Wicca/Witchcraft
Firstly, I'd like to make one thing very clear:
WITCHES, WICCANS AND PAGANS DO NOT EVER IN ANY WAY WORSHIP THE DEVIL!!!
As witches, we do not believe that there is such a thing as 'absolute evil'. In Nature, there is a perfect balance between positive and negetive energies, for if there were no negetive things, then positive things would just be average. (Please note here that I said in NATURE. Things like war and murder are not included as they are not a part of nature, but a result of human influence. Therefore they are not natural, and sometimes overthrow the balence NATURE).
We also believe that to give something a name is to give it power; thus, to believe in a being such as 'Satan' or 'The Devil' gives those 'beings' power. These 'beings' are derived mainly from Christian beliefs (or so I've read...) and have been directed towards Wicca because of the regular misconceptions about our religion. Because Wicca/Witchcraft is so spiritual, mystical, and to some people mysterious and scary, people have been led to belive that it is evil, and therefore evil things must be associated with it. Of course none of this is true.
Wicca/Witchraft is a branch of Paganism. If this seems confusing, look at this example:
Within Christianity there are many 'branches' which people follow. Some Christians are Catholics, some are Angilicans, etc. These forms of Chrisitianity follow basically the same principles, except that they may have a different way of doing things, or some beliefs may be slightly different.
With Wicca, the situation is quite similar:
Within Paganism, you may find Wiccans, Shamans, etc. For more information about the different branches or 'paths' click here.
Wicca is a Goddess centred religion. Although we believe strongly in balance (i.e. everything has it's other half), and although we still believe in the Goddess's or Lady's consort, the Horned God/the Lord, we are mainly Goddess oriented.
Within Wicca, you may come across the 'Triple Goddess'. This is a combination of the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone.
The Maiden symbolises youth, the excitement of the chase, and the newness of life and magick. Her colours are soft and light, such as white, soft pink, light yellow, light blue, etc.
The Mother symbolises nurturing, caring, fertility, justice, protection, etc. She is a woman in the prime of life and at the peak of her power. Her colours are warmer than the Maiden's, such as green, copper, red, purple or royal blue.
The Crone is shrewd and counsels well. She cares for the Maiden and the Mother as well as their offspring. She stands for logic and wisdom, and can be terrible in her vengance. She is at the door to the dimension of death. Her colours are dark, such as black, grey, purple, brown or midnight blue.
If these 3 each had an age, the Maiden would be between puberty and her 20s, the Mother would be maybe in her 30s-50s, and the Crone would be about 60+. If you're confused at this point, don't worry. Some of these concepts may be confusing or tricky to grasp at first, but you'll soon understand it all. Think of it as a girl (Maiden), her mum (Mother) and her grandma, or mum's mum (Crone).
Witchcraft is definately an enjoyable practice. There is no fear, hatred or cowering to Divinity. Each of us has the right to m\enjoy all that the Universe has to offer. Therefore, this website will hopefully help you to experience Witchcraft/Wicca in it's natural form. Wicca is a natural and practical aspect of being. If followed properly, it doesn't harm anyone or anything, and helps many. It fits together easily with the cycles of the Universe, and can help you to take a certain charge of your life, to fix, prevent, or bring things into your life that are needed.
I'd like to thank Siver RavenWolf, for writing 'To Ride A Silver Broomstick'. That is where I got a lot of the info on this page from. I recommend this book, plus more in my Books section. Click here to visit the Books page. When you are just starting out in Wicca, I advise you to read as much as possible. Through reading you will be able to gain information from different peoples ideas, beliefs and traditions, and you can then incorporate what you like into your studies and practises. Remember that a lot of what makes up Wicca is the freedom to practice and believe what you like. In a way you could look at this as 'making up' your own Religion, although it generally all follows the same principles. This way you're learning a lot, and maybe you'll discover that Wicca isn't quite for you; that you would feel more 'settled' in a different branch of Paganism, or a different Religion all together, but you will still have learnt a lot. You will have missed out on nothing, and taken many steps in your spiritual path.
I wish you peace, and may you walk in the light of the Goddess and God. Blessed Be.
If you want to write my e-mail address down, it is:
bright_blessings@hotmail.com
or you can click on the scroll below to e-mail me right now!
