Path: typhoon.sonic.net!not-for-mail Newsgroups: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.pagan,talk.religion.misc,alt.witchcraft,alt.religion.wicca,alt.wicca Subject: Starting in Wicca References: <20040126152836.22671.00000732@mb-m18.aol.com> From: Fluffwikkun Reply-To: spam@luckymojo.com User-Agent: nn/6.6.0 Lines: 143 Message-ID: Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2004 05:08:56 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 208.201.242.18 X-Complaints-To: abuse@sonic.net X-Trace: typhoon.sonic.net 1091164136 208.201.242.18 (Thu, 29 Jul 2004 22:08:56 PDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 22:08:56 PDT Xref: typhoon.sonic.net alt.magick.tyagi:48301 alt.pagan:397199 talk.religion.misc:414137 alt.witchcraft:72901 alt.religion.wicca:862614 50040729 viii om # I am new to wicca, then you get to make everything up before people tell it to you. # is this there anyone that could give me a helping hand get # started? is Wicca something you do or something you believe? let's take it from several trajectories.... belief ---------- believing things to be a Wiccan is easy. faith in deities some basics include a Goddess and a God. that's right 2 foci of worship. these are metaphorical beings who have some reality somewhere but as a newbie you're not really expected to know where. just rest assured that there's a Mom-goddess and a Dad-god looking out for you and who will be able to come to you in rituals and tell you the truth about the universe. "nature worship" --------------------- the best Neopagans worship Nature. they are indwelling to the *NATURAL* world. so one way to start being a Wiccan is to start focussing more on the world of WILD NATURE. see if you can detect some kind of masculine and feminine poles there, or beings who might be behind it. compare what you read in books and online and what people tell you with what you are observing of the natural world. moral guidelines ------------------------ doing right in service to the Old Ones is virtuous. there's this 'Rede' guideline thing that some seize upon like a dog on a tug-of-war toy as the One Rule. 'do whatcha wanna, but don't harm anyone'. contemplate this while affirming its truth. newbies can say that they believe it without having thought it over very carefully ("I'm just learning" is the coverstory). 'harm' is the key-term. watch what people mean by it. that's all it takes to be a Wicca Believer as a start. if you can do those, you'll probably not have too much difficulty with it. it's not terribly doctrinal, plus there's so much diversity of mind, almost anything goes if you sift through the Wiccan spectrum sufficiently. liturgy ------------------------- later on there's special rituals to perform, and maybe special initiations and worship ceremonies. for now, focus on your breath while watching a candle and burning some incense in a shady room or on a lawn or forest floor. get some cards and a book on cartomancy if you want some excuse (divination is often ceremonial and connected with religions). the breathwork is what is called 'establishing an equilibrium'. meditating in station is the entirety of some religious practices, and is counted as one of the most important aspects of basic ceremonial work (typically classed a yogic skill). after a time engaging breathwork, observe the motion of Sun and Moon through or over this place. many select one of these as symbolic of the Goddess and one as the God, and use them in their ceremonies in Divine Marriage. sit so as they appear during day (solar-yearly) and night (lunar-monthly) phases they move from your right to your left overhead. you are facing the direction North, the Darkness, the Quarter of the Great Goddess of Witches and Sabbats. pick a portion of the room or glade and make a table for offerings for your God and Goddess, of wild and crafted treasures you find when you go on walks in parks and preserves, or those you make in love and dedication as you get to know Them. what you place there should be something you sought or set out to find in devotion, or which strikes deeply in your heart as to its beauty and worthiness to offer deities. you can burn candles, incenses, bring food (which you either eat yourself after the deity has had what its wants of it, or give it to some intermediary like a wild animal, or plant). this is a good start on ritualization in internal and external rudiments geared toward harmony with most Wiccans I've known. magic ---------------- sometimes magic is mixed with devotions, others not. witchery, sorcery, spellcraft, magic, wizardry: people call it by all kinds of names. it's all the same general category of thing, in a variety of flavours and colours usually based on intentions or sociocultural context. whereas the religious liturgy things like Sabbats are open and festival-like, the Esbat lunar spellwork is more personal, private, and designed for very specific objectives. whether these be mystical, or practical, the format and general structure tends toward the same standards wherever they appear in the world: there is a symbolic manipulation of a model or set of magical levers with the intention of producing a like effect or change in the world. start small, avoid coersion until you know what you are doing and are ready for any consequences, and when in doubt, generally seek greater insight, wisdom, knowledge, and orientation with respect to reality. with these pointers under your belt, you should be able to handle any Wiccan environment or pressure. understand that the authorities of your religion transcend human beings and that your relation to them is more important than any initial connections to any societal group. hold to the trust of the divinities and seek to come to know them more fully and thoroughly than anyone you've ever met before. blessed beast! y r B o l b n e e w s a o s s d e t e d ! .com@nagasiva Fluffwikkun