Ask A Wiccan

[Dufonce]

Re: Ask A Wiccan

I may be 26 and with 14 years studying different things... but i by no means call myself an authority. I refuse to because I know I don't have the knowledge to do so. I myself am against organized religion because I refuse to allow someone to dictate to me how to be spiritual. Honestly, I think solitaries are more spiritual people than those following in a coven. The high priest and high priestess might be very spiritual but people that are following may not have 100% belief in their hearts. and thats where organization is flawed. It will take me a long time before I consider myself worthy of any title or being an authority

[MaskedOne]

Re: Ask A Wiccan

[quote author=Nyx link=topic=277.msg8375#msg8375 date=1288460363]
On another forum I follow, many of the members are insistent that true Wicca is performed in covens, that "Solitary Wicca" is actually based on misinformation, and that in order to be Wiccan one must be initiated into a coven that can be traced back to Gardener.

The thread that I'm referring to can be found here:

http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=17613519

I'm curious about your opinion on this.
[/quote]


Wicca is heavily divided, not all sects agree on solitary initiation. I'll leave that fight to Wiccans. The more important point is that you can pledge yourself to the Lord and Lady (should you so choose) without help from a coven, you can follow them without help from a coven and you can work magic without help from a coven. What you happen to call yourself is a secondary issue. Live and believe as you find appropriate first, label yourself whenever you find it convenient to bother.

[Caliburn]

Re: Ask A Wiccan

i wish a Blessed Samhain to all that celebrate it:

[Orion Guardian-Elm]

Re: Ask A Wiccan

Greetings!

I asked this on another post, though I was told that here was the place to ask

Sorry if this comes across as a random jumble of thoughts (lol), but I have been feeling lately that my path is a mess - for lack of a better way of describing it. I am an Eclectic Pagan with strong Wiccan leanings, though I am still searching for the specific path which is right for me.

I feel as if my spirituality is a random mix of things from a million different sources, and I don't really know what to do about it. I do a lot of reading, and as you would expect, different books tell you to do things (casting circles etc) differently, and I find it so difficult to decide what to do. Seeing as I live in the Southern Hemisphere I usually adapt circle castings from books (the majority of which tell you to cast your circle clockwise) and cast them sunwise (counterclockwise in the SH).

I have just finished reading Teen Witch by Silver Ravenwolf and am about to start reading Scott Cunningham's Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. I feel as if I am drawing from so many different sources and I cannot decided which to use in the long run. It sort of feels like I am trying to do too much at once, while drawing from too many different sources. I also have this problem where I find it difficult to trust myself and be confident in my own intuition. It's probably a beginner thing, but I always feel bad if I get a line wrong in ritual, or if I feel I need to adapt something from a book (such as circle casting).

I feel as if I am not a "good" enough Wiccan, and I don't really know what to do. I want to stop worrying that I'm not doing good enough, but I don't know how.

For example, yesterday I did a Seeker Ceremony (taken and adapted from RavenWolf's Teen Witch). I was hoping it would go perfectly, though overall I found that it was a bit of a disapointment. I had to leave the circle to get items I had forgotten, and I made various mistakes. My oath to Spirit was just as genuine however, and I suppose it is that which matters...

Anyway, I know this was a very long post and I hope someone will have some advice concerning this (rather silly) problem of mine!

Hoping you are having a blessed Beltane/Samhain!

[Amber]

Re: Ask A Wiccan

Well, first off....read more then just two books before you decide on any religion. When I first became Wiccan I read all I could get my hands on.

I'm also not a fan of ravenwolfs work (Not many of us are here) but Cunningham is pretty good.

As for the disapointments you felt....your first several rituals will not go perfect. Hell I've been practicing activily in a coven for 4 years almost and none of ours goes "perfect"

If you put too much thought into perfection, you will steer yourself away from the beauty of ritual. The Gods know our intent and do not expect us to be perfect 100% off the time

[felixtcat]

Re: Ask A Wiccan

[quote author=Deseret link=topic=277.msg3039#msg3039 date=1287154275]
Yay, thanks for starting this up again, felix

Would you start off with recommending three of you favorite books, and why?

Why do you define your path as Celtic, rather then just Wiccan?
[/quote]

My three favorite books: "Wicca, A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner", "Living Wicca" both by Cunningham and "Wicca for One" by Raymond Buckland. These three simply because they express in words what I feel inside.

I call myself a "Celtic Wiccan" because I feel heavily influenced by Celtic lore and traditions. The God and Goddess I worship I define as Cerridwen & Cernunnos. Both are Celtic in origin.

[felixtcat]

Re: Ask A Wiccan

[quote author=spartacandream link=topic=277.msg3518#msg3518 date=1287258294]
Do you worship any gods? If so, Do you believe them to be real entities?
[/quote]

Please see above and yes, I believe them to be real.

[felixtcat]

Re: Ask A Wiccan

[quote author=PharaohKatt link=topic=277.msg4623#msg4623 date=1287462882]
What special days (Sabbats, Estbats) do you celebrate? Are there rituals associated with them?
[/quote]

I celebrate mainly the Sabbats although I do feel a special presence on the Full Moons.
My Sabbats being:

Samhain
Yule
Imbolc
Ostara
Beltane
Midsummer
Lammas
Mabon

[felixtcat]

Re: Ask A Wiccan

[quote author=Gwen link=topic=277.msg5479#msg5479 date=1287652816]
Wow. Sorry to add to a list of questions, but--
I've struggled with the fact that Wicca has the God and Goddess, which always seemed to me to unreasonably prioritize gender-binary over all the other dynamic binaries along which Wiccan theology could equally easily be organized. For example, why the God and the Goddess instead of Chaos and Order, Night and Day, etc? I realize these other binaries get drawn into the God-Goddess paradigm (Sun-God-Order-Animals-Corn, Moon-Goddess-Chaos-Woodland-Ocean, for example), but why are the deities named by gender rather than by one of the other binaries?

