johngalt

I just need someone to briefly educate me on what Wicca is, what the basic beliefs are, etc.

Aquila ka Hecate

Wicca is a synthetic religion, put together about 50 years ago by a British civil servant, Gerald Gardner.
He claimed that it had centuries-old antecedants, but was unable to prove his claim.
Much of the liturgical material is a direct descendant of Freemasonry, and the OTO via Aleistair Crowley.
The basic tenets are the old Rede "An' it harm none, do as you will", which as you can see is a fluffed-up version of Crowley's .

The religion espouses the sexual duality of deity, having a god and a goddess as prmary figures of worship, but includes acknowledgement of 'elementals' of the 'quarters'-earth and water, air and fire.With a fifth 'element' known as spirit or akasha 'within' the circle.

Eight Sabbats are observed a year-four of them corresponding to the equinoxes and the solstices, and four 'cross quarter' sabbats roughly heralding the agricultural change of seasons-Imbolc , Beltane, Lughnassadh and Samhain.

Many primary mythologies in Wicca are of Celtic origin, some are of Norse, and some of more Oriental lineage.
None of these is pure, and 'Eclectic Wicca', being perhaps the most popular 'Tradition' practised today, is an even more stirred-up version of various cultural heritages.
Gotta run, sorry johngalt, doing this on my shortened lunchbeak.

Paul2

Hmm... i thought it was a group of feminist hippies that danced around naked while worshiping satan.

Aquila ka Hecate

Yeah, Paul2, it's that as well.

We don't like it getting about,however, or everyone will want to join.

Calzaer

Aquila:


Holy cow! That's a fantastic summary!

Infidelettante

Hi johngalt,
Aqulia ka Hecate gave you a great summary of Wicca. There are Pagans, like me who are not Wiccan. I do share some things in common with them however. I try to live by the Rede because I found it was how I approached relationships before I became a Pagan. You find what works and you stay with it.

I use similar metaphorical or symbolic objects and devices. I pay some heed to the phases of the sun and moon. I view life as an interplay of the masculine and feminine [or positive and negative] energies. I strive for a balance through which that polarity manifests its' creative nature.

All this may be more than you asked for or need but there is a point. The point is that Wicca and the other Pagan traditions and paths are open systems. There is no revealed doctrine. There are no right or wrong ways to approach the Divine. What your religion becomes is what you have made of it. And what it makes of you.

The Pagan paths are at once the easiest and the most difficult of religions. It all depends what people want out of them. If you want to watch the look on peoples faces when you tell them you are a witch you will have some fun with it for awhile. If, on the other hand you want a system of beliefs and practices that can give you meaning and purpose and direction you can have it. But it takes work. Lots of work. And time. And study. And thought. And lots and lots of reading.

JT

BTW don't listen to Paul2. If they catch him peeking through the fence he's a dead duck.

Marcel

It sounds like wicca was constructed because people wanted to respond to the need for a religious experience, rather than that they wanted to find facts.

jankin

And the need for religious experience is not a fact to be faced?

Marcel

I think the need for religion should be regarded as a weakness which is easy to suppress.

I mean, how can you profess a religion by merely responding to the need for religious gratification? Shouldn't you first investigate the level of truth of the religion that you are going to adhere? I suppose you can't just pick a religion; let alone create one and start believeing in it eventually.

I can't imagine that the psychological need for religion can change somebody's views on metaphysics to the extent that he or she starts believing in Gods, providence, creation, divinity and what have you. Can't a need be separated from accepting facts?

Calzaer

Of course it's a search for facts. See, no religion has the entire Truth, but most of them have little bits of truth mixed in with things that aren't truth. By picking out Truthy-looking things from them and putting them together, eventually we might end up with The Truth.

And if not, well, statistically we'll have just as much Truth as anyone else.