The Wicca Religion

The Wicca Religion

The term Wicca means "to bend or alter" from the Old English dictionary. Wicca is a nature based religion that worships the One Power (the Creating Intelligence), in its feminine and masculine aspects, the Goddess and the God. In the most fundamental sense, the female and male Gods are recognized in their primal nature; the female in a pure receptive force, and the male in a pure masculine force. Wiccans believe that the One Power is inside everything and everyone. It is interesting to note that Wicca incorporates the deities of many cultures, past and present. Wiccans believe that the Gods worshipped by all peoples throughout history are the equivalent expressions of similar Goddesses and Gods in many cultures. This religion has a connection to Shamanism and Animism; it has a pre-monotheistic background. There is also a strong sense of feminism; in fact the majority of practitioners are women.

English: The sculpture of the Wiccan Horned God at...

English: The statue of the and Mother Goddess of ,...

English: Photograph of a pentacle upon which is de...

After the One power, which is the highest level of divinity in Wicca, the Goddess and God follow, on a subsequent, subordinate level. The Goddess and God also have five dissimilar, distinctive, yet equivalent qualities. The Goddess has three facets, which correspond to three stages of a women's life. These three parts represent different factions of the Goddess; she is sometime referred to as the triple-faced Goddess. The First aspect is the Maiden or the Virgin, a young strong female sometimes viewed as the huntress. The next characteristic of the Goddess is the Mother, fertile, caring, and loving; yet she can be vengeful against any threat concerning her offspring. The Crone is the last female trait of the Goddess; a wise old woman who has lived a lifetime, full of experience and knowledge. There are two aspects to the male God, the Young King and the Old King.