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| Wicca/Witchcraft | ||||||||||||||||||
| What is it? | History | |||||||||||||||||
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Wicca and witchcraft are two very simular religions, and are usually placed in the same category. They both practice very simular rituals, and both stem from paganism. The difference, though, is that wicca is more of a nature-based religion, focusing on herbalism, and magick that comes from nature and within. Witchcraft is more down-to-earth, and use more incantations and brewing spells, and magick that comes from energy and within. Wicca, directly translated, means "wise one". Some people say that Wicca is a more modern term for witchcraft, because the term "witch" has gotten a bad reputation from the misunderstandings in the renaissance era, and time of Christ. Wicca and witchcraft both stem from paganism, and hold many simular beliefs. In fact, to be a witch, or wiccan, you would also be a pagan. So you must be pagan to be either, but if you are a pagan, you don't have to be a witch or wiccan. Just like if you are a catholic, or Baptist, you would be Christian also, but if you're Christian, it doesn't mean you have to be catholic or Baptist. There is one main rule that applies to all witches and wiccans. It can be translated as: "Do whatever you want, but cause no harm to yourself or others." Another main rule, that wiccans and witches always keep in mind when casting a spell is: "Ever Mind The Rule Of Three Three Times Your Acts Return To Thee This Lesson Well, Thou Must Learn Thou Only Gets What Thee Dost Earn " So if you act with bad intent, the bad will come back at you, three times worse. Whereas, if you do something with good intent, it will come back three times good. This doesn't only apply to spellcasting, but to everyday life. Contrary to popular belief, witchcraft is not a satanistic religion. Infact, in paganism there is no such thing as the devil. The devil is something created by Christianity. In wicca and witchcraft, you may come across different kinds of people who practice their craft differantly. This is because it is a religion that can be adapted to your own needs. Unlike many other religions, there is no holy book to follow, no apparent history you must belive in, infact, the only real thing you have to belive in is yourself. You may coe across witches and wiccans who practice their craft alone, these people are known as solitary witches/wiccans, or people in covens, or groups of four to make a private covern, one person to symbolise each element. You may come across people using incence, candles, incantations, calling gods/goddesses and then you may find someone else casting a spell in silent meditation. This is because every individual is different, and spells can be altered to fit the specific person. A lot of people choose to write and create their own spells, for they find it easiest for them. there are differant types of Wicca, and Witches. here is a brief description of them from black-raven.com: Alexandrian Founded in England during the 1960's, by Alex Sanders. The rituals are said to be modified Gardenarian. British A mix of Celtic and Gardnerian beliefs. They too are fairly structured in their beliefs, and train through the degree process. Covens are also CO-ed. Celtic Wicca The use of Celtic/druidic pantheon mixed with a little ritual Gardnerian, and heavily stressing the elements, nature and the Ancient Ones. They had a vast knowledge of and respect for the healing and magickal qualities of plants and stones, flowers, trees, elemental spirits, the little people, gnomes and fairies. Celedonii Formally known as the Hecatine Tradition, this denomination of the Craft is Scottish in origin, and still preserves the unique festivals of the Scots. Ceremonial Witchcraft Followers of the Tradition uses a great deal of Ceremonial magick in their practices. Detailed rituals with a flavor of Egyptian magick are sometimes a favorite, or they may use the Qabbalistic magick. Dianic First pinpointed by Margaret Murry in 1921 in the "The Witch cult in Western Europe," this term appears to include a mixture of various traditions. In recent years the focus has been on the Goddess, and has been pegged as the "feminist" movement of the Craft. Eclectic It is where a individual does not follow any particular Tradition, denomination, sect or magickal practice. They learn and study from many magickal systems and apply to themselves what appears to work best. Gardnerian Organized by Gerald Gardner in England in the 1950's. He was one of the few people so determined that the Old Religion should not die that he took risk of publicizing it through the media. They follow a more structured route in ceremony