Simply put Wicca is an earth loving religion. I believe that to mean that Deity is within every entity of creation. Essentially creation is God exploring him/herself. With the emerging freedom of thought in the past few decades, we witches have come out of the broom closet cackling! We are in love with the world and no longer scared of it! I for one have never been afraid of what i believe in, telling anyone who would listen all about it.

I do not, however, believe Wicca to be the be all and end all. I believe that whoever you are and whereever you are, the most important thing is that you have faith. I am at home in Wicca. If you are at home in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhaism, Scientology or any other religion of faith and love, I am with you! We are all on our own paths, all of which will someday lead to the Divine, to the Light of Creation and we will all be there together.

This page is here specifically for comprhensive information and help on a faith I hold dear to my heart. I will never try to sway anyone from their chosen faith, I just like to gush about mine. On this page I will deal mainly with . I have chosen to make my first page on Wicca about this subject as one of the main characteristics of a Wiccan is the love of Celebration! Many pages to follow will deal with other facets of this marvellous faith and way of life.

So if you are interested please continue and if you are not ... continue anyway!

Since Wicca is an Earth revering faith, our "holidays" are in sync with planetary and solar movement. We celebrate the Sun, as the giver of life and the symbol of ego, on a Sabbath. We celebrate Equinox, Solstice and the start of any season. These days also mark important days in the journey of the God and Goddess as Husband and Wife, Mother and son, Father and son in a perpetuating cycle.

The Sabbaths are thus:

• Samhain (Halloween, hollows or sowyn)

- SH April 30th NH; October 31st

This is the beginning of winter and the witches New Year. It is a somber day on which the Goddess, in her Crone aspect, descends into the underworld in search of her husband after he has passed. She becomes the Dark Lady. On her search the souls of the dead are released and the realms of life and death are joined for 24 hours. The veil is lifted and communication between the living and the dead is encouraged. On this day we honour those who have past in somber remberance and reflection. It is a good time for séances and letting go of old disputes to start afresh. Cleansed and strengthened after Samhain we move deeper into the dark half of the year.

• Yule

- SH June 21st; NH Dec 21

Yule is the Winter Equinox, the climax of winter. It is a joyous time to celebrate the coming of summer. The Dark Lady becomes pregnant by the Dark Lord; the child is the reincarnation of her husband and the Future Lord of Light. This is symbolic of rebirth. Candles are lit to herald the coming of the warmer months. A Yule log is burnt in celebration to remind us of the impending warmth. Part of the log is saved until the next Yule celebration and kept in the home to bring luck and prosperity. It is a time to be with family and friends and call up positive energy. This is said to be the root or equivalent of the Christian celebration of Christmas.

• Imbolc - Olmec, Brigit, Bridget's fire or Candlemas

- SH August 1st; NH Feb 2

The Dark Lady has become the Dark Mother and is recovering from the birth of the Sun Child. The Sun Child is growing stronger. We celebrate symbols of new life and fertility. This is a celebration of light, fire and fervor. Summer is getting closer and soon the Sun Child will begin his campaign to take the throne once the Dark Lord is no more. This Sabbath is the Sabbath of Brigit, goddess of fertility. This is a time for initiations, self-purification and dedication.

• Ostara - Ostra, Ostre or Eostar

SH Sept 21; NH March 21

Night and day are equal on this day. We celebrate the Spring Equinox. The Goddess has become the maiden and the God is a handsome youth. The Earth is flourishing in new life. The maiden and young God discover each other and their courtship begins. This is the festival of young love and fertility. This Sabbath correlates with the Christian festival of Easter. The symbol for Ostara is an egg (female fertility). It is a time to embark on new ventures and contemplate your dreams, plant seeds of any kind on Ostara.

• Beltaine - May Day

SH November 1st; NH May 1

Beltane is the start of summer. On this day there is a consummation between the Maiden and young Sun God who has now grown into a man symbolized by the Horned God (this God, God of the hunt and masculine prowess is often mistaken for the Christian figure of Satan. This is an incorrect assumption. Wiccans do not believe in Satan as no Enlightened Deity is pure evil, destruction or revenge. Wiccans never have and never will honour this figure in any way). The Great Rite is performed between Lord and Lady, High Priest and High Priestess and the maiden is made Mother. She becomes pregnant with the new Dark Lord in perpetuation of the cycle. The fertility and impregnation of the Goddess is celebrated with the May pole. There is allot of sexual energy associated with this festival, sexual energy is very powerful energy. This is a good time to begin new unions.

• Litha - Lethas day, Midsummer or Summer Solstice

SH Dec 21; NH June 21

This Sabbath marks the climax of summer and the height of the Lord of Light's reign. He is at his strongest. This is the longest day of the year. On this Sabbath we form new alliances with and honour all creatures of Magick. Nature is at its peak of power. Bonfires are lit and there is dancing and gaiety. This is the best time for handfastings, for self-empowerment and culminations.

