11-08-2009, 06:41 AM
I am new to this site and have been reading through several threads related to the paranormal. After scrolling down the main page a bit I noticed the topic of Wicca on this site. I must say I was a bit amused, confused, and a little shocked to see that it was even a topic of discussion at all on talkparanormal. Wicca as paranormal? Hmmm...O...K...I'll read a bit.
I read a hot topic thread and after doing so, began to write a response, and here I am....it turned into 4.5 hand written pages...a blog. Perhaps it really is Divine intervention that I am writing this, but probably not the outcome that was perceived.
I have been an Ecclectic Wiccan for 8 years now. I was raised in the Christian church and adhered to those beliefs the best I could well into my late 20's. I was the 10 year old girl jumping out of the pew and running out of the church screaming, "They're brainwashing us! They're brainwashing us!" I have no idea what compelled me to do such a thing (some of you may be thinking...."Satan?") But as it turns out that particular church (and my school at the time!) really was brainwashing us and needless to say, that church is no longer operating. Please note: not bashing christians here-just that one particular church-they had some very wonderful people there as well.
Anyway-back to the subject...
1. Wicca is a pagan, earth-based religion. We worship the God(s) and Goddess(es), and revere and respect nature (we don't worship nature, just the Dieties who created all.) Some traditions of Wicca are monothiestic and do only worship one God or one Goddess.
2. A true Wiccan does not, and I repeat does NOT practice black magic. This would only cause harm not only to the subject, but to the practitioner as well. Our creed is Harm NONE. This is akin to having possibly millions of "commandments" all rolled into one and is taken very seriously in The Craft.
3. All Wiccans are Pagans, but not all Pagans are Wiccan. As in: All Lutherans are Christians, but not all Christians are Lutheran.
4. Generally speaking, we believe in religious tollerance for all. I personally struggled with this one for a while after I discovered I was really Wiccan because my Christian upbringing taught me that all pagans were evil, worshipped satan, sacrificed babies, etc. LIES! If you are Christian and your church is teaching you this, I implore you to leave now and find a BETTER church! When I started studying, I realized how much my churches got it sooooo wrong and were wayyyy off-base.
5. There is no "satan" and no "hell" in The Craft. There is evil in this world, though, and it is man-made. We were given free will and born to be free-thinkers. Unfortunately, there are those who get on power trips or hide behind their religion and destroy everything around them, including themselves. As far as a place called hell is concerned, I cannot imagine that an all-loving, all-knowing god who is supposed to love you more than even your own mother would condemn you to an eternity of pain and torture, no matter what you did in your physical life. Say I went out and killed people in cold blood (which I would NEVER do!) Guess what? My mom would still love me. She would want me to be punished and serve time and may not like me much anymore, but not for the eternity of my soul. A good mother or father would never want that for their child or be the one to make them serve the time. When it comes to that kind of punishment, most of our parents would be far more leaniant than the judge or jury. So, if God loves me more than my own mother, why in the world would he (and/or she) condemn me for all eternity to burn in a lake of fire? Makes no sense to me.
6. We do not push our beliefs on others. If you know someone who claims to be Wiccan and tries to force you to believe as they do, RUN! This person is not a true Wiccan. We believe each individual has a right to take the path that is right for him or her. So, yes, we do get a bit offended when someone tries to shove their beliefs onto us. I'm not talking about simple knowledge or question and answer sessions, but those who try to make us believe exactly as they do. If there was only one right religion, there would only BE one religion. Once again, we believe in tollerance. To demonstrate: Take a piece of paper, write the word "God" on it, and then rip it into several small pieces. Hand each piece of paper to a different person and keep one for yourself. Once you all compare your pieces, you will see that each persons piece is the same color, thickness, and consistency as well as each person is carrying "God" with them. The differences are shape and size. They are all part of "God" though, and that is the one thing that can be put right again as long as every person glues all the pices back together and places it for all to share equally.
7.We respect other's convictions, but don't necessarily agree with them, in their faith (if it is one of love.) Please keep in mind though that we feel just as strongly about our own convictions and faith. What is right for you is right for you. What is right for us is right for us. Live and let live.
8. Energy healing. Many Wiccans, as well as other religions, practice or know someoene and are very successful at energy healing. This is really VERY similiar to "laying on of hands" and the intention behind it is exactly the same-to help another (through Divine forces) heal-whether mentally, physically, emotionally, or spiritually.
9. Many Easter and Christmas traditions practiced today by Christians actually have come from ancient pagan traditions.
Ok, there will have to be a part 2 to this because there is just so much more! Maybe even more parts than that! LOL Next time I will talk about The Law of Three, Sabbats, Esbats, Spells, Rituals, and other things I may think of. Please keep in mind that my personal beliefs and experiences are not the same as all Wiccans and I encourage you to seek out others who share the same basic Wiccan beliefs so you may have just that much more knowledge if you so choose!
