Wiccan FAQ - ?????? PROFIT

******** THIS s**t IS HILARIOUS INNIT

STEP 1: CALL YOURSELF WICCAN	11.7%	[ 259 ]
STEP 2: BUY STRANGE CLOTHES	6.3%	[ 139 ]
STEP 3: WHINE ABOUT HOW OPPRESSED YOU ARE	10.7%	[ 237 ]
STEP 4: ????????	37.7%	[ 836 ]
STEP 5: PROFIT!	33.6%	[ 744 ]
Total Votes:			[ 2215 ]

[deadmanjay]

petticoats and bows

Hello!
I am going to be turning eighteen in one month.
How does one go about finding a coven and becoming initiated?

Amber and jet is a good website to find covens. But, just because you are 18, that does not mean that they will automatically initiated you, nor is that year and a day thing entirely accurated. The coven/HP/HPS has to decide if you are a proper person or if you fit in with them. Not all covens fit with all people.

[Baka-saru2002]

Okay...from reading the first post, does it mean that solitaries are not true wiccans because they haven't been initiated by a real priest or priestess? What about those who can find no group in they're area? How are they supposed to be initiated? This is my dilemma. I'm reading all the books I can, and yeah, some are pretty biased, but how am I to learn? Where do I start? How do I find a teacher if they are oathbound and secretive? HEEELP!

[deadmanjim]

Baka-saru2002

Okay...from reading the first post, does it mean that solitaries are not true wiccans because they haven't been initiated by a real priest or priestess?

Yes, yes it does.

Quote:

What about those who can find no group in they're area? How are they supposed to be initiated?

Sometimes you just need to travel for these things.

Quote:

This is my dilemma. I'm reading all the books I can, and yeah, some are pretty biased, but how am I to learn? Where do I start?

Scorplett's Reading List

Wicca and Witchcraft:

Witchcraft Today by Gerald B. Gardner
The Meaning of Witchcraft by Gerald B. Gardner
Witchcraft for Tomorrow by Doreen Valiente
ABC of Witchcraft Past & Present by Doreen Valiente

Wicca: The Old Religion in the New Millennium by Vivienne Crowley
Principles of Wicca by Vivienne Crowley
Lid Off the Cauldron by Patricia Crowther
High Priestess by Patricia Crowther
Charge of the Goddess - Doreen Valiente
Circle of Fire – Sorita D'Este
Witch Blood by Patricia Crowther
One Witches World by Patricia Crowther
What Witches Do by Stewart Farrar
The Heart of Wicca by Ellen Cannon Reed
A Witches Bible (or ‘What Witches Do and Eight Sabbat’s for Witches) – Stewart Farrar
The Witches Circle by Maria Kay Simms (Non BTW)
Magical Rites from the Crystal Well by Ed Fitch (Non BTW)
A Book of Pagan Rituals by Herman Slater (Non BTW)

Neopaganism:

The Elements of Ritual by Deborah Lipp
Witchcrafting by Phillis Currot
Spiral Dance by Starhawk
Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler
The Witches God by Janet and Stewart Farrar
The Witches Goddess by Janet and Stewart Farrar
Ancient Ways and Wheel of the Year by Pauline Campanelli
Coven Craft: Witchcraft for Three or More by Amber K
Ethics and the Craft by John J. Coughlin
The Truth About Witchcraft by Hanz Holzer
The Paganism Reader by Chas Clifton

Historical Reference:

The Triumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton
The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles by Ronald Hutton
Wiccan Roots: Gerald Gardner and the Modern Witchcraft Revival by Philip Heselton
Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca And Paganism in America by Chas S. Clifton
The Golden Bough by Sir James Frazier
The White Goddess by Robert Graves

Magic:

Modern Magick by Donald Michael Kraig
Magick without Tears by Crowley
The Training and Work of an Initiate by Dion Fortune
Mystical Qabalah by Dion Fortune
The Witches Qabala by Ellen Cannon Reed
Summoning Forth Wiccan Gods and Goddesses by Lady Maeve Rhea

Open Source:
(Note: Though most of her theories have since been debunked, Murray's works are included for reference purposes. )

