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 Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 12:24 am
Posters note
Below is information on Wicca. If there is anything you want to know please PM me so I can start a FAQ's section in this thread. The main source I will be using is, "Exploring Wicca" by Lady Sabrina. It's a good source for beginners. I've been Pagan since 1997 (I was born 1987) and have been on different paths, Wicca being one of them. Remember if you have a question PM me and I will begin to create a FAQ's post.
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Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 10:48 am
Introduction
Witchcraft, also called Wicca, or simply the Craft, is considered the Old Religion, because it is based on the religious practices of our Pagan ancestors. As a religion, Wicca celebrates life, is earth and fertility oriented, and worships the divine as personified in the form of a Goddess and a God. Moreover, the Craft encourages the use of psychic power and magick to bring physical desire into fruition.
The main reason Witchcraft has survived through the millennia is that its philosophy has always been fluid able to adapt, change, and contribute to the social structure of its time. Additionally, Wicca has always encouraged its adherents to do things according to the natural order and to see the connectedness of all life. This embracing of nature and Her was tends to develop strength of will and character within the devotee.
Women and men are both respected members of the priesthood; groups (covens) meet and worship within a circle where all are considered equal; and individuals are encouraged to develop their own spiritual ideals and style of worship.
In its simplest form, the practice of Witchcraft is a process of learning to understand nature and tread Her paths with confidence and pride. In its most complex form, Wicca facilitates the creation process and permits the individuals to manifest desire, in accordance with his or her own will. ((Translation: Wicca helps people reclaim their personal power and spiritual individuality.)) There is no Pope or spiritual Elder to dictate morals or impose punishment.
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 8:54 pm
The Wiccan Religion
To thousands of practitioners, Witchcraft is more than just a religion; it is a way of life, involving at complex mixture of magick, ritual custom, and reverence for the Divine. In its principal modern form, Wicca traces its origins back to the early 1940’s and a British occultist named Gerald Gardner. It was Gardner's frustration with both Christianity and Ceremonial Magic (which uses psychic skills through rituals, traditions, and the laws of nature), the only "occult" alternative that prompted him to create something different.
His religion is based on pre-existing spiritual concepts, which he combined in a new way to form a new system. His mixing of ceremonial magic with hereditary Witchcraft and Masonic ritual was nothing less than genius.
Witchcraft, or Wicca, as we know it today, is not the sol survivor of antiquity, nor is it an entirely modern creation. Rather, it is a blend of many different spiritual persuasions. Despite the fact that Pagan rites, Shamanic customs, and Goddess worship predate Christianity, there is still no reliable evidence of an established Wiccan religion before 1951.
After the final repeal of the English Witchcraft Act in 1951, Gerald Gardner broke the vow of secrecy he held with the New Forest Coven. He published several books and soon the whole world knew that Witchcraft was alive and well and being openly practiced.
From the early 1960’s and on, people involved with Witchcraft, magick, and related Pagan ideals began to speak out. More books appeared on the market, covens were started, and Wicca was on its way to becoming a recognizable religion. Today, there are hundreds of Wiccan organizations in the United States and Europe that support Gerald Gardner’s ideas.
Most Wiccans are attracted to the Craft because it helps them regain their personal power and rekindles their spiritual desire. In some cases, the lure is the Goddess herself. The idea of balance between sexes, rather than male superiority, and the feminine leadership in the Wiccan Priesthood are very attractive to many Wiccans.
Modern Witchcraft has two branches, Devotional and Functional. Devotional Witchcraft deals primarily with the worship of the God and Goddess, whereas Functional Witchcraft employs the use of magick in its rites. Both classes work with the phases of the moon and the changing of the seasons to enhance mystical rites.
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 12:00 am
Traditions
There are various subgroups, known as Traditions. Traditions are Wiccan spiritual systems built from an individual or group's emotional and learned experiences that are repeated and shared over a number of years, eventually creating an organized belief and ritual practice.
Gardnerian Wicca
Gardnerian Wicca stressed the worship of the Goddess and the Horned God. Covens are always headed by a High Priestess, and they have three degrees of initiation, paralleling those of the Masons. Religious celebrations occur at the eight seasonal shifts, and full moons are considered to be a time of great power and potential.
