Wiccan Beliefs The Witches Rede: An it harm none, Do as ye will The Three-Fold Law:    The energy we project into the World is the energy we attract into our lives. That which we do unto others returns to us tripled, for good or ill. All Wiccans:    Follow The Witches Rede and the Three-fold Law although some increase it to five, seven, nine, or even ten.   A Pentacle symbolizes the 5 elements - Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit.  It can also represent the human form. Which Witch is Which?    Did you know that the word Pagan is derived from the old Italian word "Paganus", meaning from the country?   That Heathen means from the heath? That Witch (Wicca) means wise? That Hagiography is the study of saints? What we now call 'Witches' were once the elders of the community, the healers, and the ones to speak the Rites that welcomed the seasons. Those who lived in the country were the last to be converted to Christianity, the last to give up the old ways, the old traditional values. Modern Witches are attempting to return to those values.	The Witches Calendar    Wiccan Holy Days are based upon the continuation of life as seen in the natural progression of the yearly cycle. In addition to the Solar Festivals, Witches celebrate each full and new moon. The year is divided into two halves, the light and the dark. It ends and begins in the fall, with the last harvest. The Solar Festivals are as follows: Yule - Winter Solstice, the first seasonal holiday after the new year, Yule represents the defeat of the Holly King (Death) by the Oak King (Rebirth). The Sun is reborn on this day. Imbolc - February Eve, is to banish Winter and welcome the Spring. First of the 'seed' festivals, it begins the change from old to new. Ostara - Spring Equinox, a celebration of balance - not really Winter but not yet Spring. This is a fertility celebration. Beltane - May Eve, last of the 3 Spring fertility festivities, a time for love and union. Litha - Summer Solstice, longest day of the year, a celebration of life, the Sun King in all his glory. Lughnasadh - August Eve, celebrating the first early harvests of grains, fruits, and vegetables. Mabon - Autumnal Equinox, second of the harvest festivals, associated with the taking of the corn and other foods harvested at this time Samhain - November Eve, the last harvest festival, the Witches New Year, representing one full turn of the seasonal wheel.	Good vs Evil    Wiccans believe in the duality of Nature. They subscribe to the view that all life has the potential for good or evil, but that absolute polarity of those forces is non-existent. Because Witches do not subscribe to the concept of absolute evil, they do not accept the reality of the entity known as Satan. A Satanic Witch is an oxymoron. To Hex or Not to Hex...    Many people think of Witches in the context of fairytales or of Hollywood witches. But a fairytale is a simplistic story for children and Hollywood is infamous for re-writing history. Hollywood witches (The Craft, etc.) are as far from reality as The Lion King is from the real Africa. Most Witches don't hex, curse, or bespell people for three very good reasons. First is the Witches Rede, which really does mean Harm to None (including themselves).  Second is free will. To interfere with a persons free will, except to prevent an obvious harm, is equivalent to causing harm. If they can rationalize past that with a clear conscience, they still have the three-fold law to consider. If by chance they're wrong, what they send will come back three-fold. Can they handle the triple backlash? Witches Believe In... The Wheel Of Life - Always Turning Reincarnation - Recycling souls! Magick - Science of the Heart. Ecology - Waste not, Want not! Tolerance - Everyone has their own path. Love - Without it, what's the point? Respect - For old, young, & in between. The Universe - One Song, Many Voices. Free Will - Personal Responsibility.
The Witches Gods    Everyone naturally sees their deities in forms they can best relate to. Wiccans view their Supreme powers as dual, just as in nature. They honor The Goddess as the Creator of all life, and Her Consort God as Her partner, mate and co-creator. Some regard this relationship as equal, others emphasize one over the other. The Goddess usually takes precedence. What's in a Name?    The names each Wiccan calls their Gods by is an individual matter. It's believed that The Goddess (and The God) has many faces with each name representing a different facet. The "Ultimate Deity" is a genderless form so far beyond our comprehension that we have only a vague understanding of its being. But as we still have a deep need to communicate, to give thanks and to ask when we have needs, we give it a persona we can understand.    Witches don't fly their brooms, they sweep their kitchens with them. Why Thirteen?    Witches are linked to the number thirteen for no more sinister reason than the thirteen Lunar months in every calendar year. For Witches, a full lunar year is synonymous with a full life. It equates to the seasons of youth, growth, maturity, and wisdom. They value all life - to a Witch, Crone is a term of respect!	Worship    Wiccans recognize Divinity in everything the Universe contains. Anywhere can be a place of worship. They prefer out of doors among Nature, but a living room can do in a pinch after proper cleansing and preparation. Wiccans don't offer up sacrifices, their Goddess does not need them and it would break the Witches Rede. Their Rites are performed on the New and Full Moons, called Esbats, and on the Quarters and Cross Quarters of the year, called Sabbats. Wicca is not really a religion to be put aside after the ceremony is over. Because their Goddess is in the air they breath, the food they eat, the water they drink, devout Wiccans try to live their religion day and night, counting their blessings along the way. The Triple Goddess    The Witches Goddess has three basic aspects - the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone. The cycle of the Goddess can be followed in the rhythm of the Moon.    The maiden (waxing) represents youth, new life, excitement. She is Bridget, Persephone, Aphrodite, Kore, Venus.    The Mother (Full Moon) represents mature nurturing love, She is Demeter, Freya, Hestia, Juno, Isis.    Finally, there is the Crone (Waning and Dark Moon), Destroyer, Sage, Grandmother Goddess of change, death and rebirth. She is Anu, Hecate, Sophia, Anna Perrena, Cailleach.	The God    The Witches God has many forms, but two basic aspects, the Light and the Dark. Each is representative of the light and dark halves of the year.    The Light God rules from mid-winter to mid-summer. He represents the Sun, Summer, growth, youth, vegetation, the lover, fertility. He is Ra, The Oak King, Horus, Tammuz, Apollo, Lugh.    The Dark God reigns from mid-summer to mid-winter. He represents Winter, withdrawal, the resting earth, patience, and the hunt. He is Herne, Cernunnus, Anubis, Odin, Pinga, The Holly King Witches Don't Have Membership Drives!    It is a firm Wiccan belief that each person must follow their own path through life. They don't believe in telling other people how to worship. Knowing what's right for them, they presume that most others do too. To that end, you'll never see a real Wiccan trying to convert others to their religion. The Goddess welcomes all, but She only wants the worship of those that come of their own accord. If this is so, then why this info sheet, you ask? People often fear what they don't understand. If you know that Wicca isn't a threat but simply a natural religion, perhaps you may be more understanding of Witches. Merry We Meet, Merry We Part, and Merry We Meet Again! Blessed Be.

   This is a basic overview of the Wiccan religion. In no way is it to describe all Wiccan Paths. Any discrepancies should be understood to be significant to specific Paths or systems. No offense was meant by any omissions or inclusions.  Compiled by Zolah Dia, Member of the Fraser Valley Wiccan Pagan information Network & Priestess of The Lilith Temple Society. 

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This page was last updated: November 06, 2008

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