I am personally a bit disapointed in most groups who use the name "wicca". There IS real Wicca. And there is the "God-knows-what stuff some people do in the name.
For those who do walk the way, there is a village in a certain country. Every man, woman, and child in the village are initiated members of the old way. This village has been this way for centuries. I have a dear friend who is allowed to go there once a year, and while there they will give this friend one hour. During that hour my friend can access the greatest book of shadows the planet has probably ever known. Their book goes back to beyond the 1200's AD. My friend then let me study, and copy if I wished, from the notes taken. Herb remedies hundreds of years in the proving by trail and error. Psychological insights that became customs and ways they trod because they produced results. A truly astounding group.
Do they have real practical powers? One night a few years back, my friend invited me to take part in certain things they did on that day. Half way into the evening, a lovely Druid Princess went to the altar, and when she raised her hands and began to chant, even the stars got quiet. We were all asked to leave the room while she "prepared the place" for what was coming. Little did we suspect.
While we were all outside a sudden silence fell over the space. Like a vacuum that sucked all sound out and put it in a bottle for the djinn to keep. Suddenly I felt the most intense, from-the depths-of-my-soul love welling up within me. I stood there a second and then I recognized that "footprint". It was ISIS. I had not felt that presence in a very long time, and could hardly believe SHE was present.
We were summoned back into the room and the druid priestess stood tranposed before us. She had willingly given her body to our Lady so she could preside. And preside she did. At the end, each of us was drenched in sweat from the high energy we were working in...and the priestess who was assisting said each of us could come to the Lady and ask her one question.
When I got there, before I could speak, she called me by a name. I knew then that this was no imagining. She then asked if I remembered a time I had done a certain deed for her. I finally squeaked out a "Yes." She said she had never forgotten and from this point on I was under her care...until another teacher came ready. Then she touched 3 places on my head.
It took my days to get over that night. And the teacher showed up just as she said.
There IS Wicca. I know because I have seen it and been in it's working. Just remember, SHE is there to all who reach for her.
Blessed BE
Blessed IS.
WOW incredible story, thats one place I'd love to visit.
im just getting into witch craft, does anyone have any basic books beginners should start out with? the book i have is called witch craft for everyday life and modern living. its got alot of spells and info on herbs, incense etc.
Thanx,
T_Kman0610
I myself dont believe in wicca,but i was wondering,why have every wiccan i have ever met been practicing "witchcraft"?
Because Wiccans are good witches/warlocks or whatever
Watch Charmed, you'll understand...
Men can be Wiccans, right? Please forgive my ignorance, I do not know everything about every religion
there is no such thing as Warlock
Warlock means liar on oath.Hollywood added Warlock to male witchs to make the movie sound more scary and evil.
Thank you, I was not aware of that fact
AngelicSaiyan-
Yes Men also can be wiccan. Just yesterday I was reading the Wiccan Book For Men [:P]. However, the wiccan relegion seems to be more oriented towards women for some reason. I'm not exactly sure why, but if I find an answer I'll let yah know!
Now Beth-
Since you have extensive knowledge of the bible, please try to answer my question :). In the bible, it states that those who practice magic will be banned from heaven. Is this true in all cases or just those who are shadowed (satanists). (Note: My term "shadowed" is not to be taken offensively. I simply mean those who worship the dark lord. Please don't get offended! T/Y)
i feel that wicca should be for bothe men and woma, it shouldnt matter what sex you are. i have seen books on wicca for men but i think it is sex oriented like love spells and all the love and sex life spells. but as far as regular wicca books are concerned i really feel it shouldnt matter wether you are man or woman.
bye,
T_Kman0610
oh please please please don't get your ideas about Wicca from "Charmed," or for that matter ANY movie or television show. THANKS! I will get you a good FAQ on the topic, to clear up any misunderstandings.
http://www.cog.org/wicca/faq.html
here is one from Covenant of the Goddess. Enjoy!
http://occoquan1.f2w.net/custom3.html
here's another one!
I am a wiccan/pagan I have been one for about 18yrs. I am a man also. I find that unfortunately on an average most wiccan groups are more goddess oriented(sp) this I think is partly due to the fact that most wiccans are women, and relate more with the goddess than the god. I myself relate better with the god, but find that it is good to commune with my feminine(sp) side through the goddess. This is my first post @ astralpulse. I am part of the founding group of a wiccan "church" in Oregon. If anyone want the male perspective I can help. I don't know how often I will be checking in here though.
