To start off with, Wiccans (aka witches, pagans) do not practice human or animal sacrifices. Wicca is a life respecting religion, and it does not require blood or death for it's rituals. Wicca is an Earth religion, that has been brought back into the "mainstream" by the New Age movement. However, Wicca has it's roots in ancient religions, such as Druidism.
Wiccans celebrate sabbats, or holidays. There are 8 festivals in a pagan year. They are: Imbolc, celebrated on 1 & 2 of February. Ostara, or Alban Eilir, which is the vernal equinox, is celebrated around the 20 of March. Beltane, or May Day, commences at sunset on 30 April. Litha, Alban, Hefin, and Midsummer are all names for the summer solstice, which is celebrated on or around 21 June. Lughnassadh is celebrated on August 1. Mabon, Alban Elfed, or the autumnal equinox is celebrated on, or around 23 September. Samhain is celebrated on On November 1 or October 31. Yule, Alban Arthuan, or the winter solstice is celebrated on or around December 21.
There are many tools used for pagan rituals, some of the more common ones include the athame, which is the ritualistic knife. It is never used for spilling blood, it is used for a power chanelling tool and for cutting plants during a ritual. The broom is used for cleaning, or a symbol of cleansing (not for flying :) The cauldron is used to build the ritualistic fires in, and is a symbol of the goddess. The censor is used for burning the insence. The use of candles variate, as do the colours used. Often a green candle is used to represent the Mother Goddess on the altar, and a red candle is used to represent the Horned God.
Okay, so now aboutthe really fun part of Wicca. Yes, Wiccans are witches, but not the evil kind. We do cast spells, but whatever one casts, one gets back 3 times good or bad. So, if say you wanted to cast a love spell on someone and it worked, you'd get something back really bad. Casting a love spell interfere's with someone's free will, so that's bad :) Remember that, there'll be a test soon ;)
I've had people ask me if it takes someone with special skills to cast a spell. The answer is no, there is the power in all of us to do that. In some people it's more prevelent, but anyone can do it if they try hard enough, and practice their skills.
One of the most commonly used skills for magick is visualization. It can be something as simple as seeing yourself get an A on that mid-term, or as complex as being able to visualize the future accuratly.
In spell casting, there are certain things that are almost always in spells, such as opening the circle. The magick circle is a visualized circle of energy which contains the spell casting energies.
Get information on these holidays:
Yule
Imbolc
Ostara
Beltane
Midsummer
Lughnasadh
Mabon
Samhain
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