He coined the name 'Wicca' from what is believed to be the two root words 'wic' and 'wit'. The primary is an Indo-European word meaning 'to shape or to bend'. The latter is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning 'wisdom'. The blend of these two as well as the Old English noun, Wicca (pronounced witch-uh), meaning a male witch, and the female form, Wicce (pronounced witch-eh) brings us to the proper modern name for our religion, WICCA, (pronounced wik-uh) andrefers to both female and male practitioners.
Wicca was brought to the States as the Gardnerian Tradition by Raymond Buckland , and from there many of the modern traditions have sprung. Wicca is an Earth-centered religion that honors Deity as both Masculine and Feminine equally.
Wiccans hold both an animistic as well as pantheistic view of the universe. Animistic meaning that everything (every rock, plant, animal, insect) is alive, and filled with spirit and consciousness in their own fashion. Pantheistic meaning that all these same things we view as animistic are also inherently filled with the divine (Goddess and God) and are therefore sacred, and magickal. A third and very important factor in Wiccan beliefs is Polytheism, the belief that there are many Gods functioning either as manifestations of a single divine source or individually as spiritual beings singular and independent.
In the footsteps of countless generations of humanity we follow the cycles of the Moon from New to Full and back again, and celebrate them as Esbats. The cycles of the Sun are equally sacred and celebrated in our eight Sabbats. Wiccans practice magick. Through a deep reverence for the Old Gods, the Earth and Moon, the Elements, and the Other Folk we seek to work in deep harmony to shape our universe. The Rede and the Three Fold Law or Law of Return are our sacred guidelines as magickal practitioners.
3. What is a Witch, Witchcraft, and are Witches also Wiccans?
Answer: Witchcraft is the use of magick to achieve certain goals, and a Witch is a practitioner of Witchcraft. Wiccans practice Witchcraft as well. Wiccans are also Witches though not all Witches are Wiccans (can you say that three times fast?). This is much the same as saying rivers and lakes are both water, but they are not the same experience or manifestation of water...Wiccans make vows upon Initiation onto the path to follow the Rede and respect the Three Fold Law or Law of Return. Witches do not necessarily adhere to these particular ethical boundaries for a variety of reasons. This does not make one superior to the other (Witches to Wiccans) just different.
Another contrast is the aspect of Wicca as a neo-pagan religious path. Witches don't always follow a neo-pagan religious path, though some do. Anyone, be they Christian or not, can be a Witch.
2. What is a Pagan, Paganism or Neo-Paganism?
Answer: Pagan is a rich word with a myriad of modern connotations much like the word Witch!
Pagan comes from the Latin word Pagani. This word referred to the safe secured places in the country surrounding Rome where the farmers and simple folk hid during invasions. The city-dwelling Romans referred to these country folk as Pagani (plural) or Paganus (singular). Calling these people Pagani would be like calling someone now-a-days a 'civilian'. The city Romans referred to themselves as 'soldiers' in the sense of what might be thought of as the soldiers of Christ.
In the typical way of the world the country folk were suspicious of change and especially suspicious of city-folk. Therefore, as Christianity spread it took root in the city first, and left these Pagani clinging tightly to their Old Religion. It wasn't long before Pagani also meant a country-dweller as well as what we Americans like to call 'red-necks' or 'hicks'.
Christians and Western society in general refer to 'simple', 'primitive', or non-Christian individuals and communities as pagan. Pagan is the scapegoat term used by the Western world to label all societies that they don't 'understand'.
Since Wiccans and some Witches follow an old fashioned spirituality that honors the Earth, Moon, and Old Gods, we are called pagan. We embrace this term, and reclaim it for the sake of our ancestors as well as the cultures that hold to these old ways still.
Wicca, a newer branch on the pagan tree of spirituality, is best referred to as Neo-Paganism. We honor and follow some truly ancient beliefs and practices, but we also have adapted it to suit our modern lives.
5. What is the Rede, The Law of Return or the Three Fold Law?
Answer: The word Rede comes from the Old English term 'to guide or to direct'. For Wiccans it is the guide that sets the standards for how we practice magick and how we live our lives. The shortened form of the Rede is, "an it harm none do what ye will." The Rede has been traced to two sources. Popularly it is associated The Rede of the Wiccae attributed to Adriana Porter. Less Popularly it is also attributed to the Thelemic version written by Aleister Crowley which states, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law."
The Law of Return also know as The Rule of Three, Three Fold Law, etc. refers to the understanding of cause and effect. Wiccan apply this both to mundane and magickal endeavors. Everything that is sent out wil return to you likewise many-fold.
7. Do Wiccans worship the Devil, or sacrifice animals or people?
Answer: Wiccans do not worship the Devil, he is generally seen as a Deity from the Christian pantheon. Wiccans do not kill humans or animals as sacrifice to the Gods. It is at odds with the Rede, 'An it harm none do what ye will'.
On that same note, not all Satanists believe in the Devil either, let alone worship him, or take lives during ritual. For more information on this and other aspects of Satanism explore Modern Laveyan Satanism as well as Traditional and Ritual Satanism.You may be surprised to discover that Satanism is as diverse in paths as Wicca is, and much of what is prescribed to Satanism, is not.
4. Is Wicca a 'Real' religion?
Answer: Yes! Wicca is a bona fide religion here in the U.S. according to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. This is backed up by the 1985 court case of Dettmer v. Landon where the Church of Wicca was declared protected and recognized by the First Amendment. On this note even the Army Chaplain's religious beliefs handbook describes Wiccan practices, and Wiccans in the military can have 'Wiccan' on their dog tags!
6. What is magick, and why do you crazy Wiccans spell it with a 'k'?
Answer: Magick is the art of changing your reality through the focusing of your will. Magick is energy, and the harnessing of it. Magick is everywhere and in everything, and is an essential ingrediant in forms and manifestations of life. Magick is all these things and much more.
Wiccans tend to spell it with a 'k' to differentiate from the magic that is practiced on stage. Magic such as slight of hand, and other visual arts. This is not to say that there is no magick in this, but a magician would not necessarily think of themselves as a witch or a magickal practioner. Aleister Crowley is credited with the shift to spell magic with a 'k' for this reason and also for numerological reasons.
Wiccans practice magick. Through a deep reverence for the Old Gods, the Earth and Moon, the Elements, and the Other Folk we seek to work in deep harmony to shape our universe. The Rede and the Three Fold Law or Law of Return are our sacred guidelines as magickal practitioners.
