A Neo Pagan Religion

WICCATHE PAGAN RELIGION

Kindle,Aaron

Valentin,Rafael

Special Thanks to Ms. DeLani Bartlette

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.

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'd ye'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

“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.

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.

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

BELIEFS

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

POPULAR DEITIES IN THE WORLD OF WICCA

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.

There are many different sets of beliefs in terms of some may be either monotheistic, polytheistic, and AnimismCeltic, Greek, Roman, Norse, and Egyptian gods are popular among Wiccans as personal deities

The circle represents the Cycle of life and how everything comes around.

5 points represent the five elements of 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

PENTAGRAM

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.

MISCONCEPTION

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.

COVENS

Wiccan holidays are formally around equinoxes and solstices reaching a total

of 8 in its entirety.Solstices and Celtic Fire Festivals

HOLIDAYS(SABBATS)

Equinox/Solstices Celtic fire festivals

Yule(Winter) Imbolg (Feb 1)

Ostara(Spring) Beltaine (May 1)

Litha(Summer) Lughnasadh/Lammas (August 2)

Mabon (Fall) Samhain (October 31)

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.

SAMHAIN(SOW-AN)

NOVEMBER 1ST

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.

YULE(YOU-EL)

WINTER SOLTICEDECEMBER 20-23

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.

IMBOLCFEBRUARY 1ST OR 2ND

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 OstaraCelebrating life in terms of fertility. Fertilization of the land and “seed

sowing”

Symbols of Ostara

Eggs and Rabbits

OSTARA—4TH SABBATSPRING EQUINOX

AROUND MARCH 20TH *

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

BELTAINEMAY 1ST

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)

LITHA

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.”

LUGHNASADH(LUNE-ASA)

ALSO KNOWN AS LAMMASAUGUST 1ST -2ND

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

MABONSEPTEMBER 21ST

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