I have been taught that Wicca is evil, but I've also been taught that cursing will send you to hell- so my point is, i want to learn more about Wicca, spells, and the hisrtory of its believers. Pleas give me a general synopsis of the Wicca believers, so I can determine whether or not it is for me. I am an openminded person, with no doubts that to each his own belief is the truest and purest form of worship. Any one who would like to explain the Wiccan traditions and practices to me wil be heard, and I greatly appreciate anything on this particular subject. My husband claims to have practiced it before, and I just want to know more about it, if possible. ThankYou, mysticfish

First I would suggest reading the posts here, mystic; the US Army Chaplain post explains Wicca beliefs pretty good, then if you have any more questions, feel free to post them here.  Take care, hon.  Love & Light to you & yours.

 

Gypsy

Thank You, Gypsy- I'll check into it! Love and Light to you and yours, as well.

Wow GREAT questions gypsy !! You know how I ramble on sometimes so I hope this doesn't turn into a book here.....maybe I should apologize in advance....rofl !

 

Actually I am a  solitary witch as opposed to wiccan I guess...I was raised southern baptist(the most fanatical bunch of people you could ever encounter...lol) and alot of that still sticks....especially praying to other Gods...I would never dream of praying to another God or Goddess... And I have always known I was different ...I have always had my own ideas on religion...even as a young child  while being drug off to church every sunday....I do not believe in all the fire and  brimstone  crap they spew...my God is a loving and forgiving God....I have found most organized religions use this as a fear tactic to get you to comply with their doctrines..and I just never bought into that whole idea .This is not to say God does not punish us (I prefer chastise ) but he is a forgiving and loving God who just wants us to be kind to everyone....treat each other as we treat ourselves....you know the golden rule thing ..and I feel if we do the right thing (and yes we all know right from wrong) we will  be rewarded ...and I also believe He knows we are not perfect and does not expect us to be...He knows we make mistakes and He allows this so we can grow and learn ...and as for being in or out of the closet .....I am about half in and half out I guess....lol....but I believe one's beliefs are their own and it is not necessary to scream them from the rooftops...I do not run around boasting I am a witch nor do  I deny it.I do no harm to no one and I am not ashamed of my beliefs or my practices ...it is just something I do not feel neccessary to tell everyone about.I am not one for organized religion of any type....I think you get into alot of hypocritical stuff when you get into organized religions.....trying to be something you are not....and how many times have you been by a church and found half the congregation lighting up cigarettes the minute their feet hit the outside ....or go home and beat their wives and children....do you honestly think going to church is going to make anyone a better person in Gods eyes? Personally I feel they will be held even more accountable for  their sins and behaviour....they KNOW the word of God and choose to ignore it...they make a concious effort to deceive and do they honestly believe they are deceiving Him...I think not....but I feel most people find the wiccan religion frightening because of what the church preaches....that this is all devil's work...and the burn in hell stuff they spew...but anyone who knows about wiccan knows it is an earth based religion with alot of christian beliefs as there basic doctrine..and they mean no harm to come to anyone..but the church has instilled so much fear in people they automatically assume if you are not christian you cannot go to Heaven ( won't even get into  my feelings on 'christians' here...lmao )Am I comfortable in my beliefs...VERY! And God knows what is in my heart so to me this is the most important thing of all...no one knows us as He knows us ......and I am very comfortable in my relationship with God...

 

 

.okay told ya I would get carried away here...sounds like a damn sermon don't it ? Sorry bout that ....but anyway ....I will stop now....I think you got the jest of my beliefs......lmao !!

 

 

Again GREAT questions gypsy...love to see your posts over here !!

 

Mortisha

Merry meet GypsyJaguar ~Bright Smile~

 

I hope you don't mind I cut and pasted your questions so I don't get side tracked. LOL I do that alot. and I will worn you this is probibly going to be very long. LOL Im sorry.

