What do Wiccans Believe? by Kaatryn MacMorgan
     When people find out that I am a Wiccan the first thing they generally do, (aside from giving me a weird look because I, a short, stout, auburn haired mom, don't look like what they think a Wiccan should look like,) is ask me what Wiccans believe. The problem with this, which has been well-discussed by better people than I, is that they usually don't care what I believe, but what I believe about their issues of choice. For what it's worth, all through High School, more years of college than any normal person should have and who knows how long of momming and working, I usually got "what's that" or "you're one of those weirdos" and never got "you're a devil-worshipping so and so," such reactions are generally uncommon and the hatred that belies them is severe, but really only the views of a minority-a wacked out, stupid, ignorant minority that hates a lot of people, with Wiccans low on their totem pole of hate.
         I'm expected, I assume, to be psychic and guess what they mean by "what do Wiccans believe."  I have many gifts, and am not too bad at reading people's feelings, in part because I studied Psychology for 4 years at a University with an awesome psych department, but I cannot reach into someone's jumbled thoughts, emotions and feelings and pull out what particular kink about my beliefs they need answered. In general, I ask them what I believe about what, because that's what my own teacher did.
         Online, in email or message boards, I can't usually ask what I believe about what, so I've come up with a dozen things that a person asking "what do Wiccans believe" is generally asking me. Some of them come from Christians, some from Wiccan seekers, and some from people with no general clue. Here, I'll attempt to address each of the questions.
#1. Are you one of those people who casts spells and stuff?
        When I was much younger, I studied Ceremonial Magick (the k is because I'm speaking of the type of Magick Crowley called "Magick," any other use for the k is silly.) Not the crappy, new age fluffy magick but the real stuff, which was pretty hard to learn. A lot of the best material was in Latin, French and Greek, and it would be years before I could reach a point where I didn't have to rely on someone's translations. Ceremonial Magick is about transformation, like the story of the Philosopher's stone. One of the benefits of being a former Ceremonial Magus is that I have nothing against telling you that the story of the Philosopher's stone-which turned lead into gold-was never about transmutation of metal. It was about transformation of you.
        Probably about 99.999% of  all the magick available to you on the net is complete and utter crap. It doesn't do what you've been taught it does. If you think magick is so easy that you can pick up a book, cast a spell and win the lottery you've got to ask why Wiccans aren't all rich. I know I'm not. You don't need to cast spells to be a Wiccan, but best of all, if you were a Wiccan, you'd probably discover you had no reason to. The gods have a way of helping you to see the best solution in a situation if you meditate and pray, and usually the best solution is nothing more than that the most obvious one. Apologies, righting what's wrong and asking questions work far better than chants and candles. You can use those things to change what you are (and there are other ways to do that, too) but you will reach a point where magick is mostly just a bother once that change is complete.
#2. Are you, like, Vegan, because I heard Wiccans don't harm anything?
            Wicca has a rule called the Wiccan Rede. It is eight words that have been manipulated and confused by newcomers and dabblers perhaps more than anything else. It states "An it harm none, do as you will." This means that you can do those things that cause no harm 'as you will.' How and when to do all the other things in the world is not something Wicca discusses in the rede. These more subtle parts of our morality are covered elsewhere in our faith. Put most simply, our religion teaches us to do minimal harm. For some this may indicate the need to follow a specific diet. I, personally, find indigenous and low-impact meats and organic grains and veggies a better choice than anything else.
#3. Aren't you going to grow out of that?
            When I was a teenager I was allowed to study with a coven because their leader saw my interest as a lifelong thing. Now I'm answering my pre-teen's questions about my religion. If you follow Wicca as a rebellion, because it is cool, because it's the new hot toy, you will grow out of it. If you seek it as a devoted follower of the gods, you are probably not going to grow out of it. It's your goals that matter.  If Wicca is cool right now it will be uncool tomarrow. If you follow it whether cool or not, that's the difference.
#4. Why aren't you a reconstructionist?
            I believe that Univerified Personal Gnosis (UPG) which are revelations about the universe and the gods, knowledge about the way the world works, etc, that are dellivered personally to us and cannot be verified as divine in origin is vital to personal religious practice. The spiritual voice inside us all must be followed at all times. My voice says that I am primarily a Wiccan, a Wiccan with a relationship with a specific pantehon of gods.. The reaction to me from reconstructionists has been predominantly obnoxious, lumping me in with those few Wiccans who abuse and maim other cultures for fun and profit. These reconstructionists don't care that I can read the holy writings about my god in the original languages, and have, and can describe in detail just about any rite they can, I have been labeled the enemy by virute of my other religion even as they acknowledge their spiritual ancestors followed multiple religions. There are reconstructionists who cannot open their mouths without the word Wicca coming from it coupled with bile. I cannot claim such people as followers of the same gods as I, because my gods never really cared about the religion of the next guy over and if I wanted to hear how bad the next religion over was I'd be something from the Abrahamic religions.
#5. Do you believe in Magick?
            I do not believe in flashy, gaudy magick that is somehow kept from Muggle eyes by a vast controlling force (the Ministry of Magick?) Our society is so profit driven that if this magick was genuine it would be all over the place, even if only one or two people could do it. I do believe in Magick in its original form of focused Will and transformation.
#6. Do you believe in Jesus?
            I do not rule out the possibility someone named Jesus existed. I do not, however, believe god created us to be, or let us be, imperfect. In otherwords, there is no sin. No god can be both omnipotent and less evolved than I. A god who would make his son die, then claim this murder was something he did for me, and simultaneously give a damn what faith I followed without providing sound evidence for one faith being the one he likes is a lesser being than I.
#7. Why did you leave Christianity for Wicca?
            I didn't. I never was Christian.
#8. Can you make me Wiccan?
            I'm qualified to teach Wicca, yes.
#9. Will you make me Wiccan?
            In general, no. I take on very few students.
#10. Do you think Wicca is the right religion for me?
            It depends. It is not the right religion for everyone.
#11. What happens when you die?
            For me, the jury is out still. There are four or five things I'm ready to believe, all of which work with Wicca.
#12. What you Wiccan believe about... heaven/the end times/adam and eve/the book of revelations?
            These things are Abrahamic, not Wiccan. Wicca is a religion based on ideas about pre-christian belief. It's not Christian.

            Few of these questions, you'll note, are really about what Wiccans believe. In general, Wiccans believe in living a life that is full of beauty, truth and knowledge of the gods and does more good than harm. There is a core of beliefs which may be stretched and manipulated, but it still remains.

                                                                                            Kat MacMorgan Feb. 2003