Wiccans: I have some questions...?

Question

... and I'd be most grateful if someone would help give me answers :) sorry if they are n00b questions or insulting, and any insults are unintentional
1) do Wiccans practice sorcery?
2) is there a difference between sorcery and witchcraft?
3) do you have a heaven or hell, or any form of afterlife?
4) I'm a bit confused as to who you actually worship. It was my understanding Wiccans have a god and a goddess, but I also have seen on the net Wiccans that have patron deities, eg. Bast, the egyptian cat goddess, or Diana, a roman goddess
5) what do your spells do? I have heard a variety of stories, ranging from necromancy to divination
6) is there a devil or some form of evil archetype in Wicca?
7) why do some (mostly monotheists) associate Wicca with their devil?
8) what prompted you to become Wiccan? (I know that's a bit personal, feel free not to answer :) )
9) a lot of Wiccans sign on and off on internet forums and such with 'merry meet' and 'blessed be'. Why is this done?
I know that's a lot of questions, so thank you in advance for answering :) oh and any references to further information would be most appreciated

Answer 1

1. I'd need a definition of sorcery to answer this.

2. See#1.

3. The gods gave us this life, so it's the one that matters, and it's the one I, as a Wiccan, care about.

4.Traditionally, Wicca is polytheistic, with each coven interacting both with appropriate gods for their area and local deities. Traditionally, The God and Goddess actually have names, and are NOT 'uber deities' which represent all gods. Those names are not shared outside of the group, so some people think there are no names. Again, traditionally, the gods are worshiped in a tapestry in which specific deities have different sacred sites and groups of worshipers, and whole pantheons are covered, with focus upon certain gods in certain places on certain days. A lot of Wiccans, however, don't worship in a traditional way..and there is nothing wrong with it until they claim that ALL Wiccans worship like that.

5. Don't know, I'm a Wiccan, I don't have 'spells.'

6. Evil isn't a thing, it's how actions are interpreted.

7.Some monotheists associate EVERYTHING outside their faith with their devil.

8. Direct interaction with the gods.

9. Merry meet comes from a specific ritual, and is used, properly, for a greeting. Blessed Be implies the whole of the five-fold kiss, think of it as being similar to 'namaste.' I don't think people should use it as 'hello and goodbye' because it implies a level of respect not everyone has earned.



Additional details: The names of the goddess and god are traditionally the names of what you call 'ancient' gods. Perhaps the most common publicly revealed pair (and I have issue with this pairing) is Diana and Herne, who both have served as genii locii of The New Forest, a place important in early Wicca.



Edit: And once again the cut-and-paste Pagan thumbs down everyone. WHATEVER.Creep.

MY gods are gods, not 'aspects.'

Answer 2

Merry Meet



1. do Wiccans practice sorcery?

a. No, Wiccans do not perform sorcery per se.



2. is there a difference between sorcery and witchcraft?

a. Base Definition of Sorcery - The art, practices, or spells of a person who is supposed to exercise supernatural powers through the aid of evil spirits.

b. Base Definition of Witchcraft – The art or power of bringing magical or preternatural power to bear or the act or practice of attempting to do so.



3. do you have a heaven or hell, or any form of afterlife?

a. Yes, Summerland.



4. I'm a bit confused as to who you actually worship. It was my understanding Wiccans have a god and a goddess, but I also have seen on the net Wiccans that have patron deities, eg. Bast, the egyptian cat goddess, or Diana, a roman goddess.

a. Yes, you are correct on both.



5. what do your spells do? I have heard a variety of stories, ranging from necromancy to divination

a. Our spellwork is set for anything from healing to transformation.



6. is there a devil or some form of evil archetype in Wicca?

a. No.



7. why do some (mostly monotheists) associate Wicca with their devil?

a. Because they choose to believe what is taught them in church rather than doing their own research for the truth about Wiccan Ideology and Philosophy.



8. what prompted you to become Wiccan? (I know that's a bit personal, feel free not to answer :) )

a. Wicca makes sense to me.



9. a lot of Wiccans sign on and off on internet forums and such with 'merry meet' and 'blessed be'. Why is this done?

a. Merry Meet is a positive greeting, and blessed be is a positive parting.



