About wicca and stereo typing

Isn’t it funny how some people are treated because of their religion? I am Wiccan. I have never once in my life made fun of another person because of their choice in faith; I don‘t believe it is fair to do such a thing. Personally I believe that a person will be just fine... as long as they just believe in something, and really to me, it doesn’t matter what that is. It could be a god, a goddess, or hey even an emotion or object.

All my life I have been made fun of, pointed at, and talked about. All of this happens because I am an “out of the closet Wiccan.” Most people in the town I live in know my religion because most of my family is Wiccan. It’s really hard to follow the Wiccan rite sometimes. The rite says to harm none, and do what you want. Having to bite my tongue when someone makes fun of me isn‘t easy. I do not refrain from defending myself but because I am Wiccan I have to choose my words very carefully. I cannot insult them or their religion.

Sometimes when You are made fun of for your religion it’s a better idea not to respond with insulting comments. It just causes more problems. What I like to do is take a couple of deep and well needed breaths. I look at the person and then I try to explain to them what I am all about in a calm manner. If they don’t want to hear it then it is there loose they will never know. But sometimes what they say can really tick me off. Like saying because I am Wiccan, and I practice witchcraft, I am evil, when in all honesty that is very far from the truth. Wicca is not at all an evil religion. Its sad that people think that. When someone says those types of things to me I do get a bit defensive and I try my hardest to explain to them that we are far from devil worshipers. If any thing the best stereo type to use is “tree hugger.”

I would also like to add that Wicca is a very peaceful religion. It is not in a true Wiccan’s nature to make fun of other people or approach them in a violent manner. We do our best to keep the peace around us. Most of us even try to resolve issues that don’t even involve us, like it may be a problem some of our friends are having.

A lot of people have trouble understanding what exactly Wicca worships. Honestly we do not truly worship. I’m not sure of the term I could use for this... we respect and we look up to our Deities. We do honor them with every ritual we call them into our circle we thank them and then at the end we give them an offering of cakes and wine, then at the end of the ritual when you are ready to close the circle you release them and thank them. Some people do get confused as to what deities are involved in this religion. There are many different names and descriptions for the different gods and goddess‘s, and in most cases one god can have several names, therefore its nearly impossible for me to go through them all with you here.

Meditation is a big part in Wicca. It is very cleansing and is usually done just before the ritual and after the cleansing/ritual bath. Sometimes I will meditate in my ritual bath. As long as your spine is straight and you have complete silence you can meditate. A ritual bath is just a normal warm bath however usually you should add herbs to it. I tend to use lavender and sometimes I will throw in something else. But I myself find lavender much more relaxing then anything else.

Wicca is not always right for certain people it depends really on the way you think and most importantly what you believe in. I studied and looked into many religions before finally I followed in my mothers footsteps and became Wiccan. To me Wicca is a wonderful religion and lifestyle. Just recently have me and my mother started being open about speaking about it. My sister as well. Lately we have even been swapping books with each other.

My mother is a sky clad Wiccan, this means that she does all of her ritual in the nude. I am a little shy so I tend to stay away from sky clad, but my mother is a very passionate Wiccan and if given the chance would go dancing in the forest in nothing but her birthday suit. Practicing Wicca and being sky clad I hear is very empowering and like my mother always said, “what’s the big deal? It’s only skin.”

My sister is also a very passionate Wiccan, though she does not practice sky clad, she is still vert passionate as am I. I recently asked my sister, why she was a Wiccan and this was her answer; “Because it’s the only thing that really made sense to me, the moment I started reading about it I began feeling empowered.” I have asked a lot of Wiccan’s that same question, that seems to be the most common answer I have gotten so far.

I would recommend some books to you but personally I believe all of them are good, well most of them anyway. Some people say that it is better to read about Wicca by one author because reading books by other authors can get confusing, mostly because everyone has a different point of view. However I think that it is nice to read books by many authors on Wicca because it gives you different perspectives and ideas so you can make your own point of view.

I know this is not exactly a large and informative article however it is what’s on my mind. I like to educate people about my religion the best I can. Not to convert them of course but.. Mostly to inform them to make them aware of other things and possibilities.