Wicca and Witchcraft F.A.Q.
Welcome to
Everything Under the Moon's Wicca FAQ page. When you're done here,
please visit the links at the top and bottom of the page to see the
Book of Shadows (free spells
pages) and other sections.
Wicca and witchcraft have rapidly grown in
popularity in the last decade. Movies such as Harry Potter,
Practical Magic, and The Craft, as well as TV shows like Charmed,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and True Blood have drawn a large amount
of attention to the occult, magick, and Wicca. Many seekers have
gotten the impression that vampires are somehow related to Wicca,
which isn't true, but there are a large number of witches who are
infatuated with vampire culture.
Here are a few
frequently asked questions about Wicca.
Can witches really fly on brooms?
No, witches or Wiccans do not fly around on
brooms. Some witches, like myself, are able to separate their spirit
from their physical body and fly around, which is known as astral
projection or an out-of-body experience (OBE). But being able to
astral project doesn't make one a witch. Most witches don't astral
project. Since it's a personal interest of mine and it's related to
the occult, I do have a section here on Everything Under the Moon
about
astral
projection.
Do witches cast
spells?
Yes, the definition of a witch is someone who casts
spells. Most Wiccans do
participate in spell-casting and magick rituals. Casting harmful
magick is considered taboo among Wiccans, although there are other
kinds of witches who may think it's acceptable. Wiccans believe in a
three-fold law of return: Whatever you do will come back to you
three times over. Some of us simply believe in karma, which is the
same basic idea. We choose not to harm others with magick because we
know that we will be harming ourselves through the law of attraction
or karma.
All living creatures are connected in Spirit. Think of
this way... if you pollute the Earth, you aren't only hurting other
people - you're also hurting yourself and your family since you live
on this Earth too. Sending negative energy out into the world has
the same results. You will attract negativity to yourself. Learning
about the law of attraction is a good way to really understand this
concept.
Is
Witchcraft / Wicca Satanic?
Wicca and witchcraft aren't Satanic. Satanism is
a Judeo-Christian concept. Wiccans practice a nature religion that
doesn't include an evil demon-god called Satan or the Devil. So no,
Wiccans do not worship Satan.
It's believed that Christians based their
character of Satan on the ancient pagan horned gods. (Most Christian
concepts are borrowed from pagan religions and deities.) The Horned
God, known as "Cernunnos" to Wiccans and pagans, has antlers on his
head. He reflects the seasons of the year in the annual cycle of
life, death and rebirth. Because he is most often associated with
animals, Cernunnos is known as the "Lord of the Animals" or the
"Lord of Wild Things". Because Christians have a strong belief in
good vs. evil, they had a tendency to blaspheme pagan deities and
turn them into something evil.
Can a Christian be a witch?
Yes, there are many Christian witches. It would
be more difficult to be a Wiccan Christian, since Wicca and
Christianity are two separate religions. But there are plenty of
people who combine the two religions and practices. If someone cast
spells, but worshipped Jesus and called to him as their deity, they
would be considered a Christian witch. While many pagans seem to
have a problem with others combining the two things, they are
looking at it from a Neo-pagan perspective, and not from a
traditional perspective. In places like Mexico and Africa, most
people are Christian or Catholic, but they often still practice the
folk magick of their ancestors. And in the United States and other
Western countries, most people are raised as Christians. When
they discover witchcraft, they may have difficulty giving up their
Christian beliefs for an entirely new religion, so instead they
simply combine the two. It doesn't seem strange to me, but you could
get some weird looks from pagans if you tell them you're a Christian
witch.
What is a pagan?
A pagan or Neo-pagan is someone who has a
nature-based religion or belief system. Instead of seeing God as
"above us", and Satan as "below us", we view all of Nature as
sacred. We revere the earth, sun, moon, stars, plants, and animals,
and believe that the Spirit of the Great Mother Goddess is present
in all living things. Depending on the pantheon, the Earth Mother
may be referred to as Isis, Ishtar, Demeter, Astarte, or Gaia/Gaea.
For many people, it's easy to develop a stronger connection with the
Goddess than with a male God. Gay males seem to be especially drawn
to nature religions such as Wicca. They aren't rejected by the pagan
belief system like they often are in a Christian church.
Wicca is considered a Neo-pagan religion.
("Neo-pagan" refers specifically to the modern revival of ancient
pagan belief systems. Many of us just call them "pagan".) Not all
pagans are Wiccan though. Many pagans don't practice magick at all,
or they simply don't feel the need for a structured religion such as
Wicca. There are also many different pagan religions such as Druidry,
that they may prefer to follow. You can be a pagan or a witch and
not follow any particular religion. Many consider themselves to be
eclectic witches. It can all seem a bit confusing at
first, but the more you talk to pagans and witches, the more you'll
understand that what most of us are doing is taking beliefs and
practices that make sense to us and turning that into our own
personal religion or belief system. Finding a name for that can
sometimes be difficult, so witches often choose to call themselves
an "eclectic solitary witch".