 

When did you discover Wicca/Paganism/other?

 

In the beginning lol just kidding... okay... So I need to give you some background. My family is split spiritually speaking, into three catagories. We have our practicing Mormans and our Jack Mormans as they so call them selves or are called in snide remarks from our "fine upstanding mormans". Then there is the side of my family who are Native American who were able to remain true to their beliefs.

               I was forced to attend the morman temple at a very young age... and that was fine until I realized I had a mind of my own and decided to ask questions. One thing lead to another and I had an altercation with one of the resideing bishops that resulted in me being banned from the temple never to return. I kicked him. Well we were reading about the commandments and such in sunday school, and one phrase just didn't sit right and I wanted to ask someone who I thought would give me an honest answer. " I am a jealous God, you SHALL not have any other God but me" and well I was 8 and I knew what jealous meant. So I asked him if god is jealous does that mean that there ARE other gods... but he wants us to worship only him? That question was evidently the wrong thing for a little girl to be asking and he repremanded me for doubting my creator with a slap across my face. So as you can see I wasn't into that any more. LOL

               So while every one went to the temple I was dropped off with my mothers cousin (who I referred to as my aunt, she was too old to be my cousin)  and I learned what a medicine wheel was and about the elements and how we are connected to everything. This for an 8 year old was a pretty cool deal.  That was my first taste of what nature based spiritualism was like. When i got older I met a wiccan preistess and found where I fit perfectly. See as little red headed, freckle faced kid I didn't quite fit in on the reservation where my Aunt lived. but In Wicca I found that I didn't stick out at all. :o)~ 

 

How long have you practiced?

 

I have been practicing Wicca for several years...I met my teacher in 94

 

Where or how did you learn the basics?

 

I learned the basics from my teacher... through corrispondence... week end visits and so on before I moved from home. And then lived with my teacher and her husband. Before she even agreed to teach me she had me write her an essay on why I wanted to learn. She tought me through exersises, pop quizes, and practice. We had flash cards she was the best teacher I ever had.

 

Do you practice in a coven/solitary/kitchen Witch/other?

 

As of right now I am a solitary kitchen witch. I would love to find a group but there aren't very many people in my area and the ones that are aren't on the same path as me.

 

What do you call yourself? a Wiccan/Witch/Pagan/other?

 

Well I have been reffered to as all of the above. To those who don't know I am pagan.. Then I explain... to those who are familiar I use wiccan so they know basically what branch of paganism I sit on. And with those who are of like mind I call my self a witch....  It all depends on who's asking :o)~

 

Are you in or out of the Broom closet?

 

I wear a Pentacle pendant around my neck...I have bumper stickers on my car...So that I am reconisable to those who are of like mind. But I don't introduce my self to strangers " Hi im Krystalyn im a witch" If they are in my life for a period of time, they know. My family and friends all know that I am wiccan. 

 

How do you explain to someone who thinks Wicca is evil, that it is not?

 

Well I get the Wicca is satanism a lot... I simply tell them to be a satanist I have to believe in the christian god, and believe that satan exsists... and since i do not I am not a satanist. I am not evil.

 

 

Do you feel that this path has been with you your entire life, even before you knew what it was, or that "Wicca" exsisted?

 

Most deffinately.

.

How do you feel about other religions?

 

other religions are there to be home to other people like Wicca is home to me. Not every religion is right for every one. And as long as we realise this... it's all good.

 

Do you study other religions?

 

I have.... I think religious study is important to any one trying to find their spiritual niche if you will. its not fair to define yourself as one thing and never know what the other people around you believe. I feel it's important to be spiritually rounded.

 

~Bright Smiles~

I hope this wasn;t too long for ya.