I hope that I have helped some.



Blessed Be



Nyjh

Answer 3

1. No, not all Wiccans practice sorcery.

2. Sorcery means 'potion maker' or Magick arts practitioner from the Latin word. Witchcraft is the use of spells, curses, etc... Not that Wiccans do curses.

3. No Heaven or Hell, IMO. Yes, for reincarnation; when you die, you come back as another human being.

4. Yes, we have a God and Goddess, but many other pagan and Wiccans worship other Gods or Goddess. And, some see the other Deities as a reflection of the God and Goddess.

5. Our spells heal, help, guide, etc.. all good.

6. Many Wiccans don't believe there is a such thing as 'evil'. No, we don't worship Satan, nor do we accept or believe in him.

7. They think we're Satanists because of ignorance and fearing what they don't understand.

8. I thought it made so much sense in nature and all. It gave me a bright look at reality. It is peaceful; no harm is promoted. And, et cetera

9. 'Merry Meet' is a form of greeting another out of respect, even who you already know. And, 'Blessed Be' is a form of saying goodbye or farewell. Not all of us say that.



Hope that helped!

Answer 4

1) We say "no", but to persons who consider anything not "their way of thinking" is evil, well obviously they'd suggest differently. So guess it depends on one's personal bias.



2) Again depends on the definitions being used. I recall having this discussion with a Ceremonial Magician (at a Wedding breakfast no less), so it seems to me that both are different ways to approach an issue.



3) The Sumerlands is an after-life myth. I personally believe we'll find out when we cross the veil.



4) Ahh that's a deeply personal one. My first High Priest had a preference to the Roman Pantheon, I feel an attraction/calling towards the Celtic one. SOME have 'patron deities', others will chose a generic representation of male/female roles while others will chose whoever seems to be appropriate for each ritual.



5) Spells are basically a form of prayer - it uses the same mechanism by giving the person something to focus on.



6) We do not recognsie the antithesis of the Christian Faith, those who insist otherwise usually have a bias or worse.



7) Ahh that's easy. Dualism is the mind set that there is ONLY two positions/alternatives. & in the Black or White mindset they fail to recognize the richness of grey or the colour spectrum. Thus creating a situation when they firmly believe that anything that is not "Us" or "Good" or "White" HAS to be "evil". Therefore anyone suggesting otherwise HAS to be foolish people guided by evil influences. (Hardly respectful)



8) Was discouraged with what the various Christian Sects had done to Christ's lessons & looked elsewhere. I like the personal nature of this and how I am responsible for my actions. I cannot simply "blame" some evil entity.



9) 'Merry meet' and 'blessed be' are respectful greetings. Be merry and/or be blessed.



Hummm for the PS... That's mainly a personal interpretation.



.

Answer 5

1 and 2. no, a sorcerer is a person who practices a harmful type of magick, which is against the laws in Wicca.

3. there is no heaven of hell, but summerland, a place of bliss, if you know what Elysium is, think of that.

4. there are different sects of Wicca, some only worship one Deity, either the God or Goddess, usually believing that the absent one is a part of the one they worship. then there are Wiccans that worship both the God and Goddess, and others that see them as only the male and female aspects of nature and not actual beings in their own right. while others worship many other gods and may use the terms God or Goddess when addressing many Gods in general.

5. in Wicca spells reshape reality to the will of the witch, few if any witches are anywhere near strong enough to perform magick as people often think of it.\

6. most Wiccans do not believe that spiritual beings are innately evil, what happens is a spirit may be created by the ill wishes of a witch and before it can be banished it escapes. these would be the only truly evil creatures in wicca.

7. this association came about as Christianity was expanding, they needed a way to convince pagans to convert and abandon their gods, the easiest way to do that was to deamonize their gods and make them fear what they had once loved.

