Part 2
A Horned God and Goddess statues, crafted by Bel Bucca.
What do Wiccan rituals involve?
Wiccan rituals take many forms. But they all generally include:
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The casting of a circle -- the consecration of a sacred space. The circle is often nine feet (274 cm) in diameter. It often has lighted candles located in the four cardinal directions.
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The invocation of a deity/deities.
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The body of the ritual, which may involve magick, spell casting, a
community meal, dance, readings, singing, etc.
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Closing or banishing of the circle -- restoration of the space to
its ordinary state. |
Some Wiccans wear ordinary street clothes during their rituals. Other wear only a robe. Still others perform their rituals "skyclad" -- clad only by the sky, or without clothing.
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What does being a Wiccan involve?
Common to almost all Wiccans is the recognition of the existence of the
Goddess, and her consort the horned God. Some Wiccans view them as real living
personal entities; others as the male and female aspects of a single deity; still others as symbols or as forces of nature.
Wiccans follow the Wiccan Rede "A'in it harm none, do what thou wilt." 1 This means that as long as an action harms no one, including yourself, you are free to
do what you wish. A Wiccan carefully reviews the implications of each action or
non-action in her/his life. Domination, manipulation and control of others are
strongly prohibited by the Rede.
Wiccans also recognize the "Threefold Law:" that any good that you do returns to yourself three times over; any evil also is magnified three times and returned to you. This is a very effective motivator to do no harm.
Wiccans typically go through a dedication ritual at the start of their
training, where they declare their intent to study Wicca. Later, if they choose, they
experience an initiation ritual when they complete their initial study of the
religion -- often after a period of a year and a day.
Wiccans engage in rituals, either alone as a solitary Wiccan, or within a coven with other Wiccans.
They are committed to personal spiritual growth and the preservation of the environment.
How can I do a spell to make someone fall in love with me?
There are many "Witchcraft" and other web sites and booklets that lists spells of all
types. However, many of these spells are forbidden to Wiccans because they involve an
attempt to control, dominate or manipulate another person. Using such a spell
would conflict with the Wiccan Rede (see above). However, a
Wiccan could ethically cast a spell to help make themselves more open to love. They could
also cast a spell to help make another person more open to love, but only if that person
specifically requested it. More information.
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How does Wicca differ from Christianity?
In many ways, the two are similar. For example, the have similar ethics of reciprocity (a.k.a. the Golden Rule). Both the Wiccan Rede and
the Golden Rule which is found in all major religions emphasize kindness to others, and treating others as one would wish to be treated by others.
But there are many differences between the two religions:
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Wicca has generally accepted the equality of men and women. Christianity
has historically reserved positions of power in the church, the rest of
society, and the family for males. Many conservative Christian denominations still do.
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Wicca regards all responsible sexual behavior as a gift of the Goddess.
Some committed Wiccan couples engage in private sexual rituals.
Some denominations within Christianity have had a negative and
restrictive view of sexual behavior. In the 21st century conservative Christians have committed a great deal of effort to limiting the freedoms of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender/transsexual individuals.
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Wiccans generally accept all three sexual orientations (homosexual, bisexual and
heterosexual) as normal, natural, unchosen, and fixed in adulthood:, .
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Wicca generally accepts the current gender identity sensed by transgender persons and transsexuals as valid.
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| Wicca is largely an oral tradition. It has no holy text that
corresponds to the Christian Bible.
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| Wiccans stress the cycles of life and look upon time largely as
cyclical. Christians mainly view time as linear, starting with creation of the universe. Many Christian denominations believe that the world will end with a war involving massive loss of life, as described in the book of Revelation in the not too distant future.
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Most Wiccans reject the concept of Heaven and
Hell, and embrace reincarnation. Other Wiccans believe that they spend eternity in Summerland after their death. It is a type of perfect Earth, and is lacking pain, disease, conflict, etc. Some Wiccans believe that they spend time in Summerland between reincarnations on Earth.
The concept found in many monotheistic religions that a person must
believe certain things or behave in a certain way to achieve salvation and avoid being eternally tortured in Hell is quite foreign to Wicca.
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| Wiccans feel close to nature and are highly concerned about its
preservation.
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| Wiccans have no concept of Satan or other profoundly evil deity/quasi-deity.
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| Wiccans do not proselytize. They do not usually
dedicate, teach, or initiate potential
converts unless they are 18 years or older.
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| Where possible, and where it is safe to do so, Wiccans prefer to perform their
rituals out-of-doors, occasionally in public. |
References used:
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
- The term "Wiccan Rede" is sometimes used to refer to the short phrase which defines Wicca's main rule of behavior. Other times it is used to refer to a poem which includes the behavior rule and the Threefold Law. More info
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Copyright © 2017 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally posted on: 2017-APR-29
Author: B.A. Robinson
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