Understanding Wicca Essay, Research Paper

Understanding Wicca By Its Principles.

To me, the word Witch is delightful, filled with the most ancient memories that go back to our earliest ascendants, who lived near to natural rhythms and who understood and appreciated the power and energy that we portion with the Earth. It is filled with the aroma of a zephyr after rain, the whirl of homemade incense fume, and the scintillation of the north star on a chip winter dark. Within this word, the five elements dance ( Cabot, Back Cover ) .

So what is Wicca? Like most faiths, nil is cut-and-dried. Many different people believe many different things. One thing is for certain ne’er hurt anyone or anything. Most Wiccans worship a God, a Goddess, and the Five Elementss. The Pentacle is a symbol which represents these five sacred things. The first four elements Earth, air, fire, and H2O are represented by the four waies on a compass. Each of these things are needed to last, and each plays a critical function in nature. The Fifth Sacred Thing spirit signifies the energy, bravery, and love that Wiccans portion with female parent Earth, themselves, and others. This is where Starhawk got the rubric for her novel.

An injury ye none, do what ye will. This is the quotation mark likely best known to Wiccans. It comes from the Wiccan rede, a verse form written by the ancients that touches on the 18 rules of the faith. The quotation mark mentioned above is rather easy to understand. Equally long as you re non doing injury to anything or anybody, travel in front and make what you want. Along with obeying this jurisprudence, most Wiccans worship a God and Goddess every bit, and have great regard for the five elements, or five sacred things.

What do the elements stand for, and how can they be classified? The Earth component is associated with the North. Its primary colourss are green and black ; It stands for money, success, concern, birthrate, stableness, and prosperity. Earth is a feminine component. It is fostering, moist and fruitful ( Cunningham, 23 ) . Material things in nature represent this sacred thing trees, workss, rocks, crystals, soil, and sand. An instrument that is associated with Earth is the membranophone.

The air component is affiliated with the East. Its colour is xanthous, and its season is jumping. Air is most frequently called upon for affairs covering with intelligence, cognition, travel, direction, freedom, and detecting things that have been lost ( Cunningham, 23 ) . A masculine component, Air possesses the power of the air currents and the clouds, every bit good as lightning. One might illume incense, or play a flute when naming upon Air.

The hot, dry South is the way for the component Fire. Represented by the colourss red or orange, Fire is the component of alteration, will, and passion ( Cunningham, 24 ) , every bit good as authorization, sex, and the devastation of things like negative wonts or diseases. Candles and stringed instruments are frequently used to name to this masculine component, and the Sun represents Fire rather nicely.

Finally, West is ruled by the calming component of Water. The colour blue is ever associated with H2O something that everyone knows! Water thaumaturgy is normally concerned with friendly relationship, love, relaxation, quieting, felicity, sleep/dreaming, purification, and psychic travel/prediction ( Cunningham, 24 ) . This feminine component is frequently called utilizing a dish of H2O or shells, and any metal instrument such as a cymbal or a trigon. & # 8221 ; Water controls the rains, lakes, rivers, and seas, every bit good as fog and mist.

So where does Spirit come in? Well, because Spirit is non a material component, it is frequently overlooked and non given the same attending and clip as the four basic elements. This, of class, is silly. Spirit is absolutely equal to, if non greater than the other four sacred things. It is the incarnation of the four elements together. It is love and bravery, every bit good as willp

ower. The colours white and violet are frequently associated with spirit.

In Starhawk s The Fifth Sacred Thing, spirit and bravery are cardinal elements in the secret plan. The chief character s name is Madrone. She is a Wiccan member of a Utopian socialist community, and must do a long and unsafe journey off from her small town to convey place a severely needed medical specialty. In order to be strong, Madrone must utilize bravery, love, and strength. Throughout the class of the book, her spirit grows stronger as she makes many new friends and finally returns to assist her small town. The rubric of the novel is suiting ; an obvious testimonial to the Fifth Element, Spirit, as Wicca is an implicit in subject in the narrative.

Now, we ve all seen spiritual jewellery. Crosses, Stars of David, Crucifixions, Hands of Fate, and so on and so forth. But a pentagram? Certain! Why non? All of the symbols listed above are worn as symbols of protection and to stand for single faiths.

The pentagram is an unsloped five pointed star, or pentacle, surrounded by an unbroken circle. Get downing with the topmost point, the waies represent the five elements, or five sacred things. Clockwise, they go: spirit, H2O, fire, Earth, and air. The circle represents the entirety of all intelligence. It is the mark for the God and Goddess ( Cabot, 96 ) . The circle represents many other soothing things, like integrity and protection. Many Wiccans wear this symbol every bit proudly as any Catholic might bear a Ag rood.

It s of import, nevertheless, to understand the ugly myths that sometimes attach to this symbol. Does it stand for the Devil? Chaos? Evil? Destruction? No. Wiccans don T believe in the Devil, or in Hell at all. What you re believing of would be an upside-down pentagram, with the top point confronting down. This altered emblem is used by Diabolists, much like they use an upside down cross. By turning the symbols upside down, Diabolists poke merriment at established faith. Don T be fooled! Too many people are near minded to Wicca because of this misunderstood emblem. Used decently, the pentagram is a symbol of visible radiation, integrity, and love, binding together the five sacred things and environing them with a perfect circle.

The rubric of Starhawk s 2nd fictional book, The Fifth Sacred Thing, is a testimonial to Spirit, the 5th component. Spirit is the driving force behind the chief character s mission to convey a severely needed medical specialty back to her small town. Witchs are steadfast trusters that the five elements are of import in order to be in touch with the Earth, themselves, and others. Different Wiccans have different beliefs, but a changeless doctrine is for certain an injury ye none, do what ye will. Some Wiccans wear a pentagram, a five-pointed star enclosed in a perfect circle, to remind themselves of the five sacred things Earth, air, H2O, fire, and spirit and what they stand for.

Plants Cited

Cabot, Laurie ; et Al. Power of the Witch. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing

Inc. , 1989.

Cunningham, Scott. The Elementss of Magick. Earth Power. St Paul: Llewellyn

Publications, 1983.

Plants Consulted

Blake, Cassandra. Wicca & A ; Magick. Spirit Online. 8 December, 1999. SpiritOnline,

Inc. March 12, 2001.

Cunningham, Scott. Earth Trinkets. The Complete Book of Oils, Incense, and Brews.

St Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1984.

Cunningham, Scott. Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner. St Paul: Llewellyn

Publications, 1985.

Cunningham, Scott. The Pentacle. Earth, Air, Fire, & A ; Water. St Paul: Llewellyn

Publications, 1987.

Starhawk. The Fifth Sacred Thing. St Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1987.

Walker, Wren. FAQ s of Wicca. The Witches Voice on the Web. 14 March, 2001.

WitchVox. , Inc. 19 March, 2001.