The worship of the Lady and Lord of Wicca is the primary focus. Magick and everything else is secondary.

Illegal drugs should have no part in this tradition of Wicca. There is no oath taking, tying people up or scourging (whipping). They don't appear in the sacred lore and are probably Gardener's inventions.

Conversions into or out of Wicca can be accomplished alone and without a High Priest/ess. Ascension to the Priest/esshood can also be accomplished alone. For it is the Lady and Lord that makes a Wiccan and Priest/ess.

Solitary conversions or ascensions are just as valid if they were in a coven.

Candles shouldn't be blown out, they may be extinguished with a snuffer or the blade of the dagger.

Poseidonius the Stoic, wrote that the Celts worship their Gods by turning to the right. While in the circle, all walking should go clockwise - not counter clockwise.

Speaking in rhyme is encouraged. Especially when casting spells. Many people have wondered why the Druids memorized their dogma in triads or rhyme. Rhymed words are more easily stored and recalled in the brain than other non-poetic forms. Poets have long had the power to influence people, even kings with their art. A poem to a lover can have some very strong emotional effects. "Thus all day long the young men worshipped the god with song, hymning him and chanting the joyous paean, and the god took pleasure in their voices." The Illiad. Wiccans chant and sing within the circle to please our Gods and besides Wiccan songs are fun to sing.

Items in the magic circle such as the grail, are passed from man to woman, and woman to man and counter clock- wise.

Clothing of any color or style may be worn. Traditionally, women should wear silver jewelry and men gold jewelry. Women traditionally wear a crescent crown or a head band with moon symbols of a silver color. Hera, Queen of the Gods was crowned with a crescent moon. Men wear horns or a head band of sun symbols in gold colors.

Numerous Wiccans worship nude, called skyclad. The statue of the Dying Gaul shows Celtic warriors going into battle with no armor or clothes. Pliny recorded that the wives of Druids (likely Wiccans) attended certain rites nude. The Horned God in the ancient cave paintings located in France is nude. Cernunnos is shown as naked except for his neck torque. In the Descent of the Goddess myths she is naked in the underworld. Also many fairies don't wear clothes. The Witch Medea in Ovid's Metamorphoses, book 7 while casting a magick circle is skyclad. Apuleius (150 AD) records nakedness at several rituals of Indo-European Wiccans. At the same time many of the Celtic Gods and fairy folks do wear clothes during ritual. Worshipping skyclad or robed is completely up to the individual.

The AntiWitches say some nasty things about our skyclad rituals. Christ while performing a miracle appeared naked in John 21:7. Some Pagans teach magick is more effective without clothes on, maybe Christ thinks the same. In Mark 14:51 a man removed his clothes and gave them to Jesus. A blind man in Mark 10:50 took off his garments and went to see Jesus. When Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel all the people were nude. Mike's reason for this, before the God all are naked. Even the prophet Isaiah walked in Jerusalem utterly nude for three years, see Isaiah 20:3-4. See, also I Samual 19:24. AntiWitches, if your holy people ran around naked. Why are you saying such nasty things?

Old English Wicca doesn't have Craft secrets like many American Wiccan traditions. The sabats were major holidays for many of our Pagan ancestors and were celebrated publicly. The religious teachings of the Wicca were instilled in the sacred myths which have been publicly available for many centuries. Even the bible in it's books written to Celts (Wiccans) have many a so - called Craft secret fully explained. One exception to Craft secrets is protecting the private identity of Wiccans if they maybe subject to persecution.

Worship outside in nature is preferred to worship in buildings or temples. Chivalry is the standard of honorable behavior when interacting with others. Chivalry is combining personal strength and valor with a strong desire for justice, truth, loyalty, courtesy to others, compassion to weakness, and devotion for God/dess. "When summers will be flowerless and cows milkless. When women are shameless and men strengthless. Trees without fruit and seas without fish. Warriors betraying one another and men thieves. When there is no more virtue left in the world, then the end will come." The Goddess Badb.

Female Wiccans may be called Lady, Sorceress, Enchantress, Wicce, Witch, Maiden, some even like the terms Crone or Hag. Male Wiccans can be called Lord, Sir, Enchanter, Wicca, Wizard, Magician, and Warlock.

American Wiccans don't like the term Warlock because of the misdefinition given it by a Christian dictionary. Well, the same dictionary misdefines Witch also, but Americans Witches still use the word Witch. The word Warlock is historically authentic and is defined as a male Wiccan. AntiWitches gave Warlock the meaning of traitor. Why? To the AntiWitches man is made in the image of the God; for a man to kneel before Goddess was to them treason! Warlock from the Norse means spirit song.

