[Rob S.]

Do all Wicca followers dabble in witchcraft? What do followers who don't dabble in witchcraft do as far as practical doctrines? Do Wiccas acknowledge that where there's witchcraft, there's the spiritual world? And that in the spiritual world there is both extreme good and extreme evil? Aren't Wiccas who practice witchcraft afraid of making themselves vulnerable to possible attacks by evil spirits, which may be inadvertently summoned through aiming to perform white witchcraft? How do they know they are 100 percent safe when performing witchcraft?

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Name : Rob S., Gender : Male, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 24, City : Poole, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : na, 

[Rick29780]

Witchcraft is totally ineffective, so it won't harm you other than wasting your time. It won't do you any good, either.

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Name : Rick29780, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, City : Springfield, State : OH Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Pat]

Wicca is a modern movement based on older religions. Whatever 'witchcraft spell' they perform varies greatly. Many religions believe that anyone is susceptible to attacks of evil if their heart is in the wrong place. 'The greedy get caught and go to jail.' Priests or priestesses conduct ceremonies under controlled conditions. They use various prayers and symbols as protection, such as the circle, to ward off evil spirits that may prey upon the weak. Usually a priest can tell if someone is not ready for a spell or ceremony. No one is 100 percent safe unless they are incredibly good-willed and free from want, which is a founding belief of Buddhism. Hell in Buddhism and Hinduism is the endless cycle of rebirth. Karma is what goes around comes around, so don't send out bad energy. The Navajo will protect against evil in a ceremony by using cedar and holy smoke; The Chinese will use the bagong mirror and fengshui dragons; Christians use water and chanting; some people believe in gargoyles, others believe in the eye. Evil is deemed to be desire for materialism or other ignorant needs. So conduct yourself wisely. Many religions believe spirits walk among us, and animals are sentient beings that can listen. Those raised to a higher spiritual consciousness are not always good-hearted or clear-minded. They may take advantage of you, too, unknowingly, on either your or their part. Heaven's Gate was a spiritual cult with whom the participants believed they would be taken to the other world upon a comet. The 'other world' or fourth dimension has been theorized to exist, but it is said that you can't take anything material with you, so if you travel, remind yourself why you are doing so.

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Name : Pat, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Bahai Faith, Age : 22, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower class, 

[Jane]

Wicca, and neo-pagainsim, like most religious categories, take in a wide spectrum of beliefs and practices. 'The Spiral Dance,' by Starhawk -- available at any major bookstore -- is a good overview of 'mainstream Wiccan' beliefs and practices. 'Women's Rituals,' by Barbara Walker takes a completely non-supernatural approach to pagan ceremonies. On the other hand, there's a series of book by Silver RavenWolf more geared toward 'true believers.' In any case, of course, wicca has nothing to do with Satanism; Satan is a Christian concept and wiccans, in general, do not believe in him/it. Two beliefs in particular are held in common by virtually all pagan. The first, sometimes called the Wiccan Rede (rule), is 'AS IT HARMS NONE [including oneself], do as ye will. The second is the Law of Three, which states that any energy you send out -- for good or ill -- returns you you threefold.

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Name : Jane, Religion : Unitarian, City : Anchorage, State : AK Country : United States, 

[Jim]

I was Wiccan for roughly 5 years and was part-time spokesman for a neopagan networking organization, was featured in magazines and even on the Sunday front page of a major newspaper.) I can speak from personal experience. Wicca is one of the most beautiful religions in the world, on the surface at least. Unlike some people's misconceptions, Wiccans do not overtly worship Satan; they worship nature and a god or gods. However, while it claims to take you to higher spiritual levels, it really does the opposite. While not all Wiccans practice witchcraft, the the vast majority do. And what is witchcraft's consistent aim? Money, power, luck, sex, love, protection, healing illness and sometimes to 'bind' others who you don't get along with. All of these are earthly concerns, materialistic issues, not great spiritual quests. The more time you spend in Wicca, the more you're likely to become increasingly self-centered, materialistic. The pagan community takes any chance it gets to slam Christianity regarding money-hungry evangelists. But few religions have so much to sell to you as Wicca! Candles, incense, feathers, potions, crystals, jewelry, tarot cards and other divination tools (can't have just one), special and expensive clothes, trips to various mystical locations, special music, amulets and talismans, and oh, the books are just endless. Can't have enough books. To practice Christianity, you need nothing more than one book which you can get for free just by asking. You cannot become an effective Wiccan/witch without a huge investment of money. The longer I was involved in Wicca, the more spiritual I thought I was. But my life spiralled into the gutter. One 'great' thing about Wicca is, it teaches subjective morality. Thus, you are allowed to do anything as long as you can make a rationalization that it's better than the alternatives. Before long, like me, you can rationalize yourself into having a 3-year affair with a married woman (or whoever), and THEN cheating on her with a friend who you just talked into becoming a stripper, all the while stealing, manipulating, lying to everyone to such an extent that several lives are literally nearly ruined. And of course, the pressure to use illegal substances is always present. Wicca is a beautiful religion... on the surface. Interested? Don't be. It will destroy you, sooner or later.

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Name : Jim, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Mix of caucasian and Iroquois, Religion : Non-denom. Christian, Age : 30, City : Denver, State : CO Country : United States, Occupation : Student, street evangelist, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower class, 

[Anne L.]

I am interested in how Rick came up with this view. He lists himself as 'Atheist,' so I'm not certain that he would be qualified to make a judgment on the efficacy of a religion that is foreign to him. On the other hand, it sounds as though his opinion came from some experience. Perhaps the sharing of that experience would be more useful to Y? readers than his advice.

