The Wiccan Family Temple
Where all Pagans of all ages, races, traditions etc. can meet and gather together to Celebrate the Goddess and the God
WITCHES, WICCAN, TRADITIONS, OUR THOUGHTS ON MARRIAGE, PAGAN PARENTING.- OUR BELIEF SYSTEM. 
TRADITIONS
Here you will find our beliefs, our myths, our holidays and their meanings, and all of the foundations for our religion. Our ethics and our actions all arise from our basic beliefs about the nature of the world. Many pagans and witches have a "Book of Shadows" wherein they keep the information that is fundamental to their religious belief and practice. Here then is ours in a nutshell.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Common Questions and Anwers about Wicca:
What is Wicca / Witchcraft?
Basic Beliefs of Wicca.
Witches do not do evil - They believe that doing evil and harm is against all ethical and moral laws. Further, Witchcraft tells us: "An ye harm none (not even yourself), do what ye will."
Witches do not worship Satan - They do not have a Satan/Devil or any all-evil deity in their religious structure. Witchcraft is a religion that underscores polarity and views God and Goddess as equal entities. The Goddess and God of the Witches are in no way connected to Satanic practices. Satan, or the Devil, it is a Christian creation and they are more than welcome to keep him in all his thought form glory.
A male witch is not a Warlock - The word "Warlock" is a Scottish word meaning "oath breaker" and became a term designating a male Witch during the "burning times" (i.e.; the Inquisition). Male as well as female practitioners of the Craft are known as Witches.
Studying the Craft
If you are interested in pursuing magickal studies, the best advise I can give you is to read, read and read. Other resources available to you are workshops and study groups hosted by your local Pagan or Wiccan ‘witchschools, bookstores, and new age shops’; network locally and on the internet through participation in newsgroups and on-line study groups. We did form the Wiccan Family Temple Academy of Pagan Studies right here in
Witches wear clothing of every color and every style - Many Witches do choose to wear black clothing or ritual robes. The color black is the culmination of all vibrational rates of light on the material plane. Black absorbs light information and helps Witches be more receptive to psychic impressions and energies.
How do witches view death?
Many Witches believe in reincarnation and/or Summerland. After passing over, Summerland is where the spirit waits to be returned into a new physical form. We do not believe in a Heaven or Hell where the spirit spends eternity as reward or punishment for ones earthly actions.
Witches come from every economic and ethnic background - Many witches are professional people holding positions of responsibility such as Doctors, Nurses, Police Officers, Teachers, etc. Witchcraft does not discriminate against color or ethnic origin and does view everything as equal in the eyes of the Goddess and God.
Wiccan Holidays
Since Wicca is an "Earth Religion", we celebrate the Solstices and Equinoxes (the first day of Spring, Summer, Fall, & Winter). We call these "Ostara", "Litha", "Mabon
", & "Yule", respectively. We also celebrate 4 days mid-way between the above dates. These are known as "Imbolc" - 2/2, "Beltane" - 5/1, "Lughnasadh" - 8/1, and "Samhain" - 10/31.On these days, we observe & celebrate the changing of the Seasons, & seek to attain balance within ourselves and to become attuned to the rhythms of Life. Please check our Calendar we are going to be coming out with as of October 2008.
Why be called a 'Witch'?
The word "Witch" originally meant "Wise One" -- what's wrong with calling yourself a "Wise One"? ("Witchcraft", therefore, means "Craft of the Wise Ones"). Witches were the doctors, midwives, psychiatrists, and lawyers of a town -- a noble profession. It was only due to Christian distortions that the word became associated with "evil" and "devil-worship". Why not? After all it is who we are. Just as you are proud to call yourself 'Christian' so are we.
Witches do use spells - A spell is a thought, a projection, or a prayer. Other religions use prayer, meditation, projection and ritual to produce an intended result. The word "spell" does not imply doing evil or harm.
What does Skyclad mean and why do some Wiccans go Skyclad?
The word ‘Skyclad’ means going naked in circle, coven, ritual etc. Some traditions do believe in doing so, others do not. I for one do not follow that tradition, since whether you are naked or not is quite irrelevant to how powerful your ritual is. At least that is my opinion. So our tradition does not go Skyclad. Others do have strong feelings about this topic.
Witches do use magic wands - Often you see the use of magic wands in children's cartoons and movies making the idea seem frivolous. In actuality the magic wands are used in ritual for directing energy.
Witches do use Witchcraft as a science, an art and a religion - They use their knowledge and magic in harmony with the Universe and Nature around them.
The word "Witch" has a deep and rich history - As defined by the Oxford English Dictionary "Witchcraft" is a Celtic (pronounced Kell-tick) word meaning the wise, good people. "Wicce" (wick-kay), designates a female Witch where as "Wicca" (wick-kah) designates a male Witch.
In the religion of Witchcraft we view the pentacle as an amulet and a symbol for protection -
The five-pointed star represents the human body and the earth. In combination, the star surrounded by the circle represents the human body encompassed by the protection of the Goddess/God force. The pentacle is the symbol for Universal Wisdom.
Witches do concern themselves with ecology -
They have never forgotten this basic fact: the World is not our enemy. Neither is it inert, dumb matter. The Earth and all living things share the same life-force. They are composed of patterns of intelligence, of knowledge, and of divinity. All life is a web. We are woven into it as sisters and brothers of all. Witches need to be grounded in both worlds and awake to their responsibilities for both worlds.
It is only being responsible human beings that we can be responsible Witches, and only responsible Witches will survive.*
Most of these text are *Excerpt from "Power of the Witch" by Laurie Cabot,
Delacourt Press. (Dell Publishing) N.Y., N.Y., October 1989 and other internet sources.
