Ethnic Religion Paper

Paper about Wicca

Sierra Harrison 
AP Human Geography
Mr. Lopian
Monday, 4th February 2013
Wicca

Wicca is a modern form of witch craft, a type of Neopagan religion. Wicca is a polytheistic nature religion, which developed in England during the early 1900's. The term "Wicca" was the first widespread acceptance when talking about the religion in the 1960s. Before that, it was known as"Witchcraft". The word witchcraft is derived from the Old English word wicca, meaning male sorcerer, many believe that  that it was Charles Cardell, who was noted for the use of the term "Wiccen" during the 1950s, it is based on a diverse set of ancient pagan religious beliefs for its theological set up and ritual practice. Wiccan views on theology are varied and there is no official God or Goddess, but Wicca is traditionally a duo-theistic religion that has both a"Triple Goddess", she is the Goddess of Moon and stars and fate, and a Horned god, he is the God of forests, animals and anything after death. These two deities are well known throughout pantheism for being many aspects of a single Godhead. There are other theological beliefs within the Craft, monotheism, the belief that there is only one deity, the Dianis Wiccans believe it to be the "Triple Goddess". There is also a Wiccan's Church and School of Wiccan, that believes in a  gender less God. There are also Wiccans who are atheist; or a person who denies or doubts the possibility of ultimate knowledge, not believing in any actual Deity, but instead view the "Gods" as models or prototypes to which you should base everything around. Wicca is  a duo theistic religion based around the idea of gender opposite. They practice the worship of a Moon Goddess and a Horned Goddess. The Goddess and the God are regarding to the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine, they are complementary opposites, this is very similar to the Taoism concept of yin and yang. The God and Goddess are seen to be lovers and equals, neither being better than the other, the perfect couple who together, create the order and harmony of the universe.

The number of Wiccans worldwide is unknown, but, Adherents.com, is attempting to collect estimates of world religions. They have developed a estimate of 800,000 members. In the United States there have been many attempts to find a figure, in 2001 American Religious Identification Survey estimated that at least 134,000 adults clammed to be Wiccans, compared to the much smaller population of 8,000 in 1990. Wiccans also make up a large amount of other groups within the United States; example, Wicca is the largest non-Christian religion in the United States Air Force.

The Wiccan religion has four purpose, or main goals for there natural life. The first is harmony, Wiccan's believe that all matter is created by vibration. The world is made of musical harmony, therefore one of the great Truths, and truth is good, meaning harmony with nature and life is a important part of Wicca. The next part is responsibility, having control over the environment, using intelligence and intention, gives Wiccans the responsibility to care for nature. Wiccans believe the choices they make affect the future. Wiccans also have a scene of Deep Reality, Wiccans believe reality is more mysterious and complex than people think, and they say this theory also applies to minds and body because it is apart of the world. Wiccans also have a scene of personal power, they say it is possible to know and influenc reality. Causing thing change for the better in the "real" world, this would be similar to praying, using prayer to change or ask for things.

Wiccans feel that creation is ever lasting, there is no limit to the Gods, they say creation is an evolutionary process that keeps getting more complex. They say they are all divine, they have a part in the creation and improvement of earth earth, the earth relies on everyone for growth, helping not only the world, but God Her/Himself. 

They believe that there is a home coming, they are connected to they'er God and believe their final path is to reunite with the God, they can only do this by discovering the truth within there selves. There most upheld rule it to dedicate there life to serving the Gods, the Gods are always evolving and growing so they have to support that, a witch's connection with the God is balanced and equally shared, not only giving to God but receiving from God with delight and joy.Wiccans say everyone is a gift to the world, meaning everyone can provide a service or talent, and to neglect to use those talents is like denying your purpose, therefore letting the Gods down.

Wiccans belief in the afterlife changes depending upon the person, reincarnation is the most common teaching, dating back to the New Forest practices in 1930s. The majority of Wiccans believe in the ability to talk to the dead spirits using mediums Ouija boards; also known as talking boards. Some Wiccans don't agree with this practice, like the High Priest Alex Sanders, who said "they are dead; leave them in peace.(1) Contrary to there beliefs Wicca does not focus on the afterlife, they worry more about the current responsibilities. Most Wiccans believe strongly in a magic force, making them capable of manipulation. The majority of Wiccans agree with the definition of magic given by the ceremonial Magiciation "the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will".(2) Wiccans claim that magic is a law of nature, they do not view magic as being a supernatural force, but instead a kind of nature super power. Some say that magic is  just fully using all of the five senses to get surprising results. There are other Wiccans that do not know how magic works, these Wiccans have faith believing that it does because, they have seen it  first hand. Wiccans claim to be able to cast spells during ritual activities, some Wiccan spells are used for healing, protection, or to get rid of bad things. Early Wiccans call the good magic "White magic", this is the opposite of the more commonly known "black magic", which is known for association with evil. A few modern Wiccans have stopped using the white-black magic because they disagree with the negative with the color Black. 

Wiccan tradition has a belief in the five classical elements, they are symbolic and represent the Phases of matter. The five elements are commonly use in magical rituals. The five elements are  air, fire, water and earth, plus  aether, also known as spirit, aether unites the four other elements.Each elements associated with a cardinal point of a compass; air to east, fire to south, water to west, earth to North and the spirit to center. The five elements are symbolized by the five points of the pentagram, the most common symbol of Wicca. Natural cycles are a big role in Wicca, the lunar and solar cycles are the basis of which Wiccans schedule ritual events.Both the God and the Goddess are usually honored at all rituals but the Goddess is usually associated with the Moon, and the God is mainly referred to with the Sun.

Wiccans celebrate seasonal festivals of the year, also known as Sabbats, these celebrations are called the Wheel of the Year. Most Wiccans celebrate eight of these Sabbats, but some groups such as The Clan of Tubal Cain only participate in four. The four Sabbats that are known within all British derived groups are  the cross-quarter days. When Wicca was first forming in the 1930s to 1960s. The Lesser Sabbats are the other four recognized events, but eventually other traditions like Alexandrian Wicca and the Dianic tradition formed. The names of these holidays are commonly used today, they often get that from the German Pagan religion. Many different right of passages can be found within Wicca. The most important of these is an initiation ritual, through which somebody joins the Craft and becomes a Wiccan. Some solitary Wiccans perform self-initiation rituals, to dedicate themselves to becoming a Wiccan.Sometimes Infants in Wiccan families may be involved in a ritual called a Wiccaning,the purpose of this is to present the infant to the God and Goddess for protection and harmony. Despite this, the child is not necessarily expected or required to chose Wicca or other forms of paganism should they not wish to do so when they get older.

Wiccans have no set sacred book such as the Christian Bible, Jewish Tanakh or Islamic Koran. This book; Book of shadows, explains how to perform rituals and spells. The Book of Shadows was originally meant to be kept a secret from non-initiates. Today, many non-BTW  traditions have also adopted the concept of the Book of Shadows, with many solitaries also keeping their own versions.