Onyxmoonstar's blog: "Wicca & Paganism"

Wicca. Witchcraft. The Path. The Craft. Whatever you call it, it's more than just a religion or magick, it's a way of life -- in perfect love and perfect trust. The philosophy of the religion (acknowledged as such by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1986) can be overly simplified into "we are all one and we love life in all its forms." Everything has energy. Everything is interconnected. As Starhawk said in "Spiral Dance ": Our practice arises from a deep, spiritual commitment to the earth, to healing and to linking of magick to political action. All living beings are worthy or respect. All are supported by the sacred elements. We are called to make the earth a place where all the children (not just human) can thrive. Each one of us embodies the divine. Our ultimate spiritual authority is within and we need no other person to interpret the sacred to us. We foster the questioning attitudes and we honor intellect, spiritual and creative freedom. Honoring both Goddess and God, we work with female and male images of divinity, always remembering that their essence is a mystery that goes beyond form. In honoring the Goddess and God, we acknowledge the duality that exists in all facets of life. Wicca is the celebration of nature and the circle of life. We honor the seasons of the year, phases of the moon and states of our lives (maiden, mother, crone). Wicca is an Earth religion -- an accepting, open-minded faith that celebrates diversity and considers us all to be children of the same mother. Gender, age, race, sexual orientation, physical status, family background or ethnic heritage are not important in Wicca. We are male and female, old and young, gay and straight, healthy and disabled, and of all colors. (Eileen Holland) Silver RavenWolf defines Witchcraft as " a proactive, Earth-centered belief system that honors all life. Witchcraft is a nature-based, life-affirming belief system that follows a moral code and seeks to build harmony among people which in its process empowers the self and others. Its magick is nothing more than an advanced understanding of quantum physics melded with spirituality." Witchcraft is a religion of ecology; it's goal is harmony with nature so that life may not just survive, but thrive. Love for life in all its forms is the basic ethics of Witchcraft. Starhawk) Wiccans collect no dues, have no central organization, no governing body, no supreme leader, no great high priestess who speaks for the Goddess. Our temples are gardens and forests, libraries and beaches, mountains and bookstores. Wicca consists simply of its Witches and their collective beliefs and practices. It is a voluntary association of individuals who share one faith, but practice it in a myriad of ways. (Eileen Holland) Most Wiccans don't believe in predestination. Although we honor and revere the Goddess and God, we know that we're free with full control and responsibility of our lives. We can't point at an image of an evil god, such as Satan, and blame it for our faults and weaknesses. We can't blame fate. Every second of each day, we're creating our futures, shaping the courses of our lives. Once a Wiccan takes full responsibility for all that she or he has done (in this life and past ones) and determines that future actions will be in accord with higher ideals and goals, magick will blossom and life will be a joy (Scott Cunningham). What Wicca is not is Satanism. We do not worship the Devil, kill small animals or sacrifice children. We are not evil, nor do we practice evil acts or black magick or manipulative or exploitative magick.

No one should ever assume the title of Witch lightly. To call yourself a Witch is to set yourself apart from most humans, to appoint yourself a priest or priestess of the Goddess. It is a binding contract to serve the life force (Eileen Holland). Bid ye the Wiccan Laws ye must, in perfect love and perfect trust. Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: An ye harm none, do as ye will. And ever mind the rule of three, what ye sends comes back to thee. Follow this with mind and heart, and merry meet and merry ye part. For those of you new to The Craft, the above quote is from the Wiccan Rede, the rule by which we live: Do what you want as long as you don't hurt anyone. This section is dedicated to the philosophy, religion and some of the basic workings of Wicca. We will try to present as much information as we can and will provide suggested reading and/or links for further study. If there is a subject not here that you would like to explore, drop us a line and we'll get working on it! The most important thing to remember about Wicca is that there is no right or wrong. There is no dogma, no set path, no rules (save the Rede). You choose what works for you and throw the rest out. So, let's get to it!