This may seem like a strange question, but is there any form of wicca that is "accepted" by christianity? Or one that dosen't concern many gods or godesses, but only one god? I would consider myself a strong christian, but nothing more. I used to be catholic, but I got feed up with the feeling of being looked down on in church and the whole "if you don't confess your sins to a priest your going to hell" attitude. Anyway, I have always had an interest in things like wicca and never seen any harm in it. Any help would be great! [:)]
I dont know why,but i always had a hard time believing in goddesses.
But since whatever it is,its a deity it shouldnt have anything to do with sexes.
A deity is both god and goddess.
Doesnt matter if men are the source of life
thechunk05, there are a few covens that don't dwell on the polytheistic nature of Wicca, choosing instead to focus on the One, the All, which holds all of our ideas about God and Goddess.
Also, within the Unitarian sect there are wiccan groups that are very much accepted.
This really is too much, stars becoming silent? I wish I could have heard that.
Earth calling...
Thanks Tisha! Is there anywhere I can find information on that type of Wicca? I've been browsing through the AOL search categories and have come up empty.
http://www.cuups.org/content/intro.html
and then there are the solitary pagan/wiccans.....
mostly i follow and eclectic path, and don't REALLY term myself a wiccan, but very nearly.
but anyways, i did have a point...
what are people's thoughts on the 'three-fold law'...
i've met some that follow it almost to the death, and some who dont pay any attention to it whatsoever. just curious, that's all...
Hello :)
I'm responding to this thread even though I don't really call myself Wiccan anymore. I usually either call myself simply pagan or witch.
I definately identify with this:
http://www.whywiccanssuck.com/
And before you flame me to hell and back read the site first. :) I don't have a problem with Wicca -- just some of its followers. The whitelightfluffybunnies that ignore real history and make crazy claims to make themselves look more important than they really are.
ANYWAY! Looking forward to posting around here more.
I can see the point your getting at.
Wicca is really just a new name for a very old celtic way of life - which can more or less be described as celtic paganism, or just plain old witchcraft.
In recent years thanks to TV shows like Sabrina and Charmed, it has become a popular fad. Unfortunately what a lot of people caught up in this fad don't realise, is it is not a hobby or practice, it is an entire way of life, a spiritual path.
If I had to label myself, something I really hate doing, I would likely be a celtic wicca, but as my beliefs are also along the lines of druidism, to save confusion, my spiritual path is simply pagan. [:)]
What I did find about the website though was the author is definitely against wiccans, no matter how they tried to cover that up. It is definitely tainted with christian bias.
Regards,
James.
Hi James :)
I hope I didn't scare anyone with that link. I have a good many Wiccan friends and until very recently belonged to a coven that considered themselves Wiccan. Wonderful group of people. **WONDERFUL**
I guess I get impatient with those that do consider it a fad. I used to get impatient that if I told someone online that I was Wiccan they would automatically assume I was an angsty teenager trying to be cool or scare my parents. I've been a practicing witch for 15 years for heaven's sake! [:D]
And although I do think that some of the roots of Wicca are based in older religions and beliefs I get frustrated that a lot of the 'fad Wiccans' believe every Wiccan book they read word for word and don't take the time to do some independant research on their own. I mean, Gardener got most of his ritual structure from Crowley and the Golden Dawn (if I'm not mistaken) and it's unknown exactly what came from Gardner's Old Dorothy or even if she really existed. I think it's important for people to keep questioning and think about these things.
Maybe I'm a little jaded with people claiming they got their rituals from an old family book of shadows hundreds of years old because chances of that are nearly nill.
I wonder where that shows up in my astrological chart :p
I'm probably too hard on people. I'm sure when I was younger I went through that stage, too... I guess I want people to progress faster than I did. Not sure .
That is true of any religion or group. You will always have the fanatics that only seek group acceptance and see only the words and not the meaning behind the words, those that do not seek the spiritual through their religion.
It is now firmly established that 'Wicca' is a NEW religion, and doesnt date back further than the 1950's, apart from the Italian 'Gospel of the Witches' which dates from the 1890s and is mostly a product of 19th century romanticism, just like druidry which likewise comes from this period.
