Welcome to Gaia! ::

Well for me it was a combination of events. In grade 6 and up to that point my grandmother had always taken my sister and i to church on easter and at christmas. Usually it was a united church and that was fine they let us stay for the whole service and sing hymns and such.

Then on that fateful day in grade 6 we went to a different church (my grandmother is rather confusing when i asked her what christianity sect she was she said we were protestant but went to anglican or united churches and that her mother was presbyterian and ... yea too hard to keep track of) anyways so i dont remember what sect this church belonged to but it wasnt united, whatever it was we didnt stay for the service they herded my sister and I and the other children off to another room and sorted us out by age ranges for ... Sunday School.

Well lets just say that I didnt like being told that people who arent of the christian religion do not go to heaven and certain other things we were told that day.

Lets just say my first day in sunday school was my last. My dad was already furious that my grandmotehr had taken us there. My dad is wiccan and didnt want us sent to sunday school until we had read the bible and made our own decision.

So I started to read the bible after that day, and began to note many things i didnt like about what it taught as well as numerous contradictions in it. It just didnt suit my moral beliefs and it wasnt comforting in certain principles.

So i went through a period of questioning, sorta religionless wondering what to do next since christianity didnt suit me. I went in search of a new religion and my dad presented me with a book on pictish wicca.

I read it and found that it suited me much better. I liked the morals it taught and began researching wicca on my own and thus became a solitary wiccan. In hard times i have found comfort in the god and goddess and in the freedom it provides within it.

and yea... thats my story I have been wiccan ever since.

thank u! 3nodding

And, just to add in my two cents, you don't really need a fancy-shmancy ritual to dedicate yourself and become Wiccan (though sometimes it's nice to do anyway). If you believe in what Wicca teaches wholeheartedly, and know that this path is right for you, then, Wala, you're Wiccan. Go to "Good Books" thread for some good books for research. Silver Ravenwolf's books are good, but not all of her information is accurate, so I'd advise reading books from other authors, too.

I'd have to disagree, Silver Ravenwolf won't teach you, morally or properly, at all. She gives away advanced level spells in her books without warning and tell of rituals that shouldn't be printed because of the Code of Secrecy between Covens. She's gotten in a LOT of trouble with 'serious' covens before for giving out those secrets.

She also suggests PRETENDING that you're still Christian to your parents so they don't breathe down your neck. Which is sacrilidge to both religions. So, yeah, read Cunningham, not Ravenwolf. As I said in another thread, it shows more guts and seriousness if you find a book published by a real name and not a wiccan name.

Good luck! I'd also suggest reading up on ancient mythology, to help you find the deity you feel the strongest connection to.

I'll disagree on the dedication ritutal. Most (if not all) religions have some sort of a dedication/initiation ceremony. Catholics have baptisim, communion, and confession. Most Christain religions have baptisim and conformation. Hindus have a traditional head-shaving for children at three, and different dedication processes throughout puberty.

I believe you should honor the God and Goddess by pledging yourself to Them and Their path. I believe that self-dedication is an important part of becoming Wiccan. I've been studying for about 4 years now, and I haven't offically dedicated myself yet. I don't feel like I know enough about Wicca and the deeper mysteries.

I've written rituals and other such things, though, and use them as a way of studying Wicca. I've also read a lot of books/websites and am slowly collecting a set of tools. I plan to initiate myself when the time is right.

Just my opinion.

That's how it worked for me... however, I still would like to be formally initiated...

She's ok for beginners but considered a "Fluffy Bunny". In other words, just in it for the money.