What is Wicca?

(8 sabbats followed by Wicca)

WHAT IS WICCA?

This is the very same same question many ask and i myself cannot really comprehend. Until now i am still confused what Wicca really means, its concepts, its belief, its thoughts and so much more.

From small readings i learned that Wicca is under the umbrella of Paganism and a Wiccan is already a witch in practice. But whenever i say i am a follower of Witchcraft belief, people who hears it show a twitch here and a quiver there. Especially in this country dominated by christians and catholics. Yet when i say i am a Wiccan or just a humble follower of its ways people normally ask what it is. I say "Oh it's a Pagan belief that has this type of knowledge and follow this and that". Then people would say "It's nice." Wow, really? Eh come to think of it i just mentioned the very practices a witch does or believe in. Bottomline, claiming you are a witch is bad but when you rephrase your words and say you are Wiccan, people would admire the idea.

Then i remember, yeah....these people are only but victims like me. Victims of MISINTERPRETATIONS, MISREPRESENTATIONS, MISUNDERSTANDING, MISCOMMUNICATION, and all the MISes that we can think of.

I am no expert, no historian, no genius. I only know as much as most of us do. I only rely on articles and books that i have read. Then there's those groups i tried to be a member of. Some of them are a-ok but most of them scares the wits out of me. Because some are so immersed in their thought that they are great witches already and has the ability to do phenomenal things that no one can. Some are so elated that they brag of spells they can chant and of rituals they can perform. Probably they can or cannot do that but that is not the point. I know in my heart that is not the purpose of Wicca. So i left. Then i decided to create my own group. Now so far i have about a hundred members. I did not plan to make it huge. I don't care if it stays that way as long as the members intend to learn Wicca and be brothers and sisters to one another. To my surprise, THEY ARE! I am happy that whenever i visit our group chat they talk to each other in a calm and blood related manner. I love it.

Now, because of what is happening to our group i am encouraged to learn Wicca more than ever and share it to everyone.

I just started following Wicca a couple of years ago. And when i did there is no turning back, always on the move forward. And in my search for answers i have come across a lot of individuals who have different answers. I even had experiences where they are arguing about things that they are both right anyway. It confused me more so i decided to just learn BY MYSELF. 

Again, for those experts who may read this, i am no expert. I will only share what i have read from other articles. So if you have any comments kindly give it to me but please be gentle about it. LOL

So here it goes:

Wicca is also known as a Pagan Witchcraft. It is under Neo-Paganism or contemporary Pagan new religious movement. It means the movement is defined with new rules and rtuals that is designed specifically for new generation as the old ways may not be applicable to the life of many people nowadays. Wicca is not ancient, but incorporated with ways from the past and ancient beliefs of Paganism basically from Europe. However the very thought of Paganism is still intact. Wicca was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was introduced to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant.

What i liked about Wicca is that it is FREE. Free for everyone who wishes to be Wiccan. We can be solitary or in a coven. We have freedom to follow basic traditions either according to how Gerald Gardner introduced it or we can add or reduce certain attributes if we don't feel like doing it. There is no Bible or Quran or Vedas or Pali Canon or Babaylan scriptures to follow strictly. Most of the guidelines we follow from Wicca are based on the daily life of people and how to attune ourselves to nature. But of course as i always tell myself and those who aspire to learn the craft, it is still best to study and learn Wicca continuously. Just because we have read one book or one article doesn't mean we are already Wiccans. 

OUR CHOICES AND WHY

All of us have reasons why we chose our choices. I met some saying that they were fed up with the lies and politics from their previous religion, others say they don't like the idea of having to follow by fear, some say their previous religion asks them to change who they are or they will not be accepted, like if you are gay or eccentric (which unfortunately are considered an abomination by other religions), while some say (like me) they found Wicca very peaceful and calming to the mind and soul. Whatever the reason is what's important is that your choice fits the path you are looking for. Otherwise you will still leave the craft and move to another.

HONORING THE DEITIES

So far i have not heard any Wicca follower say they worship the goddess or any deity instead all the time i hear and see them say they HONOR. Maybe Wiccans really don't worship. I cannot say for sure if that really is the case but that is what i know. We are free. So from my understanding Wiccans don't really worship as worshiping means being under one strict rule to abide to, having one being to look up to and pray to and give thanks to and so on. But i don't see Wicca being like that. We are even allowed to call upon other deities of our choice. None specific. However, from the original Gardnerian Wicca, you would have to be initiated first and from there you will learn the secrecy of their ways and belief such as the name of their gods and goddess, their rituals, et al which of course must be kept secret from the non-Wiccan or anyone from outside of their tradition.

COVEN OR SOLITARY

Wicca does not command you to be in a group to practice the craft. You have a choice to be on your own. If you are a people person and you feel more comfortable in a group or you get satisfaction with communicating with others in order to understand certain studies, then you might want to be a member of a coven. (see Warning Signs In Prospective Covens)

They have the ups and downs. Of course you may come upon individuals who are not of the same mind like you or others that may be a cause of misunderstanding. But being in a coven gives you the advantage of having to perform rituals as the tradition asks for, learning more by conversing with others, getting benefits of meeting people of the same minds and more. 

For those who wish to be private, you are not expected to go out like other religions would ask for. You don't need to go to any form of church on a regular basis. You are not required to perform any rituals that you do not feel comfortable with having other people around. You may choose to be solitary for that matter. You can go about your prayers and rituals and spells and the all the works in the comfort of your room alone with no one to look at you. However, you may not be able to receive the possible benefits a coven may offer. 

So it's really up to you.

BASIC RULE 

Wicca does not ask you of so many rules to follow. Like i said earlier we are free to choose what we want and need to do or say. Yet like any other religion, no matter how free we are in Wicca there is still at least one rule to follow because we have to understand that we should be accountable for our actions.Or anything you do will come back to you three times. In this or in the next.You may see it in the Law of Threefold Return. Again, it is still based on the life of every individuals. It's more of a guideline and not a piercing law. And anyone who understands Karma knows exactly what i am saying. Basically, the rule states "An Yeh Harm None, Do What Yeh Will". This statement has been changed and edited in so many form but the thought is still there.

MISREPRESENTATIONS

Every time someone says "I am following Wicca and Wicca is a belief that is incorporated with the ways of Witchcraft, most people really get that fearful look at you as if they saw a monster. Well, we cannot blame them. Witches are noted to be feared at. Witches are known to be riding a broom at midnight especially during full moon, that they have green skin, long pointed vulture sized nose, warts all over the face with a strand of hair or two, scattered brows, pitch black hair, dilated pupils, black robes, black witch boots and black witch hats, eats babies, performs rituals and spells that will cause nothing but wreak havoc. 

I'm sorry to burst your old belief but none of those is true. Yes there are rituals which sometimes involve using brooms, and robes from to time, but the rest is soooo hmmmm...i don't know how to place it....comical? morbid imagination? Oh and Wiccans and witches don't just spark fire or electricity on the tips of their fingers when they are angry. (although it would have been cool if it's true.LOL)

Again, i am just sharing bits of what i have read and learned. But for added information, you can read Basic Principles and Concepts of Wicca. It's one of the good reads i found. 

To top it all, everything you believe in, Wicca or not, boils down to one thing. RESPECT. That is all there is to it. To agree to disagree and let others perceive views the way they want it. And you don't need to explain yourself if no one is asking for any explanation.

Been there, done that.

Blessed be