Help Me Understand the Wiccan Belief System

[QuestionableEnergy]

So how many religions are based from Wicca or the other way around. Right now I am studying the elements which keeps talking about green witchcraft..now is that another branch of Wicca? Also Celtic, rede, all these other names..I just dont get how all this works..how can you be a pseudo Christian Wiccan??? lol I made that up but after reading some of these posts I am majorly confused about how the wicca witchcraft belief system works...HELP PLEASE so that I can understand.

[Heartsong]

Hi QuestionableEnergy,

I'm not sure that I can answer all your questions, but I'll try to give it a shot.

First, let me preface this by saying that, to different people, terms such as Green Witch, Nordic or Celtic Wicca, even Wicca itself, have different meanings and interpretations. Many Wiccans, although certainly not all, are eclectic, borrowing or incorporating different aspects of various religions and sub branches of religions into their own faith as it makes sense to them. For example, a person can consider her or himself to be both Wiccan and Christian because they combine elements from both faiths into a practice that works for them. They may use and believe in the bible, and go to church, but also worship the Virgin Mary as the Goddess and Jesus Christ as the God. They may not cast spells, but still work with psychic or healing energies, depending on what they feel is allowable or correct according to their interpretation of Christ's teachings.

I personally consider myself to be a green witch, so I think I can give you the most comprehensive answer on that particular topic. The most basic interpretation of a green witch is someone who prefers to work primarily with natural elements to manipulate energies and cast magic. This means using plants, crystals, and the four elements in order to channel or enhance spellcraft and to furthermore connect us spiritually to the Earth. The bond between the green witch and the Earth is very strong and he or she works very hard to both establish and maintain that connection. Planting a garden or simply meditating outside are methods that we employ in order to do this. Many of us take up interest in herb lore or crystals, collecting and studying them. Another important aspect is that we focus a great deal of time and energy to healing the Earth. Humanity throughout its long existence has taken a toll on our home and Green Witches work hard to live lightly on it and to give back as much as we take. Also, many green witches believe and interact with the fairy folk, working with them and caring for them. I myself leave offerings in a dish on a stump right outside my house for them as a gift, so that they might feel welcome around me and protect the land I live on.

Ann Moura describes the creed of the Green Witch as she sees it here: http://www.annmourasgarden.com/green.shtml

Not everyone will agree with her interpretation, but she's a good place to start to get a better grasp on the concept of Green Witchcraft.

As for it being a branch of Wicca, I think that's an apt assessment. I say that because I enjoy comparing Wicca to a tree with many branches, or even a river with hundreds of little channels flowing into it. All of these paths lead to the same place and everyone chooses the path that speaks the most clearly to them.

I'll share some links here as well that can maybe give you a better idea of the different types and shades of Wicca. The best way to gain an understanding is to read, and I've seen on other posts you've made that you're doing that. Still, I hope this clears up some of your confusion. You're quite welcome to ask if you have more questions!

http://wicca.com/celtic/wicca/wicca0.htm (A really good 101 kind of source for Celtic Wicca and some others)

http://www.angelfire.com/ny2/wiccan/norsewicca.html (A very comprehensive overview of Nordic Wicca)

http://trinitarianwicca.com/wordpress/ (A site that gives an in-depth overview of Christian Wicca)

http://everythingunderthemoon.net/forum ... ml#p184358 (Kassandra gives an awesome explanation of Hellenic Wicca)

http://everythingunderthemoon.net/forum ... 25185.html (Another great Kassandra post on the use of Christian Pslams in Wicca and the Craft)

Bright Blessings!

~Heartsong~

[Kassandra]

.




Heartsong, firstly, how is your back doing? How are you feeling? Given your accident, I was surprised to see you posting so much, haha. But, I guess it helps keep your mind off the pain. haha I would probably do the same thing.

Thanks for your kind words about my posts. I enjoy putting info together, research, all that. Witchcraft has such a strong anthropological dimension to it, so many traditions, cultures and practices, there's never enough to study.

http://everythingunderthemoon.net/forum ... 25185.html (Another great Kassandra post on the use of Christian Psalms in Wicca and the Craft)

Just wanted to make one distinction on your quote above, only because I know some rootworkers personally, and they don't like their path getting mixed up with Wicca (or Voodoo, for that matter).

