Got a friend who’s Wiccan or Pagan, and want to know what it’s all about? Have you ever wondered why there are so many books about Wicca in the bookstore? Want to know what Wiccans and Pagans really do? Read on!
Paganism
The word pagan can be loosely defined as one who practices a polytheistic religion. A polytheistic religion is any religion that has more than one God. Christianity, for example, is monotheistic, because it supports belief in one God. Sometimes the word Pagan is used to mean anyone who is not Christian, though this use is quickly becoming outdated.
Paganism, (or Neo-Paganism, as it’s often called now) can be used as a broad term to refer to many religions, including the popular Wicca. Other Pagan religions are Asatru, Druidism, Ceremonial Magic, Hermeticism, Animism, Shamanism, Voodoo or Voudun and Santeria. Satanism, which believes in one deity, is not Paganism. Paganism is more an umbrella term than a specific religion.
What Wicca Is Not
Wicca is not Satanism or devil worship. Wicca is not inherently evil, though many people define evil differently. Wicca does not involve human or animal sacrifice or any bestial activities. Wicca is not a sex religion or a way to control other people. Wicca is not a brainwashing cult.
What Wicca Is
I’m going to write in broad definitions here, because Wicca is a multi-faceted religion. And it is a religion, protected by the Constitution of the United States of America.
Wicca is a nature-based religion and honors the sanctity of all life. There are many sects of Wicca, just as there are many kinds of Christians. There are Dianic, or feminist, Wiccans, Celtic Wiccans, Norse Wiccans, Stregherians, or Italian Witches. Some sects define themselves as Wiccans, and some call themselves Witches.
A Wiccan or a Witch can be male or female, and the term Warlock is not used. Wiccans who practice more folk magic and customs than structured religion often prefer the term Witch to Wiccan. Some call themselves Kitchen Witches, Green or Hedge Witches. Some don’t call themselves Wiccans or Witches at all.
Wicca was formally founded in the 1950s in England by Gerald Gardner, who gave his name to the Gardnerian Tradition, which has become synonymous with British Wicca.