As Halloween approaches, witches, wands, cauldrons and pentacles seem to emerge at every turn. Retail displays, online advertisements, and the candy sections at grocery stores become flooded with images of spooky creatures, monsters, and all kinds of unusual and eerie items.
For those practicing Wicca or paganism, wands, pentacles, and magick aren’t just limited to Halloween; they embody a way of life.
Austin Toney, a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Music, believes Wicca enables him to lead a more reflective and serene lifestyle.
“Wicca is an Earth-centered religion,” Toney explained. “By claiming to be Earth-based, we assert that the Earth possesses its own energy. Our goal is to engage in rites and rituals that align us with the energies of nature.”
Toney elaborated that Wicca is a polytheistic faith, which implies that Wiccans worship multiple deities. They uphold the belief in two divine figures: the Goddess and the God. Unlike Christianity, Wicca emphasizes a matriarchal structure.
“We emphasize the sacred feminine more than the sacred masculine,” Toney noted. “In a matriarchal framework, the spiritual responsibilities are passed down through females.”
Toney pointed out that while popular culture has focused on the darker aspects of witchcraft and wrongly connected them to Wicca, practitioners do not support or believe in causing harm to others, particularly not in the name of religion. Moreover, Wiccans hold the view that sending out negative energy or thoughts will ultimately result in that negativity returning to the sender.
“We subscribe to a kind of karmic thinking,” Toney affirmed. “We refer to it as the three-fold law. This means that whatever energy you project will come back to you—not just in a physical sense, but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.”
Toney explained that despite how mainstream media portrays Wicca and witchcraft as synonymous, they are not the same. Many individuals within his coven, which functions similarly to a congregation, engage in Wicca without practicing witchcraft, and the opposite is also true.
“At any time, you can inquire about Wiccan beliefs, and it largely revolves around the Wiccan rede,” Toney stated. “Essentially, it prescribes to ‘Abide within the law you must, perfect love and perfect trust, harm not and do what thou wilt.’ This means you can act as you wish, as long as it doesn’t harm yourself or anyone else.”
Click here for stunning Pagan and Wiccan jewelry!
Cecilia Delgado, the owner of a pagan and Wiccan shop, shared that one of the biggest misconceptions about Wiccans is that they are engaged in evil or devil-worship.
“Many people presume that because we wear a pentagram, we are involved with Satan, and that is false,” Delgado explained. “The pentagram serves as protection, representing fire, earth, air, water, and spirit. There’s a widespread belief that we worship Satan, which we do not. We don’t even acknowledge his existence.”
Delgado encourages students with inquiries to come in and ask rather than accept that whatever TV and popular culture have portrayed is an accurate representation of Wicca.
“We guide individuals to heal themselves,” Delgado stated. “It’s primarily about healing and fostering self-belief. Everything is spiritual here.”
Kirsten “Fluffy” Blake, an event production manager at the Val A. Browning Center for the Performing Arts, follows paganism with Wiccan elements. Blake was drawn to paganism and Wicca after attending a spiritual gathering with a friend during her college years.
Blake mentioned that while paganism often involves solitary practitioners, she is struck by the strong sense of community among fellow pagans and Wiccans.
“I feel we are all instinctively attracted to similar principles,” Blake remarked. “Being kind to one another, holding hope and faith in something larger than ourselves. With that comes the understanding that we are not isolated; we can connect and find solace in the world around us.”
(This article was originally published at: http://www.wsusignpost.com/2014/10/05/wiccans-pagans-worship-the-earth)
What about you? How has your experience as a Wiccan influenced your life? We would love to hear your insights!