Until recently some of the things pagans used to come out with concerning their history was ridiculous 'the old religion etc'
Thankfully, in the last 10 years or so we have begun to see paganism being analysed propery as there are now pagan academics coming through the system and have leant their weight to properly documenting Wicca's history.
In reality, Wicca is NOT the 'old celtic religion'; rather it is an entirly NEW religion with SOME old pagan themes. this gives it some basic structure and 'theme' but in no way can modern paganism be seen to be 'the old religion', they are very different and have different concerns.
Just one example, in all ancient pagan religions, animal sacrifice was a common feature, but you'd be hard pressed to find any among today's enviro/veggie pagans'.
Also, no original pagan religion conceived of all deities as aspects of two (or one) god/or goddess, and there was certainly no concept of a universal earth mother who was worshipped everywhere before the nasty male-orientated matcho religions came along, this is a fantasy.
The reality was that yes, mother goddesses/earth goddesses along with other female deities WERE popular but they were popular along with a whole variety of other gods and goddesses who were worshipped collectivly, allthough each deity presided over a specific function.
This is true of celtic religion as well as Nordic or Greek/Roman paganism.
also the whole 'burning times' scenario postulated by Wiccans in the past is now known to be untrue and there is no evidence that the 'witches' burned at stakes in Scotland and Salem etc in any way constituted some kind of underground 'old religion', rather they may have been village healers, but they had no conception that they followed 'another religion', they just had a skill, thats all. In any case, many women were killed as an excuse and it had nothing to do with 'witchcraft'. In Scotland for example, where the witch hunts were inititated the the Scottish king James vi (later to be James 1st of England as well), he did it more for political/sectarian reasons, as a means of removing enemies particularly amongst both catholics and protestants.
(He later famously translated the bible into english (King James bible) where I am sure there is a inserted comment about witches!
Gardner's 'Wicca' was inspired from a whole range of eclectic sources, including freemasonry and Crowley's work, along with SOME pagan ideas and Native American material.
btw, before anyone slates me, I am not rubbishing Wicca, Wicca is a religion, which means that its historical origins are not important, what is important is that it is now a living breathing way of life.
However, in order to defend it against critics it is important for neo-pagans to recognise the historical foundations of their religion so as to answer any questions for outsiders and also not appear like gullable t***s.
I think this is important for all religions, esp. Christianity for example, who's believers have massive problems accepting historical realities over their bible texts.
most pagans/wiccans I know are fully aware that Wicca is the 'NEW religion', in the *style* of an old religion, but it involves a wholly modern environmental sensibility and modern ethics, while looking back and respecting those who have come before us.
It is a truly great religion and I am sure it will continue to grow!
Regards,
Douglas
I think I love you, Douglas.
That's actually one of the best breakdowns of new ways of Wicca I've read Gandalf! Well researched [:)]
The only place I see you'd get any arguments would be from people not looking at the semantics of wicca, and how the menaing of the word has been changed, particularly through the efforts of Gardener.
Some people are led to believe that the word wicca is only new. Not so. The word "wicca" is actually very old - it translates directly as "witch" or wise one, as in old english the word witch was pronounced witcha. The word wicca has only in recent times gone from having the literal meaning of "a male witch" (where in the old language, wicce was a female witch), to being descriptive of both, or descriptive of the practice.
Modern wicca is a bit of an assemblage of different techniques from around the place, as you mentioned Gandalf. I've not been inclind to call myself "wicca", possibly for that reason. I've started down the path of Celtic wisecraft, because of my affinity with nature spirits. But in this day, techniques do have to be adapted from the traditional Celtic magic to modern ways simply because ther are some resources that are just not practical or readily available.
I also wouldn't call my path a religion. For me it is a belief born of personal experiences and a way of life. I guess to many people that does constitute a "religion", though I tend to associate religion with doctrines and dogmas, so I tend to be philosophically opposed to the term [;)]
Kind Regards,
James.
Just chiming in:
What many people confuse is Wicca as a practise and wicca as a term.
The essence and some of the practises of Wicca are age old but the Wicca usually referred to is the label which is ~50 yrs old.
Wicca and the magical pracctises share some common ground but I doubt the term was used 400 years ago in the sense it's used today.
