Wiccans say 'Craft' is oral tradition, not cult
Becky Paskievich
Issue date: 4/6/07 Section: College Life
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Contrary to popular belief, "Double, double, toil and trouble" is not the mantra for those who follow the Wiccan religion.
Jessica Page, sophomore from Hampton, Va., discovered Wicca in high school and is now a devout follower.
"I felt really connected to it and thought it would be a nice spiritual path," she said.
Wicca, sometimes referred to as "The Craft," is spiritually related to Native Americans, according to religioustolerance.org, a Web site devoted to promoting religious acceptance.
Although Wicca has its own books, the literature resembles more of a ritual manual as opposed to a handbook like the Bible, Page said.
Religioustolerance.org echoes the idea. "Wicca is largely an oral tradition, and has no holy text that corresponds to the Christian Bible," the site said.
Page said the religion is very ritualistic and organized. Unfortunately, she said, because there are not a lot of Wiccans in Murray, she hasn't shared the rituals or holidays with anyone.
The site explained that Wiccan rituals take many forms, but generally include a few specific constants. The casting of a circle is done first, then an invocation of a deity/deities, followed by the body of the ritual, which may involve magic, dance or readings and finally a closing of the circle, which basically restores the space to ordinary usage.
Although she said certain witch groups worship together in what is called a coven, she practices alone and commits to personal spiritual growth.
"I personally believe every person has a personal guardian angel and they guide you," she said. "There's no purgatory and I don't believe in hell or heaven. The religion isn't about the reward so much as living life to benefit other people."
Page clarified a misconception about Wiccans, noting that they don't worship Satan and aren't evil. Also, not all Wiccans practice witchcraft, herself included. Because of false impressions, she said it is hard being Wiccan in Murray, a primarily Christian community.
Jessica Page, sophomore from Hampton, Va., discovered Wicca in high school and is now a devout follower.
"I felt really connected to it and thought it would be a nice spiritual path," she said.
Wicca, sometimes referred to as "The Craft," is spiritually related to Native Americans, according to religioustolerance.org, a Web site devoted to promoting religious acceptance.
Although Wicca has its own books, the literature resembles more of a ritual manual as opposed to a handbook like the Bible, Page said.
Religioustolerance.org echoes the idea. "Wicca is largely an oral tradition, and has no holy text that corresponds to the Christian Bible," the site said.
Page said the religion is very ritualistic and organized. Unfortunately, she said, because there are not a lot of Wiccans in Murray, she hasn't shared the rituals or holidays with anyone.
The site explained that Wiccan rituals take many forms, but generally include a few specific constants. The casting of a circle is done first, then an invocation of a deity/deities, followed by the body of the ritual, which may involve magic, dance or readings and finally a closing of the circle, which basically restores the space to ordinary usage.
Although she said certain witch groups worship together in what is called a coven, she practices alone and commits to personal spiritual growth.
"I personally believe every person has a personal guardian angel and they guide you," she said. "There's no purgatory and I don't believe in hell or heaven. The religion isn't about the reward so much as living life to benefit other people."
Page clarified a misconception about Wiccans, noting that they don't worship Satan and aren't evil. Also, not all Wiccans practice witchcraft, herself included. Because of false impressions, she said it is hard being Wiccan in Murray, a primarily Christian community.
Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 8
Robert James
posted 4/06/07 @ 7:42 AM CST
Derek Adams, unfortunately, perpetuates the idea that Wicca is old enough to be "linked" by anyone to satanism "during the witch-burning times." This is completely unsupported by any historical evidence, and is a symptom of a major problem within the Craft community: we will "research" things like what color candles to use for a ritual, but not where we actually come from. (Continued…)
Seshen
posted 4/06/07 @ 9:04 AM CST
*sigh* Wicca was NOT linked to Satanism by the early church, because Wicca is a 20th-century faith. The "Wicca is ancient" theory has been debunked by modern scholars for over 20 years now. (Continued…)
Nemyss
posted 4/06/07 @ 10:34 AM CST
Couldn't the author of this article find a couple of people more knowledgable about Wicca than a couple of self-taught teenagers? There are High Priestesses and High Priests out there with 20+ years of experience and solid, factual information about our religion. (Continued…)
NotAWiccanJustAPagan
posted 4/06/07 @ 7:18 PM CST
Our heritage - ha! The wiccan heritage is pagan, period, and it was most certainly linked to Satanism until this very DAY.
Durk Simmons
posted 4/06/07 @ 11:25 PM CST
'Wicca' is a term created in the 50's.There were no 'Wiccans' during the 'burning times', and it seems Christians are the ONLY people that link satanism to Wicca, and have since the Church decided that the Pagans posed a real threat to their power over the masses, and let's face it, it's ALL about the power, and always has been. (Continued…)
Cody
posted 4/08/07 @ 3:27 AM CST
Firstly, the word "Wicca" is a miss-spelling of a much older English word "Wica" (pronounced Witch-eh), meaning "female witch". Another variation of the word was "Wice" meaning "male witch". (Continued…)
Seshen
posted 4/11/07 @ 8:41 AM CST
Wicca, the religion, is a mixture of fragmented witchcraft practices and Masonic ritual. The influences upon a faith do NOT make the structure itself ancient. (Continued…)
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