Wicca: What's the hubbub?

Question

There's a girl in my Creative Writing class and each time we get a free write, she writes a shpeel about how the Moon Goddess and Sun God are her only family and how thankful she is that she found them and on and on.

At first, as you may of guessed, I was pretty annoyed. I'm an Atheist for the record, and though I'm pretty tolerant of freedom of yakking on and on about how you and you alone believe in the true god. But Wicca happens to be the one religion I know hardly anything about. And the more I heard these daily journals, the more interested I became. And since I live in a small southern town, pre-dominantly Christian, I don't have the resources to learn more about this compelling and intriguing belief system.

So please, anyone, care to enlighten?

Answer 1

I would highly recommend "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practicioner" By: Scott Cunningham.  See if your library has it.  It is the best book I know at explaining what Wicca is all about.  I'd go into it here, but the post would need chapters and I'd never get any sleep.  Feel free to IM/email me if you would like to discuss it.

Answer 2

answer: sounds like she's just found religion, literally.  It's a beautiful religion but new kids can be a little annoying.

check out: www.witchvox.com or www.wicca.timerift.net

for more info

Answer 3

You don't have the resources? Honey, it's called the internet. You are on it right now.

Answer 4

Wicca is not one religion it is many different paths and beliefs. In my case I believe the Deity is female (many faceted) who has a male consort (also many faceted). I believe in the spiritual and the connection with my Goddess, nature and myself. I am a healer, a teacher, a mother and I am a solitary practitioner in choice and circumstance. I can not teach my beliefs unless one is 18 or older, but I will answer any specific questions. I will also say that if you find any books by Scott Cunningham, he does have a way of explaining the basics in down to earth and easy to understand terms.  I have been Wiccan since 94. Hope this helped. Blessed Be!

Answer 5

So you think you'll get a better overview of an entire religion from one paragraph on Y!A by a follower than from much larger sources in print or on the Interent, most of which are also from followers?

I'm not going to exaplain my entire religion here.  Just. Ain't.  Happening.

I have no idea why you would be annoyed by her finding of faith.  She's not forcing it on you.  She's just talking about her own.  

And Wiccans do not believe they alone follow the true gods.  In fact, if all you know about her beliefs is she follows "the Moon Goddess and Sun God" and sees them as the only true deities, then you've misidentified her beliefs as Wiccan.

Answer 6

Oh my....

Ok, Wicca is a religion. There are three core tenets at the heart of the religion. They are:

1. Honor the gods. Which gods are honored and how they are honored will vary depending on the tradition and the individual Wiccan. Honoring the gods is the main focus of the religion.

2. Acknowledge the sabbats. There are 8 traditional sabbats and they are seasonal. How they are acknowledged will vary.

3. Embrace the Wiccan Rede, which states: An it harm none, do as you will.

There is much more that could be said about those 3 core tenets and much more to the religion. If you are interested in learning more about the religion I suggest the following website - http://wicca.timerift.net

It is a very good resource for accurate information about Wicca that is not based on any specific tradition. There are many, many traditions within Wicca and each has it's own emphasis and interpretation. If you wish to seek further I would suggest two books. Wicca: Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham provides a very basic but good overview and Ronald Hutton's Triumph of the Moon is an excellent resource for an accurate look at the history of Wicca.  

Answer 7

Oh dear...That sounds like a very lonely girl.

Modern Wicca was the creation of a gentleman named Gerald Gardner in England in the 1950's or so.  It claimed to harken back to the English pre-Christian religious practices.  Whether it does or does not is anyone's guess.

There are as many varieties of Wicca as there are varieties of Christianity or Islam.  Some are passed down from high priestess to initiate.  Others are invented by a coven.  Others practice Wicca as solitary practitioners.

If you go to http://www.witchvox.com, you can learn in far more detail than I can give right here.  I also recommend reading _Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner_ or any other book by Scott Cunningham.  Avoid books by Silver Ravenwolf, as she attempts to appeal to teenagers and teaches a sort of Wiccan paranoia that is not in the true spirit of Wicca.

I am sorry for being so vague!

Answer 8

Wicca works well in this New Age. As does atheism. We all use maps (religions, philosophies) to define the world. Wicca is one.  

Answer 9

Here are a few links that might give you a good basic overview of Wicca in a general sense:

http://wicca.timerift.net/wicca101/index...

http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=...

I'd also suggest if you wanted a more academic or scholarly overview, Triumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton is an excellent history.

Answer 10

Merry Meet End,

Yes I believe that she is experiencing what many others have of a peaceful happy feeling after realizing that no, they are not condemned by others in Wicca, no they are not going to "h**l", their is no "Devil" and that we are responsible for our own actions, and since their is no "sin" in Wicca we can enjoy life (however responsibly: there is the Rede of course, 'Do as you will, so long as you harm none.') Also in Wicca a persons spirituality is very personal to themselves, and no one can feel that but themselves.  I am not going to go into the Sabbats and Esbats and all, but those are important as well. I will now point you to "Wicca for Beginners" by Thea Sabin. Excellent book. Even if you don't believe in Wicca it will get you thinking. I hope some of this helps.

Always in Light and Love,

Bryan