As you (hopefully) read in my last post, I've recently gotten two new books for Wicca. They're a little more advanced than what I'd like to start with, so I'm going to go through the Wikipedia on Wicca and pick out what I know is good info. I'll try and keep the information on these pages short and easy to follow. This will also contain information from various traditions, as I personally am eclectic and don't see the point in putting information from strictly one tradition in here. So you're going to be exposed to multiple traditions here.
-Frost
What is Wicca? (From the Wiki)
- Wicca is a modern Pagan religion (you probably already know that Wiccans generally practice Witchcraft (Also called The Craft, among other things), although it is not required.)
- Developed in England between 1900 and 1950
- Introduced to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant
- Wicca draws on a diverse set of Pagan beliefs
- Wicca is a diverse religion (I know of 20 different traditions alone) with no central authority
- It is divided into various lineages and denominations, known as traditions
- Wicca is typically duotheistic (two gods) with one god and one goddess (Some refer to them as the mother goddess and the horned god)
- Some Wicca is monotheistic (one god)
- Some Wicca also worships a large multitude of gods and goddesses. I've seen rituals call upon the goddess Diana and several others. (You'll see Norse god/desses a lot. What god/dess you call upon is completely up to you)
Side Note:
There is a document called the Wiccan Rede that is considered to be the basis of Wicca. I'll put it in another post so you can read it. (I'll have to go through one of my books to get it. It'll be up tonight.) However, if you don't particularly want to read it (it is a little long), then you need to at least understand that the last of the Rede is: "An harm ye none, do as ye will." It's considered the basis of Wicca, to my understanding.
Back to the Wiki.
Afterlife:
- Reincarnation is a traditional teaching dating back to the 1930s.
- Raymond Buckland (an influential high priest) stated that a human's soul reincarnates into the same species many times in order to learn lessons and advance spirituality. This is not a universal belief.
- Many Wiccans believe in reincarnation between species (ex. Living as a human and being reincarnated into a dog or a bug)
- Despite this, there is a saying among Wiccans that "once a Witch, always a Witch," which leads to the belief that if you're Wiccan, you'll be reincarnated into a Wiccan. (Side Note: I am a former Christian. There are also people who convert to and from Wicca. How does this work???)