• Lughnassad - Lammas, The first Harvest

SH Feb 2; NH Aug 1

This is the start of autumn and the first harvest. At Lughnassad we harvest that which was planted at Ostara. Any plans or ideas should be at an end, have come to fruition and should have been successful by now. The year has begun to wane and this is no time for constructive undertakings. This is a time for reflection and preparation for the cold winter to come. The Lord of Light is becoming weaker and will soon pass again into the underworld. The Goddess watches her husband fade with sadness. His death is inevitable yet, she knows, essential to the cycle of life, death and rebirth.

• Mabon - Helliths Day, Autumnal Equinox

SH March 21; NH Sept 21

Here begins autumn and the waning year. It is our last chance to harvest what we need to survive the dark half of the year. The Sun God will soon die and the reign of the Dark Lord and Lady will begin in earnest. At this, the end of the Wiccan year, we give thanks for all that we have been given in the past year. We complete all our affairs and bring the harvest to an end.

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An Esbat is in celebration of the Goddess, as a Sabbath is the celebration of the God. the Moon governs our emotions and is the gentle Mother of the sky. We see in the moon the cycle of a womans life as Maiden (waxing moon), Mother (full moon) and Crone (waning moon). In ancient times, the woman in many tribes and villages would share a menstrual cycle owing to the fact they were always so close to each other, their cycle would more often than not correlate with the Moons cycle. A womans cycle, shared or not is 28 days long, the same a lunar month. The Esbats are celebrated in sequence after Yule and follow thus:

1. The Wolf Moon: This full moon traditionally marks the deep of winter (winter solstice). Wolves appeared in homesteads mostly at this time of the year to seek food while the inhabitants struggled to keep warm and survive in their homes. We celebrate family, loyalty, realising your personal power and a good time to practice exatrasensory perception or lucid dreaming.
2. The Storm Moon: A time to celebrate and explore the mystery and power of duality. Balance is an essential component of Wicca. Polarities are revered and it is a time for cleansing to create power.
3. The Chaste Moon: Diana is pure and beautiful and spring time is upon us. Gaiea is fertile and overflowing with potential for the creation of new life. The Chaste moon is a time to honour purity and the balances of nature. It is time to celebrate nature and the mysteries of the Trinty of maiden, mother and crone; son, father and wiseman.
4. The Seed Moon: Spring is upon us and it is time to plant seeds and be joyful of the warming days and blooming earth. The powers of the five elements are particulary helpful at this time.
5. The Hare Moon: The Summer months have come and the creatures of nature bound about in gaiety and abundance. Many are in their mating season as nature brings forth new life. Advance toward your own goals at this time, balance your being and work on your surroundings. Fertility is the point of celebration on this joyous Esbat.
6. The Dyad Moon: The God and Goddess are united on this Esbat in the Great Rite, the Sacred union. We meet our yin or yang in perfect balance and in perfect harmony. "Let there be beauty strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence, within you."Earth and Heaven are unted, inner and outer realms are celebrated in their unity of opposite. We can explore shapeshifting, astral travel and personal growth. This is a good time for handfastings or uniting any to opposing forces in your life.
7. The Mead Moon: This is a time to mark and celebrate hard work. The symbol of which is the tough and dedicated worker bee. Frantically and tirelessly gathering its honey from which we make our mead. This is also a good time to perform involved ritual that requires alot of energy. Seance, practce lucid dreaming andthe outer realms, ommunicate with magickal creatures.
8. The Wort Moon: Time to gather those herbs. At this Esbat we celebrate the sacred circular journies of life. It is time to consolidate body and soul, thoughts and ideas.
9. The Barley Moon: Following on the Wort Moon we celebrate and remeber the mysteries of the eternal nature of life. Barley is used to symbolise that cycle. Everything that is has always been and forever will be. Attain your goals at this time and cultivate willpower.
10. The Wine Moon: This is an auspicious time to cultivate phsychic abilities. It is a time of healing with the five elements. At this moon divination is at its most potent.
11. Blood Moon: We communicate with our forefathers at the Blood moon. Unions would do well if solidified at this time.
12. Snow Moon: As the pure white snow begins to fall (figuretively speaking, we dont have snow in S.A) we remember that not many get far with negative beliefs. This is a time to freeze out all our negativity and cultivate the power of our Higher beings, our Deity within.
13. Oak Moon: The final moon of the year concentrates on rebirth and renewal. We bury grudges and old fights and make new plans for the year ahead. We focus on realising our full potential with review and revitalisation.