1.1) Do Wiccans raise the dead? Wiccans do not raise the dead. Wiccans celebrate those who we loved and those who contributed to our lives while they were in this plane of existence, and often seek communication with the spirit/energy of the person as they were known to us. But, Wiccans do not raise the dead. 1.2) Do Wiccans sacrifice babies or animals? There is no part in any Wiccan ritual which calls for the sacrifice or the harming of any person or animal, living or dead. While many of the gods of old (including Yahweh!) demanded blood sacrifice, the gods seemed to have matured along with man, and no longer require the blood sacrifice/harming of another being, living or dead. Despite popular belief among some Christian fundamentalists, Wiccans do not practice ritual abortion, nor use the remains of a fetus for ritual. 1.3) Is Wicca a cult? Wicca is a religion, not a cult. There is no "King/Queen of the Wicca" despite claims to the title in the past. Wicca is a religion with no papacy or ruler. It is made up of many small groups known as "covens" or "groves". Most of these are run in a traditional manner, as a matriarchal group... headed up by a high priestess with the help of a high priest. Traditionally, a coven can not be run without a high priestess, though there are occasional exceptions to the case where a high priest runs a coven. Becoming more popular is the "egalitarian coven", where all members run the coven. For more information, please see the Introduction to Isaac Bonewitz's Advanced Cult Danger Evaluation Frame. 1.4) Do Wiccans fly on brooms at night? Wiccans don't fly on brooms at any time of the day or night. "Broom Flying", in reality, was a custom of the witch riding the broomstick through the fields like a child would ride a stick hobbyhorse (sweeping side up!). This act was a blessing on the crops, insuring their fertility. 1.5) Do Wiccans have green skin, wear pointy hats, and have warts? Wiccans do not have green skin, unless they color it that way for a costume. Ditto for the pointy hats! And yes, I suppose sometimes witches do get warts, but no more then anyone else regardless of their religion! 1.6) Do Wiccans go out to try and convert people to their religion? No, Wiccans do not try and convert anyone. Proselytizing by a Wiccan in any form is considered wrong by most traditional Wiccans. In fact, in traditional Wicca, there is a common law that teachers are to never approach a student... students must always ask the teacher to learn about Wicca. 1.7) Do you have to renounce any religion, or desecrate any other religion's symbols to become a Wiccan? No. Wiccan initiations do not include renouncing of any religion, nor the desecration of any religious symbol. 1.8) Can a Wiccan quote the Bible, or even touch a Bible or a crucifix? Sure can. Even the mistranslations, such as "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." Exodus 22:18! And I still own a rosary from my Catholic days, and have no problems touching the crucifix on it! 1.9) Can Wiccans cry/fall in love? Wiccans can fall in love and they can also cry. And they usually do both, just like anyone else, since they have the same feelings as everyone else! 1.10) Do Wiccans have a "witch mark" on their bodies? Again, the answer is no. There is no distinguishing mark on the body of a Wiccan which states who they are. The only exception to this would be tattoos/body art which the Wiccan has voluntarily placed on his or her body. 1.11) Are Wiccans made of wood (or other such silly material)? If we are, my doctor has not noticed yet in all my years. :-) Wiccans are not made of wood and are composed of the same materials as any other human being. 1.12) Are Wiccans only female? While Wicca is a matriarchal religion, Wiccans can be either male or female. 1.13) Are male Wiccans called warlocks? Yet another big myth thanks to Hollywood and cartoons. A warlock can either be a male or a female... but it is usually used in an insulting manner. "Warlock" is a word derived from Scottish Gaelic (there is also a close old German word where it may have come from as well) meaning "oathbreaker": A witch who has broken his or her oath to the gods and/or to their coven. 1.14) Is Wicca the only form of paganism? Simply... no! All Wiccans are pagan, but not all pagans are Wiccan. Wicca is just one "branch" of paganism. For information on other pagan religions, you might want to read the book "Drawing Down the Moon" by Margot Adler. 