This is a static copy of In the Rose Garden, which existed as the center of the western Utena fandom for years. Enjoy. :)

#1 | Back to Top08-13-2014 05:48:42 AM

crystalwren
Dark Whisperer
From: Brisbane
Registered: 04-21-2009
Posts: 1172
Website

Wicca- getting started

Lately I've started to become interested in Wicca. For reasons that I'm uncertain of, I've started to feel the need for spirituality in my life. Given that I have major moral, philosophical, ethical and intellectual issues with organised religions, Wicca is appealing because it can be practiced in a solitary manner. Also, the theatre of it appeals to me. Is anyone here a practitioner? Does anyone here have any tips on getting started?

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#2 | Back to Top08-13-2014 01:37:34 PM

Atropos
Atropos Turretslayer
From: Hampden College
Registered: 10-22-2011
Posts: 907

Re: Wicca- getting started

I'm not a practitioner, but as I understand it they look down on people who claim to be "Wiccan" without belonging to a coven, and therefore lacking access to the mysteries. See "fluffy bunnies."

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#3 | Back to Top08-13-2014 03:40:20 PM

Giovanna
Ends of the Fandom
From: Edmonton, AB
Registered: 10-12-2006
Posts: 8797
Website

Re: Wicca- getting started

Wiccan, or Pagan religions in a broader sense, isn't traditionally practiced alone, but can be. Atropos is right, in that most 'serious' practitioners do belong to covens, just the same as serious Christians belong to a church, but it's not necessarily a requirement for following the religion.

I'm no expert, but the Willow quote on that page does reflect pretty accurately a lot wrong with the way the religion gets practiced or picked up. It tends to be synonymous with hippies and people who think a rock is going to cure their cancer. What I learned of it when I did poke around was a lot more encouraging, and some facets of the religion do kind of stick to my miserable atheist ass now.

The few practitioners I've met that I've really gotten to speak to reflect closely what you sound interested in. It's a very different moral philosophy from most organized religions, and most of the practitioners I've spoken to do not really see the magic as the tools and the words, but how those tools and words focus you, ground you, and direct you based on centuries of precedent. Wiccan rituals were explained to me as basically a form of meditation. The props around it are there to help you set the mood. Granted, that's sacrilege depending on who you ask, and god damn yes this quartz has power apart from what you grant it.

That said, is it Wiccan you want, or a different or broader Pagan belief system? They come in every color, shamanic, Jewish, you name it, and Wiccan is a specific branch of those. The other thing to ask yourself is spiritually speaking, do you want to honor dieties, or earth? In either case there tends to be humanish figures to appeal to, but there are at this point more distinct subsets of the belief systems surrounding Paganism depending on whether you feel a greater kinship toward earth and nature or toward figures that represent facets of it, or human nature. If you do choose Wiccan, you then have to choose between the classic and neo-Wiccan versions, which are quite different.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introducti … an_Studies

The directory of books at the bottom here is actually pretty interesting. For me, anyway, I'd start my journey here, with actually studying the religions, their origins, and how they've been used. Your mileage may vary, but books written by Pagans to sell the belief system tend to be very full of bullshit or full of conflicting ideas, and I've never heard practitioners ever agree on one, because they tend to be very wishy washy and new age, with an overabundance of political correctness.

Essentially, you asked about learning to be Christian, and I just dumped on you whether you want to be Catholic, Pentacostal, Protestant, or Greek Orthodox. So I'm probably not being very helpful, but if you get nothing else from me, I totally recommend any pursuit of the actual theological or historical studies of these religions. They're fascinating, and will inform how you develop yourself spiritually. emot-smile


Akio, you have nice turns of phrase, but your points aren't clear and you have no textual support. I can't give this a passing grade.
~ Professor Arisa Konno, Eng 1001 (Freshman Literature and Composition)

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#4 | Back to Top08-14-2014 02:14:43 AM

crystalwren
Dark Whisperer
From: Brisbane
Registered: 04-21-2009
Posts: 1172
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Re: Wicca- getting started

It's at times like this you wish for an Idiot's Guide...

