What is a wiccan? what do wiccans believe?
357700
A simple questin, but one without a simple answer.\nWiccan's are also known as white witches. \nwicca is a peaceful nature worshipping religion. wiccan's belive in the God and Goddess and try and work in Harmony with both mankind and nature.\nThe only rule wiccan's live by is "And harm to none, do what ye will" which means as long as no one, including yourself, gets hurt in any way then you can do anything you like.\nWiccan's do not believe in the devil, nor any singular reprisentative for evil. to give evil a shape and a name is to give it power over you. wiccans belive there are negative forces out there as part of the laws of balance, for good to exist there must be evil. but they also belive that these forces can easily be repelled or perhaps ewven destroyed. because of this wiccan's also don't belive in hell, they belive that any wrong doing is paid for in the life you are already living and not the next one.\nwiccans also belive in the rule of three, better known as karma. if you do a good thing then good things will happen to you three times better, but if you do something bad then something three times worse will happen to you.\nThe God and Goddess, or Lord and Lady, are worshipped by the wiccan's, but so are also a great range of other spirits and angels. The Lord and Lady live within summerland, the afterlife where all souls go to when they pass away. in the summerland you can rest for as long as you like before returning to this universe and being reincarnated as anything you like. \nIf you were a wiccan in one life you will become a wiccan again in every human life you take.\nwiccan's also belive in Magic, a power that everyone has and wiccans train themselves how to use. by summoning up energies from the world around you and using your will in order to acheive your goals, provided those work within the wiccan's rule of not hutrting anyone. karma will work hard and swift if you try and hurt someone with a spell.\nnot all wiccan's practise magic, some merely worship nature and try and live up to the wiccan principal of "and harm to known do what thy will"\nBecause it doesn't have a solid set of rules or dogmatic scripture to follow, many don't take wicca seriously as a religion. it is true that wicca is a bit of a pick and mix religion. you follow the parts that you like and leave the bits you don't wiccan's always say that if you just follow the core rule of wicca "don't hurt anyone...etc" the it doesn't matter how deeply involved you are in the ceramonies and rituals of the religion.\nrespecting others belifs is a main thing, disrespecting others is a kind of hurting them. if a person chooses to worship Budda, or the christian God then that is their choice, everyone has free will for a reason. respect their decision and ask they they do the same for you.\nThe goddess is like a Mother, she loves you constantly, and understands that different people will love her in return in different ways. \nwiccan's don't preech or force their religion onto others, but their ways aren't secret, all you have to do is ask. \nwicca has a long a rich history and it is a facinating and complicated religion that can take a lifetime to learn about. but that also is the point of wicca, to continue to learn and grow as a person not only in one life but in all of them.\nThere are many books on the subject of wicca and i personaly read those written by a woman called Silver Ravenwolf. they are available online and at certain bookshops and alternative taste stores often referred to as Goth Shops.
140492
Wicca although based on European Pagan beliefs in a goddess and her consort it is a modern recreation based on archeology and the few texts available.\n\nIn fact Silver RavenWolf stated about Wicca, “Wicca, as you practice the religion today, is a new religion, barely fifty years old.”  \n\nSince  there is very little reliable documents from the time the religion is probably very different from the roots that it claims to recreate.  Although wicca is a legitimate and fulfilling religion  it is quite new.\n\nUnfortunately, the problem you have with Christianity, I have with most covens that i have associated with.  The members are fake and trying to be something that they are not and that everything has to be done this way or that.  This is not a problem that is just with Christianity or Wicca  most organized religion has people that are fake and hide behind their religion and try to be someone they are not.\n\nI have given Christianity an honest try for most of my life and when Christianity did not work for me.  As much as I wanted to be Christian and gave myself over to god I could not reconcile life with what I was being taught.  I had several friends that were wiccan and decided to give that a try and found out that that was definitely not for me.
423348
http://www.witchvox.com/vn/hm/usca.html\nhttp://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=california+wicca&submit=Search\n\nETA: Sorry, but Wiccans *are* Pagans. The only "Wiccans" I am aware of that claim that they are not Pagan are those who follow the teachings of the Frosts - and what they teach isn't really Wicca.\n\npa·gan   n. \n*** 1. One who is not a Christian, Muslim, or Jew, especially a worshiper of a polytheistic religion.***\n   2. One who has no religion.\n   3. A non-Christian.\n   4. A hedonist.\n***5. A Neo-Pagan.****\n[emphasis added]\nhttp://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pagan&db=* \n\nWic·ca  n.\n   1. A polytheistic ***Neo-Pagan*** nature religion inspired by various pre-Christian western European beliefs, whose central deity is a mother goddess and which includes the use of herbal magic and benign witchcraft.\n   2. A group or community of believers or followers of this religion.\n[emphasis added]\nhttp://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=wicca&db=*
356894
Wicca is a nature based religion, I love it. It makes more sense to me than other religions. It is a very open place to be.
98147
Superstition! Which is the belief that one thing affects another, even when it doesnt.\n\nSo, when a pagan/wiccan performs a spell, and the thing they hoped for happens, they think that their spell caused it to happen, and that is, by definition, superstition.
