What Is Wicca?

Wicca is a naturalist religion. It is based on the witchcraft religion of ancient Europe which was called the "The Craft of the Wise." It is the largest Neo pagan religion in the United States. It has a great reverence for the Earth, and the Goddess and her consort, the horned God. Wiccans can be either a solitary practitioner or they can join or form a group, known as a coven or grove. Wiccans have many laws which they follow, the most important being the Wiccan Rede. Although most Christians relate Wiccans to Satanists, they are not the same thing. Just as Christians have symbols and tools in their religious practices; Wiccans also have tools and symbols in their religious practices.

Wicca is a decentralized religion, in which most Wiccans develop their own rituals and practices for their holidays and prayers to the Goddess their worship, if they worship one. Wicca can be a monotheistic, duo theistic, polytheistic, henotheistic, or an atheistic religion. If the practitioner chooses the monotheistic path, they will worship only one God. Should they choose the duo theistic path, they will worship the one female goddess and one male god. If a Wiccan has chosen the polytheistic path, then they believe in many deities and will have rituals for each deity. When a Wiccan has taken the henotheistic path, they worship one god or goddess while believing in many deities. Finally, if they choose the atheistic path, then they believe the god or goddess is a symbol of their religion and not an actual living being. (Robinson, 2008)

Wiccans have often called themselves Pagans or Neo Pagans. Some may choose to practice magick and some decide not to practice magick. Whether they practice magick or not they do not believe in an all powerful evil being. According to Bruce Robinson (2008), "Wiccans do not recognize the existence of an all-evil supernatural being similar to the quasi-deity Satan who is found mainly in Christianity and Islam." Yes, Wiccans and Satanists do use the five pointed star as a symbol. However, Wiccans position two points of the star downwards, whereas the Satanist position two points of the star upwards. Even though both groups may share a commonality Satanism is as different from Wicca as Christianity and Buddhism.

I choose to interview two people of the Wiccan faith. The first was Jasmine Bernhardt who is a high priestess of the faith. The second was Eddie Chandler who is an initiate and is just starting to learn the practices and rituals of Wicca. The following is both interviews.

* Were you raised in the Wiccan Faith?

EC: No, I was raised as a Baptist.

JB: No, I did not come to Wicca until I was 25 years old.

* What would you tell a person who was interested in becoming a Wiccan?

EC: I would explain to them everything I have learned so far.

JB: I would answer their questions and explain anything they do not understand about Wicca.

* Would you encourage or discourage them from leaving their current faith?

EC: I would not do either, I would just tell them to follow their heart for it will lead them to the path they must follow.

JB: I would tell them to follow where their heart is guiding them.

* What would you suggest a person to do first if they were unsure Wicca was the religion for them?

EC: