Wicca - an earth-centered religion from the west

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

Wicca stards for Witch craft. It is an ancient

Europian religion the cristianity tried to wipe out from the face of

earth. It is neither evil and nor in support of it. Similar to our

Tantic Siva-Sakti worship or the Vedic religion, they worship a god and

a godess. Some Wiccans have a monotheistic belief in the Goddess

and God as One. Many have a duotheistic conception of deity as a

Goddess (of Moon, Earth and sea) and a God (of forest, hunting and the

animal realm). With an open mind read the thread below -

For most Wiccans, Wicca is a duotheistic religion

worshipping a God and a Goddess, who are seen as complementary

polarities, and "embodiments of a life-force manifest in nature."[7]

They are sometimes symbolised as the Sun and Moon, and from her lunar

associations the Goddess becomes a Triple Goddess with aspects of

"Maiden", "Mother" and "Crone". Some Wiccans see the Goddess as

pre-eminent, since she contains and conceives all; the God is the spark

of life and inspiration within her, simultaneously her lover and her

child. This is reflected in the traditional structure of the coven.[8]

In some traditions, notably feminist Dianic Wicca, the Goddess is seen

as complete unto herself, and the God is not worshipped at all. Wicca

is essentially an immanent religion, and for some Wiccans, this idea

also involves elements of animism. A key belief in Wicca is that the

goddesses and gods are able to manifest in personal form, most

importantly through the bodies of Priestesses and Priests via the

ritual of Drawing down the Moon (or Drawing down the Sun).

(from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca)

See these quotes -

"We are not evil. We don't harm or seduce people. We

are not dangerous. We are ordinary people like you. We have families,

jobs, hopes, and dreams. We are not a cult. This religion is not a

joke. We are not what you think we are from looking at T.V. We are

real. We laugh, we cry. We are serious. We have a sense of humor. You

don't have to be afraid of us. We don't want to convert you. And please

don't try to convert us. Just give us the same right we give you--to

live in peace. We are much more similar to you than you think." Margot

Adler

If you take [a copy of] the Christian Bible and put it out in the wind and the rain, soon the paper on which the words are printed will disintegrate and the words will be gone. Our bible IS the wind and the rain." Herbalist Carol McGrath as told to her by a Native-American woman.

"We should educate people that 'Witch' is not evil but ancient and positive. The first time I called myself a 'Witch' was the most magical moment of my life." Margot Adler.

"When one defines oneself as Pagan, it

means she or he follows an earth or nature religion, one that sees the

divine manifest in all creation. The cycles of nature are our holy

days, the earth is our temple, its plants and creatures our partners

and teachers. We worship a deity that is both male and female, a mother

Goddess and father God, who together created all that is, was, or will

be. We respect life, cherish the free will of sentient beings, and

accept the sacredness of all creation." Edain McCoy

(All from

http://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.htm)

 

Now something special for you all - Osho On Witches

 

"Christianity

burned living women in thousands, calling them witches. The word

`witch' is not a bad word; it simply means a wise woman. But

Christianity converted the word, gave it a wrong connotation, created

courts all over Europe, a great investigation to destroy witches,

because witches are directly connected with the devil. This was the

strategy to destroy those wise women.

 

The real fcat was that if

those women remained alive, Christianity would have looked very poor as

a religion. They knew far deeper truths than Christianity, far more

refined religious flights, methods of hypnosis and meditation - which

always go together. By destroying the witches, Christianity was trying

to destroy hypnosis and meditation both. It was a question of survival.

 

....

Christianity destroyed living human women. And the courts tortured

those women, forced them to confess before the court that yes, they had

a sexual relationship with the devil.

 

There is no devil

anywhere. After those witches, the devil has not approached any woman.

And strangely enough, it was only in Christian countries that the devil

was having sexual relationships with women - in no other country."

If this is not enough read this from some other website by someone else -

What is Wicca?

Contrary to what those who choose to persecute or lie

about us wish to believe, Wicca is a very peaceful, harmonious and

balanced way of thinking and life which promotes oneness with the

divine and all which exists.

Wicca is a deep appreciation and awe in watching the sunrise or sunset,

the forest in the light of a glowing moon, a meadow enchanted by the

first light of day. It is the morning dew on the petals of a

beautiful flower, the gentle caress of a warm summer breeze upon your

skin, or the warmth of the summer sun on your face. Wicca is the fall

of colorful autumn leaves, and the softness of winter snow. It is

light, and shadow and all that lies in between. It is the song of the

birds and other creatures of the wild. It is being in the presence of

Mother Earths nature and being humbled in reverence. When we are in

the temple of the Lord and Lady, we are not prone to the arrogance of

human technology as they touch our souls. To be a Witch is to be a

healer, a teacher, a seeker, a giver, and a protector of all

things. If this path is yours, may you walk it with honor, light and

integrity.

Wicca is a belief system and way of life based upon the reconstruction

of pre-Christian traditions originating in Ireland, Scotland, and

Wales. While much of the information of how our ancestors lived,

worshiped and believed has been lost due to the efforts of the

medieval church to wipe our existence from history, we try to

reconstruct those beliefs to the best of our ability with the

information that is available.

Thanks to archaeological discoveries, we now have basis to believe that

the origins of our belief system can be traced even further back to the

Paleolithic peoples who worshipped a Hunter God and a Fertility

Goddess. With the discovery of these cave paintings, estimated to be

around 30,000 years old, depicting a man with the head of a stag, and a

pregnant woman standing in a circle with eleven other people, it can

reasonably be assumed that Witchcraft is one of the oldest belief

systems known in the world toady. These archetypes are clearly

recognized by

Wiccan as our view of the Goddess and God aspect of the supreme

creative force and predate Christianity by roughly 28,000 years making

it a mere toddler in the spectrum of time as we know it.

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. They understood that mankind is not superior to nature, the

earth and its creatures but instead we are simply one of the many

parts, both seen and unseen that combine to make the whole. As Chief

Seattle said; "We do not own the earth, we are part of it." These

wise people understood that what we take or use, we must return in kind

to maintain balance and equilibrium. Clearly, modern man with all his

applied learning and technology has forgotten this. Subsequently, we

currently face ecological disaster and eventual extinction because of

our hunger for power and a few pieces of gold.

(from http://www.wicca.com/celtic/wicca/wicca.htm)

Note: Just providing some interesting reading material by some cut-paste from the net :=) Hope you enjoyed it.

Love and regards,

Sreenadh

[Guest guest]

Dear Sreenadh ji,

 

This reminds me of a book/play which made my tears flow as a

child.....the true story of Joan of Arc, the 15th century French

heroine tried and burnt alive by the English on false accusation,

namely witchcraft at the age of 19!

 

The wolrd is never in short of insanity...such people act as if they

own each and everything on earth.......when the truth as you have

rightly mentioned.... is carved in the words of Chief Seattle

 

" We do not own the earth, we are part of it. "

 

blessings,

 

Renu

 

 

 

 

 

, " Sreenadh "

<sreesog wrote:

>

> Dear All,

> Wicca stards for Witch craft. It is an ancient Europian

religion the

> cristianity tried to wipe out from the face of earth. It is

neither evil

> and nor in support of it. Similar to our Tantic Siva-Sakti worship

or

> the Vedic religion, they worship a god and a godess. Some

Wiccans have

> a monotheistic belief in the Goddess and God as One. Many have a

> duotheistic conception of deity as a Goddess (of Moon, Earth and

sea)

> and a God (of forest, hunting and the animal realm). With an open

mind

> read the thread below -

> For most Wiccans, Wicca is a duotheistic religion worshipping

a God

> and a Goddess, who are seen as complementary polarities, and

> " embodiments of a life-force manifest in nature. " [7] They are

sometimes

> symbolised as the Sun and Moon, and from her lunar associations the

> Goddess becomes a Triple Goddess with aspects

of " Maiden " , " Mother " and

> " Crone " . Some Wiccans see the Goddess as pre-eminent, since she

contains

> and conceives all; the God is the spark of life and inspiration

within

> her, simultaneously her lover and her child. This is reflected in

the

> traditional structure of the coven.[8] In some traditions, notably

> feminist Dianic Wicca, the Goddess is seen as complete unto

herself, and

> the God is not worshipped at all. Wicca is essentially an immanent

> religion, and for some Wiccans, this idea also involves elements of

> animism. A key belief in Wicca is that the goddesses and gods are

able

> to manifest in personal form, most importantly through the bodies

of

> Priestesses and Priests via the ritual of Drawing down the Moon (or

> Drawing down the Sun).

>

 

> (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca)

> See these quotes -

> " We are not evil. We don't harm or seduce people. We are not

> dangerous. We are ordinary people like you. We have families, jobs,

> hopes, and dreams. We are not a cult. This religion is not a joke.

We

> are not what you think we are from looking at T.V. We are real. We

> laugh, we cry. We are serious. We have a sense of humor. You don't

have

> to be afraid of us. We don't want to convert you. And please don't

try

> to convert us. Just give us the same right we give you--to live in

> peace. We are much more similar to you than you think. " Margot

Adler

> If you take [a copy of] the Christian Bible and put it out in

the

> wind and the rain, soon the paper on which the words are printed

will

> disintegrate and the words will be gone. Our bible IS the wind and

the

> rain. " Herbalist Carol McGrath as told to her by a Native-American

> woman.

