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Wicca 101 / FAQ

Do Wiccans have to…
This section addresses a sizable list of frequently asked questions, misconceptions, and concerns about Wicca. There’s a variety of reasons why these questions and ideas have even come about. Some of it is misunderstanding, and some of it is bad representation. As usual, I am speaking from the position of mainstream Wicca and its established views. I am not saying that no one calling themselves Wiccan ever claims these things. If someone is claiming one of the more predatory points – for instance, telling your sixteen year old daughter that she has to have sex with him in order to be a real Wiccan – treat it exactly as that: the claims of a predator.

This section has been written from a common sense point of view. Wicca is not big on creating lists of things that its followers cannot do, so when I say that Wiccans do not do certain things, I generally mean that there is no reason within Wicca for such an action to be undertaken. For instance, we have no rule that says “don’t stab yourself in the eye,” but if someone was to ask me if Wiccans stabbed themselves in the eyes, I would say “No,” and I think any reasonable person would consider that an honest representation. Wicca, of course, does not render someone immune to stabs to the eye, but if some person who happens to be Wiccan stabs himself in the eye, it was assuredly for a reason unrelated to Wicca (probably mental illness, which afflicts Wiccans at the same rate that it affects members of other religions).

…be female?
No. A man founded Wicca, and many of the authors on the subject have been men. Indeed, covens are ideally composed of an equal number of men and women (plus one extra, traditionally the High Priestess, acting as leader), because of Wicca’s philosophy of balance. There are some female-only covens (as well as men-only covens), but those rules are applicable only to the individual covens in question, and many Wiccans are critical of that approach precisely because of the issue of balance.

…be vegetarian?
No. A significant number of Wiccans are vegans and vegetarians, but I would estimate that they are still well in the minority. We believe in living in harmony with the larger world, particularly the natural world, and one of the ways that some express this is by abstaining from meat. Some do this to avoid being party to animal slaughter, while others simply do not wish to support corporations that subject animals to cruel living conditions. This, however, is a personal choice. The cycle of life naturally involves death on a daily basis, and we are biologically designed to eat and digest meat, so doing so is in no way unnatural.

…be pacifists?
No. There is a statement called the Rede which states “And it harm none, do what you will.” Somewhere along the line, certain Wiccans starting stating that we are to “harm none.”

…be homosexual or bisexual?
No. We generally respect a person’s personal choice in the matter of sexual preferences. Indeed, some homosexuals and bisexuals complain that the imagery of Wicca is overly heterosexual, as it revolves around the union of male and female.

…wear special clothing?
Some covens require members to wear special robes during ritual. There are a variety of reasons for this, but the primary one is to help set a tone of equality while removing potentially distracting items of apparel. Many other Wiccans perform in regular street clothes, and there are no requirements of how one should dress outside of ritual. Anyone who tells you they are wearing black because they are Wiccan is making up excuses for their own personal dress style.

…worship naked?
Some covens, particularly Traditional ones, perform their rituals in the nude, or what we term skyclad. The reasons are roughly the same as those for working in robes. In addition, these Wiccans find nudity to be a more natural appearance, and the practice reinforces our belief that our bodies are not something of which we should be ashamed. No group working skyclad should be accepting members under the age of eighteen. Indeed, most covens will not accept minors at all, regardless of dress code.

Moreover, even those who regularly practice skyclad recognize that it is not always appropriate. Winter nights get awfully chilly! Also, if the coven is working out of doors, privacy is a must. Letting your neighbors see you running around naked is both rude and illegal.

Finally, skyclad is generally practiced only within established covens and in some solitary practice. Informal groups gathering for celebration are generally not skyclad, precisely because strangers are involved.

…perform ritual sex?
Certain Traditional rituals involve actual sexual intercourse outside of the view of the rest of the coven. However, this in generally limited to those who are being elevated to the 3rd degree within their Tradition, the highest degree attainable or rituals being performed by the High Priest and Priestess, who have generally already attained this degree. It is not required for initiation. In fact, you shouldn’t. Forcing yourself to ritually do something you find to be morally questionable is self-damaging and counter-productive. Many covens, however, do not involve actual intercourse, or intercourse is optional, with a symbolic joining taking its place. This was the case even in the original covens, and it continues to be prevalent. There are plenty of reasons why someone would be opposed to intercourse, such as existing marriage vows with someone outside of the coven. In short, while we find sex to be beautiful, loving and sacred, it is not something that should be done indiscriminately or without thought. Indeed, that would also be counter-productive, profaning something sacred.

As should be obvious, no group involving ritual intercourse involves minors.

…perform services for their teachers or leaders?
No. I don’t think any clarification is even needed on this point.

…sacrifice animals?
No. The Charge of the Goddess, one of the central liturgical pieces of Wicca, states: “nor to I [the Goddess] demand aught in sacrifice.” This pretty much makes the idea of sacrifice pointless, as our gods do not want it. Life energy is certainly potent, but that doesn’t make it moral to force a creature to part with it for the sake of a magical working. Indeed, many believe that energy not freely given is useless anyway.

…drink blood?
No. There’s no reason for a Wiccan to drink blood. I think that’s one of those Satanic witch stereotypes, although, for the record, blood drinking is generally not part of Satanic practices either.