8. im not technically wiccan, i am pagan, i worship many gods, without heed of specific pantheons(groupings, like greek, celtic, etc) and i dont practice witchcraft, ive researched it, but until i can find a suitable teacher i dont plan on risking it

9. Wicca is a tiny minority in the world. it is very difficult to find other wiccans to talk to. which is why internet forums are so important, they help wiccans find others near them or beginners learn about Wicca



i hope this helps, it was actually rather fun to answer

Answer 6

Tessa, allow me to answer the last question first. Yes, Wicca IS real. Wicca is a Religion and as such, we give honor to BOTH a Goddess and a God (although there are exceptions to that (Dianic Wicca, being one)). We also acknowledge the Divine as being manifest in the Natural world around us, which kind of gives non-Wiccans the impression that we worship Nature. It is not Nature that we worship it is the Divine, and nature is only the conduit through which we do so. Wicca do not worship idols, we worship in front of statues (again there are many exceptions to this as well (Green Witches come to mind)). Christians do not worship the cross, they worship what the cross represents, it is precisely that same principle in Wicca. We conduct our ceremonies during the full moon (some also the new moon), and eight Sabbats which are spread out over the year (What many Wicca call the Wheel of the Year). These celebrations re-live certain phases in the life ages of the Gods and Goddesses and are done in commemoration of these Divine events. The Wicca recognize the existence of good and evil as inherent is ALL things, everything and everyone has the capability for BOTH (Even the Divine). Evil therefore, is an integral part of everything and one can not have one without the other. The key to this is balance, Wicca hold the concept of balance to be one of the core principles of the universe and al which exists. So, to answer your first question, there is NO being which is totally good or totally evil, only the intent of the individual determines whether a thing or an action is for good or evil. Therefore, as there is NO being assigned the nature of total evil (ie, a devil) it is impossible for us to worship such a being. NOw, as many member of Judeo-Christian-Islamic Faiths are so fond of stating in unequivocal terms, "if you do not worship the god of light and love, then you are worshiping the devil". They fail to realize that in order to worship anything or anyone, then worship MUST be the intent. There is no such thing as unknowingly worshiping anyone. We can NOT worship a concept which does NOT exist to us, therefore we do NOT worship the "Devil", as the "Devil" is NOT one of the Divine being concepts which exists within the Faith system of Wicca. It is as simple and direct as that. Does this make sense to you? Brightest Blessings, Raji the Green Witch

Answer 7

1) some choose to but it is not a requirement by any means



2) they have a littrel diffrence but I usualy consider it all to be witchcraft because that is the use of magick.



3) there is no set deffinition but most Wiccans believe in some form of reincarnation (although I don't think that I will ONLY come back as a human) and other than that most Wiccans don't have a very detailed view (maby they have an idea that they believe) but we don't really focause on it rather we focaus on the life we are living now.



4) Wiccans each see the gods and the godesses diffrently, some think that there is only the god and goddesses and the others are just aspects of the two, some think that there are many indavidual gods and goddesses, and some have entierly diffrent views of who they are. for me I think that there are many gods and goddesses, some of which represented in the old cultures, and I also think the spirits of the eliments are. Oh and we don't really worship them but rather respect and learn from them.



5) Magick, although not used by all wiccans, is the munipulation of the energy around us. Witches use it to help them to do what they can't mundanly, it takes a lot of studying and a lot of knowledge.



6) no there isn't



7) because when the monothiestic religions first started developing they tryed to convince the pagans to convert by the use of things like making their devil seem like he is what is behind their gods and goddesses (addoping their symbles as evil marks and making their devil have horns). the religions today still see those signs as what the church made them represent back then so they think this of all the pagan religions.



8) Personaly I found what I believed on my own when I was rather young and then when I started reasearching religion I found the Wicca was exactly everything I had already believed.



9) merry meet is said because of our common belief in the cycles that move us through life. the full saying is merry we meet merry we part and merry meet again. it is a saying that shows that the circle goes around and we will all meet part and meet again. blessed be is something said to reconise the whisdom of the gods and goddesses in another so is a show of respect to others along the path.



10) (the question in your additional detales) someones god and goddess are like their parents, they help the indavidual learn all the things they need to and they show the indavidual how to use the knowledge they have gained, they are a part of the other gods and goddesses but those two are the spacific ones tied to the indavidual.



11) to some yes. to others they are disint beings and very much their own god and godess.

Answer 8

1) do Wiccans practice sorcery?

Sorcery: the use of power gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits. No Wiccans do not commune with, barter with, use, misuse, or seek to control "evil" spirits



2) is there a difference between sorcery and witchcraft?