The psalmic magic article I posted refers to the use of Christian psalms specifically in traditional African-American hoodoo rootwork, sometimes called conjure, which has its origin in the Southern United States. It was not in reference to psalmic use in Wicca, which to this date I personally have not heard of (if anyone has, please post, I'd be interested in learning about that --now that I think about it, I guess it would just fall under the umbrella of "Christian Wicca," right?).



While I'm on the subject, I also want to note that though hoodoo is based largely on African spiritual traditions, not just black people practice hoodoo. Many whites, Hispanic/Latino, Native Americans, Asians, etc., practice hoodoo, worldwide. In fact, the hoodoo rootworkers I've mentioned, that don't like their path mixed up with Wicca or Voodoo, are white. They've been practitioners for all their lives, and feel very passionate about their work. Their family members practiced hoodoo before they were born, etc.

Like gumbo, jazz and the blues, hoodoo is an admixture of cultural influences. Its magical practices blend African, Native American, and European practices (including Catholic saint worship), and of course, Jewish psalmic magic. "Wow, that's quite an odd combo," at least that's what I first thought. haha. But, when you consider the history of the South itself, then this particular combination is really not surprising at all. It perfectly reflects both the native and immigrant cultures in that area. "West Coast hoodoo" reflects Japanese and Chinese influences, why? Because its practitioners are near the Pacific Ocean, nearer to Asia and to Asian-American communities from where rootworkers get their spell ingredients.

Interestingly, though Wicca has been practically celebrated in the media the last couple decades (many movies and TV series are based on it), conversely, ignorant American Hollywood stereotyping and plain old racism continues to paint hoodoo as though it is not a legitimate spiritual path which should be respected like any other spiritual path. When I see it mentioned in movies, it's in the context of it being some kind of hexing mechanism, nothing more. These stereotypes have twisted a lot of information about its practices. For example, the use of "Voodoo dolls" in hoodoo (and in Voodoo), is not even of African origin at all. This practice as it's done in hoodoo was taken from the ancient European use of poppets ("poppet" is an old English word, related to the word, "puppet"), and from Native American dollies. I didn't know that until I did some research.

Thanks.



.

[Heartsong]

Ah, thanks for the correction, Kassandra, that's good to know. I don't want to mislead anyone. Although I wondered how the two would work when blended. That would be a fascinating read. And yep, being confined to a recliner at home with books and my ipad has made me a very socially active person on the forum lately, haha. It hurts like nothing I've ever experienced, but I have to have something to do or I'm going to lose my mind.

I'm doing a bit better, painwise, and I'm getting a little more mobile everyday. Thanks for asking.

I was actually a little surprised myself on how little information I could find that seemed legitimate regarding hoodoo and voodoo. It's not a topic that speaks to me, exactly, but like you, I enjoy research and I like having good, solid references to turn to when I have a question or ponderance. Your posts are always excellent sources, thank you for putting them up. They've lead me to many an evening pouring over one topic or another, hehe.

[Kassandra]

.


Heartsong, you've brought so much wonderful spirit to this message board. I love your posts, as well, and we're fortunate that you take the time to put so much into what you write, to try to answer peoples' questions quickly and thoroughly and not leave them hanging, etc. You're a doll. Keep up the great work.

Glad you're feeling a little better, and are more mobile. And yes, social media is a godsend for the homebound, etc. lol



.

[QuestionableEnergy]

Thanks for all the information..I am going to look into more the links you shared. I am just trying to understand as clearly as possible. I understand that a lot of it is what you choose to make of it. I definitely started my research as looking into white witch, however i keep getting redirected into green witch so maybe a little of both...

[DPhoenix]

So how many religions are based from Wicca or the other way around. Right now I am studying the elements which keeps talking about green witchcraft..now is that another branch of Wicca? Also Celtic, rede, all these other names..I just dont get how all this works..how can you be a pseudo Christian Wiccan??? lol I made that up but after reading some of these posts I am majorly confused about how the wicca witchcraft belief system works...HELP PLEASE so that I can understand.

I know it can be confusing and quite frankly you'll get many different answers depending on the person.

