What is Wicca? This seems to be the question burning in everyone’s minds. Well I could leave the explanation up to you and say “What is Wicca to you?” or "Wicca is what you make it!" But instead of twisting things around and making it even more difficult for you to learn I will attempt to define Wicca. (Wish me luck).
Wicca is apart of the New Age movement of religions. The word Wicca is based on the Anglo-Saxon term “wicce” which means a practitioner of the old religion. From this word the highly popular term Witchcraft or the Craft was derived. Wicca is based on the old Pagan religions of pre-Christian Europe. Wiccans perceive the divine to be all life around us… therefore making our lives and the Earth sacred. Wiccan divinity is seen as polar opposites, similar to day and night. A God and Goddess, representing the female and males aspects of Earth and life represent these poles. Wiccan belief is highly rooted in the balance of opposites. Much of the magick and rituals performed by Modern day Wiccans involves attuning oneself with the natural rhythms of the Earth (such as the seasons, moon cycles and the tides).
Much of what is the old ways was lost upon the arrival of Christian religions in Europe. Christians were against Pagan religions and in order to drive people away from them, Witches were burned at the stake, tortured and killed. The most famous of these incidents was the Burning Times, which took place in Salem. Many Witches gave up their ways or went into hiding, so much of what we know about Wicca now was passed on through word of mouth.
Wicca is making a come back due to much of the population turning to other religions. Although Christianity remains a dominating religion, many people are unsatisfied with the answers it provides. Unfortunately, Pagan religions are still highly misunderstood in this modern world… especially by those who follow Christian ways. One common belief is that we practice black or evil magick. Now of course this is not true. The most important Wiccan law is “Harm none” meaning that you can do what you want as long as there are no negative consequences to anyone or anything. Another law that we hold dear is the three-fold law, meaning that what you send out or what you do will return to you three fold. It is very similar to Karma and therefore those who care about what happens to them do not perform black magick. The second most popular belief is that Wiccans and Pagans belief in and worship Satan. In order to worship Satan, one must embrace the Christian religion and since we are Wiccan we obviously do not believe in the Devil. The Devil was a Christian term coined to once again turn people away from the old ways.
I really do hope this helps or at least clears up some of the misconceptions about Pagan and Wiccan religions. Wiccan separates into many different traditions and practices. So although the above explanation may seem broad, more specific practices, beliefs and rituals will be discussed in the traditions section of the webpage. Blessed be!!
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