Belief in the principal source of creation that periodically manifest through nature. Honoring the divine at the seasonal celebrations (Sabbats) and Esbats (Full Moon Rituals). Belief in reincarnation. Believe in an afterlife. Believing and acknowledging some form of karma, the Law of Return. Honoring the divine manifested through nature in gendered forms. The belief in and practice of magic. There are a few other points that could be considered, but these few are enough to quickly validate any claims to being a Wiccan or practicing Wicca.

If we believe that a principal source of creation periodically manifest through nature then it follows that we would honor the divine at those times of manifestation. That would be the Sabbats and Esbats.

If we honor the god and goddess is because we recognized as the divine manifest through nature is revealed to us in gendered forms.

If we faithfully observe our path then it follows that we would be attendant to the seasonal celebrations.

Magic is part and parcel of Wiccan philosophy of belief. Wiccans practice magic. Period. It may not always be the highest priority but it most certainly should always be present for more than a few reasons.

Wiccans do believe in an afterlife. Summerland, Avalon, Valhalla, or whatever you want to call it. The point is we do believe in life after death which follows from the point;

Wiccans believe in reincarnation. We don't necessarily believe that you will be reincarnated as anything other than a human being, such as a snail or a rock, but we most certainly do believe in reincarnation, that the essential shoulder life of a person can continue to reincarnate living form repeatedly over time.

Wiccans do believe in something similar to karma. We call it the Law of Return. We believe that this karmic like force is immoral and uncaring, that it doesn't care who stresses its delicate fabric, or in what manner, but that all actions and thoughts are returned to their owner and equal fashion to what they've put out. I believe Wiccans differ in their beliefs on whether or not some sort of cosmic debt can be accrued, but all Wiccans believe in this Law of Return.

I'm convinced that these are measures, which if we were so inclined, can facilitate ease in quickly determining whether a person or path is Wiccan. I am so confident that there is a huge number of "Wiccans" out there who would love nothing more to do than to argue with me on these points that I would be seriously shocked if nobody made even a comment about my above statements. How do I know this? Because it's all over the web, in books, and spews out of the mouths of green Wiccans. They like to say that they agree with certain parts but don't believe in other parts. That's fine. It's not Wicca. But it's fine. No matter how much somebody might argue me to the contrary, no amount of justifying or rationalizing will make a belief or practice devoid of any of those elements "Wiccan", and that is even regardless of what they've been told by other people.

What I am not trying to do here is give the egomaniac ammunition to tear apart new Wiccans. Far from it. I am also not trying to put into question anybody's perceived validity in considering themselves a Wiccan or observing a Wiccan path. If anything, I am simply laying down the more meaty elements that really distinguished Wicca from other pagan and neopagan religions that were experiencing a revival and increased interest over the past 50 or 60 years. Wicca is different. Sadly, it appears it is even different from what many Wiccans believe it is, but that might not necessarily be a bad thing. If a Wicca truly speaks to your soul and moves your heart to follow its green paths, and it is truly "right" for you, but what I've said above will not change anything.

I'm outraged. No, I am downright furious, with some self proclaimed representative of our communities and our path makes any claim about what Wicca is and what we believe contrary to or lacking any of the above details. Those people need to step down and go back to their books. They need to revisit whatever website it was that turn them into an overnight high priest or priestess of the Craft and demand an explanation from the author. They've been lied to and I am personally sick and tired of my religion being represented by liars and phonies. Look what it does to other religions. And we want to follow the same route? What is far too young to be disintegrating into this type of freaky show so quickly. Let's at least give ourselves several hundred years before we make a mockery of our own beliefs and practices. Agreed?





Xero User: Login To Leave A Comment |No Comments