No. Wiccans, Pagans, etc. do not believe in the existence of Satan/the devil, so we cannot worship something we do not believe exists.
Do Wiccans believe in God?
Yes, we just have a different concept of God than Christians do. Pagans/Wiccans have a wide variety of beliefs when it comes to the Devine. Some of us believe in One god with dual aspects (male and female), some of us believe in lots of different Gods, there are some who believe that the Devine is female, and there are still others who do not try to define their concept of God.
What about Jesus?
Well, since we, as Pagans/Wiccans, have very personalized beliefs about our spirituality this is really up to the individual. Some do not believe that Jesus is devine at all, some believe that he was a great man, some believe he was the first "witch", some believe that his story has been changed and rearranged so that what you are taught isn't what is true, and still others find a way to incorporate him into their belief system.
Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins?
Most of us do not, that is not to say there aren't any Pagans/Wiccans out there who do believe that. Most of us feel as if WE are personally responsible for our actions and that no one had/has to die to "cleanse" our souls. We believe in the concept of Karma (for the most part) and that whatever you put out, good or bad, comes back to you (usually times 3). So if you live a good life and do good things, you will get back good things, etc. That is a very simplistic way to put a complicated subject, but that's the easiest way to explain it.
Do you cast spells on people?
No. A responsible, knowledgable Witch does not do that. One who truly is part of the religion knows better. Our creed is "Harm none, do what you will". Now it's true that not all Pagans/Wiccans/etc. believe that, but even those who don't do not usually practice irresponsible Magick. Inflicting your will upon another person is a big no-no. The only time anything remotely like that is acceptable is when a binding must be done to protect someone from serious harm, and even then such a spell is not undertaken lightly. There are "newbies" and "wannabes" out there who try that sort of thing, but most of the time they don't have enough knowledge/training to pull it off. They are only misinformed and most likely tv witches (in other words they've seen too many episodes of charmed, buffy, The Craft, and Practical Magic).
Why call yourself a Witch? I mean it has a negative connotation, why go through the hassle?
Well, this is a personal question you have to ask the individual witch. For me it's because I am embracing a wrong stereotype and trying to educate people. I'm trying to show that Witches are not bad. The word Wicca means Wise Ones and there is some dispute about what the original meaning of the word witch was, I'd like to think it also meant wise one. When I hear the word witch, I always think of the village wise woman. You know the woman who delivered babies, gave advice, mixed up herbal concoctions for the sick, and created charms for those seeking a little bit of magick.
Why do you spell magic with a "k"?
That's just to differentiate stage magic done for entertainment from the religious practice of Magick by Pagans/Wiccans/Witches/etc.
What's with the pentagrams? Aren't those satanistic?
NO, It's like any other symbol. A pentagram or pentacle (a pentagram is the star by itself and a pentacle is the star inside a circle) is a symbol for earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. It also means North, East, South, West, and Spirit. Each point represents a direction/element. The circle represents the cycle of life, birth, life, death, and rebirth. It has been "borrowed" by all kinds of people and twisted. Movies and books do not help any when they use it for that kind of thing. We as practitioners of our faiths cannot help what hollywood or groups that we don't agree with choose to do with our symbols. The same thing has been done to the Christian cross, they've used it upside down. They have been known to use our pentacle upside down as well, it does not make the symbol evil, it just makes the people who do that disrespectful.
The cycle of life? Does that mean reincarnation?
Yes, most of us believe in reincarnation. We believe in Karma as well. I can only tell you what my concept of reincarnation is, you'd have to ask each individual Witch what her beliefs are. I believe that we are born to learn and teach lessons. Every person and everything is here for this reason. When we die, we teach and learn a lesson. Even when it's a horrible death, because those who loved us learn something from us dying that way. I believe that we keep learning and teaching lessons until we have attained a high enough level of contiousness to become a part of what created us. In my case the Devine spirit. I also believe that we started small, in the reincarnation process (like the Hindus) and we work our way up the ladder. I know Witches who believe that we choose the life we will be born into and I know some who don't. It's really an individual thing.
Ok, if you don't cast spells on people then what is the spell casting about?
Well, the practice of magick and spell casting is a bit like praying for some of us. A spell is like a prayer with stuff to symbolize what you are asking for or trying to make happen. The request is usually well thought out, charged with energy, and items to symbolize the request, then sent out. Spells can be about any number of things, luck, love (never on someone specific just trying to draw love to you), money (though we are very careful about this as well cause one has to think about where the money comes from), etc. There must be balance in all things. So if you throw off the balance with magick then you'll have to pay it back later. A responsible practitioner understands this and tries not to upset the balance with magick.
