Glass Temple Basics

Wicca: A FAQ for Parents

Posted: June 10th/99

Alright. You're trying to be open minded about this. You've thought it over for a while, and decided you want to learn what this is all about before you lock them in their rooms until they're retired. :) All of a sudden, Sabrina is the show of choice, Wiccan books keep making it into the house, a Tarot deck keeps showing up, and now your darling one is sporting a pentacle. To top it off, you may not be sure what Wicca is, and one person may be telling you one thing while your child tells you another. You may not be sure whether to encourage them or ban them, since banning them will usually only make them more determined.

Well certainly, only you can make that decision; no-one else has that right. We are here only to give you some information which might be helpful in understanding what your child is getting into. Here are a few of the more commonly asked questions:

1. What is Wicca?

Wicca is an Earth-centered Pagan religion that recognizes the need for balance. It centers around the idea of Nature as alive, and as such, the Earth should be respected. All plants, animals, and peoples are also to be respected as sacred. This is a very general outline, but we'll get into more detail in a bit.

2. What kind of rules do you have?

Wiccans abide by two 'rules' of conduct. The first is the most important; the Wiccan Rede. It is worded as 'An it harm none, do as you will'. This means that you can do whatever you want, As long as you don't consciously hurt any creature in any way. Harming yourself is also included here. The other code of conduct is the idea that whatever you do will come back to you three times over. This is known as the Law of Three. The idea is that if you do good, then good will return to you three times over; and vice-versa. Put together, these two ideas come out as 'Don't hurt anybody if at all possible, or else you'll get it back in your face three times worse'. It's an idea that works well for people because it tempers actions before they occur. You can't squirm out of it by pleading to the jury, and all in all, it allows people to choose and control their own fate.

3. So what about God?

Wicca doesn't have one God, but two. The God and the Goddess exemplify the idea of cosmic balance. The God and the Goddess are part of an even greater force called the All. The All is the sum of all life in the world, and is therefore unknowable as a complete entity. For this reason, the All is seen as the two forces of the Universe: male and female. The Goddess is commonly seen as 'Mother Nature', and is usually personified as the moon. She is the one who shapes the world, brings life, and takes it away to become new life. The God is seen as a sort of 'Father Nature', and is usually personified as the sun. He is the one who supplies the energy for life, and who provides the fertility for the land. Both the God and Goddess are seen as loving all creatures as their children. To make this a little more complicated, sometimes the concept of a world Mother or Father can itself be hard to grasp, and so ancient Gods and Goddesses are taken from mythology and seen as 'Aspects' of the Deity. For example, the Greek Goddess Athena can be seen as the knowledgable aspect of the Goddess. The Roman God Hercules can be seen as a caring aspect of the God. If this seems confusing, I can only apologize for that; I'm just trying to give you as much information as is possible in the space permitted.

4. The Big Question: Is Wicca a Cult?

No. With a capital 'N'. A cult is a group with a centralized leader, generally trying to recruit others to join, and usually conviced that their leader is of some divine origin. They generally manipulate followers, preach that they are right in all dogma, and tell each other that evil people are after them. Wicca, in comparison, has no central leaders; there are priests and priestesses, but they are guides that you can consult, not leaders. They have no power outside of their own livingrooms. Wiccans believe that everybody has the right to follow their own best path to spiritual development. Manipulating another person to follow any path breaks the Rede, and the Law of Three follows. It is also Sincerely Frowned upon for any Wiccan to try and recruit other people into Wicca; see the above again. It would be pointless to recruit people into Wicca, since they would just follow the path that is best right for them, and go their own way.

5. The Other Big Question: Is Wicca Satanism?

Thank the Goddess, this question seems to be getting less frequent over time as there is more education. The Answer: No. The Reasons: Wicca does not believe in any form of ultimate evil since our ideology rests on balance, not extremes. Further, Wicca does not believe in any 'Satan' or 'Devil', and therefore we cannot possibly worship it. Finally, Satanists have their own religion, Christians have theirs, Hindus, Muslims and Buddists all have their own religions. We have ours; it is unique just like anyone else's.

6. The Final Big Question: Sacrifices?

Absolutely Not. Wiccans value life and love above all other things. A sacrifice of life would be to take what did not belong to you. It is an abhorrant thought to the Wiccan religion (this includes your own life).

7. So if there is nothing dangerous going on, what's with the knife?

You may or may not have come across the Athame (pronounced A-tha-me). It is used for the exclusive purpose of focussing Earth energy in a circle around the group. This is a very common tool, used by many Wiccans. Without going too much into history, Wicca is loosely based on old pre-Christian Pagan religions. It has been modified to fit into modern society. A handy sword was always a good thing to have on you while wandering around in the moonlight. However, not many people today own swords, so it's been whittled down to a knife. By most traditions, the Athame is never allowed to touch any organic matter: this would be a defilement of the tool. Other traditions hold that the Athame is a personal tool, and to best infuse it with your own energy (make it exclusively yours), you should use it in the kitchen, and when collecting herbs. As in all Paganism, neither view is seen as ultimately 'more right' than the other. In both traditions, however, the Athame is never, EVER used to harm another creature.