Yes. Witchcraft is a magical practice that uses natural elements and their archetypal symbolism to enhance the power of belief and will by combining and directing conscious and unconscious strengths towards a single goal or purpose.



3) do you have a heaven or hell, or any form of afterlife?

There is no single doctrine regarding what if anything occurs after death. The focus of Wicca is life and the hear and now. A belief in reincarnation in one form or another is common, but not mandated. In general it is not believed that the gods are concerned with reward, punishment or retribution. Actions have consequences and we accept responsibility for those actions, but consequences are naturally occurring and not divinely driven.

Summerland is the most common nearest concept to an after life destination, but it is most often considered a place of rest between reincarnations not a permanent abode.



4) I'm a bit confused as to who you actually worship. It was my understanding Wiccans have a god and a goddess, but I also have seen on the net Wiccans that have patron deities, eg. Bast, the egyptian cat goddess, or Diana, a roman goddess

Wiccans do not actually worship deity. The gods do not demand that we bow our heads, lower our eyes, or demean ourselves or our spirits in their presence. The relationship sought is not a master/slave, king/serf, all-significance/no significance relationship. The gods are honored because they are gods, but they do not demand servility. Sometimes it is believed that the gods offer a special relationship. The relationship of patronage. If you have a patron deity you have a primary relationship with them, but that does not disallow a relationship with other gods.



5) what do your spells do? I have heard a variety of stories, ranging from necromancy to divination

If magical practice is incorporated into religious practice which isn't necessarily a given, it is used for all the myriad purposes that generally are considered a reason for prayer in those religions which resort to prayer for help and assistance. Our "wiccan" gods expect us to be self reliant and self responsible. For those who choose to use magic, magic is considered to be just one of many tools the gods have provided that make self reliance and self responsibility possible.



6) is there a devil or some form of evil archetype in Wicca?

Nothing can be perfectly-good or perfectly evil. Nothing.



7) why do some (mostly monotheists) associate Wicca with their devil?

Ignorance



9) a lot of Wiccans sign on and off on internet forums and such with 'merry meet' and 'blessed be'. Why is this done?

Blessed Be is a reference to the blessing ritual used in many initiation rituals. It isn't meant to be a greeting. Merry Meet is a shortened version of Merry we meet merry we part and merry we meet again. often used in ritual when a circle is opened at close of ritual. It's used like a secret handshake to identify yourself as wiccan to another wiccan. Personally I never use it outside of ritual and neither do any wiccans I know who have been wiccan for any length of time. It seems to be tossed about indiscriminately by new converts as an outward sign of their conversion.

Answer 9

1. Define "sorcery."



2. Historically, "sorcery" and "witchcraft" have been largely synonymous, and has largely mean malevolent magic. Modern witchcraft, however, is ethically neutral. It is a magical practice, period. Not all Wiccans practice witchcraft at all.



3. No. The traditional Wiccan view is perpetual human reincarnation, but various Wiccans have different afterlife beliefs.



4. Wiccans are polytheists. Rituals focuses on a god and goddess, but the identity of the god and goddess vary from group to group and Wiccan to Wiccan.



5. Wicca is not about spells. That is something perpetuated to sell books.



6. Nope. The gods are a part of nature, and nature is not inherently good or evil. Good and evil come from choices made through free will.



7. Because Wicca is (erroneously) associated with witchcraft, and witchcraft historically is associated with the Devil.



8. It made sense. It didn't ask me to warp my worldview to fit in. And I found it spiritually useful.



9. I'm not sure, to be honest. Sometimes I think it's attention seeking. "Hey look, I sign off differently than everyone else. Ask me why!"



Plenty of us don't believe in "the God" and"the Goddess." We believe in many gods and goddesses, of which we work with only a small handful, often only two. Those who do believe in such beings believe all gods are facets of "the God," and all goddesses are facets of "the Goddess."

Answer 10

1) Not all Wiccans practice Witchcraft. Only some. I personally practice Witchcraft, but Wicca is about the gods, not about the magick.



2) I've never referred to what I do as sorcery, only witchcraft and have never heard another Wiccan refer to sorcery in their studies, although in my opinion, they could *probably* be interchangeable.



