Merry Meet

Welcome to my Wicca page. Please make yourself at home, here are soft pillows to sit on, and a fresh pot of tea is brewing.

This page is an informative look at the Craft. It tells about the history of the Craft, describes some of the commonly used terms, explains a little about the meaning and symbolism involved, and a handful of other odds-and-ends.

The Craft has a many varied beliefs, practices and traditions. The information on this page should not be considered canon for any single tradition. It is a broad look at the Craft in general, and trying to categorize or attribute this page as a whole to any one tradition would be futile.

This page serves the good of all.

Updates

This page is a living work. Please visit again to check for updates. Recent updates are marked with a right bar.

Sat, 6 Mar 2021:

  • Wrote chapter I.

Fri, 12 Mar 2021:

Table of Contents

Meaning of the Craft

Wicca is a modern Pagan nature-based religion. There are many different types of practices, called traditions, most of which observe the phases of the moon and the change of the season. There is no central authority figure. It can be practiced by groups of members, called covens, and is also well suited for the individual practitioner.

Wicca beliefs are centered around an ethical code - the acceptance of personal responsibility, striving toward a raised consciousness, personal growth, respect for fellow humans and empathy with nature, equal human rights, and taking care of our planet - among others.

Wicca is about acknowledging all life, the importance of nature and the role it plays in supporting all life, to help those in need, and most importantly, to do no harm.

The Wiccan Rede

Wicca has no set laws, but it does have one very important tenet. You are free to believe and practice as long as you do not harm another.

“ These eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill:
An' it harm none, do what thou wilt. ”

The Deities

The two major deities worshipped are the Horned God of the Hunt, and the Goddess of Fertility. During summer, the light half of the year, the Goddess dominates for She sees to the fertility of the crops, the animals and the people. During the winter, the dark half, the God dominates for He watches over the hunt that provides food and warmth.

The God has feminine aspects present during summer. The Goddess has masculine aspects present during the winter.

Season Goddess Aspect God Aspect
Summer Feminine Feminine
Winter Masculine Masculine

The Goddess and God are our representations of the Ultimate Power, which is infinite and genderless. Both are differing aspects of the same Source. Other deities are, to some degree, aspects of the God or Goddess.

The majority of religions have this duality of masculine and feminine. Christianity have Jesus and Mary. Hindus have Shiva and Parvati. Egyptians have Isis and Osiris. Taoism has Yang Qi, the masculine, and Yin Qi, the feminine.

Prevalence

Wicca is recognised as a religion in many countries. This is not a comprehensive list. It serves only as a representation of prevalence across the globe.

Africa:

North America:

Europe:

Oceania:

Scandinavia:

History of the Craft

Early Woman & Man relied on hunting and farming most of all, providing food and skins for warmth. It was essential for survival. Models of the hunted animals were fashioned from clay or carved from wood, and a mock hunt enacted in a symbolic gesture which, as was believed, will result in a successful hunt. Similar enactments involved the symbolic mating of stock animals to symbolize their fertility. These early rituals embodies sympathetic magick - Like attracts like.

Early women and man were at the mercy of nature and Her elements. The magnificent power of lightning, the life-giving rain and streams, the soothing or gusting winds. Nature was both mysterious and powerful. The source of power that controlled these elements were named, these were the deities. This act of naming and giving agency to the elements, or any inanimate object, embodies animism.

"By religion, then, I understand a propitiation or conciliation of powers superior to man which are believed to direct and control the course of nature and of human life. Thus defined, religion consists of two elements, a theoretical and a practical, namely, a belief in powers higher than man and an attempt to propitiate or please them."
— James George Frazer, The Golden Bough

This Ultimate Deity, the Source of all Power, held domain over Nature. It encompasses all. Women and men ascribed names and forms to the varied aspects of the Source, to better identify, honor and worship the Power.