8. So why is this gaining so much popularity all of a sudden?

It has a lot to do with the media. The Craft, Sabrina, Practical Magic, Charmed; these have all made Wicca look 'Cool'. Quite frankly, the vast majority of older Wiccans prefer to curl up to a night of Xena; it's much more realistic. :) As to the more serious side of Wicca; it has appeal in many ways to the younger generations. First of all, there are strong female role models. In a society which tells women to be pretty first, it's not surprising that so many women and girls are flocking to something that says 'be yourself first'. Men enjoy it because they don't have to be macho to be Wiccan; there are many sensitive, caring male role models who are still 'real' men. You don't need to have the job and the car to be a good Wiccan, again, you just need to be yourself. All generations are attracted to Wicca because the Young are seen as the creativity of the future, the middle-aged are the powerhouses of the present, and the old are seen as the wisdom of the ages. All people, no matter race, gender, age, or sexual orientation, are equal in Wicca; there are no outcasts.

9. Is this a fad that will go away in a few months?

Well, maybe, maybe not; who can say? I've heard that at the moment, the number one thing highschool girls want is to become Wiccan. This surprises me, but I can see how it could happen. There is a limiting factor here, however: Wicca is a lot of work. Many people think that all it takes is to be able to identify a few God/esses, recite some prayers or poetry, and remember to recycle. It's much, much more than that. Wicca involves a lifetime of learning. Ideas must be learned and tried on to see if they fit the individual. Books upon books are read, and each person tries to improve themselves spiritually, psychologically, and emotionally. Many people, especially young adults, are turned off by the idea of no instant gratification. In this respect, the current boom in people wanting to become Wiccan may just be a fad. On the flip side, if your little Wiccan sticks it out for a couple of years or more, then it might be prudent to start getting used to the books lying around.

10. How do I Understand better what my son/daughter is doing?

Well, that one's easy enough. Invite yourself to a ritual. There are many public rituals scattered all over the place; and your son/daughter shouldn't really object to having an open circle so you can get a feel for it. When a Sabbat (see below) is coming around, invite yourself to it. Or if you have forbidden Jr. to participate in rituals, but still want to see what s/he is trying to get into; hold a ritual with your child so you can see what happens.

11. Do you have religious holidays?

Yes, we do. There are 8 days throughout the year which are called Sabbats. Starting from January, they are as follows:

Feb 2nd: Imbolc
March 21st: (approx) Ostara; Spring Equinox
April 30th: Beltane
June 21st: (approx) Litha; Summer Solstice
Aug 1st: Lammas
Sept 21st: (approx) Mabon; Fall Equinox
Oct 31st: Samhain (pronounced sow-in)
Dec 21st: (approx) Yule; Winter Solstice

Sometimes, a monthly meeting during the full moon is also held; this is called an Esbat. There is not enough room here for descriptions of the Sabbats, so it might be best to ask your son or daughter the meanings of them.

12. What exactly happens at a Ritual?

That's a difficult question, since no two rituals are ever really the same, and there are different Wiccan traditions which will do things differently. Generally, however, especially for beginners, people will line up in a circle, and invoke the Elements. These are Earth, Air, Fire and Water, usually seen as being located in the North, East, South, and West, respectively. The Athame may be used to raise a circle. A God and Goddess aspect will be invoked (asked to be present), and there might be some chanting or prayers said. There might be some wine passed around, and a meditation exercise. In more advanced rituals, there may be an added ritual for healing, or self improvements. On the Sabbats, a ritual reflecting that particular occasion will usually take place (i.e. a Maypole for Beltane).

13. So is there anything to be actually afraid of?

In the religion of Wicca itself, no. However, like anything in life, there are people who call themselves one thing, and are not. I'm sorry to say, but percentage-wise there are as many wierdo's in Wicca as there are in Christianity, or any other religion. Like anything else in life, the best defense is to teach your son/daughter how to avoid potentially dangerous situations. Unfortunately, it's the same as anything else in life when they go off on their own.

14. So who can I go to for more advice?

Mostly, Wiccans can be found out on the Net. Sometimes, you can find listings of covens or priest/esses in Occult shops (Let's face it, no-one wants to advertise where they're not wanted). If you have Internet access, go to a search engine and just type "Wicca"; that will get you the best listings. If you would rather get one-on-one answers, then please feel free to email me at firewind@celtic.com I'd be happy to answer whatever questions I can.

In the meantime, I hope this has been helpful. It's a quick overview to a complicated religion, but most of the basics are here. If there is anything else I can help you with, please don't be afraid to drop me a line; that's what we're here for.

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Copyright FireWind, 1998, 1999, 2000. firewind@celtic.com
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