I have some questions.

[jaerajaws]

Hello there; my name is Jaera, and I have been considering (and strongly for) adapting my lifestyle to incorporate Wicca practices. I have a few questions that may seem simple but I ask for your patience, and I am very thankful for any time given for answers.

I have recently purhcased the book Wiccapedia: A Modern White Witch's Guide by Shawn Robbins, and Leana Greenaway. It's a very interesting read, but I know there is more to things than just one set of material. I would deeply appreciate some more literature recommendations, preferably titles of books that I can actually set out to buy a physical copy of.

I understand some of the rules, and laws of Wicca such as the Law of Return. Karma is a very big part of Wicca, but are there any other things hat should be known to beginners in Wicca? Of what little I have read in the book I purchased, it seems that positive energy, positive thinking, and over-all respect are the roots of it. If I am misinformed I am severely sorry, and please correct anything here that may be wrong!

I label myself as a weak agnostic. I do not really believe in any kind of deity, god or goddess. However, I do have a deep respect for nature, living creatures, and the elements. Would it be possible to worship the elements as their own separate agender entities, or do I have to have confirm belief god and goddess?

Is there a different item that could be used to represent fire as an element on an altar? An example being: placing the altar in an open window where the sunlight could hit it at certain times of the day, and then have a little sun knickknack for the times that the sun cannot cast its light on the altar? I am absolutely terrified of an open flame, however small it may be, so until I can conquer my fear I'd rather not light a candle. I view it as having some time to reflect on myself, conquer fears, and build the confidence I need to succeed in learning about, and casting spells.

Could someone be considered a witch or wizard if they do not cast spells, or interact with other witches/wizards? I am a very solitary person, and I tend to only spend my time by myself, with my partner, or with my animals.

These are all that came to my head after an hour or two pouring over the various posts on these forums. I may have more questions as time goes on.

[smogie_michele]

Hey there! I love the list of questions
This is just my opinion on this pretty broad topic...
*I also feel I should apologize for any misspelling that are bound to occur, I am taking a break from school and messing around on my phone which doesn't alway auto correct*

Literature: I often have a hard time finding books in regarding Wicca- mostly because I don't consider myself a wiccan, but I think it is the closest subject to what I actually believe. I really like Wicca: A Year and a Day by Timmothy Roderick. I don't always do all of the exercises or follow it daily, but I find it to be a great resource when I am trying to find a starting point when researching certain topics. I also really love any book produced by Llewellyn- they made a lot of date books and almanacs, so reading a small paragraph daily is nice for me.
Of course, many people resonate with different books, so you may get a variety of different answers here. It may be better to collect whatever titles you receive, go to a barnes and noble, grab a few and thumb through them before purchase.
Another note, this site is often an excellent source of material. I often refer to Seraphin's magical correspondences (now I KNOW that isn't spelled right...) for help.


As far as Gods and Goddesses go, I don't believe that you have to confirm your believe in anything. This is YOUR personal belief system. For example, my fiance (who also identifies as an agnostic) has declared that he does not believe in specific deities- but he does belief that there is a masculine and feminine aspect to all things- elements, spirits, animals, etc. He will refer to those aspects as the god and the goddess. It is what works for him.


On my altar, because I live in a tiny room with many flammables in the area, I have a tiny dragon statue for fire. Whatever you look at and think "fire" will work. I have also used red flowers in the past, but my cats keep eating them.


Phone battery decided to die so I'll end it here... Good luck on your path

[YanaKhan]

Hello, jaerajaws,
Please go to the top section and introduce yourself.
smogie_michele already gave you some very useful info.
You can also check our Witchcraft & Wicca 101 - The Basics of the Craft forum - there is a lot of helpful information there.

[Jenny Crow]

Hello Jaerajaws,

Welcome to the forum. I have never heard of the book you spoke about so can't offer any opinions on how good (or not) it is. Some books that you may want to read are: A Witches' Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar (this is an older book but takes you through the Eight Sabbats and the myths and stories so you can understand them). Books by Scott Cunningham are also good. Wicca for Beginner by Thea Sabin is also worth reading and Buckland's "Complete Book of Witchcraft" is very widely read.