Do I have to join
a coven?
No, as mentioned above, most witches are solitary, meaning they
practice alone. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to find a
coven in rural areas. Even if you do find a coven, you might
discover that the coven members aren't people that you have much in
common with. Many covens fall apart due to infighting between
members. For most us, it's simpler and more peaceful to just
practice in the privacy of our own homes.
Although this next
question isn't related to Wicca, I'll post it here anyway since I
hear it so often.
Are vampires real?
Vampires, in the fictional sense (like Dracula or
Edward Cullen) are not real. No one is born a vampire and has to
suck blood to survive. If a person has to stay out of the sun, it's
because they have a real disease or sun allergy, not because they're
a vampire.
That being said,
there
are people who identify as vampires. They dress like
vampires, have their canine teeth sharpened (or wear false fangs),
and they go to vampire clubs where everyone else has the same
obsession with vampires. These people may even participate in
drinking blood, either their own or a partner's blood, but this
isn't out of necessity (though some have convinced themselves and
others that it is). It's more of a fetish-type of behavior (sorry
vampires, but that
is what it looks like.) The media has been
interweaving vampires with sexuality for a very long time, and this
has obviously had a huge impact on people who are attracted to that
sort of thing. There seems to be an association between goth culture
and vampire culture, but not all goths consider themselves vampires.
What is The Wiccan Rede
Below is the Wiccan Rede. The Rede was first
publicly recorded in a 1964 speech by Doreen Valiente. It has been
rewritten several times since then, so there are many versions of it
floating around. The most popular line from the Rede is "And it
harm
none, do what you will". This is similar to the Christian ideal, "Do
unto others as you would have them do unto you." It basically means
that you can do what pleases you (magically and otherwise) as long
as you don't cause harm to others. It's often shortened to simply
say "Harm none," and you'll often hear this phrase spoken among Wiccans.
Because of this "live and let live" attitude among Wiccans, we are
usually happy to accept LGBTQIA+ people into our groups.
The Wiccan Rede
Bide within the Law you must, in
perfect Love and perfect Trust.
Live you must and let to
live, fairly take and fairly give.
For tread the Circle thrice about to keep unwelcome
spirits out.
To bind the spell well every time, let the spell
be said in rhyme.
Light of eye and soft of touch, speak you little, listen
much.
Honor the Old Ones in deed and name,
let love and
light be our guides again.
Deosil go by the waxing moon, chanting out the joyful
tune.
Widdershins go when the moon doth wane, and the
werewolf howls by the dread wolfsbane.
When the Lady's
moon is new, kiss the hand to Her times two.
When the moon
rides at Her peak then your heart's desire seek.
Heed the North winds mighty gale, lock the door and trim the
sail.
When the Wind blows from the East, expect the new and
set the feast.
When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss you
on the mouth.
When the wind whispers from the West, all
hearts will find peace and rest.
Nine woods in the
Cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow.
Birch in the
fire goes to represent what the Lady knows.
Oak in the forest towers with might, in the fire it brings the God's
insight.
Rowan is a tree of power causing life and magick to flower.
Willows at the waterside stand ready to help us to the
Summerland.
Hawthorn is burned to purify and to draw faerie
to your eye.
Hazel-the tree of wisdom and learning adds its strength
to the bright fire burning.
White are the flowers of Apple
tree that brings us fruits of fertility.
Grapes grow
upon the vine giving us both joy and wine.
Fir does mark the
evergreen to represent immortality seen.
Elder is the Lady's tree burn it not or cursed you'll
be.
Four times the Major Sabbats mark in the light and in the
dark.
As the old year starts to wane the new begins, it's now
Samhain.
When the time for Imbolc shows watch for flowers
through the snows.
When the wheel begins to turn soon the Beltane fires
will burn.
As the wheel turns to Lamas night power is brought
to magick rite.
Four times the Minor Sabbats fall use the Sun to mark
them all.
When the wheel has turned to Yule light the log the
Horned One rules.
In the spring, when night equals day
time for Ostara to come our way.
When the Sun has reached
it's height time for Oak and Holly to fight.
Harvesting
comes to one and all when the Autumn Equinox does fall.
Heed
the flower, bush, and tree by the Lady blessed you'll be.
Where the rippling waters go cast a stone, the truth
you'll know.
When you have and hold a need, harken not to
others greed.
With a fool no season spend or be counted as his friend.
Merry Meet and Merry Part bright the cheeks and warm the heart.
Mind the Three-fold Laws you should three times bad and
three times good.
When misfortune is now wear the star upon
your brow.
Be true in love this you must do unless your love is false
to you.
These Eight words the Rede fulfill: "An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye
Will"
Doreen Valiente, 1964
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