In Wicca who is raymond Buckland?
610962
Known as "The Father of American Wicca," Ray Buckland was responsible for introducing Wicca to the United States. He was the author of the first American book on the Old Religion written by a witch - WITCHCRAFT FROM THE INSIDE - and has since written nearly forty others, including the classic BUCKLAND'S COMPLETE BOOK OF WITCHCRAFT.
1828
I became a Wiccan about two years ago after researching it for over a year.  I was an Ecclectic Solitaire, but have recently joined the Daegan Tradition.
292311
I know you're asking about Wicca, but ADF has a couple of mottoes that apply here: \n\n"Why not excellence?"\n\nWhen you're in such a hurry to ask a question that you can't take the time to place it in the proper category, then you aren't focused on excellence.  You shouldn't be concerned about learning Wicca in "the fastest way", rather you should be concerned with learning it in the most excellent way.\n\n"As fast as a speeding oak tree"\n\nIt takes decades for the tiny acorn to grow into the mightiest and kingliest of trees.  You can't rush excellence; attempting to do so will warp, mutate, or even kill the nascent potential.\n\nSo you, my little acorn friend, should be patient.  The arts magickal are not a race.  \n\nHere are some recommendations to get you started:\n\nBooks:\n"Triumph of the Moon" by Ronald Hutton\n"Drawing Down the Moon" by Margot Adler\n"A Witches' Bible Compleat" by Janet and Stewart Farrar\n"Witchcraft for Tomorrow" by Doreen Valiente\n"Spiral Dance" by Starhawk\n\nWebsites:\nhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/amberandjet/\nhttp://www.witchvox.com/_x.html?c=basics\nhttp://www.witchvox.com/_x.html?c=trads\nhttp://wicca.timerift.net/index.html\nhttp://mothersmagic.net/\nhttp://sacred-texts.com/\n\nAnd please, for the love of Mike, stay the Hel away from Buckland, Ravenwolf, and McCoy will you?  More experienced practioners see them as laughing stocks.
168543
The present form of popular witchcraft, renamed wicca, follows a tradition of wisdom that is as old as Druidism, if not more. Without going into great detail, modern. Witchcraft was re-popularised by the late British civil servant Gerald Gardner in books he published in the 1940's. \n\n     Those who practice it say that witchcraft is the worship of a comprehensive Earth Goddess, whose religion began in the late stone age, refined during classical civilizations such as Egypt, Sumer, and Babylon, (and presumably also by European civilizations like the Greeks and Proto-Celts) \n\n    Wicca has been wrongly branded as Satanism by zealous  medieval Christians, They used lies to create fear inciting others to  violently hunt us to near-extinction. This  prejudice continues to this day. From what I know of mainstream Christianity their basic strategy is "kill what you cannot convert" (or get others to do it for them) Christianity is completely unaccepting of ANYthing that doesn't follow the bible. It is a mob mentality. \n\n   What was originally called "witch craft" has been renamed wicca. You get a totally different response to "I'm wiccan" than you would " I practice witch craft. But you are right There is NO Satan or satanic rituals in wicca  or the craft. If you want to learn more you can go to WitchVox.com The site is built around traditional craft practices and there are many types of witches. I myself am a solitary practitioner. AS was my mother and her mother and so on clear back to Medieval Scotland. Maybe farther, but that's all we know genealogically.\n    \n     People tend to shy away from and are frightened by anything "different" They make up lies to account for their ignorance and stupidity. This fear and behavior, I believe stems from Christianity..Historically they have been one bloody hoard from the beginning. Christianity has been responsible for more bloodshed than ALL the wars in recorded history. True fact. So with a threat of a certain grizzly and ghastly death to even question Christianity (piked, burned alive, boiled in oil exc..) Who wouldn't be terrified and go along with this madness? I find it odd that so many still follow this arrogant and ignorant belief system.
