Moon Reflections

Advice Column featuring Sage

Dear Sage:

Hi. I am an initiate in the lukumi and brillumba congo religions. Latley I have had a curiosity in wicca. Not sure if it’s b/c im so hooked on the TNT show “Charmed”. My question is, “How relevant is Wicca the practice to that show?” Mind me that i know that’s a tv show and thus some things are overly not true. But could you please maybe give more of what is wicca really about. Or perhaps you can direct me to a website. Thank you much for your kindness.

-jes jes

Merry Meet jes jes,

Different people are attracted to Wicca for different reasons. I see Charmed and other shows like it as a double edged sword. Some parts are true/realistic, and others are Hollywood flash. However, for every three who want “a quickie spell”, there is one who is genuinely interested in learning more. A lot of people, especially the younger ones who have been turned on to the idea of magic through these recent movies and television shows may begin their study of Wicca unaware of the components of Spirituality and Enlightenment. Those who find Wicca during a search for a religion which feels right or who are looking for a name to put on their sense of spirituality, or have a vague sense that, “something is missing in their lives”, may be uninterested in the magic component of Wicca. In the end, it doesn’t matter if it was the coolness of the glamour spell in Charmed or a need to find spiritual fulfillment that began you asking questions, it’s what you do with the knowledge you receive. Remember that while on your quest to do all your learning and portraying in perfect love and perfect trust.

Unlike the Lukumi and Brillumba Congo religions, the Wiccan religion does not sacrifice animals, both women and men may become Priest and Priestess as well as High Priest High Priestess. Although Wicca is primarily followed by women there are more and more men following the path and they are receiving the same as their female counterparts. There are stages within Wicca that each must obtain before the Ordination of High Priest/Priestess but that rite is opened to all.

Wicca is a belief system based on pre-Christian, native European spirituality, which sees people as part of nature, not above it. In all areas of the world, there were indigenous religions before the spread of Christianity. Wicca is based partly on this spirituality. As with other nature-based groups, Wiccans seek to work with the natural energies which surround us to heal, help and to improve their lives and the lives of those around them. The first group of what we now know as “Wiccans” was put together in England by Gerald B. Gardner in 1949. Wiccans live by the Wiccan Rede, “An it Harm None, Do What You Will”. This requires Wiccans to always be looking ahead at the possible consequences of their actions so that no act or word, whether with magical intent, or in every day life, causes harm to another. Wiccans also believe in the “Law of Threefold Return”. This tells us that whatever we do comes back to us, perhaps not literally three times over, but we will experience the consequences of our actions. If we do someone a good turn, it is more likely that we, ourselves, will be treated kindly in the future. If we harm someone, whether deliberately or through negligence we can expect to receive harm ourselves.

What do I mean by “Spirituality” when we speak of it in Wicca? Wiccan Spirituality is balanced and nature-based. By that I mean that we believe that deity consists of both male and female energy, and that energy is found in the world around us, not apart from it. Wiccans do not necessarily “worship” their gods, but look to them as friends and teachers. A lot of people new to Wicca but unfamiliar with the various pagan gods will already have a “relationship” with, “Mother Nature” or some nameless energy they have felt present in their lives. Some Wiccans see each god and goddess as very real, separate and distinct beings. Others see the various gods and goddesses as aspects of one, big, blended god/goddess energy, or even as aspects of their own personalities. No one is told in Wicca how they must view the gods. Those who are actually searching for enlightenment and come to Wicca for that purpose are probably fewest in number, but those who study and practice Wicca for any amount of time will find the magical and spiritual components greatly enhanced if they put any effort into the enlightenment component.

While Wicca is one of the fastest growing religions in the United States it is still the subject of much misunderstanding. Much of the confusion, and even fear, revolves around the definitions of the words, “Witch” and “Pagan”. These are two labels which many Wiccans happily attach to themselves, but they are also two words which we call, “Red Flag” words, because they are easily misunderstood. When a Wiccan declares, “I am a witch”, what they mean is, “I love nature, I believe in the healing power of herbs, I like to do spells to effective positive change, I recognize deity as both male and female.” What a listener is liable to think is, “Here is a person who worships Satan, is filled with hate and evil, who goes around putting harmful spells on people, and we are clearly told in the Bible not to, ‘suffer a witch to live'”. The truth is a “witch” is anyone who works with energy and magic and chooses to call themselves a witch. Magic and energy can be used for good or bad. Witches who use magic to harm have no right to call themselves Wiccan. When a Wiccan (or anyone) declares, “I am a pagan”, what they mean is, “I acknowledge the old gods and goddesses that have been worshiped for thousands of years, and I work in harmony with nature, not against it. The student of Wicca may go no deeper than learning to use the tools and be perfectly happy. Others attracted by the magic are pleasantly surprised to learn there is much more to Wicca than that.

Suggested reading

Wicca, A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, By Scott Cunningham

The Spiral Dance, by Skyhawk

Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today, by Margot Adler

Brightest Blessings,

Sage, HPS to the Goddess

Do you have a shadow of a question which needs answering? [email protected]

***

HPS Sage bio:

Hello Readers,

Let me introduce myself. My name is Sage, I am a 52 years old witch who has been practicing since I was born. I was fortunate to be born with a Cherokee Grandmother who still practiced and made sure that I was taught so that I could carry on the family heritage. I was also not so lucky to be born to a mother who was a Christian and made sure that her children were raised in the Presbyterian beliefs. It is not easy to have questions or fears and have no one to turn to, especially family. When my grandmother passed on I had no one for some time. I read books, but let’s face facts in the 70’s and 80’s there were items you didn’t talk about and there were not many sources to help one find the answers.

I have over the years become older and wiser and a lot more experienced than in the good old days. I take all that I have learned over the years and now teach classes in Wicca, meditation, and also assist in start-up companies. I am a High Priestess of the Global Goddess organization. This is an organization of Goddess women helping women worldwide. I also serve on their Ordination and Leadership committees. I am also a Reverend of the universal Life Church.

Please feel free to send me your questions, be them magickal or personal, and I will do my best to answer them and if I cannot, I will research them and see if I can’t find the answers for you.

Brightest Blessing,

Sage