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Wicca: Difference between revisions
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{{Useful Notes}}
[[File:GODDESS_triple_goddess2_9252.jpg|frame| [[The Hecate Sisters|The Triple Goddess. From left to right: Maiden, Mother, and Crone.]]]]
{{quote|''"...let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, mirth and reverence within you."''
|'''An excerpt from''' [http://doreenvaliente.com/?page_id{{=}}625 The Charge of The Goddess] }}
{{quote|''"An' it harm none, do what ye will."'''|'''The Wiccan Rede.''' }}
[[Wicca]] is a fertility-based religion founded in the 1950s by Gerald Gardner, supposedly based as much as possible on pre-Christian British traditions and ceremonial magic societies/orders. Exactly what defines a Wiccan depends on who you ask, but at least one rule is consistent: "Wiccan" is ''not'' a fancy word for "witch," and "Wicca" is not a catch-all term for any neo-pagan religion. Neither is it term for someone who practices "whatever feels right," even if they take some of their practices and beliefs from Wicca. (That's called eclectic paganism - not that there's anything wrong with it; it's just not Wicca.) Note that the number of people who term themselves Wiccan but do not meet this definition (often because they do not belong to an initiatory tradition or do not follow all these beliefs) is much greater than those who do.
In general, there are two main types of Wicca. The first type is coven-based, where adherents gather together to pratise their religion. The oldest form of Wicca, established by Gardner himself (hence known as Gardnerian Wicca) is coven-based and is an orthopraxic mystery religion. Orthopraxic means that correct practice is more important than correct belief (orthodoxy). Like all coven-based forms, its core practices are oath-bound and are not taught to cowans, or outsiders. This means that you can't actually practice Gardnerian Wicca as you'll have no way of actually knowing what a good chunk of the vital practices and rituals actually are. While there are many books ''about'' Gardenarian Wicca, there are no books that actually contain these core practices or Mysteries; at best, the books contain "outer court" information comprising of some history and generic neo-pagan beliefs and practices([[Your Mileage May Vary]] on this claim, however, since the original "Gardnerian" Book of Shadows has been printed multiple times, including what were (formerly) the secret names of the Goddess and God. Most Gardnerian and Alexandrian covens have since augmented the original material with additional, actually still secret stuff). Also, it should be noted that because some of the rituals are sexual in nature (although a far cry from orgies), no-one under the age of 18 is allowed to be initiated for legal and moral reasons.
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