What do you think of Wicca?

[The Grand Nudger]

You were helpful. And then, you got a big head.  

Na, it;s always been this big.  Just, weirdly big.  In all seriousness, though...the psychology and sociology of belief and how that relates to religion, faith, spiritualism and occultism isn;t a black box.  I couldn;t pick you out in a crowd, and I don;t know your favorite flavor of icecream - but it's pretty easy to connect the dots when a person wants to know about wicca for rituals and spells and mentions that they miss mass.

Pageantry and evocative religious imagarey denote a particular kind of believer that responds to specific stimuli.  Thats why those stimuli exist in those traditions in the first place.  To facilitate the sense of the numinous.  You are entirely likely to find wiccan ritual unfulfilling if your baseline for comparison is mass.  Wicca just doesn;t have the organizational clout to pull it off, and unless you find yourself particularly drawn to the narrative ethos of pagan gods..the whole thing will be a wash.  

Most people "try" wicca.   Very few stick with it.  That;s part of the reason why.  The people who stick with it have commonalities, so do those who try it and leave.  Spell seekers and tourists from christian traditions are the shortest lived demographic.  I don;t have to know you in any intimate sense to know that about wicca or to know that about people.   You'll find these remarks in the books I recommended as well..for what it;s worth.

You could sum the whole thing up as a long winded way for me to tell you that wicca isn;t the droid you;re looking for. 

[Mystic]

You were helpful. And then, you got a big head.  

Na, it;s always been this big. 

Yes and explains why you don't believe in God.

[Silver]

Na, it;s always been this big. 

Yes and explains why you don't believe in God.

And here I was thinking big heads were what kept believers believing. After all, they claim to be absolutely right without admitting the fact they could be wrong.

[Mystic]

I personally believe the skillset Wiccans get is true, but it's mixed with deceptions and falsehood and their philosophy is not totally baseless, it's the mirror image of Islam (it's exact opposite and negative) but the things they believe in are true, it's just their way about approaching it is wrong, including a lot of them terming hidden realm beings as gods.

I would rather be patient and learn it better skills by putting to practice what I know and not trying to cheat my way in spirituality.

[The Grand Nudger]

[*Deidre*]

I appreciate that ^^ (post #191 lol)

But, let me say, I'm not looking for a ''droid.'' lol I'm comfortable believing in one God. I'm comfortable being monotheistic, yet not adhering to religion. There are days, I glean things from Christianity...days, I find benefits from Buddhism or Islam. But, the sum total of any one faith, to follow any one faith like I did at one time with Catholicism, is not of interest to me. I left Catholicism (Christianity) roughly 5 years ago, and it's been an on and off thing with me, for two years, identifying as an atheist. There are even spiritual atheists among us, and some who are agnostic. I find labels to be limiting, but I hear what you're saying. I'm not so naïve to think that spell binding is going to be able to comfortable blend with my current beliefs - even if I'm not clinging to any one religion. That said, I have read that some of the tenets of Wicca, can be woven with other spiritual beliefs. The challenge I'm having if I'm honest, is with astrology. I'm learning that many Wiccans build spells, and ideas around the moon, sun, and the different planets. And math. I'm still new to this, but I never ever dabbled in this before, perhaps because when I was Catholic, all of this was taboo. I'm comfortable in my spiritual skin now, and I guess that's why I feel enthusiastic about learning about something new. Radically new, for me.

That's really ''who I am,'' in summation, as it relates to my spiritual beliefs. I don't have any expectations of Wicca, I only seek to learn about it, and I do like the idea of rituals, and spells. Spells, I've been reading, are similar to prayers. You're putting forth intentions, and for me, I'm putting them forth towards ''one'' God. Wiccans can be polytheistic, and also monotheistic. But, I can't see myself ever joining a Coven. I can't help but feel that any ''organized'' group, will have some semblance of what caused me to leave religion behind in the first place.

[The Grand Nudger]

Parkers Astrology, if you want to do astrology.

[*Deidre*]

I personally believe the skillset Wiccans get is true, but it's mixed with deceptions and falsehood and their philosophy is not totally baseless, it's the mirror image of Islam (it's exact opposite and negative) but the things they believe in are true, it's just their way about approaching it is wrong, including a lot of them terming hidden realm beings as gods.

I would rather be patient and learn it better skills by putting to practice what I know and not trying to cheat my way in spirituality.

I'd say most spiritual people do have an ''end game,'' MK. Whether it's wrapped up in the ''promised land,'' or ''avoiding hell,'' or ''being at peace,'' or ''being a better person,'' etc...all religions and their followers, have an end game. People are drawn to different beliefs, because of what they see as their end game, in my opinion. My end game is peace, and to offer that to those around me. To be less afraid. To be empowered. To trust God. My endgame isn't ''avoiding hell,'' and I'm not saying that's yours...but the Abrahamic faiths are built around fear. If avoiding fear and pain is your end game, that's likely why you're captivated by Islam.

[The Grand Nudger]

Wicca is about fully living in the moment and in this world.  Being right today, not tomorrow.  Finding your own inner nature and truly living it. You will find themes of empowerment..specifically feminine empowerment as a nature centric religion makes little sense without sacred femininity. Wicca is about change, the major holidays mark the passage of time (and this planet) and are just gussied up agrarian festivals. That;s why they line things up to signposts in the sky and sacred geometry.

That;s why MKs idea of what wicca is, is so outlandishly silly. The "voices" in wicca come from within, not from some whispering djinn. It;s not about following some ancient religion to the t or doing the bidding of spirits.

[*Deidre*]

Parkers Astrology, if you want to do astrology.

Okay, thank you. Ya know, I'm not really drawn to astrology. Even though I occasionally read my horoscope, and it just so happens to be on point. lol But, it doesn't do anything for me. Spells, prayers, etc...do something. Change you. If nothing else, you become keenly aware of your own intentions, and where you're heart is at. I like that.

When I was an atheist, I felt a sense of missing that. How do you find peace and joy (sustainably so) in your life, as an atheist? Just wondering.