As a good agnostic I’m taking my high school years to do a tour of religions, listening to the followers and waiting for one that seems to have the answers. Tried Christianity. Nope. Tried Satanism. Nope. Tried New Age. Best one yet…
Anyways, today I purchased a Young Wiccan Starter Kit or something along those lines. It came with the basics; a pentacle, a crystal, sea salt, a silver bell, some divining tools, an altar, and a big book full of Wiccan beliefs and ideas.
I give all these religions an honest try, I’m gonna read the book and then get in touch with a local Wiccan group.
Any advice for starting down the path? How did you start out? What made you sure that this was the right belief system for you?
Any other comments that you think would be helpful are nice too.
Well, Lucky, I think the best advice is “Read the book.” Then go read some more books. Feel free to ignore the stuff that came with the book–the paraphenalia isn’t really necessary. (Of course, I’m probably one of the least “New Age” Wiccans you’ll ever meet.)
Read, think about the philosophy behind the beliefs and practices, and throw out anything that doesn’t suit you. Wicca is supremely customizable, with very few strict rules (essentially, just the Rede–which will be emphasized in the book if it’s any good). You don’t even have to be part of a group; many Wiccans, myself included, are solitary self-initiated practitioners. As for how and why I started out, well…it just felt right–it was a label that matched a set of beliefs that I’d already worked out for myself. That’s one reason that I don’t go in for the ritual much–it feels like it’s tacked on rather than being a part of the core of my beliefs.
And there’s nothing wrong with staying agnostic either–I’m agnostic some days. I’m not sure if they’re my good days or my bad ones.
Scott Cunningham wrote some very fine books on the subject. He can tell you how to get started without getting preachy. Silver Raven Wolf is good too.
Take everything you hear from the local wiccan group with a grain of salt. Read the books first. If these people are anything like the ones I have encountered they’re gonna throw a lot of dogma at you like “gospal” truth. That’s not a bad thing, but you need to figure out what you believe personaly, not get molded by other people.
They have a starter kit? That’s kind of scary . . .
LC, like many self-professed Wiccans, I didn’t become Wiccan, I came across some info about Wicca and realized that’s what I was the whole time.
As the others have suggested, read up. Keep in mind that no two Wiccans will completely agree on the tenets of the religion. There is NO dogma. The most constant thing you’ll find is the Rede. After that, it’s pretty much up to you. I’ve known agnostic Wiccans, atheist Wiccans, Dianic Wiccans (Goddess only, no God), and every other flavor you can think of. Stay true to your own core beliefs. Don’t pick up something just because it sounds cool.
It’s actually pretty decent. Silver Ravenwolf put it together. It comes with a slightly modified version of her book “Teen Witch” plus an assortment of items she felt were best to get started with.
I got my “Witch’s Almanac” today, so I can keep track of the moon. Yay!
My only complaint against the kit (and other reviewers said this too) is that it focuses too strongly on magickal practices and spells, and not so much on God/dess. As one put it: “Wicca is a religious system with magical aspects, not a magical system with religious aspects.”
I think I’m gonna get some Cunningham books when I’m done with this.
Have you ever read any Terry Pratchett? In his Discworld series, there are three witches - Granny Weatherwax, Granny Ogg, and Magrat. Magrat, while a sweet girl, really likes the part of witchcraft where you get to wear lots of silver jewelry and black dresses and say things like “When shall we three meet again, in thunder, lightning, or in rain?”
Ravenwolf reminds me a lot of Magrat. She seems to be into Wicca because it’s trendy and cool. Plus, her fiction just plain old stinks.
I’m as Hippie as a person can possibly be while still being a relatively reluctant member of the bourgoise. If you knew me you’d realize how little chance there is of me wearing visible silver jewelry, much less expensive, mall-purchased black stuff. Yech.