The Golden Bough by Sir James George Frazer
http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/frazer/index.htm
The Witch-Cult in Western Europe by Margaret Alice Murray
http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/wcwe/index.htm
Aradia; Gospel of the Witches by Charles G. Leland
http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/aradia/index.htm
Etruscan Roman Remains in Popular Tradition by Charles Godfrey Leland
http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/err/index.htm
Witchcraft Today (PDF) - by Gerald Gardner
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/wisewoman/WiccaWitchcraftToday.pdf
The Meaning of Witchcraft - Gerald Gardner
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/wisewoman/TheMeaningofWitchcraft.doc
High Magics Aid - A 'fictional' book by Gerald Gardner
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/wisewoman/HighMagicsAid.doc
Gerald Gardner: Witch - attributed to Jack Bracelin but actually written by Idries Shah
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/wisewoman/GeraldGardnerWitch[1].rtf
God of the Witches (PDF) - by Dr Margaret Murray
http://www.thewica.co.uk/godwitch.pdf

There's a good start for you.

Quote:

How do I find a teacher if they are oathbound and secretive? HEEELP!

Another good place to start.

[BTW Found]

Baka-saru2002

Okay...from reading the first post, does it mean that solitaries are not true wiccans because they haven't been initiated by a real priest or priestess? What about those who can find no group in they're area? How are they supposed to be initiated? This is my dilemma. I'm reading all the books I can, and yeah, some are pretty biased, but how am I to learn? Where do I start? How do I find a teacher if they are oathbound and secretive? HEEELP!

If you have not been initiated by a cross gender ritual done by a coven descended from the New Forest coven then you are not Wiccan.

If you can not find a group in your area you may have to travel some distance to find a proper Wiccan coven. I know someone who flys 3000 miles one way once a month to train with her coven. A person who wants to be Wiccan must seek for a coven that is why they are called Seekers. It took me over 20 years to find a proper coven which I could work with. I still drive 1 hour and 30 minutes one way to train.

You may be able to find a proper Wiccan coven through the Amber and Jet yahoo group. Also you can practice outer court rituals until you find a proper group that will accept you for training.

Good luck.

[scorplett]

BTW Seeket

Baka-saru2002

Okay...from reading the first post, does it mean that solitaries are not true wiccans because they haven't been initiated by a real priest or priestess? What about those who can find no group in they're area? How are they supposed to be initiated? This is my dilemma. I'm reading all the books I can, and yeah, some are pretty biased, but how am I to learn? Where do I start? How do I find a teacher if they are oathbound and secretive? HEEELP!

If you have not been initiated by a cross gender ritual done by a coven descended from the New Forest coven then you are not Wiccan.

If you can not find a group in your area you may have to travel some distance to find a proper Wiccan coven. I know someone who flys 3000 miles one way once a month to train with her coven. A person who wants to be Wiccan must seek for a coven that is why they are called Seekers. It took me over 20 years to find a proper coven which I could work with. I still drive 1 hour and 30 minutes one way to train.

You may be able to find a proper Wiccan coven through the Amber and Jet yahoo group. Also you can practice outer court rituals until you find a proper group that will accept you for training.

Good luck.

I would steer left of field on the practicing outer-court material to be honest. There is nothing worse than having to correct misconceptions or guide someone through unlearning patterns of ritual behavior.
If someone wants to be active in their learning, they might do better to develop a personal practice removed from Wicca. General eclectic neopagan witchcraft is often a nice compliment to Wiccan training, especially if someone through that personal practice develops a good personal relationship with a given Deity. General medative work, and practice that enhance a persons ability to shift consciousness and work with energy is always great. To find a field of interest and immerse yourself in that is also a great benefit, having an interest in herbalism, divination or astrology for example can be very useful to the seeker and potential covens.

I would also like to add a book to the list that DMJim posted. Patricia Crowther recently published a new book called 'Covensense'. It's a great Q&A and details quite a few interesting things that haven't been covered in books before.

tradwicca.org is a good website that could help in finding a coven indirectly, it will at very least help navigate the seeking process, what to expect and what to avoid.

[BTW Found]

scorplett

BTW Seeket

Baka-saru2002

Okay...from reading the first post, does it mean that solitaries are not true wiccans because they haven't been initiated by a real priest or priestess? What about those who can find no group in they're area? How are they supposed to be initiated? This is my dilemma. I'm reading all the books I can, and yeah, some are pretty biased, but how am I to learn? Where do I start? How do I find a teacher if they are oathbound and secretive? HEEELP!

