These next few pages offer quick, relatively
simple answers to questions and
misconceptions most often directed toward
Wiccans. They are short, easy to read and are
excellent for distributing to family members and
friends with whom you would like to share your
path and beliefs without adding confusion to
what might already be difficult concepts for
non-Wiccans.

First and Foremost, Wiccans are not Satanists.
Wiccans do not even acknowledge the
existence of a personification of evil, such as
the devil or Satan, therefore, contrary to
popular myth,  Wiccans certainly DO NOT
worship, or otherwise consort with demons or
the devil.

What do you mean you aren't Satanists?  Isn't
Wicca and Satanism the same thing?
    No!  Wiccans do not believe in or worship
any entity known as Satan or the Devil.  This
misconception arose because most Wiccans
worship an aspectof God known as the Horned
One, Consort of the Goddess and a living
symbol of fertility and strength.  The Early
Church, during the time of the Inquisition,
declared that the ancient Horned God of the
Pagans was actually the Devil.  The Inquisitors
subjected thousands of innocent people, mostly
Christian women and healers, to horrific torture
and imprisonment.  They  promised to end the
torture and bring on a swift and merciful death
if these "witches" signed confessions
acknowledging devil worship and naming other
so-called "witches."  
   There is a religious movement called
Satanism that began during the Middle Ages as
a political-religious protest to the control 
exerted over the masses by the Church. 
Satanism continues in the present day under a
variety of names.  Satanism has nothing to do
with Wicca.

What if you meet someone who says that
they are Wiccan or a Witch, but they claim
to "hex or blast" people, "worship" Satan,
participate in blood and animal sacrifices,
illegal drugs and/or sexual orgies as part of
their  worship? 
    Make sure that you have your facts straight.
Rest assured - If your information is correct,
then this individual is NOT WICCAN. Also,
before you judge, remember that there are
practitioners of Santeria and Voodoo who
perform ritual animal sacrifice and Native
Americans who use peyote as part of sacred
ritual. The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld
these religious sacraments. 

Wiccans do not practice evil or harmful magick.
As a Religion, Wicca is decentralized and
unorganized, however, all Wiccans follow the
Wiccan Rede.  The Rede states, "An' it harm
none, do what ye will."  The word an' is an
archaic term for the word "if;" the words, "harm
none" refer to bringing no physical, mental,
emotional, psychic, spiritual, or magickal
negativity against another.  No matter how
diverse Wiccan  beliefs and practices might be,
this tenet holds true for all individuals claiming
to be Wiccan.  Therefore, it would be a direct
violation of our entire religious system to
practice harmful or negative magick.

Wiccans are not interested in converting or
proselytizing anyone, especially children. We
recognize that our religion and lifestyle is not
for everyone.  We are not anti-Christian;  we
are simply non-Christian.  We ask only that
others respect our right to religious freedom
and allow us to worship and function in peace. 
Wiccans believe that when an individual is
ready, s/he will find the Wiccan path if it is
meant to be, therefore, we do not proselytize. 
Many, if not most coven groups will not admit
anyone under the age of 18 without parental
consent.  No one is EVER forced to become
Wiccan or to remain Wiccan. Contrary to the
movies, Wiccan covens do not kidnap people,
initiate them against their will or threaten their
lives if they wish to leave. 

There is sometimes a vow of secrecy taken
(more for safety's sake than anything  else),
but individuals are free to leave a coven, and
Wicca, at any time.  The art of being Wiccan
belongs to the heart; no one can force this
on someone else.  Most Wiccans do not
want to be secretive and underground about
our religion.  We have been forced to
maintain secrecy as a measure of security. 
Wiccans have been, literally, burned out of
their homes; denied employment (or fired
because of their beliefs); and killed (in a
variety of nasty ways) by misguided and
misinformed individuals. We have often
been persecuted simply because our society
has never been particularly tolerant of that
which it does not understand.  Most Wiccans
would love to share their knowledge and
their love for God and Goddess with the
non-Wiccan world.  Perhaps this will become
more possible as the Age of Aquarius
progresses.

Can a person be both Wiccan and Christian or
Jewish, etc.?
In general, no one in Wicca is asked to
renounce or turn aside his/her religious
ancestry or practices.  Most followers of
Wicca hold that ALL traditions and religious
practices are valid and that there is more
than one true way to enlightenment.  Many
faiths, such as Hinduism, Buddhism and
Bahai also follow that philosophy.  Keep in
mind, however, that Christianity, Judaism
and Islam specifically prohibit the
acknowledgement of any other faith or the
recognition of any other version of God. 
Therefore, many individuals who are drawn
to Wicca find that, after a time, they must
choose between their religious paths.

By what other names is Wicca known?  Actually, the religion of Wicca is known by
many names including, but not limited to:
The Craft, The Old Path, The Old Religion,
Witchcraft, Wiccacraft, Craft of the Wise,
Path of the Wise and many others.

Do Wiccans believe in God?
Not only do we believe in and worship
God, we also honor the Divine as Goddess. 
Worship is a very personal thing among
Wiccans.  Wicca is non-dogmatic, subscribing to no one "official" creed, belief
or pantheon. Some Wiccans view Deity as a
single force or energy.  Others are
polytheistic - worshiping many Gods and
Goddesses and honoring the Ancient Ones
of many cultures. 

