Peaceout

hi, i heard someone ask what pagans/wiccans are,
i know quite a few people that are wiccan/pagan and this is what they are:

Some Misconceptions:

Wiccans worship Satan - The figure of Satan is part of the Christian mythos, and those of us who do not follow Christianity, do not accept the existance of this character.

Wiccans engage in ritual orgies - This misconception may have arisen from the practice of doing ritual in the nude. Not all
Wiccans practice this way, and there is nothing sexual about it.

Wicca is only for women - Wicca has attracted a great number of women because of the focus on the Goddess. But Wicca is open to everyone, male or female.

Wicca has no rules - This little untruth is often used by our detractors to show that we must live wild and unrestrained lives. We may not have books of commandments to bind our lives, but most Wiccans do follow one single law: Harm None. Those two words have as much power as an entire book of rules.

Wiccans cast spells and hexes to control people - If we really did this, Wiccans would all be wealthy and we would not suffer from discrimination. We believe that for every action, there is a re-action, and that includes using magick for negative manner. Wiccans don't believe in a punishing God, but we do think that bad actions will come back and bite us in the butt.

Wicca is a cult that is trying to recruit people - Wiccans believe that each individual's path of spirituality is valid, and no one path is better than any other. We do not convert or recruit anyone. Proselytizing is not a practice we follow.

Real Facts About Wicca:

Wicca is an Earth-centered religion - We don't necessarily worship the Earth, but we do hold it sacred, and celebrate the cycles and the seasons.

Wicca is polytheistic - Not all Wiccans follow precisely the same path when it comes to Deity, but typically we believe in multiple Gods and Goddesses often taken from different cultures and time periods. Many Wiccans will work with 1 or 2 Deities, rather than worshipping the entire gamut.

Wiccans do practice magick - Magick and spells are part of our religion. This sometimes seems far-fetched to those who don't understand. Forget every magick spell you've ever seen on TV or in the movies. Magick is nothing more than utilizing the energy that exists around us in nature. It's a delicate art that takes time, study and practice to master. We don't spend our days casting spells willy-nilly.

Wiccans do gather in covens - The media has made this sound more sinister than it really is. A coven can be any number of people (not just 13), and involves a group of Wiccans who gather regularly for ritual, magick, study and celebration. It's not that mysterious at all. Many Wiccans are not part of any coven, and folks who work alone are called 'solitaries'.
http://paganwiccan.about.com/cs/what...hatiswicca.htm

*whew* hope that helped. any questions????

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~*Dani*~

Under a Gaelic Moon

Peaceout

I'm of no religion, yet

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~*Dani*~

Under a Gaelic Moon

Ashley

sorry babes, i split the thread, cause i thought the other one is kinda different so it really needed a new thread hope its okay - i dont know what to ask lol, did you copy that from somewhere or actually type it ?

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Traveller

i guessing she typed it cose of the end part "*whew* hope that helped"


didnt take u long danni LOL

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rainbow_hippie

i already knew a lot about wicca as im quite intrigued by it. i know it is misrepresented in films/the media but it does seem to me that its messing with things you dont understand.

it also seems based on a kind of power thing, while most religions believe in praying to a particular god to change something or make something happen, wicca is more about harnessing power and doing it yourself, which is fine, but it seems to me that most of the attraction of it lies in the feeling of having the power to change things yourself, which is not always the best thing.

i would also say that not even all christians believe in satan - i dont, although he is a central figure in most religions, not just christianity. basically all the research ive done on wicca has led me to believe its something to be very cautious of, not because it's a cult or because it deals with the supernatural, as you could say that of all religions, but because it basically encourages people to follow it by giving them a feeling of power.

it also appeals a lot more to teenagers, and there has been a huge rise in teenage wiccans over the last few years, partly due to the increase in availability of information about it, partly because it is now increasingly socially acceptable, even fashionable, and people form covens with their friends, and patly due to the glamourous image given by programmes and films such as buffy and the gift.

in these films, targeted at teenagers, people use supernatural powers for good, often "saving the day" with their instincts and bravery - i dont know any girl who wouldnt quite like to look like buffy and be able to kick that high and be that perfect.

it just scares me basically, and also it can lead on to darker things, especially if you have an interest in the occult as well as the more harmless side of wicca, it can lead you to meet people who push you further into the religion, where more dangerous things are to be handled.

as wicca is based on a belief that there are powers out there to be harnessed, i think there should be more awareness among young wiccans that if thats the case then there are bound to also be things that should be left alone.

