Wicca

Wicca is probably the most prominently followed religious tradition in the Neopagan family. It's a recent religion that was first developed and conceptualized by Margaret Murray in the 1930's. Like most Neopagan traditions, Wicca gleans the beliefs which ancient Pagan religions held and makes it fit for following in today's society. There are many forms of Wicca, including Gardnerian and Celtic Wicca, but they all adhere to essentially the same principles. Wiccans believe in a Mother Goddess and a Father God (and while they're both very important, it is the reverence for the Goddess that is expressed more often.) They use witchcraft, a magickal system outside of the religion. They believe in reincarnation and karma, like most Eastern traditions. And even though Wicca has it's own set of beliefs, they are still open to the exploration of other religious traditions and practices.



I must absolutely stress, even though Wiccans all around the world say it already...Wiccans do NOT worship the devil. There is no concept of a Christian devil in Wicca, let alone the reverence for one. The Pentacle is NOT a symbol of Satanism or evil. Satanists have used this symbol upside-down (which is considered extremely disrespectful to Wiccans.) But, just because Satanists use the upside-down cross as their symbol, does it mean that a right-side up cross is devilish? Same thing with the right-side up Pentacle. The Pentacle represents the five elements essential in the use of witchcraft: Earth, Air, Water, Fire and Akasha (spirit). The circle is a very important symbol to Wiccans, who use it to draw a protective circle around themselves when they are about to conduct a ritual or a spell.




This is the Triple Goddess symbol. It symbolizes the different stages of the Goddess' life throughout the year using different phases of the Moon. The first crescent is a waxing moon, which represents the Maiden aspect of the Goddess. The middle moon is the Full Moon, which represents the Mother aspect of the Goddess, when she is pregnant with the God. (Will shortly explain this in a while.) The last crescent is the waxing Moon which represents the Goddess in her Crone aspect, when she is aging and coming to the end of her cycle.





This symbol represents the Horned God, the God of the Wiccans. (Which has absolutely nothing to do with Satan. He is usally depicted with antlers, not horns, anyways!) The God is the Goddess' child and consort. He is born, He grows into a lusty young man who impregnates the Goddess, He dies, then He is born of the Goddess again. It's all rather a lot to absorb at first, but aren't all mythologies strange in some way? :)