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BasicsIf you are new to Paganism, or Wicca in particular, I recommend starting with the articles in this section. These will explain some of the most fundamental ideas in Wicca, and will give you a good knowledge to move onto the other sections. Altar
Your altar does not have to be paticularly big, or highly decorative.
These are the basic things you will need to create your own altar;A table, positioned traditionally in the north. The ideal size is held at waist high, and an arm's length wide, but a smaller one won't make a difference; it's just easier to fit all you might want to on a bigger table. An altar cloth, which can be just a plain cloth all year round, or different colors, matched to the season or sabbat. You should choose a cloth made from natural fibres, if at all possible. PVC has a time and a place, and this is neither. ... Tags: basics Becoming A Wiccan
Becoming a Wiccan is, in one sense, very easy; if you've read or heard
anything about it and decide that it fits the way you feel and describes
your beliefs then there is no further test or qualification you need
to have to describe yourself as a Wiccan. That having been said, it's
foolish to claim to follow a religion that you know hardly anything
about - if nothing else you may find, on further investigation, that
Wicca is not the right religion for you.The question now becomes, how do you find out whether Wicca is the right religion for you? The first thing I would recommend is to ... Tags: basics Book of Shadows
These are a few ideas for beginning your Book of Shadows. It is by no
means a comprehensive list, and there's no reason for you to include
everything here if you don't want to.* Deity: Information on Gods and Goddesses in general; what each deity represents, as well as more detailed information on the God(s) and Goddess(es) that you feel a particular closeness with. * The Sabbats: Information on when the eight Sabbats are, and what things are associated with them, as well as the story they tell about the cycles of nature. You may wish to include rituals ... Tags: basics Pentacle
The word pentacle, meaning the five pointed star in a circle, is derived
from 'penta' meaning five, and the ending of the word 'circle'. The
five pointed star without the surrounding circle is called a pentagram.
This symbol is used by many Pagans today as a symbol of their faith.
It is unclear exactly where it originated, however it has been used
by many groups including Pythagoreans who used it as a secret symbol
to identify themselves, and by early Christians who wore it for protection
and as a reminder of Christ's wounds suffered on the cross.Pagans see the pentacle as representing their faith, and as a symbol of protec... Tags: basics The Burning Times
The 'Burning Times' is a period of history when around 60,000 people
were tried and convicted as witches. The majority of these trials took
place between 1550 and 1650 CE, however most of the victims of the witch-hysteria
were not actually Pagan, and they most certainly were not Wiccan as
this is a much newer form of Paganism. In reality, most of them were
Christians who had the misfortune to be in the wrong situation, at the
wrong time.In an attempt to answer the question of why these people died, I'll give you a brief look at the factors that combined to open the way for witch burnings to occur. These f... Tags: basics The Threefold Law
The Threefold Law is attributed to Gerald Gardner, and the basic idea
behind it is that any energy you send out will return to you three times
as strong. It is first suggested in High Magic's Aid;"Thou hast obeyed the Law. But mark well, when thou
receivest good, so equally art bound to return good threefold."
This idea is also present, in a more elaborate form, in the Wiccan Rede; "Mind the threefold law ye should, three times
bad and three times good."
This is generally accepted as meaning that if you send out positive ... Tags: basics The Wiccan Rede
The term Rede, or Wiccan
Rede, refers, apparently interchangably, to either the long poem
I have provided a link to or, more accurately I believe, to the eight-word
form below;"An it harm none, do what ye
will."
If you've read any modern books on Wicca, or searched the internet for it, you'll probably have found both versions repeated quite often. The Rede is the cardinal rule in Wicca, but half the websites present its text without exploring its origin or meaning. The idea behind the text can be t... Tags: basics Tools of the Craft
Altar: An altar is an area set aside, normally a table, where
sacred items are placed. There are many altar
layouts that can be used, though most have something to represent
the God and Goddess, as well as earth, air, fire and water. Altars are
used during ritual or spell crafting as the focal point. They can be
placed in one of the four corners (north, south, east, west) or in the
middle of the circle and are used as a 'workbench' by the witch.Amulet: A magical object, charged to protect against specific negative energies or thought forms. Compare with Talisman... Tags: basics Traditions
Alexandrian: This was begun in the 1960's by Alex Sanders and
his wife. He originally claimed to have been initiated by his grandmother
at the age of seven, however he later admitted this was untrue and he
had, in fact, been initiated into a Gardnerian coven. A great deal of
the Alexandrian beliefs stem from Gardner's teachings, though there
are a few fundamental theological differences. The Alexandrian traditions
focuses on Quabalah, Enochian and angelic magick.British Traditional: This refers to Pagans who have, via initiatory lineage, maintained a set of beliefs and practices, the best known of which is Ga... Tags: basics What Is Wicca?
Wicca is a positive, polytheistic, nature religion.Wicca is positive; it is a religion that has nothing to do with evil, hell or the devil. Wiccans do not worship Satan. Wiccans do not sacrifice goats, children, or anything else you may have heard mentioned. Wicca is all about balance - God and Goddess, light and dark, good and bad. You cannot have one without the other, and so you cannot have an all-evil entity, like the devil. You cannot have an all-good entity either, like the Christian idea of God. Wiccan Gods can be identified with as they are not infallible. They have ... Tags: basics Words and Phrases
Adept: A person who is highly talented at a particular type of
magic, for example kitchen magic, ceremonial magic, Egyptian magic etc.Akasha: The fifth element, represented on a pentagram by the topmost point. Spirit, and spiritual power, this is the energy which forms the other four elements. Akasha can be thought of as that which everything else is part of - the Lord and Lady, spiritual energy, physical objects, human souls - everything is connected through Akasha. Akashic Records: It is thought that everything that people have learned throughout existence ... Tags: basics |
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