Wicca Workshop
BASIC WICCA INTRODUCTION->Part 2 Basic Tenets of Wiccan Belief
Question:
What is the highest (strongest) belief that you hold?
I believe in the rights of individual freedom, that all should be allowed to conduct themselves as they will as long as it doesn't harm anyone else.
Part 1 Basic Tenets of Wiccan Belief
Let's start off explaining what exactly a "Wiccan" is.
A Wiccan is a practitioner of an earth-centered religion that honors a dual theistic deity (a Goddess and a God) and performs rites (rituals) to attune him or herself with the cycles of the sun (seasons) and the moon (full and/or new). A Wiccan usually believes in the three-fold law and the Wiccan Rede. Most Wiccans perform some kind of magick. Most Wiccans also believe in a form of reincarnation, either as a human again, or something else.
Earth-Centered?
A reverence for nature is the heart of Wiccan belief. Wiccans appreciate all the creatures and plants that populate the earth and honor them in their practices. The earth itself is a living being. Her breath is the wind, her pulse is in the tides of the ocean. We are all a part of her, and this we honor as well.
Dual Theistic deity?
Wiccans worship both a God and a Goddess (symbolically, God as the Sun, and the Goddess as the Moon, although some traditions hold that the God is the Moon and the Goddess is the Sun) and all of our rituals revolve around the cycles of the earth around the sun, and the cycles of the moon around the earth. This is also why it's called an earth-centered religion.
The God and Goddess are the center of the religion, the ones honored at all times. They are the ancient Mother and Father of all, the creators, the source of all life.
What's the Wiccan Rede?
The Wiccan Rede is "'An it harm none, do what thou wilt" and is taken to mean, basically, "Do whatever you want, just don't hurt anyone, including yourself." This is the main law that is followed, and adhered to 'religiously'. (Sorry, had to include that.)
The rede itself is more than just this phrase. The entirety of one version will be included in lesson 2.
What is the three-fold law?
The three-fold law is the belief that whatever you do, be it good or bad, will come back to you threefold (or three times stronger). This could be literal or figurative, but it's usually referred to as happening in <B>this</B> life, as opposed to the next one (reincarnation).
What do you mean by "cycles of the sun"?
The cycles of the sun refer to the course of the earth around the sun, marking the changes of the season (The Solstices and Equinoxes). Also celebrated are the days that are just about midway between each change of the season. (See Lesson 4 for more information.)
How about "cycles of the moon"?
The cycles of the moon are the waxing (getting bigger), full, waning (getting smaller), and the new (or dark) moon. The waxing moon represents the Maiden aspect of the Goddess, the full represents the Mother, and the waning moon represents the Crone. The new moon usually is also represented by the Crone, or sometimes a shadowed figure that represents death and rebirth. It is the transformative phase of the moon.
So, a full moon ritual would honor the Mother aspect, and a new moon ritual should honor the crone.
Why "magick"?
Wiccans and practitioners of natural magic often add a "k" to the end of the word magic to distinguish it from stage magic and the tricks of the hand.
Reincarnation?
Most Wiccans believe in some form of reincarnation. Usually, the soul will go to a "waiting place" before it is reborn, called "The Summerland", a somewhat different version of heaven. Still others believe there is no waiting period, or no rebirth. It is a personal decision.
What about the Oaths?
Some traditions, usually covens, have a special oath that they take that they not reveal their "secrets" to outsiders. Usually these "secrets" were what specific Gods and Goddesses that the coven worships, but is sometimes seen in some "mystery religions". The original source of this "oath" was supposed to be Gerald Gardner himself, even though the entire Gardenarian Book of Shadows has been published at one time or another.
How many kinds of Wicca are there?
The exact number of variations of Wicca is not known, and the number increases almost daily. Everyone is encouraged to find out everything they can about all versions of Wicca and to use what works.