…use mind-altering substances?
The Gardnerian Book of Shadows lists the use of marijuana as one of several methods of reaching an altered state of consciousness. Many covens today, however, explicitly forbid the use of any illegal drug during ritual and strongly discourage the use of such outside of ritual. Besides the legal ramifications of drug use, these substances are a poison to the body. Their use is therefore seen by many as an abuse to the gift that the gods have given us – the gift of our bodies.

Hard drugs are never acceptable during ritual. Unpredicability, impairment, lack of focus and attention, and agitated mind state make users not only physically dangerous to other coven members but also difficult if not impossible to work with on a spiritual or magical level.

…come from certain bloodlines or families?
No. Wicca is a religion. Anyone may choose to worship the gods and the gods may take an interest in anyone, regardless of background.

Some witches follow traditions that are specific for their families. They have chosen, for whatever reason, not to teach their specific practices to outsiders. This does not mean that people outside of the family can’t be witches, simply that they cannot learn that family’s specific practices. It’s about different education, not different genetics. This concept has, unfortunately, been horribly abused in the past. Some people felt that they were more legitimate witches if they could make a hereditary claim, and suddenly everyone had been secretly taught by their grandmother, even though they themselves were often blabbing about their practices left and right.

Thankfully, this does not occur much anymore, and the continued misinformation about witches or Wiccans coming from special families primarily comes from Hollywood. Bewitched, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Charmed, among others, all depict magical powers as something at least partially passed on through blood, with such families being extremely rare or even unique. These, however, are fictional depictions and should be viewed accordingly.

…renounce their Christian baptisms?
No. That’s a historical witch stereotype that has nothing to do with Wicca. While the reality is that Wiccans do not believe in the tenets of Christianity, we have nothing against it and find no harm in its rituals. It is the difference between being against something versus simply not being for it, and there is a tremendous difference.

Many Wiccans do take a Craft name when they dedicate themselves or are initiated. However, the majority only uses these names among other Wiccans or Pagans, and frequently they use them only during ritual. This is not to discard one’s Christian name but simply to represent a spiritual rebirth. This is a practice familiar to many religions. Baptism is the Christian equivalent to dedication/initiation, and is traditionally when a baby was named. Hence the concept of our first name being our “Christian name.” Catholic nuns take new names when they formally enter a convent, signifying the start of a new life. Converts to Christianity and Islam sometimes take new names as well.

…possess psychic or special powers?
No. Working magic and otherwise manipulating energy are skills to be learned, practiced and experienced. Some people have a natural talent for or an aptitude for learning these things, the same way the some children are naturally good at art even though they have no training or can pick up mathematical concepts more quickly than their fellow pupils. The ability to work magic does not make one particularly special, nor is any extraordinary ability with it required. While many covens require that an initiate have developed rudimentary energy working skills, remember that they provide the training to begin with, and so all they are really expecting is that one put in the time and practice already required of them as students.

Those who look at magic as a “special power,” particularly those who feel superior because they possess such, are generally considered poor candidates for covens, and I certainly encourage Solitaries to set aside such mentalities. Energy work is a tool. It can be used toward practical benefit, and many people do so, but it is also an integral part of religious practices. Ultimately, we seek moments of ego-transcendence, when our consciousness extends beyond the confines of ourselves and connects with the greater world. To view our practices as ultimately personal and ego-gratifying serves only to hinder, not help, spiritual growth.

…summon spirits?
No, although many do. For clarification, by spirit I mean here any non-corporeal entity regardless of origin, excluding gods. The most common summoning is directed at elementals or some sort of guardian spirits. They are invoked at the four quarters to guard against other non-corporeal interlopers and/or to help ground the circle within the four elements. Not all Wiccans invoke anything at the quarters, however. Wicca can certainly be practiced in some form without it.

Elementals are relatively simple creatures. Because each is comprised of only a single elements (as opposed to corporeal beings, which are composed of all four in varying amounts), they lack the complexity and subtlety that humans are more familiar with. They are therefore generally more commanded than invited, and they are ordered to depart at a ritual’s end.

Other guardian spirits (such as angels or angle-like creatures) are more complex and viewed as being equal to or superior to humanity. These spirits are generally invited into a circle, not commanded, and they are requested, not ordered, to watch over the quarters. There are a variety of other spirits that Wiccans may or may not believe in and may or may not interact with. Some speak to the spirits of plants they are trying to grow or are cutting down. Others participate in séances and other methods of speaking with those who have passed on. The idea of summoning, binding, and commanding a spirit to accomplish a task is not popular within Wicca and is much more often found in ceremonial magic. Of course, there are some people who practice both.

…belong to a coven and be initiated?
The Wicca of Gerald Gardner was entirely initiatory, and many Traditionalists continue to believe that Wicca should only be used to describe practices that have been passed down through a coven from teacher to student, the latter of whom is eventually initiated. This practice helps to guarantee the quality of understanding and practice among members. It also preserves the secrecy of their teachings.

Secrecy is embraced in religions for a variety of benign reasons. One is the idea that religious knowledge is sacred and that making it publicly accessible cheapens and profanes it. The second is that incomplete knowledge is either dangerous or profaning. When knowledge becomes public, it frequently starts to be transmitted haphazardly, and the pieces may be misunderstood when not presented in their complete context.

However, a large number, possibly the majority, of self-described Wiccans today are neither initiated nor members of covens. The word is commonly used today in reference to both the initiated and non-initiated, and a good number of initiated Traditionalists accept this definition of Wicca. So, according to common definition, no, a Wiccan does not have to be initiated or a member of a coven, although there are a significant minority who disagree with that definition.