I Am Spiritual But Not Religious
I’m both actually. I’m a Wiccan. We don’t sacrifice babies (that’s just a lie someone made up about us). Our beliefs actually comes from our practices. 1. In the case of Traditional Wicca, one studies with a 3rd degree High Priest or High Priestess and becomes initiated by that person when qualifications of the particular Wiccan Tradition (like a denomination) are met. Traditional Wicca has 3 degrees and these tend to be highly academic and take years to complete. 2. Some people choose to be solitary eclectic practitioners, basing their practice on the 10% of the religion available to non-initiates. 3. Wiccans celebrate 8 astronomical events each year, called Sabbats. These Sabbats are collectively called The Wheel of the Year and they celebrate birth, growth, maturity, decline, the death cycle, and rebirth, just like we see in nature. You can find these on line easily enough. 4. Wicca is Polytheistic, with AT LEAST one God and one Goddess honored. In each Wiccan ritual, one God and one Goddess are honored, but these are not always the same God and Goddess. The religion as a whole is polytheistic, NOT duotheistic as some will tell you. Also here’s something you should know. There is a horned god but it’s not the same as the devil. 5. In Wicca, we perform something called the Erecting the Temple Rite, which is a specific way of creating an energetic "temple" in which to interact with our Gods. We also perform something called the Great Rite, wherein the priest and priestess of the circle use a chalice and a ritual blade called an athame to metaphorically consummate the ritual. There is then a Simple Feast where wine and cakes are shared and a Libation, in which we give the first of the wine and cakes (set aside first) "to the Gods" by putting it outside after the circle is completed. 6. Other things that can happen in ritual include meditations, power raising for a particular goal or to feed the Gods, "check ins" where we talk about our lives, ritual vowing to support our spiritual and mundane goals, invocations, and more.
7. Wiccans sometimes also celebrate Esbats, or new and full moons. 8. Wicca teaches that we should be tolerant, self-reliant, responsible, honest, and seek to minimize the harm our actions cause in this world. 9. Many of us practice in ritual robes and have regalia according to whether our rank is 1st, 2nd, or 3rd degree in a 3 degree system. These things can include various types of jewelry, cords, bells, and other stuff. 10. We believe in not doing harm or otherwise it will come back at us three sometimes as bad. 11. Some of us, not all of us are witches. There are good witches and there are bad witches (or some of us are in between). I am good.
7. Wiccans sometimes also celebrate Esbats, or new and full moons. 8. Wicca teaches that we should be tolerant, self-reliant, responsible, honest, and seek to minimize the harm our actions cause in this world. 9. Many of us practice in ritual robes and have regalia according to whether our rank is 1st, 2nd, or 3rd degree in a 3 degree system. These things can include various types of jewelry, cords, bells, and other stuff. 10. We believe in not doing harm or otherwise it will come back at us three sometimes as bad. 11. Some of us, not all of us are witches. There are good witches and there are bad witches (or some of us are in between). I am good.
