Before reading this, do realise that Wicca is a very free flowing religion and that not all denominations (or even people in the same denomination) have the same views on deity or ceremonies. This is but my view.
Who/what is the Divine?
For a Christian, it would translate into the alpha and omega (beginning and end). A Jew might be a bit more philosophical – one translation of Jehovah, for instance means “to be”.
For myself (being Wiccan), the divine translates into the sum total of all energy…and everything and everyone is energy; therefore you are all Godly beings, every tree and rock is part of you and your Divine conscious. There is thus no such thing as the woman down in the street being hurt – you are being hurt, your God is being hurt…do something about it.
Seeing the Divine in such a broad term does make worshiping very abstract, so the Divine is often divided into a male and female aspect – God and Goddess, Lord and Lady.
-The Lord
Known as the Great Horned God (also Cernunnos, Pan, Faunus, Lucifer, Baal etc) and is seen as being manifested by the Sun. The major attributes attached to The Horned One are lust and protector of nature. [the image of a Horned God comes from ancient human beings - they hunted horned animals, so it was logical that the God helping them hunt would have horns. The attribute of hunting was replaced greatly by protector of nature when humans started planting crops and hunting was less important]
-The Lady
Known as the Trinity Goddess and is seen as being manifested by the Earth and Moon. The major attribute of the Lady is fertility. [in ancient times, women were associated with fertility as they had physical signs of pregnancy. The Goddess' function later on also included the fertility of crops and domesticated animals]
Now, these two aspects are still very broad – so, let’s add some more functions of what a God would do: (for example) He would be wise and strong. This can now be expressed by the archetype of Odin if you are drawn to the Nordic pantheon, or Thoth if you are drawn to the Egyptian pantheon. So one can go on and describe The Lord and Lady’s aspects by means of other Pagan Gods.
A few principles
- Wiccans (male and female) are known as witches
-Witchcraft is the manipulation of Energy to attain a certain goal
-We have Esbats (rituals done during full moon, and sometimes dark moon) as well as 8 Sabbats (these are related to the changing energy of the Male and Female aspects of the Divine as seen during seasonal changes)
-”An it harm none, do as ye will” is the summary of our laws
-A belief in karma (the law of Three Fold Return)
Wicca, as a religion, is a synergistic way of living and acknowledgment of the Divine nature of everything.
This is a VERY compact summary of Wicca…if anything was unclear and you would like to know more, simply ask =)
tombe@wayoftherede.com
Related Posts
Tags: Baal, Cernunnos, Christian, Faunus, God, Goddess, Karma, Lady, Lord, Lucifer, Pan, Wicca, Witchcraft
Actually most Wiccans are known as just Wiccans… those that ascribe to using magic or energy to attain certain goals tend to call themselves witches.
As the famous saying goes, generally most Wiccans ARE witches, but thats not to say that all witches are Wiccan.. :) Reasoning being that one can actually be a Wiccan Witch, Jewish Witch, Buddhist Witch since witchcraft is a lifestyle rather than an actual religion.. *imho*
Although I agree that Wicca is a religion and witchcraft is not, I do believe being Wiccan automatically means you are a witch – because it was the root for the modern word of witch. *just my humble opinion*
Fair enough… :)
But there are actually Wiccans who do not use magick… would you then still classify them as witches??
I suppose we could call them witches without wings then ;)
I am interested in becoming a witch. First and foremost am a christian. Wicca witches are good, are’nt they?
In essence you can easily become a witch by studying what witchcraft actually is. Witchcraft, like stated above is not necessarily Wicca..
Wicca is a religion on its own, and essentially one cannot be Christian and Wiccan at the same time as the two religions practice and believe very differently..
Yes, agreed there with Ameniatha.
Also: Wicca, as a modern form of Paganism, does not embrace titles like “good” or “bad”, as these need a constant set of rules and rules have never stayed the same in in one society or across all societies. Postmodernism, assessing each situation on its own merits, is usually more applicable than “good” and “bad” when referring to Wicca.
Ameniatha and tombe, could you please suggest a book I can read about wicca and the belief system applied in this modern day, I’m not interested at witch craft aspects, so a book that’s more focused on lifestyle today, any suggestions that would be more of a guidance, thanks, Danielle
Hey there,
I will list the books that I have on the subject here. Most of the books on witchcraft actually also talk about wicca. The ones marked with an asterisk(*) are Wicca orientated only. And the double asterisk are good beginner books. ;)
The Truimph of the Moon – Ronald Hutton
Wicca Garden – Gerina Dunwich*
Scottish Witchcraft – Raymond Buckland
Bud, Blossom & Leaf – Dorothy Morrison
In the Shadow of the Shaman – Amber Wolfe
Elemental Power – Amber Wolfe
The Silver Wheel – Marguerite Elsbeth & Kenneth Johnson
Ariadne’s Thread – Shekhinah Mountainwater
Origins of Modern Witchcraft – Ann Moura
To Light a Sacred Flame – Silver Ravenwolf*
Wild Witchcraft – Marian Green
Magick in Theory & Practise – Aleister Crowley
Natural Witchcraft – Marian Green
Wicca Craft – Gerina Dunwich**
Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft – Raymond Buckland
Magick Potions – Gerina Dunwich
To Ride a Silver Broomstick – Silver Ravenwolf*
Wicca Candle Magick – Gerina Dunwich*
Wicca – Vivianne Crowley **
Making Magick – Edain McCoy **
The Witches Craft – Raven Grimassi
Living Wicca – Scott Cunningham **
The Earth Path – Starhawk
Paganism – Vivianne Crowley
A Wiccan’s Guide to Prophecy & Divination – Gerina Dunwich*
Wicca: A guide for the Solitary Practitioner – Scott Cunningham **
Wicca Unveiled – J. Philip Rhodes*
I hope that gives you some idea.. :)
Ameniatha thanks a million, I went to “about.com” and it was real helpful too! Really appreciate it