Wicca is an unending path of light, magic, love, and constant learning. We revere nature and see the true divine
beauty of the universe. It's is about recognizing that we all have the ability to take our fate into our own hands,
and we have the right to choose how we use that power. There is no bible and no prophet. Our only rule is a
simple and logical one: "An it harm none, do as ye will".
1 Wicca is an earth religion based on ancient (even prehistoric) paganism. Wicca itself is relatively new, a
reconstruction loosely based on old religion and early witchcraft. Its roots are hard to trace because of
persecution, which caused people and records to be hidden or destroyed.
Most Wiccans worship the Goddess and the God. They have thousands of names given to their many aspects by
various cultures. 2 Each name given to the Goddess and God in old mythology represents a different
facet of the Goddess and the God's personality. Today, we invoke them by the name that is most
appropriate for the purpose.
Wicca is based on the concept of natural and essential equilibrium. All things have spiritual "life"- people, animals,
plants, and even stones. Everything is part of a delicate balance of light and dark, day and night, good and evil,
male and female. Even the Goddess and the God are both creators and destroyers. They give life, nurture it, and
eventually take it away. This cycle is seen in the seasons and in the cycle of the moon, and is often symbolized by
the Triple Goddess- Maiden, Mother, and Crone. The mother creates, the maiden develops, and the crone
eventually fades away. We see this each month when the moon is a sliver, then grows to be full, and then
becomes a sliver and fades away, before beginning again. Because of this, the emblem of the triple goddess is a
full moon with a crescent on each side.
We do not believe that Wicca is the only valid religion, nor do we try to convert people to Wicca. It is an
open-minded path and there are many traditions, which offer different rules and ways to follow the religion. But
many of us are "eclectic", and choose what elements of paganism we wish to incorporate in our practices as a
Wiccan. One might choose to include things they learned from studying Buddhism, Asatru, Santeria, Baha'i, etc.
into their tradition, if they are eclectic. (There are, however, some limitations that come about with non-pagan
religions. 3)
We are not Satanists. In fact, we do not believe in Satan or a supreme evil, nor do we believe in hell. Let's just
clear up a few misconceptions about witchcraft while we are on the topic. We do not sacrifice animals or people.
We are not trying to become gods. Love spells, revenge spells, and hexes are not a practice supported by the
Wiccan rede. We do not run around in black pointy hats and cloaks, turn people into toads, or fly on brooms.
Never believe what you see in Hollywood; it's probably wrong or exaggerated for interest. Magic is more
complicated and has a more subtle nature. Merely pointing a finger will not give someone a fatal disease or knock
down a tree. Some of us do have special abilities- telekinesis, psychic power, shapeshifting. But these takes years
and years of concentrated study and practice and are incredibly rare to see. Wicca is not about easy answers!
Don't be in any big hurry to convert to Wicca. There is no instant way to "become" Wiccan, it's the result of
learning and growing into it. There is no initiation ritual that can give you all the knowledge in the world in a few
minutes. Study, practice, advance. You'll get there!
The most valuable advice I can give to the beginner is read, read, read. Learn from the wisdom of others. Learn
to listen to yourself, as well... you already know a lot about Wicca, you just don't realize it. Once you begin down
the path, you will recognize many of the landmarks along the way. You are more familiar with the God and
Goddess than you might think.
Notes:
Note 1: This law is stated in the Wiccan Rede, the basic tenet of the Wiccan religion. This means that one may do
whatever they wish, as long as it is not done with the intent to harm a person, animal, place, or thing. The
follow-up to this basic rule is the threefold law, which states that whatever you give out is returned to you
threefold, whether it's positive or negative.
Note 2: For more information on gods and goddesses of various cultures, please visit
http://www.spiritonline.com/gods.
Note 3: To fully understand why non-pagan religions are incompatible with Wicca, first you should
know that Wicca belongs to a branch of paganism called neopaganism (or "new paganism"). So,
every Wiccan is pagan (though not every pagan is necessarily Wiccan). Paganism is defined by
the dictionary as any religious belief not Christian, Muslim, or Jewish. Because of this, the concept
of a "Wiccan Christian" becomes technically convoluted.
Lammas
Although in the heat of a Mid-western summer it might be difficult to discern, the festival of Lammas (Aug 1st)
marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall. The days now grow visibly shorter and by the time we've
reached autumn's end (Oct 31st), we will have run the gammut of temperature from the heat of August to the cold
and (sometimes) snow of November. And in the midst of it, a perfect Mid-western autumn.
