History UsefulNotes / Wicca

** This is actually quite often a case of DidNotDoTheResearch; because the people who tend to demonize are the ones who are fundie Christians, they tend to think they should refuse to question 'The Bible', even if what they're not questioning is a potential translation error\out of context. It gets amusing when fundie Christians try to ''refute'' Wicca--one video cited a 'Wiccan' who ''worshipped at her favorite tree''. Sorry, guys. That's Druids.

* SpiritedYoungLady: There are many variations to the Maiden aspect of the Triple Goddess, ranging from [[TheIngenue sweet and innocent flower]] to [[TheLadette independent and powerful lioness.]]

* SpiritedYoungLady: There are many variations to the Maiden aspect of the Triple Goddess, ranging from [[TheIngenue sweet and innocent flower]] to [[LadyOfAdventure fearless and independent adventurer.]]

* SpiritedYoungLady: There are many variations to the Maiden aspect of the Triple Goddess, ranging from [[YamatoNadeshiko sweet and innocent flower]] to [[LadyOfAdventure fearless and independent adventurer.]]

* NeverMessWithGranny: [[DarkIsNotEvil The Dark Goddess]], who represents death, occult knowledge, and other frightening parts of nature, is the fourth aspect of the Triple Goddess and is associated with the Dark Moon. To keep with the Triple Goddess them however, some associate these things with the Crone.

* NeverMessWithGranny: [[DarkIsNotEvil The Dark Goddess]], who represents among death, occult knowledge, and other frightening parts of nature, is the fourth aspect of the Triple Goddess and is associated with the Dark Moon. To keep with the Triple Goddess them however, some associate these things with the Crone.

* BrandNameTakeover: Some people mistakenly refer to ''any'' neo-pagan or witch as a wiccan, or use the word "Wicca" to refer to any generic brand of neo-paganism. Actually, many religions practice witchcraft, including voodoun. It gets ''especially'' frustrating when it's a person insisting on calling their personal brand of neo-paganism "Wicca" when, at best, their path bears only a superficial resemblance to Wicca.

[[caption-width-right:250:Maiden, Mother and Crone. All revered and desired life stages for women. A male's are Youth, Warrior and Sage.]]

->''"An' it harm none, do what ye will."'''
--> '''The crucial point in any Wiccan's belief and the Rede.'''

Wicca is a fertility-based religion founded in the 1950's by Gerald Gardner, supposedly based as much as possible on pre-Christian British traditions and ceremonial magic societies/orders. Exactly what defines a Wiccan depends on who you ask, but at least one rule is consistent: "Wiccan" is ''not'' a fancy word for "witch," and "Wicca" is not a catch-all term for any neo-pagan religion. Neither is it term for someone who practices "whatever feels right," even if they take some of their practices and beliefs from Wicca. (That's called eclectic paganism - not that there's anything wrong with it; it's just not Wicca.) Note that the number of people who term themselves Wiccan but do not meet this definition (often because they do not belong to an initiatory tradition or do not follow all these beliefs) is much greater than those who do.

* GuideDangIt: Wicca's core practices are kept secret from non-initiates, which makes it difficult to actually practice Wicca without being initiated. Although in actuality, most Gardnerian-based practices have been available to non-initiates via the Internet and various books that have published the rituals in complete. The real issue is whether or not a person can learn the core practices purely through books and experimentation versus through training by an initiated Wiccan. But, given that the religion was constructed in the 1950s and has had constant and frequent innovations since the 1950s, the matter of what is a core practice, what isn't, and what any particular initiate may or may not know, practice, or believe is quite a can of worms.

* GuideDangIt: Wicca's core practices are kept secret from non-initiates, which makes it just a [[{{Understatement}} wee bit difficult]] to actually practice Wicca without being initiated. Although in actuality, most Gardnerian-based practices have been available to non-initiates via the Internet and various books that have published the rituals in complete. The real issue is whether or not a person can learn the core practices purely through books and experimentation versus through training by an initiated Wiccan. But, given that the religion was constructed in the 1950s and has had constant and frequent innovations since the 1950s, the matter of what is a core practice, what isn't, and what any particular initiate may or may not know, practice, or believe is quite a can of worms.

