Special Thanks to Ms. DeLani Bartlette
WICCA
THE PAGAN RELIGION
A Neo Pagan Religion
Kindle,Aaron
Valentin,Rafael
Bide the Wiccan Redes ye must,
REDES
GUIDELINES FOR BEING WICCAN
In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust;
Live ye must and let to live,
Fairly take and fairly give;
Form the Circle thrice about,
To keep unwelcome spirits out;
Bind fast the spell every time,
Let the words be spoke in rhyme.
Soft of eye and light of touch,
Speak ye little, listen much;
Deosil go by waxing moon,
Sing and dance the Witches' Rune;
Widdershins go by waning moon,
Chant ye then a baleful tune;
When the Lady's moon is new,
Nine woods in the cauldron go,
Burn them quick, burn them slow;
Elder be the Lady's tree,
Burn it not or curs'd ye'll be;
When the wind begins to turn,
Soon Beltane fires will burn;
When the wheel has turned to Yule,
light the log, the Horned One rules.
Heed the flower, bush or tree
By the Lady blessed be'
When the rippling waters flow
cast a stone - the truth you'll know;
When ye have & hold a need,
Hearken not to others' greed;
With a fool no seasons spend,
Or be counted as his friend.
'Tis by the sun that life be won,
And by the moon that change be done;
If ye would clear the path to will,
Make certain the mind be still;
What good be tools without Inner Light ?
What good be magic without wisdomsight ?
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill –
An it harm none, do what ye will.
Kiss hand to her times two;
When the moon rides at peak,
Heart's desire then ye seek.
Heed the North wind's mighty gale,
Lock the door & trim the sail;
When the wind comes from the South,
Love will kiss them on the mouth;
When the wind blows from the West,
Merry meet and merry part
Bright the cheeks, warm the heart;
Mind the threefold law ye should,
Three times bad and three times good;
Whene'er misfortune is enow,
Wear the star upon your brow;
True in troth ever ye be
Lest thy love prove false to thee.
http://wicca.com/celtic/wicca/rede.htm
“SERVE THE LIFE FORCE”
Wicca insists being in tune with nature, for the earth and everything
of the earth is divine. Our bodies are divine, and sex is revered as a
sacred act.
Physics says, “that the atoms and molecules of all things . . . are in
constant motion.” Discovering this motion, or energy, is at the heart of
Wicca. This energy, the Goddess, surges through everything, including
us. We are of the Goddess and the Goddess is of us. We must discover
ourselves to attain oneness with the world.
DAILY LIFE OF A WICCAN
Due to the emphasis on nature, many Wiccans are vegetarians or
environmentalists.
Some Wiccans use magic, but it can be for simple things such as
finding a job.
Can worship in covens or in solitude.
Not all covens practice a hierarchical structure
Covens usually remain small, about up to thirteen people.
Every coven has its own rules and functions.
Covens are scarce.
BELIEFS
Combines folk traditions and mythologies with modern humanistic ideas.
Acknowledges that everything is divine
Recognizing and worshipping nature & agriculture
Is not a patriarchal or monarchal and that male & females are equal
Rule of threes anything you put out (physically, mentally, or spiritually)
whether positive or negative is to return to you 3 fold.
The Wiccan religion believes in Circles
Personal growth ecological and spiritual
Celtic, Greek, Roman, Norse, and Egyptian gods are popular among Wiccans
as personal deities
POPULAR DEITIES IN THE
WORLD OF WICCA
There are many different sets of beliefs in terms of some may be either monotheistic, polytheistic, and
Animism
Celtic, Greek, Roman, Norse, and Egyptian gods are popular among Wiccans as personal deities
The Moon Goddess
The Maiden- Also refered to as a
huntress, represents free
spirit/adventurous
The Mother- Nuturing/
Creative/ Fertile
The Crone- The Wise One
The Horned God
Represents everything that is wild, assertive, and
physically powerful(masculine)
“The power of feeling”
“The image of what men could be if they were
liberated from the constraints of patriarchal
culture”
The embodiment of movement and change.
PENTAGRAM
The circle represents the Cycle of life and how everything comes around.
5 points represent the five elements of earth, air, fire, water, and the 5 th one
being spirit.
The middle of the pentagram symbolizes Harmony
It is a powerful protective symbol with one point UP
It is very offensive to use the pentagram that has two points up also known as
the inverted pentagram
MISCONCEPTION
There is a misconception that all that are practicing Wicca are witches that fly
around on broomsticks etc… this is only partially true.
The practice of witchcraft is defined by using magic and most Wiccan
believers actively practice witchcraft.
Wiccans do not worship Satan nor do they perform human sacrifice.
Wicca is not the same thing as being “goth” or “emo”.
But practically speaking witchcraft is just a label to put pagan religions in a
bad light. Lighting incense in hopes of healing a sick child is considered
witchcraft to Wiccans but seen as something different by other religions.
Wiccans receive a large amount of discrimination in predominant Christian
areas.
COVENS
Covens are groups of people that are all associated with
one another in sometimes secretive meetings.
Covens are usually the first thing that you associate with
Wiccan like behavior when you first hear it.
