Wicca the pagan religion

1. Special Thanks to Ms. DeLaniBartlette Wiccathe pagan religion A Neo Pagan Religion Valentin,Rafael Kindle,Aaron

2. RedesGuidelines for being Wiccan Nine woods in the cauldron go, Burn them quick, burn them slow; Elder be the Lady's tree, Burn it not or curs'dye'll be; When the wind begins to turn, Soon Beltane fires will burn; When the wheel has turned to Yule, light the log, the Horned One rules. Heed the flower, bush or tree By the Lady blessed be' When the rippling waters flow cast a stone - the truth you'll know; When ye have & hold a need, Hearken not to others' greed; With a fool no seasons spend, Or be counted as his friend. Merry meet and merry part Bright the cheeks, warm the heart; Mind the threefold law ye should, Three times bad and three times good; Whene'er misfortune is enow, Wear the star upon your brow; True in troth ever ye be Lest thy love prove false to thee. 'Tis by the sun that life be won, And by the moon that change be done; If ye would clear the path to will, Make certain the mind be still; What good be tools without Inner Light ? What good be magic without wisdom-sight ? Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill – An it harm none, do what ye will. http://wicca.com/celtic/wicca/rede.htm Bide the Wiccan Redes ye must, In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust; Live ye must and let to live, Fairly take and fairly give; Form the Circle thrice about, To keep unwelcome spirits out; Bind fast the spell every time, Let the words be spoke in rhyme. Soft of eye and light of touch, Speak ye little, listen much; Deosil go by waxing moon, Sing and dance the Witches' Rune; Widdershins go by waning moon, Chant ye then a baleful tune; When the Lady's moon is new, Kiss hand to her times two; When the moon rides at peak, Heart's desire then ye seek. Heed the North wind's mighty gale, Lock the door & trim the sail; When the wind comes from the South, Love will kiss them on the mouth; When the wind blows from the West, departed souls have no rest; When the wind blows from the East, Expect the new and set the feast.

3. “Serve the Life Force” • Wicca insists being in tune with nature, for the earth and everything of the earth is divine. Our bodies are divine, and sex is revered as a sacred act. • Physics says, “that the atoms and molecules of all things . . . are in constant motion.” Discovering this motion, or energy, is at the heart of Wicca. This energy, the Goddess, surges through everything, including us. We are of the Goddess and the Goddess is of us. We must discover ourselves to attain oneness with the world.

4. Daily Life of a Wiccan • Due to the emphasis on nature, many Wiccans are vegetarians or environmentalists. • Some Wiccans use magic, but it can be for simple things such as finding a job. • Can worship in covens or in solitude. • Not all covens practice a hierarchical structure • Covens usually remain small, about up to thirteen people. • Every coven has its own rules and functions. • Covens are scarce.

5. BELIEFS • Combines folk traditions and mythologies with modern humanistic ideas. • Acknowledges that everything is divine • Recognizing and worshipping nature & agriculture • Is not a patriarchal or monarchal and that male & females are equal • Rule of threes anything you put out (physically, mentally, or spiritually) whether positive or negative is to return to you 3 fold. • The Wiccan religion believes in Circles • Personal growth ecological and spiritual • Celtic, Greek, Roman, Norse, and Egyptian gods are popular among Wiccans as personal deities

6. Popular Deities In the world of Wicca There are many different sets of beliefs in terms of some may be either monotheistic, polytheistic, and Animism Celtic, Greek, Roman, Norse, and Egyptian gods are popular among Wiccans as personal deities • The Moon Goddess • The Maiden- Also refered to as a huntress, represents free spirit/adventurous • The Mother- Nuturing/ Creative/ Fertile • The Crone- The Wise One The Horned God Represents everything that is wild, assertive, and physically powerful(masculine) “The power of feeling” “The image of what men could be if they were liberated from the constraints of patriarchal culture” The embodiment of movement and change.

7. Pentagram • The circle represents the Cycle of life and how everything comes around. • 5 points represent the five elementsof earth, air, fire, water, and the 5th one being spirit. • The middle of the pentagram symbolizes Harmony • It is a powerful protective symbol with one point UP • It is very offensive to use the pentagram that has two points up also known as the inverted pentagram

8. Misconception • There is a misconception that all that are practicing Wicca are witches that fly around on broomsticks etc… this is only partially true. The practice of witchcraft is defined by using magic and most Wiccan believers actively practice witchcraft. • Wiccans do not worship Satan nor do they perform human sacrifice. • Wicca is not the same thing as being “goth” or “emo”. But practically speaking witchcraft is just a label to put pagan religions in a bad light. Lighting incense in hopes of healing a sick child is considered witchcraft to Wiccans but seen as something different by other religions. Wiccans receive a large amount of discrimination in predominant Christian areas.

