....What is Wicca?....

You may have heard about it before but you never really knew what it actually was. Wicca, sometimes referred to as the "ancient ways" or "the craft" is quite an old religion. It is a nature-based religion that focuses on duality. 

When you hear the word Wicca it may sound like new term. You may see it as a new religion that is creeping up on the world. Wicca was here long before Christianity was conceived. In the past the Wiccan traditions were passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. When Christianity arrived in the world, the practitioners of Wicca went into secret. This was done to preserve their very lives. The Christians did not understand them and therefore feared that which was unknown. 

The word "Witch" translates from the old European word, "Wytche," (pronounced, Weyech). The word "Wytche" means "Wise One." The word "witchcraft" literally means, "The craft of the wise ones." These people were the healers, teachers and the leaders of the ancient tribes. They knew the art of herb craft and could heal their own of things that normally killed the uninformed foreigners. They were well educated in areas of mathematics and science. The Witch’s way was loving and reverent to our Mother Earth. As a result, it was normal practice to be very intimate with our Earth’s workings. 

It is quite well known that human nature is often to fear what one does not understand. The Christians did not know or understand the way of the Wytche. They associated the wonderful things the wise ones practiced commonly as evil, as it was seen that these things had to be the works of their evil incarnate spirit, the Devil. For this, the witches were hunted down and many slaughtered. In the madness, there were many accused of the Craft falsely and also executed. The Witches scattered the Globe. Many of them chose death in the seas over public torture, mutilation and murder. Those who practice their Craft today refer to this time as the "burning times." Adolf Hitler is often seen as an "anti-Christ" for being responsible for the deaths of over 6 million people during World War II. Many of the Christians we canonized as saints for the responsibility of the deaths of an estimated nine-million innocent people.

You may also ask what I mean by duality? Look all around you. Look at your house, your yard, the stars, everything. Wiccans believe that just as their is God, there is also the Goddess. Just as there are males, there are females. Just as their is the sky, there is the earth. everything is balanced to the Wiccan. Without one, there could not be the other. This is what we mean by duality. 

Wiccans observe the holidays of Pagan Europe: Eight festivals spaced evenly about the wheel of the year at the quarters (equinox's and solstices) and the cross-quarters (midpoints between the equinox's and solstices). They are called: Yule (Dec 21), Imbolc (Feb 2), Ostara (March 21), Beltane (May 1), Midsummer (June 21), Lughnasadh (Aug 1), Mabon (Sept 21), and Samhain (Oct 31). Actual dates vary slightly from year to year, as they are based upon actual celestial events. Wiccans also celebrate the Full Moon, of which we have 13 per year. 

Wiccans follow what is known as the "Wiccan Rede."; "An Ye Harm None, Do What Thou Wilt." Harm is here defined by anything that takes away, or works against an individual's free will, or harms an individual mentally, physically, or spiritually. It is of course, impossible to exist or even cease to exist without causing harm, so Wiccans look to fulfill this as closely as possible. A Wiccan attempts to make choices based on what will cause the least harm and promote the greatest overall positive effect for themselves, the world, everyone and everything. 

Wiccans exercise a very ethical life style that is based on the "Law of Three." The Law of Three has been worded and taught in thousands of ways. Wiccans word it basically this way: The actions and even the thoughts of an individual are visited back to them at least three fold the intensity of the original. Others have said, "What goes around, comes around." This is a universal law that has been known as "Karma," or by many other names.

Wicca teaches self discipline, personal responsibility, kinship with our planet and its creatures, open-mindedness and the virtues of diversity. Wiccans do not proselytize, as we believe that each must find the path that is right for them, and that all religions are different paths to the same truths. We draw our beliefs and practices from our own experiences and that of others. We understand that age does not make a religion any more valid nor does political support, numbers of followers, or material holdings of it's temple. Religion is a very personal thing, one which can only be validated by the experiences of the individual. Wicca provides a link for those who follow similar paths to share their knowledge and experiences.