History of Wicca
Wicca has its roots in the pre-Christian traditions of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, and some trace it's past back to the Paleolithic peoples who [we think] worshipped a Hunter God and a Fertility Goddess. I say "we think" because we are interpreting cave paintings found in caves in France that show a man with the head of a stag and a woman with a swollen belly, as if pregnant. They stand in a circle with eleven mortals. (Anybody know where I can get a graphic or photo of this image? I have not seen it.) This image is one of the main items referred to when one suggests that "Wicca is older than Christianity", however, most now agree that the modern form of Wicca was established by Gerald Gardner in a novel called "High Magick's Aid" (1949) and later in non-fiction "Witchcraft Today" (1954) and followed by "The Meaning of Witchcraft" (1959).
Some theorize that Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) was commissioned or helped Gardner produce this work and cite the Thelmic law, "Love is the law, love under will". Doesn't that sound like "'An it harm none, do what thou wilt"? Additionally, the phrase "Love is the law" appears in numerous Wiccan texts.
The truth of the roots of Wicca will probably never be known and are feverently debated by both sides.
In the 1980s, new authors, such as Ray Buckland and Scott Cunningham added elements to the older version of Wicca, "Elder-Wicca" (Established by Gardner and his followers), and created what some call "Neo-wicca".1 This neo-Wicca has allowed more personal freedom to the elder traditions and established the mixing of various beliefs (like Native American ideas for one) into Wicca. Some say that this "mixing" has weakened the whole, but all in all I think that the personal freedom to add the ideas that please you was the method that Gardner used initially, anyway. The bottom line is, no matter how you do your Wicca, if it works for you (and doesn't violate the main tenants), then that's all that matters.
What about "pagan"?
Often, Wiccans use the term "pagan" interchangeably with "wiccan", so let's define it here.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary states:
pagan \Pa"gan\ (p[=a]"gan), n. [...origin removed...] One who worships false gods; an idolater; a heathen; one who is neither a Christian, a Mohammedan, nor a Jew.
Although this definition is certainly biased, let's break it down. A pagan is one who worships ... gods. So, more than one god. (Being "false gods" is a matter of opinion.) An "idolater" simply means "one who worships an idol. What's an idol? An image used as an object of worship. So, that cross up there, technically, is an idol. They're not actually worshiping the object, but what it represents. Next, "Heathen", dictionary says: "One who adheres to the religion of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam." Okay, we knew that from the last definition. So, a pagan is not Christian, Muslim, or Jewish, and worships more than one god. This is the definition we shall use for the duration of this workshop.
Witches
While we're defining things, let's define "witch". Dictionary.com gave me the following definition:
-witch (wch) n. 1-A woman popularly believed to have supernatural powers and practice sorcery, and often believed to be aided by spirits or a familiar. 2-A believer or follower of Wicca; a Wiccan.
There were other definitions, such as "hag" but we won't need to battle with that definition at this point. I hope everyone knows that anyone, male or female, good looking or no can be a witch.
The definition, though, is not entirely accurate.
Supernatural Powers?
The Witch (or Wiccan) uses natural powers inherent in nature. If she/he is visualizing, practicing color magick, or using herbs, it's all natural. It's only named supernatural because science has yet to explain why it happens like it does.
Not all Witches are Wiccan, and not all Wiccans are Witches
From the information I've gotten from asking questions, I've found out that the difference between Wicca and Witchcraft is A: Wicca is a faith, Witchcraft is an art (or a profession). A person can be one or both. (One is Wiccan, one does witchcraft) B: Wiccans follow the rede (An it harm none do what thou wilt) and witches, though willing to take responsibility for their actions, do not follow the rede.
NOTES
1 Terms from The Wiccan Mysteries by Raven Grimassi
Bibliography and Further Reading:
The Wiccan Mysteries by Raven Grimassi
Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland
Wicca: A to Z by Gerina Dunwich
Green Egg Issue No. 121 (Nov-Dec) 1997 - Millennial Witches
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