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- "Wicca" is the name of a
contemporary Neo-Pagan religion, largely promulgated
and popularized by the efforts of a retired British
civil servant named Gerald Gardner. In the last few
decades, Wicca has spread in part due to its
popularity among feminists and others seeking a more
woman-positive, earth-based religion. Like most
Neo-Pagan spiritualities, Wicca worships the sacred as
immanent in nature, drawing much of its inspiration
from the non-Christian and pre-Christian religions of
Europe. "Neo-Pagan" simply means "new pagan" (derived
from the Latin paganus, "country-dweller") and
harkens back to times before the spread of today's
major monotheistic (one god) religions. A good general
rule is that most Wiccans are Neo-Pagans but not all
Pagans are Wiccans. Please consult alt.pagan or the
alt.pagan FAQ for more general information on
Neo-Paganism.
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- In addition to its positive
view of nature, many find Wicca more welcoming of
women than other religions, with an emphasis on
personal experience and a tolerance of other paths. As
a whole, Wiccans value balance with a respect for
diverse complexity, seeing sexuality and embodiment as
essentially positive, spiritual gifts. There is a
sense of personal connection to the divine life
source, which is open to contact through "psychic
power," mysticism or "natural magic."
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- Although some Wiccans focus on
particular gods from particular world mythologies,
Wiccans may worship many god(desse)s by many different
names. Most worship some form of the Great Goddess and
Her consort, The Horned God. Such duo-theistic forces
are often conceived as embodying complementary
polarities, not in opposition. In some traditions
worship of the Goddess is emphasized, although in
others the Goddess and God are seen as complementary
co-equals. The Goddess and God may be seen as
associated with certain things (such as the Goddess
with the earth or moon, God with sun and wildlife,
etc), but there are no hard and fast rules. Some
traditions worship the Goddess alone while others see
Divinity as essentially beyond human understanding,
with "Goddess" and "God" simply a convenient
shorthand.
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