548301
Welcome to Paganism my sister...\nPlease take heed in the attitudes that you will read here within the answers to your question.\n\nYou can read all that you want to and find the same answers on Paganism, Wiccan, Cunning Folk, WitchCraft and many other terms, they all agree in one thing. Freedom to believe in the path that suits YOU. I can give you many really good sources to guide you on your journey to personal spiritual journey. Be aware of sites out there however...There are many that claim to know what their talking about and don't. \nBe also prepared to have Christian and other religious sects to not agree or worse. \nIf you want any additional info from me, give me a heads up via your "additional details".\n\nBlessed Be
1057856
go to wikipedia.com and type in Wicca.  It's a religion that some call witchcraft or paganism.
1129397
Yes there are witches and wizards,only these days they call them Wiccans.These are people who use a specific form of witchcraft, with particular ritual forms, involving the casting of spells, herbalism, divination and other forms of magic. Wiccan ethics require that magical activities are limited to good purposes only.
569195
A Pagan is anyone who is of a non-Abrahamic religion and self-identifies as a Pagan.  Wiccans and Druids are types of Pagans.  Wicca is a religion "invented" by Gerald Gardner in the late 1940's, and is a hodge-podge of British folklore, occultism, Romanticism and a few other things.  Druidry generally is an attempt at reconstructing the religious beliefs and practices of ancient Celtic peoples (although there are some groups out there which call themselves "Druidic" and are more akin to Wicca or general newage philosophy).\n\nHere are some links:\n\nWicca:\nhttp://mothersmagic.net/\nhttp://wicca.timerift.net/index.html\n\nDruidry:\nhttp://keltria.org/\nhttp://imbas.org/
392222
Wicca is becomming a widely recognized religion all over the world (recognized now in the US).  There is nothing satanic about Wicca.  Wicca is a peaceful religion that celebrates the cycle of life.  Just remember, "an it harm none, do as ye will."  That does not mean you can do whatever you want.  It means before you act, look at the consequenses first.  If you are going to harm someone in any way, yourself included, you shouldn't take that action.
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Tradtional Witchcraft is coupled with ancient Pagan ways.  The original witches worshipped the God amd Goddess as equals who created the world through their unity.  \n\nWe believe that the Gods can be found in nature and its elements.  We use those elements to attune ourselves with Nature and the the Gods.  We then beseach the Gods for their power and do our magickal works.\n\nContrary to popular belief Wicca was not started in the 1950's, it was simply publicized at that time because the laws banning witchcraft had just been repealed.
880078
Christian Witches don't exist. The beliefs of a Christian and that of a Wiccan/Witch are not compatible. It is impossible to be both. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you.
1137226
No, honey, that is not correct.  Wicca is a nature based spiritual path.  We believe that Nature has male and female energies, hence the God and Goddess.  In my path, I have rituals, and what I do, are  offerings to the Goddess.  I don't cast "spells" on people, I don't do "black magic" and I don't sacrifice children, virgins, or pets.
488385
My religion is Wicca although I was born to Christianity.  After soul searching and research I decided the Wiccan path was the right one for me.  I do not expect others to believe as I do ... there is more than one path to personal enlightenment and it is not up to anyone to say one is definitely right and all others are wrong.\n\nYes war generally is caused by beliefs be they religious or not.. most fight for what they believe in regardless of fact or fiction.\n\nI justify my religion because it is right for me.  I do not ask others to join me on my path.  I deeply respect the natural world around me and I respect the people who reside on it even when I do not agree with their opinions.  Human beings are meant to be diverse.  Yes I practice the Craft and people may have their own opinions on that also.  All I ask is that I am allowed to worship in peace.\n\nBlessed Be
277890
That's a good question. Since Wicca is a catch all term for many different beliefs.  \n\nI would state it as such:\n\nWicca is a pagan religion based on the traditional Pre-Christian European faiths. It is NOT witchcraft although many Wiccans do consider Wicca to be a form of witchcraft, however Wicca has a distinct set of beliefs, ritual system and organizational structures that distinguish it from other forms of witchcraft. \n\nThe fundamental theology is a belief is a god and a goddess although Wicca tends to be more Matriarchal in nature. Wiccans observe the festivals of the eight Sabbats (festivals) of the year and the full-moon (Caled Esbats);have a code of ethics they live by and hold dear and use spells, herbalism, and performing other magic to bring themselves closer to their goddess and god as well as to their natural being. \n\nThe Morality of Wicca is simple and has been summarized in The Wiccan Rede and can be further condensed into "In it harm none, do what ye will." The idea is that so long as no one is harmed, everything is good. Wicca revolves aroung the idea of universal goodness and love. \n\nYou can also explain that there are a number of Wiccan traditions such as Faery Wicca, Alexandrian Wicca, Seax-Wica, Celtic Wicca, Kemetic Wicca and yes, even Christian Wicca. \n\nThat should help explain it to your sister. I hope this helps.
650240
Becoming Wiccan is a life-long process requiring study, devotion and practice. The first step would be to read the Wiccan Rede (http://www.religioustolerance.org/wicrede.htm) and see if it fits in with your beliefs.\n\nThis site will help you get started.\nhttp://uk.geocities.com/angel_fire6585/become.html
1099644
My former roommate is wiccan and she was the coolest. From the few times  ever really listened to her ramble abt wiccanism, it sounded a whole lot better than christianity. Wiccans believe in protecting the environment,not judging people and enlightening people about their religion/beliefs.She always did that and unlike the christians,didn't ram her beliefs down my throat every chance I gave her. \n\nMAYBE I SHOULD TRY IT OUT. I'M LOOKING FOR A NEW CHURCH.SOME CHRISTIANS BRING SHAME TO GOD,I INCLUDED