471558
Wicca, as most other religions, recognizes the existence of a 'First Cause',\nGOD or that from which all comes. Wiccans feel that this First Cause is so\nlarge and all encompassing that it is difficult for mankind to communicate with\nit. We can of communicate with that 'First Cause' through what is commonly\nknown as the 'Gods and Goddesses.' These Goddesses and Gods manifest to us\nthrough their works, such as the cycle of the seasons, the miracle of birth,\nthe joy of the first iris of Spring and the message of joy and hope from the\nrainbow, and through their Presence.\n\nPriests and Priestesses of our religion can be seen dancing in Neolithic cave\npaintings and our sacred objects rest in every major museum of the world. Wicca\nis a Living religion, as it has been since the first primitive hunting tribes\nsought to establish and affirm their relationship with the cycles of their\nMother the Earth, Her fertility, and that of the animals they depended on for\nlife and sustenance. We are a religion of life and vitality, and we hold all\nlife in respect and reverence. We do not own the Earth; we live on it by the\nlove and grace of Our Mother. We do not own the plants, animals or stones;\nthey are, as we are, the children of the Great Mother. They are our brothers\nand sisters on whom we are all dependent for life, shelter, and sustenance; and\nthey deserve our love and respect in return. Above all else, we choose to live\nin harmony and balance.\n\nWe do not claim an actual dogmatic descent as far back as Neolithic times.\nWiccans retain the spirit of the ancient ways of reverence, in a way similar\nthough not related to some Native American traditions and ideals. Although many\nWiccans do not claim dogmatic descent of the original, native European\ntraditions; many anthropologists, among them the noted Margaret Murray,\nconsider us a survival of that same original European religion, albeit\nup-rooted and driven underground by the spread of an intolerant, monotheistic\ncreed.
1020555
No I don't believe in hell.  Wicca does not believe in heaven or hell the same way christianity does; for us hell does not exist period.
323440
I am Wiccan so I most certainly do believe in it.  Try these sites for a start.  There is also a couple books that are good.  \nGerald B. Gardner's Witchcraft Today\nCassandra Eason A Practical Guide to Witchcraft\nBucklands Complete Book of Witchcraft\n\nhttp://wyndhorselair.tripod.com/bookoflaw.html\nhttp://www.collegewicca.com/\nhttp://www.empathys.co.uk/main.html\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardnerian_Wicca\nhttp://www.glasstemple.com/\nhttp://www.tylwythteg.com/glossary.html\nhttp://www.witchipedia.org/index.php?title=Main_Page\nhttp://www.modernwiccan.com/\nhttp://www.betwixt.org/\nhttp://www.pagan-heart.co.uk/home.html\nhttp://www.sacred-magick.com\n/http://bluemoonwicca.org/solitary.html\nhttp://www.geocities.com/k_garber/contents.html?20055\nhttp://www.witchway.net/\nhttp://earthspirits.org/\nhttp://www.wiccan-refuge.com/index.html\nhttp://www.shadowdrake.com/witchcraft/index.html\nhttp://www.jackowitch.com/\nhttp://www.crystalinks.com/wicca.html\nhttp://www.unc.edu/~reddeer/\nhttp://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.htm\nhttp://www.angelfire.com/on/wicca/MainPage.html\nhttp://www.paganlibrary.com/\nhttp://www.paganlore.com/learning.html\nhttp://www.angelfire.com/goth/wiccanway/\nhttp://wiccanet.us/\nhttp://www.witchology.com/\nhttp://www.celticcrow.com/\nhttp://www.witchvox.com/\nhttp://www.witchs-brew.org/masterindex.
1008446
I am Wiccan but I live in Texas.  Blessed be.
1125426
He was a specific person. He is mentioned in the 8th chapter of the book of Acts. After the Apostle, Peter, told him, in the vernacular, "to hell with you and your money" Simon the sorcerer went to Rome and said that he was the Apostle Peter. He was the true originator of what became the catholic, or "universal" church. There are accounts in history of feats of magic that he performed to convince the Romans of his authenticity. He had a woman accomplice. She used to be a prostitute. Your interest in magic is going to harm you. You can pursue further information about this man but you won't find any magic spells or potions he used. Magic is real. Even in the story of the exodus of Israel Pharaoh's magicians turned staffs into snakes. But I'm warning you. You will be hurt! And in a way you can't recover from.
1026187
I converted to wicca 7 years ago....I think the reason I like it is because all those little things christian's deam as a figment of my imagination are real to wiccan's. I can find truth in alot of things I could not explain before...it just felt like home to me.
1157847
Superstition and mysteries.
