Wiccans on Gaia

How do you feel about Wiccans and Witches?

I am a Wiccan/Witch	33.5%	[ 1905 ]
I respect their beliefs	37.9%	[ 2158 ]
I'm not sure about them	5.2%	[ 295 ]
I don't know much about them	14.4%	[ 817 ]
I do not respect their beliefs	3.5%	[ 201 ]
I am strongly against them	5.6%	[ 316 ]
Total Votes:			[ 5692 ]

[Pornographic Karma]

yay!!! I get to talk to people

[Briar Rosethorn]

You can call me Ashleigh wink .

Yes, I completely agree with you there and it's perfectly fine to be non-denominational. I myself call myself an ecclectic Witch. I take various Pagan beliefs from many cultures and mold it into my lifestyle to suit what I believe.

Well, I used to be a very strict Roman Catholic. When my grandfather died, I began questioning my faith and for a time, lost all faith completely. I was raised in a Catholic school my entire life and as I got older, I found more and more that I was being restricted because I was a woman and I didn't feel that was right. I also felt very empty not having a female Deity to connect with. After all, if God created all of us, why can't He be a woman too?

I stumbled upon Wicca by accident on the internet and was intrigued. I gathered as many sources as I could from many different authors and picked out the things that they all seemed to agree on. The more I read, the more fulfilled I felt and the more I realized that what I was reading was what I had believed my entire life without really realizing it.

From there, I studied for about three years before performing my DEdication Ritual. It's been three years since then and to this day, I still feel I made the best choice for myself.

[Miss Terrah]

Proud_Witch, there is a lot of negative stuff floating around about Silver Ravenwolf, and her books are less than stellar, and most people start out with her books, thinking she is the be all and end all of Wicca. Some of her stuff is interesting, but I feel a lot of it is fluff, and things that aren't quite true. One of the girls in the sorority I'm in at college swears by her, though, and apparently she said that Samhain is actually celebrated on the 7th of November, so what she says must be truth! (In every intro book I've read, Samhain is celebrated on October 31st, no ifs ands or buts.)

What are some of your favorite books on Wicca? What would you recommend as a must-read book? smile

[in the flicker.]

Proud_Witch

You can call me Ashleigh wink .

Yes, I completely agree with you there and it's perfectly fine to be non-denominational. I myself call myself an ecclectic Witch. I take various Pagan beliefs from many cultures and mold it into my lifestyle to suit what I believe.

Well, I used to be a very strict Roman Catholic. When my grandfather died, I began questioning my faith and for a time, lost all faith completely. I was raised in a Catholic school my entire life and as I got older, I found more and more that I was being restricted because I was a woman and I didn't feel that was right. I also felt very empty not having a female Deity to connect with. After all, if God created all of us, why can't He be a woman too?

I stumbled upon Wicca by accident on the internet and was intrigued. I gathered as many sources as I could from many different authors and picked out the things that they all seemed to agree on. The more I read, the more fulfilled I felt and the more I realized that what I was reading was what I had believed my entire life without really realizing it.

From there, I studied for about three years before performing my DEdication Ritual. It's been three years since then and to this day, I still feel I made the best choice for myself.

nice story.

mine was a little different, as i grew up in an agnostic household.

one thing you might want to mention about Wicca is that many Wiccans do NOT hold the idea of the "divine." It's like that, but they generally refer to them separately, as the God and the Goddess. I think mythologically they're the same in the same way the Trinity in Christianity works, but i'm not exactly sure how that works.

Actually, I've never even talked to anyone who referred to the God and Goddess as the same being. It's kind of neat.

Terrah: If i may offer my two cents...

as for Ravenwolf...I wouldn't bother. She's got some interesting ideas, but a lot of it IS fluff. too much of it to waste time on.

I personally would recommend two books, one i've read and another that i haven't quite gotten around to reading. Gerald Gardner's Witchcraft Today, and Janet and Stewart Farrar's The Witch's Bible.

Like I was saying before, a lot of Gardner's rules are kind of going out of style, but i think it's important to know what HE intended, considering he pretty much created Wicca. not reading it would be like ignoring Genesis in the Bible or something.

If nothing else, it puts some history under your belt.

[IgnoreThisPerson]

If we are divine then why would we be immortal? For all the reasons i listed: we have the power to change anything we touch, we have the capacity of good or evil and conscious decisions as to how we act. with such power like that would you truly want to be immortal? theres already so much wrong in the world it would be chaos. Also, we reproduce, so overpopulation would be another reason as to why maybe

[Miss Terrah]

Proud_Witch

You can call me Ashleigh wink .

Yes, I completely agree with you there and it's perfectly fine to be non-denominational. I myself call myself an ecclectic Witch. I take various Pagan beliefs from many cultures and mold it into my lifestyle to suit what I believe.

