basic principles – Pagan Roots

Nine Noble Virtues

The Nine Noble Virtues are ethical guidelines, based on virtues found in Ancient Norse Paganism and set out in this form by the Odinic Rite in the 1970’s. Instead of saying that I choose to follow these guidelines, a more accurate description would be that these nine virtues mirror my own personal thoughts and feelings on morality and ethics. Instead of telling you what you must and must not do, the Nine Noble Virtues show you how to be the best person you can be. There are no hazy grey areas where you’re unsure of what the right course of action is, instead by striving to always uphold these ideals in all areas of your life you’re actively working to become a better person.

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.

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 personalities which hold a mirror up to human nature as we know it, and have virtues and flaws that we can easily relate to.