2cents & L&L
jouni
guys_
Thanks for the input,
yeah, the word 'wicca' has been the subject of some research, and as you point out, it seems to stem from the Old English (anglo-saxon) word for 'wise-one' or 'witch'.
The idea that it always refered to benevolent old women who lived at the end of the village street where you went for medication is not the whole story, although this definition can be said to be approx. correct.
however the word could also be used to describe the more evil variety of 'witch', who was more supernatural, almost wraith-like, and would be a figure of local legend/fear.
However, as I said, no-one should be fooled into thinking the 'village wise woman' variety in any way made up some kind of religion which they would recognise themselves as belonging to, this is a modern myth. These characters had a skill in healing and medicine, which in some cases was passed down as a *skill*, they did not think of themselves as part of some 'old religion', any more than any other kind of skill or trade.
Anyway, the term had both positive and in many cases very negative connotations in anglo-saxon times (and later periods).
However, as said, the original definition has little to do with the modern (1950's) term, as coined by Gardner, other than the name itself and a link which should be viewed as being more 'thematic' in nature.
I agree that there is a distinction between 'Wicca' as defined by Gardner and 'Witchcraft' in more general terms. They are not in fact the same. In the US, both terms are often used interchangebly (although this is changing), but in the UK they are recognised as different. Many 'Witches' (who view themselves as *magickal practitioners* rather than following any kind of religion), do not refer to themselves as 'Wiccans', like 'Moongirl' for example. Often they follow other Magickal paths inc. gnostism, Hermetics etc, including the work of Crowely and others.
In the US this can be a problem (esp. books published by Lewellyn!).
For example, in many witchcraft books (which are actually Wiccan), we read blanket statements like 'all witches believe in the Wiccan reed, or the law of thrice fold return and so on. Well, actually many witches don't, but most Wiccans do.
What's amazing these days is the rate of growth of Wicca and paganism in general. It has really taken off this past half century and shows all signs of continuing to do so!
What's really good is that in the past few years even many academics have come around to admitting that neo-paganism is not just another fad, but is here to stay. This has been helped by the new wave of academics who are themselves pagans, as these folks have begun to filter into the academic world over the past 20 years or so. The first neo-pagan academic conference in the UK was held in 1993.
Ave,
Douglas
Well, i've read thru this thread, thanks guys, great stuff. I wish more authentic wiccans would chime in though so i can ask em stuff. I printed off buckloads of info from authentic Wiccan sites and was pretty much able to pluck the real from the fake, and there is a LOT of fake thanks to crappy TV (oh wait, that's all TV).
You see, i was raised Christian, and in my own spiritual quest i've incorporated pieces of everything, going above and beyond the Bible. But the Bible is so adamant about "Do NOT WORHSHIP FALSE GODS BEFORE ME."
And the gods that Wiccans worship are polytheistic reincarnations of ancient Celtic/Greek/Roman gods, which in turn were probably elemental beings that are still little known today.
I myself am really thinking about looking into Wicca as a form of spiritual output. The love, beauty and genuine desire to know God/Goddess seems authentic if one approaches it so, not as a method to twiddle your finges and cast curses (which people do too)
What are the dangers of Wicca, if any? Dealing with spirits and summonings always makes me uneasy, i don't like the idea of dealing with such things too much, but that might just be my lack of understand and formal upbringing. Can anyone clarify?
yeah, and how does that work with a Single Goddess/God Wiccan? Seems to go against the grain of the religion.
I'm not sure if the injunction against worshipping "false gods" isn't a later addition to bolster the status of the christian church. Especially since the definition of "false god" isn't given, well save for "other than me".
But since god is everything and all things are an image of god it should follow that a false god is something seen as external to everything and apart from everything. Especially if this object of worship translates into thw worshippper seeing oneself as separate from unity of god.
I have a creeping suspicion that a lot of the current bible is convenient selection, some gradual additions and deft translation on the part of those who have a vested interest in the church being the top dog in the society.
As for the selection of your Gods(Goddesses) there's also the Norse mythology and the animalistic ways of worship. Check out Shinto for example.
You should have as many deities as are appropriate and make themselves know to you. Don't get fixated on numbers, balance of the aspects is more important.