Well, I used to be a very strict Roman Catholic. When my grandfather died, I began questioning my faith and for a time, lost all faith completely. I was raised in a Catholic school my entire life and as I got older, I found more and more that I was being restricted because I was a woman and I didn't feel that was right. I also felt very empty not having a female Deity to connect with. After all, if God created all of us, why can't He be a woman too?

I stumbled upon Wicca by accident on the internet and was intrigued. I gathered as many sources as I could from many different authors and picked out the things that they all seemed to agree on. The more I read, the more fulfilled I felt and the more I realized that what I was reading was what I had believed my entire life without really realizing it.

From there, I studied for about three years before performing my DEdication Ritual. It's been three years since then and to this day, I still feel I made the best choice for myself.

Your approach of Wicca reminds me of mine. I was raised Roman Catholic as well, Catholic school and everything. When I was in high school, back in 11th grade, one of my friends introduced me to Wicca, at a time I was questioning my beliefs in Catholicism. I didn't get the chance to study until I started college, and I ended up performing my dedication ritual in my sophomore year of college. I've had times where I've drifted away from being a practicing Wiccan, but I've always identified as Wiccan, no matter what.

Heheh, sorry I'm being a bit of a chatterbox.

[Vampyre Princess Akasha]

Proud_Witch

Quote:

*Gasp* You mean Wicca isn't thousands, upon thousands years old =o

Next thing you'll tell me is that Aliens didn't build the pyramids

Please let's not be sarcastic in our arguments. This is a supportive and encouraging environment, remember.

Now, Wicca Isn't 60 years old.. It's MUCH much older than that. I first heard that rumor in one of my other threads and made me laugh, it's such a lie! I don't like when people make up a lie about ANY religion...

[mad_cow_disease]

i think wiccanism is a good religion to be. it makes more sense than a lot of stuff out there.

[Briar Rosethorn]

Quote:

Proud_Witch, there is a lot of negative stuff floating around about Silver Ravenwolf, and her books are less than stellar, and most people start out with her books, thinking she is the be all and end all of Wicca. Some of her stuff is interesting, but I feel a lot of it is fluff, and things that aren't quite true. One of the girls in the sorority I'm in at college swears by her, though, and apparently she said that Samhain is actually celebrated on the 7th of November, so what she says must be truth! (In every intro book I've read, Samhain is celebrated on October 31st, no ifs ands or buts.)

What are some of your favorite books on Wicca? What would you recommend as a must-read book?

She doesn't seem like a very credible source to me. I would probably stay away from her works. Well, for people who are just starting out with Wicca and can be easily overwhelmed with too much information, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft by Denise Zimmermann and Katherine A. Gleason. It's a very good starting book with very accurate information.

Book of Shadows by Phyllis Curott (she's a High Priestess and an excellent source. I'd recommend anything written by her).

The Wiccan Year: Spells, Rituals, Holiday Celebrations by Judy Ann Nock

Wicca for One: The Path of Solitary Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland

Wicca Demystified: A Guide for Family, Friends and Practitioners (I can't remember the author).

Quote:

one thing you might want to mention about Wicca is that many Wiccans do NOT hold the idea of the "divine." It's like that, but they generally refer to them separately, as the God and the Goddess. I think mythologically they're the same in the same way the Trinity in Christianity works, but i'm not exactly sure how that works.

Actually, I've never even talked to anyone who referred to the God and Goddess as the same being. It's kind of neat

Well, my personal belief is that there is one All Being that is and can be everything. Therefore, it is male and female. It is Jesus Christ and Mary and Hecate and Thor etc, etc,. Deity is what we percieve it to be. If I were to say "I need a comforting Goddess like Brighid." I believe that DEity would say "I can be that." and if I were to say "I need a confident yet human God like Hercules" Deity would say "I can be that, too." Of course, that's just my own belief though.

Quote:

If we are divine then why would we be immortal? For all the reasons i listed: we have the power to change anything we touch, we have the capacity of good or evil and conscious decisions as to how we act. with such power like that would you truly want to be immortal? theres already so much wrong in the world it would be chaos. Also, we reproduce, so overpopulation would be another reason as to why maybe

Hmm, that's interesting to think about but going back to the patterns and cycles of nature, if we are Divine then that would set us apart from the natural cycles yet it does not. A woman's menstrual cycle comes and goes every 28 days just as the moon does. Both women and men grow old and die just as everything else in nature: plants, animals and every other living thing. Also, why is it that we are born with a natural need to believe in a Higher Power if we ourselves are the Higher Power?

EDIT:

Quote:

i think wiccanism is a good religion to be. it makes more sense than a lot of stuff out there.

