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Paganism: The Old Religion
This is a rough summary of Paganism. When I have more time to write a more complete essay I will but if you have any questions you may email me. First, let me dispel some of the most common myths about witches. The word witch has undergone a major transformation over the centuries. I believe it started with the wise healers and witch doctors, from there Christianity came into play and added a new defintion to the word by stating witches worship the devil, kill babies, etc. This is the furthest from the truth. We honor nature and respect ALL living creatures especially children. Witches, or followers of Wicca, do not believe in Hell or that the Devil exists. What Christians call Heaven, Wiccans call the Summerlands. Paganism does indeed go far back to ancient times and is believed to be one of the oldest religions known to man. In the beginning the religion started as a belief that acting out a play with the hunter killing a stag before the actual hunt would bring about a good amount of food to their tribe or family. I know I'm skipping ahead but bear with me. Through the centuries the culture developed further in the belief that women bare children hence the creator of the world would be a Goddess, mother to the Earth. However, you must also have an opposite to the Goddess so the belief in the God as lover and father to the Earth was also adopted into many cultures. Still further and depending upon what area you were from the Goddess and the God developed different names and each a seperate area to govern over. For example if a woman was having trouble conceiving she would pray to the Goddess of fertility, depending upon the area she lived in would determine which name she would use as their are many fertility Goddesses all over the world. Although we practice a modern version of the religion we still pray to the old Gods and Goddesses. We also continue to follow the moon through its cycles and year through its seasons. We hold rites in honor of our Gods and the elements of nature just as they once did long ago. Casting spells isn't how you would see it in the movies or on a TV show. The act of spell casting is really just a prayer being sent to our Gods. Wiccans/Pagans align their faith to nature and worship the balance in all things. They regard the Earth as their Mother. The word witch comes from the Anglo-Saxon word wicce, which means to bend or shape, and from which the modern word wicker is derived. Witches live by what is known as "The Threefold Law". It states that whatever they send out into the world shall return to them three times over. Please view this site with an open mind. If you have any questions email me and I will be happy to answer them. Here are some items we use frequently: This section explains the more common items we use. A chalice is a cup we use that represents the womb and the element of water. An athame is a double-bladed spiritual knife that is used in drawing the circle and is never used to hurt anyone or to cut anything (not even plants). A wand may also be used to cast the circle or to direct energy to a specific area like in healing. Candles are used to represent the element of fire and are commonly used in many spells, as well as meditation. Incense is used to represent the element of air and the aroma aids in the meditative process. Salt is known for its cleansing properties and encompasses both earth and water dually. Stones have a direct connection to earth and are commonly empowered for protection and luck. The pentagram is a symbol of protection and the five points symbolize earth, air, fire, and water with spirit being at the top point. (NOT to be confused with the inverted pentagram which is a Satanic symbol or is sometimes used in varied cultures as well.)
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