{"id":8149,"date":"2013-06-01T01:10:11","date_gmt":"2013-06-01T06:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=8433"},"modified":"2013-05-20T22:23:13","modified_gmt":"2013-05-21T03:23:13","slug":"a-year-and-a-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2013\/06\/01\/a-year-and-a-day\/","title":{"rendered":"A Year And A Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong>\u201cWhat is Wicca?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is the first of a monthly column which is aimed at seekers, those new to paganism, Wicca, and the occult.\u00a0 The \u2018year and a day\u2019 reference comes from the fact that most Wiccan groups require seekers to study the craft for a year and a day before they can be formally dedicated or initiated into the group.\u00a0 It is also said the Celtic goddess Cerridwen stirred her cauldron of knowledge for the same amount of time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One of the most basic questions new seekers have is what is Wicca?<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Most sources agree that Wicca is an earth and nature-based spirituality that celebrates the wheel of the year, personal power and responsibility, and living in harmony with the universe.\u00a0 Wicca is a path of empowerment and personal growth.\u00a0 Scott Cunningham also states that \u201cWicca doesn\u2019t view deity as distant.\u00a0 The Goddess and God are both within ourselves and manifest in all nature.\u201d (Wicca: A Guide For the Solitary Practitioner<\/em>)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In one of my favourite 101 books, Wicca for Beginners<\/em>, Thea Sabin describes Wicca in a series of points.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1. Wicca is an old-new religion.\u00a0 Although based on pre-Christian pagan traditions, what we today call \u2018Wicca\u2019 comes mostly from Gerald Gardner in the 1950s, compiling ancient pagan traditions with modern influences, such as the Golden Dawn and Freemason traditions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. Wicca is an earth-based religion.\u00a0 Wicca celebrates the earth and nature, the wheel of the year, and the cycle of life.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. Wicca is experiential.\u00a0 You don\u2019t just read about Wicca, you experience it by participating.\u00a0 Your experience tells you what\u2019s true, what works for you, and what you believe.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. Wicca is a mystery tradition.\u00a0 Wicca celebrates the mysteries of life such as birth, death, love, and deity.\u00a0 Wiccans reach beyond our five senses to try to commune with the divine, such as meditation and pathworking.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

5. Wicca is European Shamanism.\u00a0 Although not exactly the same, Wicca shares a lot of similarities with shamanism and Native American traditions in that they work with altered states and their psychic abilities in order to overcome our fear and take charge of our spiritual paths.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

6. Wicca is a magical system.\u00a0 Wiccans use magic, whether \u2018Low\u2019, \u2018Folk\u2019, or \u2019Practical\u2019 magic, such as everyday tasks like finding your keys, or \u2018High\u2019 magic, such as manifesting your own personal power and divinity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

