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Originally Posted by Bhelliom
ok WT here's the question for you. Ignoring all the actual witchcraft stuff. I'm always interested in reading about ummm not to be offensive..... cults and religious origins... do you have any suggestions on say... the history of the wiccan religion?
I like to know how these things develop and change throughout history.
PS any comments made in this post do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the writer. Therefore, any furious outrage and urges to flip through spell books to curse me should be avoided.
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I'll take a small try at this one.
(Just a small one. All the answers would take up...everything.)
"Wicca" is a religion. Oddly, one of the first groups to recognize it as such was the US Military. All military chaplains have a section on Wicca in their "handbooks," to tell them the right things to say in what circustances, just as they would for all the other religions.
Wicca is different from what is called "the Craft." (OK, if you've seen the movie...forget it.) Some Wiccans practice the Craft, some do not. I personally am not there yet.
No true Wiccan would *ever* "cast a spell" on someone. The Wiccan Rede says "an it harm none, do what ye will." Not too surprisingly, "putting a curse on someone" is harming them. "Repelling negative energy" is what a Wiccan would do.
The arguments of the "history" of the "Wiccan Religion" are still going on. Some say it dates to the...help me out here, WT. 1940's?
Now...there have *always* been women who knew more about herbs, healing, the powers of nature, etc. This goes back through time. They were called "witches" because of ignorant people who were afraid of them.
There is no Satan in either Wicca or the Craft.
When Christianity began its campaign for dominance, it "borrowed" a lot from the pagans. The Pagans celebrated "the wheel of the year," the natural cycles. It's not surprising that all Christian holidays fall near or on pagan ones. The Christians did that on purpose.
The "face" assigned to Satan is borrowed from "The Green Man," a phase of the God where he had horns...like a stag. He's a totally nice guy, really, and absolutely nothing to be afraid of.
Just like the Christians, the Satanists have borrowed a few things. The most often seen is the "pentacle," the five pointed star in a circle. (If it's a five pointed star alone, it's a pentagram.) In Wicca, the top point, pointing UP, stands for The Spirit, The Ether...called different things by different people. It symbolizes The Spirit *over* the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water - making it more important. Satanists turned it upside down, to indicate that this corporeal existant was what mattered. They turned the Christian cross upside down, too. Their use of it doesn't make it evil, neither does their use of the pentacle. Frequently in movies with bad researchers, you will see an upright pentacle used and someone calling it a "Satanic symbol." (You may also here my scream like banshee if we're both watching the same movie.)
There are plenty of evil people out there calling themselves Wiccans, just as there are plenty of evil people out there calling themselves Christians.
Various Wiccan off the top of my head facts:
Wiccans do NOT proselitize. We answer questions, but we don't try and drum up members.
There's no such thing as a "Wiccan Bible."
All Wiccans are "witches" but not all "witches" are Wiccan. Some practice the Craft without having Wicca as their religion. (It's like "all poodles are dogs, but not all dogs are poodles.")
All Wiccans/Pagans don't agree on everything any more than all Christians do. (I've known Methodists who wouldn't speak to Baptists and for the life of me...I couldn't figure out what the difference was.) The fights amonst the Pagans get just as ugly as any other group of people.
In Wicca, it is perfectly permissable to "wing it." Take a little piece here, a little piece there, and figure out what best fits you personally.