[100 Things] Spirituality: 001. Definitions
100 Things about (Wicca, Witchcraft, Paganism, Magic,) Religion and Spirituality
for the 100 Things challenge
001. Definitions
So, as I have said, this 100 Things is going to be more about personal reflections and thoughts than a 101 course, or a how-to, or basic information of any kind, really. I am a second generation Wiccan who is looking to reconnect with their religion; this is going to be my journey through that more than anything else.
That being said: Definitions? Are a beautiful thing. So here are some. This is what I mean when I say Wicca and magic. It may not exactly match someone else's definition; they're hard concepts to pin down.
What Wicca is: A religion based on God and Goddess worship (though this can take a lot of different forms) with emphasis on the idea of balance and harmony, personal responsibility and free will, and respect for nature and the world in general.
The goal of Wicca, as I personally see it, is living in harmony with the universe around us, aware of the divine presence in all things, including and especially the person's own being.
Wicca is not:
*Devil worship or Satanism.
*A cult.
*Anything you want it to be.
*A religion with a holy book, or a code of conduct.
*Blindly following the Wiccan Rede (An it harm none, do what ye will). Rede means advice: good advice, but just that. It is not a law, though most Wiccans do follow it.
*A religion whose sole goal is some kind of awesome afterlife.
*Goddess worship. I mean, it is, but it's also God worship, for most Wiccans (Dianic traditions aside). Balance is the key word: of the masculine and feminine, of the dark and light, of everything in the universe.
*An old, ancient religion passed down by yada yada yada. Wicca takes inspiration from older religions and practices, but it was created by Gerald Gardener. In the 50s.
*For that matter, I am just going to leave this here: The Burning Times - This was NOT a mass persecution and repression of women and/or witches by the church. In fact, current studies are showing that secular, NOT church, courts did the vast majority of executions.... There were not 9 million women killed; the current figures suggest more like 40,000 to 100,000, mostly Christians who pissed someone off. (From here.)
*A religion based around magic or witchcraft, though many Wiccans do practice magic.
*A religion you must be initiated into, or have a coven to practice, though many Wiccans do.
*Easy to define!
What I think magic is: The use of spellwork, visualization, and such tools to manipulate the energy of the universe, to bring things you want or send away things you don't from your life (or someone else's).
Magic is not:
*Something every Wiccan does.
*Actually reliant on tools, or even on words: If you have the focus, silent spellwork worked entirely in visualization can be quite powerful! We're just not all that focused. The tools are just that: tools, to help.
*Spelt with a k, though I understand the principle behind people using "magick" to distiguish from pop culture ideas of magic.
*For that matter: Just about anything you've seen in movies or tv shows. It is not instant gratification, usually. It is not special powers -- though plenty of people can do things you wouldn't believe, it very rarely works the same way it does on your screen; nor is it the result of a pact with a devil or some special bloodline.
*Divided into black and white magic. All magic can be used in good and bad ways, and by the way, dark? Is not bad. Protection and banishing spells are not evil for being darker than healing and good luck spells, and love spells targeting a specific person is not good for being "lighter" than a banishing-negativity spell.
*Something I think anyone can fully understand and comprehend -- theories on how it works can't really be more than that, theories.
A Witch is a practitioner of magic and witchcraft, no matter their religious beliefs.
This entry also posted at dreamwidth.