Riley Star - Wicca

Symbols, herbs, history, spells, shops,supplies, clothing, courses,

altar, ritual, and much more all covered!

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Foreword

My mother found the deck of tarot cards undermy pillow. They were wrapped in a black cloth. The cloth wasemblazoned with a pentagram. Need I describe just how far downhillthe ensuing conversation went?

It was useless to try to explain to her thatthe Major Arcana cards depict the classic heros quest as portrayedthroughout generations of myth, legend, and literature and noweven in film.

There was no point saying that the blackcloth was to shield the cards from unwanted energies. Or that I wassleeping with them under my pillow so they would pick up my ownpositive energies as projected by my psychic mind during sleep.

Discussing the pentagram was a complete lostcause. She saw that as an emblem of Satan, and flat outright calledme a liar when I said the symbol was used by the Christian churchin the 12th century.

She was convinced I had taken up devilworship, when in reality, I had just finished reading thetranscript of Joseph Campbells interviews with Bill Moyerscompiled in the book The Power of Myth.

Campbells explanation of universal themeshad captured my rather precocious teenage attention (which is anice way of saying I was a nerd), and touched off what has been amore than 25 year love affair with the study of comparativemythology.

My interest in Wicca, in fact in all pagan,earth-based religions is directly attributable to that one book. Myvery elderly mother still grouses about that stuff you read, butI think she has finally come to the conclusion Im not bowing downto Beelzebub - something of an impossibility for a Wiccan anywaysince practitioners of the Craft dont believe in Satan.

As a solitaire or solitary practitioner, Ihave my own way of walking the path, which is acknowledged as acompletely valid spiritual journal in the non-dogmatic world ofWicca.

The emphasis in the Craft is on personalresponsibility and living in harmony with nature, connecting withthe universal divine through the Goddess and God, and following theethical principle of the Wiccan Rede.

Popular culture, both television and themovies, makes a perfect hash of all things witchcraft and Wiccanand has done little but perpetuate existing ridiculous stereotypesor give birth to new ones.

Writing about Wicca should always proposesomething of a conundrum since Wiccans do not solicit members intotheir covens and will not take prospective members under the age of18 without the express permission of the individuals parents.

Some people are vastly disappointed to findout that Wiccans dont throw sexual orgies, but they do havefantastic pot luck suppers. Theres no turning lousy boyfriendsinto toads, but plenty of meditative work to learn how to focus anddirect energies in other words, work magick.

By their very definition, Wiccans arenature-loving, green, earth advocates. They do worship the Goddessand God, as a manifestation of the All, but they do not reject theChristian concept of God outright, far preferring to live inharmony with all other faiths.

Wiccans understand that there is no one,right spiritual path and theyre not interested in damning anyoneto a hell they dont even believe exists. They dont see the worldas locked in a cosmic struggle between good and evil, and althoughthey acknowledge the potential of darkness inherent in all beings including the gods the emphasis is on the bright and thepositive.

This book is, as the title suggests, apractitioners introductory guide. I am assuming that you have somecursory knowledge of Wicca, youre still trying to decide whetheror not to dedicate yourself to the path, and you want a little moredetailed information on history, spells, magickal workings, and thelike.

In the following chapters I will try toprovide a basic introduction to the principles and ethics of Wiccaas well as a history of witchcraft and its evolution in moderntimes. (Understand, of course, that much weightier tomes have beenwritten on these subjects and are readily available for yourstudy.)

There is a chapter on the Wiccan deities, aswell as considerations on the process of deciding to become awitch, an overview of magickal tools, and an introduction to theuse of herbs and crystals.

Chapter 8 on understanding ritual explainsself-dedication and casting a circle, as well as ritual etiquette.Your first decision will be whether or not you want to join a covenor practice on your own. If you decide to work with a group, youwill learn the rituals specific to that tradition.

If you are a solitaire, you will adopt orwrite your own rituals. This chapter helps to explain the attitudeof ritual work and provides an explanation of the fundamentals. Ifyou do opt for self-study, I suggest you move on next to ScottCunninghams book