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Surprise, Surprise, Kaeli is a Witch!!! |
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Yes, that is spelled right. But for those of you who aren't so sure what a witch is, I'll try and give you a good, brief overview of my religion. Keep in mind, I'm using alot of generalizations. Different branches may vary their views slightly. This is a description of Wicca as I understand and believe it. |
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PS: You can click on the star bar to learn about the importance of the Pentacle in Wicca! |
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Wicca is a polytheistic earth religion. That means that Wiccans (or witches) worship more than one god or goddess (though many center their worshiping to the Triple Goddess or an aspect of Her). I believe than in order to be balanced (which is the goal of everyone-like homeostasis for the soul), you must worship the Goddess and the God, not just the Goddess. One of the images of the God (The Green Man) is pictured in the image above. We also believe that a true connection to the Goddess can only be attained when we respect her Earth. We therefore include the four elements into our ceremonies. These aren't elements like Hydrogen and Barium, but more like "elements of a story," "elements of plot," etc. They are the basic compositions of everything: the Earth, the Air, the Fire, and the Water. The Spirit is also included with these to make people, but for general spells, the four elements are used. |
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Some of our holidays (because what's a religion without holidays) are : |
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Yule |
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Yule is the holiday when we celebrate the rebirth of the God and of the Sun. It is on the Winter Solstice (around Dec. 21). If this sounds a lot like Christmas, it is. Wiccans not only give gifts to each other to celebrate the gifts the Earth will soon give, but also to celebrate the start of a new year (or solar cycle). |
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Imbolc |
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| Imbolc (or Imbolg or Candelmas) symbolizes when the Goddess has recovered from giving birth and is ready to start growing things again. It is held on February 2. The days get longer as the God (remember-he's the sun) gets older. This is a holiday of purification and of light and warmth. |
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Ostara |
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| Easter bunnies and egg hunts, here we come!! The Christian Easter was named after the goddess Ostara (Eostar), goddess of spring, whose symbol was often the rabbit. Ostara is held on the Spring Equinox and is traditionally a good day to plant a garden. This is also a great holiday for parents to spend quality time with children. For some reason, Wicca makes a lot of sense to a kid playing around in the dirt on a beautiful day like the Equinox. |
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Beltane |
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| AKA: Mayday. Beltane is the biggest fertility holiday and is therefore a good day for any Wiccan couple thinking about getting a handfasting (wedding ceremony). It is also a great time to start something new, when all the ideas are there and you need an extra spiritual boost. It's also a nice day to spend with a loved one (as if you need a reason). |
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Midsummer |
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| The Summer Solstice is almost notorious for a good day to do magick of all kinds. The sun is at it's strongest, so it's also a good time to light the balefire (or bonfire) and give a little extra attention to the God. |
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Lughnasadh |
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| The first day of August was traditionally the first day of harvest, and any time there's a harvest, there's a party. It's a good time to throw a little thanksgiving feast. |
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Mabon |
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The Fall Equinox recognizes the end of the harvest. Since the time of sunlight is getting shorter, it's a good time to get some apple cider and light up the first fire of the season. |
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Samhain |
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| This is the holiday most people associate with witches: Halloween. Yes, it is my favorite holiday, but that's another story. This is the day when the God (symbolically) dies and the Goddess is in complete control (don't worry, no feminist rantings on this page). We throw parties because we know the God will be back soon (duh-Yule). Again, like you need an excuse to have party. |
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| I realize it's kinda hard to understand the God being his own father. The best analogy I can come up with is the similarity with Christianity. God is the father of Jesus, who is the son of God and who is also God (Father, Son and Holy Ghost). I hope that analogy helped clear it up, and didn't confuse you even more. |
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Now, I know some parts of Wicca are hard to understand and there are lots of misunderstandings about it. Even my mom had a lot of questions. I'll try and answer some. If there are any genuine questions (not ones like do I have a wart on my nose), please email me at [email protected]. I'll try to answer them both in an email, and to post them on this page. |
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Not all Wiccans are lesbians/bisexuals/gay. Yes, they probably do represent more than Kernsey's 10%, but I think my boyfriend would be very upset to learn that my religion dictated my sexual orientation. Seriously, though, I'm sure Wicca is more accepting to homosexuals because it doesn't discriminate. And I'm certain the goddess worship ascpect draws some lesbians. But again, who you are attracted to is not determined by your faith. Whether or not you accept this, on the other hand, can be...C'est la vive.
People always ask me if I worship the devil. No, I don't. I do not believe in a supreme evil being.
The Pentacle is an upright, five-pointed star completely enclosed in a circle. It symbolizes the four elements of magick (Earth, Air, Fire, Water) and the human soul combined as one entity. Only when the star is upside down in a pentagram does it symbolize something satanic.
The word magick is used by many witches to separate the spiritual work we do to better our selves and to improve our relationships with our gods from pulling rabbits out of top hats and disappearing birds.
I do not fly on a broomstick unless you count flying on a plane that has a broomstick in it. There are several reasons witches are thought to fly including the ceremonial use of them in magick and to symbolize astral projection.
Wiccans do NOT put spells onpeople and curse them. We follow the Wiccan Rede, which tells us: "If it harms none, do as ye will." This includes love spells, because that would be controlling someone's will. This also means we can't do anything to bring harm to ourselves.
At the moment, I do not have a familiar, but many witches do. This can be a cat, bird, salamnder, or any animal that you feel comfortable with. For the most part, familiars are our conection with the earth. Some witches use their familiars in meditation as a way to "shape-shift," but I've never done this, so I won't get into it. I once had a friend tell me he wanted to lead a good life so he could come back in his next life as the cat of a witch.
Now to dispel (no pun intended) a few other witch myths: no black pointy hats, no green makeup, no melting if we get wet, and very few warts. In other words, if an idea about witches was in Macbeth or The Wizard of Oz, it's probably not true.
Don't be suprised if you see a bunch of kids running around pretending to be Wicca. A lot of kids use Wicca as a form of rebellion. It happens, deal with it. I'm not one of them. All of my significant parental influences aprove of and even participate in my religion. In fact, it was my mother teaching me to read tarot cards that got me into Wicca.
PS-All Wiccans are witches, but not all witches are Wiccan. There are some who are satanic or whatnot and tend to give the rest of us a really bad name. |
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Merry Meet, Merry Part, and Merry Meet Again. |
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Pagan Jokes
Pagan Prayer |
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Return to the home page by clicking here. |
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