Wicca: Frequently Asked Questions

General Wicca FAQ

1. What is Wicca?
2. Does Wicca have any moral code or rules like Christianity does with the 10 Commandments?
3. Do Wiccans worship the Devil?
4. Do Wiccan’s believe in Heaven & Hell?
5. Is Wicca a cult?
6. What is the difference between a Witch and a Wiccan?
7. What is the difference between a Pagan and a Wiccan?
8. Do you have to be in a coven to be a Wiccan or a Witch?
9. Is a male witch a warlock?
10 Is there such a thing as "Black Magic"?
11. Do Wiccans sacrifice animals or take life?
12. Do you have to be Wiccan to be a Witch or to do spells?
13. Does the show Charmed represent an accurate portrayal of Wicca?


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1. What is Wicca?
Wicca is a Neo-pagan, earth based spirituality. That is to say, they generally practice a reconstructed version of pre-Christian European Pagan spirituality in which they honour both a Goddess and a God (although in some traditions, such as Dianic, only the goddess is honoured) and are highly in tune with nature and the turning of the seasons. They use their knowledge and magic in harmony with the Universe and Nature around them. To quote Keitha of the Glass Temple website (http://www.glasstemple.com/) Being a Pagan spirituality, Wicca reveres the natural world. The Earth, the seasons, the tides, the moon and stars: all things are sacred. All life, all plants, animals, and peoples are sacred. I am sacred, and so are you, regardless of our similar or differing personal beliefs. We build no physical "churches" except when it is necessary. Our sacred places are outside, in the forests, in the fields, in our hearts.

In General, different beliefs and practices are generally centred around a culture of the practitioners choosing, usually with a belief in that culture's deities and folklore, etc. However, since Wicca is a personal spirituality, this does not hold true for everyone. Many practitioners choose beliefs on the basis of what 'feels right', and you will find those who practice a mix of Celtic, Greek, Native, Sumerian, Hindu, Buddhist, and other beliefs. Wiccans have a high regard for the beliefs and practices of others, and for the individuals right to find their own path. As such, almost any combination of beliefs and practices is possible.


2. Does Wicca have any moral code or rules like Christianity does with the 10 Commandments?
The closest thing that Wiccans have to a ‘morality’ code would be An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will" - which is the last line of the Wiccan Rede - something you could call the ‘rules’ of Wicca. It is a poem, which reflects all that we believe and hold true (the origins of which are very much a topic of debate amongst Wiccans). We also believe in the Threefold Law - ie: What you do returns to you - three times bad and three times good. So doing something bad to someone is pretty crazy when you think of the karmic consequences.


3. Do Wiccans worship the Devil?
Definitely not. Wiccans do not believe in the Christian ‘Devil’ or ‘Satan’ - so therefore it makes sense that we do not worship him. We do, however, have a horned God - but his horns are that of the Stag - and he is not evil but the consort of the Goddess.


4. Do Wiccan’s believe in Heaven & Hell?
No. Wiccans believe that, after death, the spirit, or soul, journeys to a place, which many call The Summerlands, where it waits in peace to be reincarnated. We also believe in the existence of spirits who do not, for whatever reason, move on to the next plane of existence but remain earthbound as ghosts.


5. Is Wicca a cult?
No. Wicca does not recruit people into it (as a matter of fact many Wiccans do not openly talk about their religion unless asked) nor do they follow one spiritual leader as cults do. You do not need to follow anyone else’s path to be Wiccan - and Wiccans would encourage anyone who is just starting to learn the craft to find their own place in it through their own beliefs and practices instead of blindly taking someone else’s for their own.


6. What is the difference between a Witch and a Wiccan?
Yes, there is a difference between a Witch and a Wicca though the line between them is so blurred that it's often ignored or forgotten about.
A Witch is anyone who practices the style of magick called Witchcraft.
Wicca is an Earth Based religion that centres on the honouring of nature, the Goddess and the God. Wiccans tend to use Witchcraft in their Ritual practices and for casting spells. However, to a Wiccan a spell is very much like a prayer.
That is your primary difference between the two.
A Witch does not have to be Wiccan.
Likewise a Wiccan does not have to be a Witch.


7. What is the difference between a Pagan and a Wiccan?
The difference between Pagan and Wiccan is actually quite easy to define. A Pagan is someone, anyone, who does not follow one of the 3 mainstream religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
Paganism is an umbrella term that covers MANY MANY MANY things. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Wicca
- Buddhism
- Shamanism
- Voodoo/Voodoo
- Satanism
- Thelmic


8. Do you have to be in a coven to be a Wiccan or a Witch?
No. While there is many different paths in Wicca that practice in a coven, there are many ‘solitaire’ practitioners of the craft (it is argued that the majority of Wiccans practicing today are, in fact, solitaire) who practice their craft alone. That being said, however, Solitaire Wiccans will sometimes come together with other Solitaires during Esbats (full or new moon rituals), Sabbats (the 8 ‘holidays’ of the Wiccan) or at other times to practice their beliefs and discuss their religion.


9. Is a male witch a warlock?
The word Warlock is a Scottish word meaning "oath breaker", and became a term designating a male Witch during the "burning times". A male witch is simply that - a witch.


10. Is there such a thing as Black Magic?
Magic in itself is not good or evil - but it CAN be used as such. Magic used to manipulate others or to further your needs to the harm of another (or to harm anyone in general) could be called dark or black magic - however, it is the person, not the magic, which is bad. Think of magic like a hammer. In the right hands a hammer can build beautiful things - help the user create shelter and protection for people, etc. But in the hands of a maniac it could be used as a weapon to seriously harm someone.

Wiccans follow the rule of three - that what you do will return to you threefold. So it would be kind of crazy for any Wiccan to willingly do harm upon another person - because the consequences are very high. We are also VERY careful to not do harm to another person unconsciously through magic…which is why we take our magic very seriously and do a lot of study and research before casting any kind of spell. This is why Wiccans will extremely rarely cast any kind of spell ON a person without that person’s permission. Even simple spells such as love spells can border on manipulation and are considered taboo. However we are human and no human is perfect.


11. Do Wiccans sacrifice animals or take life?
No. Wiccans do not believe in taking anyone or anything’s life in the name of spirituality, worship or otherwise. Mostly, offerings we give to our Gods are food, wine, flowers, incense and the like.


12. Do you have to be Wiccan to be a Witch or to do spells?
No. To quote an essay from another friend of mine, "Soleil" - Whilst a Wiccan may do rituals to honour the Goddess and God, they also practice magic for supernatural aid to life’s occurrences. However not all Wiccans practice magic, some prefer more conventional measures for help, though most will make an exception when it comes to the Sabbats (witches holidays) therefore those who do can be called witches, whilst those who don’t cannot. A witch is a practitioner of magic, who can derive from any number of religious backgrounds. For example, a witch may follow the religious path of Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism or Judaism; they are not always Wiccan or Pagan, as the media may have you believe. Therefore, most Wiccans are witches, but not all witches are Wiccan.


13. Do the shows/movies Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Craft represent an accurate portrayal of Wicca?
Definitely not. Please remember that these are fictional stories. While these shows will occasionally touch on Wicca and it’s beliefs and practices, in general the girls do NOT represent what a real Wiccan is.