2cents & L&L
jouni
[I have a creeping suspicion that a lot of the current bible is convenient selection, some gradual additions and deft translation on the part of those who have a vested interest in the church being the top dog in the society.
]
My opinion of Christianity and religions in general have been thoroughly revolutionized the past few years. I'm glad to have the Christian background, it has served as a solid spiritual base, and i know that was why i was taught it unmercilessly for so long. I totally agree with what you say about the Bible being selective. There are huge chunks left out, poor translations, undefinable visions, and an overall CONTROL of people and wealth. Most religions are probably like that, but all have a core kernal of good intentions.
False gods, false gods...when i hear that term i most often think of a golden calf, or the Greek/Roman pantheon with mortalistic flaws. Useless for the most part. It's fascinating how religion works on the natural fear and confusion of humanity's duality. We don't Remember what we Are, so we made systems to explain it that had built in flaws too.
quote:
Most religions are probably like that, but all have a core kernal of good intentions.
I'll take "which road is this" for $200.
When the good intentions become commandments, threats and intimidation they tend to lose the nice shine of a good thing.
Indeed the original "false god" was a golden calf. Anyone see it as a synmbol of putting the material world in the driver's seat instead of the spiritual?
Also when people are confused and looking for guidance it's a golden opportunity to steer them in the direction most beneficial to the one directing. It takes a very wise man to sincerely direct others when personal profit is to be made. Religions, in my opinion, fail at this all the time and always have.
The most valuable thing the noe-pagan religions have is that they have taken religion back to direct and personal experience and away from dogmatic chanting of verses and sayings nobody bothers to examine for truth and appropriateness.
2cents & L&L
jouni
quote:
I have a creeping suspicion that a lot of the current bible is convenient selection, some gradual additions and deft translation on the part of those who have a vested interest in the church being the top dog in the society.
Not sure where that originally came from, but i've got $0.02 to add to it.
i saw a documentary a while ago about the bible and how it came to be "assembled." it told how certain books that were critical to understanding jesus were left out. many of them were written long after the time of jesus, and long after many of the 'accepted' books were written, but some of the accepted ones were written around the same time and it sounded like the only reason that these books were excluded was because they didn't fit in with the church's idea of jesus. one (which i guess is semi-common knowledge) is the book which tells how jesus killed his best friend by pushing him off of a rooftop. when the crowd gathered to confront the boy, he said "he is not dead, look" and resurected him. it also tells the story of how he created birds from clay and made them alive. apparentlythe church didn't want people to see that jesus was a bad little boy and had to learn to use his 'gifts' for good as he grew. another told how jesus and mary magdalene had a family, and the church left this out because jesus just wasn't allowed to have sex back then.
Some Books Banned from the Bible: (linked)
The Life of Adam and Eve (http://www.unicorngarden.com/adameve.htm)- Eve speaks to the angels
The Book of Enoch (http://www.altheim.com/lit/enoch.html)- dream-visions
The Book of Jubilees (http://www.exodus2006.com/jubilint.htm) - written by Moses (?), adds details to genesis
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas (http://www.gospel-of-st-thomas.com/)- "The Gospel of St. Thomas declares that the Kingdom of God exists upon the earth today if people just open their eyes"
The Gospel of Mary (http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/gospelmary.html) - mary as an apostle
The Apocalypse of Peter (http://www.adventuretravelinc.net/~trowbridge/apocpet1.htm)- describes heaven and hell
The Protovangelion of James (http://www.reluctant-messenger.com/book_james.htm) - jesus' brothers and sisters were not of mary but of joseph's previous wife
The Gospel of Nicodemus (http://wesley.nnu.edu/noncanon/gospels/gosnic.htm) - story of the passion, and decent into hell. (possibly NOT a valid book, date written and author unknown.)
( i can't find a full listing, but if anyone does i'd love to see it.)
Other Links:
Sayings by jesus from the GoST (http://www.miseri.edu/users/davies/thomas/Trans.htm)
anyways, my thought is this. How can someone who is so picky and choosy about their own religion have any say in what is absolute?I have a feeling this should be in a christianity thread, but it was brought up here that's why i answered it here...sorry if i goofed[:)]
quote:
How can someone who is so picky and choosy about their own religion have any say in what is absolute?
May I ask who you are referring to by "someone"?
If you refer to me then I probably need to reply [8D]
I think that you refer to the people who selected the bits that went into the canonical bible.