In America, the term Witch can apply to both male and female Wiccans.

The term Fairy Queen or King applies to the leader of a coven when three other covens have formed from it. The leader of the third coven should present the Queen with a garter. All Wiccans are Priests and Priestesses and can form their own coven at anytime.

Every Lady should choose a Lord within the circle to work with. The circle should, as much as possible be equal in men and women.

All Ladies and Lords should at one time or another serve as High Priest/ess. A coven can have many High Priests and Priestesses. Wicca is not a religion of followers, but leaders.

A magickal name can be chosen by a new Wiccan. Wiccans address each other by their magickal name while at gatherings, in writing, and their given name on all other occasions. This magickal name is used to protect one's identity. Daniel, the master of magicians magickal name was Balteshazzar, Daniel 4:9. The Apostle Paul changed his name from Saul after his conversion. Many Muslims change their names after conversion also. There can be several complex methods of choosing a magickal name, but they are not necessary. The easiest and most effective way it seems; is to research several names and pick the one that you are drawn to or one that has a personality you admire. A magickal name should be chosen before the ascension to the Priest/esshood.

A coven is a group of Wiccans who have chosen to worship the Lady and Lord together. The term "coven" could be a shortened form of covenant and Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales uses convent for a meeting of 13 people. Members of a coven are called coveners.

Old English Wicca covens practice democracy. History shows that most early Pagan societies were democracies. In many of the sacred myths, the Gods and Goddesses make group decisions democratically. If the Gods do it that way - we do it that way; as above, so below! Only those ascended to the Priest/esshood have equal say in the coven's doings. But if a coven is a training coven then all accepted members should have a vote.

Wiccans often walk on sacred ground, like the magick circle, bare footed. This is an ancient practice for even the burning bush (there is also a burning tree in Celtic Mythology) told Moses to "put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." Exodus 3:5.

The salutation, blessed be is a greeting and blessing used by Wiccans. The use of this greeting is recorded in several Medieval documents including the Shakespearean play A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 5, scene 2, line 34 and Chaucer (c. 1387) in his Canterbury Tales. Blessed be is also the oldest known blessing found in the bible. A Pagan High Priest named Melchizedek (1913 B.C.) used this blessing on Abraham, "The Father of the Jews" in Genesis 14:19. Daniel the master of magicians also used this greeting, Daniel 2:20. The Apostle Paul used blessed be when writing (c.64) to Celts in the city of Ephesus, Ephesians 1:6.

"So mote (will) it be" is a common phrase used by many Wiccans. These words appear in The Canterbury Tales. The Apostle Paul (Colossians 2:23) talked about the Celt's religion as "will worship." He may be referring to "So will it be."

"They say there is divinity in odd numbers, either in nativity, chance or death." Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. Numbers like 1, 3, 5, 9, 13 and other odd numbers are considered lucky, sacred, and symbolic. One for the oneness of God/dess. Three for the triple God/dess. Five for the five elements of earth, air, fire, water, and the spirit. Nine for the multiplied form of the triple God/dess. Thirteen considered by many to be the perfect number for coven members.

Witches often perform circle dances. This is an ancient practice as there is evidence of them in the ancient stone circles of Europe. Also, Chaucer referred to caroles (ring dances) during the middle ages and Apuleius in his The Golden Ass refers to a dance exactly like the spiral dance performed by today's Witches. The children's 'ring around the roses' is likely preserved from the ancient Witches dances.

From Perrault's The Fairies we learn the importance of gentleness and courtesy. Courtesy not just to the wealthy and beautiful, but the sacred lore indicates that it is far more important to show courtesy to the ugly, deformed, and antisocial. Remember, the Gods test us! That old slow man maybe a magickal being or a God himself! Disrespect to the elderly should be avoided at all cost even if they become angry and disrespectful with you. For the rude people in life - I recommend that we as Wiccans be their example of courtesy.

With many religions today divine power and influence is concentrated in the hands of the Priest, Preacher, the educated, and qualified. Many ministers point to their ordination or endorsements as being qualified in God. Within Wicca this concentration doesn't exist. Divine power and the influence of the Gods is and has always been available to everyone. Great magickal power is evident within every person (even you) and every person is able to weld it - should they seek to develop it.

"As above so below" is a common phrase used by many Wiccans. The oldest occurrence of it that I can find is from The Emerald Tablet by Hermes Trismegistos about 1900 B.C.. "That which is below is like the above, and the above is like the below, to achieve the wonders of the One Thing."

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