Some Wiccans meet in circles rather than covens, which
are more formal and require an initiation or dedication.
HOLIDAYS
(SABBATS)
Wiccan holidays are formally around equinoxes
and solstices reaching a total of 8 in its entirety.
Solstices and Celtic Fire Festivals
Equinox/Solstices
Celtic fire festivals
Yule(Winter)
Imbolg (Feb 1)
Ostara(Spring)
Beltaine (May 1)
Litha(Summer)
Lughnasadh/Lammas (August 2)
Mabon (Fall)
Samhain (October 31)
SAMHAIN
(SOW-AN)
NOVEMBER 1ST
Symbolism
Third Harvest, the Dark Mysteries, Rebirth through Death.
Symbols
Gourds, Apples, Black Cats, Jack-O-Lanterns
Samhain was originally the Celtic "Feast of the Dead" when offerings of food were
left on altars and doorsteps for the wandering spirits. Single candles were lit in
windows to guide the spirits of loved ones home, and places were set at the dinner
table and near the hearth to honor the dead and make them welcome.
On Samhain night, the Christian townspeople locked their windows and doors and
drew their shutters closed for fear of seeing an evil apparition. The witches carved
turnips with ghoulish faces (there were no pumpkins in Britain at the time) and lit
them with candles. Dressed in black cloaks they were nearly invisible in the night,
except for the leering faces of the carved turnips. Anyone peeking out the window
on Samhain night would be frightened out of their wits, thus leaving the way clear
for the witches to proceed to their Sabbat.
Symbolism of Yule
Rebirth of the Sun, The longest night of the year, The
Winter Solstice, Introspect, Planning for the Future.
Symbols of Yule
Yule log, or small Yule log with 3 candles, evergreen
boughs or wreaths, holly, mistletoe hung in doorways,
gold pillar candles, baskets of clove studded fruit, a
simmering pot of wassail, poinsettias, “Christmas”
cactus.
YULE
(YOU-EL)
WINTER SOLTICE
DECEMBER 20-23
Believed to have been the inspiration for the catholic holiday of Candle mass
and for Saint Bridget.
Celebrating the Winter starting to recede. Winter was not done yet but this
special day was to keep hope as they tried to make it through the harsh
winters.
IMBOLC
FEBRUARY 1ST OR 2ND
When time is in balance and day and night is equal
The celebration of new life after winter when the land reawakens
A green alter cloth and pastel colored candles represent the greenery and
colors of spring
The first start for you to plant post winter crops.
During the time in which this holiday was recognize it was hard to conceive
and carry a child to term so it was important to practice this holiday.
Symbolism of Ostara
Celebrating life in terms of fertility. Fertilization of the land and “seed sowing”
Symbols of Ostara
Eggs and Rabbits
OSTARA—4TH SABBAT
SPRING EQUINOX
AROUND MARCH 20TH *
BELTAINE
MAY 1ST
Supposedly the cathotlic church took this and turned it into May Day.
Symbol
Dancing around a may pole with a ribbon
Symbolism
It is the celebration of sexuality. The pole represents the falace and the ribbon
represents the vagina once it is wrapped around the pole.
Represents sexual fire. Acknowledging that the need for sex is similar to the
hunger for food. Longing/lust/desire and that they are all desired and
nescessary. No difference in what is sacred and what is physical
LITHA
Litha (pronounced LITH-ah) is one of the Lesser Wiccan Sabbats and is
usually celebrated on June 21st, but varies somewhat from the 20th to the
23rd, dependent upon the Earth's rotation around the Sun (check the
calendar). According to the old folklore calendar, Summer begins on Beltane
(May 1st) and ends on Lughnassadh (August 1st), with the Summer Solstice
midway between the two, marking MID-Summer. This makes more logical
sense than suggesting that Summer begins on the day when the Sun's power
begins to wane and the days grow shorter
Celebration of Marriage
It is a celebration of passion and of ensuring the success of the crops.
The Christian religion converted this day of Jack-in-the-Green to the Feast of
St. John the Baptist, often portraying him in rustic attire, sometimes with
horns and cloven feet (like the Greek Demi-God Pan)
LUGHNASADH
(LUNE-ASA)
ALSO KNOWN AS LAMMAS
AUGUST 1ST -2ND
The first Harvest Festival. The first wine is drank at this time for
it to be drank over the rest of the year.
“Lammas is a time of excitement and magic. The natural world is
thriving around us, and yet the knowledge that everything will
soon die looms in the background. This is a good time to work
some magic around the hearth and home.”
MABON
SEPTEMBER 21ST
BIG HARVEST FESTIVAL
Commonly referred to as the witches thanksgiving
Being thankful for everything especially a bountiful harvest. Everything it its
entired especially your health.
Ritual of thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth and a recognition of the need to share them to
secure the blessings of the Goddess and the God during the coming winter months
WORKS CITED
Poole, Robert, ed. The Lancashire Witches: Histories and
Stories. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2003. Print.
Sabin, Thea. Wicca for Beginners: Fundamentals of
Philosophy & Practice. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications,
2006. Print.
Starhawk. The Spiral Dance. San Francisco: HarperCollins,
1999. Print.
http://wicca.com/celtic/wicca/rede.htm