Wiccans believe in several basic tenets:
If It Harms None, Do As You Will.
The general idea is that no one should try to control the free will of another being. This especially applies to spell work and is why certain spells (e.g., any spell that concerns or involves a person unaware of the spell work being done) are frowned upon by the Wiccan community.
The Three-Fold Law
The three-fold law states that any positive or negative energy sent out will be returned to you three fold.
Live and Let Live
Wiccans are typically of the opinion that all religions are valid, that no religion is "the way" for every person, and that each person has to find his or her own way to the divine.
Before you read any further, I would like to straighten out a few misconceptions that some people have.
Wicca is not......
Evil,
A cult religion,
A religion for satan worshippers,
A game,
What you see at the movies,
What you see on television,
A group of drug addicts, trying to convert you,
Trying to judge you or your religion,
Free from criticism any more than any other religion, or
A bunch of psychos running around trying to put you under a spell,
So now let me tell you that Wicca is.....
If for just a little while you can forget all those lies about witches and devils and look at Wicca with an open mind and an open heart then you will see that it is an honest and noble religion.
A multi-faceted religion.
I have read articles that say "all Wiccans do....". Don't believe it. Wicca is a very diverse religion based on several paths that are widely followed, but as with any religion, these paths can be interpreted in a million different personal ways. Most Wiccan do follow these paths, but with the branching off of different traditions and with the different interpretations that can be applied to these paths, Wicca is a multiplicity of beliefs. An Earth centered religion made up of people who revere nature and work to understand its cycles.
Wiccans recognize that Nature has the ability to exert an enormous amount of power over us, just by changing the seasons. The respect that Wiccans have for Nature is evident in their celebrations which are held at times of the year that correspond to seasonal occurrences such as the winter solstice.
That respect also is reflected in the attitudes of most Wiccan; they tend to be people who believe the Earth to be a friend, home, and mother, not just a "place" with resources to be taken advantage of and exhausted.
A religion that believes in multiple deities.
In Wicca, there are deities, usually one male and one female to represent the different aspects of life on Earth, providing a balance within the deity, unlike that of the Christian faiths. By reincorporating the female into the divine, there is a feeling of wholeness that develops. The balance that ensues from incorporating the female into the divine, re-establishes the power of womanhood. Women are not considered the reason for all of mankind's problems; instead women are viable partners in living life. Wiccan women are not considered second class citizens as is often true in other religions.
Wicca is a religion that believes in the reality of magick.
Magick is the power to change reality.
Considering that reality is a construct
within each person's mind, magick then
becomes the power to control your own
reality. Remember, perception is reality.
Magick is NOT calling up the power of demons
and devils to do evil deeds; it is the
typically untapped power that exists within
each person's mind. Magick is also all the
powers and laws of Nature that have yet to be
discovered or explained by science. Magick
and science have very much in common; they
are both a discipline of the mind. If your
mind can perceive it then it is possible.
Principles of Belief
As Witches, we welcome and respect all life-affirming teachings and traditions, and seek to learn from all and to share our learning within our Community. We do not deny participation with us to any who are sincerely interested in our knowledge and beliefs, regardless of race, color, sex, age, national or cultural origins, or sexual preference.
2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.
3. We acknowledge a depth of power. We see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.
4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the Universe as masculine and feminine--and that this same creative Power lives in all people. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other.
5. We value sexuality as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of Life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.
6. We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological worlds--sometimes know as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, the Inner Planes, etc.--and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.
7. We do not recognize hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.
8. We see religion, magick, and wisdom-in-living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it---a world view and philosophy of life, which we identify as Witchcraft or the Wiccan Way.
9. Calling oneself "Witch" does not make a Witch--but neither does heredity itself, or the collecting of titles, degrees, and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within him/herself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well, without harm to others, and in harmony with Nature.
10. We acknowledge that it is the affirmation and fulfillment of life, in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness, that gives meaning to the Universe we know, and to our personal role within it.
11. Our only animosity toward Christianity, or any other religion or philosophy-of-life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be "the one true right and only way" and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practices and belief.
12. As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various traditions. We are concerned with our present, and our future.
13. We do not accept the concept of "absolute evil" nor do we worship any entity known as "Satan" or "the Devil" as defined by Christian Tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do we accept the concept that personal benefits can only be derived by denial to another.
14. We work within Nature for that which is contributory to our health and well-being.
I hope these explanations will help you to begin to understand what Wicca, and the Craft really are. There is such an enormous amount of information on the subject, that it is impossible to cover everything in these pages.
If you are knowledgeable on the subject, I am always learning, and would appreciate any input you may have.
I invite
you to explore the world of Magick. Through
this portal you will discover unknown worlds.
Come with me, and explore the world of
Wicca.
