Wicca in Society Today Our ancestors relied on the earth and the elements for survival. They knew the seasons, when and what to plant, and when to harvest their crops. They knew well every living plant and animal around them. Women knew the ways of the moon, of childbirth, and were the healers. Men knew how to hunt, to read the movements of the animals, and were the protectors of their families. In living side by side with nature, being attuned to the cycles of the earth, the inner voices or what we recognize as intuition was very much a part of survival and man heeded his own intuition. That intuition became known to our ancestors as the voices of the Goddess and God. As man became more attuned to listening to that voice for guidance and understanding, along with honoring and respecting the earth, thus began the birth of nature based spirituality. The very first introduction of Wicca into the US mainstream was in 1954 by Gerald Gardner. However since then Wicca has taken on many changes, as this is not an organized religion which follows strict doctrine. One does not need to belong to a coven and formal initiation is really not required. One need not practice ritual with other people; there are solitary wiccans as well. Modern Wicca is an earth based Neo Pagan religion. Wicca is a mystery religion, and the spiritual development and experience is unique to each practitioner. Despite the vast volumes of books on the subject, as you become more attuned to listening to the Goddess and God, they will guide you and show you what you are ready to learn in a way that is best for you. The first steps on the path to Wicca are getting attuned to the earth, and viewing it as sacred. The primordial source of life, full of energy, we must value the earth and all of its living creatures. Ecology is should be a high ethic for all of us. Our decisions in society are guided by the Wiccan Rede and The Threefold Law which we will elaborate on later. Basically, the Wiccan Rede is 00f it harms none, do what you will00 and the Threefold Law is, 00hatever you do will come back to you three fold00 Most importantly beside these guidelines is our desire to bring about positive change, to allow us to live our lives in the most harmonious way possible. We learn practical and magickal crafts with which we use to bring about positive changes in our lives. We work consciously with magick to create more positive results then leaving the outcome to an unconscious level. The major principles of belief in Wicca are to respect and protect the earth and all its living creatures, the acceptance of reincarnation or what is also known as the spiral of rebirth, ritual observance of eight Sabbats of the year and full moon Esbats, recognition of the existence of a depth of power far greater than the average person conceives, and, we recognize that power to be both Female and Male, and that this power lies within all people, and being a polarity of power, one half does not function without the other, nor is one valued higher than the other, as each is essential to the existence of the other. We practice magick and divination, we recognize there are both outer and inner worlds, being sometimes known as the Spiritual World, or Inner Plane, which when interaction occurs between the two we have the basis for magickal and paranormal phenomena, and lastly when we are asked of we may use our powers to help others. Although Wicca is a nationally recognized religion, many of its followers must keep their religious beliefs in secrecy as the society in which we live in still does not seem to grant freedom of religion to all religious choices. Religious intolerance is on the rise, and Christians are looking for excuses and blaming Satan for the ills people have created in this world. Lies and disinformation about Wicca are rampant among the Christian. This country is being guided toward extreme Christian Fundamentalists, who have strong political agendas. These fundamentalists are in political action committees, fund political action committees that threaten to limit our religious freedom and rights. Many Wiccan families get torn apart due to accusations of practicing degenerative sexual behaviors, being Satanists, and accusations of being child abusers. There are workplace environments which are predominately Christian, and those who do not follow their beliefs can find them self isolated, and often looked over at promotion time. Although it is supposed to be illegal, it happens. They get away with their discrimination by placing the employee under microscopic scrutiny, as they will be looking for anything to hold against them. The children of Wiccan parents also feel the heartless sting of discrimination. Once their friend00 parents find out that their child00 friends parents are Wiccan, that child is no longer allowed to play with their children. At school the children become the target of cruelty and social out casting. Teenagers in the high school who discovers Wicca are also victims of religious discrimination as they are not permitted to show their pentacles, but it is okay for Christian and Jewish students to wear their crosses and Stars of David. They face social isolation from their peers, and the pain of teasing. Those of their peers who would support their friends are fearful of receiving the same treatment. Thus, our youth are in need of Wiccan support to help them face the issues they deal with in school in a positive and constructive manner. Thankfully today there are more resources which families can turn to then in the past 20 years. Ideally we need to build a stronger Wiccan Community to guide and support those on our path. As Wiccans we do not hold animosity toward Christians, or for that manner any one of other beliefs, although the slaughter of thousands of pagans and non pagans in the name of Christianity will never be forgotten. In fact most Wiccans respect Christ as a man of great spiritual teaching, but do not like the church that has been established in the name of Christ as we can see the inherent flaws in the character of their leadership and structure of its doctrine. We respect spiritual teachers from many religious traditions who try to peacefully make positive change, and honor those who dedicate their time and talents to guide others in their spiritual development. I feel as Wiccans, being empowered to make positive change, we hold a responsibility to help the world by directing positive energy to help make this world a better place for all of us to live.

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