Wicca, The Truth Revealed
Throughout history, in art, literature and film, the Witch has been depicted as an ugly crone with a black pointed hat and a wart on her nose. She spends her days conjuring up evil spells on unsuspecting victims around a bubbling cauldron filled with eye of toad and drops of bat and dragon’s blood.
Modern day Wiccans do not worship Satan or cast evil spells. The Wiccan rede or lay states “Do as thou wilt – but harm thou none!”
It encourages us all to live in harmony with nature and to avoid causing pain to any living thing, including ourselves. The 3 sacraments in Wicca are Love, Life and Truth and these are valued above all else. Wiccans have a strong belief in the law of return: whatever you send out into the world will return back to you threefold.
The word Wicca comes from the early Saxenor English name for Witch. Wicca is an eo-pagan religion, having its roots in the pre-Christian traditions of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. In 1951 the laws in England against Witchcraft were revoked, and it was during the 1960’s that the Gardnerian Tradition of Wicca was developed by Gerald Gardner, who came up with a description of what modern witches were practicing.
According to Gardner, the word Wicca comes from the Saxon word Witoan, which means Wise One. The craft of Wicca may also be defined as the art of weaving spells. Many offshoots of Wicca have developed from this tradition. Eclectic Wicca started up in the 1970’s and is known to be one of the largest Wiccans groups of today. Many of those who practice Eclectic Wicca work on their own and have adjusted their ways and rituals to fit in with their own lives and modern society.
In Wicca, all living things are sacred and both masculine and feminine energy play an important role in nature. Wiccans believe that the spirit of God/ess exists in every living thing; the birds, grass, sea, humans, so it is very important to honour all of earth’s beings as an aspect of God /ess or Divine, and strive to create harmony between man and nature.
Wiccans worship nature by working with the elements of Water, Fire, Earth, Air and celebrate the cycles of the sun and the moon. These cycles correspond with our own cycles and we can gain a better understanding of our own rhythms by looking at the rhythms in nature. Their year is understood as a wheel, and their calendar is a circle. Spaced around the Wiccan wheel are the eight Wiccan Feast days or Sabbaths which retell and celebrate the age-old story of the Great Goddess and her son and consort, the Horned God.
Wiccans either work alone or in a Coven or group. Meetings are held 8 times per year on the Sabbaths. Full moon meetings are also held every month and are called Estbats. The Wiccan circle is a mental and magical barrier that is erected to keep out unwanted influences and unwelcome spirits. The circle is cast at all ceremonies regardless of time of the month or year. Once the circle has been cast, it should never be left until it has been dissolved. Circles can be cast either in a house, or outside in a protected space.
Herbs, oils, colours, stones and crystals are used to symbolize the changes that they want to make and it is believed that everyone has the power to manifest their dreams and desires.
Wiccan training includes studying the art of spell casting, healing, astrology, numerology and divination. The Pentagram or five pointed star with a circle around it, is the symbol used by the Wiccan religion. It represents the elements needed for life; being earth, air, fire, water and spirit.
It is traditional to keep a magical record, called the Book of Shadows. The Book of Shadows is written in the witch’s own handwriting and is a record of all the knowledge that a witch acquires during training. It is kept hidden from outsiders.