Wait! There is! emot-biggrin But thank you. I'm looking at the list of books there and it's...impressive. I've been eyeing off 'Drawing Down the Moon' by Adler for the past couple of days, and it seems a fairly decent place to start. It's been recently updated too. Oh! And there's a book written in Australia too! Now to track down a copy. I think I may be a while here. EDIT: OMFG- It starts at 80USD, and then there's postage on top of that. Scratch that one off the list, then.

Last edited by crystalwren (08-14-2014 02:22:56 AM)

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#5 | Back to Top08-14-2014 06:14:36 AM

Giovanna
Ends of the Fandom
From: Edmonton, AB
Registered: 10-12-2006
Posts: 8797
Website

Re: Wicca- getting started

Drawing Down the Moon is 80BUX? Or is this the Aussie book? Because Drawing is a very well regarded text, and definitely a place to start. emot-smile


Akio, you have nice turns of phrase, but your points aren't clear and you have no textual support. I can't give this a passing grade.
~ Professor Arisa Konno, Eng 1001 (Freshman Literature and Composition)

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#6 | Back to Top08-14-2014 03:20:20 PM

crystalwren
Dark Whisperer
From: Brisbane
Registered: 04-21-2009
Posts: 1172
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Re: Wicca- getting started

I meant that Australian book, by a lady with the name Hume. That said, I *may* have found a stockist; I've placed an order on Booktopia. It'll be interesting to see if it comes through. 'Drawing Down the Moon' is definitely on the reading list, but I'll start with the 'Idiot's Guide to Paganism' first. A big problem I have with a lot of the pagan and wiccan stuff I'm coming across is that it's based on flora and fauna of the Northern Hemisphere. It's a bit hard to get romantic over highly destructive feral plants and animals. I'm hoping that 'Paganism in Australia' will direct me to some Australian chapters that have already figured out a way around it.

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#7 | Back to Top08-14-2014 04:13:34 PM

satyreyes
no, definitely no cons
From: New Orleans, Louisiana
Registered: 10-16-2006
Posts: 10328
Website

Re: Wicca- getting started

That's true.  It's probably easier to revere nature when nature is not actively trying to kill you.  emot-biggrin  I'm no Wiccan, but I have friends who are, and they tell me that -- while the religion certainly has universal tenets -- some aspects of its practice, like what you call the God or Goddess, vary according to what feels right to the practitioner.  If other Pagan belief systems are similar, I can easily imagine that your practice might have to adapt to your culture and place.  It might be worth looking into Aboriginal religious practices.  They were animists, weren't they?  How did they manage it, in a place where poisonous snakes cover the ground like a woven blanket?

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#8 | Back to Top08-14-2014 10:04:01 PM

Raven Nightshade
Someday Shiner
From: Louisiana
Registered: 12-17-2006
Posts: 2925

Re: Wicca- getting started

Atropos wrote:

I'm not a practitioner, but as I understand it they look down on people who claim to be "Wiccan" without belonging to a coven, and therefore lacking access to the mysteries. See "fluffy bunnies."

Thank you for posting that link, because that website also has a very important link called Books To Avoid.\


Sometimes I wonder if I'm ever gonna make it home again.
It's so far and out of sight.
I really need someone to talk to and nobody else
Knows how to comfort me tonight.

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#9 | Back to Top08-15-2014 08:01:46 PM

Giovanna
Ends of the Fandom
From: Edmonton, AB
Registered: 10-12-2006
Posts: 8797
Website

Re: Wicca- getting started

I was trying to remember who it was that I was absolutely sure no one should ever read. Raven Silverwolf. I mean, even the name doesn't inspire much confidence. emot-gonk


Akio, you have nice turns of phrase, but your points aren't clear and you have no textual support. I can't give this a passing grade.
~ Professor Arisa Konno, Eng 1001 (Freshman Literature and Composition)

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#10 | Back to Top08-18-2014 08:53:39 PM

crystalwren
Dark Whisperer
From: Brisbane
Registered: 04-21-2009
Posts: 1172
Website

Re: Wicca- getting started

I haven't got very far in my readings; I picked up a book called, 'Introduction to Paganism' that's quite interesting, and so far it's limiting the worst of the fuzziness that I've seen on some of the websites. So far my reaction can be described as this:

Emotional/Instinctual: "Hey, this has really, really good feels! I honestly think this could work for me."

