Wicca 101

Ah, gods and goddesses, the area that can be just as difficult for people raised atheist (like Lee) as for those raised Christian (like many of her friends) to get a grasp on.  We all have different approaches and names for what we consider divine, but believing and acknowledging the divine is what makes us Wiccan.  If we just cast spells and did magic, we'd be magicians.  But we actually have a religious, spiritual path, and we invoke deity in our magickal circles.  So the difference between just practicing magic and being Wiccan is the presence of divinity in our circles and rituals.

One of the hardest concepts for folks raised in Christian households to understand is that we don't have evil, supernatural beings.  Most Wiccans believe that evil is done by humans, and that God and Goddess are here to teach us, help us learn from our mistakes and encourage us in our positive aspects.  There is no grand battle between good (God) and evil (Satan) with an ultimate showdown (Armageddon).  Instead, we have cycles of life, death and rebirth where we continually learn lessons (hopefully not the same ones!) and celebrate life rather than waiting for it all to be over.  So no, there is no heaven or hell, although many Wiccans believe in a place called the Summerland, where we go between lives to rest and reflect upon what we have learned in this life.

Wiccan thoughts on the existence of Goddess and God can be split into several categories:

1. God and Goddess are two parts of a whole.  The idea is that God is one side of a coin, and Goddess the other side - but they are both Coin, and one is not better than the other (unless you're flipping a quarter to make a decision, heh-heh).
   
2. There is only Goddess, and no God.  This is what is referred to as Dianic Wicca, and usually Dianic Wiccans are female.  For many women living in a patriarchal society, including only female energy in circle can be an important part of healing and reclaiming our spirituality.
   
3. Goddess gave birth to God.   While they both are divine, Goddess is the primary force in the universe.  God is, however, acknowledged and included in rituals and spells.
   

Welcome to Wicca 101

What is Wicca?

Wiccan Ethics

Introduction to Deity

About the Goddess

About the God

The Elements

Tools of the Craft

The Pentacle

Ritual Structure

Invocations and Chants

The Sabbats

Yule/Winter Solstice

Imbolc/Brigid

Spring Equinox

Beltane

Summer Solstice

Lughnasad/Lammas

Fall Equinox

Samhain

Wicca FAQs

Home

I fit more closely into the first category, in case you're wondering.  Which is probably why it was listed first!

A friend draws the description of deity as the comparison of God/Goddess/Insert Your Term Here to a diamond.  The many facets of the diamond reflect the many aspects of the Goddess and/or God.  Depending upon what you believe, you could have one diamond that has both God and Goddess, or one diamond for each, or one just for Goddess!  Any way that you do it, as you turn the diamond, you see different aspects such as love, courage, strength, healing, creativity, etc.  We often give these aspects different names, respectfully borrowing from other or ancient cultures those deity names that have been associated with specific aspects.  For example, we may invoke Aphrodite or Venus as the Goddess of Love to help us be more loving people or to bring love into our lives.  Or we may call to Yemaya, the Goddess of the Ocean when doing ritual work with the element of water, or Neptune, God of the Sea.  We may invoke Pan to bring playfulness and spontaneity into our lives, or the Crone aspect of the Goddess as Hecate or Cerridwyn to deal with death, the end of a relationship or difficult lessons.

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