What is wicca part 2
I think it is also worth mentioning here that the media tend to glamourize Witchcraft a lot. I'm afraid we can't fly around on broomsticks, or change our outfits with the *zap* of a finger (a shame i know!). We don't levitate or move things around with our minds, we don't all have black cats, we don't cast lightning bolts down from the sky, change our eye or hair colour like *that*, and uh.. most of us don't look as darn cool as 'The Craft' girlies either!
Another thing worth mentioning, I seem to come across a lot of people who say 'So.. how powerful are you?'.. well being a Witch isn't about how much 'power' you have, or how many spells you have, or how many people you've levitated. It's not a power thing.
Wiccans worship a Goddess and a God, two equal but opposite forces, not 'good and evil' but more along the lines of 'ying and yang', 'salt and pepper', 'fish and chips'. This Goddess and God have no 'fixed form'. They are however you wish to imagine them, they are all that ever was and will be.
Unlike the Christian God, the Wiccan Goddess and God do not demand worship, nor do we go to them to be forgiven, because Wiccans believe in 'karma': the belief that whatever you do comes back to you. So if you do a bad deed, you will recieve bad back. It's simple cause and effect.
What about death? Do Wiccans believe in Hell or what?"..no..we believe that each death leads to another birth (reincarnation)...in other words.. 'we live, we die, then we come back again!' "So what's the point in that?" ..no one can really be sure but the theory is that in each of our lives we learn very valuable lessons which are stored in the soul.. "Life is like a classroom, we keep coming back to learn new lessons".
As Wicca is a celebration of life we try and live our lives in tribute to ourselves, other people, nature and the Goddess and God. Daily prayers and offerings may be a way of building up a strong relationship with the Goddess and God. Kindess, helpfulness and consideration are all parts of Wiccan practice.
Meditation helps you to learn the art of relaxation, it has proven long term benefits on the health, and immediate evident benefits on the mood. It should clear your mind of clutter, allowing you to function with confidence and understanding.
Listening to Celtic or Pagan music, recording thoughts and dreams, writing new rituals or simply sitting up to watch the sunrise are all common practices among Wiccans and Pagans.
As Pagans we are aware of the changing seasons and their influence on our lives.
Long ago, when people lived close to the land, they had to keep a very close eye on what was going on around them on the earth. Crop planting had to be done at just the right time. In late autumn, the livestock which were not able to survive the coming winter would have to be slaughtered. Okay..so nowadays we don't all live on farms but we still have deep connections with the earth ...Just think for a moment about how it feels to wake up on a dull rainy morning, how does it affect your mood? What about a fresh, sunny morning?
"What was that about rituals?"
Rituals are done to attune ourselves with the earth and in honouring the Goddess and God. Most Pagans celebrate on the 8 Sabbats or festivals, spread out across the year. The full moon is also celebrated a lot since this is a good time for magick. I really really enjoy the Sabbats, the planning and preperation as well as the actual celebrating!!
You might also have noticed that a lot of Witches have weird names like 'ShadowLion' or 'SilverSkye'. This is called a 'magickal name' or 'Craft name'.. Some Witches may have two or three Craft names. One name may be used within the Pagan community to distinguish themselves, on the internet for example. Another name may be used in a Coven (often the Coven will choose an appropriate name for the new witch) .. and yet another name may be used only between the witch, and the Goddess and God. A secret name, kept sacred for use in magick, within prayer and ritual. I have tons of names. 'WiLdFyRe', 'Autumns child', 'Fyre' and 'Athena', to name a few.
"So how do you choose a magickal name?" ...Well..it may just be something that pops into your head, it may have come up in a dream or in a deep meditation, or it may just be a name that you really like.
I hope this has given you a slightly better idea of what Wicca is about. Whilst writing this I had to try and stop myself from getting carried away and going too far into all the details, but there are more detailed versions of each topic around the site.
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