Pagan FAQ
a part of the
Guild of Pagans and
Guild Book of Shadows
At the request of members this page is dedicated to the Frequently Asked Questions concerning Wicca, Paganism and the denominations within them.
If you have and questions, feel free to post them here (whether or not you are a member of the Guild) and hopefully you will be met with a good answer.
PLEASE!!!! Do not answer any questions unless you are entirely certain of the answer!
Can you also post your username with any questions and answers.
[
Lewis of Llynn]- Can anyone give me advice on creating my own tradition for solitary wiccans?
[
Nimune] Sorry Lewis, but tradition generally requires multiple people, and any wiccan rituals you do alone could not become tradition.
[
Lewis of Llynn]- alright, then advice on creating my own book of shadows and such?
[
Nere]- making your own BOS...easy....
go to (http://groups.msn.com/Covenstead/generalmessages.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=6534&LastModified=4675398663583386929)
[Augury] What exactly is witchcraft?
[Nere]- Ouch!*cringe* Complicated question that.....Its different for everyone, but it comes down to some basic principles. Most Pagans follow Wicca, and all witches follow wicca, but not all are Pagan. Wicca is a new movement based on old practises, mostly associated with ancient dieties(Gods and Goddess'), however belief in dieties is not a requisite for practising Wicca; nor must you practise Wicca to be a pagan. Witchcraft itself is mostly ritual practised in accordence to a set of beliefs. Its not necessarily good or evil, nor black or white.....Terms which, I might add, should never be applied to a witch as they are supposed to be balanced like nature....The main decree of practising Wicca is "An it Harm non, do as Ye wilt." (More on the Rede in Wiccan Lore). Under this idea, someone may be a satanist, but as long as they follow the Rede they are still Wiccan. Another thing about witchcraft is that whatever you send out, i.e. spellwise, you will get back times three...in other words, if you curse someone, then it will come back to you. Thus, any action a witch takes must be carefully considered. Also, both men and women are called witches. The term Warlocke actually refers to an oath breaker, whilst witch means wise one.
Hope that helped a little...I'm sure others will add their two cents....and perhaps make sense :P :)
[medianduel] Alot of different things if you ask me. It most certainly is all of what Nere has said, but is also so much more than that. First I believe that, and please remember that this is MY belief, that witchcraft is a manipulation of energies. And like Nere said, there should not be a labeling (ie. negative or positive, good or bad) of energies just the realization that they are there. And that's my two cents.
[Mordigen]: i agree with both of you completely, the only thing i have to add (because i'm a nit-picker >.< lol) is that while Wiccans are considered witches, not all witches are Wiccans -- there are a number of seperate Pagan religions that aren't associated with wicca but are still considered Witchcraft, but yes, for the most part it's referring to Wicca, or the "olde ways" .
[Nere] *grins* - Thanks [Mordigen], truth be told I wasn't completly sure on that point, though much of what I have read states that witches are wiccans.
[medianduel]*smiles rather sheepishly* I knew I forgot something.
[raiderxx] easy question... can wiccans be male even though they are considered witches?
[Nere] - yeah....of course....Witch just means wise one.
[raiderxx] thanks
[Lewis of Llynn] yeah, take me for an example :)... And to avoid that confusion in the first place, I use the term wiccan instead.
[raiderxx] thats a good idea.
[Luxord]- I am a guy who would like to become a witch. A friend has given me a list of what "Real Witches Do Not...", "Real Witches Do...", "Magickal Correspondences for the Days of the Week", and "Magickal Correspondences for Candle Colors". What I want to know is is there much else that I should know or anyitems, like books, I can look for in order to get more info?
[raiderxx] well i myself like scott cunningham's books. but im new so... yeah...
[Nere]: I suggest you find all the material you can, read it and decide whats right for you.
[Lewis of Llynn]: I agree about Scott Cunningham's books, unless you plan on joining a coven. Dorothy Morrison books are easy to comprehend, also.
[VINNI_] Silver Ravenwolf writes some wicca/pagan books for teenagers. Fiction and non-fiction.
[Luxord]- what's a coven? (sorry I am new to all of this and I am pretty bad with words anyway)
A coven is a group of witches that practise together, and have their own specific rituals, ect. I'm a solitary so that's the best I've got...*looks around* Anyone?
[grufel]- Here's something I've wondered about for a while: What exactly is the difference between witches, pagans and wiccans? I know there is a difference, but not exactly what it is.
[Lewis of Llynn]-Witches and wiccans are essentially the same. Pagans are not nessecarily wiccans, but wiccans are pagans. Paganism is more broad. There are many pagans who don't have wiccan beliefs.
[raiderxx]- its like christianity. catholics are christians but not all christians are catholic. thats a pretty good comparison/
[grufel]- Thanx for your answers:) I've got a lot to learn... oh, well, after all we're all induviduals.
