Member Advice on Wicca

Being a witch (or Wiccan) is a lot like being with a bank. If you’re good, keep your account in order, you get benefits, and if you go overdrawn, you get a kick in the ass and lots of charges. Let me clear up a few basics first of all: * Witches don’t ride a broomstick. They do use a broom in cleansing rituals, much like a Feng Shui person will clap to release negative energy in a room. * Witches aren’t all women. I’m a man, and I practice witchcraft, ‘nuff said. * Witches do have a familiar – either a real-life animal companion (can be anything, not just a ... more

I bet you knew I'd turn up here sooner or later, didn't you?. Well, all I can say is you won't learn many things from the books you can buy in a shop. Wicca is a way of life, very much like all other religions. The only advise I can give you is to try and follow The Wiccan Rede The Wiccan Rede is like my bible, I study it and try to live my life in harmony with it. Here it is for you to read. THE WICCAN REDE Bide within the law you must, in perfect love and perfect trust. Live you must and let to live, fairly take and fairly give. Tread the circle thrise about to keep unwelcome spirits out. To ... more

This is going to be slightly more broad than just advice on meeting other wiccans and joining covens, and will be relevant for anyone of a pagan persuasion. Many people get into pagansim - heathenry, druidry, wicca, shamanism or the like, by some solitary means - they read a book, see a film, or similar, then they set out to learn more. Initially it can be a very lonely business, and making contact with other pagans isn't easy as most tend to be a bit secretive (there are still with hunts.) I would reccomend joining the Pagan Federation. They have a website - www.paganfed.demon.co.uk where you ... more

The number of books on spells readily available has increased. Many of these books are full of promises of how a spell can improve your love life. And lets be honest, what woman (or man for that matter) has not at some point in thier lives wished they could just wave a wand or say a few words and POOF - the love of thier dreams is thiers forever. I'm guilty as charged. My first spell book was bought with the intent of keeping the man I was seeing at the time with me and yes I did do a couple of spells. And guess what - they worked!!! The only problem was they worked too well, and after I ... more

One of the most interesting historical facts about Wicca is that Gerald Gardener's Book of Shadows was very much based upon his time in Aleister Crowley's Ordo Templi Orientis. If you compare the rituals, including those published by Doreen Valiente and even Alex Sanders, you will see it all goes back to the teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. All that slightly masonic stuff is a long way fom the new-age image of Wicca as a modern earth-goddess religion - but then Crowley's whole idea was to make a populist version of his creed of Thelema, and through Gardener he succeeded in ... more