Disclaimer-
I am relatively new though this religion (1 1/2 years) and I am by no means an expert. This FAQ is representative of the information I have come across and how I have put that information into practice in my own life.
WHAT I SAY WHEN CONFRONTED WITH RELIGION
When people ask me whether I go to church I have gotten to the point where I just say "I’m not Christian." If the pursue the topic further I just tell them that I am Wiccan. I use the term Wiccan because it is less well known than some of the terms we use to describe ourselves and it usually gives me an even field in which to "work" when people invariably ask me what Wicca is. My answer to this last question is "Wicca is a pre-Christian, polythestic, non-prostelitising, nature religion. Most people are pretty shocked by the use of such big words and they don’t ask any more questions because they don’t know which question to ask first. There are others that are simply intrigued. I like that answer because it gives a good, simplistic idea of the religion and it weeds out most of the people who would rather not "go there". The people who are still inquisitive are the people I usually end up talking to and they
(for the most part) are very respectful of my choice.
NAMES YOU WILL COME ACROSS AND WHAT THEY MEAN TO ME
Pagan- A general name for a polytheistic, nature religion.
Wiccan- A "denomination" of Paganism. A pre-Christian, polytheistic, non-prostelitising, nature religion.
Witch- A person who has been initiated and into a coven or someone who has enough experience with Wicca to know that this is their choice of religion for life.
Druid- I have to admit that I don’t know a lot about the Druids except that they tend to use trees in their rituals. For that reason I sometimes affectionately refer to them as "The Tree People".
Wiccan Rede- The short version of the Wiccan Rede is as follows: "Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill, ‘An harm ye none, do as ye will.’" There are only 2 "rules" in the Wiccan religion and this is one. Everything you do, you need to hold up against the Rede and determine if it will cause more harm than good. If so then don't do it!
The Three Fold Law- This is the second "rule" in the Wiccan religion. It is meant to be a consequence that you need to take into account in your everyday life and when doing magic. It says that what you do comes back to you, 3 times over. This means that if you put out bad energy, thoughts or deeds then that same energy comes back to you, 3 times as bad BUT if you put out good energy, thoughts, and deeds then they will also come back to you 3 fold. Basically it is the idea of Karma. And if you decide to do something negative then you had better be darn sure that you are willing to accept the consequences!
WHAT WE ARE NOT
Paganism and it’s denominations are not related to Satanism or "cult behavior" in any way, shape or form. Satanism is based on hatred, contempt, and revenge. Paganism is based on love, respect, and harming none.
THE RELIGOUS STRUCTURE
As a whole, Paganism is not a rigidly structured religion. Practitioners take the basic ideas, their own beliefs and the beliefs of their coven and meld them together to form a belief structure. As with snowflakes and trees, I don’t think that there are any 2 Pagans that have the exact same view of every aspect of their religion. We don’t have churches", we don’t have a "leader", and we don’t have book that is generally accepted as a "bible". Paganism is a very individualized and even solitary religion. We think for ourselves and don’t take what others tell us as unmitigated fact until we have a chance to explore the idea on our own and come up with our take on it.
CASTING SPELLS
Yes we do cast spells, but they are not the mysterious rituals they have been made out to be. They are really just more physically involved prayers where we are more conscious of the natural energy around ourselves and then focus and direct that energy into what ever it may be that we are
working for. The most common spells that are done are for money, happiness, health, and love. The exact same things that people everywhere are concerned about. When we cast our spells though, we always have to watch that we harm none. This includes anything that may harm ourselves and anything that will take away any persons right to make their own choices. In love magic there is always the awareness that you are not to ask for a specific
person to fall in love with you. You should ask for "someone to love". If you name a person then you are taking away their right to run their life in the way they see fit. That is wrong, it’s manipulative and it is harmful. Spells can consist of any or all of the following things: candle lighting, incense, ringing bells, and sending positive energy. All of which are common in the traditional religions as well.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
This is just a brief overview and is not meant to be taken as the be all and end all of Pagan beliefs. For more information you can look at some of my links to other FAQs on the Internet and you can do an Internet search for Wicca, Paganism, or Witchcraft.
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