What do Wiccan witches believe in?

Answer 1

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

Answer 2

Beliefs in Wicca


The following list of affirmations and denials are held by most Wiccans. But because there are differences among Wiccan traditions, not every we can will affirm or deny every statement listed here. Nevertheless, the list is accepted by almost all Wiccans

1. Affirms
1. The existence of a supreme divine power known as "The One," or "The All"
2. "The All" is not separate from the universe, but part of it.
3. That from "The All" came the god and goddess.
4. That the god and goddess are manifested in various forms in the universe.
5. Nature worship and, therefore, environmental concerns are high.
6. Divinity is within
7. Biological evolution.
8. That there are different and valid paths to finding the truth about God.
9. That all creatures have a life force, a soul.
10. The male and female principles are in balance throughout the universe.
11. The equality of the sexes.
12. That each person has male and female aspects that need to be balanced.
13. Multiple reincarnations
14. The teaching of karma
15. The practice of rituals designed to attune Wiccans to the natural life forces.
16. That upon death a person is released back to a place called Summerland
17. That different paths to spirituality are acceptable as long as they don't hurt anyone
18. Personal responsibility for one's actions
2. Denies
1. The concept of Heaven and Hell (Matt. 25:46)
2. The existence of the Devil and the worship of the devil, Lucifer, etc. (Matt. 4:1ff)
3. The existence of absolute evil (Psalm 34:14; 35:10)
4. The inspiration and authority of the Bible (2 Tim. 3:16)
5. A need for salvation (Rom. 3:23)
6. Moral absolutes (Exodus 20)
7. That Jesus is the only way to salvation (John 14:6).
8. The male headship presented by Christianity (Eph. 4:11; Eph. 5)
9. A religious authoritative hierarchy (Eph. 4:11; Eph. 5)
10. The concept that humanity is to subdue the earth (Gen. 1:28).

Answer 3

We do NOT believe in the devil, for starts. We believe in the God and Goddess, otherwise known as the Lord and Lady, and we believe in the magick of nature. We believe in the magick of the air, the earth, the rain, and a fire. We believe in the magick of a sunset, we believe in the magick of a full moon.

Anything natural, if you will. We can be pretty laid-back.

And, from James, as you said, that if the Christian Bible is left out in Wind and Rain, it shall be useless, but the Wiccan bible IS the wind and rain.

Answer 4

i am wiccan and let me explain it...

we worship god....but we believe that god has many names.....when we are doing a certain spell, we will call upon god by different names depending on the spell

and wiccans do NOT worship the devil like so many believe.....wiccans don't even believe in a devil or Satan....so do NOT BELIEVE ANYONE ON THIS FORUM THAT TELLS YOU THAT WE WORSHIP THE DEVIL, PLEASE!!!!!

a spell is a different way of praying......in the christian religion, if you would like help...you would fold your hands and talk to god......in the wiccan religion, if we want help, we light a few candles and say a chant.........but its the same thing......

the result of any spell we do, comes back 3 times.....if we harm someone when doing a spell, we will be harmed in the same way, 3 times or 3 times worse......

no one really knows how it was founded because it was one of the very first religions to exist....

i hope i was helpful......

Answer 5

In reincarnation * that energy returns to you increased (send out positive, get positive back * in male and female deities * in caring for nature, ourselves and mankind * there is no heaven or hell * some pagan believe the soul goes to Summerland to rest before reincarnating


www.witchvox.com

Answer 6

That relies upon on your definition of "witches." some Wiccans become attentive to as witches, yet that doesn't advise they think of they're Harry Potter characters. The be conscious "witch" has an rather particular connotation in neopagan circles, that may not at each and each of an analogous because of the fact the Halloween image of a black-robed broomstick-using crone with a sharp hat. an somewhat witch ought to in all risk supply you a greater effectual definition, yet i will approximate. A Wiccan (or different neopagan) witch is somebody who believes in specific religious energies in nature, and that she or he would be in a place to manage them by "spells" (that are somewhat greater like prayers than the rest). no person useful thinks they are in a place to turn yet somebody else right into a toad; that may not what being a witch potential to a pagan.

Answer 7

They believe in forms of prayer that potentially connect them deeply with what sustains them in the physical world around them. They tend not to want to see the physical, mundane quality of life as something to alienate, evil, bad; and only the non-physical as having soul or holiness, or connection to God.

I suppose destruction of the world around them is not something that is irrelevant to how they relate to God.

One may wonder if we relate to God through how we relate to the world (and what also sustains us physically) or if we are closer to God by destroying the world around us. One may wonder if God is pure. And the mundane world is essentially sinful.

The world where things die can seem fearful. Essentially sinful.

Wicca itself can seem part of the fear and the world of things that are never pure, seen as always carrying sin, Wicca itself seen as sin, not wanting to eagerly find God by seeking to first escape the world that sustains us all. That sustains our bodies.

Wiccans, I think believe in being more prayerfully friendly to worldly things, rather than sustain regard as sources of sin.