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Introduction

Wicca is as you will have seen, a group of varied paths within witchcraft, and here we are going to look at the general principles of Wicca that is the same across most forms that exists today. There are many types of Wicca and as many of these as we are able to identify and document are explained within the library section.

If you therefore belong to a Wiccan path and it differs slightly from that laid out below, please check to see if we have identified the difference within the library article, and if not please let us know the path and how your interpretation differs.

This is also as you will appreciate very much the highlight tour, with little detail, but should be sufficient to explain Wicca to anyone new to it.

Laws

Wicca, like witchcraft has one law and it can be written in current or old English, and is:-

Do what you will, but harm none.

This is far more complex than it first appears as it means you have to consider fully the results of you actions.

We also believe that the good or bad that we do is reflected on us three fold, but also on others when dealing with us. Therefore when I do something nice, three times as much positive happens in my life, while if someone does something to harm me, then they will receive three times the harm they try to cause me, even if my personal protection negates it. As this is automatic, I never need to retaliate or to seek justice in any other way.

Also in the principle of Karma, good and bad vibes, or positive and negative life forces, that are accumulative, therefore the good that I am able to do in helping others is accusative to help offset any negative forces that come my way. This energy is that basis of much which we do.

Within Wicca generally there are a longer collection of laws to do with running covens, and a copy of this can be found within the library. We treat this as an advisory document, rather than laws as such.

Lifestyle

Wicca is a way of life, a religion, support network of friends, a celebratory calendar of the year, and more. Wiccans are honest, nice people, who care about other Wiccan, the environment, planet, and do their best to help anyone or any creature in need. 

We have our own ways of doing things, and our own views on many aspects of life and beyond, but we don't try to force them on others. 

Magic

Wicca like all types of witchcraft perform magic as did most other religions at an earlier point, although they may have lost this ability now.

We do not see magic as good or evil, black or white, but available to us to use as wisely as we are able.

Magical power comes both from within us, our accumulative life forces we have discussed above and from outside of us, summoned when we need it. The ability to summon and for the energy to flow through you is dependent on your skill, wisdom and karma.

Religion

Wicca is recognized as a religion in the USA and has been for many years now. It is a positive, inspiring religion compatible with many others. 

It is a goddess religion, similar we think to the very old earth religions that were at one time practices across the globe.

Like other religions, this can be viewed by individuals in many ways, and Power Wiccans, like traditional witches, treat this as a single spirit that is powerful, intelligent and can represent itself in any form to suit any people.

We are also what is called an eclectic order, this means that you can choose what deity, or group of deities you have. Although the coven overall, and the path may consider there to be one spirit, some may choose to look at this as the 'stuff' individual gods or entities are constructed of, as oppose to just faces of the single entity. The choice is yours, we do not tell people in which god or gods to believe. We don't see there being any great difference between you choosing a face of god to consult and choosing a god, coming from the common pool of all gods. You will see this leaves a lot of interpretation, including if you wish using Christian characters, if you find them more relevant to you.

We within our rituals refer to the female and male aspects when we talk about the goddess and the god and the seasonal aspects when we speak of the goddess having three seasonal faces, and the god two. Not all Wiccan paths are monoists (one spirit or god) like the power Wiccans, .Some believe in two or many gods, not necessarily connected.

No Wicca or traditional witchcraft path has a Satan, devil or any similar character to the one from Christianity. We see evil as a choice that people take, not an external force making them do it.

Wheel of the year

We celebrate the seasons of the year according to the ancient European calendar, This gives us 4 celebrations based upon the growth/harvest or fertility cycle, and 4 based upon the suns path. In addition we celebrate at each new or full moon, sometimes both. This gives us potentially 34 celebrations a year, however some collide or are too near and not all the moon dates are used or practical. From a practical viewpoint often the dates are moved slightly to make arrangements more practical. In older days many of the dates were based upon not the calendar but the actual growth and harvest cycle, and this could vary from place to place.

This is a pattern common with all Wiccans, although slightly wrong from an historic viewpoint. Covens can however choose if they wish to use older dates, different calculations of dates, or any others they wish.

Gateway rituals

Like most beliefs, religions and cultures we have gateway rituals, such as naming and  hand fasting, Plus oaths and rituals taken when one becomes a novice and enters higher grades.

Handfasting is like marriage but is on the terms agreed and for the period agreed, this could be for example a year and a day.

Pairing is another arrangement, where two people are paired for routine working within the coven.

Although both handfasting and pairing is normally done between a male and female, it can be performed between any two consenting adults.

We are slowly extending the information available, and this as available should be able to be found under the library heading, from the home page.

We hope our website has been helpful to you