A essay on Wicca

[EndlessNameless]

So for Social Studies I decided too do a essay on Wicca (and little bit of witchcraft) because we are learning about religions.
I will post below this the essay but I just wanted everyone's thoughts on it.
Thanks!

[EndlessNameless]

Wicca

Wicca, A fairly new religion. Founded (Or publicized supposedly) by Gerald Gardner in the 1950s. Witchcraft however is very old and offen called The Old religion or The Craft.
What wicca is and what is not
Wicca is a religion and based upon ancient pagan (And other things like Greek, Celtic and Egyptians folklore) religions. It is very nature based and some wiccans are vegetarians or active in helping the earth. There is no sin in wicca. There is however the wiccan rede which is An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will which pretty much means If it harms none, do as you will, There is also the Three-Fold law which is Mind the Three-fold Laws you should three times bad and three times good. It means if you do bad it will come back to you three times worse and if you do good it will come back three times as good. So it is a very peaceful religion.
Its is not devil worship because Wiccans do not believe in hell or the devil. Wicca is not all about casting spells. Wicca is about the earth and connecting with the mother Goddess and horned God.
Witchcraft
Many people say magic isn't real. I think when people say that they mean movie magic isn't real (which is true) Shooting fire out of a wand or make plants grow at your will only happens in movies but that doesn't mean that magic isn't real. Magic (or magik, which is sometimes used to tell the difference between real magic and stage/movie magic) means to bend. Magic can not break the laws of physics but instead bend them to get what you want (unless you to shoot fire out of your hand then we can't help you). Many witches use divination such as tarot cards, scrying, etcetera but some don't. You don't need to be a witch/wiccan to use divination. Some people use tools (such as wand, athame, chalice, cauldron,etcetera) to help with their magic but others simply use their finger. Using fancy tools that costed tons of money does not mean your magic will be any better. Magic will only be better with practice, experience, focus and will. By experience I don't mean studying with a wise ocoral for 50 years (But if thats what floats your goat then by all means go ahead!) I mean experiencing nature, the Goddess or God because as the book witchcrafting said learning all you can but learning with experiencing doesn't help you very much (This doesn't mean you shouldn't learn all you can about the craft).

[Aesiryth]

Aside for some grammatical errors and being a bit choppy/jumpy, it's okay. A few things though,

You say "...if you do bad it will come back to you three times worse and if you do good it will come back three times as good." and this varies with the Wiccan. Some believe this, but others believe that it means mind, body, and spirit, not three times as bad or good.

And Wicca isn't fairly new, it's pretty old and Gardner helped publicize it, he most definitely did not found it.

So, in conclusion I think maybe a little more research into this would be good, but doing an essay on Wicca is hard because of how it can vary greatly from person to person. You've got the very basics though, which is good.

-Aesiryth

[Firebird]

Firstly ...kudos to you for writing an essay that presumably will be turned in for a grade? Yeah!
I want to point out though a couple things...

Magic (or magik, which is sometimes used to tell the difference between real magic and stage/movie magic) means to bend. Magic can not break the laws of physics but instead bend them to get what you want

Actually the etymology of magic is "Magus"
It has been said the word Wicca means to bend...but I disagree with that, http://everythingunderthemoon.net/forum ... 22274.html

and I would leave this out, or rephrase it

(But if thats what floats your goat then by all means go ahead!)

When referring to a book, use the whole title in quotations, site the author and possibly the publisher

because as the book witchcrafting said learning all you can but learning with experiencing doesn't help you very much (This doesn't mean you shouldn't learn all you can about the craft).

Try to avoid parenthesis, segue with a comment like ...in my opinion, yadi yadi etc....

I like what you're doing , hope I wasn't too harsh. When is it due?
BB, Firebird

[Firebird]

Hello?

[TwilightDancer]

When is this due?
I believe this is a good rough draft but there is so much more information you can add.



Blessed Be

[Siona]

And Wicca isn't fairly new, it's pretty old and Gardner helped publicize it, he most definitely did not found it.

I have to strongly disagree with this. Wicca, as Gardner promoted it, certainly did not exist before him. Even in his claims that he was initiated into an ancient coven (which is a rather dubious claim, in itself) he said the material was not complete, not fleshed out, and he had to add to it. It's very obvious that he did this, because a lot of Wicca is very clearly influenced by the ceremonial magic and "witch-cult" history (that has since been shown as historically inaccurate) that was quite popular in his day, and he borrowed heavily from other occult figures who were popular at the time. Parts of Wicca are certainly inspired by older forms of paganism, for sure, but it is not an old religion.