Intellectual: "Eh... citation needed. But interesting."

Scientific: "Arrrrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhfffffffffff!!1! What the hell are you reading, woman!"

We'll see how I feel after I finish the book, and the 'Idiot's Guide' as well. The Hume 'Paganism in Australia' book can still be found, apparently, although Booktopia tells me that it'll take a couple of months to arrive. They've only charged me $34 AUD, instead of the roughly $159 USD that I'd have to shell out if I'd ordered from Amazon. If I'm still interested in it when it finally gets here, I guess I could officially declare the whole paganism A Thing for me.

I dunno... I guess that honouring nature as a whole appeals to me on a number of different levels. With the major religions, humanity is the pinnacle of evolution, entirely separate from any other organism in the world/the solar system/the galaxy/the entire fucking universe, the favoured children of the Great Big Beard In The Sky. Which is absolute crap. If there is such a thing as the Great Big Beard In The Sky, then its favourite beasties are beetles, hands down. With at least some of the numerous pagan groups, there's an acknowledgement of the fact that the human species is a single bacterium floating in an ocean filled with other bacterium. I know that so many people are frightened of just how unbelievably fucking minuscule we are, but me, I find it soothing. I don't know why this is so. One of those weird personality quirks, I suppose.

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#11 | Back to Top08-22-2014 10:43:27 AM

Anthiena
Egghead
From: ...the space between your ears
Registered: 10-21-2006
Posts: 1108

Re: Wicca- getting started

Okay, as a long time Wiccan: hell yes, great links.

Drawing Down the Moon is an excellent anthropological book, flawlessly researched. To this day, even if much is debunked, Margaret Murray is a great way to look into the early days of Paganism. I can also recommend Wicca: A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner and its companion, Living Wicca by Scott Cunningham highly for going it alone. Though I do not agree with his Standing Stones section, it's an interesting way to get started and have a look into a nearby coven.

As for groups, there are those that teach. WitchVox is reasonably well updated and has a tonne of resources.

Another great place to learn-online!-would be Witch School, which has a very philosophical bent on Wicca though the tests can be a little frustrating. It is very much a school and a membership is well worth the money as likely one of the most reputable online learning communities. They also have physical campuses and are a legally recognized non-profit "church" entity.

As for the interest, merry met! Wicca is a wonderful thing to be and it has brought me a lot of joy over the over a decade I've been a Wiccan. While there's a bit of disdain about FBs, it's pretty much died down to jokes though a lot of covens turn away teenagers, as not to get into legal hot water. Wicca has changed a lot since its foundation in the fifties-startlingly so.

The founder of Wicca, Gerald Gardner was uh. A homophobe, probably a dirty old man and an amateur anthropologist who traveled to places such as Madagascar in his search for spirituality. Thankfully, the first thing is not generally a common attitude among Wiccans.

Things that you can be assured all Wiccans share, more or less*:

* Wiccans generally believe in an immediate, omnipresent godhead divided by opposites-usually male and female. Sometimes they're different things to one another and each have many names, many faces but with the same divine nature.

* Wiccans believe that every person has a part of the divine within them, but this may mean various things to different groups.

* Most Wiccan groups believe that there is no true path to wisdom, that Wicca is not the "one true path" but one of many.

* Wiccans approve of being sexually liberated but they do marry (handfasting), divorce, have people who offer themselves freely, those who abstain and many things in between. They do agree however on safe practices.