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Ashley

yeh, again good points frankiee, i do believe in the supernatural and the subject really freaks me out, thats why i stay away from things like the lugiboard.

btw, you were saying that you dont believe in satan ? so does that mean you dont believe in good or bad ? cause it kind of means the same from a certain perspective.

this quite an interesting topic here, im really loving the input

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rainbow_hippie

i believe that satan is a personification of all the bad things that happen in the world - hes a kind of scapegoat. hes basically a human construction to excuse all the needs and desires we have

eg jesus in the desert was tempted by satan with food and power. the guy hadnt eaten for 40 days so hunger would be a basic need - im sure he didnt need a little red guy to point out that being the son of god and all he could turn stones into bread to sustain that human need, and power is also a human desire which was within his grasp if he chose to use his god-given powers to attain it.

basically the point im making is that i dont think we really need a little red guy to pop up and point out that we really want to do this that and the other - its part of human nature.

also the devil cant be blamed for wars, famine and diease, alot of those could be prevented by us if we tried so are our fault not his.

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Peaceout

i believe that all religions have a good and a bad side. everything has a good and bad aspect to it, thats nature. one just has to not let evil rule over them.

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~*Dani*~

Under a Gaelic Moon

rainbow_hippie

i know they all have a good and bad side to them but the thing about most religions is that the basic aim is to improve peoples lives by faith and to trust in a superior power to help out, whereas wicca is more about empowerment.

the evil side of christianity would be, for example, the slightly heideggerian blindness to society's progressions shown in their unwillingness to ordain gay bishops, but some forms of christianity have moved above that anyway.

similarly the darker side of islam is the extremists who actually defy the koran and what they promote is not part of islam at all - islam supports freedom, unity, peace and equality not violence, terrorism and oppresson of women (and anyone who doesnt agree with them).

wicca, however, is all about having the power to decide good and evil for yourself and having power to act for good or evil, which is why i think it is much more dangerous than other religions where the intention is to help people to lead a good life through moral beliefs and teachings. wicca's "harmony" teachings - sort of using natures harmony to essentially get what you want, is not helping others or doing anything good, its using nature to make you more powerful which is selfish and wrong.

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Genevieve3

Wicca isnt just about empowerment, it is about inlightenment like all religion. we do not "use" nature, we act with nature recognizing it and appreciating it for what it is. It is true we practise magick, but what is magick really, simply raising a cone of power and sending your thoughts and dreams into the world. Just like a prayer or a wish. True wicca isn't dangerous, those who do play with love spells and such, do not have the focus to cause harm, magick is only real if you believe in it. THe religion isn't all about magick. Like most, its about worshiping the god and goddess, or the"all" "it" a higher power.
Most religions so things to get what they want, christanity for example. They pray to god for strengh, help, money, love, truth and so on, they ask god to give them what they want. This isnt much different to wicca, we ask for these things, for grace, strenght and so on, but we give back, and only take what we need. " Fairly take and fairly give". We thank for what we take and give back.
True we have a choice, that doesnt make us more dangerous. we were born with this choice. Yes im sure there are some that abuse this choice in this religion, but these people do not stick with the religion very long. Condeming a religion because of a few people is what is truely wrong.

rainbow_hippie

i know that which is why im not condemning it as a religion, in the same way that i dont condemn islam because a few people twist its laws and use it as an excuse for oppression.

all im saying is that it has a much bigger focus on the power of an individual, and, as you said, "magick is only real if you believe in it". I feel that this leads people to believe they can change things through magick, leading them to feel empowered which can be dangerous. people will do a lot if they feel they have the power to get away with it.

obviously there are a lot of really nice wiccans who just want a more absract religion, im sorry if i came across a bit strongly before i just think its something to be cautious of because it definately has its dark side and because it appeals a lot to teenage girls they might be putting themselves in risky situations by following an underground religion which leads them to mix with people who might not be as innocent as wicca as a whole, and i believe that the darker side can be more expoitative and cult-like than that of most religions.

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Genevieve3

wicca
I know there are some people who clam to be wiccan and all that, and they can be dangerous. If they dont understand the rule and truely understand the faith, like most religions.

Because wicca is so broad and because there can be so many different interpratations and versions of wicca (like ofther religions) it may be more pron to danger or "cult". true groups of people get together to worship, and sometimes(most of the time) the groups are alot smaller, theres alot of trust and alot of secracy from the outside world. But that is for protection for the most part.

I know from experiance that being wiccan and being slightly open about your religion isnt easy, when you open up about a religion that people hold biase and specific opinions, your bound to meet some sceptics. Its sad and can be difficult. you just need to remeber to know yourself and trust in what you believe in.

I feel the same way about christianity, catholics and all religions. Its never easy. I dont believe that wicca has a dark side, just some unguided teens searching for sanity and control in thier lives. I dont think wicca is pron to cult- like behaviour. Maybe some groups, but no more then anyother religion.

I did a study on cults and the characteristics of cults, All religions are prone to it. Having superior knowlegde or the promise of such is on of the main characteristics. And from the main cults we studied most were form christian orgins. That is to say not, very suprising considering it is one of the largest religions in the world.

