An Explanation

You may be wondering, "What's this all about, anyway?".
People who have never heard of "the Craft", or "Wicca", probably aren't aware that it even exists, or what signifigance it has in the religious world. Though it wasn't called Wicca long ago, This religion actually got it's roots from the Pre-Christian society in Europe. The holidays, traditions, Gods and Goddesses all take their cues from similar practices way back when. Before Christianity took the continent by storm, "Pagan" meant "country dweller", "Heathen" meant "those who dwell on the heath", and "Wiccan" meant wise-man, or "seer". These people were of course later shunned by the Christian public, though it's not hard to see why. Country dwellers didn't take to the conversion as quickly as those in the more urban environments did. And it is very common knowledge that people fear what they cannot understand. As the Christian religion started to take leadership in the community, the Mysteries of the "Old Ways" seemed more and more like barbaric and obscene practices to Gods that didn't exist... or even as rituals to Satan himself. So it is time to set the record straight, a bit.

Wiccans believe in a few basic things:

1.The Duality Aspect of Diety:
First there was the Source, and the Source was split into two polar opposites: Those influences that were Male, and those influences that were Female. The God, and the Goddess. Some people call them the Lord and Lady. We operate under the belief that these two influences are the same, no matter what name they go by, be it "Aphrodite", or "Isis", or even "St. Patrick", "Jesus", and the Christian "God".

2.The Balance of the Five Elements in the Universe:
We are all bound together by Diety, and are all made up of the 5 elements, Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Akasha, or the "spirit". Each of these elements is imbued with the energy of Diety itself, and therefore everything we touch contains a small piece of the sacred. Everything we do must be done carefully so as not to disturb this balance.

3.Life is a Circle:
Because Diety exists in everything around us, we see the Universe as a set of continuous cycles. Everything is born, lives to it's fulfillment and purpose, then dies and is reborn again. The Seasons of the year, A day on the planet earth...All of these are examples of how the Circle of Life appears in nature.

4.Everything Contains Diety:
We believe that all the God and Goddesses creations also contain a piece of the God and Goddess. There is no seperation between the Creator and the Creation. We see the "Divine Presence" as constantly living around us and within us as energy and conciousness.

5.What Goes Around Comes Around:
The law of three states that whatever you send out from you comes back to you threefold in strength. This can be applied to any effort on your part, wether it be magickal, physical, or otherwise. Good energies or Bad energies, if you send them out, they are going to come back to bite you later. This is why the practice of Magick needs to be ethical. Who wants the three-fold return on turning someone into a frog?

6.Magick is Real:
Anyone can use Magick to help them in thier everyday lives. As a young child, you probably did magick without even realizing that's what you were doing. In fact, you cast your first spell when you turned 1 year old, and continued casting a spell at least once a year after that. The spell involved staring at a flickering birthday candle, concentrating really hard on a wish, and then blowing it out. I refer you to my Magick section for more information.

7.Every Wiccan is Clergy:
There is no one in our religion that has a stronger connection to Diety than anyone else. There is no person who is more sacred and therefore has an "in" with God and what he's thinking. You don't need to go to a pastor to ask for God's divine counsel. Everyone has the same personal link to God. Granted, someone who is practicing longer will be a little more wise and more adept, but the link to Diety is always the same.

8.If it Doesn't Work, Change it:
The last common thread between all practicing witches is that every witch practices differently. Unlike some other religions that have a rigid structure that needs to be followed, wiccans operate under the general belief that if what you're doing doesn't help you to sense that link with Diety, you just don't do it. Although most Wiccans will agree on the basics such as Magickal tools and thier uses, the basic set-up of ritual, and the things i've listed above, they will also have many diverse ideas about the rest of their religion. Always keep in mind that unless I say I got something from someone else, it is simply my opinion of my faith you are reading.