The history of Lammas is as convoluted as all the rest of the old folk holidays. It is of course a cross-quarter day,
one of the four High Holidays or Greater Sabbats of Witchcraft, occuring 1/4 of a year after Beltane. It's true
astrological point is 15 degrees Leo, which occurs at 1:18 am CDT, Aug 6th this year, but tradition has set
August 1st as the day Lammas is typically celebrated. The celebration proper would begin on sundown of the
previous evening, our July 31st, since the Celts reckon their days from sundown to sundown.
However, British Witches often refer to the astrological date of Aug 6th as Old Lammas, and folklorists call it
Lammas O.S. ('Old Style'). This date has long been considered a 'power point' of the Zodiac, and is symbolized
by the Lion, one of the 'tetramorph' figures found on the Tarot cards, the World and the Wheel of Fortune (the
other three figures being the Bull, the Eagle, and the Spirit). Astrologers know these four figures as the symbols of
the four 'fixed' signs of the Zodiac, and these naturally allign with the four Great Sabbats of Witchcraft. Christians
have adopted the same iconography to represent the four gospel-writers.
'Lammas' was the medieval Christian name for the holiday and it means 'loaf-mass', for this was the day on which
loaves of bread were baked from the first grain harvest and laid on the church altars as offerings. It was a day
representative of 'first fruits' and early harvest.
In Irish Gaelic, the feast was referred to as 'Lugnasadh', a feast to commemorate the funeral games of the Irish
sun-god Lugh. However, there is some confusion on this point. Although at first glance, it may seem that we are
celebrating the death of the Lugh, the god of light does not really die (mythically) until the autumnal equinox. And
indeed, if we read the Irish myths closer, we discover that it is not Lugh's death that is being celebrated, but the
funeral games which Lugh hosted to commemorate the death of his foster-mother, Taillte. That is why the
Lugnasadh celebrations in Ireland are often called the 'Tailltean Games'.
One common feature of the Games were the 'Tailltean marriages', a rather informal marriage that lasted for only 'a
year and a day' or until next Lammas. At that time, the couple could decide to continue the arrangement if it
pleased them, or to stand back to back and walk away from one another, thus bringing the Tailltean marriage to a
formal close. Such trial marriages (obviously related to the Wiccan 'Handfasting') were quite common even into
the 1500's, although it was something one 'didn't bother the parish priest about'. Indeed, such ceremonies were
usually solemnized by a poet, bard, or shanachie (or, it may be guessed, by a priest or priestess of the Old
Religion).
Lammastide was also the traditional time of year for craft festivals. The medieval guilds would create elaborate
displays of their wares, decorating their shops and themselves in bright colors and ribbons, marching in parades,
and performing strange, ceremonial plays and dances for the entranced onlookers. The atmosphere must have
been quite similar to our modern-day Renaissance Festivals, such as the one celebrated in near-by Bonner
Springs, Kansas, each fall.
A ceremonial highlight of such festivals was the 'Catherine wheel'. Although the Roman Church moved St.
Catherine's feast day all around the calender with bewildering frequency, it's most popular date was Lammas.
(They also kept trying to expel this much-loved saint from the ranks of the blessed because she was mythical
rather than historical, and because her worship gave rise to the heretical sect known as the Cathari.) At any rate,
a large wagon wheel was taken to the top of a near-by hill, covered with tar, set aflame, and ceremoniously rolled
down the hill. Some mythologists see in this ritual the remnants of a Pagan rite symbolizing the end of summer, the
flaming disk representing the sun-god in his decline. And just as the sun king has now reached the autumn of his
years, his rival or dark self has just reached puberty.
Many comentators have bewailed the fact that traditional Gardnerian and Alexandrian Books of Shadows say
very little about the holiday of Lammas, stating only that poles should be ridden and a circle dance performed.
This seems strange, for Lammas is a holiday of rich mythic and cultural associations, providing endless resources
for liturgical celebration.Spring Equinox
(March 20-23)
"This is the time of the Spring's return; the joyful time, the seed time, when life bursts forth from the Earth and the
chains of winter are broken. Light and dark are equal; it is a time of balance, when all the elements within us must
be brought into a new harmony. The Prince of the Sun stretches out his hand, and Kore, the Dark Maiden,
returns from the Land of the Dead, cloaked in fresh rain, with the sweet scent of desire on her breath. Where
They step, the wild flowers appear; as They dance, despair turns to hope, sorrow to joy, want to abundance.
May our hearts open with the spring! Blessed Be!"
