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ISBN: Print 978-1-64739-814-9 | eBook 978-1-64739-489-9
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This book is dedicated to my significant other, Roberto, for his support and encouragement through this writing process with humor, tenderness, and the ability to say the right thing at just the right time.
CONTENTS
Welcome to the beautiful world of Wicca, and congratulations on beginning your magical journey. If youve picked up this book, you must have felt the gentle tug thats going to lead you down a path of natural spirituality. Many people drawn to Wicca, who come from a variety of backgrounds and religions, say it is akin to coming home. Wicca will lead you back to your roots and to the roots of a much older humankind.
My journey on this path began 46 years ago in the basement of my grandmothers house, where I cast my first spell with trembling hands and whispered incantations. I was seventeen, and the spell was about a boy, of course. With no Internet and no books on witchcraft to draw knowledge from, everything in those early days of my practice was done on a wing and a prayer.
Though my intention was immature, my energy scattered, and the outcome unpredictable, I realized then that witchcraft and magic are very real. I knew that I had much to learn and that if I were going to travel this spiritual path, it needed to be done with deep respect and moral integrity. Many years later, much to my astonishment, I discovered that my instincts had been right, the colors of my candles correct, and my basic spell structure on pointan innate natural knowing comes to some witches. It just might be the same for you!
I still embrace the path that I miraculously and instinctively stumbled upon so many years ago. It has been a rich spiritual journey with unimaginable connections to nature and the world around me, and a soulful connection to deities and energies unimagined. Witchcraft has led to a fulfilling and satisfying way of life, with a belief system that encourages individualism and responsible independence.
Practicing a spirituality outside the restrictive confines of more organized religions can be very liberating and exhilarating, but it carries with it a sense of spiritual responsibility. Practicing Wiccans take full responsibility for being in charge of their lives. They understand that they are accountable for their choices and actions and that those facets directly affect the people, the living things, and the earth around them.
Uniquely personal to each individual practitioner, the Wiccan path is built piece by piece, brick by brick, to form an extraordinary spiritual experience custom-made for the free-spirited witch. There is no right way or wrong way to practice witchcraft; there is only your way.
Wicca represents a lifetime of learning, experimenting, reading, and practicing, leading to amazing magical milestones. By opening this book, youve taken the first step toward spiritual enlightenment and a new path. Go forward in joy, anticipation, and wonder on this amazing journey, your amazing journey. Embrace the knowledge, the empathy, the compassion, and the spirit of the Wiccan.
W hat is Wicca? What are the origins of this unique spirituality? What do Wiccans believe, and how do they practice fantastic, mystical spell crafting and magic in the modern world? Soon you will become acquainted with the roots of Wicca, as well as the people who forged this path and whose fortitude and sacrifice paved the way for modern practitioners.
Within this chapter, well discuss what constitutes the Wiccan spiritual path and how an individual can connect with its practices and beliefs. Well also explore some of the colorful, inspirational, and founding characters who helped to birth this contemporary belief system.
What Is Wicca?
Wicca is the spiritual path and practice of people commonly known as witches. Witchcraft is an ancient form of spirituality that closely mirrors earth-based shamanic practices of Indigenous people around the world. It encompasses the celebration of the seasons and agricultural milestones, recognizes the divine in both male and female deities, and embraces the natural life cycles of all living things.
The precursors of Wicca stretch back thousands of years to the British Isles and Europe, long before the dawn of Christianity, when spiritual practices centered on the seasonal cycles of nature. Early 20th-century practitioners rediscovered these celebrations and rituals and infused them with a healthy dose of nature worship. Todays Wicca embodies the free spirit of those nature-focused religions and embraces the original individualistic practices of the witch.
