Ben GruagachComments Off on So You Want to Become A Wiccan? Tips for Getting Started
I’ve seen the question come up more and more often lately: “I’m interested in becoming a Wiccan. How do I start?” Here are some articles and suggestions for books to read that will give you a solid beginning. First, you need to get a better idea of if you want to become a Wiccan, a Witch, or a Pagan. What’s… Read more »
Ben GruagachComments Off on Pagan Booklist: Spirit Work
[Note: this article has been edited since it was first posted to include new books on the topic.] Some magickal practitioners focus on working with non-physical entities, whether these entities are described as elementals, faeries, ghosts, ancestors, angels, demons, saints, loa, intelligences, or deities. Different systems have different ways of categorizing and classifying — some are very strict about putting… Read more »
Wicca is a pretty diverse religion today with assorted different denominations (usually called “traditions”), independent covens, and thousands if not millions of solitary practitioners around the globe. What exactly makes all of these practitioners Wiccan? Historically the religion of Wicca traces to Gerald B. Gardner who first promoted and taught a form of religious witchcraft as far back as the… Read more »
Ben GruagachComments Off on The Principles of Wiccan Belief
Way back in the Spring of 1974 during a Pagan conference called “Witchmeet” in Minneapolis, MN USA a diverse group of 73 witches, representing a range of groups as well as solitary practitioners, formed what they decided to call the American Council of Witches. The group held only a single meeting before they chose to disband. At that meeting they… Read more »
Ben GruagachComments Off on Separating the Wheat from the Chaff: Critical Thinking Skills for Pagans
(Excerpted from “The Wiccan Mystic”, chapter four.) Information on the occult and on alternative religious paths such as Wicca is readily available now more than ever before. Most mainstream bookstores carry at least a few books with titles like “Easy Wicca” or “Casting Spells in 3 Simple Steps,” or might have a wider selection from scholarly philosophical tomes to straightforward… Read more »
A popular Neopagan chant describes a four-fold elemental philosophy linking the macrocosm with the microcosm: Earth our body, Water our blood, Air our breath and Fire our spirit!
Ben GruagachComments Off on Sloppy Spellwork = Sloppy Results
If you’re going to the time and effort of performing a spell you want results, right? Then make sure your efforts are not wasted by doing some basic planning before you start.
“Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: An’ it harm none, do what you will.” There are a lot of half-truths told about the Wiccan Rede: ☆ it’s an ancient rule ☆ it’s mandatory for all Wiccans ☆ it’s a long poem, with a short-form phrase that is commonly quoted ☆ it makes it impossible for Wiccans to curse Here’s the truth…. Read more »
Ben GruagachComments Off on Liminality, Divination, and Magick
This chaotic never-ending motion is not a bad thing unless we decide it is. It is a dance, the pulse of life, death, everything in between and beyond. We can choose to fight it or embrace it.
