LEARNING OUTLINE
I created this learning outline when a few friends of mine asked me to teach them Wicca. I wanted them to learn the foundations of the religion as well as the basics, instead of learning the way I did, which basically consisted of me printing out spells posted online, trying them, and getting a major dose of three-fold type backlash. Some of this is drawn from my own experiences, and some of it (for example the Dumbledore Theory) is my way of relating religion to pop culture in order for people to understand it more easily. I will be adding to this as I finish the outlines.
I. Introduction to Wicca
A. What is wicca?
1. Definition of Wicca- a pagan (earth based) religion that acknowledges both male
and female deity (see creation story handout) and incorporates the practices of
magic, ritual, and knowledge of the cycles of the Earth, moon, planets, etc.
2. What wicca isn�t...
a. devil worship- don�t even believe in the devil
b. evil- believe in consequences of our actions.
c. paranormal and/or supernatural skills
d. a way of dramatically altering the universe
e. purely magic or purely the practice of witchcraft.
i. all wiccans are witches but not all witches are wiccan.
B. History of Wicca.
1. History summary handout
2. Pagan
a. �from the countryside�
b. before Christianity
i. Many �book based� religions draw from pagan religions and traditions. Eg:
Halloween, Christmas, etc. Also the removal of the female deity to satisfy a
primarily male ruled society.
c. other pagan religions
i. druidism- closely related
ii. Shamanism
iii. Ceremonial Magic
3. Wicca is an ancient religion. However because of persecution, witches had to hide
their religion. Therefore it didn�t become widespread until relatively recent times.
a. 1950�s- Gerald Gardener �creates� modern Wicca.
b. 1990�s the world wide web allows witches to publish information about Wicca,
making it easily accessible and causing increased popularity of the religion.
c. Wicca is currently the fastest growing religion.
4. Traditions
a. Specific traditions
i. Gardnerian- one of the first modern traditions; very secretive
ii. Alexandrian- not as secretive as the gardnerian, emphasis on training and ritual
iii. Corellian- emphasis on the pagan community
iv. Dianic- �feminist� tradition, emphasis on the Goddess.
v. Ecclectic
5. The Burning Times
a. Salem Witchcraft Trials
i. 19 people hung, 1 crushed
ii. October 2001- the last of the accused witches were finally pardoned by our
federal government.
b. inquisitions, etc...
c. The King James version Bible.
d. 1951- the year the last anti-witchcraft laws were repealed (England)
C. Wiccan Ethics
1. Wiccan Rede
a. Interpret (see Wiccan Rede handout)
b. credited to Lady Gwen Thompson ( 1975- Green Egg Magazine)
c. What Rede means in magical workings
i. positive aspects
ii. negative aspects
2. �An it harm none, do what ye will.�
a. Obvious Interpretation
b. Hidden Meaning
i. anything that affects/goes against the will of another person
ii. LOVE SPELLS!!!
iii. Spells without permission of other person when they would disagree
-Catholic Aunt Erma v. Pagan Aunt Sue
3. The three-fold law
a. Karma, reap what you sow, golden rule
b. good v. bad intent
c. makes you think about consequences of your actions (Discussion)
d. Not necessarily THREE in all traditions and could be worse
4. Aquisition of Power
a. Not to show off or use for �party tricks�
b. Resposibilities to:
i. self
ii. others
iii. universe
c. �Dumbledore Theory�
-Gain enough power to alter the entire universe but have the:
(i) common sense
(ii) self control
(iii) responsibility
not to...
C. Becoming Wiccan
1. Address questions and fears
2. Study & Learn for �a year and a day�
a. Books
Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (Scott Cunningham)
To Ride a Silver Broomstick (Silver Ravenwolf)
Solitary Witch (Silver Ravenwolf)
b. Websites
http://wiccan.com
http://wicca.com
http://witchvox.com
http://spiritonline.com
3. Coming out of the Broom Closet.
4. Paths & Traditions.
a. Tradition or Ecclectic
b. Solitary or Coven
i. pros & cons of each
5. Seeker, Dedication, & Initiation ceremonies
a. Seeker Ceremony- a ceremony (usually for teens) that states an interest in Wicca
but doesn�t �seal the deal�.
b. Dedication Ceremony- a solitary dedication to the Wiccan religion.
c. Initiation Ceremony- a coven ceremony initiating a person into the Wiccan
religion and also to the lineage of the particular coven.