1.15) Is Wicca a religion/path/discipline which stretches back for thousands of years? This is a question which sometimes causes great controversy within the Wiccan community. Some would answer the question with a resounding yes... many others would not. I have my own opinions based on what I have read and heard. While some of the information and practices which are passed down through traditional Wiccan teachings is very old (some a thousand years old, or older, as a guess) Wicca itself was created in the 1950's by Gerald B Gardner. There is no doubt in my mind that Gardner practiced Witchcraft in England before the 50's, but the Craft he practiced then probably looked much different than what we call "Wicca" today. My belief is that Gardner borrowed from other magickal traditions such as The Golden Dawn, the OTO, the Freemasons and the Rosicrucians (all of which he was versed in and in some cases, a member of) to create a more interesting (to him) and structured discipline. So, many of the main principles are the same... but the structure is different. 2. Satan or the Devil 2.1) Do Wiccans worship Satan? Wiccans do not worship Satan. Wiccans do not even believe the deity Satan exists. Satan represents total evil to most Christians who follow the Christian pantheon, and Wiccans do not believe in "good" or "evil"... only in neutrality. Since we do not believe in evil, there is no way to reconcile a belief in a god which represents the concept of total evil. There is also no relation between Wicca and the Church of Satan, which was created by the late Anton LeVey in the 1960s. 2.2) Don't Wiccans use the sign of the devil as their symbol? The pentagram is not the sign of the devil. It is a magickal symbol which you can even find on some of the older Christian churches in Europe. While it is true that the Church of Satan adopted the reversed pentagram as one of its symbols, it is a mockery, just as the upside down Christian cross is a mockery. Wiccans will sometimes use the reversed pentagram to represent the second degree of witchcraft because of the self analysis (inward turn) the second degree makes. 2.3) Do Wiccans have sex with the devil? Wiccans do not believe in a devil, so we can't have sex with him or her. 2.4) Do Wiccans have a hidden nipple with which they suckle the devil? While it is not uncommon for any woman (and though rarer, men as well) to have a third nipple someplace on her body, Wiccans do not suckle the devil with anything. Again, the concept of a devil does not exist in traditional Wiccan theology. 3. Spellcraft/Spell Casting 3.1) Do Wiccans go around cursing people? Wiccan ethics prevent us from casting "curses" on others for malice, or personal gain. We believe in the law of Karma (a variant is also called "The Three-Fold Law"), which states that whatever we do, for good or ill, will return to us magnified. A Wiccan knows that if they cast a curse on someone, they will also feel the sting of the curse, and will feel it even worse than their target. These are just a couple of reasons curses are typically not cast by Wiccans. Also, Wicca teaches tolerance toward perceived foes, and seeks to mend any ills between people. If amends can not be made for whatever reason, the religion still teaches loving all people and accepting them for who they are regardless of differences. 3.2) Do Wiccans cast love spells on people? Simply put, no. First, see #3.1 about casting curses. Casting a love spell on a particular person is considered a curse, as you are changing the free will of an individual. You're going to pay the piper in the end for this. Second, the love you would be getting would be a false one... one created by the caster. Would you want to live in a lie? This too, will catch up to you. Third, as the old saying goes... "be careful what you wish for", as you may get it and it may not be what you thought it would be. 3.3) Can Wiccans really change their hair color with a wave of their hand, like they did in the movie The Craft? Or stir their coffee magically like in the movie Practical Magic? No. Changing your hair color can not be done without the use of hair coloring products, and stirring your coffee must be done by hand with a spoon, straw, or other such implement of stirring. :-) 3.4) Can I smite my enemies with a fireball if I become a Wiccan? Despite the silly sounding question, I *DO* get this one from time to time. The answer is plain and simple: NO. Wicca is not a role playing game. There are no such things as fireball spells, lightning bolts, or magic missiles to cast at your enemies. 3.5) Can Wiccans change themselves into animals? In short, no. Wiccans stay human in this lifetime just like any other human. 3.6) Can Wiccans change other people into animals? No. At least not without the use of computer graphics, or Hollywood special effects, anyway. 4. Sex and Sexual Practice 4.1) Do you have to have sex to be a Wiccan? Absolutely not. While Wicca is a fertility (nature) religion in its basic form, having sexual intercourse with another person is not a requirement of the religion. 