https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe By: Bri A and Nicole S en-us 2017-05-26 14:03:50 UTC 2023-02-15 09:20:45 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Bigthunderstorm.png briast20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/173992637 Although witchcraft has been around for thousands of years, the specific branch of Wicca, emerged in the late 1930's. Wicca is known by the ‘veneration’ or high regard for nature, polytheism or the worship of many gods/deities , and the use of magic and ritual. In the branch of Wicca, there are many small things that connect itself to other religions.]]> 2017-05-26 14:11:16 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/173992637 nicsti20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174394425 Wiccan's have a very strong belief of good and evil. More or less, good and evil can be balanced by the 'masculine' and 'feminine' principals or like in buddhist tradition the yin and the yang of the universe. Wiccan's believe that everyone has both good and evil impulses inside them and in order to keep that at bay, we have to sustain the balance of energy. In Wiccan belief, there is really no 'notion of sin' the closest thing that comes to it is 'losing your connection with nature'. Darkness is referenced quite a bit in Wicca but it in no way refers to evil, rather a period needed to regenerate and grow peacefully, quietly. ]]> 2017-05-30 12:26:45 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174394425 nicsti20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174395158 Today, most Wiccans practice the ritual of spell-casting or performing magic. Witches of Wicca believe that casting spells and doing magic allow them to come into closer contact with the supernatural. This is their way of fully worshipping the earth and nature around them.]]> 2017-05-30 12:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174395158 nicsti20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174395386 According to multiple sources, there is no accurate estimate of how many Wiccan's there are today. We know of at least half a million practicing Wiccan's in the United States and Canada alone. ]]> 2017-05-30 12:31:03 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174395386 briast20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174399527 Followers of Wicca celebrate eight holidays within a cycle. These holidays include  Sabbats and those called Esbats. Sabbats take place based off of the solar cycle and mainly focus on the focus of goddesses. Esbats are holidays that are based off of the lunar cycle, and focus on the worshipping of the horned god. ]]> 2017-05-30 12:51:18 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174399527 nicsti20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174626435 2017-05-31 14:07:02 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174626435 nicsti20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174627394 Wicca is a form of modern paganism. Specifically, a tradition founded in England in the mid 20^th century and claiming its origins to pre-christian religions. The specific term 'Wicca' means to cast a spell ]]> 2017-05-31 14:11:38 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174627394 nicsti20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174733358 The holiday widely known as in our culture Halloween, is viewed as one of the most important of the '4 greater sabbats'. Celebrated typically on sundown of October thirty-first to sundown November first, Samhain, marks the end of harvest and the beginning of the 'darker half' or winter season. The referral of this holiday as marking the 'darker half' of the year is because Wiccan's draw there magic from nature and during these winter months everything is more limited. This celebration is also used as a remembrance day for
 ]]> 2017-06-01 02:35:26 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174733358 briast20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174867764 - wiccanings (namings)
- coming of age
- the initiation
- handfasting (marriage)
- handparting (divorce)
- elderings
- passing over (death)]]> 2017-06-01 18:17:08 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174867764 briast20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174891891 When Wiccans perform the types of magic and spell casting that they do as ritual practice, they have to depend on somewhat of a psychic link. This can involve some training in the field of divination, which is that act of trying to obtain knowledge from either the past, present or future through psychic abilities. The Bible is completely against any contact with the supernatural and says it's forbidden. This leaves debate between Christians and Wiccans over this idea. ]]> 2017-06-01 22:04:30 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174891891 briast20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174892733 "Gender Roles" 
In Wicca, many Wiccans don't believe that the church supports women as leaders as much as they put men as leaders. For example, women are not allowed to be priests in churches, so, many women choose Wicca because it gives them a sense of power and leadership within and religious wise.]]> 2017-06-01 22:16:14 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174892733 briast20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174893950 Witches are many a times perceived as being evil and the bigger religions such as Judaism and Christianity try to punish practicers of the craft. Such a time was the Salem witch trials. The Salem witchcraft trials were precipitated when the nine-year-old daughter of Reverend Samuel Parris and his niece, in consultation with a family slave named Tituba, attempted to divine their futures in the town of Salem in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. When those and other girls subsequently began acting in peculiar ways, they were diagnosed as being under Satan's influence.]]> 2017-06-01 22:32:45 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174893950 nicsti20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174914412 ~Gerald Gardner (1884-1964) was one of the only real 'leaders' of Wiccan society. In 1939 it was said that Gardner was initiated by a coven where he then proceeded to bring the 
'contemporary pagan religion' of Wicca to public attention. As we read we found that Gerald Gardner was phrased as the 'in between the revealer and the architect' of this Neo-paganism religion. He wrote some of its most important religious texts and founding what is known as 'Gardnerian' Wicca. For those who don't know, Gardnerian Wiccan's are split into covens typically limiting 13 people to each one, this actually is said to be a parody of jesus' 12 disciples. ]]> 2017-06-02 02:37:35 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174914412 nicsti20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174916095 ~Margret Murray (1863- 1963) was said to be an integral part of the craft bringing her hypothesis that witchcraft has tagged all the way back to pre-christian goddess worshipped continued forward in an unbroken lineage. We can also track a lot of the terminology used in modern witchcraft/wicca such as 'coven' and 'esbat' to name a few, back to her. ]]> 2017-06-02 02:59:40 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174916095 nicsti20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174917383 ~ Starhawk (1951- present) combined political action, feminism and witchcraft together more powerfully then anyone has ever done. Starhawk also had published a book in 1979 that was 'vital' in making it easy to become and to be a practicing Wiccan. This had made Wicca more available to the public and drew them in to join the religion. ]]> 2017-06-02 03:20:40 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174917383 nicsti20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174918912 Typically Wiccan's and most pagans are extremely accepting of homosexuality. They believe that like most other personal things they see that it is 'none of their business who someone else loves'. Although once in a blue moon there will be covens that don't seem to be open to it, from our understanding, they want an equal balance of male and female energy but over time this has been changing. ]]> 2017-06-02 03:48:03 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174918912 nicsti20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174919485 Wiccan's have a cyclical notion of time where you will live, eventually die and then there is rebirth. Similar to the concept of no-self in buddhism, most Wiccan's believe that you are a form of energy, shapeless and sexless, and you are born into each new life to learn a lesson taught to you by a new lifestyle. Once you have learned everything you need to learn you need to in the life you are living, you die. Some religions view death as a bad thing but in Wiccan thought it's actually good. There is no version of hell but 'Summerland' is Wiccan's own version of heaven. Here you reflect on you're past life as you wait for a new body for your spirit to be put into.]]> 2017-06-02 04:00:22 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174919485 nicsti20 https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174926260 The theology of the Wiccan religion is not simple. There are two main deities The Goddess and the Horned god. The Goddess holds a connection to 'the moon the stars and the sea' where the Horned God, from my understanding, represents the Sun. Some say that Wicca is dualistic but there are still more deities so some believe it to be polytheistic. ]]> 2017-06-02 06:05:01 UTC https://padlet.com/nicsti20/hjxrt2tc8tqe/wish/174926260