294526
Dianic Wicca got its start with Morgan McFarland in the 1970s in Texas.  This is sometimes called "Old Dianic" or "McFarland Dianic." McFarland Dianic adheres to core Wiccan practices and simply places a greater emphasis on Women's Mysteries and Goddess.  McFarland Dianic covens are usually of mixed gender.\n\nFeminist Dianic Witchcraft, on the other hand, isn't quite Wicca.  At least, it would only qualify as Wicca under the most liberal of definitions.  And Many Feminist Dianics do not identify as Wiccan, but rather simply as "Dianics".  Feminist Dianic - also sometimes called New Dianic - developed slightly later than McFarland Dianic and is largely based upon the teachings of Z. Budapest.  Its worship is nearly exclusively Goddess-oriented, and when the God is present at all He is sometimes viewed as a lesser aspect of the Goddess.  Feminist Dianic tends to attract a lot of lesbian and bisexual women, a lot of feminists (hence the name) - some of whom are militant or separatist.  Many - and perhaps even most - Feminist Dianic covens consist  solely of women, sometimes by accident and sometimes by design.\n\nBoth of these Dianic Traditions are sometimes confused with the Amazonian and Gaean Traditions.  Both the Amazonian and Gaean Traditions are like Feminist Dianic in that they are non-Wiccan Neo-Pagan Traditions.  They are unlike either form of Dianic in that they are exclusive Goddess worship.  \n\nThe Amazonian Tradition specifically worships Artemis in a henotheistic fashion.  Which is to say, they worship Artemis as though She were the only Goddess in existence, but their thealogy isn't dependant upon such an assertion.  Amazonians seem to have something of a reconstructionist sensibility in their approach, and they do not necessarily identify as witches. Amazonian groups are much like Feminist Dianic ones in that they attract non-heterosexual women, are sometimes militant or separatist, and are often women-only.\n\nThe Gaean Tradition devotes itself to worship of Mother Earth, and takes its name from the Greek Goddess of the Earth.  Gaeans are pantheists, and believe that the Divine Feminine pervades all of physical reality.  They are especially keen on environmental activism.  Gaean congregations are usually mixed gender, and do not necessarily identify as witches.\n\nAnd last - but certainly not least - are the Gallatae also called Cybellines.  Like the Gaeans and Amzonians, these feminist Neo-Pagans do not necessarily identify as witches.  Also like the Amazonians, they henotheistically worship a single Goddess - in this case, Cybele (also spelled Kybele), the original Great Mother Goddess of Mesopotamia who was later imported to Greece and Rome.  Again, like the Amazonians, they tend to have a reconstructionist sensibility in their approach.\n\nThe links below should hopefully help get you started in your research.  However, there aren't terribly many books written on this very specific subject, and so in order to research it your best bet is just to throw yourself out there into the community in some way.  Chatrooms, message boards, rituals, etc.
477615
Where are you from....she would really love it (funds permitting) if you took her to Wiltshire in the UK to see the Magickal villiage of Avebury and to see Stonehenge during the summer solstice. I went to Stonehenge on the last Summer Solstice and there were thousands of Wiccans there
527356
The Wiccan religion in an initiatory mystery religion founded by Gerald B. Gardner in the early 1950's.  It incorporates elements of Masonic Ritual, Brythonic folklore.  It is a religion that follows and Wheel of the year gathering together for 8 sabbats, as well as working during the lunar cycles (esbats)  There are 4 levels of initiations in traditional Gardnarian Wicca 1-3rd degree then the sublime or elder level. it is said it takes a witch to make a witch however, Since the mid 1970's there has been a movement of ecclectic DIY wiccans, who have had no formal training beyond what they could glean from books.  There are many groups out there that offer training, also many books & websites where you can get more basic information on the subject. some are \nhttp://beaufort.bravepages.com/\nhttp://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/gbos/index.htm\nhttp://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/index.htm\nhttp://www.thecrookedheath.com/wiccanf.htm
61358
Some Wiccans do not believe in the Judeo-Christian concept of a duality of good and evil. These Wiccans do not see that there is a war in the universe between a good god and a bad devil. This is something that the Bible teaches and Wicca's beliefs come from way before the Bible was ever written. Wiccans do believe in consequences however. And they believe that whatever you do is returned back to you three times as much! So if you hurt people, you are really hurting yourself; and if you are kind to people, you are really being kind to yourself. If a Wiccan ever did a "spell" to control another person, the Wiccan would face the consequence of having themselves be controlled three times as strong!
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/
1057856
go to wikipedia.com and type in Wicca.  It's a religion that some call witchcraft or paganism.