3 Common Misconceptions About Wicca

Misconceptions are very common when it comes to practically anything in life, and if it happens often enough for one particular thing, it’s then seen as factual. This seems to be the case for Wicca, a nature-based religion. Here are some of the common misconceptions people have about it:

1. “All Wiccans are witches and all witches and Wiccans”

This is highly untrue, because, simply put, Wicca is a religion, and witchcraft is a practice. They’re not supposed to be synonymous. Still confused? Let’s put it this way: a religion is a spiritual belief system, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Wicca, etc, while a practice is something that is done, like prayer, ritual, meditation, or magic. Many Wiccans do practice magic, but that’s a personal choice and not a necessity.

2. “Wiccans worship Satan”

This is particularly amusing because the belief in Satan belongs to Christianity. Satan doesn’t exist in the Wiccan religion, therefore they don’t worship him. Wicca is actually a very personal religion, so no one Wiccan is the same. As a general rule, though, Wiccans worship nature and several deities belonging to nature and the divine.

3. “Wicca is evil”

There are the good and the bad in every aspect of life. Wiccans believe that there is, in fact, good and bad, but pure good and pure evil don’t exist. Instead, there’s always something else mixed in with the good and the bad; a grey area rather than seeing just black or white. That said, Wiccans follow ethical guidelines that prevent them from doing harm to others, much like the 10 Commandments in Christianity, for example. One of the guidelines is The Rule of Three which states anything you do to or wish upon somebody will come back to you threefold. Another is The Wiccan Rede, which states “An it harm none, do as ye will”, which basically means if you’re not harming anybody, do as you will.

As common as misconceptions are, trying to see things in a different light can encourage open-mindedness to learn about different things in life. This can eliminate misconstrued assumptions and create a more accepting and loving environment for all. If you want to delve deeper to understand the Wiccan religion a little more, try reading Vivianne Crowley’s 20 Minutes to Master Wicca: The Only Introduction You’ll Ever Need, available in our online library, www.readplot.com. That and much more await you!