My perception of Wicca

[Bugmaster]

I've posted my perception on Wicca on another thread. However, I'm personally not a Wiccan, and I'm afraid I may have inadvertently misrepresented Wiccan belief. So... would any Wiccans here care to correct me if this is the case ?

As far as I know, Wiccans are not monotheists. This means that, according to Wiccans, the Judeo-Christian God (Jesus, YHVH, Allah) is a myth. Instead, Wiccans worship a variety of gods; notably the Earth Mother (an anthropomorphic personification of our planet and the feminine aspect) and the Horned God (her male aspect counterpart). Many Wiccans also worship forest spirits, the Ancient Greek pantheon, totems, and other things.

The primary rule of Wicca is the Rule of Three: whatever you do -- good or bad -- will come back to you threefold, and in this life, not the next. The secondary rule of Wicca is, "and if harm none, do what ye will" -- a direct consequence of the Rule of Three.

Interestingly enough, the central focus of Wicca is not on worhip, but on spellcasting. Wiccans believe that they can affect reality by will alone (or, at least, by brewing potions and reciting incantations). They believe that they have the power to make plants grow, heal injuries, protect others from bodily harm, etc.; this power may derive from their gods, or it may be innate to each Wiccan; opinions vary on that one. Obviously, Wiccans also have the power to inflict harm, but, according to the Rule of Three, it would be stupid of them to do so.

In general, Wiccans have a great respect and admiration for nature; many of them are vegetarians or vegans, because they feel eating meat is unethical. Many important Wiccan rites (and their major spellcasting rituals) occur in natural surroundings, such as parks and forests.

[koriani]

Hello,

Your description of Wicca is rather simplified but mostly accurate.

Interestingly enough, a lot of Wiccans do not see the Christian Jesus/God as a myth but as a viable Diety and a lot of them call upon Jesus and Mary both; Jesus being the masculine and Mary the feminine form of what we perceive as the balanced energy of the Divine.

There is an error in regards to the principal focus of Wicca however. We are not all spellcasters or Witches. Although the terms Wiccan and Witch are used interchangably, this is not always the case.

My focus as a Wiccan is to honor the Lord and Lady and to seek Spiritual Enlightenment. I do not think of myself as Witch, in the strict sense, even though I do the occasional spell. Basically, a spell is a prayer asking the Divine to directly join Their energy to the querents to attain a specific outcome. Christians do it all the time in asking God to heal a sick friend or family member, get them out of a sticky situation, etc.

I hope I've cleared a few things up and if there are any other questions, I would be happy to respond.

Blessings,

Koriani

[bernee51]

Hello,

Your description of Wicca is rather simplified but mostly accurate.

So Wicca, like all other religions is a belief system which seeks to give meaning and legitimacy to believers in the face of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. This is its transalative role.

You mention spiritual enlightenment. This is the transformative aspect of religions one with which only the very few are aware of, let alone practice. How is Wicca 'transformative'?

[Bugmaster]

Interestingly enough, a lot of Wiccans do not see the Christian Jesus/God as a myth but as a viable Diety and a lot of them call upon Jesus and Mary both; Jesus being the masculine and Mary the feminine form of what we perceive as the balanced energy of the Divine.

Ah, I see, thanks for pointing it out. Would it be fair to say that this male/female duality is a central theme in Wicca ? Or is it mainly one of the themes ?

[koriani]

Hello,

Your description of Wicca is rather simplified but mostly accurate.

So Wicca, like all other religions is a belief system which seeks to give meaning and legitimacy to believers in the face of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. This is its transalative role.

You mention spiritual enlightenment. This is the transformative aspect of religions one with which only the very few are aware of, let alone practice. How is Wicca 'transformative'? huh? Could you speak in laymen's terms? My mind hurts just thinking about it. What I can tell you is that I deem Spirituality and Religion as seperates and not mutually exclusive. One can be Spiritual without Religion and vice versa. Religion is from without and Spirituality is from within.

I guess I would say Wicca 'transforms' by showing us our own power and giving us control of our environment. With this ability to control the environment around us, which we call Magick, comes great responsibility and discipline. I'm not sure if I've answered your question but there you go...

[koriani]

Interestingly enough, a lot of Wiccans do not see the Christian Jesus/God as a myth but as a viable Diety and a lot of them call upon Jesus and Mary both; Jesus being the masculine and Mary the feminine form of what we perceive as the balanced energy of the Divine.

