A COMPREHENSIVE COMPENDIUM OF THE MOST COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT WICCA AND THEIR ANSWERS
by Lady Faemore Lorei
2nd Degree Pursuivant Priestess of the Correllian Nativist Wiccan Tradition and Reverend of the Altar of the Arcane Song
WHAT IS WICCA?
Wicca is a nature-based, earth-centric pagan spirituality.
WHAT IS WITCHCRAFT?
Witchcraft is the practice of magickal arts and spell work.
WHAT IS MAGICK?
Magick is working with personal power (thoughts, emotions, action and will), nature power (the elements of air, fire, water and earth) and divine power (spirit, deity, god, energy) to shape and create positive changes in the physical and spiritual worlds around and within us.
WHAT ARE SPELLS?
Spells are heavily-focussed, ritually-oriented prayers.
WHO DO WICCANS WORSHIP?
Wiccans celebrate and commune with the Divine Universal Spirit that is Nature. The Divine Universal Spirit is personified in accordance with the male and female principles of nature, and is revered as both Goddess and God. Goddess and God are worshipped in one or more of their myriad manifestations as personal or patron deities. Deities allegorically or symbolically represent the cosmic powers, forces and energies of which the Divine Universal Spirit is composed and inherent within.
ARE WICCANS ANTI-CHRISTIAN?
No. Wiccans are not Anti-Christian. Wiccans are Pre-Christian and Wiccans are Non-Christian. We are not against Christianity. We simply differ from it. Wicca is very respectful of other spiritual paths and religious views, including Christianity, and does not engage itself in criticising the beliefs of others. Wicca accepts all religions and spiritual paths to Divine Enlightenment as being valid and equally true. Wiccans also choose to focus on the similarities between religions, as oppose to the differences. What we have in common far outweighs what we have in difference. For example, the Wiccan Rede and Christianity’s Golden Rule both emphasise kindness towards and consideration of others.
ARE WICCANS SATANIC?
No. Wiccans are not satanic. Satan is an all-evil entity originating in Christian mythology. Wiccans do not believe in the personification of absolute evil. Christianity is the main religion that preaches of Satan’s existence as an all-evil fallen angel with supernatural powers. Wiccans are not evil, we do not worship evil beings and our spirituality does not celebrate evil or its existence.
IS WICCA A CULT?
No. Wicca is not a cult. Cults are groups of people who trade the ability to think for themselves in exchange for a sense of salvation and belonging. They also indulge in the extravagant homage or adoration of a human leader. Wiccans do not come to Wicca to be saved or to belong. We come to Wicca for personal growth, spiritual evolution and enlightenment. Any sense of community or belonging we feel comes from walking the path with like-minded people. Our sense of belonging does not come from a need to belong. We do not worship our human leaders. We see them as teachers, advisors, friends and spiritual family members and treat them with befitting honour and respect. Above all, and unlike the followers of a cult, Wiccans are highly individualistic, independent and self-sufficient, and will defend the right to freewill without hesitation.
WHAT DOES THE PENTACLE REPRESENT?
The pentacle is the upright, five-pointed star within a circle. It represents the four elements of air, fire, water and earth which in turn represent nature or God and the union of nature with the 5th element of spirit, the Divine or Goddess. Those who call themselves Satanists use the inverted or upside down pentacle to represent their philosophies. Satanists also use the inverted or upside down cross to represent their philosophies. This does not mean that the upright cross of Christianity is a satanic symbol. By this reasoning then, neither is the upright pentacle of Wicca a satanic symbol.
WHAT DO WICCANS BELIEVE?
Wiccans believe in the Divine Universal Spirit manifest in nature, and inherent in the natural world. In accordance with the male and female principles of nature, Wiccans revere Divinity as both Goddess and God.
Wiccans believe the human soul is incarnated into a cycle of lifetimes to spiritually grow, evolve and become a perfected, divine being.
Wiccans believe personal power can be connected to nature power as well as divine power to create positive changes in the worlds around and within us and thus accept the authenticity of magickal practice.
Wiccans believe in karma, a universal law by which anything sent out returns to the source, whether it is good or not. This is seen as a system of consequence and balance, and an order of action, wherein positive actions beget positive effects and negative actions beget negative effects. This is known as the Threefold Law or the Law of Plurality.
Wiccans believe the Earth is our home, that she is a living, spiritually sentient, physical manifestation of the divine feminine principle, and so a symbol of the Goddess. Therefore, the Earth is sacred.
Wiccans believe that the Wiccan Rede “If you harm none, do what you will” is the highest moral statement and an effective pattern for a constructive, moral life.
HOW DO WICCANS VIEW DEATH?
Wiccans believe in reincarnation as a teaching tool. We do not believe in an absolute Heaven or Hell where the spirit spends eternity as a reward or punishment for its earthly actions, because we generally do not believe that within the scope of an average human life there are any actions taken which are so good or so terrible as to deserve such things after one lifetime. The concept that a person must believe certain things or behave in certain ways to achieve salvation and avoid being tortured in Hell for all eternity is foreign to Wicca. We also believe that it is impossible to learn everything we need to know within a single lifetime, and that we return again and again until we have. We believe we choose the lives we are to lead in order to learn the spiritual lessons we need to evolve our souls. We believe that each person goes through many life cycles to learn many life lessons and we continually return to this plane until we are spiritually enlightened enough to join with the Divine and become one with the living universe around us, in spirit.
WHAT DO WICCANS CELEBRATE?
Wiccans celebrate eight holy days called sabbats which compose The Wheel of the Year and correspond to the Earth’s seasonal cycles. We also celebrate the monthly new and full moons called esbats. It is on these ritual days that Wiccans attune themselves to Mother Earth, commune with nature, worship their deities and pay homage to their spiritual guides and familial ancestors with singing, chanting, meditation, story-telling, feasting, dancing, drumming, music, offerings and other forms of devotion.
WHAT IS THE WICCAN REDE?
The Wiccan Rede is the oldest and most sacred Wiccan law. It is Wicca’s ethical philosophy and Code of Conduct which states “If you harm none, do what you will.” This means that as long as it harms no one, including oneself, one is free to do as one wants. Harm refers to any form of domination, manipulation or control of others, and applies to all levels of life - physical, emotional, psychological, magickal and spiritual. Harm is complete counter to the Wiccan Rede and all that Wicca stands for. The Wiccan Rede requires the practitioners of Wicca to always be looking ahead at the possible consequences of their actions so that no act or word, whether magickal or mundane, causes harm to another. A Wiccan carefully considers the implications of each deliberate action and negligent non-action taken in their life. The Wiccan Rede is a reminder to live consciously and responsibly.
For more information on Wicca visit:
www.wiccanspirituality.com
For more information on the Correllian Nativist Wicca Tradition visit:
www.correllianism.com
For more information on Lady Faemore and her Barbados-based Shrine, the Altar of the Arcane Song visit:
http://altar-of-the-arcane-song.blogspot.com/ and request to become a reader.
Thank you for reading.
Merry meet again and blesséd be! ★
