Wicca - a little education please...

Lately there has been a lot of ‘discussion’ around the spiritual belief systems of Wicca. I know there are a lot of people who follow this path, myself included, the disagreements and concerns that have come up are in general connected to two problems.

The first is the lack of education of the spiritual path in general and the second is the lack of acceptance of other paths within the Pagan Community.

Wicca is only one ‘sect’ of the community and as a part of this community we need to accept that there are others who are Pagan who have different belief systems to us. This does not make anybody right or wrong, however this does mean that we need to work together to achieve common goals.

In the early 1980’s, Janet and Stewart Farrar, along with the assistance of Doreen Valiente put together a book called “The Witches’ Bible”. It is NOT a bible in the traditional sense but rather a guide to help educate Wiccans. I strongly suggest that all Wiccans read this book to learn about the path they have chosen.

I would like to point out a few things mentioned in this book that need to be duly noted.

* There will be politics amongst different groups and Covens of similar beliefs but it is unnecessary and people will get bored of it. The best thing to do is to share and learn from one another.

* Magick is not ‘white’ or ‘dark’. There would be no good if it could not be compared to evil. There would be no light if it could not be compared to darkness.

* Wicca is not ‘airy fairy’. It is a real religion and must be accepted as one, however you should not look at it too seriously as it is a religion of celebration as well.

Then here are a few notes from myself.

Magick is neither white nor black, if you want to put a colour on it, then it is grey. Sabbats are often celebrated at sunset and sunrise when the night and day meet in the sky.

I once read in the ‘Introduction’ of a book written by Doreen Valiente, the very first words went something along the lines of (this is not a direct quote): If you are looking for something that is all happy and light then put this book down. If all you want to do is cast spells and make your life better then this book is not for you.

I believe the same goes for anyone looking for darkness in Magick. If you are looking to gain something specific from Wicca then stop looking. To be able to accept the religion for what it is then open your mind and find out what it is all really about.

Now here’s a biggie, so pay attention. Wicca is NOT about spells. It is NOT about trying to bring luck or love or money into your life. That part is up to us all as individuals. This is not to say that Wiccan’s can’t cast spells, it is a part of the Craft, however it is NOT the centre of it and it is NOT the be all and end all.

Wicca is a celebration. Rites are where our Magick lies. We celebrate the light and dark, the night and day, the Summer and the Winter. We celebrate the God and Goddess, the masculine and feminine.

Once I went two years without casting a single spell of any sort because I celebrated my religion and that is what lies strongly within me. I didn’t do this on purpose it just never occurred to me that I would need a spell for something.

We cannot say that we follow only the Goddess and are light workers as that is contradictory in the fact alone that it is at night time, when the moon shines down on us, that we acknowledge her.

We cannot say we follow only the God and the dark ways when we acknowledge the God during the day when the sun shines down on us.

It took me three years of learning, not just from books but within myself as well, before I decided to follow Wicca as my path. I did not just jump at it because I thought all the pretty spells could make me rich and famous and healthy.

If Paganism does call to you then start to educate yourself. Don’t just pick one ‘sect’ and say that it is what you want. As you are learning look into yourself and ask yourself what it is that you truly believe in, then decide.

If you say you are Wiccan yet you still accept some of the concepts of Christianity then rather look at Christo-Paganism.

If you don’t feel that acknowledging a God or Goddess is right for you then there are other Pagan paths that only follow nature and her cycles without Deity.

The bottom line of all of this is to educate yourself, you might even find that Taoism or Buddhism are more for you than Paganism is. They are fascinating religions in themselves. You might even decide to become atheist or agnostic.

If you have not educated yourself on the various paths of others in the Pagan Community then you cannot say their beliefs are incorrect and slander them. Put yourself in their shoes and walk a mile before you say anything and if you are not willing to do that then don’t say anything at all.

We all follow what we Feel is right for us and nobody can tell us that what we Feel is right or wrong. Feelings cannot be associated with factual evidence that can disprove or prove a theory as it is a part of who we are.

There are Covens and people out there who run classes to help teach people about Wicca, maybe consider taking one of these and read books, don’t google! You cannot always trust what you find on the internet.

When you are ready to follow your true path you will know.

It will be the moment when you stop listening to the voices in your head and you feel it in your heart.

For the next couple of days I will be blogging on Wicca specifically. I know I have some followers who are from other Pagan paths, I’m sorry but unfortunately this needs to be done but I promise it won’t be all bad.

I also invite people from other Pagan paths to submit a post on their beliefs thewiccaseries@gmail.com

Perhaps if you are following the blog you might realise that Wicca is not for you and you would prefer to look at something else, just follow what feels right for you.

Feel free to ask questions in the comments section, I check these daily and will answer your questions to the best of my ability and when I can’t I will try and refer you to someone who can help.

So come along this path with me over the next few days and let’s see what you discover about yourself…

)O(