If you have not been initiated by a cross gender ritual done by a coven descended from the New Forest coven then you are not Wiccan.

If you can not find a group in your area you may have to travel some distance to find a proper Wiccan coven. I know someone who flys 3000 miles one way once a month to train with her coven. A person who wants to be Wiccan must seek for a coven that is why they are called Seekers. It took me over 20 years to find a proper coven which I could work with. I still drive 1 hour and 30 minutes one way to train.

You may be able to find a proper Wiccan coven through the Amber and Jet yahoo group. Also you can practice outer court rituals until you find a proper group that will accept you for training.

Good luck.

I would steer left of field on the practicing outer-court material to be honest. There is nothing worse than having to correct misconceptions or guide someone through unlearning patterns of ritual behavior.
If someone wants to be active in their learning, they might do better to develop a personal practice removed from Wicca. General eclectic neopagan witchcraft is often a nice compliment to Wiccan training, especially if someone through that personal practice develops a good personal relationship with a given Deity. General medative work, and practice that enhance a persons ability to shift consciousness and work with energy is always great. To find a field of interest and immerse yourself in that is also a great benefit, having an interest in herbalism, divination or astrology for example can be very useful to the seeker and potential covens.

I would also like to add a book to the list that DMJim posted. Patricia Crowther recently published a new book called 'Covensense'. It's a great Q&A and details quite a few interesting things that haven't been covered in books before.

tradwicca.org is a good website that could help in finding a coven indirectly, it will at very least help navigate the seeking process, what to expect and what to avoid.

I find the outer court Gardnerian training I am receiving to be very different then the publically published "wiccan" material. It is also very different then the bull that I learned from the Proteus coven that I foolishly worked with when I was younger. Proteus claims to be Wiccan, but they are not. They have made changes to the Core. This is from what I have learned so far and from 3* Gardnerian Priests and Priestess who were once Proteus as well.

What about training with Recon groups or other Pagan groups that do not claim to be Wiccan?

[scorplett]

BTW Seeket

scorplett

BTW Seeket

Baka-saru2002

Okay...from reading the first post, does it mean that solitaries are not true wiccans because they haven't been initiated by a real priest or priestess? What about those who can find no group in they're area? How are they supposed to be initiated? This is my dilemma. I'm reading all the books I can, and yeah, some are pretty biased, but how am I to learn? Where do I start? How do I find a teacher if they are oathbound and secretive? HEEELP!

If you have not been initiated by a cross gender ritual done by a coven descended from the New Forest coven then you are not Wiccan.

If you can not find a group in your area you may have to travel some distance to find a proper Wiccan coven. I know someone who flys 3000 miles one way once a month to train with her coven. A person who wants to be Wiccan must seek for a coven that is why they are called Seekers. It took me over 20 years to find a proper coven which I could work with. I still drive 1 hour and 30 minutes one way to train.

You may be able to find a proper Wiccan coven through the Amber and Jet yahoo group. Also you can practice outer court rituals until you find a proper group that will accept you for training.

Good luck.

I would steer left of field on the practicing outer-court material to be honest. There is nothing worse than having to correct misconceptions or guide someone through unlearning patterns of ritual behavior.
If someone wants to be active in their learning, they might do better to develop a personal practice removed from Wicca. General eclectic neopagan witchcraft is often a nice compliment to Wiccan training, especially if someone through that personal practice develops a good personal relationship with a given Deity. General medative work, and practice that enhance a persons ability to shift consciousness and work with energy is always great. To find a field of interest and immerse yourself in that is also a great benefit, having an interest in herbalism, divination or astrology for example can be very useful to the seeker and potential covens.

I would also like to add a book to the list that DMJim posted. Patricia Crowther recently published a new book called 'Covensense'. It's a great Q&A and details quite a few interesting things that haven't been covered in books before.

tradwicca.org is a good website that could help in finding a coven indirectly, it will at very least help navigate the seeking process, what to expect and what to avoid.

I find the outer court Gardnerian training I am receiving to be very different then the publically published "wiccan" material. It is also very different then the bull that I learned from the Proteus coven that I foolishly worked with when I was younger. Proteus claims to be Wiccan, but they are not. They have made changes to the Core. This is from what I have learned so far and from 3* Gardnerian Priests and Priestess who were once Proteus as well.