The Moon goes through many phases in her 28 day cycle. Each has its own purpose in casting (working magic). The four main phases always marked on a a Witches calender are as follows:

1. The Waxing Moon: During this phases, when the Moon is as a growing maiden, we put things into motion. Any constructive work is done at this stage. Seeds are sown to be reaped at the full moon. A time for building bridges
2. The Full Moon: Energy is abundant and limitless during a full moon. This is an auspicious time to call up energy, a good time for invoking the Quarters or Watchtowers of the five elements. At this time any workings done at the Waxing Moon can be expected to bear fruit.
3. The Waning Moon: Any destructive workings are best done at this time. For instance meditation on quiting an ugly habit will be most effective here or getting rid of bad influences in ones life. This is no time to start any new ventures.
4. The Void / Dark Moon: This time is very important to note. In the 28 day journey of the Heavenly Goddess, she slumbers at this time and will not be disturbed. Any working, rite or ritual performed at this time will either be unsuccessful or, at the worst, go irreparably wrong. This is the time to rest and reflect while allowing your energies to gather.

Ritual in Wicca is not at all what it is percieved to be.Many hold the notion that Wiccan Ritual comprises mostly of animal and human slaughter/sacrifice under the cloak of darkness. This is not the case. Ritual is our way of sanctifying our beliefs or serving a dire need, like in any other religion. We also use Ritual to bring us closer to our creative and protective energies like The Quarters or Watchtowers and various Gods and Goddesses. A successful and safe Ritual would comprise of :

1. The purification - Purification of the tools and person to be involved in the ritual. This can be as simple as a blessing and devotion said before ritual or as involved as cleansing oblutions and meditatons. This serves the same purpose as the casting of the circle. (I prefer to de this before casting the circle as I feel safer in casting a clean circle.
2. The casting of circle - A real or imaginary perimeter is put up around the working area to keep out unwelcome and harmful energies or entities.
3. The Ritual - Details may vary depending on the intention of the ritual.

Spellwork is a simpler form of ritual and more to do with bringing about desires. The Wiccan rede states that Ritual or Spellwork should only be done when the is a need. We do not engage in the use of Magick (spelt with a 'k' to distinguish it from stage magic) unless there is a need as any Magick is very powerful and can easily backfire. Wiccans also watch very closely what is done with Magick as anything sent out will be returned threefold. This is something that young people should be wary of. Many young teens pursue Wicca with the belief that they will get whatever they want by spellcasting. This makes them susceptible to the wrong "teachers" who will steer them on the wrong path. My advice to any parent whose teen is interested in Wicca is to support your child, they are exercising their free will. Supporting them will make it easier for you to make sure they arent conned. I have put some links on this page to sites that I trust where your chlildren or yourself can learn whats right. I am also always available for assistance.If in doubt, always remember, Wicca is an Earth-Loving and life respecting faith, we do not believe in the devil only the duality of good and evil (present in nature).

The Five-Point Star is the symbol of Wicca and has been for hundreds of years. It is to symbolise the human form in touch with Mother Earth. It is also the symbol for the 5 main elements of Wicca; Water, Air, Earth, Fire and Spirit at the top point. This symbol has been perverted by satanists (likewise was done with the Hindu Swastika by the Nazis) to symbolise a goat, the symbol of satan. This is no where near accurate. The Pentagram or Pentacle is a very powerful and respected symbol. It is a symbol of purity and spirituality and should never be mistook for anything else. Wiccans are believed to be evil and have faced much persecution by other faiths because of such perversions and misunderstandings. Another misunderstanding is that of what we call The Horned God of the Forest. This is the Pagan God of the hunt, celebrated at Yule. He is represented as a young man wearing an animal pelt with horns. This is a symbol of male virility and a representation of the hunter. This God is confused with the christian devil as they have the horns in common. This was one of the tricks of the Romans to force pagans to convert to Christianity and demonize any who refused to.

To Wiccans, Deity is entirely personal. This correlates with The Law of Personal Universe, you create your reality, God/Goddess is within you and all of creation. Some Wiccans are devoted to only one Deity, others work with whole pantheons. Whether we are devoted or not, we respect all Deities, religions and beliefs. Deity does not have one gender in Wicca. We celebrate the duality of male and female. Wicca is not matriachal or patriachal, we respect both genders equally and do not assign anything as gender specific, unless determined by nature. You choose your Deity by their attributes and what you respect and admire about that Deity.

Wicca is about spiritual and physical freedom. There are no restrictions on what you do and don't believe. We do not judge or punt our beliefs in any way. Most important is mother Earth, our nurturer and provider. Remember the Goddess/God is within you and within all of creation.

I will be publishing many more pages on Wicca and other faiths so keep an eye out.

Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again.

Blessed May You Be.♥