However Wicca is NOT<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Satanic or anti-Christian.\u00a0 Satan or \u2018the Devil\u2019 is a Christian concept, and while Wiccans believe that everything has a \u2018light\u2019 and \u2018dark\u2019 side, they don\u2019t believe in an innately evil being.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dualistic.\u00a0 Although Wiccans believe that most things have dual and opposite symbolism, they don\u2019t believe that these opposites are antagonistic (such as God and Satan).\u00a0 Wiccans believe in opposite partners, or two parts of a whole, neither \u2018good\u2019 nor \u2018bad.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Proselytizing.\u00a0 Wiccans do not try to convert others or feel that their path is the \u2018one true path\u2019.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wiccan groups are divided into \u2018traditions\u2019, each with their own viewpoints, rituals and practices.\u00a0 Examples of traditional groups include Gardnerian, Alexandrian, and Georgian Wicca.\u00a0 Groups that arose from the feminist and political movements of the 1970s include Reclaiming and Dianic Wicca.\u00a0 But the beauty of Wicca is that there is no \u201cright way\u201d to practice, and many Wiccans follow an eclectic mix of other traditions, either working in covens or solitary.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you are just starting out on your pagan or Wiccan path, I say read as much as you can, challenge yourself, and above all, have fun!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sources:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWicca: A Guide For the Solitary Practitioner\u201d\u00a0 Scott Cunningham<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWicca For Beginners: Fundamentals of Philosophy and Practice\u201c Thea Sabin<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhat is Wicca?\u201d   This is the first of a monthly column which is aimed at seekers, those new to paganism, Wicca, and the occult.\u00a0 The \u2018year and a day\u2019 reference comes from the fact that most Wiccan groups require seekers to study the craft for a year and a day before they can be formally dedicated or initiated into the group.\u00a0 It is also said the Celtic goddess Cerridwen stirred her cauldron of knowledge for the same amount of time.   One of the most basic questions new seekers have is what is Wicca?   Most sources agree that Wicca is an earth and nature-based spirituality that celebrates the wheel of the year, personal power and responsibility, and living in harmony with the universe.\u00a0 Wicca is a path of empowerment and personal growth.\u00a0 Scott Cunningham also states that \u201cWicca doesn\u2019t view deity as distant.\u00a0 The Goddess and God are both within ourselves and manifest in all nature.\u201d (Wicca: A Guide For the Solitary Practitioner)   In one of my favourite 101 books, Wicca for Beginners, Thea Sabin describes Wicca in a series of points.   1. Wicca is an old-new religion.\u00a0 Although based on pre-Christian pagan traditions, what we today call \u2018Wicca\u2019 comes mostly from Gerald Gardner in the 1950s, compiling ancient pagan traditions with modern influences, such as the Golden Dawn and Freemason traditions.   2. Wicca is an earth-based religion.\u00a0 Wicca celebrates the earth and nature, the wheel of the year, and the cycle of life.   3. Wicca is experiential.\u00a0 You don\u2019t just read about Wicca, you experience it by participating.\u00a0 Your experience tells you what\u2019s true, what works for you, and what you believe.   4. Wicca is a mystery tradition.\u00a0 Wicca celebrates the mysteries of life such as birth, death, love, and deity.\u00a0 Wiccans reach beyond our five senses to try to commune with the divine, such as meditation and pathworking.   5. Wicca is European Shamanism.\u00a0 Although not exactly the same, Wicca shares a lot of similarities with shamanism and Native American traditions in that they work with altered states and their psychic abilities in order to overcome our fear and take charge of our spiritual paths.   6. Wicca is a magical system.\u00a0 Wiccans use magic, whether \u2018Low\u2019, \u2018Folk\u2019, or \u2019Practical\u2019 magic, such as everyday tasks like finding your keys, or \u2018High\u2019 magic, such as manifesting your own personal power and divinity.   However Wicca is NOT:   –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Satanic or anti-Christian.\u00a0 Satan or \u2018the Devil\u2019 is a Christian concept, and while Wiccans believe that everything has a \u2018light\u2019 and \u2018dark\u2019 side, they don\u2019t believe in an innately evil being. –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dualistic.\u00a0 Although Wiccans believe that most things have dual and opposite symbolism, they don\u2019t believe that these opposites are antagonistic (such as God and Satan).\u00a0 Wiccans believe in opposite partners, or two parts of a whole, neither \u2018good\u2019 nor \u2018bad. –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Proselytizing.\u00a0 Wiccans do not try to convert others or feel that their path is the \u2018one true path\u2019.   Wiccan groups are divided into \u2018traditions\u2019, each with their own viewpoints, rituals and practices.\u00a0 Examples of traditional groups include Gardnerian, Alexandrian, and Georgian Wicca.\u00a0 Groups that arose from the feminist and political movements of the 1970s include Reclaiming and Dianic Wicca.\u00a0 But the beauty of Wicca is that there is no \u201cright way\u201d to practice, and many Wiccans follow an eclectic mix of other traditions, either working in covens or solitary.   If you are just starting out on your pagan or Wiccan path, I say read as much as you can, challenge yourself, and above all, have fun!     Sources: \u00a0 \u201cWicca: A Guide For the Solitary Practitioner\u201d\u00a0 Scott Cunningham \u201cWicca For Beginners: Fundamentals of Philosophy and Practice\u201c Thea Sabin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":184,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/184"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8149"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8149\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}