I think I'm beginning to understand the historical reasons for this, and to accept that my concerns over inherent heterosexism in the tradition don't negate the draw the theology has for me. Still, I'm wondering--is this an issue for you? If so how do you address it? Regardless, what do you think of my ramblings?
[/quote]

I see your point but I believe that the "God & Goddess" analogy holds the most weight because the Earth was born of them. In our human existence, we more easily recognize anything being "born" as the product of male & female.

[felixtcat]

Re: Ask A Wiccan

I will answer more tomorrow. Hopefully everything that's left.

[Nyx]

Re: Ask A Wiccan

[quote author=Orion Guardian-Elm link=topic=277.msg8903#msg8903 date=1288646593]

I have just finished reading Teen Witch by Silver Ravenwolf and am about to start reading Scott Cunningham's Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner.
[/quote]

I agree with the others who say stay away from Ravenwolf. Her books are mostly crap and a lot of what she does is for the sake of money.
in addition to bastardization of witchcraft, I've heard from numerous people who have met her that she's as arrogant as they come.

[magusphredde]

Re: Ask A Wiccan

[quote author=Orion Guardian-Elm link=topic=277.msg8903#msg8903 date=1288646593]

I feel as if I am not a "good" enough Wiccan, and I don't really know what to do. I want to stop worrying that I'm not doing good enough, but I don't know how.

[/quote]
If you find you are not cut out for Wicca you might try Asatru ... They have some pretty kewl weapons ... And they eat and drink like mad ... Beards are optional, especially for the ladies ...

I have been a solitaire pagan for over 40 years or so ... Never had the slightest notion that I should be Wiccan ... Nor have any specific pantheon ... Does that make me a bad pagan? ... Nah ... just makes me the best me I can be ... Your path may look good on a map but it doesn't show the day to day bumps, pot holes and detours ...

[felixtcat]

Re: Ask A Wiccan

[quote author=Corvus link=topic=277.msg4404#msg4404 date=1287433356]
Do you belive in "The One" or just the god and goddess (assuming you belive in them)
are your deities ominipresent,ominipotent, omnipresent?if so are they made of other dieities? Do they have many aspects?are they the culmination of the divine or just part of it?
[/quote]

I believe in the God & Goddess. They are all aspects of everything to me. They created everything and all things come from them.

[felixtcat]

Re: Ask A Wiccan

[quote author=Nyx link=topic=277.msg8375#msg8375 date=1288460363]
On another forum I follow, many of the members are insistent that true Wicca is performed in covens, that "Solitary Wicca" is actually based on misinformation, and that in order to be Wiccan one must be initiated into a coven that can be traced back to Gardener.

The thread that I'm referring to can be found here:

http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=17613519

I'm curious about your opinion on this.
[/quote]

This is where I get to be totally "ME". In other words, I lose it a little bit. The morons that state that you cannot be Wiccan without having an official membership card and decoder ring from the local Gardnerian Coven are just that, morons.
Of course, being that this is my thread, I get to pound my opinion down everyone's throat. So, based on the "Moronian Wicca" one MUST be linkable to Gardner, one MUST practice skyclad, one MUST recognize the authority of the priestess and/or priest and one MUST achieve a certain level in order to possibly become a priest or priestess. Well, if that's Wicca and ONLY that is Wicca, they can shove it up their collective ass.

[felixtcat]

Re: Ask A Wiccan

[quote author=Orion Guardian-Elm link=topic=277.msg8903#msg8903 date=1288646593]
Greetings!

I asked this on another post, though I was told that here was the place to ask

Sorry if this comes across as a random jumble of thoughts (lol), but I have been feeling lately that my path is a mess - for lack of a better way of describing it. I am an Eclectic Pagan with strong Wiccan leanings, though I am still searching for the specific path which is right for me.

I feel as if my spirituality is a random mix of things from a million different sources, and I don't really know what to do about it. I do a lot of reading, and as you would expect, different books tell you to do things (casting circles etc) differently, and I find it so difficult to decide what to do. Seeing as I live in the Southern Hemisphere I usually adapt circle castings from books (the majority of which tell you to cast your circle clockwise) and cast them sunwise (counterclockwise in the SH).

I have just finished reading Teen Witch by Silver Ravenwolf and am about to start reading Scott Cunningham's Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. I feel as if I am drawing from so many different sources and I cannot decided which to use in the long run. It sort of feels like I am trying to do too much at once, while drawing from too many different sources. I also have this problem where I find it difficult to trust myself and be confident in my own intuition. It's probably a beginner thing, but I always feel bad if I get a line wrong in ritual, or if I feel I need to adapt something from a book (such as circle casting).

I feel as if I am not a "good" enough Wiccan, and I don't really know what to do. I want to stop worrying that I'm not doing good enough, but I don't know how.

For example, yesterday I did a Seeker Ceremony (taken and adapted from RavenWolf's Teen Witch). I was hoping it would go perfectly, though overall I found that it was a bit of a disapointment. I had to leave the circle to get items I had forgotten, and I made various mistakes. My oath to Spirit was just as genuine however, and I suppose it is that which matters...

Anyway, I know this was a very long post and I hope someone will have some advice concerning this (rather silly) problem of mine!

Hoping you are having a blessed Beltane/Samhain!
[/quote]

Silver Ravenwolf? Really? Sheesh! I thought she'd have vanished by now. It must be my extreme effort to ignore her that made me miss that she is still around. Silver Ravenwolf speaks about as much truth as your average politician. Stay far, far away from her please. If you would like to get some reasonable information on Wicca, read Cunningham, Buckland and The Ferrars.