You said you believe in Karma, what do you mean?
That is the concept that whatever you put out there will come back to you. It's an extremely old concept. You know "what goes around comes around", stuff like that. The Hindus have believed it since the dawn of time. We have added bit of a spin on it not found elsewhere in the times three concept. A lot of us believe that it comes back times three. It is only a guidline to live by. We are moral people and as a moral people we have to have some rules and that is one of them.
What are some of the other rules?
Well, Harm none is a rule and so is what you do comes back to you times three. There are other rules that the majority of people follow like: not casting spells on people, living an honest life, etc. The normal rules everyone lives by. We are people with children, careers, homes, hopes and dreams. We aren't abnormal, we live, we love, and we die.
Yea, but I"ve heard some really weird stuff about you.. you know tarot cards, fortune telling, occult stuff...
We do as a general rule embrace some things that the majority of the populace does not. Many Pagans/Wiccans are tarot practitioners as well and do other types of fortune telling. That is a secondary thing and not necessary for religious practice. Tarot cards have been around for several hundred centuries. I have a theory on why they work, although I do caution people that they should never live their life by the cards, they are only a tool to help, not to dictate. I think tarot cards work on the individual energies of the person having their cards read. For instance, if you are having your cards read.. it is your energy going into the cards just by touching them and thinking bout your life... When I read cards, the person having their cards read is the one who pulls the cards from the deck.. so it's your own psychic ability we are working with. I'm only skilled at interpreting them for you. The more of a connection that we have the better and more accurate of a reading. The same goes for palm reading, I have been doing that for 20 years. I cannot really tell you alot about your future through your palm, but I can tell you all kinds of things about your health, destiny, and personality. I do not claim to be any great psychic, I have the same level of ability that is in the average person, which is minimal. I just have developed some skills better than others, such as card interpretation and palm reading.
Ok, but what about spirits, ghosts, and evil spirits? Don't you worry about them?
NO. Ghosts are nothing more than earth bound spirits.. It's true that some of them can be a nuisance and can scare a person, but they can't really hurt you. It takes alot of energy for them to affect the physical plane. As for evil spirits.. Well, if you were a bad person in life and you are earth bound then it's likely you haven't learned your lesson and you are hanging around being negative. That's negative not really evil. As for demons, etc. In my experience (I have to qualify that because this is only my experience I'm talking about here and it's pretty extensive at this point), there is no such thing. I've yet to see a person really possessed or being haunted by a demon. That is strictly movie stuff. There are some lower level beings from the astral that can be a bit nasty, but someone who knows what they are doing can get rid of them and they cannot possess you. Well, let me qualify that, I don't think they can unless you really wanted to be possessed or something. You'd have to invite it into your body and I still don't think it's possible. Now, possession is different from channeling... which is possible.
How do people become Witches/Wiccans/Pagans?
Well, in my case, I grew up with related things. I was taught to read tarot and palms when I was 10. Discussions about psychics, ghosts, etc. were pretty normal in my house hold and weren't something to be feared. I was also raised with a belief in reincarnation and Karma, even though my family is pretty much Christian. They are just a bit odd for Christians. So as a teen I began to explore the world of religion and started to study Wicca. I was like any other irresponsible teen out there and made some mistakes, but I have been a practitioner for 16 years so these days I know what I'm talking about. I have been teaching it for about 7 years. People these days do like I did, they start out reading books, experimenting, learning, etc. and come to call themselves Witch. There is a trend now towards covens and teachers though. More and more people are seeking an actual practitioner to teach them or they are seeking covens to learn from.
Covens? I don't like the sound of that...
Well, that is because you've seen too much television. LOL. A coven isn't any different than a church only it's smaller and more intimate. It's a group of Witches/Pagans/Wiccans who get together and celebrate our holy days. We don't sacrifice animals or anything else rediculous like that. Mostly it's alot of chanting, thanking the Devine, and Magick work for positive things. Sounds like church doesn't it? You go, sing, thank God for stuff, pray for things, and spend alot of time telling each other why it's wrong to believe anything else. We're the same except for that last part. We do not believe in "witnessing" or trying to convert people. We believe people should do their own study, reflection, inward journey, and discover the path that is right for THEM.
