So, How do Wiccan's Worship?

    We Worship in many different ways, from full blown Ritual Worship within a Sacred Circle, down to just showing simple joy in the beauty of the natural world that's all around us! Worship isn't something that we believe should be confined to a special time or place, (as with some faiths where they go once a week and sit in a draughty building for a short time to worship), worship should happen all the time and everywhere that you go! Tis up to you as an individual Witch to choose whether you 'see' Divinity (in the form of the Goddess and the God) in your everyday life or not! If you do choose, then appreciating the beauty in the merest sunbeam that catches your eye, in the way that the rain falls to nourish the Earth, in the smile that you receive from a loved one, or in the pleasure you take from meeting someone new, these all become a form of worship, and something that you begin to appreciate with a newfound sense of wonder! Its a state of mind, always looking on the positive side of life, finding the good in things that others only see the bad in, and being open to feel the energy that surrounds us all everywhere that we go!

So, what exactly is Worship?

    Well, if we turn to our trusty dictionary (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) we find the definition is:-

'reverence offered  to a divine being or supernatural power ; also an act of expressing such reverence.'

    So worship isn't just the actual Ritual side of thing, the act of worship,  it's the reverence that we have for Deity, in all the forms that it takes! (from the forms of the Goddess and God, through our personal Pantheon of individual Deities, to the Deity that is inherent in all that we see around us, the All!). And as we said above, for the true Wiccan this impacts upon every moment of our lives, as we have the Goddess within our thoughts in our every waking moment! Many Wiccans practice Daily Devotions, a small time set aside to give honour to their Deities, to light a candle and incense, meditate on the happenings of the day and give thanks.

So, why do you Worship?

     We worship to honour Deity, ourselves and the world around us. We honour important point in our lives, Wiccaning a newborn babe, Croning (celebrating the attainment of Cronehood of a woman), the Esbats and Sabbats and at other times we feel a need to commune with Deity.

So, who do Wiccans Worship?

     We believe that there is a single power defined as the One or All, which is composed of everything that it has ever created (much like modern physics is now showing that all matter is only a form of energy, therefore everything that exists can be reduced to energy when differentiated to it's lowest component parts). This supreme energy force does not rule over the Universe, it IS the Universe, just as Gaia IS now being seen (by some) as the manifestation of a living breathing Planetary Organism. Since most find it difficult to talk to or call upon a faceless mass of Divine energy, this supreme power is personified into male and female aspects as the Goddess and God. This simply makes the concept easier for the human mind to comprehend and relate to. Some take this concept a step further, calling upon the primeval human archetypes personified in the individual Deities of antiquity, and use actual names, like Astarte, Isis, Odin, Pan, Dianna, Cernunnos, etc., when invoking the Goddess and God. Some use these archetypes to help bring their varying attributes into their lives, or because they wish to honour the attributes themselves. In the end, it is a personal preference and what a Witch uses depends on what "feels" right for them individually. 

    Personally I believe that no matter what religion people are, be it Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim or whatever, we are all worshipping the same being/beings, just that we find the way most suited to our own psyche! After all, as the Onishabe Indians say, 'There are many different streams, but they all flow in the end into the Ocean!'

So, what form does Worship take?

    Well, anything from full blown Ritual and Magick, through to meditation and visualizations, down to just taking appreciation of the natural world on a walk into the Woods! Anything you feel that honours both yourself and the Goddess! You could include (as we do!) doing research into your Path, talking to others of the same faith (either in person at a Moot, or via many of the email lists that are available), or even in just doing exercises to keep yourself fit and well (as to honour  and look after yourself is also to honour Deity, as we are all a part of the All!). In communicating with others (even by email) you are partaking of the Pagan community, carving yourself a niche, learning things as you go, and showing that you are willing to be counted amongst your Peers! And you'll find that most Pagan email lists are like a large caring family, one where all the members look out for and after each other! (please see our Links page for details of some email lists you can join!) We were both amazed at just how much like coming home to a warm place by the fire after a long journey through the wilderness it was in finding our Path!

So, when do Wiccans Worship?

    Anytime we feel like it! As a minimum, most Wiccans / Pagans will do Rituals on the Sabbats (see Wheel of the Year for details) and Esbats (Full Moon Celebrations, see Moon and Esbats for details),  and also may choose to do Ritual whenever they have a particular need to commune with Deity, or for  any problem that they wish to share and work out. We can also worship as has been said above by performing Daily Devotions or just by partaking of the beauty all around us, and allowing it to lift our Spirits and make our hearts sing with joy in the bounty all around!

So, what happens if you miss out on doing Worship?

    This depends upon your reasons and the circumstances! If you were ill, or had something else really important, and took the time to explain (by Prayer) why you were unable to perform your Ritual, then it would be Ok, as we believe that the Goddess and God are understanding beings. If you couldn't do the planned Ritual on the day that was indicated, as long as you were able to do it within 3 days either side (whilst the power is still raised) then again, it would probably still be alright. If however you had no excuses, and were just being lazy, then tis up to your own conscience as to whether that is acceptable to you! I know myself when we've had to miss out upon a Ritual (such as when one of us has been ill) I always feel as though I've let down the Goddesses trust and love for me! (I once said to Spiritwolf that I felt like a lazy Pagan, as we'd missed a Ritual, and he immediately turned to me and said, 'How can you even begin to think that about yourself? Ok, we missed the Ritual, but look at all the time you spend researching, working upon the Website, talking to and helping others via email, and being a caring person all round!' Well, I had to concede his point, but I still prefer not to miss any celebration that we have planned!)

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