It's generally accepted that Modern Wicca as we know it today was founded by Gerald Gardner around the 1950's. He was a merchant who travel and was very interested in the metaphysical such as freemasonry, buddhism & tribal magick. There is some debate about a claim that he was initiated into the New Forest Witches in England by Dorothy Clutterbuck.

Gardner basically created the framework of Modern Wicca from which MANY traditions sprang up from. Most traditions revere and work with a God & Goddess (though a few exceptions such as Dianic Wicca deal strictly with the Goddess). There are 3 degrees (First, Second & Third) and usually consist of groups called Covens. A High Priestess and/or Priest resides over the coven, leading it during ceremonies, celebrations, rituals & gatherings. A basic set of tools are used (such as the athame, wand, chalice, pentacle, cauldron etc). Materias such as herbs, crystals, oils, specific times etc are used to according to their correspondences (love, abundance, cleansing, protection, etc) to lend energy to spells.

As for belief system, most traditions acknowledge & observe a God & Goddess representing the duality/polarity that is all around us. The God of the Day, The Goddess of the Night... etc.

As for specific deities, that depends on what tradition you follow and a lot of traditions do not require specific deities while others have you pick from a specific pantheon. If you followed a Celtic Tradition you might be encouraged to pick a God & Goddesss from that pantheon. Nordic Traditions from the Norse Gods. Dianic/Greek/Roman Tradition from that pantheon....etc. But along with the Gods & Goddesses you may be encouraged to celebrate dates significant to that culture or incorporate certain aspects. For Example, the Norse/Viking/Teutonic religion also has aspects of shamanism that you might incorporate into your rituals, spells etc.

There's also the Kabbalah & Enochian Magick which deals with the Angels & Archangels which may resonate more with someone who has a Christian background or interested in incorporating them into their craft.

There aren't any hard & fast rules, especially for the solitary. So the best thing you could do is start reading up on the different traditions & find what resonates with you then incorporate it into your Craft.

Hope that helps. I sometimes have a tendency to go off on bunny trails!

[Kassandra]

.

Nice, succinct summary, D!

Here's another good one, written by EUTM member, Lark. She IS a practicing Gardnerian witch, as well as a High Priestess in that path, so her words are not based on opinion, but on a very clear, studied understanding of the origins of Wicca itself. In other words, she knows her stuff! We are privileged to have her as a member here, though she doesn't post very often anymore.

Witchcraft itself has been practiced all over the world since the beginning of humanity on this planet; Wicca, however, is a denomination of witchcraft that is of contemporary, 20th century origin. In the quote below Lark cites some very good reference sources that explain all that:

Wicca is NOT an ancient religion although it draws inspiration from the religions of pre-Christian Europe. The religion of Wicca was synthesized by Gerald Gardner in the 1940's and made public by him in the 1950's following the repeal of the Anti-Witchcraft laws in Britain in 1951. Gardner developed the religion of Wicca based on the writings of Margaret Murray (long found to be inaccurate) which claimed that Wicca was a surviving Pagan religion. However, the teachings and practices that Gardner developed were drawn from British folk magic, Masonic rituals, Ceremonial magic, and the writings of those such as Murray, Leland, Fraser and others.

For anyone interested in the documentable history of Wicca I would recommend the following books:

"Triumph of the Moon" by Ronald Hutton
"Gerald Gardner and the Cauldron of Inspiration" by Philip Heselton
"Witchfather, a Life of Gerald Gardner" by Philip Heselton

And these websites:

http://wicca.cnbeyer.com/old_religion.shtml

http://www.geraldgardner.com/History_of ... evised.pdf

I hope people newly interested in Wicca take the time to at least consult these sources (as well as others) and NOT base their practices on the "Hollywood Wicca" they are entertained by every week on TV, or at movie theaters (...but one can only hope, lol ). Remember, movie/TV producers are not obligated to portray Wicca or any other religion accurately, to tell you the "truth." That's not their job.

Their only job is to please their corporate investors/masters by providing the public with exciting entertainment that gets high ratings, to make sure those shows get great viewership (= great $$$). Period. That's their only job. So, they will use any and all the "artistic license" they care to use in order to do that one job (otherwise they will lose their obscenely high-paying jobs, and they wouldn't want that, would they? lol).



.