What Wiccans Do and Do Not Believe

Before I continue I would like to state that the following is a generalization of what MANY (read: NOT ALL) Wiccans believe. Some have different views in their practice, and these are their personal views that they are entitled to have. Again, this a general view on what the MAJORITY believe in. -Real Wiccans (from my personal practice and experience) do not hurt people physically, mentally, spiritually, or magically. We have taken an oath to help people. We follow the Wiccan Rede which is "An it harm none, do what ye will." Which I like to say as "Do whatever the hell you want, as long as you don't hurt anyone."

-Most wiccans, (not all, b/c [in my opinion] they're dumb) do not do illegal drugs. We take medicines, yes, but if it's breaking the law, well, you know the drill. Our bodies are a source of power, so hurting it is hurting that power. For example, I do not smoke pot, but I take antidepressants to help me stay sane. If you're saving your energy for crack cocaine, then we have a problem. ;)

-We believe in karma, so we do not practice any "dark" magic. Now, truthfully, there is no real "black" or "white" magic. It is what we create with our negativity or positivity. Again, this falls under the "harm none" rule. We have the little poem that says "What you give out comes back to thee, so ever mind the rule of three."

-We do not eat or boil babies. We love babies. I am a mother of two. I love my babies very much. I would not like them harmed or any other children harmed. -We do not kill animals, people, or anything else. We love and honor animals and have pets of our own.

-We don't get together and have massive orgies and force people to have sex with strangers or do strange initiations where you have to do it with someone, or walk on burning coals or anything like that.

-We do not use or drink blood from people or animals in rituals.

-We can't make things fly, change shape or color, or have any type of spiffy power that is shown in Hollywood movies.

-We do not worship the Christian Devil, or Satan. We don't believe in Satan or anything similar. We understand that there are negative forces out there, but to give it a name, just gives it more power against you.

-We do not believe in Hell. We believe that we are responsible for our own actions and that we will pay for it. If the lessons of this life have not been learned by the time we pass on, we have the choice to reincarnate and try again. if we dont reincarnate, I believe that we either stay behind as spirits if we're stubborn, or pass on and become a part of the Universal energy.

-We do not brainwash people or try and force them to join us. We do not try and "convert." We are not a cult. Now, just like in every religion, there are crazies. Unfortunately, those crazy people are the ones who get put on TV and give us a bad name.

-We do not always work magic. Some pray, or are just too busy, or do something to help the environment, etc.

-We do not cast spells that control someone. It is against the "harm none rule."

-We do believe in God. Our view is that God is a universal force of energy and we split that into the Lord and Lady as aspects of that energy. We give it a masculine, feminine quality to help in connecting to it.

-We try and respect all other religions. (This sometimes gets a little hard to do when people disrespect us.) But in time, it gets a little easier to just ignore and move on.

-We believe that we are all one with the world and are all just trying to connect to the Divine (God).

Your Personal Book of Shadows

The purpose of your Book of Shadows is for it to be a place to record all of your magickal workings and information.

A good formating can make things easier to find. Here is an outline of how you can organize your Book of Shadows.

Dedication-

The date (or date range) you started this BOS
A book blessing/dedication

Rules & Beliefs

Spiritual Goals -

Short term
Long term
Dates accomplished

Altar Diagram

Correspondences -

Moon
Colors
Days
Hours
Planets
Herbs
Incense & Oils
Etc.

Deity Information -

Organise by pantheon

Tools -

purpose
consecration

Spells & Charms

Recipes

Rituals

Here is some food for thought: Why do you keep a Book of Shadows? A lot of covens and/or traditions do not allow their members and practitioners to share their BOS, would you? If so, who and why or why not?

WTF?

2008 won't come soon enough...

Rev. Barry Lynn Demands Presidential Apology

On Tuesday, August 28, following an address to the American Legion's
national convention in Reno, Nevada, President George W. Bush met with
northern Nevada family members of soldiers who have perished in combat.

Roberta Stewart, a Wiccan whose husband, Sgt. Patrick Stewart, was killed
in combat in the war in Afghanistan, was not invited.

"I'm upset that I wasn't invited," Roberta said of the meeting. "I think it
is because of my faith. I feel like I've been discriminated against again."

In 2006, Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) sued the
US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in federal court representing
Roberta Stewart; her church, Circle Sanctuary; and others. AU argued that
the VA's refusal to recognize the pentacle as a symbol of faith violated
the religious liberty rights of Wiccan service members and their families
and subverted the separation of church and state.

Earlier this year, the VA settled the lawsuit and finally added the
pentacle to its list of religious symbols that are permitted on the
gravestones it issues to honor deceased veterans.

"I had hoped that with this settlement, that finally the Executive branch
of the federal government was giving equal treatment to Wiccan veterans and
their families. However, it seems that the White House is still not doing
this, and I find the exclusion of Roberta Stewart from this meeting
appalling," said Rev. Selena Fox, senior minister of Circle Sanctuary.
Sgt. Stewart's VA-issued gravestone with pentacle was dedicated on Memorial
Day at the church's national cemetery near Barneveld, Wisconsin.

The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United, also
condemned Bush's snub of Stewart. "The president should issue an apology
to Roberta Stewart," Lynn said. "She stood courageously for religious
freedom for all soldiers, and the president was wrong to treat her so
shabbily."

During the litigation, AU attorneys unearthed evidence that the VA's
refusal to recognize the pentacle may have been motivated by bias toward
the Wiccan faith.

It appeared that the VA did not want to recognize the faith, which
President Bush has publicly derided in the past.

Lynn said the president's snub of Roberta Stewart smacked of retaliation
for her public and successful stand against the administration policy.

"President Bush seems to be continuing a pattern of hostility toward the
Wiccan faith," he said. "That's an outrage. America is a nation of great
religious diversity, and all public officials, especially the president,
have an obligation to serve all of the people. Our Constitution mandates
equal treatment of all faiths."