2cents & L&L
Jouni
no i wasn't referring to you[:)] for once i'm not being silly and sarcastic towards someone.
what i dont' get (and this probably should go into another forum so i'll try to make it about wicca a little):
how can someone (i.e. those who created the bible) be so picky and choosy about what they 'allow' people to read in regards to their beliefs have any valid argument that religions such as wicca are not true religions. They cut out crucial pieces of their own religion in an attempt to make it seem like everything is perfect when in reality the 'savior' has as many faults as us lowly humans. instead of embracing all writings having to do with jesus (i.e. that of St. Thomas which say that heaven is on earth at this moment and is only missed by the closed minded/eyed) they choose those that put the power of the masses into their own hands.
my understanding of wicca, there is no one set book to rely on (such as the bible) and therefore one small group of people (vatican) cannot take absolute control over the believers (what other term is there...participants maybe?). it is such a - not 'makeshift'..more like 'individualized' - belief system that there is no real way to create a ruling class in which all other participants are forced to conform to a set belief system.
hope that makes what i meant to say more clear...and make me sound like less of a stupid grump - which is how i think i normally come across when i argue things. but i'm not arguing with people now, i'm discussing, which is different[:)]
Silversunset: NO worries. The reason I asked was to figure out how to respond and to what that response should be.
I think the reason behind the selevtiveness is a desire to make the message as clear as possible;to make the goal people are supposed to strive for shine out like a beacon.
The reason to leave out stuff, on the other hand, probably has a lot to do with making the gulf between JC and us normal people as great as possible lest we get into our heads the real teaching - that we are as much the Son of God as he was and that there's no need for a hierarchial system of religion and church. It paves the way to a dogmatic belief system where the believers aren't encouraged to experience the truth directly but rather to accept the word and thus the value systems of others.
Wicca and the neo-pagan religions that stress the immediate and personal initiatory experience of the divine, directly and without the need for someone else telling what to believe are less likely to have a controlling influence over their members orcisely bacause of the immediacy of the divine in them.
They are a bold move away from dogmatics, or rather were, since it appears some dogma has crept back into them. But that's the nature of religion and belief when they get big enough.
2cents & L&L
jouni
wicca is a misstransaltion it means which, covens have wizzirds male members and not nesaserly paginism, the wirship of supernatral beings zueses
hes also menshoned in an old testoment found in africa 200 years ago and menshions him as an angel created forth ore fith day.
"god tolk fire and throw off water and bunsed off earth sciming into the air creating lightning. to resid he named they angel zoeses". not a perficket quat.
Don't want to sound like a bore but is there any chance of proof reading the posts before submitting? [8D]
What do you mean?
2cents & L&L
Jouni
quote:
wicca is a misstransaltion it means which, covens have wizzirds male members and not nesaserly paginism, the wirship of supernatral beings zueses
hes also menshoned in an old testoment found in africa 200 years ago and menshions him as an angel created forth ore fith day.
ok ready:
1. wicca is not a mistranslation, and if it was it wouldn't mean "which." It is thought that it was a mistranslation however that belief tends to be held by people who try to convince themselves that modern wicca is a re-embodiment of an ancient belief system.
2. males and females can be 'witches' - the term 'wizzard' tends to be a hollywood-ized thing.
3. wtf is a "zueses"????
4. who is this mysterious "he" who is mentioned in the african text?
5. what is a "fith"? sounds like something from star-wars.
do you even notice that your spelling is horrible? if you're going to chalk it up to being from a foreign country...maybe you should invest in an english dictionary...or pick a forum that may be better suited to your language....
wicca; by Viertanne Crowley. (book)
youe do get cristion covens ore healing circkels that practies not just pagin covens
after all jesues had a coven of of 5000 an iner scircle of 12 aposeles 3 maryes and was followed by lots of people how helped in his healing slike st cris an other gifted healer and beleved to be his liveing garden angel patron st of travilers
look at bockes to do with stone henge the largest and pos the oldist wirshop sit on the planet some 40 million years ago a wooden post strucksher before the stone circkel
Thanks for those links, Silver. Uncommon knowledge or not, i always knew books were left out, but not as to their exact content. Very, very interesting. Damn, i've not to get internet at home, i miss out on topics all weekend long...
