interested in the religion of Witchcraft or Wicca, or the history thereof -- but if the Lord and Lady don't know you and you don't know them, how can you call on them for help?
Good luck in your studies and in your endeavors. :)

Answer 5

Lord And Lady

Answer 6

The answers of Prariecrow and Frater Pan are very good. Indeed, the only thing that Pan gets wrong is that we Wiccans do NOT think all gods are one god and all goddesses are one goddess. That is an invention of the past couple of decades not reflected in the original core of Wicca (Gardner mentions four distinct deities of many, for example) and not reflected in many, many, many traditions of Wicca today.

You'll probably hate this answer, but as a Wiccan for over 20 years, I sincerely believe if you are asking this question you're not ready for the actions you intend to do.

Answer 7

The Lord and Lady are the Yin and Yang of Wicca. They are the two energies that work together to create magick.

Answer 8

The Lord is the God, the male Divine principle, and the Lady is the Goddess, the female Divine principle -- in Wicca, anyway. Other NeoPagan religions may use different terms.

If you do not understand who They are, do not do something in Their names, is my advice. Consecrate the candle in the name of the Divine in general, perhaps.

Answer 9

Lord and Lady God and Goddess

I believe that Lord and Lady was given as names for the uninitiated to use, orginally. I could be wrong. Anyway, if you already have a name for the God and Goddess then use those.

Answer 10

The Lord and Lady stand for the feminine and masculine aspects of the divine. You can use names for the Lord and Lady or not, your choice.