MORE TO COME ON:
MARRIAGE
PARENTING
HANDPARTINGS/DIVORCE (just our view) ......
TRADITIONS Here you will find our beliefs, our myths, our holidays and their meanings, and all of the foundations for our religion. Our ethics and our actions all arise from our basic beliefs about the nature of the world. Many pagans and witches have a "Book of Shadows" wherein they keep the information that is fundamental to their religious belief and practice. Here then is ours in a nutshell. FOR YOUR INFORMATION Common Questions and Anwers about Wicca: What is Wicca / Witchcraft? Basic Beliefs of Wicca. Witches do not do evil - They believe that doing evil and harm is against all ethical and moral laws. Further, Witchcraft tells us: "An ye harm none (not even yourself), do what ye will." Witches do not worship Satan - They do not have a Satan/Devil or any all-evil deity in their religious structure. Witchcraft is a religion that underscores polarity and views God and Goddess as equal entities. The Goddess and God of the Witches are in no way connected to Satanic practices. Satan, or the Devil, it is a Christian creation and they are more than welcome to keep him in all his thought form glory. A male witch is not a Warlock - The word "Warlock" is a Scottish word meaning "oath breaker" and became a term designating a male Witch during the "burning times" (i.e.; the Inquisition). Male as well as female practitioners of the Craft are known as Witches. Studying the Craft If you are interested in pursuing magickal studies, the best advise I can give you is to read, read and read. Other resources available to you are workshops and study groups hosted by your local Pagan or Wiccan ‘witchschools, bookstores, and new age shops’; network locally and on the internet through participation in newsgroups and on-line study groups. We did form the Wiccan Family Temple Academy of Pagan Studies right here in Witches wear clothing of every color and every style - Many Witches do choose to wear black clothing or ritual robes. The color black is the culmination of all vibrational rates of light on the material plane. Black absorbs light information and helps Witches be more receptive to psychic impressions and energies. How do witches view death? Many Witches believe in reincarnation and/or Summerland. After passing over, Summerland is where the spirit waits to be returned into a new physical form. We do not believe in a Heaven or Hell where the spirit spends eternity as reward or punishment for ones earthly actions. Witches come from every economic and ethnic background - Many witches are professional people holding positions of responsibility such as Doctors, Nurses, Police Officers, Teachers, etc. Witchcraft does not discriminate against color or ethnic origin and does view everything as equal in the eyes of the Goddess and God. Wiccan Holidays Since Wicca is an "Earth Religion", we celebrate the Solstices and Equinoxes (the first day of Spring, Summer, Fall, & Winter). We call these "Ostara", "Litha", "Mabon ", & "Yule", respectively. We also celebrate 4 days mid-way between the above dates. These are known as "Imbolc" - 2/2, "Beltane" - 5/1, "Lughnasadh" - 8/1, and "Samhain" - 10/31.On these days, we observe & celebrate the changing of the Seasons, & seek to attain balance within ourselves and to become attuned to the rhythms of Life. Please check our Calendar we are going to be coming out with as of October 2008. Why be called a 'Witch'? The word "Witch" originally meant "Wise One" -- what's wrong with calling yourself a "Wise One"? ("Witchcraft", therefore, means "Craft of the Wise Ones"). Witches were the doctors, midwives, psychiatrists, and lawyers of a town -- a noble profession. It was only due to Christian distortions that the word became associated with "evil" and "devil-worship". Why not? After all it is who we are. Just as you are proud to call yourself 'Christian' so are we. Witches do use spells - A spell is a thought, a projection, or a prayer. Other religions use prayer, meditation, projection and ritual to produce an intended result. The word "spell" does not imply doing evil or harm. What does Skyclad mean and why do some Wiccans go Skyclad? The word ‘Skyclad’ means going naked in circle, coven, ritual etc. Some traditions do believe in doing so, others do not. I for one do not follow that tradition, since whether you are naked or not is quite irrelevant to how powerful your ritual is. At least that is my opinion. So our tradition does not go Skyclad. Others do have strong feelings about this topic. Witches do use magic wands - Often you see the use of magic wands in children's cartoons and movies making the idea seem frivolous. In actuality the magic wands are used in ritual for directing energy. Witches do use Witchcraft as a science, an art and a religion - They use their knowledge and magic in harmony with the Universe and Nature around them. The word "Witch" has a deep and rich history - As defined by the Oxford English Dictionary "Witchcraft" is a Celtic (pronounced Kell-tick) word meaning the wise, good people. "Wicce" (wick-kay), designates a female Witch where as "Wicca" (wick-kah) designates a male Witch. In the religion of Witchcraft we view the pentacle as an amulet and a symbol for protection - The five-pointed star represents the human body and the earth. In combination, the star surrounded by the circle represents the human body encompassed by the protection of the Goddess/God force. The pentacle is the symbol for Universal Wisdom. Witches do concern themselves with ecology - They have never forgotten this basic fact: the World is not our enemy. Neither is it inert, dumb matter. The Earth and all living things share the same life-force. They are composed of patterns of intelligence, of knowledge, and of divinity. All life is a web. We are woven into it as sisters and brothers of all. Witches need to be grounded in both worlds and awake to their responsibilities for both worlds. It is only being responsible human beings that we can be responsible Witches, and only responsible Witches will survive.* MORE TO COME ON: MARRIAGE PARENTING HANDPARTINGS/DIVORCE (just our view) ......
Most of these text are *Excerpt from "Power of the Witch" by Laurie Cabot,
Delacourt Press. (Dell Publishing) N.Y., N.Y., October 1989 and other internet sources.
