If you chose A, please keep reading, and put aside your preconceptions. If you chose B, you have the right idea, but please keep reading anyway.  Neither is a rounded picture.

Wicca is a relatively new religion, based primarily on the beliefs of pre-Christian Europe. It is one of the neo-pagan religions, since we are trying to strengthen and renew our relationship with the Earth. The word pagan means, quite simply, "country dweller" in Latin, and neo-pagans adapt the beliefs and practices of ancient pagans to help them get closer to the Earth and divinity in the modern world. Neo-pagans find inspiration from studying various people and how they've related to the world, from the ancient Greeks and Celts, to Native Americans and Siberian and African shamans.

As a neo-pagan religion, Wicca does the same. Our religion is quite individualistic; each of us must find the path which is right for us, and follow it, instead of taking someone else's word as authority. This makes it difficult to reach a philosophical agreement, but I believe there are some ideas common to the vast majority of Wiccans. In other words, I know I can speak only for myself, but I will try to represent the beliefs I see in common. For other views and further information, here are some other excellent introductions.

Most of all, Wicca is about reverence for Nature. We hold the Earth sacred, and feel a duty to preserve it. We humans are an integral part of the Earth, but have become removed from it through time and technology; we try to become closer to the Earth, and rediscover our links to it. To do this, we may meditate on the physical and spiritual ecology and how we fit into it, pick up trash, or simply go walking in the woods or on the beach.

This reverence has a lot to do with Wiccan views of deity -- read on.

© Copyright 1997, Eilís Moonbrook