4.2) Do Wiccans do their rituals naked? While this used to be the "rule", it is now the exception in most covens. You will occasionally find a coven that does all it's rituals skyclad (Naked: Clad only with the sky), and some that practice skyclad only occasionally. The majority of covens in recent days practice wearing robes, with nothing under them. This is usually done for practicality as well as modesty. Wiccans see nothing wrong with skyclad ritual, though, per se. It is done not out of lechery, but out of the belief that in Wiccan ritual, you leave behind all that is mundane, or that which could hold you within the mundane world. Wearing clothing in ritual chains you to modern society: i.e. the mundane world. 4.3) Do Wiccans have orgies? Sexual activities are based on the individual, and not based on the religion. While the Wiccan view of sex may be more relaxed and open-minded than the average American, orgies are not a standard part of Wicca, and typically do not enter into a Wiccan ritual. Wiccans are just as likely or unlikely to have an orgy as any other group of people who are not Wiccan. On the same note, Wiccans are no more likely to have sex with you than someone who is not a Wiccan. 4.4) Do Wiccans use a naked virgin for an altar? Wiccans typically use a piece of furniture for altars. I know of no case where a naked virgin female was/is used in a Wiccan ritual, nor called for in any Wiccan ritual, nor any reason why a Wiccan would want to use such an altar. 4.5) Are all Wiccans homosexuals? While many bisexuals, gay men and lesbians feel comfortable in the Wiccan religion, there is no one preferred sexual status in the religion. Anyone can be Wiccan regardless of sexual lifestyle.

Who is a "Pagan?" Everybody has their favorite definition of the word "Pagan." Most people are convinced that their meaning is the correct one. But no consensus exists, even within a single faith tradition or religion as to the "correct" definition of "Pagan." The same problem happens with the definition of "Christianity," and probably with many other religions. horizontal rule Origin of the term: There is general agreement that the word "Pagan" comes from the Latin word "paganus." Unfortunately, there is no consensus on the precise meaning of the word in the fifth century CE and before. There are three main interpretations. 16 None has won general acceptance: bullet Most modern Pagan sources interpret the word to have meant "rustic," "hick," or "country bumpkin" -- a pejorative term. The implication was that Christians used the term to ridicule country folk who tenaciously held on to what the Christians considered old-fashioned, outmoded Pagan beliefs. Those in the country were much slower in adopting the new religion of Christianity than were the city folks. They still followed the Greek state religion, Roman state religion, Mithraism, various mystery religions, etc., long after those in urban areas had converted. bullet Some believe that in the early Roman Empire, "paganus" came to mean "civilian" as opposed to "military." Christians often called themselves "miles Christi" (Soldiers of Christ). The non-Christians became "pagani" -- non-soldiers or civilians. No denigration would be implied. bullet C. Mohrmann suggests that the general meaning was any "outsider," -- a neutral term -- and that the other meanings, "civilian" and "hick," were merely specialized uses of the term. 17 By the third century CE, its meaning evolved to include all non-Christians. Eventually, it became an evil term that implied the possibility of Satan worship. The latter two meanings are still in widespread use today. There is no generally accepted, single, current definition for the word "Pagan." The word is among the terms that the newsgroup alt.usage.english, calls "skunk words." They have varied meanings to different people. The field of religion is rife with such words. consider: Christian, cult, hell, heaven, occult, Paganism, pluralism, salvation, Witch, Witchcraft, Unitarian Universalist, Voodoo, etc. Each has so many meanings that they often cause misunderstandings wherever they are used. Unfortunately, most people do not know this, and naturally assume that the meaning that they have been taught is universally accepted. A reader must often look at the context in which the word is used in order to guess at the intent of the writer. We recognize that many Wiccans, Neopagans, and others regularly use the terms "Pagan" and "Paganism" to describe themselves. Everyone should be free to continue whatever definitions that they wish. However, the possibility of major confusion exists -- particularly if one is talking to a general audience. When addressing non-Wiccans or non-Neopagans, it is important that the term: bullet Be carefully defined in advance, or that bullet Its meaning is clearly understandable from the text's context.

