How to Become a Wiccan

• Become a Wiccan

How to Become a Wiccan

One of the most common questions asked is how does one become Wiccan

The answer is hopefully listed below for you:

1. First ask yourself whether you really want to become a Wiccan.

Some Cowans (non-Wiccans) are keen to convert to Wicca in order to cast spells and gain power over other people. They have seen Witches wiggling their noses or waving a wand on TV or in the movies and are enthused about gaining that degree of control over nature and other individuals. Wicca doesn’t really work that way. The Wiccan Rede severely restricts Wiccans’ spells and rituals. It prohibits any manipulation, coercion or harm. Spells must be for the good of all; they must harm none. A Witch cannot, for example, cast a love spell on another person in order to make them feel fall in love. That would manipulate them. A Wiccan is permitted to perform a ritual to make themselves more open to love generally, but that is about it.

2. There are other considerations:

a. Being a Wiccan is not easy. Wicca requires a great deal of personal discipline and effort before one becomes proficient in the craft. In fact, the learning never stops.

b. Unlike many other religions, Wicca has few ready-made rules of behavior. In order to determine whether a particular action is moral or not, a Wiccan must analyze all of the possible consequences of the action (or lack of action) and make certain that “it harms none.”

c. In some areas of North America, it is not particularly safe for a Wiccan to be open about her or his religion. There are still many sincere, devout but misinformed people who incorrectly associate Wicca and other Neopagan religions with Satanism, devil worship, or criminal behavior. Verbal abuse, physical attacks, shooting and even lynching have occurred in recent decades in the U.S.

d. However, there are also many positive aspects to the religion. Wiccans feel very close to the environment and the cycles of nature. Many have reported an intense feeling comfort when they found Wicca — a perfect fit; something that they have been searching for all their life. Members of covens often become emotionally and spiritually close — much like a family. Wicca is more than a religion. It is an all-encompassing way of life that permeates all aspects of your being.

3. If you decide to proceed, then you might spend some time learning about Wicca:

a. You might surf the Internet for information. This will give you an appreciation of the range of Wiccan beliefs and practices. Wicca is not a single monolithic religion; it is rather a grouping of many different traditions. See our list of links to Wiccan sites.

b. There is a list of books on Wicca on this site. You may be able to borrow some of these from your local library. Otherwise you might try to purchase some. Your telephone directory might advertise a bookstore specializing in “New Age,” “metaphysical,” or “magickal” books. Large bookstores like Barnes & Noble, Borders and Chapters generally have a Wiccan or New Age section. We have links in our book list to Amazon.com, an online bookstore, which stocks many hundreds of books on Wicca.

4. After you have gained a little knowledge about Wicca, you might want to try to contact a local Wiccan coven.

A coven is a group of Wiccans, typically three or more in number. Some are informally structured. Others require potential members to pass a training class before being initiated as a Wiccan; it often lasts the traditional “year and a day.” There are also individual Wiccans who are not affiliated with a coven. They are often called solitary practitioners. See our essay on how to contact other Wiccans.

5. If you wish to remain a solitary practitioner yourself, you might find the Seax-Wica tradition founded by Raymond Buckland to be of interest.

This tradition has a self-initiation ritual by which a sincere individual can initiate themselves into the craft as a Priestess or Priest. Alternately, you might wish to write your own ritual.

Should I become a Wiccan?

This is an intensely personal decision. We cannot recommend whether a person should or should not adopt a specific religion. Such a decision has to come from the heart. If you are searching for a faith group that matches your beliefs, you might find the Religion Selector by SelectSmart.com to be helpful.

Becoming a Wiccan is not a simple path. Parents and friends might be very distressed when they learn that you are not accepting their religion. If you live in some areas of world, you have to be quite secretive about being a Wiccan because of danger of physical assault. People’s reaction depends a lot on how tolerant they fell towards other religions, and on what they believe about Wicca. As you may know, there is a lot of misinformation being circulated about Wicca and other Neopagan religions.

How to I make contact with other Wiccans?

There are generally no Wiccan listings in the religion page of your local newspaper. Individual Wiccans and covens tend to be in the (broom) closet for reason of security. It is safer that way. Many Wiccans start by attending a local Neopagan gathering or festival. There are groups like the Aquarian Tabernacle Church (ATC) with very educational websites, The Witches’ Voice, maintains an index of Wiccans and covens worldwide. We urge caution when contacting an unknown Wiccan individual or group for the first time.

There are a lot of nut cases in North America and Wicca has its share. We recommend arranging the first meeting in a public place. There are also groups that hold public rituals such as the Thorn and Oak Group at the University of Victoria (not affiliated with this web site)