Holy Days.. what are those?
Well, now that is a loaded question. We have what are called Sabbats and Esbats. Sabbats are the high holy days and fall on solstices, etc. The Esbats are the full moons in a month. I'm not going to go into great detail about them, but I will tell you a little bit. Some of our holidays you are very familiar with, even though you don't realize it, which is why I said it was a loaded question. There is Ostara (Easter). Did you ever wonder where the Easter Bunny and egg hunting/dying came from? Now you know. LOL. Ostara is a spring holiday that falls near Easter on March 21. It is the vernal equinox and is a celebration of spring. In some traditions (different pagan/wiccan paths) it is the time when the young goddess concieves the god. It's a time for fertility, and celebrating the coming of spring. Symbols are bunnies and eggs, both symbols of fertility. Ummm, then there's Yule... another one you are familiar with.. December 21st (another equinox)... didn't you ever wonder where some of those traditions came from? OH and our most misunderstood holiday is Samhain (pronounced Sow in). That is Halloween (lots of traditions came from it too)... Samhain is our festival honoring passed loved ones. We honor and remember those that we love who have passed. There's nothing dark or evil about it, it's really kind of sad. The rememberance ceremony we had at our Samhain party last year had me bawlling for 15 minutes straight. I could go on and on about where various traditions came from but if you want to know that you are going to have to ask me. There are of course, more holidays than this.. I only mentioned 3 big ones. There are 8 in total. Plus the Esbats, which are monthly but they each have a different correspondence that is related to the time of the year, the seasons, and the moon. Too much info for right here. If you would like to know about them all you can go to my holiday page by clicking here.
You said that you don't believe in witnessing or trying to convert people.. does that mean you don't raise your children in your faith?
Well, again this is an individual thing, but the trend in our community right now is to expose our children to every kind of faith/idea. Most of us want our children to be exposed to all religions and to search/study on their own when they are old enough to discover the path that is truly right for them. So in a way they are being raised in our religion because they are exposed to it, but we don't teach that it is the only way or the only right way, unlike other religions.
You seem to have alot of "weirdos" in your community....
Well, we are like any another religion and attract more than our fair share of kooks. Don't pay attention to the ones who claim to be some 8th degree.. something or other.. odds are they are wannabes.. sigh.. or if someone tells you they are a vampire/werewolf in a chat room, it's a safe bet they are kooks and not real Pagans/Wiccans/Witches. We do not use the word Warlock (that's movie stuff and someone saying that isn't for real either), there is no white or black magick (magick is neither it's the person who makes it good or bad) , there are always going to be people who give the rest of us a bad name whether you are christian, pagan, wiccan, hindu, islamic, etc. Just try not to stereotype. Don't jump to conclusions about people until you fully understand what they are all about. We realize as a community that our beliefs have been slammed for a long time by other religions and that people are just ignorant. They do not understand and it isn't personal (at least most of the time). We only ask that we are afforded the respect that you would give to any other person you have met.
I've heard the word skyclad and some other things that sound kind of freaky.. what's that about?
Skyclad has got to be the most controversial issue in the Craft today. Skyclad means exactly what it sounds... wearing nothing but the sky. Yes naked. However, this must be qualified, not everyone practices skyclad (out of everyone I know only about half of them do and not in groups, only solitary). Most people who do practice skyclad only do it when they are practicing solitarily. The majority of practitioners today are solitary anyway. Skyclad is not the least bit sexual, it's sort of a hippy practice, really. It's about freeing yourself from the bonds of clothing and standing under the sky the way you were when you were born. It's about freedom and spirituality and doesn't have a thing to do with sex for the serious practitioner. I've had some of my most spiritual moments standing naked under a full moon. There is no other experience like it. It's difficult to describe and if you are a person with body, sexual, issues/hang-ups, you aren't going to understand it.
What is a Book of Shadows?
It is a book that some Witches/Wiccans/Pagans use to keep spells, rituals, chants, prayers, holiday info, all kinds of things in. It's usually a 3 ring binder these days so that things can be rearranged, sorted, and added to it easily. Some are very protective over it and won't let other people see it, some also keep a journal in it, it really just depends on the individual. I encourage my students to make thier BOS a reflection of their faith and use it as a tool to show other people, but not everyone does that.
Ritual? What is a ritual?