* A good number of Wiccans do approve of Jesus, though a number of them are bitter about the church. Many understand that these two aren't related.

* Some Wiccans like to use pantheons! There's a great deal of Wiccans who may prefer the Nordic gods, Egyptian or others still.

* Wiccans live all over the world-Morroco, Spain, Antigua, United Kingdom, France, South Africa-and more!

* Circles generally should be headed by a high priestess and/or a high priest though some may take turns.

* A witch does not make a witch-faith and action does.

* Traditions that believe in various philosophical points, practices and so on are varied as Christian churches are with often as much or more difference-Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Dianist, Correllian and Eclectic traditions are likely some of the largest Wiccan Traditions out there.

* While not specifically Wiccan, Covenant of the Goddess on the west coast is likely the biggest organized group of Pagans in the world and most certainly in the United States. They do outreach and legal advocacy as well as a yearly convention where lots of things can be seen, sold and bought.

* There are two documents generally held to be important to Wiccans. While neither are given the sort of status as the bible, they have shaped the religion as a whole and are widely quoted. The Wiccan Rede and The Charge of the Goddess are the texts to read if you read no other.

* Wiccans are not always witches and witches are not always Wiccans.

* Many traditions hold there to be three degrees of initiation as a priest/ess. The minimum for the first degree is traditionally a year and a day of study. Often, it takes more so be patient.

* Many Pagan Holidays also match up to modern celebrations, such as Halloween, Easter, Candlemas, May Day and (nearly) Christmas but are most certainly adaptations of one another by this point of time.

Some exceptions and fiddly things:

* Diana Traditions only worships a goddess and welcomes only women.
* There are traditions that trace back to Gerald or earlier with independently founded traditions.
* There are three versions of the rede, one in prose, one in rhyme and the shortened version which states "An'/If it should harm none, do as you will."
* The tools are not necessary, you can point for a phallic symbol/knife/athame or cup your hands for the yonic symbol/cup.
* Though Wicca was originally claimed as an "old religion", this claim has been largely debunked. Some covens will still state this fact but Wicca is a reconstruction using various facets of folklore and folk practices discovered by Gerald. It does not draw on millenia-old tradition.
* Asatru is not Wicca nor is it a Pagan faith, it is considered a Heathen faith as it's not a reconstruction but based on historical facts on Nordic tradition and Nordic traditional texts such as the Eddas, which still survive.
* There is an Isis-worshipping faith. Temple of Isis is friendly to Wicca but is not Wicca.
* There are over a thousand Wiccan pilots! There are also numerous Wiccan service men and women in the armed forces.
* Harm none does not mean you cannot defend yourself.
* There's still a lot of misinformation and prejudice against Wiccans, Witches and Pagans.


I hope this was helpful!


I stopped seeking to be sought after. That wasn't being true to myself.
I want to become someone who can exercise power. I want to become a prince. - Ikuni

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#12 | Back to Top01-24-2015 03:01:30 AM

Dreaded Claymore
Rose Bride
From: Sacramento, California
Registered: 01-28-2014
Posts: 116

Re: Wicca- getting started

Anthiena wrote:

* There are over a thousand Wiccan pilots! There are also numerous Wiccan service men and women in the armed forces.

Yep. The largest Wiccan congregation on Earth is the one held for U.S. Air Force trainees at Lackland Air Force Base, in Texas.

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#13 | Back to Top02-01-2015 10:47:37 PM

Dreaded Claymore
Rose Bride
From: Sacramento, California
Registered: 01-28-2014
Posts: 116

Re: Wicca- getting started

Happy Imbolc, everyone! Imbolc is one of the four Greater Sabbats that occur between the Solstices and Equinoxes. On Imbolc, we celebrate the thawing of winter into spring. So, I'm defrosting my fridge, which seemed appropriate. emot-keke And because I live in the heart of a city, far away from things like new lambs and calves being born.

Last edited by Dreaded Claymore (02-01-2015 11:25:34 PM)

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