Wicca

Wicca is a modern pagan religion based on witchcraft. It emerged in the British Isles in the mid-20th century and gained popularity in the second half of the 20th century. Wiccans worship both a god and a goddess, often interpreted as a Horned God and a Triple Goddess. Their liturgical calendar is based on ancient festivals of the wheel of the year. Wicca is often called the “Old Religion” due to the superficial resemblance of its rituals and beliefs to those of pre-Christian Europe.

Wiccans believe in a formless, unknowable supreme divinity. Some believe this divinity is manifest in the world as the god and goddess, while others see the god and goddess as aspects of the supreme divinity. They believe in an afterlife and reincarnation, where the soul passes on to a spirit world between lives. Wiccans also believe in personal responsibility and that one’s actions will come back to them threefold.

Wicca is considered one of the largest and best known forms of Neopaganism and neo-witchcraft. It was popularised by the writings of the British civil servant Gerald Gardner, whose books on the subject published in 1949 and 1953. This led to the establishment of the modern Wiccan movement in the United Kingdom.

Wiccans celebrate eight seasonal Sabbats, plus full moon Esbats. The Sabbats fall on the traditional European festivals of Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lammas, Mabon and Modranicht. The full moon Esbats are seen as times of magic, and are often used to perform rituals and spells. The Wiccan Rede, a pastoral letter from the 1960s, is an important part of the Wiccan morality and ethics it states “If it harm none, do what ye will.”

In Wicca, the god is seen as a horned god, a male figure with horns or antlers on his head, similar to the Greek god Pan or the Celtic god Cernunnos. The goddess is often worshipped as a Triple Goddess, whose three aspects are the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone, styles of the god may vary depending on the tradition. Wiccans believe in an afterlife and reincarnation, where the soul passes on to a spirit world between lives.

Wicca is practiced mainly in small groups called covens. Each coven has a High Priestess and a High Priest. Some Wiccans are solitary practitioners, and may join covens and work with other Wiccans. In general, Wiccans are eclectic and tend to practice a more personal and private form of Wicca than the traditional covens. Some Wiccans may believe in a single deity.

The Wiccan Rede states “An it harm none, do what ye will,” which means “If it harm none, do what you will.” This is a basic code of conduct in Wicca. It states that one should do what they wish as long as it doesn’t harm anyone. Wiccans believe in an afterlife, and that one’s soul will go to a spirit world between lives, and they also believe in personal responsibility, which means that one’s actions will come back to them threefold.

Wiccans believe that a person has both a mind and a soul. The mind and soul are separate and distinct, they believe the soul is reborn, not the mind. They also believe in the Threefold Law, also known as the Law of Three, which recommends that a person should consider the consequences of their actions carefully, as the consequences are returned to the sender threefold.

Wiccans do not believe that a god or goddess is a single entity, but rather that they are aspects of the unknowable supreme divinity. Wiccans believe in reincarnation, and that the soul passes on to a spirit world between lives, they also believe in personal responsibility, which means that one’s actions will come back to them threefold.

Wicca is made up of many different beliefs and practices, with no single standard belief. Wiccans believe in both a god and a goddess, often seen as aspects of an unknowable supreme divinity. They believe in an afterlife and reincarnation, with a soul passing on to a spirit world between lives. Wiccans also believe in personal responsibility, and that one’s actions will come back to them threefold.