Pagans: Your thoughts on Wicca?

Question

So, what are your personal thoughts on Wicca?

If you were once Wiccan, what made you change? If you currently are Wiccan, what made you come to Wicca? On the other side, if you are Wiccan, what do you think of the other paths, like the reconstructionist religions?

Please note this question is directed to pagans in general. Thanks guys. :)

FearEmbodied - I know that. I just wanted to hear other pagans personal thoughts on it. Perhaps you misread my question?

Answer 1

I was Wiccan for a few years. I began exploring pagan paths because I felt like something was missing. Don't misunderstand: Wicca and eclectic paganism were a lot closer to what I was needing than Christianity ever was.

I began exploring my roots and found that Celtic recon and Cherokee beliefs didn't fill that void. I found heathenism (recon Northern European/Anglo-Saxon paganism) and found the answers for me.

For me, Wicca wasn't focused enough and I wasn't drawn to any of the trads in Wicca.

I feel more kinship with Wiccans than mainstream religions and look at reconstructionist pagans like..... first cousins.

Answer 2

I was once Christian, then I started questioning religion and wound up reading lots of things and ended up snagging different ideas from here or there. I identify as a Pagan who most closely identifies with Wicca.

My personal thoughts on Wicca are it is an interesting religion that has much to offer, though not all of it is for me. Depending on the author, some of the ideas are hard to believe. These ideas consist of the supposed passed down history, Silver RavenWolf's credibility, and a few other things not so widely attacked.

Regardless of its shaky historical or authorial basis, I think Wiccans are exceptional people. Other than the occasional "fluff bunny", I have yet to see a Wiccan in every day life who is not a benevolent person. I cannot say the same for other religious people I come in contact with. I'm sure there are bad apples in every bunch, but I found way less in Wicca.
By this understanding I think Wicca succeeds as a religion. Other than control, the main principle behind all religions is to become a better person. I feel that most Wiccans succeed at this.

EDIT:I wonder if I'm wearing rose-tented glasses?

Answer 3

I'm Wiccan now. I was drawn to it because of the balance it promotes, as well as a connection to the earth and the natural surroundings. The more I read about Wicca, the more drawn to it I became. I seriously wish I had a new book to read on it everyday!

I guess my "conversion" came when I started to learn more and more about it and adapt some of the more basic tenets, I began to feel less anxious and full of rage at things that have happened to me in the past few years. Thinking about these things still makes me angry obviously, but it's not an all-consuming rage focused on retribution like it was. So in a way, Wicca saved my sanity.

I think other paths are fine. I have the feeling that I won't always be Wiccan, but I'll move onto a different Pagan path instead as I continue to experience life.

Answer 4

I was eclectic for a while (not strictly wiccan) but here is what I felt all that time:
Wicca seemed to me as some sort of a transition phase for teenagers before they can find a more "serious" belief. I realise that I was thinking mostly of fluffy-bunnies, but let's be honest, in Wicca nowadays there's 80% of commercially oriented fluffies and about 20% of old school "real" wiccans who started practicing in the 70s or 80s. For some reason you never meet those, you just see all the fluffy scum prancing around with pents so huge that they trip over them and announcing to the world how they are witches.
After a couple of experiences like that, it's hard to regain respect for Wicca. I realise that's not what Wicca is about, and that in its core it's a beautiful path, well worth studying and following, but unfortunately you don't get to know that until you have actually spent a LOT of time researching and studying it.
For an outside observer, it's a belief of teenage fluffies wanting to be cool and magical.
I think it's very sad.

Answer 5

I have been a Wiccan for fourteen years, and it suits me down to the ground. I became a Wiccan after a personal encounter with the Goddess, and when I searched for the religion in which I could best honor Her, Wicca turned out to be the right religion for me.

It annoys me that some Wiccans, particularly of the fluffy sort, assume that ALL Pagans are Wiccans, or if not, that they are somehow "less" than Wiccans. It also annoys me that some Wiccans still cling to the myth that we are an "old religion", when rigorous scholarship tore down that particular backdrop years ago. It also annoys me when other Pagans assume that ALL Wiccans are of the fluffy sort, or believe that all Wiccans think we are God/dess's gift to Paganism.

There are so many beautiful paths to the Divine, including the reconstructionist religions, who I have to bow to in terms of precedent. I see no need to tear down the path of another to build up my own.

Answer 6

I think Wiccans are the second most persecuted group within the Pagan community. Many people think that Wiccans are uneducated, young teenage goth kids. Even within the Pagan community we get flack from Pagans who claim that Wicca wants to supercede traditional Witchcraft, that we practice a fake tradition, that we stole our beliefs from others. It's crap I tell you. They also assume that Wiccans don't know their theology and won't stand up for themselves. That's where the most wrong. I defend my beliefs constantly.

I am a Wiccan Warrior I guess you could say.

By the way, the first most persecuted group within the Pagan community is Satanists. Now the first thing you're going to say is that Satanists aren't Pagan. And that's where the persecution begins.

Answer 7

I am currently Wiccan, but was raised roman catholic until I turned 17. after that time, I was searching for a path that suited me. Wicca is the best path for me because it speaks to me. Pagans are NOT ANTI-anything. we believe in attempting to live in harmony with ALL of Mother Earth's creations. we're not out to convert people like other religions!! we believe that there is NO 1 true path that fits everybody. we are all on a journey to the same destination, just taking different ways to get there.

Answer 8

I'm not Wiccan, though I will sometimes say "I'm like Wiccan" because more people seem to recognize the word than if I say, "I am Pagan."

I've tried Wiccan, but I'm just not into the whole circle-casting/ceremony/ritual thing. I don't like calling corners or guardians.

I believe magic is all around us, through us, and a part of us. We should not have to cast circles to protect ourselves from something that is so abundant in nature and the Universe.

Now, I don't mind shielding myself once in a while, but it's more because I feel like there is some negative energy around or I just may need a little boost that day. However, that doesn't mean I think anything is trying to attack me.

I get a LOT of flack for my opinion on not circle-casting from lots of Pagan groups. I just haven't found a Pagan system I fall into yet. Don't really know if I need to find one or identify my beliefs as part of some particular path.

To me, it is like when Thich Nhat Hanh said a child asked him what color a tree was. He said, "What color do you think it is?" He did not want to name the color, thereby catogorizing (and lessening) the impact of the actual color. Once you put a name on something, sometimes it can diminish the thing.

Answer 9

I converted to Wicca at 24, having had an experience of the Goddess that, well, rocked my world. She tends to do that. I have taken my third degree initiation in a Wiccan tradition, but I consider myself more eclectically pagan than purely Wiccan, since my priest and working partner is first and foremost a Native American shaman.

There are many paths to Deity, and everyone has to find theirs.

Answer 10

I homeschool my boys. That being part of the reason. Not to shield them from other religions, but to shield them from bigots, kids can be cruel. I didn't always shield them. But seems my kids were getting bullied by friends? This is a small Christian town, but fortunately I have been able to attract some pagans. My oldest wants Paganism as his religion. My 10yo. isn't sure, but embraces learning about all religions, and participating in our rituals. The others are too young to care. I teach them about Paganism. I'm not biased and will teach about other religions when asked. I took religions classes for this specific purpose. Christianity is everywhere, so no worry about where they will learn that. Not to mention I was raised Christian. So they can go however they please as long as they are not close minded. That is my requirement.