What Wicca is not...

submitted by Robert

1. Wicca is not "Satanic." Wiccans do not believe in Satan for a very simple reason - Wicca is a non-Christian religion. Satan is a Christian concept and simply has no place in Wiccan belief. Just because a religion is different from Christianity does not make it "Satanic."

The pentagram (star within a circle) is NOT Satanic. In fact, it is a very holy symbol. Each point on the star corresponds with a certain Element (Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit). In early Christianity, the sacred pentagram was incorporated into the church. It is said that during the Crusades, Christian warriors often wore pentacles on their shields for protection. In modern day, we see the pentagram used in a number of ways, including many Sheriff's offices.

When Satanists use the pentagram, it is pointed down. The only time you will see an inverted pentagram used by a Wiccan is if he/she belongs to a particular tradition that incorporates use of an inverted pentagram as part of an initiation level.

A-HA, you say, I knew they were Satanic!

Quite the opposite. In old traditional European Witchcraft (of which many still use the inverted pentagram as a symbol of initiation), an inverted pentagram symbolizes the standard four Elements dominating the fifth Element, Spirit; whereas, an upright pentagram represents Spirit ruling over the other four elements.

2. Wiccans are not anti-Christian. Just becuase a religion is non-Christian does not make it anti-Christian. Being non-Chrisitan is not evil except to the fundamentalist Bible thumper. Non-Christian religions simply have a different way of viewing the Divine.

3. Wiccans do not perform curses or hexes. First, there is the Wiccan Rede which states "An it harm none, do what ye will." This includes harming yourself.

Secondly, Wiccans believe in Karma, in which the energies that you put out, good or bad, will come back to you. Most Wiccans believe this karmatic return comes back in triple strength, hence the Three-Fold Law: That what you do will come back three fold.

It would be senseless for a true Wiccan to curse or hex someone because in essence he/she would be cursing him or her self. It would also be a valuable waste of time and energy, when he/she could be using magick to heal.

4. Wiccans do not Proselytize. This means that Wiccans do not try, nor do they wish, to convert others. A shared belief in Wicca is that we all have our own spiritual paths to follow. There are no Wiccan missionaries, no "undercover" Wiccans hanging out in schools or clubs to seek out new "members." Covens are not in a race to see who can attract the most people. Spirituality is serious; and just as humans have so cleverly devised many ways of communicating, so have they devised many different ways of viewing the Divine. It is not our place to tell others how or what to believe.

5. Wicca is not motivated by money or greed. There are no Wiccan "televangelists" raising money for their cause. Those Wiccans who offer services to others (through teaching, divination, healing, etc.) usually ask for a nominal fee, or chose not to charge anything at all (and I would venture to say that those who do charge a lot are not truly Wiccan.)

6. Wicca does not, nor has it ever had, copy or imitate elements and practice from the Christian Church, including holidays. What am I talking about? There are some fundamentalists who would like for their followers to believe that Wiccans try to "imitate" or "parody" certain Christian practices and holidays - like the two big ones, Easter and Christmas, when nothing could be farther from the truth.

Ironically, the Church itself has copied Pagan elements and incorporated them into its own system of belief. In many traditions during the time of Ostara (Easter), some cultures would proclaim that their particular God has risen from the dead at this time. In the church's early attempt of converting the masses to its practices, it would base some of its celebrations to coincide with (but not too close to) Pagan celebrations in order to fit in.

The Pagan elements that have survived to this day -- the coloured eggs, the Easter Bunny (symbols of fertility)-- are explained by fundelmentalists as a Pagan attempt to distort the meaning of their Easter. The same with the Christian idea of Christmas. Another attempt to set Jesus Christ to fit in with Paganism. True historians know that Jesus was not born in December (I have heard arguments that it was in October, others say March). Fundelmentalists claim that the Pagan elements of "their" holiday are attempts to distroy the "original" meaning... symbolism including the Yule log, mistletoe, the "Chritmas" tree, SSanta Claus, etc. I find it interesting that those who claim that this is "thier" religious holiday do not fully understand the history of the holiday, nor can they explain why such Pagan symbolism still exists.

Interestingly enough, the above argument is reversed when it comes to Samhain (Halloween). Samhain is a Pagan holiday, but it is in no way associated with Satan (except to the fundelmentalist). Samhain is New Year's for the Wiccans; the last day of the Wheel of the Year, when the God symbolically dies with the harvest. It is a time to get ride of the old and bring in the new. It is also a time to honor and respect our ancestors and our loyal loved ones who have passed on. The Church has distorted this holiday, it has tried to portray this sacred holiday as a time of evil celebration. As if that wasn't bad enough, the original meaning of Samhain has been preyed upon by the industry, and between the industry and the Chruch, it has become a commercilized holiday (web master's note: Haven't they all?) that celebrates violence, evil, and death (from the wrong perspective) and boosts candy sales.

7. Finally, Wicca is not for everyone. That's right. There is no pressure to become Wiccan and no one is "forced" to be initiated. You can study Wicca, and if you decide the path is not for you, there is no fear of "fire and brimstone". Each of us has our own individual spritual needs, which cannot be fulfilled by one single religion. Wicca is loosely organized, but it is oriented more towards the individual. There is no eternal hell in our belief system that non-believers are going to be sent to. We accept our mistakes, and take responsibility for our actions, rather than blame them on a scapegoat such as Satan rather then face punishment. "An it harm none, do what ye will."


(Web master's note: This may be a bit harsh at times but all information presented above is correct to my knowlegde) Back to Mystic Corners