Welcome to Gaia! ::

Nah, that's just one of those moments that I make plenty of sense to myself, but not to anyone else. And I realized it only after I posted. I just don't feel like going back and explaining it right now, lol.

exclaim exclaim just you wait, oh just you wait. I'll be in California in a few months (like 5 months) and i'll sure show you who is confused... exclaim exclaim

question wait, what??? question

Well, the 13 Principles of Wicca are as follows:

1. We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarters.

2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with nature in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.

3. We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary it is sometimes called ‘supernatural’, but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.

4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity – as masculine and feminine – and that this same Creative Power lies in all people and functions through the interaction of the masculine and the feminine. We value neither above the other knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sex as pleasure as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energy used in magical practice and religious worship.

5. We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological worlds sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconsciousness, the Inner Planes etc – and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magical exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.

6. We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.

7. We see religion, magick and wisdom in living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it – a world view and philosophy of life which we identify as Witchcraft – the Wiccan Way.

8. Calling oneself ‘Witch’ does not make a Witch – but neither does heredity itself, nor the collecting of titles, degrees and initiations. A Witch seek to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and without harm to others and in harmony with nature.

9. We believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness giving meaning to the Universe we know and our personal role within it.

10.Our only animosity towards Christianity, or towards any other religion or philosophy of life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be ‘the only way’ and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practice and belief.

11. As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present and our future.

12.We do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do we worship any entity known as ‘Satan’ or ‘the Devil’ as defined by Christian tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another.

13.We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.

That is generally how Wicca is defined. So a Wiccan is one who follows all (or at least most) of them.

People will argue that since it was founded by Gardner, and he said it was a coven based organization, therefore it is so.
However, Wicca was not entirely Gardner's invention. It borrows much from the Golden Dawn, Aleister Crowley, Rosicrucianism (yes, Christianity), traditional folklore, and a religious organization that came out of Cambridge (which is where the Maiden-Mother-Crone and the Holly King-Oak King came from) whose name escapes me, and numerous influences from his personal friends and colleagues. Gardner also wrote "Wicca for One", which is, of course, about how to be a solitary Wiccan.

So, I conclude that in a coven setting, Wicca is orthopraxic, with rules and regulations varying from tradition to tradition, and that as a solitary practitioner, one must follow most (about 11 or 12, not 7 or 8 ) of the 13 Principles and must accept the term as part of their personal definition.
Case and point.


Angered Addendum:
As to the religious intolerance expressed by some BTWs to eclectic Wiccans, they are fools, for they violate the laws that define them, and because intolerance of anther person because of their religious views is madness.
Gerald Gardner was a Wiccan High Priest, a Druid, and a
CATHOLIC PREIST, so I don't think he would approve of your religious intolerance.

Uh...I don't want to make anyone mad at me, but it seems that not earning a title, even though you're basically the same as someone who HAS earned a title is kind of similar to my grandma's situation. She doesn't belong to a specific church (she's a Catholic), but she spends time at her house praying and making a connection with her God. Does not participating in a group worship setting make her un-Catholic? I guess in my mind, it comes down to personal choice about whether you want to participate in a group setting or not, but a person is a person, regardless of their method of spirituality. Sorry if this offends anyone, but that's just how i see it.

Shut up, Rizu. =P

xd

you can be catholic without a church. It is a set up belief structure. It all depends on if you've done all those catholic thingies to be members of the church. The membership never expires.

ummm i dont think they are all that way. my grandma is catholic, but her church closed. she cant really go anymore anyway, its really hard for her to get out of the house. does that make her any less of a catholic? not to her. she still prays before bed, and putters around the house talking to her saints. (its cute really. if she loses something she goes around muttering her little prayer to st. anthony as she hunts for it). frankly, if shes sinning because shes too old to go to church, someone needs to sue god for malpractice.

to XLady TsukiyoX: its an informal debate, INFORMAL. gettng worked up is not the point. the point is to share ideas. it happens, but if you are TRYING to get people worked up, you are missing the effing point.

to neko: good luck knitting hon!! its tons of fun, just ask me or entervixen!!

i think from here on out im keeping my views to myself. its not worth having people tell me im wrong anymore.

and yes, citric acid found in lemons will curdle milk. not sure on oranges, but lemons will. its the amount of milk v.s. lemon juice.