3) Depends; Wiccans have the Summerland and have no Hell, from what I studied. A lot of Wiccans also believe in reincarnation. I personally am a Wiccan who believes in reincarnation but since I follow the Greek gods I hope to be in Elysium one day (which is the Ancient Greek heaven in the Underworld along with Hades)



4) This is iffy because each person in Wicca can develop their own beliefs about this. I know some people seperate all the deities, but personally I believe in the God and the Goddess, and that all the Gods/Goddesses are parts of the God and Goddess. My patrons are Athena and Hermes, so I may refer to them as the God and Goddess in my rituals, or I might just say God and Goddess.



5) The spells (not all Wiccans practice Witchcraft, as I've stated before) differ depending on the person and their Path; I personally have done healing spells, protection spells, and divination such as crystalomancy, tasseography, and rune casting...



6) No, there is no "devil" in Wicca - that is a Christian concept and they can KEEP him xD



7) They associate Wicca with their devil because when you look up the Horned God, you will see that Christians used this Pagan god to describe their devil - it all goes back to the Medieval times when the Church was trying to convert Pagans into Christians; they basically changed their Church to adhere to the Pagan religions to gain converts. Christmas was the Winter Solstice, which was the birth of the Sun God and Easter is the fertility festival (which is why there's bunnies and eggs). People are ignorant - especially the ones who don't want to admit that the Church stole the pagan celebrations to convince people around the Middle Ages/Medieval period to convert to Christianity. Winter Solstice=Christmas, Spring Equinox=Easter, Goddess=Mary, God=Devil (the horned god was their inspiration for the pictures- if you read the Bible there are no descriptions of the devil besides things like "he has colors" and "he has eyes" and such vague things, so they made the pagan god into their devil), and the other gods/goddesses/heroes of the pagans became saints (such as Brigid, the Irish Fire Goddess, became St. Bridget)



8) I actually found out about Wicca in a book I found at my Catholic school (irony) and I began to research it. I've been fascinated with it ever since, studying everything I can, and here I am 9 years later, on my way to becoming a High Priestess!



9) Merry Meet is the greeting, and Blessed Be is also a greeting/farewell. We say it because we are happy to meet with the other and we wish them to be blessed as the go on in their travels (this is just *my* personal views, not necessarily the actual definitions)



Keep in mind that all of my answers are my *personal* answers and may not be applied to all Wiccans because we're all pretty diverse ^_^



Any further study: I HIGHLY recommend ANY book by Scott Cunningham. Avoid Silver RavenWolf. There are a lot of books out there. Have fun with all the research!

Answer 11

1) No. Wiccans focus on their relationship with their deities.

2) There isn't much difference between sorcery and Witchcraft, as both focus on sort of the same things

3) Some believe in reincarnation, others believe in a place called "Summerland" in which they go to rest and reflect

4) Some believe in a universal God and Goddess who may take the form of other deities (I have heard many describe them as though they were a diamond...many facets yet still one diamond).

5) Wiccans don't focus on spell work. As stated in #1, Wiccans spend their time communing and focusing on their deities. Spell work is a secondary practice, not a main focus. Not all Wiccans practice spell work, as it's not a mandatory practice. As for what the spells do, that's dependant on the spell. A spell to fly will do nothing, where as a spell to heal may aid in healing disease or illness.

6) No. Wiccans don't believe in a source of evil (ie. The Devil). Many believe in responsibility for conscious choices, rather than blaming some faceless character.

7) It's biased propaganda set up against them through certain organized belief systems, which indicate that anything not of their God is automatically of the Devil. A rather naive interpretation if you ask me.

8) I'm not a Wiccan, but I did begin my path with it. Through the research I did, it seemed right to me.

9) The terms "Merry Meet" and "Blessed Be" are merely greetings and farewells...not unlike saying "hello" and "goodbye".

AD) The deities honored today are the same deities honored centuries ago...just sort of revived.

Answer 12

1) No

2) Just in the way you word it

3) We go to summerland, many believe in some form of reincarnation

4) We normally choose a pantheon that we relate to

5) No different then praying

6) No

7) We were the biggest competition, so they feel the need to trash us.

8) My sense of reason

9) We follow the cycles of life

Merry we meet, merry we part, & merry we meet again

)O(