Thank you for your support but the correct term is Wicca. If you are referring to someone who practises Wicca then they are called a Wiccan. wink Thank you for contributing, though.

Quote:

Now, Wicca Isn't 60 years old.. It's MUCH much older than that. I first heard that rumor in one of my other threads and made me laugh, it's such a lie! I don't like when people make up a lie about ANY religion...

Wicca is probably quite a bit older than 50 years, however it really is a religion that has only surfaced within the 20th century. Paganism was the first religion in the world and since Wicca is a new branch of Paganism, many people tend to get confused as to which one is which.

[AsmaClementine]

I'm not wiccan, but I am pagan in my spiritual beliefs and have been for the last 7 or 8 years of my life. I mainly study energy and meditation techniques...I also read tarot. I've been looking for people to talk to about this sort of thing that aren't insane and are mature. Perhaps I will on this thread?

[in the flicker.]

Proud_Witch

Well, my personal belief is that there is one All Being that is and can be everything. Therefore, it is male and female. It is Jesus Christ and Mary and Hecate and Thor etc, etc,. Deity is what we percieve it to be. If I were to say "I need a comforting Goddess like Brighid." I believe that DEity would say "I can be that." and if I were to say "I need a confident yet human God like Hercules" Deity would say "I can be that, too." Of course, that's just my own belief though.

Oh I get it, but that in itself isn't an attribute of Wicca. By-the-book Wiccans (those of a certain tradition--Dianic, Gardnerian, Alexandrian, etc) do not, by my experience, feel this way about it. Because Wicca is considered a polytheistic religion, it is widely accepted that the God and Goddess can be regarded more easily as two separate beings, even though they are kind of like the same being (the same way that God and Jesus are different and the same, but without the dependency and/or superiority--the God and Goddess are usually described as being totally equal).

this is not to say, of course, that your belief is in any way invalid. it's just not how traditional Wiccans view things, in my experience.

[Felis terrapina]

Vertigo_Kiwi

I'm a Kemetic Pagan, basically I honor the Ancient Egyptian gods. I have to say I'm a little ticked off about those "wiccans" who decide to honor a god without researching them. For instance, Egyptian gods have many purity requirements and foods/items you are NOT supposed to offer them. How many take the time to research that?

I am not alone!

I agree with you.

And People really can't go around saying they are Wiccan, wear a Pentagram and think they are Harry Potter (i love Harry Potter too...but I know what is Magic and what is Magick)

I studied and still am studing sense I was about 10 I think about Wicca. I learn more every day about my gods, Mother Earth, and my self.

[Vertigo_Kiwi]

AsmaClementine

I'm not wiccan, but I am pagan in my spiritual beliefs and have been for the last 7 or 8 years of my life. I mainly study energy and meditation techniques...I also read tarot. I've been looking for people to talk to about this sort of thing that aren't insane and are mature. Perhaps I will on this thread?

Would you mind me asking what kind of pagan you are? Do you follow any tradition or specific gods? (I'm a Kemetic Pagan, in case anyone forgot that)

I always feel like the oddball pagan though. I don't practice any of that new age stuff, no magic or anything. Just simple prayers and giving offerings of incense to my gods.

[Felis terrapina]

Proud_Witch

Quote:

Now, Wicca Isn't 60 years old.. It's MUCH much older than that. I first heard that rumor in one of my other threads and made me laugh, it's such a lie! I don't like when people make up a lie about ANY religion...

Wicca is probably quite a bit older than 50 years, however it really is a religion that has only surfaced within the 20th century. Paganism was the first religion in the world and since Wicca is a new branch of Paganism, many people tend to get confused as to which one is which.

Worship of Animal gods and goddesses and Mother Earth have been around sense the beggining of time. This is proven by artwork from the "Stone Age" (more acrutly known as Paleolithic (old stone))

[Felis terrapina]

Vertigo_Kiwi

AsmaClementine

I'm not wiccan, but I am pagan in my spiritual beliefs and have been for the last 7 or 8 years of my life. I mainly study energy and meditation techniques...I also read tarot. I've been looking for people to talk to about this sort of thing that aren't insane and are mature. Perhaps I will on this thread?

Would you mind me asking what kind of pagan you are? Do you follow any tradition or specific gods? (I'm a Kemetic Pagan, in case anyone forgot that)

I always feel like the oddball pagan though. I don't practice any of that new age stuff, no magic or anything. Just simple prayers and giving offerings of incense to my gods.

dude, are you a twin? I do the same, (except for the incense thing (my parents are christian, I'm not going to tell them till I move out.)

The one "new age" thing I do is Potion. Like healing teas and oils. (which have been around for ages)