I am Weyland Greywolf, net citizen, free-thinker, and Champion of the unique and obscure. And this, my friend, is my Wicca page. You know, there really should be some triumphant trumpet music playing in the background to give this more effect, but I haven't gotten that far in the "Creating Web-pages for Dummies" book. Oh well, this will have to do for now ;)
I am an Ecclectic Solitary Wiccan. For those of you who haven't heard of Wicca, it is a neo-pagan religion that maintains many of the beliefs and practices (in spirit, anyway) of ancient Earth centered religions.
Huh? ---- Yes, I know thats a mouthful. So, what does it mean? There are as many different definitions for Paganism as there are Pagans (and there are lots of us, whether you realize it, or not). The most simple definition is: An environmentally conscious religion not falling into the categories of the "Big Three" -- Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. I am about as "normal" as anyone else you meet. I don't wear only black, my hair is not green (although it is turning grey!), and the closest that I have come to body piercing is the time I accidentally drove a nail into my hand while shoeing a horse (ouch!). I am a hardworking man, a faithful husband, and a loving father. I don't don't propose, in any way to speak for any other Wiccan but myself. That in and of itself is a basic tenet of Wicca. Wiccans believe that there is no "one true way" to find closeness with God, or Goddess, or however you see your version of Deity. The "take" on Wicca presented here is strictly my own.
Wiccans believe that Deity exists. We "see" its presence all around us, all the time. We worship this creative force, most often, in the form of the Goddess and the God. We have a keen concern for the environment and all of Deity's creations because we believe that every rock, tree, squirrel, and person has a piece of our Goddess and God within. We don't "worship" trees and animals, but we respect and recognize the Divine spark inside. We believe that you can come together with Deity at any time, but recognize 8 Holidays throughout the year. These are set aside as special times for us to but aside the normal hustle and bustle of our day to day lives and revel in the wonderful power and beauty of the universe.
Some Wiccans practice in small groups, while others (like me!) chose to practice the religion on their own. Through rituals that are meaningful to the individual Wiccan (and most often designed by the Wiccan his/herself), we combine our energy with that of the Deity to give thanks, or accomplish a goal, or simply to bask in the glow of creative power.
At this point, if you don't already know, I suppose its time to let the cat out of the bag (or the broom out of the closet!).
Wicca is also known as Witchcraft, or "The Craft". These names cause a lot of discomfort among non-Wiccans, but they shouldn't. Witches aren't out stealing babies and flying around on brooms, like you see in the movies. Witchcraft has received some extremely bad press at the hands of some people who seek to serve their own ends. For example, lets look at things you may think you "know" about Witches, and what the real scoop is:
Fact: Witches don't worship the Devil, in fact most Wiccans don't believe in an entity encompassing all evil. Wicca is not Satanism. (I was also surprised to find out that many Satanists don't worship or believe in Satan as well.) If people do "bad" things they do that all on their own. I have free will, and I assume you do as well. There is no "puppet-master" pulling the strings that we can blame things on. If you hurt someone on purpose, its your responsibility and yours alone.
Myth: Witches hurt people.
Fact: There are very few "rules" (for lack of a better term) in the religion of Wicca. However, the most strenuously defended and strictly followed of the tenets is known as the Rede. An it harm none, do what thou will. Which is a mock archaic phrase that basically means (to me) "do what you wish, but in all things limit the amount of harm done to that which is necessary." To some Wiccans this means complete non-violence against any person, or animal, under any circumstances. To others, like myself, it means causing harm in self-defense, or defense of another, is acceptable and natural. As is the consumption of animals for food, as long as you appreciate the sacrifice being made. But in no way can the Rede be interpreted as giving the "thumbs up" to harming someone without good cause. Causing harm to another being out of anger, or pettiness, or greed, etc. is not tolerated.
Myth: Witches put spells on people to get what they want.
Fact: Most Witches do cast spells. However, using magick to violate another persons free will would be a violation of the Rede, and is not allowed (magick is spelled here with a "k" to differentiate spellwork and ritual magick from the "watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat" variety of illusion). Spells to me are like prayers. It is a way to connect with my Goddess and God in a way that I can grow and learn and, yes, at times accomplish a goal. Spellwork and magick are more proactive than prayer, in my opinion, because in a spell you don't just ask the Deity to get you something, you ask for the Deity's help in adding Her/His power with yours to reach the desired result.
Myth: Witchcraft is just an excuse to have wild orgies and get stoned.
Fact: "Party Religion?" I hear this from time to time, but I can honestly say that its just not true. At least not these days. Undoubtedly, some people are drawn to Wicca because of the apparent lack of restrictions on behavior. Wicca is a religion of freedom, allowing a great deal of leeway in lifestyle choice. "All acts of pleasure are Her (the Goddess) rituals." Happiness and joy are meant to be spread and shared.
The Rede prohibits causing unnecessary harm, and that applies to yourself as well. In my opinion, illegal drugs cause a great deal of harm. Most Wiccans that I know are drug free. As for sex-----wonton, unprotected promiscuity with multiple partners today can get you more than a nasty rash. It can get you dead.
When you close your eyes and think about "God", what do you see? If you are Christian, you will see one image. If Muslim, another. If Jewish, yet another. The kicker is that no two Christians will have the same image of "God", and neither will the Muslims, or the Jews, or any other of the Worlds religions. When I close my eyes and envision "God", it is in the form of a Beautiful Confident Woman and a Strong Proud Man with Deer antlers. We all create God in our own minds to some extent. The form doesn't matter, in my opinion, as much as the substance does. What ever brings you closest to your idea of Deity is the right path for you.
Like I said before, I'm not the official spokesman for the local church of Wicca. Wicca doesn't look for "converts". We don't feel like we have to "save" you. There is nothing to save you from. My goal in all of this is not to swing you over to my side. Through out all of history, nothing has caused more misery, pain, death, and general havoc than ignorance and misunderstanding. My goal in this is to educate so that, if a time comes again when Witches are burned for their beliefs, at least the guy with the torch will know what those beliefs actually are before he gives me the "hot foot". If you are interested in learning more about Wicca, or are just curious, try out some of the links, books, and other resources listed on the Pagan Links and Reading List Page. These sites do a much better job of explaining Wicca than I could ever hope to. And you'll see, they won't bite you any harder than I did!
And as always, feel free to drop me a line and ask me a question , or just say Hello!
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