What about training with Recon groups or other Pagan groups that do not claim to be Wiccan?

Yeah, Proteus is hit and miss. From what I know there are some from the original Protean up-line who did maintain the core though, but in recent years the coven and it's downline seem far from Wicca and from what I gather openly strayed from the core. I don't know all the ins and outs, and to be honest, the isuse with Judy and her Queen, the split from the Gardnerian core and the fractures within Proteus itself aren't really something to discuss here. None of us would have the facts and even if we did, this isn't the place for it.

As you say, the outercourt training of a given coven, generally varies quite a bit.

I have always encouraged dedicants to foster their own spiritual connections outside of Wicca, and find it quite frustrating when dedicants insist on working what they believe to be Wiccan rites outside of coven, constantly relying on the framework provided by outercourt.
Developing a personal practice will always stand to an individual. It isn't always possible to convene the coven to work, and so, a personal practice that can fulfill the individuals spiritual needs outside of coven I believe to be an asset. For a seeker I think it also an asset as they then have an opportunity to learn and grow without stepping on toes, learning in a way that might be detrimental to their studies in Wicca and can often round an individual in such a way that they can bring more to the table at coven through their personal studies.
Many covens like to encourage members to study a topic of interest, and having a herbalist, an astrologer, an adept at Tarot or Runes is always nice. Not to mention having a seamstress, a leatherworker or metallurgist biggrin

Working with other non Wiccan groups can be a benefit, so long as it is responsible and keeps integrity. It's also important of course that any personal path does not conflict with Wicca or that Wicca doesn't conflict with it.
Recon groups can have a habbit of being short on the honesty mark, especially 'celtic recon' groups. However, Norse, Greek and Egyptian can be good bases for a personal practice.
Personally, I worked with a number of non Wiccan traditions before initiation and since. I found work with reclaiming Witches to be very fulfilling and it helped me a great deal in advancing my ability to adjust consciousness.
I do know another Alexandrian HPS here who requests that her dedicants, especially when preparing for initiation, cease all other magical work.

[Sandraugiga]

Baka-saru2002

Okay...from reading the first post, does it mean that solitaries are not true wiccans because they haven't been initiated by a real priest or priestess?

You know... there are also real priestesses and priest outside of wicca. ninja And if any of those initiate you, you still would not be wiccan. Because it is likely not wicca they initiated you in.

Also, solitaries can be amazingly great witches. ninja You don't have to go through wicca training to be a witch. You just have to practice witchcraft.

Baka-saru2002

What about those who can find no group in they're area? How are they supposed to be initiated?

Depends... How much does one want it? Traveling to be with that one coven which is a good fit, is for some people worth it. So how much do you want it? Are you prepared to make some sacrifices, be it time and/or money to make that journey?

Baka-saru2002

This is my dilemma. I'm reading all the books I can, and yeah, some are pretty biased, but how am I to learn? Where do I start? How do I find a teacher if they are oathbound and secretive? HEEELP!

What have you already read?

[ShojoHana]

[BTW Found]

Kurenai no Hana

How does this advance the discussion? What does this have to do with Wicca?

[xLady Tsukiyox]

Kurenai no Hana

The Rede is advice. Not law. -.-

[Magick Nate]

I read the frist post so Wicca is a magical sex religion? I HIGHLY very highly disagree and nothing will change that fact.

[Celeblin Galadeneryn]

Baka-saru2002

Okay...from reading the first post, does it mean that solitaries are not true wiccans because they haven't been initiated by a real priest or priestess?

Yes, unless they were initiated prior to being away from a coven.

Quote:

What about those who can find no group in they're area?

Tough s**t.
'

Quote:

How are they supposed to be initiated?

Move to where they can. If you can't have that simple devotion, how are you a proper person?

Quote:

This is my dilemma. I'm reading all the books I can, and yeah, some are pretty biased, but how am I to learn? Where do I start? How do I find a teacher if they are oathbound and secretive? HEEELP!

Try Amber and Jet.

[Celeblin Galadeneryn]

Magick Nate

I read the frist post so Wicca is a magical sex religion? I HIGHLY very highly disagree and nothing will change that fact.

Not even the truth?

That's some mighty powerful delusion going on there.