[Stormqueen]- You can also find a lot of information on the internet; it's good to read as many views on wicca as you can (cause they're all different, altough the basic idea is the same); and then sort of form your own version, the way you like. That's the Freedom of wicca.
Great idea by the way, this FAQ.
[Mordigen] -- My suggestion is Scott Cunnigham, he writes a lot on a whole range of Pagan beliefs, and he is a wonderfully reliable author, so you can count on his information being correct, and the fact that he writes on many pagan beliefs can give you the comfort of finding a good source in many sects of wicca and paganism. I say go to his works, read up on the different forms of wicca and witchcraft, find what suits you best and then go into looking further into that sect afterwards. And Yes, though there is a lot of information on the internet, I say steer as far away from it as possible until you can be able to tell what is true and not for the path you want to follow, because there is more misinformation and half-assed sites out there than reliable ones, and you want to be able to have a good idea of what is true to you before you go out there and just get confused or find things that contradict each other.
[Shiorysm] can someone tell where i can find information about the pagan's world, or give that info??
[raiderxx] Define "The Pagan's World?"
[raiderxx] Ok... Ive been practicing for almost two years now *thinks* Yeah two years. I have come up strictly Christian. My parents are also VERY strict Christians (no bad language at all (Well screw that one... :P ), Church every Sunday.. etc), and my grandmother and grandfather are both pastors. I'm 16, and Im having a really hard time about racking up the courage to tell my parents.. No one in my family for as long as I know have ever been anything but Christians. I dont feel like the "black sheep" but I feel like they will NOT be happy.. From what Ive seen, they tolerate other religions, but Im not sure if they would tolerate ME not being Christian. Sorta like if a father doesnt mind Homosexuals, but gets pissed off when his son turns gay.
Anyway, to the point. I need some guidance. What should I do? SHOULD I tell them, or wait untill Im out of the house and keep practicing in secret? I only have one other (local) friend who is Pagan and she doesnt really have that problem. Her mom is cool so she brings us to different Pagan stores. So if anyone can give me any advise, I could really use it right now... *finishes his book of a question*
[razorskiss666]
I might just be able to help, too... my parents are also excessively Christian. I didnt have quite the same problem, but I had it with other things. First off: my disclaimer. this is NOT how things should have to go, nor am i recomending it, im just pointing out some facts about Christians that might help in your situation.
1. Jesus spent more time with the sinners than the good people, and said to love them for who they were. Someone who truly follows the god of the Christians would take that to heart and not condemn you.
2. Christians claim to hate the SIN but love the SINNER. as a "sinner" (from their point of view) they shouldn't condemn you, but accept it, and try to use love to sway you to their faith.
3. Direct quote from Jesus. "let He who is without sin cast the first stone." was referring to a prostitute, but the point remains, I'm sure they haven't always been the way they are.
4. My roomate is obscenely Christian, like my parents, and, apparently yours. So we avoid the topic of religion. We know eachothers religions, He has a picture of Jesus for his computer background, mine is a pentagram. We just leave it a dead subject and accept eachother as decent human beings.
5. While yes, Christians ARE known for horror stories about intolerance, there ARE some wonderful Christians out there. I have several good friends who are Christian, and they accept me. Many Christians really do look to the real you, not just external things about you, which is ALSO something the bible says. "Judge not, lest ye be judged" and "man sees only flesh and blood, but god sees the heart."
Really, if they didnt accept your religion, they would be an extraordinary level of hypocrites. (NOT something you point out, save as a last ditch thing)
agree to disagree, point out your tolerance of the things of their religion, and ask if they could do the same, as a favor.
LAST DITCH EFFORT: this is the last thing I would try before the hypocrite bit. Point out the story of the prodigal son. They know it. And it WILL slap them across the face about how theyve been treating you.
and, as you go through all this biblical knowledge to make your point, maybe it will quell their fears that you are "irredeemable" because you "still remember the light" or some such. Hope it helps, blessed be.
[raiderxx] Ok thank you [razorskiss666]. Id just like to clarify that Ive been Christian all my life before I converted to Paganism (that sentence made no sense whatsoever... But I think you can figure it out. :P ) What Im really looking for, is advise on whether I should tell them, or not. Im really close to my parents in almost every other way, and I dont want this to get between us.
[raiderxx] Ok new topic, but please still post on my previous one. Can anyone name any colleges with a large Pagan community? Or is there a site where I would be able to obtain this info?
[Kit Azhure] Unfortunately, it has only been recently that such information of paganism and such has become available. It is one good thing that Gerald Gardner did. I believe there are two colleges that have become prominant with pagan communities. BUT they are like any other college. They just have chaples or temples set aside for wiccans or pagans.
[Marhiah] I am looking into becoming a pagan, I have heard of a self blessing, but am not into trusting random internet sites about it, so, can anyone help?
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