article by Lilith Veritas It's never been easy to be a pagan in a world where differences are feared and minorities are persecuted. It's made even tougher by how little nonpagans usually know about the realities of our lifestyle and beliefs. How many times have you had to explain that Satanism is not Wicca, or that Wiccans are not the only pagans? Most nonpagans get their information about Wicca, neo-paganism and other Craft-related beliefs from the mass media, which has faithfully clung to stereotypes and painted a sensationalistic picture of pagans, just like they do about everything else. TV shows like Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer have contributed much to making paganism seem less frightening and more acceptable to the mainstream, but they've also continued to support misinformation and superstitions that have plagued pagans throughout modern times. Shows like Sabrina, or even the old favorite Bewitched, leave nonpagan viewers with the impression that witchcraft is all fantasy and special effects, and anyone who believes in such things might have a screw or two loose. Really, do you know anyone who has a talking cat or has developed a working teleport spell? The reality is that the majority of pagans today come from other religions and backgrounds and are at least partly self-educated, and many bring some of these ideas with them! It's really difficult to educate the nonpagan public if we're not clear ourselves on the history of witchcraft and the origins of our symbols, tools and stereotypes. While it's hard to change deeply held beliefs, the truth is a powerful weapon against fe and prejudice, and acknowledging our own history is the only way to move forward to a (hopefully) enlightened future. For a quick example of the history of a pagan tool, let's look at the Book of Shadows. Many pagans take it for granted that these books are an integral part of being a pagan. The term itself has been popularized by the media; the sisters on Charmed have a family Book of Shadows, which seems to be a universal encyclopedia of all things magickal, and the sequel to the popular Blair Witch Project movie was called Book of Shadows. The common perception seems to be that Books of Shadows have been handed down from medieval times and contain wisdom gathered hundreds of years ago. How accurate is that perception? The first recorded reference to an actual Book of Shadows was in 1939, by the founder of modern Wicca, Gerald Gardner. He claims to have received pieces of this book during his initiation into the religion now known as Gardnerian Wicca. Both Doreen Valiente and Aleister Crowley appear to have added to the book, after Gardner "restored" it. Prior to that, however, there is no known recording of a Book of Shadows, at least not by that name, and few references to grimoires or books of knowledge used specifically by pagans. The book Aradia: Gospel of the Witches was written by folklorist Charles G. Leland in 1899 and appears to be the closest historically, but it would hardly have been ancient knowledge a mere 40 years later. Books of Shadows are now used by many pagans, both Wiccan and non-, but that name seems to be solely a creation of Gardner and his contemporaries. Many pagans would like to believe that there is a written source for ancient spells, rituals and traditions to which they can turn to validate their current practices. They may forget that in ancient times, and often through the first part of the twentieth century, the common person didn't know how to write or read! Most pagans in the Western world today can both read and write, and even those deemed "illiterate" can often do both enough to get by. During the height of the witch hunts and in rural areas where folk medicine and pagan rituals may have continued more or less uninterrupted, literacy was not common, and it is unlikely that many witches, if any, kept such a book. Most commoners didn't keep books at all! There is another argument against the idea of ancient grimoires being commonplace: Anyone found with such a book would likely have been found guilty of heresy and possibly put to death, and the book summarily burned. This threat would have been lessened for someone of the upper classes, but for typical rural folk would probably have been too big a risk to take. During the times when herbal healers had to be very careful to hide the tools of their trade and be sure to put their best Christian face forward, it would have been virtual suicide to have a book of "arcane knowledge" laying around the house, even if most of your neighbors couldn't read it! Having books at all was cause for suspicion amongst the lower classes, since they were poorly understood by most and rarely read by any but high society. The few documented grimoires likely did belong to folks of higher classes, as they were the ones who could afford them and could also afford to learn to read. As I mentioned, many pagans would like to have a historical book of knowledge to justify their current practices. While it would be nice to trace such things unbroken into the past, "new" does not mean "bad" or "invalid." Newer ideas aren't automatically bad ideas! Now that we have the means to write down our beliefs and rituals to pass on to future generations, or just to remind ourselves, many of us will choose to do so. Knowing where a practice comes from allows room to change and grow, and keeps folks talking from a place closer to truth than superstition. And knowing that new practices are springing up will hopefully