Welcome to Gaia! ::

Do they think they are silly? Thats what it all comes down too. If they believe then it is so. Faith is the strongest power the world has. Do you believe in the things that you believe in? Then you must be silly too. Cause not everyone believes in what you do....

Also you could right off the modern day witch or wiccan just as easily.

n 1954, Gerald Gardner published the first book on Wicca as we know it today, called "Witchcraft Today". It's somewhat typical to date modern-day Wicca from this date, as this was the beginning of the spread of the religion to the masses.

But many people today are unsure of Gardner's claim of discovering an existing Wiccan coven, and feel that his writings were more his own creations than true (and ancient) practices that had been handed down through generations. He claimed to have been initiated into the New Forest Coven in 1939, by Old Dorothy Clutterbuck. But further examination into this has had difficulty proving that Old Dorothy ever existed.

It's not all white light and bunny rabbits. I'm not saying that they don't exist. My problem is when people make claims involving history that are just not true, and then refuse to back it up. I don't care if he thinks he's a witch hunter and he doesn't care I think he's dellusional. My problem is that if you say that something is historically this, and it isn't, then it's a problem.

I have problems with people making claims of scholarship that have no right to claim such. Like I said, I'm not one of those Wiccans that doesn't bother to let those little things like facts get in the way of what she believes. Paganism isn't all about spells and light and bunnies and what ritual you're going to do next. To be a real practitioner, it requires study, and not just study in the area of metaphysics. It also requires study in the area of history and classical mythology. This is slightly off topic, but I get annoyed when Pagans study a very limited number of areas and think that's enough.

I got this list from a Wiccan author I know who has been on the path for probably about 20 years, and Pagans of that age an experience have a huge list of topics that they're at least familiar with. This list is pretty extensive, but I think all these things are worth knowing, so I work my way through it.

(quoted from Deborah Lipp)

Oh, btw, this is above and beyond knowledge of Wicca, basic ritual techniques, circle casting, elemental knowledge, the holidays, the rules, and the history of Wicca itself, history of medieval witchcraft and the Inquisition, etc.

Magical Systems
Any student would be expected to at least recognize everything on this list and have some intelligence about it, and to have read at least 2 or 3 books on topics in this area. Every Wiccan was expected to have read Dion Fortune.
Goetia
Enochian; knowledge of John Dee
Ceremonial Lodge Magic, including Golden Dawn, Thelema
Theosophy and related offshoots
Knowledge of people such as Eliphas Levy, S.L. MacGregor Mathers, A.E. Waite, Aleister Crowley, Madame Blavatsky, Alice Bailey, Franz Hartmann
Dion Fortune’s work

Divination
Every Wiccan would be expected to have working, usable, useful knowledge of at least one divinatory system. Everyone would need at least passing familiarity with astrology and Tarot, even if they’re not the divinatory system actually used.
Tarot
Astrology
Runes
Scrying
Tea Leaf Reading
Palmistry
Handwriting Analysis

Myth and comparative religion
Knowledge of mythology including Greek, Norse, Irish, Welsh, Sumerian/Babylonian, Polynesian, and more.
Knowledge of comparative mythology such as Joseph Campbell’s work.
Knowledge of Pagan systems such as Native American, Hindu, Yoruban Diaspora, Druid, etc.
Knowledge of the history of monotheism and its relationship to Paganism, including, for example, Mary worship
Knowledge of Jungian material on myth and its relation to the psyche; as found in the works of Carl Jung, Robert Johnson, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Christine Downing, etc.
Knowledge of Goddess/Matriarchy theory. Today I would add knowledge of authors like Cynthia Eller who argue cogently against matriarchy theory.

Occult skills and Handcraft skills
Almost everyone developed some real expertise in at least one area, and knowledge of one or two more.
Herbalism
Healing, laying on of hands, energy work
Stones; magical gemology
Psychic arts
Aromatherapy
Incense making
Tool making (in my original group, we had a knife maker, a fletcher, homemade incense, a homemade altar, etc.)
More (I know I’m leaving a lot out here)

Meditative and Mind skills
Meditation, trance, visualization: These were required of everyone; anyone who couldn’t visualize couldn't make it as a Wiccan.
Chakra work
Silva Mind Control
NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming)

I am solitary. However the list was made by someone in a coven though I don't think that should make a difference.

Yes but that's the thing.....to an older Wiccan those things ARE the things you need to read and know about not as a member of a coven, but as a Pagan. I don't see what's so terrible about the list. I mean, learning isn't a bad thing, si it? I would think it would be a GOOD thing to learn about all these different subjects that relate to Paganism. But, then again I know there are a lot of people who are happy just reading a few Wicca 101 books.

Are you Pagan? Because in the other thread you said you were mormon, so I was just wondering.

Nobody. I was just curious. I have plenty of Christian-witch and Christian-Pagan friends.

Ok, what the heck are you talking about? First of all I can't understand what youy're saying. And second of all, I don't just read a few books and consider myself an expert on everything. I don't just randomly buy into stuff that just mindless capitalism. I do plenty of my own research in a scholarly context, and I know people who have done far more research than I have in matters of history and archeology. I'm not an obstinant type of person in that I will concede to anothers point if and only if they can provide sufficient information. I'm sorry but if I read 10 different sources that say that polar bears are white, and someone comes in and proclaims that polar bears are pink, well, I think I'm going to need more than just one persons word on it. Besides, I wouldn't be very smart if I trused some random person providing very little information over someone with even 10 years of research in the general field.

Not only that but as I said, your constant refusal to provide even the most terse answers to my questions is very frustrating and lowers your credibility to anyone worth thier salt in research and debating skills.