Eostar, or the Spring Equinox, is the time when day and night are in balance, with the light mastering the
darkness. It is basically a Solar festival, and a newcomer to the Old Religion in Celtic and Teutonic Europe. In
the past, the Equinoxes were never observed in Britain. Yet they are now a genuine part of modern Pagan
tradition, even if their seeds blew in from the Mediterranean, and germinated during the period of the
underground centuries.
The problem which faces most witches today, is deciding how to celebrate this Sabbat. The fact is that, many
themes associated with the Spring Equinox overlap other Sabbats. For example, the death and resurrection
theme, and the sacrificial mating theme.
In Mediterranean Lands, the death and resurrection theme had strong links with the Spring Equinox. The grim
festival of the Phrygian Goddess, Cybele was celebrated at this time. Associated with her was the vegetation
God, Attis. The Spring festival, which took place between March 22-25, mourned the death of Attis, and
rejoiced over his resurrection. This was done by the priests of Cybele, castrating themselves as an offering to the
Goddess. It is interesting to note, that one of Cybele's symbols is a crescent Moon, shown in perpetual union with
the Sun, again, emphasizing the night and day balance.
In Rome, the rites of Cybele took place on the very spot where St.Peter now stands in the Vatican. In fact, the
local Christians used to celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ, in the very places where Attis worship
took place. In days of old, bitter quarrels took place between the Christians and the pagans about whose God
was the prototype, and which was the imitation.
Easter, Jesus's willing death, decent into Hell and resurrection can be seen as the Christian version of the
sacrificial mating theme. In one sense, 'Hell' can be seen as the collective unconscious, the feminine aspect, the
Goddess, into whom the sacrificed God is plunged as a necessary prelude to rebirth.
In classical and pre-classical times, spring was the season for another form of sacrificial mating, namely, the
'hieros gamos', or sacred marriage. In this, the woman identified herself with the Goddess, and the man sank
himself into the Goddess. Through the woman, the man gave up his masculinity to the Goddess, without
destroying it. He would emerge from the experience spiritually revitalized. The Great Rite, whether actual or
symbolic, is the witches hieros gamos.
In the North, where spring comes later, the aspects of the sacrificial mating really belongs to Bealtaine. Thus,
Eostar gives up it's human-fertility aspect to the Greater Sabbat, and retains it's vegetation-fertility aspect. In the
Mediterranean, the Equinox is a time for sprouting, and in the North, it is a time for sowing.
As a Solar festival, Eostar must share with the Greater Sabbats the eternal theme of fire and light. In is interesting
to note that this theme has survived strongly in Easter folklore. In many parts of Europe, Easter bonfires are lit on
hilltop sites. The fire to light the bonfires is obtained from the priests. It is believed that as far as the light shines,
the land will be fruitful, and the homes secure. People jump the dying embers, and cattle are driven over them.
Another interesting point to note, is that the Christian Easter falls anywhere between Eostar and Bealtaine. In fact,
the name Easter comes from the Teutonic Goddess Eostre, also called Ostara. Many witches call the Spring
Equinox by these names.Samhain (Halloween)
Samhain. All Hallows. All Hallow's Eve. Hallow E'en. Halloween. The most magical night of the year. Exactly
opposite Beltane on the wheel of the year, Halloween is Beltane's dark twin. A night of glowing jack-o-lanterns,
bobbing for apples, tricks or treats, and dressing in costume. A night of ghost stories and seances, tarot card
readings and scrying with mirrors. A night of power, when the veil that separates our world from the Otherworld
is at its thinnest. A 'spirit night', as they say in Wales.
All Hallow's Eve is the eve of All Hallow's Day (November 1st). And for once, even popular tradition
remembers that the Eve is more important than the Day itself, the traditional celebration focusing on October
31st, beginning at sundown. And this seems only fitting for the great Celtic New Year's festival. Not that the
holiday was Celtic only. In fact, it is startling how many ancient and unconnected cultures (the Egyptians and
pre-Spanish Mexicans, for example) celebrated this as a festival of the dead. But the majority of our modern
traditions can be traced to the British Isles.
The Celts called it Samhain, which means 'summer's end', according to their ancient two-fold division of the year,
when summer ran from Beltane to Samhain and winter ran from Samhain to Beltane. (Some modern Covens
echo this structure by letting the High Priest 'rule' the Coven beginning on Samhain, with rulership returned to the
High Priestess at Beltane.) According to the later four-fold division of the year, Samhain is seen as 'autumn's end'
and the beginning of winter. Samhain is pronounced (depending on where you're from) as 'sow-in' (in Ireland), or
'sow-een' (in Wales), or 'sav-en' (in Scotland), or (inevitably) 'sam-hane' (in the U.S., where we don't speak
Gaelic).
