1 WICCA Myth vs. Fact

2 Introduction The Purpose of this class is to dispel some very popular myths about Wicca and witchcraft.

3 MYTH vs. FACT MEANING OF THE PENTAGRAM WICCA (A brief history) MISCONCEPTIONS BELIEFS

4 MYTH vs. FACT MEANING OF THE PENTAGRAM The pentagram, or five-pointed star, may be the most misunderstood Religious symbol around these days. Being the common symbol in Witchcraft, it has never the less been denigrated by movie and publishing industries which seem 'hell-bent' on connecting it with Satanism and other malevolent practices. However, like the Roman Cross or Crucifix, it is only when the symbol is INVERTED that it alludes to negativity. And even then, there are exceptions, as we shall see.

5 MYTH vs. FACT (cont.) In its usual upright position (one point uppermost), the pentagram is an ancient symbol of protection from evil. Also called the 'endless knot' (in its interlace form), the pentagram was often displayed on doors, windows, and hearths of houses throughout pre-Christian Europe. It can be traced back to Egyptian and Sumerian cultures, and has even be found on Native American medicine tools. Sometimes mistakenly confused with the Star of David, or hexagram (a six- pointed star emblematic of Judaism), the pentagram is sometimes called the Star of Solomon, especially by ceremonial magicians.

6 (cont.) To many, the lower four points represent the classical elements of earth, air, fire and water, while the fifth point surmounting the others, represents spirit, the fifth element or quintessence. Thus, the pentagram symbolizes the four elements of the material world connected with, but ruled by the spirit. When the pentagram is place within a circle (symbol of unity and wholeness), it stresses our connection with the universe as a whole.

7 WICCA (A brief history) Wicca is a neo-pagan religion based on the pre-Christian traditions of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Its origins can be traced even further back to Paleolithic peoples who worshipped a Hunter God and a Fertility Goddess. Cave painting found in France (and dated at 30,000 years old) depict a man with the head of a stag, and a woman with a swollen, pregnant belly. They stand in a circle with eleven mortals. These archetypes of the divine are worshipped by Wiccans to this very day. By these standards, the religion that is now called Wicca, is perhaps the oldest religion in the world.

8 (cont.) In 1951, the laws against Witchcraft were repealed in England. A man named Gerald Gardner was the first to come into the public eye with a description of what modern witches were practicing. His information came from the traditions of a coven called the New Forest Witches, and from Ceremonial Magick and the Cabballah. He began what is now called the Gardnerian Tradition of Wicca. From Gardnerian came Alexandrian Tradition, and a host of other offshoots that today number in the hundreds.

9 MISCONCEPTIONS For two thousand years the image of the Witch has been associated with evil, heathenism, and blasphemy. These ideas have their origin in Christian myths created to convert members of the Old Religion to that of the new. By making the Witch into a diabolical character of ill intent and action, the Christian missionaries were able to attach fear to a word that had once meant HEALER, WISE ONE AND SEER. These fears are present to this day. When we think of the archetypical image of the Witch, we remember the evil enchantress of childhood tales. We think of an old, wrinkled hag with a nasty wart on her nose. We think of hexes, and devils, and foul incantations chanted around a bubbling cauldron. While we modern witches have been known to stir up herbal remedies in a cauldron, we are a far cry indeed from the horrifying Wicked Witch of the West!

10 (cont.) Witches Do Not Worship Satan. To believe in Satan, one must subscribe to the Christian mythos. We do not. Wicca does not have any belief in, nor do we worship a concept of evil incarnate. All life is perceived as a constant flow of positive and negative energies, which intertwine to create the balance of life. (from my own experience, I must say that the only evil I have ever observed in the world has come from Man. There are no ax-murderers, or child-abusers to be found in the animal kingdom, or in nature as a whole.)

11 (cont.) Witches Do Not Cast Evil Spells. Modern Witches have a very strict belief in the Law of Return. Whatever we send out into our world shall return to us, so even the most ill- tempered Witch would not consider doing magick to harm another being. The spells that we do involve things like HEALING, LOVE, WISDOM, CREATIVITY and JOY. The "potions" that we stir might be a headache remedy, or a cold tonic, or an herbal flea bath for the family dog.

12 BELIEFS Immanent Divinity. Wiccans believe that the spirit of God/dess exists in every living thing: in the trees, the rain the flowers, the sea, and in each other. This means that we must treat our peers and all the beings of the Earth as aspects of the Divine. We attempt to honor and respect life, in all its many and diverse expressions.