Ah, I see, thanks for pointing it out. Would it be fair to say that this male/female duality is a central theme in Wicca ? Yes, this is the central theme of Wicca for most adherents. The thing is, Wicca is not as organized as most other religions. There is so much room for personalization...we take what we want/what appeals to us and blend it with our personal beliefs to create a religious/spiritual docterine that makes sense to us on an individual basis. This is all under the umbrella of Paganism/Wicca because it's an Earth based, polytheistic belief that most of us share. Or is it mainly one of the themes ? I guess another theme of Wicca is Magick which is almost as important to some as that of honoring the Lord and Lady but it really depends on the individual's focus. Some come to Wicca for the Magick some for the connection to the Divine.

[bernee51]

Hello,

Your description of Wicca is rather simplified but mostly accurate.

So Wicca, like all other religions is a belief system which seeks to give meaning and legitimacy to believers in the face of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. This is its transalative role.

You mention spiritual enlightenment. This is the transformative aspect of religions one with which only the very few are aware of, let alone practice. How is Wicca 'transformative'? huh? Could you speak in laymen's terms? My mind hurts just thinking about it. What I can tell you is that I deem Spirituality and Religion as seperates and not mutually exclusive. One can be Spiritual without Religion and vice versa. Religion is from without and Spirituality is from within.

I guess I would say Wicca 'transforms' by showing us our own power and giving us control of our environment. With this ability to control the environment around us, which we call Magick, comes great responsibility and discipline. I'm not sure if I've answered your question but there you go...

Thanks and to a large extent I agree with you. Though i would add that what you seek to acheive throught Wicca in terms of spiritual development would seem to have no requirement for a deity(s).

Why have one? (or more)


Translative = translating the trials of living inot somehtin more bareable by providing support and meaning to liefe through a belief system

Transformative = tearing the foundations out of your belief systemss and constantly growing and renewing in conscious and spiritual development.

[Lynalia]

>>>As far as I know, Wiccans are not monotheists. This means that, according to Wiccans, the Judeo-Christian God (Jesus, YHVH, Allah) is a myth.

* Not all Wiccans have that concept of Jesus, as a matter of fact, many wiccans consider jesus a very important aset to wicca. As a matter of fact, there are such things as Christian Wiccans.

>>> Instead, Wiccans worship a variety of gods; notably the Earth Mother (an anthropomorphic personification of our planet and the feminine aspect) and the Horned God (her male aspect counterpart). Many Wiccans also worship forest spirits, the Ancient Greek pantheon, totems, and other things.

* Note: Wiccans are a new age sect that began between the 1950's-1970's whose goal is to bring back, or revive the old tme religions. This COULD be greek...but it can also be egyption, norse, celtic, sumerian, or goddess worship.

>>>The primary rule of Wicca is the Rule of Three: whatever you do -- good or bad -- will come back to you threefold, and in this life, not the next. The secondary rule of Wicca is, "and if harm none, do what ye will" -- a direct consequence of the Rule of Three.

* Actually, wiccans hold the Wiccan Rede at the top, which is "An it harm non, do as ye will" and the three-fold law is used to enforce the wiccan rede. Although this is mostly correct, when you think of it...its not in contradiction .

>>>Interestingly enough, the central focus of Wicca is not on worhip, but on spellcasting. Wiccans believe that they can affect reality by will alone (or, at least, by brewing potions and reciting incantations). They believe that they have the power to make plants grow, heal injuries, protect others from bodily harm, etc.; this power may derive from their gods, or it may be innate to each Wiccan; opinions vary on that one. Obviously, Wiccans also have the power to inflict harm, but, according to the Rule of Three, it would be stupid of them to do so.

*We must note that there is a big difference between Witches and Wiccans. Not all Wiccans are Witches and not all Witches are Wiccan. So that point it moot.

>>>In general, Wiccans have a great respect and admiration for nature; many of them are vegetarians or vegans, because they feel eating meat is unethical. Many important Wiccan rites (and their major spellcasting rituals) occur in natural surroundings, such as parks and forests.

*That is correct, but please remember that Wicca is not a religion, it is a philosophy. Like, Buddhism.

[Lanternshine]

...please remember that Wicca is not a religion, it is a philosophy. Like, Buddhism.

What a curious — and utterly erroneous — comment!

[McCulloch]

...please remember that Wicca is not a religion, it is a philosophy. Like, Buddhism.

What a curious — and utterly erroneous — comment!

Welcome to the debates
While I happen to agree with your point, it is customary in debate to explain why you believe that another's point of view is "utterly erroneous" rather than to simply state that someone's view is wrong.