To say that the Wicca you are learning about today is the oldest religion is wrong. The Wicca that pre-dates Christians, Jews, Hindu’s and Buddhists is barely alive anymore. The essence is still there but the religion itself has been re-born and re-manifested many times over. Wicca is the one religion that is allowed to grow and change with the times. There is not one true form of Wicca, nor is one tradition the “right” tradition. With every new person who is initiated into a coven or practices as a solitaire something new is added to Wicca.
Wicca is made up of many different traditions, the same as Christianity has several various denominations (i.e.: Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, etc). Wicca has several traditions, Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Dianic, etc. Each branch holds similar beliefs and honors the same ethics they just have different views on the subject. Some traditions only focus on the Goddess. She is the main celebrant of their rituals. Some traditions believe you can only be a “true” witch if you can trace it back in your family for centuries. Both of these traditions are fine, however as a Wiccan our main reverence is for nature. Nature is held in the highest esteem for us. The Goddess and the God rule over everything on earth and in the universe. And as in nature there is duality. Wicca is a religion of duality, meaning there is male and female in everything. So to worship only the Goddess would be worshipping only half of nature. If there is no God then there can be no Goddess and vice versa. In Wicca the God and the Goddess are equals and so are Wiccan’s. There is not one Wiccan that is better than another; we are all just at different stages of enlightenment.
Wicca has been called the “religion of the witches”. How true this is depends on if you consider yourself to be a witch or not. A witch is defined as one who performs magick and magick is of nature. Not every Wiccan practices magick or does spells. Some only honor Mother Earth and her inhabitants; some just hold simple rituals and celebrates the cycles of the Earth. How you choose to practice will be up to you as an individual. Over time you will try many different things, some will work and some won’t. One ritual may feel perfect while another may be totally off. You are the creator of your own faith. In Wicca you are given the power to create your own form of celebration. There is no right or wrong in honoring the things around you.
Now, while we are discussing the magickal part of Wicca this would be a good time to point out a few very important things to you. There is one law or rule that we all honor, without hesitation and without thought. It is the Wiccan Rede and it states, “If it harms none, do as thou will”. Meaning, you can do what you want as long as you are not harming anyone or anything. You will learn more details about what spells are considered harmful and which ones are considered okay.
The word Witch is unisex. Men are Wiccan or Witches not warlocks. The work warlock means “oath breaker” so to call someone a warlock you are basically calling him or her a liar.
We do not seek new members. We do not go out and hand out pamphlets or sell things to lure others in. We allow people to come to us on their own. Many covens are still in hiding so it may take awhile for a new member to find what they are looking for.
We always respect the privacy of other Wiccans. Most covens have a rule within themselves that you are not allowed to reveal any details regarding members not even their names. And I ask this of all those entering the Wiccan faith.
So you now have a basic idea of what Wicca is. You are now ready to start your lessons. I ask that you have patience and come with an open mind. Some things may sound silly to you, but just listen and learn and you will be able to decide for yourself if this is the path you want to follow.
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