As a pagan, when I state my faith I’m automatically lumped in with magic practicing Wiccans and I don’t fault people for thinking such. Wicca is perhaps the biggest pagan religion around. However, though my faith may have some common traits with Wicca, they are vastly different. Before I dive in I’ll admit my path to my faith began with learning about this phenomena known as Wicca. I had heard about it on talk shows, through word of mouth and on the internet, but never quite grasp what it was about. So, it led me onto a learning spree about this religion. At first I did like it, but then things began to irk me about it, which I will get to in a bit. Afterwards I began learning about other pagan religions and finally had found my current faith which made more sense for me and felt right in my soul.
I’m not much for the practicing of magic, because it goes against the principles of taking responsibility for yourself and figuring things out the hard way. Magick might be effective and it does work, but it’s a shortcut, like with government programs. You become dependent on it to go about your daily life and that to me makes life cheap. What is the point of life with struggling to make things better which in turn makes you appreciate what you have achieved? Plus, it’s the primary focus of the religion, the casting of spells. The focus on the Gods is secondary in comparison. The worship of the Gods should always be primary in a religion since they give us the life and conscious and other treasures we enjoy today, so it only makes sense to put them on a high pedestal. However, that’s not the case of Wicca, the utilization and practicing of magic is placed on a higher priority than the Gods. Why forsake the High Ones for ones selfish reasons? In essence, Wicca is selfish and self indulgent, but like with all beliefs people should always have the freedom to choose their path.
While I believe Goddesses should be appreciated equally with the Gods as well, they shouldn’t be the main focus of a religion. With Wicca, they tend to worship the Divine Feminine more so than the Divine Masculine. There is a focus on the Triple Goddess, which is the Maiden, Mother and the Crone. It shows the path of all life from being young, becoming an adult and then growing old. While the Triple Goddess concept is noble, it denies the importance of a man as well. For example, the Mother aspect, as you may already have figured out, is symbolized by a pregnant woman. That pregnancy can only come about in two ways. First, it was by the work of a man, Or second, parthenogenesis whether as a functional hermaphrodite or via impregnation by the Gods. Either way, though, it requires the masculine to partake in the creation of a child. There is a Triple God concept: The Young Lord, The Father, and the Sage, but this is rarely touched upon. The very first thing you learn about in Wicca is the Triple Goddess. Since Wicca is a Nature religion like mine, there is an appreciation of the balance inherent in Nature, but Wicca doesn’t seem to grasp that concept too much since the scales are tipped in favor of the Divine Feminine instead of being balanced between the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine. Even though there are male Wiccans, it is still a predominantly feminist spirituality. But once again, to each their own according to their beliefs. We have that freedom to pick which faith we wish to follow and if Wicca serves a persons soul then so be it. As long as they aren’t killing anyone, which no true Wiccan would by their own Wiccan Rede, “If it harm none, do what thou will.” And yes there are Wiccans who extend that idea to abortion. Some Wiccans you will find are absolutely against abortion even though they are feminist spirituality.
Despite my misgiving about Wicca, I still find it, as well as other faiths, to be beautiful in its own way. It did provide platform for me to jump from, to expand from and ultimately find my spiritual destination. I don’t regret my purchasing of the Book of Shadows or A.J Drews A Wiccan Bible. It helped find my faith by book suggestions and websites. Wiccans aren’t evil people nor are they dark of spirit. They enjoy life and are passionate about their beliefs like everyone else. But because one is pagan doesn’t make them magic practitioners. Some of us just worship our Gods, give thanks and leave it at that. No need for spell casting.
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