IM not saying wicca is better, everone is different. different things work for different people. and im happy people are interested in wicca. and im glad we can talk things out without getting into a heated argument. I really hope i didint affend anyone, thats the last thing i would what to do.

I think we can agree that every religion has good followers and shall we say followers that have "wondered from the rightful path".
I hope i dont sound preachy, i dont want to push my beliefes on any one.

I agree that everone needs that take responsablity for thier actions, which is a lesson in wicca. THe three fold law, and harm non. ANd teens need to be aware and street smart when it comes to other people claming to be wiccan. Do your homework, research with your freinds and so on. the wont to learn shouldn't put you in dangerous situations. REmeber if it seems way to good to be true it most be. Wicca isnt easy, it alot of work, lots of reading and so on. Like all religions, its not just fun and games its a real faith. It take dedication and persistance.


P.S. My father always say the 2 things people can never agree on are religion and politics.

Ashley

wow, um big post there jen, i turned down the font size, its too big in this topic.

you seem to have a wide view about wicca, your last statement about your father saying is really true .... but we all live in a world of rules.

what got you involved with wicca ?

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Genevieve3

How did i get into wicca?

Well its kinda a long story. I used to belong to a Lutheran church. My mom was always sick and my dad was always working or looking after her so a friend of the family would drive us to church. When i say us i mean my 2 sisters( im a Triplet by the way) and my older brother. I never really felt like i belonged there and my sister for the most part agreed. Even at a young age (when i say young i mean 5-8) we felt like outsiders in our church. Not to say that our chruch was bad or anything, there were alot of nice peolple there. But we didnt feel like we belonged.

One of my vivid memories of church is when my sisters and i were at the alter and were about to drink the wine and have the waffer cookies when the cerimony was stopped just after my 1 sister had the cookie.

We stopped going to church after that. When i was young i was ever empathetic, when ever my mom was taken to the hopital for any reason i would now befor hand, i would get that Undeniable feeling that some thing was wrong. Later i found out the my sisters got it too. Sarah, the sister that looks like me (sarah, my identical twin, and Kathryn, my faternal twin) would tell me that she knew how people were feeling when she looked at photographs, and she said she could "feel" there eyes. She told me this when we were about 7-8.

Later when i was in grade 5 and 6 my best friend kim, melissa and i rented a book of spells from the library. It was just some made up kids book but i was very drawn to it. Later in grade 6 i found out that kims grandma was a witch, and so was her mom. I was facinated, i began to study it. Kim, melissa, my sisters and Terrie(another friend) began to practise rituals, simple ones.
We know alot more now then we did then thats for sure.

Then in grade 7 kim moved and for a short while we stoped practising. She lived within biking distance tho and we would bike to her house then to the library and reseach for hours , it was so hard to find books about it and even harder for the librarians to let us rent them out. there was so much we didnt know. we would go to places in the woods and practic empowerment spells, rituals for health, protection, and meditation. we were very hush hush about the hole thing for a long time.

On my 15th birthday(grade 9) kim thought i should tell my other friends. so at 12:36am we were all in my room sitting around with candel lit and i said " Im a wicth, as is kim and my sisters and have been for several years". There was kinda a silence of shock. i told them the story. we cast a circle that night, i found out that almost everone there was interested in wicca or had a history of it. It was a suprise to me. We did the cerimony , that we would all research for a year and a day. We became a coven that night. ANd for the next year and a day we studied. Then we dedicated our selves, that we would continue to learn and practise. SOme of my friends disided not to practise any longer, others were more drawn to the solitary path. we went through alot, people leaving, people breaking the rules and doing things behind the covens back, fights and so on. WE have grown stronger and have become a more knowlegable coven.

About 3 years ago I tripped across a very old deck of Tarot cards at an antique store, i didnt have money but the man(Norm) gave them to me for helping him out. Me and my aunt werent very close, but i knew that she read tarot. After i built up the currage, i asked her to teach me and she did. I found out that she was a witch to, and was taught tarot form a real gypsy in germany.

She also knows numeralogy and lots of other thing. She is my only aunt and we have grown to be very close. Later she told me she was so happy i asked her and because her daughter didnt really show interested in knowing and learning it was a great releife. She never knew i was so interested and was so happy. I found out that some of my family are witches to, and that i have ancester that were probably the johnsons prosicuted in salem(the timing fits), weather or not they were witched or not no one knows. ( when i say witch i mean a women who was a healer, midwife or powerful women)

Currently i am going into grade 12 in a week, i am 17 turning 18 in march. I am still very close with my aunt and my coven meets regularly. the end

Sorry about the lenght but i did say that it was a long story.

Genevieve3

Ashley