Well, a ritual is our "service". The space the ritual is being held in is usually consecrated and cleansed. This is usually done with water that the practitioner has asked to be blessed, "smudging" with insence, swept with a ritual broom, and/or salt. It depends on their personal practice. Then a circle is cast where the elements/directions are asked to guard or join it, the Devine (whatever their concept of that is) is asked to join it. Whatever holiday/Esbat is being celebrated will be celebrated with songs, poetry, symbolism, the Devine will be honored, Magick may be performed that corresponds with the holiday/Esbat, The Devine will be thanked, the elements/directions will be dismissed and the circle will be closed.
I just found out that my wife/girlfriend/daughter/husband/son/boyfriend/friend is interested/studying/is Wiccan/Pagan/a Witch, I don't know what to think, I'm scared for them, this all upsets/scares me.
Well, all I can say is that they are the same person now that they were before they came out of the "broom closet" to you. If you loved them before, there is no reason not to love them now. They aren't any different inside. You can love someone and accept them for who they are and not approve of what they do/think. It's part of what makes us human. Differences make the world worth living in. Now that you've read thru this FAQ, hopefully you can understand your loved one better. Odds are you are not going to change their thinking and by trying to you can alienate them from your life. If you honestly love/care about this person, then their religion should not be an issue. My husband and family aren't Wiccan. My family is a bunch of Christians (who had difficulty accepting this too, it was a struggle for a lot of years). My husband is an agnostic and doesn't really have any beliefs on anything so it's never been a problem for him. He is uncomfortable with religion in any form so he does not participate in the religious part of my life and it's not a big deal. So now you have options.. You can ask your loved one more questions, poke and prod and make fun, or you can accept and leave it alone. You can cut them out of your life and lose everything you could have had with that person that didn't pertain to religion. Ask yourself, would I be this upset if my loved one was gay, bisexual, converted to another religion like Catholicism, Hindu, Buddist, or Islam, or if they did something else that was alien to you... Would you not love them anymore? Are they not the same person? Does your loved one have to agree with you on everything to be part of your life? Are you really being open minded and accepting?
Some advice: Ask questions, ask yourself where you are getting your information, try not to offend your loved one, take the time to understand what they believe and ask them what it is.. then ask yourself how alien it is to what you believe.. ask yourself what you believe, why you believe it, have you ever thought about it before? Do you really understand where your belief system came from and why you think your loved one is so wrong.. Can you accept this person for who they are and get passed a difference in beliefs.
If you plan on marrying this person or are married to this person: Discuss your children (if any), how they will be raised religiously, the level of participation you and your children will have in your wife/girlfriend/husband/boyfriend's religious activities.
If this is your child (under 18): Discuss the subject openly, don't condemn (you will only stimulate rebelliousness), encourage them to be responsible (irresponsible teens can do alot of damage when they are messing around with things they don't fully understand), and remember that you can alienate your child if you are not careful... you could lose them forever, they will turn 18 eventually.
If this is an adult relation brother/sister/adult child: Odds are they are pretty serious about it at this point, are you willing to lose this person? Do you want to push them out of your life? You can agree to disagree you know. As long as you respect each other's boundries, then that won't happen. I have a good friend who converted to Mormonism, her father is Southern Baptist and is very unaccepting. He makes derrogatory comments every time he talks to her, needless to say he hasn't seen her or his grandkids in a long time. I can't say that I really blame her, if my parents did that I probably wouldn't be seeing much of them either. I don't want anyone telling my child that Mommy is going to hell or any other stupid thing.
If this is a friend: Do you really care what their beliefs are? Does it affect your friendship in any way? Has it changed how they are as a friend? What harm does your friends beliefs have on you?
If this is a new relationship (boyfriend/girlfriend): the same things apply, you have to ask yourself your level of acceptance of this person. Do you care/love them? How much? How different are your beliefs? What kind of an effect is it going to have on your life together? Has it been an issue before now? What sorts of situations do you forsee it becoming an issue? What level of participation (if any at all) are you willing to allow yourself and any children to be involved in? If you ever get married what type of ceremony would you have? religious education of children? Do you find your significant other's pagan/wicca/witchy friends unacceptable? You need to decide how big of an issue to make this and whether or not making it an issue is worth losing this relationship.
This concludes my FAQ, if there is more you'd like to know feel free to contact me and I will do my best to answer any questions you may have.
To know more about me check out my about me page.