*Wicca

The religious cult of modern witchcraft, esp. an initiatory tradition founded in England in the mid 20th century and claiming its origins in pre-Christian pagan religions.

Witchcraft in ancient history was known as "The craft of the Wise" because most who followed the path were in tune with the forces of nature, had a knowledge of herbs and medicines, gave council and were valuable parts of the village and community as Shamanic healers and leaders. For the past several hundred years, the image of the Witch has been mistakenly associated with evil, heathenism, and unrighteousness. The medieval church of the 15th-18th centuries created these myths to convert the followers of the old nature based religions to the churches way of thinking by making the Witch into a diabolical character and turning the old religious deities into devils and demons, the missionaries were able to attach fear to these beliefs which aided in the conversion process.

Witchcraft is a spiritual system that fosters the free thought and will of the individual, encourages learning and an understanding of the earth and nature thereby affirming the divinity in all living things. Most importantly however, it teaches responsibility. Those who are Wiccan do not blame an exterior entity or being for their shortcomings, weaknesses, or mistakes. They strive to gain knowledge of and use the natural remedies places on this earth by the divine for their benefit instead of using synthetic drugs unless absolutely necessary. Wiccan belief that the spirit of the One, Goddess and god exist in all thing. In trees, rain, flowers, the sea, in each other and all of natures creatures.

Because Witched have been persecuted for so many centuries, the believe in religious freedom. They do not look at their path as the only way to achieve spirituality, but as one path among many to the same end. They believe that anyone who is meant for the path of Wicca will find it through their own search as the Goddess speaks to each of them in her time and way.

What Wicca is not:
~ Witchcraft/Wicca is not a cult. They do not proclaim to be spokespersons for the divine or try to get others to follow them as their leaders.
~They do not worship Satan or consort with demons. Satan is a Christian creation. They do not want " a paranoid creation of supreme evil and eternal damnation to scare us into doing the right thing and helping others. We choose to do the right thing and love our brothers and sisters because is IS the right thing and feels good to do it. I suppose it is  maturity thing."
~They do not sacrifice animals or humans because that would violate the basic tenant of "Harm non." Anyone who does and claims to be a Wiccan or a Witch is lying.
~They have no need to steal or control the life force of another to achieve mystical or supernatural powers. We draw our energy from within, their personal relationship with the divine and nature.
~We do not use the forces of nature or the universe to hex or cast spells on others. Again, 'Harm none" is the whole of the law.

Witches have a very strict belief in the law of Three which states that whatever they send out into the world will return to them three fold either in good or bad.