Common Misconceptions About Wicca

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. (It's important to note, though, that the Christians were doing what they thought was necessary to save these people's souls, and ruining the image of Wiccan's probably wasn't why they started this practice.) The Wiccan was the local doctor, lawyer, or psychologist in the town, and did not have any of these negative connotations originally.

Witches Do Not Worship satan. 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. The concept of satan is a relatively new one, around only since the times of Christianity. Wiccans were often accused of worshiping satan due to the fact that God is often depicted as having horns to represent His connection to animals. Since the Christian satan hs horns, misunderstandings developed, and Christians began to believe that Wiccans were worshipping thier satan.

Another misconception about Witches made by uneducated onlookers was the "flying on brooms" myth. Wiccans used brooms in some religious ceremonies, some say as a symbol of spiritual cleaning. Onlookers saw Wiccans using brooms in thier religious ceremonies, and especially with the "jumping the broom" tradition that occurs during some handfastings, they began to think that Wiccans "fly on brooms," which in fact, was never the case.