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Line 1: − {{stub}}+ + − '''Wicca''' is a religion that has many different sects and groups like many other religions. Many wiccans believe in a god and a godess, with many different deities being manifest of the god and the goddess. They use nature and pray and worship the lord and the lady. Many wiccans also practice magick, though one does not have to to be called wiccan. The use of magick is important in healing, and other such spells. + + − Wiccan worship is conducted in a circle, and the participants call on the four traditional elements at the cardinal points of North, East, South, and West, which are believed to represent different qualities. Swords, knives, chalices, wands, and many other objects are used symbolocally during the rituals and are again related to the elements. There is an alter in either the North or centre of the circle which contains this equipment. The leader of the ceremony, usually called the high priestess, will invoke the goddess into herself and speak or prophecy in a possessed state (this part of the ritual, known as 'drawing down the moon', is, in fact, often ignored or left out). The participants either wear robes or, much less frequently these days, go naked. At the end of the ceremony they will pass round cakes and wine. The ceremonies tend to take place once a month at the full moon, and at eight special dates in the year such as Samhain (i.e. Halloween). Wiccans believe in something called the 'three-fold law', that everything one does will come back upon oneself three times as strong. For this reason destructive spells are only performed in emergencies and are rare. A great deal of the ceremony and structure of Wicca is very similar to, and derived from, [[Freemasonry]], including the three degrees and initiation ceremonies. Ritual sex is occasionally performed, but only between couples and in private, never in a circle.+ + − + + − Though Wicca is often confused with [[witchcraft]], the two practices are in fact very different, with the latter being genuinely ancient but ''not in any sense'' a religion. During early Christian times, many people were burnt at the steak, being accused of witchcraft, which Christians believe to be Satanic. Many of the "witches" were usually simply people who spoke out against or disagreed with someone particularly malicious, who would accuse them of witchcraft. While there are many old religions that influence Wicca, none of them are alike enough to Wicca to be called its parent.+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
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==Basics of Wicca==
Wicca is a religion that has many different sects and groups like many other religions. Unlike many other religions, however, Wiccans have no central body or governing organization. Instead, Wiccans either belong to and practice with small, local organizations called "covens" or practice "solitary", either out of choice or necessity, as there are many places in the country were Wiccan groups and organizations do not exist. This, plus the fact that Wicca is a religion that encourages its followers to question what they are taught and develop their own practices, makes it very difficult to come up with a universal definition of what is a Wiccan. However, most Wiccans do share a few core concepts, including a respect for and a desire to live in rhythm with nature, the worship of a God and a Goddess, and a basic code of ethics. Wicca calls on the practitioner to act as their own priest/ess, interacting directly with Deity rather than through an intermediary as members of the patriarchal religions do.
==Wiccan Morality==
Most Wiccans submit to two basic rules of morality, the Wiccan Rede and the Threefold Law. The Rede states: "An it harm done, do as you will," meaning that you may do what you like, so long as you do not offer harm to others or to yourself. The Threefold Law states that what you send out in both the mundane and magical planes will return to you, though not necessarily by three.
==Wiccans and Deity==
Wiccans may be either monotheistic or polytheistic; the monotheists simply directing their spells and prayers to Spirit, and the polytheists subscribing to a variety of historical pantheons, including Celtic, Greek, Nordic, Roman, and even Chinese, Japanese, and Indian. Nearly all Wiccans, however, subscribe to the idea of Spirit being divided into two polarities, the male and the female. The male polarity is the God, or the Green Man; the female polarity is the Goddess, whom herself is split into the three parts of Maiden, Mother, and Crone. They are also often called the Lord and Lady.
Wicca is often reffered to as the "Old Religion", even though its existence only dates to the 1950s, when it was created in England by [[Gerald Gardner]]. Gardner was a noted libertarian, and his politics were very conservative. These attitudes are still adhered to by those who follow his religion in the form in which he created it, who are known as 'Gardnerians'. Other sects, or 'paths' as they are called, may have different politics and attitudes, often of an environmentalist nature, and almost invariably regard the Gardnerians as elitists. Wicca is part of a more general movement known as [[Neopaganism]] or often just [[Paganism]], which it has had a very important influence on.
==Wiccans and Magic==
"Wicca" is a religion. "Witchcraft" is the practice of magic. Most Wiccans are also Witches in that they practice magic, but there are those Wiccans who do not practice magic, and there are those who practice magic, but do not call themselves Wiccans, or even Pagan. (I will add more to this later)
==Wiccan Holy Days==
Wiccans usually celebrate the eight Sabbats and the thirteen Esbats. The Sabbats are the two equinoxes (Ostara on Mar. 21 and Mabon on Sept. 21) and the two solstices (Yule on Dec. 21 and Midsummer Day on June 21), as well as the four cross-quarter celebrations of Imbolc (Feb. 1), Beltaine (May 1), Lammas (Aug. 1) and Samhain (Oct. 31). The esbats follow the lunar cycle and are held on the full moon.
==The Four Elements==
Wiccan worship is conducted in a circle, and the participants call on the four traditional elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth at the respective cardinal points of East, South, West, and North. Air and Fire are considered masculine elements, and Water and Earth are considered feminine. Air is generally represented by an athame or a sword, and stands for the east, the new moon, spring, the intellect, and new beginnings. Fire is represented by a wand or candle, and stands for the south, summer, the waxing moon, will, passion, and transformation. Water is represented by a chalice and stands for the west, the full moon, emotions, cleansing, and the season of fall. Earth is represented by the pentacle or a bowl of salt, and stands for winter, silence, death, the waning moon, and the practical matters of everyday living.
==Wiccans and Ritual==
The general procedure for a Wiccan ritual is as follows:
*Cleansing of the sacred space with incense/holy water
*Forming of the circle
*Invoking the four quarters/elements
*Invoking the Lord and Lady
*Invoking of the ancestral dead
*State intent of ritual
*Drawing down of sun/moon (optional)
*Perform magical work
*Cakes and Ale
*Devoke ancestors
*Thank and release Deity
*Thank and release quarters
*Devoke circle
*cleanup
This is not a hard and fast outline, however. The drawing down of the moon would generally only occur during an esbat (see above), just as the drawing down of the sun would generally only occur during a sabbat. A solitary performing a ritual, or a group performing a simpler ritual may not opt to do these things, just as they may not opt to invoke the ancestors or serve the Cakes and Ale.
==Some History of Wicca==
Although there are elements of Wicca which date back to ancient times (the Sabbat cross-quarter rituals, for example), most aspects of Wicca are modern and were come up with in the last fifty years. Wicca was first popularized in England by Gerald Gardner after the repeal of Britain's laws banning Witchcraft. Gardner was a noted libertarian, and his politics were very conservative. These attitudes are still adhered to by those who follow his religion in the form in which he created it, who are known as 'Gardnerians'. Nowadays, there are many forms of Wicca, including Alexandrian, Dianic, Druidic, Corellian, Stregha (Italian witchcraft), Faery, and many others. There are also many Solitary and Eclectic practitioners, who follow no set tradition at all.