Do Wiccans worship Satan?

Wicca is not a Satanic religion, in fact no Wiccan, Druid, or Pagan acknowledges the Devil Lucifer. Satan as the world knows him, is a Christian concept. Everyone well versed in any form of literature knows the story of the fall, immortalized in Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” a wonderful piece of literature I might add (English major here). To summarize the story, Lucifer was an Angel in Judeo-Christian beliefs who was cast out for challenging God’s rule over heaven and earth - we all know that. So why has a Christian Angel been applied to Pagan beliefs? Because Christians fear Wiccans, Druids, and every other Pagan belief, they apply the “boogie-man” of their religion to them.

I might also add that most Christians, the people not the religion itself, also say that Judaism and Islam are also Satanic. I would like to point out that those who follow Judaism and Islam believe in the same God as Christians, these three faiths are called “The Way of the Book” referring to the Bible, even if Islam has the Koran and Judaism has the Kabbala, they believe in the same God - and look what they do to each other. I would also like to add the Satanism is just a perverse from of Christianity taking everything from the Bible and twisting it, which in itself scares me.

Is there black and white magick?

The principle of Yin and Yang, you can not have good without evil, everything is in balance between them. Without one, the other could not exists, and the world would end in total chaos. If someone is doing a spell to harm someone else, that is wrong and no one abides this in any religion. The dark side to magick, or black magick, is human nature, letting hate and anger rule one’s judgment and not listen to the words of the God or Goddess. So there is no black magick in Wicca except what the individual creates in themselves through anger, hate, and ignorance.

Some Wiccan’s do recognize the phenomenon of possession, and try to avoid it. I am not speaking for every Wiccan on this one at all - but some Wiccans do believe in Spirits.

Okay, what are spirits?

Beings that are not the souls of the departed nor are they angels, but some other kind of being that lives in this plane of existence, or outside of it, who helps or hinders mankind. The spirits are just like people, some are good and some are bad, it is still part of nature. Sometimes they respond to prayers or spells, and sometimes a spirit chooses a particular person that they like and try to help them out in little ways. Still, the spirit realm is unpredictable, one never knows if a good spirit or a bad one will respond. I personally recommend if you wish to work with the spirit world, do not do it alone to begin with and do not dabble - in other words, it is not a game, and do not play with the spirits, it could end very, very badly.

Do Wiccans have black cats?

Well, some have familiars. A familiar is a being or creature that helps one in their magickal workings. For some, their familiar comes form the spirit realm, and for some it is a favorite pet, a cat, dog, or bird, or a tree that they feel connected with. Some look to wild animals totems, as in the Native American beliefs, such as wolves, tigers, bears, buffalo etc. And others look to “mythical” creature such as the Unicorn, Dragon, Griffin, or Phoenix. In many cases, the individual just feels a strong connection to a particular creature, but it also happens that a person is chosen by their familiar. It is all on an individual basis.

Do all Wiccans follow the same Gods and Goddess?

Well, that one is kind of hard to answer. Many Wiccans follow different paths. Some follow Celtic traditions, some follow Irish, Scottish or even Greek, while others look to the old Egyptian Gods and still others, like myself, look to the Norse beliefs. It is all based on what the individual feels is right for them. I look to the Norse Gods and Goddesses because I have a strong Norwegian heritage that I am very proud of; both sets of my great grandparents on my father’s side immigrated to America, so I am only third generation American on his side of the family. As you read the section on Deity, you will notice I simply call the God and Goddess just that - the God and the Goddess. Most Wiccan’s will agree that there is only one of each (not all, this is a major generalization) but that they encompass all of the old Gods and Goddess and that they have many, many names. Again, this is based on what the individual believes.

Is there a religious doctrine?

Not so to say, nothing like the Bible, the Koran, or the Kabbala, but Wiccans follow something called the Wiccan Rede (pronounced reed), the Rule of Three (or the Law of Three), and the Golden rule - which everyone should know. I have provided a copy of both the Rede and the Law of three if you wish to read them. Wiccan’s follow the basic concept of “Do unto others as you would have done unto you.”

Wiccans do however have a Book of Shadows (BOS). It is not a religious doctrine in any way, shape, or form - it is a work book containing invocations, ritual patterns, spells, runes, tarot spreads, astrology, rules governing magick and so on. No BOS is the same unless it is passed down from one generation to another, as in hereditary witch families, or if there is one given to a member of a Coven. It can be anything from a blank book with things copied in it, to a binder with pages upon pages put in and taken out, and some even keep their BOS on a hard drive on their computer. The BOS contains only a suggestion in how to do things, most Wiccans create their own traditions and write their own rituals, this helps them to feel closer to the God and Goddess and make the Craft more personal.

You mentioned “hereditary witches” and “Covens” - what are those?

A hereditary witch is like a hereditary ruler in a way; they are born into a family that practices the Craft, Wicca, Druidism, or some other Pagan belief. That simply means that there have a family history of people who have practiced, and they have a really old BOS. Many Pagan families raise their children to follow their own path in life, Wiccan Christian or otherwise. A child born into a heredity witch family line is in no way obligated to follow that path - the child is encouraged to find their own path in life and to be true to themselves.

A Coven is almost like a church. It is a group of Wiccans who practice together, a coven usually also offers some form of training for those new to the Craft and is a supportive group of people. In no way does belonging to a Coven mean that each member believes the same; one member could follow the Norse beliefs, another could follow Celtic, while still another could simply only follow the Goddess. What beings them together is a sense of belonging, that while they do not believe the same, they have similar goals. Members usually meet to read materials and discuss and study the path in life they have chosen, and on holidays/holy days, they gather and give thanks together by offering prayers, holding feasts and dances. (For a list of holy days, see the section on holidays in the Book of Shadows section).

These are questions asked to me by friends, and by myself when I first started studying Wicca. If you have any other questions, e-mail me or leave a note in the guest book I have on the main Wiccan page. I check both daily and will get back to you as soon as possible with what I know, or I will go to another source and find out for you