Paganism, Wicca

The Wicca faith is one that brings me peace within myself.

Wiccans do NOT worship the Devil.  We do NOT sacrifice animals, humans or anything else for that matter to what Christianity calls Satan.  We do not Believe in Satan, the Devil or whatever else you want to call it, so it is impossible for us to worship something we don't believe in.

Some ask me if I believe in God.  The answer quite simply is Yes.  Wiccans believe in God, however, we also believe in the Goddess.  God has been called the 'Father', the male side of faith and religion... well, the Goddess is our 'Mother', if you will, the female side of our faith.

Most Wiccans:

• Worship the Goddess and God
• Have a reverance for the Earth
• Accept magic as a very real part of life
• Accept reincarnation
• Have a lack of proselytizing activities... (meaning we don't 'recruit' folks to conform to our faith or our way of life... there are many paths out there and no one path in particular is right for everyone)

Wiccans believe the Earth is a gift from our deities (the Goddess and God).  We try to do what we can to protect it and keep it alive and thriving.  For the Earth is living, we should respect it, not abuse it.

Magic...  yes we believe in magic.  Not in the sense of magicians like David Copperfield, but in the sense that everyone has powers within them.  If you believe in these powers, they can help you solve life's problems and live a more peaceful life.  We light candles, burn incense, have stones, gems, crystals and many other 'tools' that we use to help us center ourselves around the energy of these 'powers'.  Not all Wiccans use the 'tools', but many do.  I do.  One very important rule to the magic that we as Wiccans do, is to HARM NO ONE.  We do not cast spells that bring death or destruction on another.  We are not 'evil', bad people.  We are not out to harm others.  We endear others, be they human, plant or animal forms, we endear, rever and try to protect them all.

Wiccans also believe in reincarnation.  Some may say we are strange... some have called me a 'throwback' at times.  Basically what I believe as far as reincarnation goes is that our soul is energy.  Our inner energy.  Science taught us that you cannot create nor destroy energy.  Therefore, if we as humans are energy, we cannot be created or destroyed, we can just change form,  Hence, we must go somewhere and turn into another form of energy.  Be it another human form, animal form or what have you, I believe we come back again and again and again.  Energy continues.  Our bodies are just a way for us to carry this energy around, until our 'body' wears out.  Then that energy must move on and find itself another place to settle.

What I do

I am what is called a solitary witch.  Yes, Wiccans are witches.  Not what one would picture at Halloween, that's not how witches really are... that's Hollywood's idea of a witch.

I say my prayers (rituals, chants) to myself.  I light different colored candles for different things.  I use incense oils and burn incense sticks.  I even have my collection of stones and gems.

There are different colors and different stones (gems) that I believe open up the powers that I naturally have.  Here is a brief list of what each color can do if you really truly believe in magic.

Stones

• Diamonds are stones of strength, reconciliation, healing and protection.

• Emeralds are for love, money, health and psychic powers.

• Sapphires are for meditation, peace, and power.

• Rubies are for joy, wealth and restful sleep.

• Crystals are used to promote health, draw love, attract money, bring peace and for protection.

• Sugilite (a purplish crystal) is used to promote phychism and spirituality and to speed healing.

• Clear and lavender (amethyst) crystals are also used to promote peace and healing.

Candles

Likewise, different color candles mean different things and are burned for different effects.

• White for purification, protection and peace

• Red for protection, strength, health, courage, exorcism and passion

• Black for negation, absorption of disease and negativity

• Blue for healing, phychism, patience and happiness

• Green for finances, money, fertility, growth and employment

• Yellow for intelligence, theorization, divination

• Brown for healing (of animals), homes and housing

• Pink for love and friendship

• Orange for adaptability, stimulation and attraction

• Purple for power, healing (of severe disease), spirituality and meditation

Many Wiccans also use herbs in their magic.  I don't do much with herbs so I really don't know alot about them myself.

This gives you a little idea of what Wicca is and isn't.  I can recommend an excellent book to learn about Witchcraft and Wicca though.  It is written by a gentleman named Scott Cunningham.  The book is called 'The Truth About Witchcraft Today'.  I picked up a copy of it at a used book store here where we live for less than $2.  Check around, maybe even check your local library for a copy of it.  It'll make for some great reading and can really open your mind to what Wicca and Witchcraft is all about and what it isn't about.

Blessed Be....