Most groups work skyclad (naked), and polarity (the balance between masculine and feminine) is emphasized. Covens tend to have equal numbers of male and female initiates, and couples are encouraged to join. During ritual, power is raised through chanting, mediation, and symbolic sexual union, as enacted during the Great Rite. Symbolic tools include the four weapons of ceremonial magick (wand, athame, chalice, and pentacle), in addition to the scourge and cord.
Alexandrian Wicca
Alexandrian Wicca was founded in the early 1960’s by Alex Sanders and his wife, Maxine. Alex Sanders proclaimed himself “King of the Witches” (someone has delusions of grandeur); he claimed to have been initiated at the age of 7 by his grandmother. This was later found to be untrue, as it was revealed he had been initiated into a regular Gardnerian coven.
This group tends to focus on training, and it places much more emphasis on ceremonial magick, than most Gardnerian groups do. It makes use of Kabbalah, the magickal system of the ancient Hebrew, and Enochian, the magickal language of angels, which has its own alphabet and grammar. Covens usually meet once a week for training and at full moons and seasonal shifts for worship. Most Alexandrian Wiccans work skyclad, use the same symbolic tools as Gardnerians, and stress initiation as the formal means of entrance into the group.
Dianic Wicca
There are two distinct branches of Dianic Wicca.
First: Old Dianic
Formed in the early 1960’s by Morgan McFarland and Mark Roberts, Old Dianic Wicca places primary importance upon the Goddess, but still recognizes and honors the Horned God as her consort. Emphasis is on reclaiming female power and the goddess within. Rituals are eclectic. Tools and times of celebration are the same as Gardnerian Wicca.
Second: Dianic Wicca
This branch is feminist in orientation. Only women are allowed, and only the Goddess is worshiped. (Covens often have lesbian participants) Most groups are loosely structured, rituals are often experimental and spontaneous, and symbolism will vary from one group to another. The focus is always on the female aspect, and there is usually a political agenda attached to the group.
Eclectic Wicca
This branch of Wicca covers groups and individuals who do not follow any one tradition, but who rather incorporate the elements of several different traditions into their practices. They work with different deities from different pantheons, rather than concentrating on one specific god and goddess. Eclectic Wicca mix and match symbols, myths, and ceremonies according to preference and experience.
Hereditary/Traditional Wicca
Witchcraft that is practiced within a family that lays claim to a linage predating the Gardnerian revival is considered Hereditary or Traditional Wicca. In the early days of Wicca (1960’s and 70’s) this was the bandwagon to be on. Many, many people claimed a Wiccan heritage that extended from the dawn of time and was passed down to them by their grandmothers.
Generally, the Hereditary Wiccan comes from a family that practiced folk magick and herbal medicine. In the case of a true Hereditary Witch, there will be cogent evidence of the direct line of descent from ancestors who were initiated Witches. The largest factions of Hereditary/Traditional Witches are found in Europe, where the roots of the Wiccan tree are firmly planted (aka the Druids). These Witches pass down their craft within the family circle. Very rarely will they allow an outsider in, usually only initiate within the bloodline.
This branch has a slightly different method of doing things than the post-Gardnerian Wiccans do. Generally, most do not use the standard set of magickal tools, but rely on everyday items to serve as symbols of their craft. Importance is placed on nature deities, fertility, charms, amulets, and herbal potions. Full moons are generally used for divination and the working magick, and seasonal celebrations focus on the prosperity and protection of the family unit.
Strega Wicca
Italian Witchcraft, also called Strega or Stregheria Wicca, date back to the 14th Century and is steeped in ancient folklore. Strega Wicca is believed to be descended from an ancient tribe that worshiped the moon and used nature and spirits to work its magick. The religion acknowledges the polarity of gender and personifies this in the form of God and Goddess. Their year is divided into the God months (October through February) and the Goddess months (March through September).
In keeping with tradition, the eight seasonal shifts are acknowledged and celebrated within a ritual context. The four tools of magick (wand, athame, chalice, and pentacle) are accepted as symbols of power and potential. Magick is considered to be an integral part of the religion, as are spells, omens and charms. Talismans are used to manifest desires.
Strega Wicca recognizes a spiritual teacher in the form of Aridia, who is sent to earth to form a covenant with her followers. All those who follow Aridia and her Old religion are blessed with insight and personal power. A great deal of importance is placed on lunar rites, star magic, and mystical prophecy.
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