*** Any teenager who calls themselves Wiccan, period. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with teenagers who are interested in the Wiccan faith. Even with consent, there are many reasons against initiating a minor including ethical and legal ones. Teenagers interested in Wicca are instead advised to learn as much about Wicca as they can while keeping themselves open to other religions that call out to them. When they come of age and are still interested in Wicca, they should look for a coven in their area to be accepted for formal teaching.
*** Unless they're you know, solitary. See BrokenBase above.
*** So teenagers who have been raised in a Wiccan family, and who have been provided with information and experience concerning the religion from their parents, aren't real Wiccans? Thanks.

* MagicWand: Used as a ritual tool, not as a fireball-shooter. ;)

Wicca, as founded by Gardner (often known British Traditional Wicca), is an orthopraxic mystery religion. Orthopraxic means that correct practice is more important than correct belief (orthodoxy). Its core practices are oath-bound and are not taught to cowans, or outsiders. This means that you can't actually practice Wicca as you'll have no way of actually knowing what a good chunk of the vital practices and rituals actually are. Also, because some of the rituals are sexual in nature (although a far cry from orgies), no-one under the age of 18 is allowed to be initiated for legal and moral reasons.

While there are many books ''about'' Wicca, there are no books that actually contain these core practices or Mysteries; at best, the books contain "outer court" information comprising of some history and generic neo-pagan beliefs and practices(YourMileageMayVary on this claim, however, since the original "Gardnerian" Book of Shadows has been printed multiple times, including what were (formerly) the secret names of the Goddess and God. Most Gardnerian and Alexandrian covens have since augmented the original material with additional, actually still secret stuff).

Exactly who has the right to call themselves a Wiccan has been debated. [[http://livingpagan.blogspot.com/2009/08/keep-wicca-traditional-keep-wicca-coven.html Some argue]] that Wicca without the Mysteries isn't truly Wicca, the same as Catholicism without baptism and communion wouldn't be Catholicism. This isn't to say that the path isn't valid and that the person doesn't have the right to practice and believe what they feel is right, but simply that calling their practice and beliefs "Wicca" would be superficial and meaningless. Others argue that the term can be applied to any path derived from Gardnerian Wicca, Mysteries or no.

Wicca became "mainstream" to an extent during TheNineties. The writings of Silver Ravenwolf[[hottip:*:[[DidNotDoTheResearch Reading her books isn't a great idea.]]]] became popular, movies such as ''TheCraft'' were released during this period, and TV shows such as ''{{Charmed}}'' and ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' featured Wiccan characters. Such portrayals were almost always inaccurate, sometimes confusing Wicca with either Satanism, Neo-Paganism, or straight-up wizardry.

Wicca became "mainstream" to an extent during TheNineties. The writings of Silver Ravenwolf[[hottip:*:[[DidNotDoTheResearch Reading her books isn't a great idea.]]]] became popular, movies such as ''TheCraft'' were released during this period, and TV shows such as ''{{Charmed}}'' and ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' featured Wiccan characters. Such portrayals were almost always inaccurate, sometimes confusing Wicca with either Satanism or Neo-Paganism.

Male Wiccans who practice magic are simply called witches. The term "warlock" is said to refer to those who break the sacred oaths taken during initiation and divulge the Mysteries to non-Wiccans, though the etymology of the term 'warlock' leads in a different direction.

* CrossoverCosmology: You will meet Wiccan devotees of gods and goddesses across several different pantheons. This is very confusing to non-Wiccans. The broadest answer to this is that a Wiccan invokes their gods in a Wiccan context (i.e. rituals, prayers, spells, etc.) and ascribe to the Wiccan worldview. However, it is respectful to the deity in question to not invoke said deity without developing a good understanding of who they are and what role they play in the original myths. In other words, do not invoke Aphrodite if the only thing you know about her is that she's a "love goddess".