What are the main tenants of the Wiccan faith?
Well, most of the Wiccans today fall into the more “liberal” category. So I’ll try to explain the more traditional Wiccans. (I call them “Orthodox Wiccans,” but I’m probably the only person who calls them that.)
Wicca was started by Gerald Gardener and Doreen Valiente, in England in the 1940’s. Alexander Sanders started his own coven, and the two sects exchanged a lot of ideas. As I understand it, it later merged with the Dianic Feminist covens which started in California in the 1920’s. Sanders claimed to be descended from royalty, and the traditions of witch craft were passed down from generation to generation, but Sanders enjoyed telling outlandish stories to impress the media, so there’s a lot of doubt to those claims. Gardener was allegedly taught the practice by a witch known as “Old Dorothy” of the New Forest Coven. (Often presumed to be a nickname for Dorothy Clutterbuck.) But according to some historians, he was probably trying to obscure his origins, and the practice was probably derived from the Order of Twelve, a group of Co-Freemasons in New Zealand, practicing a modified form of Rosicutianism. Gardener was also influenced by the traditions of the Druids, the existing occultist groups of the era (such as Thelema), some elements of Stregheria, and the hypothetical proto-indo-european religion proposed by Margaret Murray (which has been historically disproven). Gardener and Sanders wanted to keep their respective orders private and secretive, but authors such as Ray Buckland (Saxon tradition) and Silver Ravenwolf (Black Forest tradition) have opened the religion up to the public, paving the way for more liberal interpretations. Okay, enough history.
The moral code is the rede: “An it harm none, do what ye will,” which basically means that it is immoral to do harm to anyone, including yourself. This also includes not harming the Earth (in other words, no littering). There is also a less poetic rule, that you must never put a spell on someone, even to help them, without asking their permission first. (Unless of course, it’s impractical, such as the person is in a coma.) And casting a love spell is a major no-no. There is also a belief in the “Rule of Three,” which is basically the same as Karma, that whatever you do unto others, eventually comes back around to you.
Beliefs: There is an active spirit world around us at all times. Spirits could be kind, or they could be malevolent. (Know who you’re dealing with.) Some of these spirits are ghosts, some are angels, some are spirits of nature (i.e. gods). These nature spirits have dominion over the elements of earth, air, fire and water. The Oak King rules nature from mid-winter to mid-summer, and the Holly King rules from mid-summer to mid-winter. There is a sun god, referred to my several names (most commonly, Lugh). And chief of all are the Horned God and Goddess, aka. the Lord and Lady. The Goddess is trinitary in her aspect, as being simultaneously the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone (youth, middle-age, and old-age). The Mother aspect is generally associated with the Earth, while the Crone aspect is generally associated with the moon.
There is life after death in the form of the Summerland, which is a resting place often pictured as resembling a beautiful garden. Once there, a spirit can choose to return to Earth and be a guiding spirit, or even be reincarnated.
There is magick, and people can call upon the gods (if they’re willing) to help them with their spells. Or people can cast spells using their own power. There is also “light” and “dark” energy which floats around, caused by good or bad events, thoughts or feelings. Thus, a general sense of optimism creates a healthier environment.
Holidays: There are eight sabbats in the year. Yule (when the Oak King rises), Imbolc (a minor intermediate holiday), Ostara (first day of Spring), Beltaine (May Day), Litha (when the Holly King rises), Lughnasadh (honoring Lugh), Mabon (first day of Autumn, and another minor one), and Samhain (the beginning of the new year, when the spirits of the deceased are most powerful, aka. Halloween). There are also the esbats, nights of ritual prayer dedicated to new, quarter and full moon.
Symbols: The pentacle is the most commonly used symbol in Wicca, representing the four elements, plus the spirit. It is always pointed upwards, except during funerals, when it’s turned down as a sign of mourning. The triple-moon is the sign of the Goddess, representing the trinitary aspect. Another popular symbol is the Wheel of the Year – an eight-spoked wheel marking the eight sabbats.
Anyway, those are the basics of the more “orthodox” denominations. The more “liberal” denominations tend to pick and choose which of these tenets they’re going to believe and/or follow. Also, liberal branches incorporate the gods of other cultures, such as Greek, Celtic, Egyptian, Norse and Babylonian, and even Christ and the archangels. Another difference is that the more old-fashioned covens are very secretive, and hold their rituals in private, and often skyclad (nude) so as to be in a more “natural” state. Liberal groups tend to be more open to the public, more casual in their methods, and almost all of them keep their clothes on. Liberal sects also offer “open circles,” while the traditionalists’ religious services are for initiated members only.
I hope all this is helpful. Blessed be.
Imagine my surprise reading though a Catholic discussion forum and finding a link back to my own channel. 