9. Covens • Covens are groups of people that are all associated with one another in sometimes secretive meetings. • Covens are usually the first thing that you associate with Wiccan like behavior when you first hear it. • Some Wiccans meet in circles rather than covens, which are more formal and require an initiation or dedication.

10. HOLIDAYS(SABBATS) • Wiccan holidays are formally around equinoxes and solstices reaching a total of 8 in its entirety. • Solstices and Celtic Fire Festivals

11. Samhain(Sow-an)November 1st • Symbolism • Third Harvest, the Dark Mysteries, Rebirth through Death. • Symbols • Gourds, Apples, Black Cats, Jack-O-Lanterns • Samhain was originally the Celtic "Feast of the Dead" when offerings of food were left on altars and doorsteps for the wandering spirits. Single candles were lit in windows to guide the spirits of loved ones home, and places were set at the dinner table and near the hearth to honor the dead and make them welcome. • On Samhain night, the Christian townspeople locked their windows and doors and drew their shutters closed for fear of seeing an evil apparition. The witches carved turnips with ghoulish faces (there were no pumpkins in Britain at the time) and lit them with candles. Dressed in black cloaks they were nearly invisible in the night, except for the leering faces of the carved turnips. Anyone peeking out the window on Samhain night would be frightened out of their wits, thus leaving the way clear for the witches to proceed to their Sabbat.

12. Yule(you-el)Winter SolticeDecember 20-23 • Symbolism of Yule • Rebirth of the Sun, The longest night of the year, The Winter Solstice, Introspect, Planning for the Future. • Symbols of Yule • Yule log, or small Yule log with 3 candles, evergreen boughs or wreaths, holly, mistletoe hung in doorways, gold pillar candles, baskets of clove studded fruit, a simmering pot of wassail, poinsettias, “Christmas” cactus.

13. ImbolcFebruary 1st or 2nd • Believed to have been the inspiration for the catholic holiday of Candle mass and for Saint Bridget. • Celebrating the Winter starting to recede. Winter was not done yet but this special day was to keep hope as they tried to make it through the harsh winters.

14. Ostara—4th SabbatSpring Equinoxaround March 20th* • When time is in balance and day and night is equal • The celebration of new life after winter when the land reawakens • A green alter cloth and pastel colored candles represent the greenery and colors of spring • The first start for you to plant post winter crops. • During the time in which this holiday was recognize it was hard to conceive and carry a child to term so it was important to practice this holiday. • Symbolism of Ostara • Celebrating life in terms of fertility. Fertilization of the land and “seed sowing” • Symbols of Ostara • Eggs and Rabbits

15. BeltaineMay 1st • Supposedly the cathotlic church took this and turned it into May Day. • Symbol • Dancing around a may pole with a ribbon • Symbolism • It is the celebration of sexuality. The pole represents the falace and the ribbon represents the vagina once it is wrapped around the pole. • Represents sexual fire. Acknowledging that the need for sex is similar to the hunger for food. Longing/lust/desire and that they are all desired and nescessary. No difference in what is sacred and what is physical

16. LITHA • Litha (pronounced LITH-ah) is one of the Lesser Wiccan Sabbats and is usually celebrated on June 21st, but varies somewhat from the 20th to the 23rd, dependent upon the Earth's rotation around the Sun (check the calendar). According to the old folklore calendar, Summer begins on Beltane (May 1st) and ends on Lughnassadh (August 1st), with the Summer Solstice midway between the two, marking MID-Summer. This makes more logical sense than suggesting that Summer begins on the day when the Sun's power begins to wane and the days grow shorter • Celebration of Marriage • It is a celebration of passion and of ensuring the success of the crops. • The Christian religion converted this day of Jack-in-the-Green to the Feast of St. John the Baptist, often portraying him in rustic attire, sometimes with horns and cloven feet (like the Greek Demi-God Pan)

17. Lughnasadh(Lune-asa)Also known as LammasAugust 1st-2nd • The first Harvest Festival. The first wine is drank at this time for it to be drank over the rest of the year. • “Lammas is a time of excitement and magic. The natural world is thriving around us, and yet the knowledge that everything will soon die looms in the background. This is a good time to work some magic around the hearth and home.”

18. MabonSeptember 21st • BIG HARVEST FESTIVAL • Commonly referred to as the witches thanksgiving • Being thankful for everything especially a bountiful harvest. Everything it its entired especially your health. • Ritual of thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth and a recognition of the need to share them to secure the blessings of the Goddess and the God during the coming winter months

19. Works Cited • Poole, Robert, ed. The Lancashire Witches: Histories and Stories. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2003. Print. • Sabin, Thea. Wicca for Beginners: Fundamentals of Philosophy & Practice. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications, 2006. Print. • Starhawk. The Spiral Dance. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1999. Print. • http://wicca.com/celtic/wicca/rede.htm