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Name : Anne L., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 36, City : Schenectady, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Graduate student, FT, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Kevin26312]

It depends on what you consider witchcraft. Most Pagan spells and charms and ceremonies aren't that far removed from those performed by orthodox Christians, Catholics and some sects of Judaism. Those people seem to be OK.

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Name : Kevin26312, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 21, City : Ypsilanti, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : Librarians Assistant, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Hope]

By the way, Wiccans don't have Satan. The basic idea is that to name something is to give it power. Also, two of the main Satanist symbols are the inverted Cross and the inverted Pentacle - Satanists defile BOTH the Christian symbol and the Pagan symbol. No one seems to think that the upside down Cross means Christians worship Satan, so why do people think that the upside down Pentacle means Witches worship Satan?

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Name : Hope, Gender : Female, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Religion : Jewish, Age : 38, City : Pittsburgh, State : PA Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[Zodiak]

As a practicing Wiccan, I can tell you that I perform very little cermonial magick, or 'witchcraft,' as it is called. My belief is much like the Bahai woman; magick should not be performed without the most pure of intentions and clarity of spirit. Much of my magick is aimed at maintaining health and getting me through various hurdles in life to provide for my family. I can agree with other posters that our ritual magick is no different from that performed by any other kind of religious person. We all perform rituals of one kind or another when we 'pray.' Does it work for me? Yes. Do I abuse it? No. Is it dangerous? Part of being a Pagan is knowing that magick can be used for good or evil, and the responsibility is upon the wielder of the magick. If you cause harm to another through magick, you may be vulnerable to influence from negativity. However, wouldn't you agree that the person had negative intentions to begin with?

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Name : Zodiak, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 31, City : Columbus, State : OH Country : United States, Occupation : Biologist: PhD student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Lindsay]

The easiest way to explain a spell is that it is like a prayer. If you do a protection spell, you are essentially praying for protection; and the same goes for spells for love, success and anything else. It is generally accepted that there is very little or no danger involved.

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Name : Lindsay, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Dianic Pagan, Age : 17, City : Baltimore, State : MD Country : United States, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Kerry]

Not all dabble in magick. Some use it strictly as a religious framework for how they see the world structured. Regarding practical doctrines, if you ask 100 witches, you'll get at least that many answers. Most have in common a belief in following the wheel of the year, with 8 holidays, Ostara (Easter), Samhain (Hallowe'en), Yule, etc. Most have a procedure for casting a ritual circle for protection, involving the four directions and four elements. Nobody is 100 percent safe, as has been stated, but we try to make sure our intent is as pure as possible.

Most of us don't see the world as 'evil' and 'good' but as two sides of the same coin. Male and female, yes, but not one at the expense of the other. Dark and light, yes, but one must have the other to exist and have any meaning. And there are things I would like to attract into my life, and things I do not. That's about as close as I can come to defining 'evil.'

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Name : Kerry, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Wiccan, Age : 32, City : Ventura, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Stagehand, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[David Martin]

Witch craft is very safe,as long as it is white magic. magic ,in wicca, has nothing to do whith the spirit world;magic is a part of nature. It's part of the physical world.

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Name : David Martin, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Wiccan, Age : 15, City : Chattanooga, State : TN Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Lower class, 

[Jon]

First of all you must understand the term Witch and its meaning, Witch stands for wise woman and in most cases if can befall a male, Wiccan is an off shoot Druid religion, and anyway who is to say which religion is the true one? Good luck on that Question. As far as White magic is concerened its ok but first understand the politices of your spell.....

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Name : Jon, Gender : M, Age : 58, City : Magna, State : UT Country : United States, Occupation : retired, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower class, 

[Jamie20905]

Not every religious believes in the duality of 'good' and 'evil' these things are just lables to make things easier to understand. There may be things that you don't want in your life, but that doesn't make them 'evil'. Most Witches practice Witchcraft. They sort of go hand in hand. Many Witches believe that THIS world is the spirit world, that is, everything here is made up of energy and spirit. But there are many layers (a spiral, if you will). Witchcraft spells (which take many years of study) help to connect these layers and manifest things in this world. Magick should be performed in a protective circle to keep things in and focused. It is focused with the will of the mind. If you are a strong-willed person, you will know you are safe. And by feeling you are safe, it is manifested. It is often said 'As above, so Below' Hope that helps!

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Name : Jamie20905, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight with lesbian tendancies, Race : Human race, Religion : Wiccan, Age : 20, City : Tacoma, State : WA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower class, 

[Jack]

Wiccans are witches, by training. 'Real' Wiccans don't dabble in witchcraft, they are trained in and seriously practice it. Wiccans as -we- know them usually dabble in or practice witchcraft. Some Wiccans believe in extreme good and extreme evil, and cast circles (protective/conservative energy bubbles) to 'keep the evil spirits out' as their Rede poem says. Most of them only use magic for 'good,' as they see it, and don't always think through the effects of them. Nobody is ever 100% safe when practicing witchcraft, especially since quite a bit of it is done 'in the heat of passion' so to speak, they need something and try to get it without thinking it through. Even if, as one person said, witchcraft does absolutely -nothing,- it can become addictive to weak-willed or self-conscious people, who (after a spell works or is believed to have worked) suddenly don't feel like they can do -anything- without a spell. So I guess it depends on what you mean by 'danger.'

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Name : Jack, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 19, City : Oshkosh, State : WI Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

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