Another Look at the Wiccan Core Beliefs


The first Core Belief states that Wicca is a mystery religion. Mysteries are concepts that can only be learned through direct experience. In my first article, I used the example of childbirth as a Mystery. Someone can describe to you what it was like for her to be in labor, but until you experience it directly you won't know what it's like. Interactions with deity are also a Mystery, as those connections are personal and different for everyone. The way Bridget interacts with me will not necessarily be the same as how She interacts with someone else, and though I could attempt to explain the mechanics of those interactions I still can't completely convey the experience.

Point two talks about the duality of Wiccan divinity. Wiccan mythology refers to a God and a Goddess, mirroring the gender characteristics of humans. While this specific duality is necessary for continuing the cycle of life through mating, it isn't the only way you can approach the duality. Masculine and feminine traits can be found in both genders. Beyond that, there are other dualities associated with the God and Goddess: sun/moon, light/dark, yin/yang, etc. All of these qualities are incorporated into the notion of duality in deity.

Point three talks about the Sacred Marriage. In Wiccan mythology, the God and Goddess mate to keep the Cycle of the Year going. She's impregnated by the God and will later give birth to him again after he is sacrificed. There are two ways this can be re-enacted in ritual. The most common form is symbolically, by plunging the athame (ritual knife) into the chalice during the blessing of the cakes and ale in ritual. Through celebrating the Wheel of the Year, Wicca honors the cycle of fertility. The Sacred Marriage is the rite that honors that fertility. To that end, sometimes a High Priest and Priestess of a coven will "draw" the deities into themselves... literally becoming the God and Goddess for the particular rite, and will have sex together as those deities. This is a less common way of celebrating the Sacred Marriage. Both are equally valid in my opinion. I may revisit this topic in a future essay.

Point four states that "divinity is immanent within the world and therefore everything is in some part Divine." Our Gods aren't sitting up on high in another realm, distant from us. Our Gods are among us, they interact with us, and

The copyright of the article Another Look at the Wiccan Core Beliefs in Wicca/Witchcraft is owned by Karen Mitchell. Permission to republish Another Look at the Wiccan Core Beliefs in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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