Do Wiccans believe in Jesus?
Jesus is a Christian Deity.  Wicca is not
anti-Christian, but it is non-Christian.  Many
Wiccans acknowledge Jesus as a prophet or
an Avatar and Enlightened Being.  These
individuals honor Jesus as they do any other
great spiritual leaders such as Buddha,
Moses, Mohammed, Krishna, etc. Some
Wiccans honor Jesus and Mary as patron
Deities, their personal image of the Lord and
Lady, however, this is probably not a
common practice. Again, Christianity would
prohibit the practice of both faiths. 

What is a Witches Sabbat?
    We honor our Deities and our spiritual
and familial Ancestors on holy days, called
Sabbats and Esbats.  In general, Sabbat
Festivals mark the changes in season and
the various agri-pastoral events which take
place throughout the year. Sabbats are
primarily solar-based. There is an emphasis
on the God as he waxes and wanes through
the cycle of the year going from a Green
Man and God of the Grain to a God of the
Harvest and the Hunt.  Esbat rituals are
attuned to the changing lunar phases; we
honor the Goddess in Her Triple Aspects of
Maiden, Mother and Crone.

A "Witch" and a "Wiccan" is the same thing,
right?
Not necessarily. Anyone can practice
witchcraft, meaning simple folk magick and
call themselves "witches" regardless of
ethics, beliefs or  philosophy. 
   Wicca, on the other hand, has a basic
ethical and moral code which includes:
dedication to a spiritual path; worship of the
Goddess and/or God; adherence to the
Wiccan Rede and belief in the Three-Fold
Law. Many Wiccans are reclaiming the word
"witch" as a word of power; they believe that 
this word has been unfairly maligned.  There
are  people  who  use  the term  "Witch"  who follow a spiritual/religious/ethical path, but who
are not specifically Wiccan.  

What is the Wiccan Rede?
Wiccan philosophy and ethics are summed
up in the following "traditional" poem that, for all
intent, is a Wiccan Code of Conduct:  

Bide the Wiccan Law ye must, 
In perfect love and perfect trust,
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill, 
An' ye harm none, do what ye will,
What ye send forth, comes back to thee, 
So ever mind the Rule of Three,
Follow this with mind and heart, 
And Merry Meet and Merry Part!

An' is an archaic form of the word "if;" and
"harm none" refers to all life on all levels:
physical, spiritual, magickal, mental, emotional,
etc. The Wiccan Rede is a reminder to live
consciously and responsibly.

Do Wiccans believe in magic and spells?
Yes, most (but not all) Wiccans believe in
and practice magick (spelled with a k to
distinguish it from stage illusion).  The Wiccan
Rede dictates that no spell may be directed at
anyone with the intent  to cause harm. Even
spells for healing and assistance should be
undertaken only with express consent, or a
request, from the individual for whom the work
is done. 

Do Witches really dance around naked or wear long, black robes?
There are Wiccans, associated with specific
Wiccan Traditions such as Gardnerian Wicca,
who practice ritual sky-clad (naked, clad only
by the sky).   One reason is the belief that
magick and the flow of energy, is best worked
when the body is as close to its natural state as
possible. This work is taken very seriously;
anyone who tries to join a sky-clad working
group for the wrong reasons, such as believing
that sex will be an end result, will find
themselves disappointed and ousted very
quickly!

The art of magickal garb, or dress, is an
ancient and well-honored tradition.  Many
people who are disturbed at the thought of people wearing long robes to religious rituals
seem to forget that this custom is common
among the clergy of MOST religions, from the
vestments of the pope, to the habits of nuns, to
the saffron robes of the Buddhist monks and
Robes worn by most Christian Ministers. Many
of these vestments are black. Wiccans are not
the only ones.  In fact, not all Wiccans choose
to wear the color black, although many do.  To
us, black is a color of power, a color strongly
associated with the Goddess. We do not
associate black with negativity or death (and it
should be noted that, to many cultures, black is
the color of marriage and white is the color for
funerals).  At any given Festival one is likely to
see robes of all colors and designs. 
Sometimes the color represents a particular
aspect of the season (such as green or white at
Ostara, the Spring Equinox), but most often
color is personal choice.

Why is Wicca associated primarily with the British Isles?
There are at least two reasons:  Firstly, most
Wiccans consider Gerald Gardner to be the
"founding father" of Wicca. Gardner was
English and, supposedly, reporting the
practices of an English coven. Whether or not
we follow the Gardnerian Tradition, most of us
realize that without Gardner's efforts we would
still be practicing in the broom closet.
     Secondly, Paganism, survived within the
British Isles later in history. While there were
many invasions over the years, the British Isles
were still relatively isolated from the rest of
Europe. Christian influences were slower to
arrive and slower to take root. Christianity and
Paganism existed side-by-side much longer
here than on the Continent where the newly
converted Romans were trying their best to
stamp out all vestiges of Goddess worship.
Many Pagan customs and beliefs such as
Goddess worship, Sacred Wells and Trees, the
belief in the Faerie Folk, etc. although
suppressed by the Early Church, survived in
rural areas. Particular Ireland where they still
practiced Goddess worship and believed in the
Faerie Folk long after the introduction of
Christianity. 

end.

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