Category Archives: Wiccan Basics

Pagans, Neopagans, Wiccans

All Wiccans are neopagans.  Most neopagans are not Wiccans.  Most pagans are not neopagans. There is a misconception among many that Wiccans, pagans, and neopagans are all the same people. In fact, they are subsets of one another. What is a Pagan? Pagan has been used by Christians to describe unbelievers for many centuries. Today, […]

Circle Casting

Every religion has a concept of sacred space, a place of particular holiness, where there is more of a connection between the spiritual and the mundane.   These may be houses of worship or an axis mundi, a metaphorical central point in the world. In Christianity, for example, the axis mundi in Jerusalem.  In the […]

Who We Worship

Wiccan practice revolves around the worship of two gods, a god and a goddess. However, the identities of these deities vary from group to group and even Wiccan to Wiccan, which causes no small amount of frustration in non-Wiccans trying to understand us. Western religious views are primarily monotheistic.  As such, everyone in the religion […]

Traditional Practice, Eclecticism, Solitaries, Circles, and Covens

Wiccans often identify themselves as being part of subgroups within Wicca.  The two biggest divisions are between Traditional and Eclectic Wicca, with Traditional Wicca further broken down into traditions. Traditional Wicca Traditions are similar to the denominations of Christianity. Each Tradition, or Trad, has its own distinct beliefs, and those beliefs differ to some degree […]

The Elements

The world is metaphorically/metaphysically viewed in terms of four physical elements – earth, water, air and fire (which roughly correspond to the four scientific forms of matter: solid, liquid, gas and plasma) – plus spirit.  Together, these elements form a united whole, as is symbolized in the pentagram. Science No Wiccan thinks these five elements […]

The Pentagram

Many religions, even those involving a variety of symbols, hold one above all others to represent the religion. For Jews it is the star of David. For Christians it is the cross, although they employ dozens of variations of the basic design. For Wiccans, it is the pentagram. The pentagram has existed for thousands of […]

Becoming Wiccan

How do I become Wiccan? is a fairly common question I hear, and I suspect the answer is not what the asker is expecting. Becoming Wiccan is not about passing a test, proving your worth to another, or correctly performing a ritual.  Being a Wiccan means you understand what Wicca is, why we do what […]

The Wiccan Rede

  The Rede is the most basic expression of ethics in Wicca.  It consists of two simple lines: An ye harm none, do what ye will, or And it harm none, do what you will.  If something is harmless, you are permitted to do it. Not “harm none” Many people abbreviate the Rede to two words: […]

The Book of Shadows (BoS)

  A Book of Shadows is both a collection of a coven’s traditions passed from teacher to student and the individual owner’s religious diary.  For those operating outside of a coven, a Book of Shadows is entirely personal and might include beliefs, questions, private thoughts, meditations, rituals, experiences, or anything else that contributes to their […]

Wiccan Basics

The term Wicca today encompasses a wide range of beliefs, but, like  other religions, Wicca has central foundational points shared by most self-identifying Wiccans. In general, Wicca: Is polytheistic, acknowledging the existence of multiple deities. Focuses upon dedication to a pair of patron deities, a god and a goddess. Is a modern religion developed in […]