There are threads around here on the 3 Fold Law, which is not a universal law at all but was picked up in the 70's and promoted by new Wiccans - there are countless people who do not subscribe to this at all - but you have to make up your own mind.

Wicca is a religion and as such has deities. These deities are an integral part of the tradition. This is something you're going to have to come to terms with. You can perform magic, if you wish, anyone can, but that does not make them a Wiccan or a Witch.

Hmmm......hopefully you'll soon come to terms with your fear of fire. In the meantime you could use a fiery gemstone; a picture of 'fire' or a little bowl of red pepper. As well the suggestion you made would probably work too.

You don't necessarily HAVE to cast spells to be Wiccan - it's a religion.

Jenny Crow

[Xiao Rong]

I understand some of the rules, and laws of Wicca such as the Law of Return. Karma is a very big part of Wicca, but are there any other things hat should be known to beginners in Wicca? Of what little I have read in the book I purchased, it seems that positive energy, positive thinking, and over-all respect are the roots of it. If I am misinformed I am severely sorry, and please correct anything here that may be wrong!

Personally I think that Wicca is perhaps less centered around positivity and more centered around balance. The importance of day and night, summer and winter, sun and moon, God and Goddess.

The text that I believe most sums up the ethos and meaning of Wicca (though not necessarily to be taken as a set of commands from on high) is the Charge of the Goddess; the main themes are joy and pleasure in this world, love, balance, and seeking liberation from within.

I label myself as a weak agnostic. I do not really believe in any kind of deity, god or goddess. However, I do have a deep respect for nature, living creatures, and the elements. Would it be possible to worship the elements as their own separate agender entities, or do I have to have confirm belief god and goddess?

No, I know of many Wiccans and Pagans who are atheist or agnostic. I wrote something more in-depth in a post about non-theistic paganism. However, you'll find that many of them still use deities in rituals, although usually more as metaphors and poetry than calling them literally.

Generally people say that Wicca is orthopraxic ("right doing"), not orthodoxic ("right belief"). It matters more what you do, not what you believe.

Is there a different item that could be used to represent fire as an element on an altar? An example being: placing the altar in an open window where the sunlight could hit it at certain times of the day, and then have a little sun knickknack for the times that the sun cannot cast its light on the altar? I am absolutely terrified of an open flame, however small it may be, so until I can conquer my fear I'd rather not light a candle. I view it as having some time to reflect on myself, conquer fears, and build the confidence I need to succeed in learning about, and casting spells.

Yes, those are all fine. As you suspect, you probably will need to come to terms with open flames -- like I mentioned before, Wicca is about balance -- about finding the sacred aspects in all of the elements.

Could someone be considered a witch or wizard if they do not cast spells, or interact with other witches/wizards? I am a very solitary person, and I tend to only spend my time by myself, with my partner, or with my animals.

There are a lot of definitions of witch and wizard! Some would argue that if you don't cast a single spell, you can't claim the title, but others differ. You will need to look around to see what's right for you. There are a lot of witches who are solitary, though.

[Jenny Crow]

[quote
No, I know of many Wiccans and Pagans who are atheist or agnostic. I wrote something more in-depth in a post about non-theistic paganism. However, you'll find that many of them still use deities in rituals, although usually more as metaphors and poetry than calling them literally.

Generally people say that Wicca is orthopraxic ("right doing"), not orthodoxic ("right belief"). It matters more what you do, not what you believe.

I can agree with you about Pagans but Wicca was formed as a religion by (as you know) Gerald Gardner. And the Wiccan religion centres around the god and the goddess - this is what the 8 Sabbats are all about. A Witches' Bible covers all this and the books "The Witches' Goddess" and "The Witches' God" by Janet & Stewart Farrar also explain a lot.

It does matter what you do but it also matters what you believe.

[Lord_of_Nightmares]

[quote
No, I know of many Wiccans and Pagans who are atheist or agnostic. I wrote something more in-depth in a post about non-theistic paganism. However, you'll find that many of them still use deities in rituals, although usually more as metaphors and poetry than calling them literally.

Generally people say that Wicca is orthopraxic ("right doing"), not orthodoxic ("right belief"). It matters more what you do, not what you believe.

