Halting The Use Of Puppies And Kittens As Shark Bait

[WickedTemptress]

Ok... There are 11 myths that I've written about so far...

MYTH # 1: "Wiccans worship the devil." The devil is a concept of Christianity, not Wicca. Wiccans do not believe in the devil. Therefore, how can we(Wiccans) worship something that we don't believe exists? Quite simply, we don't!

MYTH #2: "Witches use a Satanic symbol(the pentagram.)" This is a big misconception. First of all, when the symbol is up-right, it is called a pentacle, not a pentagram(as it's reverse side is referred to.) Secondly, it is NOT a Satanic symbol, though Satanists seem to have adopted the inverted symbol for their rites(much as they have adopted the inverted Christian cross.) This sacred symbol has been used by many, including Pythagoras(who used it to symbolize health) and his followers. They used it in order to recognize each other. Some Christian knights even used the symbol in medieval times.

So, what does this symbol mean to Wiccans? The five points of the star stand for the four different elements(Air, Fire, Water, and Earth) and the center of the star represents the Spirit. Some say it represents a human with their legs and arms stretched, and the Goddess' wisdom which surrounds them.

The reverse pentacle, or rather, the pentagram has a different meaning. In some Wiccan traditions, the pentagram is a symbol of "second degree status" or one that has been elevated from an initiate. To those traditions, the pentagram is considered highly positive and in no way relates to the meaning when Satanists use the symbol.

When Satanists use the pentagram, they're putting the elements of Fire and Earth at the top. Fire symbolizes passion and willpower, Earth symbolizes prosperity and Earthly goods. This also places the Spirit at the bottom.

So, as you can see, although Satanists do use the pentagram, neither the pentacle or the pentagram originated from Satanism, many others used it before them, and for much different reasons and meanings.

MYTH # 3: "All witches are Wiccan." That is a false statement. All Wiccans are witches, but not all witches are Wiccan. There are many different sects of religions which refer to it's practitioners as witches. From the Witch Doctors of tribes, to Satanic witches, Strega(Italian witches) etc...

MYTH # 4: "Wiccans sacrifice animals, blood, and babies." This is not only a myth, but strictly goes against the Wiccan Rede, which says: "Harm NONE, do what thou will." Why would we Wiccans do anything that goes AGAINST our belief system? So, NO, Wiccans do not sacrifice animals, babies or blood(though some may choose to use their own blood for certain rites, it certainly is NOT a Wiccan belief or tradition, merely the personal choice of the individual.)

MYTH #5: "Wicca is not a religion, it's a cult." This is not true, and in 1972 the federal government recognized Witchcraft as a religion. In 1985, a federal appeals court was convinced that Wicca is a religion, equal to any other. Both of these huge steps were made possible thanks to Gavin and Yvonne Frost, founders of the first Church and School of Wicca.

Also, to have a cult, you must have a group of people that blindly follow one leader, as the definition states. Wicca doesn't have one leader to follow, there are no leaders in Wicca. There may be individuals that are selected to lead a group ritual(a task which some covens give each member a turn to do) but, there are no leaders of the practitioners themselves. Wiccans tend to be very free thinkers, always following their own paths. Therefore, Wicca can not be classified as a cult.

MYTH #6: "Only women can be witches." Both males and females can be referred to as witches in Wicca, male witches are not called warlocks. The term "warlock" is an old Scottish word that means traitor or oath breaker, which can be used to describe either a man or a woman that has betrayed their coven or has broken their oath to the Gods. It's a dishonorable label of sorts.

MYTH #7: "Witches fly on broomsticks at night." Neither Wiccans nor any other sort of witch flies on a broom during the night OR day. This is a myth that was started back when witches first started to be persecuted. In those days, some practitioners would place a broom between their legs and run around the fields, leaping high into the air(much like a child playing with a hobby horse.) The belief was that they were showing the crops how high to grow. However, as the Christian church was trying to make Pagan practices look unfavorable at that time, it was said that they were instead flying through the air with the devil at night on broomsticks.

