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Most People who are of that religion want to see the world like this, No joke!

Do you mind explaining to me exactly what wicca is?

I always like learning about religions. They are just so interesting. There is a wiccan in one of my classes, and I love listening to her. Although I'm neutral on wicca, I still like participating in the rituals, even if nothing happens.

There was a thread about this in the ED like a day ago. Someone pointed out that most things people consider Wicca are not that, but Neo-Pagan.

Wicca is an orthopraxic religion whose members are all clergy and bound to secrecy.

Sounds like a cult to people who are used to Christianity and like-thoughts. But it's more like a secret club where you worship fertility gods in private groups.

You can't be half-Wiccan. I'm sure your religious beliefs would be classified as "Neo-Pagan" instead, yeah? Worshipping god and goddess, or other nature gods. Especially if your rituals or beliefs can be described as "eclectic".

Half-Wiccans? Misunderstood histories? What is this madness? One thing at a time...

"Wicca" wasn't even heard of until the fifties' books written by Gerald Gardner. '54 was Witchraft Today I think, and '59 may have been The Meaning of Witchcraft. I believe, it's been a while and could be wrong. Either way, he was really the first to suggest of a "long line" of underground practitioners of some "ancient religion." To me, I think it was a crock just to make money, but is it based on some truth? Sure. Only in the fact he constructed a faith all his own, known as Wicca, based upon what shreds of rituals and the such he had found in his research. Mostly he just constructed and fabricated a good bit of it to form his own faith. To me, he may have just been an old pervert hellbent on this "skyclad" idea having young women play the "goddess" and be naked, along with everyone else. Rather creepy to me, but hey, to each their own. Feel free to look around at sites like www.witchvox or something for more information.

On the thought of being "Half-Wiccan?" Wicca is a faith, not a bloodline, title, honor, or anything else. It's a simple religious path like any other. In essence, Wicca is as much a Neo-Pagan path as is modern reconstructioned Druidry, Asatru/Odinists, or general worship of a pantheon of deities. Anytime you necessarily mix things up a bit, you're an eclectic Neo-Pagan to which you could essentially call yourself whatever you'd like I suppose, seeing as none of us today have a "true" version of what was practiced. We can only guess and form our own ideas, rituals, beliefs, etcetera.

Hopefully this clears up a little bit of this insanity in this thread. Let's see what the other threads have to be fix'd...

Just keep at it friend, you'll find your way through it all. At best all one really can do is guess and make for one's self what they feel true to themselves.

The Neo-Pagan, or "New Age" book sections are laughable as well. Everything so focused on "inner light" and "love and light" type subjects just to make a quick buck. They're all relatively the same, and the books on Wicca are as well. Raymond Buckland, though part of Gardner's original line at one point in time, did make a decent attempt at his craft. Silvermoon Ravenwolf on the other hand... Eh...

For contemporary Neo-Paganism on the darker, yet still positive side of things, I think Konstantinos had it down. Sure, his books were kinda molded to make a dollar or two as well, but I still credit him.

All in all, it's just about finding what works for yourself and your relationship to the cosmos, but with some of the things produced out there... The confusion and "facts" are just... Gah. The new age ordeal in itself is a joke to me anymore, in so far as "teen witches" and book stores' sections go at least.

Any more thoughts, comments or ideas on this matter? We could discuss and debate other serious alternative faiths. Santeria's animal sacrifice perhaps, and how it has rights in some parts of the U.S. to do so? What about it's relationship to Vodun, or what we may know along with Santeria as Voodoo?

If need be for the sake of debate I'll take up the anti-witchraft approach just to get things going.