13 ( cont.) Nature. Wiccans learn form and worship nature by celebrating the cycles of the sun, and cycles of the moon. We look into ourselves for the cycles within that correspond to those of the natural world, and try to move in harmony with the movement of life. Our teachers come in the form of tress, rivers, lakes, meadows, and mountains as well as other humans who have walked the path before us. This belief infers a reverence and respect for the environment, and all of life upon the Earth. We revere the spirits of the elements that create our world. Air, Fire, Water and Earth combine to manifest all creation. From these four elements we gain wisdom and understanding of how the universe unfold. The rhythms of nature are the rhythms of our lives. Wiccans attempt to dance in step with the pulse of the Earth.

14 (cont.) Other Faiths. Modern Witches believe in freedom first! We do not choose to look at our path as "one true right way," but as one path among many to the center. We do not convert new members to the Craft, nor do we advertise. We believe that anyone who is meant for this path will find it through their own search. Wiccans practice tolerance and acceptance toward all other religions, as long as those faiths do not preach or commit harm to others.

15 (cont.) Afterlife. Most Witches believe in reincarnation of some sort, whether it be the Eastern version known as the Transmigration of the Souls (the spirit incarnating one body after another in an effort to learn all the life lessons that it can), or Ancestral Incarnation (where the spirit and life lessons of the grandfather transmute to the granddaughter, and so on down the genetic line). The latter is a more traditionally Celtic approach, but both are accepted

16 (cont.) Sin. In Wicca, we do not have a specific concept of sin. There is no heaven or hell that souls will go to based on their worldly actions. Wrong-doing is governed and determined by the individual conscience. With the belief in the Law of Return, one's actions will determine one's future. The individual is therefore responsible for his or her own fate, based on what he or she chooses to do internally and externally in the world.

17 (cont.) Ethics. Wicca has but one law of action and ethics. It is called the Wiccan Rede or the Wiccan Law: "An ye harm none, do as thou wilt". It covers almost everything that the Ten Commandments do; don't lie, don't steal, don't cheat, etc. It encourages us to strive not to harm any living thing - including ourselves-except perhaps to survive. Whether this means that you must become a vegetarian or a pacifist is up to the individual. The Wiccan Rede serves as a guideline to action, not a mandate. The only law that the Ten Commandments express that is not covered by the Wiccan Rede is that of marriage and adultery. In Wicca, love itself is sanctified, with or without government authorization. As long as individuals share a sincere bond of love that does not harm either party, it does not matter if they are legally joined or if they are heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual or interracial.

18 (cont.) Leadership vs. Hierarchy. There is no Arch Bishop of Wicca. There is no one person or organization that determines the practices and beliefs of Wicca as a whole. Instead, Wicca is formed of small nebulous groups and solitaries who are charged with the leadership of themselves. Wicca is a religion of clergy, not followers. Each person who seriously pursues the Craft, whether it be through study in a particular tradition, or through self-teaching and private learning, has the choice to become a priest or priestess of Wicca. Most modern traditions of Wicca offer a three year program of learning that will bring the student to the level of High Priest or Priestess. (In our tradition, the word High Priest/ess means servant; one who serves the God, The Goddess, the community, nature and Life. It does not mean that a High Priest/ess is higher or better than anyone else. I think of the title as one that I will spend the entirety of my life striving to live up to.)

19 (cont.) Churches and Temples. Wiccans do not usually have churches created specifically for the worship of the gods. Our temple is found in nature, among the creations of the divine. We meet in a circle that represents the Circle of Life, and the equality that we share. There is no head, no top, no beginning and no end. When necessary, our circles take place indoors in houses apartments, or where ever we can find a sacred, protected space. But ideally, circle will take place in a grove beneath the stars, with the silver moon shining down from above.

20 (cont.) Magick. Witches believe in the power of magick to create change. A prominent Wiccan author defines magick as "the art of changing consciousness at will". By being in tune with the rhythms of life, we can create change for ourselves and for our world. We use herbs, oils, colors, stones, crystals and other symbolic materials to represent the change we wish to create. Wiccans believe that the individual is responsible for his or her own reality. If there is something that is not healthy, or conducive to happiness and growth, we have the power to change it. As aspects of the divine, we are each Creator and Creatrix, filled with the power to manifest all that we dream of or desire.

21 COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS HARM NONE, DO AS YOU WILL. BLESSED BE! )O(