and practices. Hereditary One who can trace the Craft through their family tree and who has been taught the Old Religion by a relative who was living at the same time. Kitchen Witch Is a type who practices by hearth and home, dealing with the practical side of religion, magick, the earth and the elements. Pictish Scottish Witchcraft that attunes itself to all aspects of nature: animal, vegetable, and mineral. It is a solitary from of the Craft and mainly magickal in nature with little religion. Seax-Wica Founded by Raymond Buckland in 1973. Although of Saxon basis it was authored by Raymond himself without breaking his original Gardnerian oath. Solitary One who practices alone, regardless of Tradition, denomination, or sect. Another name for a Solitary Witch is "Natural Witch". Strega Follows a tradition seated in Italy that began around 1353 with a woman called Aradia. There teachings are beautiful and should not be missed. Teutonic From ancient time the Teutons have been recognized as a group of people who speak the Germanic group of languages. Culturally, this included the English, Dutch, Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish peoples. This is also known as the Nordic Tradition. |
Wicca, Witchcraft and Paganism has been around for a long time, far before Christianity. Witches were often used as scapegoats in the early days, though, because people didn't understand their way of life, and people, generally, are afraid of what they don't understand. With the birth of Christ, and the introduction of Christianity, this only got worse. Those next couple hundred years were terrible for witches, wiccans and all pagans, for they couldn't openly practice their religion, for if they did, and someone fell sick soon after, they would always get the blame, though as a rule, wiccans and witches can't cast any spells to harm anyone. Witches were blamed for the Black Death, the disease carried by rats, for the diseases in the town, caused by unsanitary streets and unsatisfactory disposal of waste, and for any natural disaster, or death in the town. If a witch or Wiccan was caught practicing their religion, even just meditating, or even just suspected, they were burned at the stake. This punishment meant the death of many innocent lives, pagan and non-pagan. This lasted a great time, and still continues today, with many fairytales written with the 'evil witches' causing a false idea of witchcraft. Wicca and witchcraft has become, thankfully, more accepted in the world today, with people realising the different cultures and beliefs, and is now recognised as a religion. | |||||||||||||||||
| Candles, moon phases, the pentacle and their meanings. | ||||||||||||||||||
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Some people like to use candles, incense, herbs or other objects to focus their energy and to put their mind on the right level for the spell, or to enhance the spell. The meanings of different coloured candles are: Orange Attraction, stimulation, control, personal strength, authority, power, encouragement, adaptability, luck and sudden changes Yellow Creativity, intelligence, confidence, movement and energy. Connects to clairvoyance, divination, wisdom, learning, imagination and inspiration. Power of concentration and communication. White Symbolizes peace, purity, innocence and power of a higher nature. Promotes peace, tranquillity, purification, truth spirituality and sincerity Gold Promotes understanding and attracts the powers of cosmic influences, intuition, persuasion, charm and confidence Red Invigorating color of energy and life. Connected to blood, birth and death, and sex. Connects with love, passion, fertility, physical energy and strength Pink Positive symbol of emotional love, nurturing relationships and romance, promotes spiritual awakening, healing of the spirit, femininity, friendships, honor and morality Purple Highly spiritual and traditionally connected to mysticism, inspiration, wisdom, idealism, purification, success, peace and power. Aids in meditation, sensitivity and higher psychic talents. Connecting to idealism, ambition, power, success and household protection. Magenta Highly vibrational frequency that tend to work fast. High levels of power of spiritual healing are required, such as quick changes, exorcism or spiritual healing Indigo Used to cleanse the spirit and remove fear. A vitalizing color of inertia. Used to counteract negative energy. Brown Earthy, balance color used to attract money and financial success. Aids in emotional stability and balance, eliminates indecisiveness, improves powers of concentration, study, intuitions and telepathy Blue Soothing and relaxing color, Primary spiritual color, used to obtain wisdom, tranquillity and