keep the pagan paths alive and vital instead of bogging them down in the dogma so common in many mainstream religions. Moving into the realm of stereotypes, many Americans think of the pointed black hat as the key identifier of a witch. These folks are often the most surprised when they meet a real, modern witch wearing jeans and a T-shirt. But where did the stereotype of this pointy hat come from? One thing to keep in mind in the search for this stereotype's origins is that it is peculiarly American and Western European, particularly from the British Isles, and it is a fairly modern invention. Witches in Eastern countries do not appear wearing pointy hats or any of the accoutrements that we commonly associate with the Halloween-style witch. Early woodcuts of witches in the Middle Ages showed them wearing scarves, or hats popular at the time, or even with their hair flying in the wind. Our media has popularized the view of witches with pointy hats as well as green skin, warts and brooms. I suspect the Wizard of Oz movie released at the dawning of the media age has more to do with the current stereotype of the "wicked witch" than does historical evidence! The most positive interpretation I came across was echoed by Doreen Valiente as the probable source: Pointed hats were actually a visual representation of the Cone of Power that witches drew upon during their rituals. While this puts a nice, witch-friendly spin on the image, I find it to be rather unlikely. People in previous centuries who were creating woodcuts of witches tended to paint a very unkind picture and did not include positive aspects of true witchcraft as it existed at the time. Witches were portrayed dancing with devils and participating in all varieties of heinous rites, not drawing down the moon and healing the sick. It is unlikely that someone projecting a witch in such a light would bother to represent a Cone of Power, which is typically a positive force. There is another, commonly held belief that the pointed hat originated with another persecuted group in Europe, the Jews. While Jews did wear pointed headgear, most scholars now believe these hats were not a likely source for the witch's pointed hat. After all, pointed hats were fairly common throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance. This fact leads us to the source I find to be most believable, and most mundane, for the Pointy Hat Look. During the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, commoners in Wales and England often wore pointed hats. As fashions changed, the last to retain the old styles were the rural and peasant folk, who were considered "backward" by higher society and were usually the ones accused of heresy and witchcraft. Much as we today have stereotypes of the sort of student who might commit violence at a high school, so did the medieval people have their ideas of what sort of person might be a witch. Along these lines, Gary Jensen, a professor of sociology at Vanderbilt University, postulates a connection between the persecution of Quakers in America and the stereotypical appearance of witches in our folklore. Quakers did wear pointed hats, and the negative image of witches wearing conical hats in America became common about the same time anti-Quaker sentiment was at a peak. Quakers were thought by some to consort with demons and practice black magic, things also associated with the early American view of witches. Once again, an easily recognized symbol of an oppressed minority may have become generalized to a group equated with them. In the final analysis, it's likely that more than one of these issues came into play to ingrain the pointy hat into the mainstream idea of what a witch looks like. After all, the ideas that stick most firmly in the mind are the ones repeated from different sources, and many things in history can't be traced to a single root cause or moment. In the Craft, as in all aspects of human culture, the powers of media and modern communication weave together a new "truth" from bits of folklore and whispered traditions, and picking apart this fabric to get at the real foundation requires persistence and the willingness to view your own ideas in a new light. For those interested in further reading about pagan stereotypes and history, I suggest the Internet as a great source of information, if one takes the information found with the proper grain of salt. Two articles in particular that I came across stand out in my mind, and I believe it would benefit pagans in general to read and consider the implications of both of them. First of these is a speech by Doreen Valiente at the National Conference of the Pagan Federation on November 22, 1997. As a founding influence on the modern practice of Wicca and a contemporary of both Gerald Gardner and Aleister Crowley, Valiente had a unique perspective. In this speech, she questioned many "truths" about Gardnerian Wicca and presented views that some may find surprising. Transcripts of her speech can be found at http://www.users.drak.net/lilitu/valiente.htm. Second is a very well-researched essay about the Burning Times by Jenny Gibbons, which can be found at http://www.cog.org/witch_hunt.html. While I don't endorse either of these sources as the absolute truth, they are certainly thought provoking. Some other sources: The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft, by Rosemary Ellen Guiley Best Witches site, http://www.rci/rutgers/edu/~jup/witches "The Witching Hours," by Shantell Powell, http://shanmonster.bla-bla.com/witch