> " We should educate people that 'Witch' is not evil but ancient

and

> positive. The first time I called myself a 'Witch' was the most

magical

> moment of my life. " Margot Adler.

> " When one defines oneself as Pagan, it means she or he follows an

earth

> or nature religion, one that sees the divine manifest in all

creation.

> The cycles of nature are our holy days, the earth is our temple,

its

> plants and creatures our partners and teachers. We worship a deity

that

> is both male and female, a mother Goddess and father God, who

together

> created all that is, was, or will be. We respect life, cherish the

free

> will of sentient beings, and accept the sacredness of all

creation. "

> Edain McCoy

> (All from

> http://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.htm)

>

> Now something special for you all - Osho On Witches

>

> " Christianity burned living women in thousands, calling them

witches.

> The word `witch' is not a bad word; it simply means a wise woman.

But

> Christianity converted the word, gave it a wrong connotation,

created

> courts all over Europe, a great investigation to destroy witches,

> because witches are directly connected with the devil. This was the

> strategy to destroy those wise women.

>

> The real fcat was that if those women remained alive, Christianity

would

> have looked very poor as a religion. They knew far deeper truths

than

> Christianity, far more refined religious flights, methods of

hypnosis

> and meditation - which always go together. By destroying the

witches,

> Christianity was trying to destroy hypnosis and meditation both.

It was

> a question of survival.

>

> ... Christianity destroyed living human women. And the courts

tortured

> those women, forced them to confess before the court that yes,

they had

> a sexual relationship with the devil.

>

> There is no devil anywhere. After those witches, the devil has not

> approached any woman. And strangely enough, it was only in

Christian

> countries that the devil was having sexual relationships with

women - in

> no other country. "

> If this is not enough read this from some other website by

someone

> else -

> What is Wicca?

> Contrary to what those who choose to persecute or lie about us

wish to

> believe, Wicca is a very peaceful, harmonious and balanced way of

> thinking and life which promotes oneness with the divine and all

which

> exists.

>

> Wicca is a deep appreciation and awe in watching the sunrise or

sunset,

> the forest in the light of a glowing moon, a meadow enchanted by

the

> first light of day. It is the morning dew on the petals of a

beautiful

> flower, the gentle caress of a warm summer breeze upon your skin,

or the

> warmth of the summer sun on your face. Wicca is the fall of

colorful

> autumn leaves, and the softness of winter snow. It is light, and

> shadow and all that lies in between. It is the song of the birds

and

> other creatures of the wild. It is being in the presence of

Mother

> Earths nature and being humbled in reverence. When we are in the

> temple of the Lord and Lady, we are not prone to the arrogance of

human

> technology as they touch our souls. To be a Witch is to be a

healer, a

> teacher, a seeker, a giver, and a protector of all things. If

this

> path is yours, may you walk it with honor, light and integrity.

>

> Wicca is a belief system and way of life based upon the

reconstruction

> of pre-Christian traditions originating in Ireland, Scotland, and

Wales.

> While much of the information of how our ancestors lived,

worshiped and

> believed has been lost due to the efforts of the medieval church

to wipe

> our existence from history, we try to reconstruct those beliefs to

the

> best of our ability with the information that is available.

>

> Thanks to archaeological discoveries, we now have basis to believe

that

> the origins of our belief system can be traced even further back

to the

> Paleolithic peoples who worshipped a Hunter God and a Fertility

Goddess.

> With the discovery of these cave paintings, estimated to be around

> 30,000 years old, depicting a man with the head of a stag, and a

> pregnant woman standing in a circle with eleven other people, it

can

> reasonably be assumed that Witchcraft is one of the oldest belief

> systems known in the world toady. These archetypes are clearly

> recognized by Wiccan as our view of the Goddess and God aspect of

the

> supreme creative force and predate Christianity by roughly 28,000

years

> making it a mere toddler in the spectrum of time as we know it.

>

> 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. They understood that mankind is not superior to nature,

the

> earth and its creatures but instead we are simply one of the many

parts,

> both seen and unseen that combine to make the whole. As Chief

Seattle

> said; " We do not own the earth, we are part of it. " These wise

people

> understood that what we take or use, we must return in kind to

maintain

> balance and equilibrium. Clearly, modern man with all his applied

> learning and technology has forgotten this. Subsequently, we

currently

> face ecological disaster and eventual extinction because of our

hunger

> for power and a few pieces of gold.

> (from http://www.wicca.com/celtic/wicca/wicca.htm)

> Note: Just providing some interesting reading material by some

> cut-paste from the net :=) Hope you enjoyed it.

> Love and regards,

> Sreenadh

>