I'm having a little trouble following you sidcev. My understanding of stonehenge, and it IS very old, is that it was a direct connection to the Universal Consciousness.
Give the guy a break Runlola. He's dyslexcic (just read the profile). [8D]
My apologies to Sidcev. I'll read the intent and not the letters in the future [:)]
2cents & L&L
Jouni
No worries. Read the smilies as well. I wasnät accusing you or anyone else, just pointing out a fact. [8D]
2cents & L&L
Jouni
quote:
tell me more about the skyclad circle you were in...
I've never been in one. I would call myself a solitary but I fear I'd get the militant wing of Wicca on my doorstep. (Which, by the way, I wouldn't mind if that wing were to be Ms. Rosenberg of a certain tv series)
2cents & L&L
Jouni
Called sauna [:D] The national pastime in Finland save for those poor souls who don't see the divine inspiration behind the invention [8D]
2cents & L&L
jouni
sidcev - ick, sorry about the picking thing with the spelling, didn't read the dislexic part.
is it trow that pagins pick the name of child and that's the simbel they stand over for there protection from the under world garded( I now from book) by the horned god pentagram.
and is he a dragion one of the grat dragions how in enoch gard's hel. just qureues if there's simalaityes in wicca and cristrolagy. being one of the oldist religions on the planet
beleves' seen a yonen if religion at 14. by 2025
more resontly seen catch frasse of "peces between or people"
beleve started conseped by moslem oil baron and jewish land owner,
later cathlic prest asced to help. not shore of the langwich forn for the catch frases but thats whates in the english papers after confrences. just for prof just in cass[:)]
sorry, ment to say that youes to getting spelling corrected words of
miss whiten "righting irledgeable" before wide youese off computers
I would like to add something of Wicca in general.
Nearly 25 years ago I came across a very general Wiccan text. This was basically "magic for everyone" with very simple general things in it. Being a teenager, I tried some of them, and scared myself wittless. The first time I cast a circle and meditated, the feeling of a presence sent me from the room (I vaccumed up the salt the next morning).
My first real spell was for the Authors to contact me. Foolish I know, but it was worth a shot. This was all pre-internet, and there wasn't much in the library. A short time later I was out with a friend, and we stopped at a very eclectic used bookstore, which we had never been to before, nor since. I think it took me all of 2 minutes to find an original "Witches Bible", a black book with an Ankh on the cover. Coincidence?
I studied the book quite a bit. It has affected my entire life since then. Now I haven't always used the knowledge within, but at times of need I have. I have done numerous "rituals" alone or with the unknowing aid of my wife.
I have known quite a few pagans (medieval re-creation group) and self professed witches (real and fake). And generally speaking found them to be pretty much like everyone else (just more holidays [;)] ).
Do I consider myself a witch? No. I have never been a neophyte or tried for an initiation. Will I? I'm nearly 40, kind of hard. Would I work with a witch if there was a need? If I knew them well, then yes. Would work with a Coven (slim chance, but you never know how things will work out), yes if I knew them well enough.
I believe in a lot of wiccan tenates. They are generally good people. Are there some bad ones? Oh yes, I suppose they are just like everyone else, good and bad.
Now I take my basic knowledge, and combined it with a fairly sharp analytical mind and I wind up here. My book of shodows is different from many others, in that I don't limit myself to pre-concieved notions. A rittual followed by rote has less meaning than one full of symbols that mean something to you. The same goes for tools, a knife you forged yourself from cold iron is more powerful than one made in Pakistan (no offense intended).
I have made mistakes (ever get what you asked for, only to realize you shouldn't have asked?). But, The knowledge gained has saved my life on more than one occasion. That is sufficient for me.
And now I stand at a major junction in my life: Religion. I've had none up to this point, and I need to choose, for I think I'm spiritually stuck at the moment. What I think of as divine beings are so easy to explain, childishly easy. But now I've come to realize even if the origin is manmade, that doesn't mean they don't metaphysically exist and have power in the material world.
Merry Meet (as the saying goes [;)] )
This pentagram racket gets on my nerves. Turn the god damn thing upside down!!
This thread is specifically set up for the discussion and exploration of the Wiccan Religion.
Please feel free to contribute to this forum![:)] I look forward to learning more!
Blessed Be,
Beth