This is so great!  Thank you for responding ..........I'm glad you like my posts, Mortisha, thank you. Don't worry about the long replies, I love 'em!!  And I'm the same way anyway..LOL   GypsyPoet--I wish I had a teacher like you did!!I felt like I could see you sitting there as a child the way you described it.  I don't mind the cut'n paste at all....it does make it easier & it's kinda like having an interview!! COOL 

 

OK...here's MY book LOL.........

I started questioning the bible & religions at a young age, too...I mostly pin-point it to when my cousin died in his early 20's...I was 11 (which is quite strangely my personal numerology number from my birthday)  It shook the whole family up because he was so young & artistically talented & a really sweet & gentle person.  My other cousin, whose family is very Christian, told me to read the bible to comfort myself.  Well, it actually brought up more questions than it answered.  And noone ever really had good enough answers for me to my questions, either.  My mom used to read to my brother & I from the bible when we were little too...so I"ve got some favorite stories from it....mostly the kids stories, like Noah & the Ark, Jonas & the whale...ones like that.  The stories they say they have proof of are fascinating to me as well. So, with me being a Scorpio, I had to dig in & uncover the mysteries of everything.  I've always been into what used to be loosely catergorized as "the occult"  Anything I came across that had to do with astrology, psychic abilities, strange phenomenon, superstitions, & things of that sort is what I was drawn to.  When I was introduced to Wicca 5 yrs ago I was convinced that I finally found a religion & way of life that I felt right at home with...comfortable.....like my true self.  I couldn't believe I had never come across anything like this before, & yet it was composed of all of the mysteries I had been studying all along in one complete package.  I always felt strong roots in Native American culture, Scottish/Irish cultures & Egyptian cultures, so I follow the beliefs around those, but I love studying all sorts of cultures, religions & myths.  Sometimes I get angry about something particular that has to do with one group or another, but I try not to stereotype because from all the studying I've done so far, I really believe that all of these different titles we each refer to"God" in our own religions are all one in the same entities interpreted in our own ways.  That's why I get so upset when I hear about the religion-based fighting going on in the world...just because it's right for one person, doesn't mean it is for the person next to them.  But yet the hypocrite thing always bothers me too, like Mortisha was talking about.  I can't understand why some people claim to believe in something & then turn around & desicrate that belief. 

 

I am a solitary, but do get together with friends at times...I love getting people started in learning about Wicca as far as I can take them with what I've learned so far...I do A LOT of reading & studying, & try to do what I feel is the fairest & most loving way to be in everyday life.  I don't really cast many spells...so you won't see any posted by me, but I like to try some sometimes.  I really feel the rituals or spells or however ppl like to direct their energy is totally a personal thing to be discovered on your own with what's most comfortable with you.  I'm more comfortable with visual projecting than chanting out rhymes...it's an artistic thing, I think  I'm pretty open with my beliefs in Wicca & certain topics within it, but there's always a time & place for everything, & certain people you just know it would be best not to get into it with...& I don't introduce myself as a witch or a Wiccan, either...if it comes up in conversation then that's different, but I'm not like in-your-face with it (pretty much like Mort & GypsyPoet described it)  We all seem to be on the same wave-length with this....I'd like to read about some more if anyone else comes to visit us here...& THANK YOU for taking the time to respond to my questions!!!!Blessed Be...Love & Light to all

 

 

 When did you discover Wicca/Paganism/other? I've always known that there was something else out there as What i was taught never felt quite right for me. As for wiccan just recently started to research the path

How long have you practiced? As i said above im still in the process of study and research as to where i feel comfortable.

Where or how did you learn the basics? Still learning but these posts have been a really good start for me.

Thanks Gypsy for this opportunity to express my point of view on this my new path.

Love N Light

ToyKat......lol

Thanks Toy/Kat  heeheehee.  I enjoyed reading your post.  I can't wait to hear what you learn about....It must be cool to be able to learn from someone who has been experienced in Wicca for so long.  Hope to see some posts here from you as you learn....I'm sure we'll all learn some more things through your new learning experience.  Talk to ya soon

 

Gypsy