Pop Quiz Time!!!  SURPRISE!

Actually, this isn’t as terrible as it sounds.  Just review the questions below and answer "True" or "False."  Simple enough?  We’ll see.
 

Okay, are you done now?  Pencils down, and let’s review.  Surprisingly enough, questions 1-5 are FALSE.  Only question 6 is TRUE.  How can that be, you ask?  Well, that’s the lesson for the week.

We’ll begin with the very basics, courtesy of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary & Thesaurus.  And I’m adding Heathen since the term is sometimes used interchangeably with Pagan.  When I entered in Wiccan, I got Wicca so that’s what I’m putting here.
 

PAGAN : Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin paganus, from Latin, country dweller, from pagus country district; akin to Latin pangere to fix -- more at PACT.  Date: 14th century  1 : HEATHEN 1; especially : a follower of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome)  2 : one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods : an irreligious or hedonistic person

HEATHEN : Etymology: Middle English hethen, from Old English h[AE]then; akin to Old High German heidan heathen, and probably to Old English h[AE]th heath.  Date: before 12th century  1 : of or relating to heathens, their religions, or their customs 2 : STRANGE, UNCIVILIZED
[Thesaurus: of or relating to people who do not acknowledge the God of the Bible <ancient heathen sacrificial rites> Synonyms ethnic, gentile, infidel, infidelic, pagan, profane]

WITCH : Etymology: Middle English wicche, from Old English wicca, masculine, wizard & wicce, feminine, witch; akin to Middle High German wicken to bewitch, Old English wigle divination, and perhaps to Old High German wIh holy -- more at VICTIM.  Date: before 12th century  1 : one that is credited with usually malignant supernatural powers; especially : a woman practicing usually black witchcraft often with the aid of a devil or familiar : SORCERESS -- compare WARLOCK  2 : an ugly old woman : HAG  3 : a charming or alluring girl or woman  4 : a practitioner of Wicca  5 : WITCH OF AGNESI
[Thesaurus: 1 : a woman who practices the black arts <ancient laws against witches> Synonyms bruja, enchantress, hag, hex, lamia, sorceress, witchwoman; MAGICIAN  2 : Synonyms HAG 2, ||bag, ||bat, beldam, biddy, crone, drab, trot]

WICCA : Etymology: probably from Old English wicca wizard -- more at WITCH Date: 1959 : a religion influenced by pre-Christian beliefs and practices of western Europe that affirms the existence of  supernatural power (as magic) and of both male and female deities who inhere in nature, and that emphasizes ritual observance of seasonal and life cycles  [Wiccan /'wi-k&n/ adjective or noun]

Totally confused yet?  That’s okay, because this is what we’re discussing.  Let’s begin with the basic term of PAGAN.  A PAGAN is someone who is not a member of one of the three major religions of the world: Christian, Jew, Muslim.  Why those three?  Well, as defined up above, a heathen is someone who doesn’t acknowledge the God of the Bible.  Those three religions trace their origins back to the earliest books of the Old Testament.

Paganism encompasses everything else.  Pagans are Hindus, Buddhists, Druids, native Americans, Taoists, and, yes, even Wiccans.  Which is why not all pagans are Wiccans or even Witches. But Paganism does NOT encompass SATANISTS!!!  You read that right.  The reason for this is because, in order to be a Satanist, you have to believe in the biblical God.

A WITCH is someone who practices magic.  In some forms of practice, a witch must be female.  In others, such as Wicca, the term witch applies to both men and women.  (Yes, all Wiccans are witches.)  Witchcraft is practiced even by members of Christianity or Judaism.  Some forms of Christianity practiced in Mexico as well as Voodoo involve a mixture of magic and religion.  But magic can be used for good or evil, and as Wiccans, we strive never to harm.  Some Witches really are more along the lines of the Wicked Witch of the West rather than Glenda, the Good Witch of the North.  (Wizard of Oz.)

And a  WICCAN is a practitioner of Wicca.  Wicca is a nature based religion, based upon animism (the recognition of life force within all aspects of creation).  We recognize the male and female divine in all is about us and that is within us, and we acknowledge the sanctity of all life.  With this acceptance comes the responsibility of being held accountable for our own actions.  Accountable here and now, and not by a deity in the afterworld.

Because the individual is not confined to the worship of a specific deity, there are Wiccans who are Christian or Jewish.  They have found similarities (of which there are many) between the faiths and blended them in a manner which gives appreciation to the best of both.  Which is why not all Wiccans are pagan.

So, how can a Christian worship the female divine?  By giving recognition to Mary (mother of Christ), as well as a whole slew of female saints (a number of whom were originally goddesses).  Jewish women can embrace Eve or even Lilith.  Much of the old testament, in the earliest text, refers to God not in a masculine gender sense, but either neutral or even more feminine.

Yes, Wiccans take delight in sensual pleasures because our senses allow us to more fully interact and appreciate the world around us.  We take pleasure in many things - food, music, singing, reading, writing, friendship, and yes - even sex.  Sex is part of the human condition, and we strive for unity and recognition of the entire being.

So, now we’ve discussed PAGAN, WITCH, and WICCAN.  Next week, well go into the history of Wicca, but before that we really need to discuss what Wicca is not.
 

· Wicca is not a Satanic cult.  Why?  Because we hold ourselves accountable for our actions; the devil didn’t make us do it.  And we don’t go around causing harm, casting curses and hexes, or seek to bring evil into the world.  Many wear a pentagram / pentacle, but ours isn’t inverted.  (This is a general rule since I’ve recently learned there is an exception to this.)
 
· Wiccans do not engage in blood rituals, the sacrificing of children and small animals, or ritualized rape of virgins.
 
· Wiccan rites are not excuses for orgies of sexual excess, the seduction of innocent children, or of "mating" with demons.  Wiccans do not engage in wild parties of drugs and/or alcohol as they bay at the moon.
 
· Wiccans don’t cast spells on other people without their permission.  They don’t do love spells to take someone’s lover for their own.
 
 

Homework : Take sometime to decide what Wicca means to you.  Why are you here?  What is it you are seeking?  And remember, there are no wrong paths to the Creator so long as you look with openness both within and without.
 
 

© 2001 Mother