harmony, peace, inner light and truth. Connects to inspiration, occult power, protection, understanding, good health, patience and loyalty Green Nature, fertility and rejuvenation, works involving finical issues and money, aids good fortune, prosperity, luck, ambition and success. Silver/Gray Removes negative energy or influences and encourages stability Black Opens up the deeper levels of the unconscious. Good for banishing evil or negativity. Connects to self control, quiet power, and resilience, absorbs negativity and destroys it. inscences can mean: Anointing Acacia, angelica, carnation, cinquefoil, frankincense, jasmine, lavender, lily of the valley, lotus, myrrh, rose, rosemary, vervain. Banishing, Releasing Cedar, clove, cypress, patchouli, rose, rue, violet, betony, elder, fern, mugwort, St. Johnswort, vervain, yarrow. Blessing, Consecration Carnation, cypress, frankincense, lotus, elder, rue. Clairvoyance, Divination Cinnamon, lilac, acacia, laurel, eyebright, honeysuckle, marigold, mugwort, nutmeg, rose, thyme, wormwood, yarrow, dittany of Crete, hazel, moonwort, rowan. Courage Allspice, must, rosemary, dragons' blood, mullein Good Luck Cedar, lotus, mint, vervain, violet, nutmeg, bayberry, cinnamon, cinquefoil, honeysuckle, chamomile, jasmine, yellow dock. Inspiration, Wisdom Cinquefold, acacia clove, cypress, fir, hazel, laurel, lily of the valley, oak, moss, reed, rosemary, rowan, rue Love Apple blossom, birch, cinquefoil, gardenia, honeysuckle, jasmine, musk, rose, vervain, acacia, catnip, elder, fern, heather, juniper, lavender, marigold, marjoram, mistletoe, moonwort, patchouli, savory, vanilla, valerian, wormwood, yarrow Purification, Cleansing Frankincense, lavender, bay, laurel, myrrh, rosemary, vervain, betony, dragons' blood, hyssop, oak, peppermint, salt, thyme, woodruff Willpower Rosemary, St. Johnswort moon phases: New Moon New moon workings can be done from the day of the new moon to three and a half days after. The new moon is for starting new ventures, new beginnings. Also love and romance, health or job hunting. Waxing Moon From seven to fourteen days after the new moon. The waxing moon is for constructive magick, such as love, wealth, success, courage, friendship, luck or health. Full Moon From fourteen to seventeen and a half days after the new moon. Prime time for rituals for prophecy, protection, divination. Any working that needs extra power, such as help finding a new job or healings for serious conditions, can be done now. Also, love, knowledge, legal undertakings, money and dreams. Waning Moon From three and a half to ten and a half days after the full moon. The waning moon is used for banishing magick, for ridding oneself of addictions, illness or negativity. Dark Moon From ten and a half to fourteen days after the full moon. The dark moon is a time for dealing with attackers, for exploring our darkest recesses and understanding our angers and passions. Also bringing justice to bear. >credit goes to the people at black-raven (www.black-raven.com) for the information on moon phases, inscence and candle magick. common things found in a witches circle: A bowl of salt represents the element earth. Inscence represents the element air Two candles representing the god and goddess A bowl of water representing the element water A bell which is rung to delineate sections of the rite A wand to cast the circle A goblet and perhaps libation bowl to hold a drink Four candles, marking the outside barriers of the circle, at the four directions. The circle itself is typically 9 feet in diameter, typically formed by a rope or pebbles placed on the ground. Moon phases: The pentacle: The witches' pentacle is a five pointed star, enclosed by a circle. This represents the four elements, and the spirit. EARTH- lower left hand corner, which represents stability and physical endurance FIRE- lower right hand corner which represents courage and daring WATER- upper right hand corner, which represents emotions and intuition AIR- upper left hand corner, which represents intelligence and the arts SPIRIT- topmost point which represents all and the Devine. The circle around the star represents the god-goddess, protection and links them all together. It is not a compulsory act to use the pentagram, candles or a circle while casting a spell, but it helps to focus energy, and many witches do. If you're interested in paganism, wicca or witchcraft, PLEASE look further into it. Don't just go up to someone and say "tell me all you know" because there is too much, and it varies from person to person. I have hardly mentioned a quarter here, and I'm afraid you'll have to look around to see what you can discover if you're very interested. | ||||||||||||||||||
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