Not only is Samhain the end of autumn; it is also, more importantly, the end of the old year and the beginning of
the new. Celtic New Year's Eve, when the new year begins with the onset of the dark phase of the year, just as
the new day begins at sundown. There are many representations of Celtic gods with two faces, and it surely must
have been one of them who held sway over Samhain. Like his Greek counterpart Janus, he would straddle the
threshold, one face turned toward the past in commemoration of those who died during the last year, and one
face gazing hopefully toward the future, mystic eyes attempting to pierce the veil and divine what the coming year
holds. These two themes, celebrating the dead and divining the future, are inexorably intertwined in Samhain, as
they are likely to be in any New Year's celebration.
As a feast of the dead, it was believed the dead could, if they wished, return to the land of the living for this one
night, to celebrate with their family, tribe, or clan. And so the great burial mounds of Ireland (sidh mounds) were
opened up, with lighted torches lining the walls, so the dead could find their way. Extra places were set at the
table and food set out for any who had died that year. And there are many stories that tell of Irish heroes making
raids on the Underworld while the gates of faery stood open, though all must return to their appointed places by
cock-crow.
As a feast of divination, this was the night par excellence for peering into the future. The reason for this has to do
with the Celtic view of time. In a culture that uses a linear concept of time, like our modern one, New Year's Eve
is simply a milestone on a very long road that stretches in a straight line from birth to death. Thus, the New Year's
festival is a part of time. The ancient Celtic view of time, however, is cyclical. And in this framework, New Year's
Eve represents a point outside of time, when the natural order of the universe dissolves back into primordial
chaos, preparatory to re- establishing itself in a new order. Thus, Samhain is a night that exists outside of time and
hence it may be used to view any other point in time. At no other holiday is a tarot card reading, crystal reading,
or tea-leaf reading so likely to succeed.
The Christian religion, with its emphasis on the 'historical' Christ and his act of redemption 2000 years ago, is
forced into a linear view of time, where 'seeing the future' is an illogical proposition. In fact, from the Christian
perspective, any attempt to do so is seen as inherently evil. This did not keep the medieval Church from
co-opting Samhain's other motif, commemoration of the dead. To the Church, however, it could never be a feast
for all the dead, but only the blessed dead, all those hallowed (made holy) by obedience to God - thus, All
Hallow's, or Hallowmas, later All Saints and All Souls.
There are so many types of divination that are traditional to Hallowstide, it is possible to mention only a few. Girls
were told to place hazel nuts along the front of the firegrate, each one to symbolize one of her suitors. She could
then divine her future husband by chanting, 'If you love me, pop and fly; if you hate me, burn and die.' Several
methods used the apple, that most popular of Halloween fruits. You should slice an apple through the equator (to
reveal the five-pointed star within) and then eat it by candlelight before a mirror. Your future spouse will then
appear over your shoulder. Or, peel an apple, making sure the peeling comes off in one long strand, reciting, 'I
pare this apple round and round again; / My sweetheart's name to flourish on the plain: / I fling the unbroken
paring o'er my head, / My sweetheart's letter on the ground to read.' Or, you might set a snail to crawl through
the ashes of your hearth. The considerate little creature will then spell out the initial letter as it moves.
Perhaps the most famous icon of the holiday is the jack-o-lantern. Various authorities attribute it to either Scottish
or Irish origin. However, it seems clear that it was used as a lantern by people who traveled the road this night,
the scary face to frighten away spirits or faeries who might otherwise lead one astray. Set on porches and in
windows, they cast the same spell of protection over the household. (The American pumpkin seems to have
forever superseded the European gourd as the jack-o-lantern of choice.) Bobbing for apples may well represent
the remnants of a Pagan 'baptism' rite called a 'seining', according to some writers. The water-filled tub is a
latter-day Cauldron of Regeneration, into which the novice's head is immersed. The fact that the participant in this
folk game was usually blindfolded with hands tied behind the back also puts one in mind of a traditional Craft
initiation ceremony.
The custom of dressing in costume and 'trick-or-treating' is of Celtic origin with survivals particularly strong in
Scotland. However, there are some important differences from the modern version. In the first place, the custom
was not relegated to children, but was actively indulged in by adults as well. Also, the 'treat' which was required