I can agree with you about Pagans but Wicca was formed as a religion by (as you know) Gerald Gardner. And the Wiccan religion centres around the god and the goddess - this is what the 8 Sabbats are all about. A Witches' Bible covers all this and the books "The Witches' Goddess" and "The Witches' God" by Janet & Stewart Farrar also explain a lot.

It does matter what you do but it also matters what you believe.

No, not exactly. Xiao is right, Wicca is orthopraxic. I have talked to some trad Wiccans, (Alexanderian and Gardnerian.) because I am interested in joining a coven, and they do have varied beliefs and no one "cares" or "corrects" them. They may "work" with gods or the archetypes in rituals and it's true also that Wicca is a priesthood, but I would not say belief in the actual concept of gods is necessary. The one coven I want to join, my initiator is a monotheist while I am a monist. He had no problem with me being a monist.

[Jenny Crow]

Of course Wicca is orthopraxic - all it means is "correct conduct" - which goes without saying. When one is a member of a coven orthopraxy is important.

I have talked to many trad Wiccans through the years and have belonged to two different covens and was High Priestess of one of them. I was taught by a lady who actually met Gardner and was taught by his coven - and he looked upon his tradition as a religion - first and foremost; and it was taught as a religion.

It's too bad that 'no one "cares" or "corrects" them - that seems to be the way of things these days.

As well, one (or a coven) does not "work" with a god or goddess - you don't evoke them into your presence and employ them - I feel that there needs to be respect and an understanding to be able attain the aid of a deity.

As well, if there's no belief in the actual concept of gods why would they be approached to "work with"?

[Thitabe]

Howdy jaera, A few other books that I own and highly recommend are Solitary Witch by Silver RavenWolf, Wicca The Complete Craft by Dominic. J. Conway, Wicca Demystified by Bryan Lankford, Living Wicca by Cunningham and A Witch's 10 Commandments by Marian Singer, also anything from Scott Cunningham, Raymond Buckland or Aleister Crowley. I know that's a lot of books, but that is actually a tiny bit of the books I have. Don't feel overwhelmed though, the way I did it was to pick one or two at a time and read them. I have been a solitary since 2007. The first book I would read and the first one I read before I entered the Craft was Wicca Demystified. It is written to be read by friends and family of Witch's and gives a good explanation of what we believe and therefore may help you in better understanding what it means to follow Wicca.
Wicca isn't for everybody and only you will know if it's for you. I would suggest you check at your local library for most of the books I have listened. It will give you a chance to read what you need to and then you can buy the books that you feel speaks to you and your needs.
As you read more you may find that you are drawn to being Pagan, but not Wiccan and that is fine. The main thing is to follow a path that fits you.
Good luck in finding your path.

[Lord_of_Nightmares]

As well, if there's no belief in the actual concept of gods why would they be approached to "work with"?

There are archetypes and there are other things on a psychological, symbolic, and metaphorical level where a literal belief of deity is not needed even if they are used in ritual. The gods' existences cannot be proved. The one thing that is provable about them is that they are ideas. As ideas, there is many ways to approach them or work with them without the need of theism.

[Jenny Crow]

It seems to me that if there is a belief in a god, even on a metaphorical level, then there is a belief to a certain point - no?

We can tiptoe around this forever - my beliefs are not going to change and neither are yours - so be it

[jaerajaws]

Thank you to all who have responded here, it's helped out greatly and I have plans to go out today to read up on some books at the library.

It seems the question of a god and goddess has brought many different opinions to the table. I guess I will have to let this choice be a matter of my personal preference.

[Lord_of_Nightmares]

It seems to me that if there is a belief in a god, even on a metaphorical level, then there is a belief to a certain point - no?

We can tiptoe around this forever - my beliefs are not going to change and neither are yours - so be it

I'm not trying to "force" it or anything, I apologize if it comes off that way. I am actually a theist. I just understand the non-theistic, psychological, and atheistic perspectives.

[Jenny Crow]

No need to apologize - we all have our own ways of looking at things and believing in things Peace!

Jaerajaws - yes - let the choice be your own personal preference. I have found that as we advance along our spiritual path, sometimes, because of personal experiences and gaining more knowledge, our ideals, beliefs and thoughts often change.

[Mystic Phoenix]

Karma is not part of Wicca