I read a hot topic thread and after doing so, began to write a response, and here I am....it turned into 4.5 hand written pages...a blog. Perhaps it really is Divine intervention that I am writing this, but probably not the outcome that was perceived.
I have been an Ecclectic Wiccan for 8 years now. I was raised in the Christian church and adhered to those beliefs the best I could well into my late 20's. I was the 10 year old girl jumping out of the pew and running out of the church screaming, "They're brainwashing us! They're brainwashing us!" I have no idea what compelled me to do such a thing (some of you may be thinking...."Satan?") But as it turns out that particular church (and my school at the time!) really was brainwashing us and needless to say, that church is no longer operating. Please note: not bashing christians here-just that one particular church-they had some very wonderful people there as well.
Anyway-back to the subject...
1. Wicca is a pagan, earth-based religion. We worship the God(s) and Goddess(es), and revere and respect nature (we don't worship nature, just the Dieties who created all.) Some traditions of Wicca are monothiestic and do only worship one God or one Goddess.
2. A true Wiccan does not, and I repeat does NOT practice black magic. This would only cause harm not only to the subject, but to the practitioner as well. Our creed is Harm NONE. This is akin to having possibly millions of "commandments" all rolled into one and is taken very seriously in The Craft.
3. All Wiccans are Pagans, but not all Pagans are Wiccan. As in: All Lutherans are Christians, but not all Christians are Lutheran.
4. Generally speaking, we believe in religious tollerance for all. I personally struggled with this one for a while after I discovered I was really Wiccan because my Christian upbringing taught me that all pagans were evil, worshipped satan, sacrificed babies, etc. LIES! If you are Christian and your church is teaching you this, I implore you to leave now and find a BETTER church! When I started studying, I realized how much my churches got it sooooo wrong and were wayyyy off-base.
5. There is no "satan" and no "hell" in The Craft. There is evil in this world, though, and it is man-made. We were given free will and born to be free-thinkers. Unfortunately, there are those who get on power trips or hide behind their religion and destroy everything around them, including themselves. As far as a place called hell is concerned, I cannot imagine that an all-loving, all-knowing god who is supposed to love you more than even your own mother would condemn you to an eternity of pain and torture, no matter what you did in your physical life. Say I went out and killed people in cold blood (which I would NEVER do!) Guess what? My mom would still love me. She would want me to be punished and serve time and may not like me much anymore, but not for the eternity of my soul. A good mother or father would never want that for their child or be the one to make them serve the time. When it comes to that kind of punishment, most of our parents would be far more leaniant than the judge or jury. So, if God loves me more than my own mother, why in the world would he (and/or she) condemn me for all eternity to burn in a lake of fire? Makes no sense to me.
6. We do not push our beliefs on others. If you know someone who claims to be Wiccan and tries to force you to believe as they do, RUN! This person is not a true Wiccan. We believe each individual has a right to take the path that is right for him or her. So, yes, we do get a bit offended when someone tries to shove their beliefs onto us. I'm not talking about simple knowledge or question and answer sessions, but those who try to make us believe exactly as they do. If there was only one right religion, there would only BE one religion. Once again, we believe in tollerance. To demonstrate: Take a piece of paper, write the word "God" on it, and then rip it into several small pieces. Hand each piece of paper to a different person and keep one for yourself. Once you all compare your pieces, you will see that each persons piece is the same color, thickness, and consistency as well as each person is carrying "God" with them. The differences are shape and size. They are all part of "God" though, and that is the one thing that can be put right again as long as every person glues all the pices back together and places it for all to share equally.
7.We respect other's convictions, but don't necessarily agree with them, in their faith (if it is one of love.) Please keep in mind though that we feel just as strongly about our own convictions and faith. What is right for you is right for you. What is right for us is right for us. Live and let live.
8. Energy healing. Many Wiccans, as well as other religions, practice or know someoene and are very successful at energy healing. This is really VERY similiar to "laying on of hands" and the intention behind it is exactly the same-to help another (through Divine forces) heal-whether mentally, physically, emotionally, or spiritually.
9. Many Easter and Christmas traditions practiced today by Christians actually have come from ancient pagan traditions.
Ok, there will have to be a part 2 to this because there is just so much more! Maybe even more parts than that! LOL Next time I will talk about The Law of Three, Sabbats, Esbats, Spells, Rituals, and other things I may think of. Please keep in mind that my personal beliefs and experiences are not the same as all Wiccans and I encourage you to seek out others who share the same basic Wiccan beliefs so you may have just that much more knowledge if you so choose!