MYTH #8: "Wiccans try to convert other people to their religion." Absolutely false. First of all, Wiccans believe that all paths are valid, as long as they don't impose upon the free will of another or civil rights. To attempt to convert someone to Wicca would be like saying that the path that person is already on, isn't just as valid, which would go against what we believe. We believe that each person must choose their own path. Instruction or initiation in Wicca is only done when the individual expresses interest or decides becoming Wiccan is the right choice for them. No one that is a TRUE Wiccan would ever try to push their religion on someone else.

MYTH #9: "Only a Witch can make another Witch." This is also false. To become Wiccan, one may either be initiated by another Wiccan OR may even initiate themselves. There is no rule that says that only another witch may perform the initiation. You may express your devotion and make your oaths to the Gods yourself(just as any solitary witch would do.) There are, however, some traditions where one can only become a member of a specific tradition by being initiated by a member of that specific tradition. But those traditions are no more important than any other or any single witch practicing in their own home.

I have also heard questions regarding the renouncing and/or desecration of one's religion in order to become Wiccan. These things would never, EVER be required of you to become Wiccan. Just another myth spread by misinformed people. Wiccans have respect for all paths(as stated above) and as such, we also respect the symbols that go along with those paths. Neither of these things are part of the initiation ritual OR any other part of the Wiccan religion.

MYTH #10 "Wiccans go around cursing people." Wiccans COULD curse someone, but, that would go against our belief system(Harm NONE) so, this is another myth. Wiccans do NOT go around cursing people, not only because of the Wiccan Rede, but because Wiccans also believe in Karma. Everything you send out, you get back times 3! So, if a curse was sent out, the sender would feel the effects of the curse three times worse than the person they sent it out to. So, you'd really be harming yourself more than the person who wronged you(if that was the case) did.

With that said, when a wrong doing occurs, Wiccans hand it to the Gods and to Karma and trust that they will judge the situation appropriately and handle it in the manner they see fit.

MYTH #11 "Wiccans cast love spells on people." Once again, this would go against the Wiccan Rede as it would infringe on the will of the person that the spell was cast on. Because of this reason, Wiccans don't cast love spells on specific people, but rather for love in general.

[MorganGrayson]

(That's my "Damn, this woman is GOOD!" face!!)

Thanks, WT, you rocked with that. I winged what I wrote, just off the top of my head, but you covered it in such wonderful depth.

Yes, I'm an Ecclectic Solitary, who would very much like to stop being a solitary.

Oddly, one of the most difficult things about Wicca is that sneaky little "respect all Paths" thing. We go out into the world, knowing we must do that...and also knowing full well there's absolutely no way we're going to get it back. Also, some of the Paths out there seem to go out of their way to make it difficult to respect them. I personally have *severe* problems with any religion that practices "shunning." (Note: a "cult" is *not* a path, and doesn't fall into the "respect all Paths" thing.) I also get a little uptight with religions that declare themselves "the one *true* religion."

It's also very difficult belong to a faith that gives you such peace and joy...knowing that so many people are going to have a knee-jerk reaction to it based on incredible and often insulting ignorance.

One of my favorite stories about one of my daughters is her search for her own Path. She was in her room, reading about Wicca and came storming out. She grinned at me and said "I CAN'T be Wiccan...I'm not NICE enough!!!"

We are nice people. It's part of the whole deal. (In other words, we're supposed to be nice.) Therefore, having somebody ask you something about killing babies kinda makes the blood boil. We're not scary and we don't do anything anybody else couldn't handle if they took the time to learn about it. OK...San Diego has a "Witches Night Out" on Samhain, and we tend to "dress" for the occasion. There's a lot of long skirts, cloaks and pointy hats involved. There's a reason for the pointy hats...but we also have a sense of humor about ourselves.

In fact, one of the books I read said "don't be afraid if a ritual goes silly and you laugh in the circle." Laughter is beloved of the gods.

I had a real problem at first understanding the whole Goddess/God thing. Then something occurred to me. I was raised Catholic, which means I got a very solid dose of "the Holy Trinity." One Being, in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You know what? That never made any sense to me. I could never get my head around it, no matter how many Catechism classes I attended. So, back at the beginning of my conversion, I thought to myself "you were over here, where you were miserable...and didn't get something." Hmmmm.... Now you're over *here,* where you feel as if you've come home, you're at peace, you're full of joy...and you don't get something. Okie dokie. I can live with that.