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 Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 6:09 pm
I have taken training with a Wiccan group local to me, attaining a first circle initiation. The specific group is a member of Covenant of the Goddess, remains entirely female though it does welcome men, holds open rituals on occasion or invites all of its trainees to others. The High Priestess can trace lineage of the coven but I can't remember the line of daughter covens or who initiated who.
With that background, the circle celebrates the 8 High Days, Esbats and Sabbats, and maintains a member support system. My exposure to all of their practices is limited by how much I integrated into the group; they may have private practices not shown until further study. Celebrations followed the cycle of the Oak King and Holly King, and address deity as Lord and Lady in the rituals I have attended.
With all of that said you may get somewhat of an idea where I am coming from when I discuss Wicca. There are several covens I am aware of in my local area; they differ substantially. I will try to give a balanced view of what various Wiccan groups are like, in my experience, but I do have certain viewpoints. You will hear that Wicca is a very specific religion and I would agree, up to a point, but then I think there has to be room for a path to grow, especially as it moves geographically. I also have this odd idea that a spirituality should meet the needs of its practitioner, rather than the reverse, which allows the adherent to question. Adaptation can be a good thing.
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:04 am
To get started, excerpts from Wikipedia:
Wicca (pronounced [ˈwɪkə]) is a Neopagan religion and a form of modern witchcraft. It is often referred to as Witchcraft or the Craft[1] by its adherents, who are known as Wiccans or Witches. Its disputed origins lie in England in the early 20th century,[2] though it was first popularised during the 1950s by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft", and its adherents "the Wica".[3] From the 1960s the name of the religion was normalised to "Wicca".[4]
Wicca is typically a duotheistic religion, worshipping a Goddess and a God, who are traditionally viewed as the Triple Goddess and Horned God. These two deities are often viewed as being facets of a greater pantheistic Godhead, and as manifesting themselves as various polytheistic deities. Nonetheless, there are also other theological positions within the Craft, ranging from monotheism to atheism. Wicca also involves the ritual practice of magic, largely influenced by the ceremonial magic of previous centuries, often in conjunction with a liberal code of morality known as the Wiccan Rede, although this is not adhered to by all Witches. Another characteristic of the Craft is the celebration of seasonally based festivals known as Sabbats, of which there are usually eight in number annually.
There are various different denominations within Witchcraft, which are referred to as traditions. Some, such as Gardnerian and Alexandrian Wicca, follow in the initiatory lineage of Gardner; these are often collectively termed British Traditional Wicca, and many of their practitioners consider the term "Wicca" to apply only to these lineaged traditions. Others, such as Cochrane's Craft, Feri and the Dianic tradition, take primary influence from other figures and may not insist on any initiatory lineage. Some of these do not use the term "Wicca" at all, instead preferring to be referred to only as "Witchcraft", while others believe that all traditions can be considered "Wiccan".[5][6]
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:11 am
There is a vocal group of what I would term 'British Traditional Wiccans' on Gaia. They hold that only those people initiated in a specific way into a lineaged coven can call themselves Wiccan. This belief makes for a small, select party whose elitism is, I believe part of the point. You are welcome to disagree but, if my observations mean anything, there are very few Wiccans of this type. I would also be very leery of most people who 'offer' to initiate you into Wicca in the traditional way - you will be taken advantage of - which is why I keep away from most of the more rigid varieties of Wicca; it is difficult to tell the truly spiritual from the snake oil salesmen.
As I have noted in one of the Discussion threads, Are you an Angry Pagan?, I have run across a lot of fraud in the alternative spirituality community.
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Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 8:18 am
So, what do Wiccans believe?
I hear from a fair number of people that they were drawn to Wicca through its belief system or ritual tradition as distinct from those who come from a coven. Perhaps you have seen or read a popularized version of Wicca in a work of fiction and you want to find out more. I really want to say that Wicca is not 'Charmed' or about vampires or necessarily synonymous with Witchcraft. It is usually safe to say that most Wiccans are Witches but not all Witches are Wiccan.
A British Traditional Wiccan will tell you that Wicca is a Fertility Cult (probably explains the mechanism of the Great Rite) NOT a Nature Religion. Well, fertility in what sense? Not the baby-producing sense in this day and age, typically, but in the sense of personal development. The expansion of this 'fertility' idea to the world outside ourselves and the direction of power towards the betterment of a larger sphere of influence is a newer development and, I think, fits the original Wiccan faith just fine but, again, this is my opinion. I would want to think that spirituality is an exercise in looking outside of our own interests and working with a greater purpose.
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Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 6:31 pm
I'm not a coven member, well not in the we are the most active coven in the world, but Wicca to me has been a very open religion. You can have different sets of gods and goddesses and still both be Wiccans, or that's how my reading show. I read alot of books on the subject, but I'm not actually sure if they are right, I hope they are, but I'm not sure
I'm a solitary worshipper, but if anyone wants to exchange rituals for Yule, please do! I need some ideas, and I need to set my shrine if anyone has any good tips on that!
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 3:49 pm
Honestly, most people I meet who self-identify as Wiccan are open and tolerant. Many are the names given to the Lord and Lady but the ritual structures employed are very similar. Perhaps, someday, that will be the defining factor: Wiccans use certain tools and forms to achieve one or more aims: worship, honor, invoke their deities, work with spirits, contact the ancestors and do magic. There are certain beliefs that are common among the self-identified Wiccans: belief in the unseen, in ghosts and spirits, in the power of the will (necessary to work magic), belief in divinatory methods and in many paths for the spirit to reach a final joyous rest. There is little belief in any sort of negative afterlife and morality is not rigid. Most pagans use elements of Wiccan ritual: casting the circle, calling the quarters or using directional elements, magical invocation. Nature suffuses us.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 5:39 pm
When someone working solitary asks me about Wicca I typically send them to Scott Cunningham's book "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner." Some people like this book, other people pan it: it is positive, light and open. It is limited in scope, however, just being a place to start. If you want more choices, here is someone's Wicca 101 list from Amazon: Wicca 101 list
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 10:28 am
i am Wiccan and initiated. I also believe in astral traveling and reincarnation and have retrieved memories from past lives. astral traveling is NOT EASY. i've only managed it once or twice. if anyone here wants help with rituals and such, just ask and i'll see what i can do. within reason, of course.
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