I found Wicca when I was in the sixth grade. Ever since I was little I liked to watch anything that had witches or magic in it. I thought it was the most amazing thing in the world. I also read anything I could get on the subject with witchcraft and magic. I had a false sense of what Wicca was and I didn’t even know it was a actual religion until I read The Circle of Three series by Isobel Bird it amazed and shocked me that Wicca could be real. So sadly to say I started to search for spells on the internet. I thought spells could make me beautiful. I thought I could cast a spell like on Charmed or Sabrina the Teenage Witch and get what I wanted almost instantly. Good looks, better grades, someone to date, and to punish my enemies. I bet your shaking your head after reading that. Well I’m ashamed for even thinking that. I also was listening to what my family said at the time and they told me that Witchcraft was evil and those people worshipped the devil. So I listened to them and I continued to look up spells. My parents eventually found out what I was doing and told me I was praying to the Devil. The only reason I was Christian was throughout my life I was thought that if you weren’t Christian than you would forever be tormented in Hell with the Devil. So I was hesitant about looking up spells but I thought spells could make me a better person and I could make it up to Jesus later for praying to the Devil for just a little help. I wasn’t selling my soul to the devil I thought. So I checked out books about Wicca and every time my parents would catch me I told them I understood and would stop checking them out. For some reason even though I thought Wicca was evil at the time I couldn’t stop thinking about it and wanting to learn more. After a while I started to doubt my faith in Jesus and the Bible the more I listened to people talk about Christianity the more it felt wrong to me. I didn’t believe that people who weren’t Christian would automatically go to Hell. It just didn’t make sense to me. Also in sixth grade I started to doubt my sexuality. That scared me I thought I would go to Hell for sure. I hated myself for wanting to more about Wicca and I hated myself even more for doubting the religion my parents thought me. I just wanted to go to Heaven but in the back of my mind I still doubted the existence of a Hell let alone a Heaven. I felt that soon or later Jesus was going to punish me for my so called sins. I dint really have anyone to talk to about this. I felt dirty and sinful so I told no one. I checked out various books about Wicca from books about Herbs to books by Silver Raven wolf. I checked them out but rarely ever read them. I was just to scared to. I thought by doing so I was opening myself to the devil. This wasn’t just spells anymore it was the religion to hell. I read bits and pieces from the book but everything I read was proof of Wicca’s evil ways. It wasn’t until 8th grade that I read as much basic information about Wicca that I can from different websites I learned about the Wiccan Rede, The Lord and Lady, the Wiccan wheel of the year, The Threefold Law, and that’s the year I found Witchvox. I read so many essays from Teens that it made me feel like I wasn’t alone. Once I learned the basics of Wicca it felt right to me. I felt at peace. I realized that Wicca wasn’t evil and that it was meant for me to learn more about it. My parents wouldn’t allow that to happen. They told me that I had to go to Church that I was wrong and evil. My older sister even told me that I was going to go to Hell. I told them about Wicca and I told them what it wasn’t I tried telling her that in Wicca the didn’t believe in the Devil and that once you died that you would go to Summerland. Obviously they didn’t want to listen to me, they banned me from the computer and took away The circle of Three Series I checked out from the library. So I gave up Wicca again for a year. Yet during that year I kept thinking constantly about Wicca. I felt lost without it. Eventually I stopped thinking so much about it and I stopped trying to bring it up to my parents. After a while a person gets tired hearing that I was going to Hell and that I was evil and sinful and rebellious. I was tired of hearing that added to the problem that I came out as a Lesbian to them and was refusing to date males. I thought that I had it figured out but I was still so confused I wanted someone to help me learn more. I than decided to join social networks and chat groups for Wiccans. By doing this it made me feel less alone. Than in my ninth grade year my parents decided it would be a good idea to move from Chicago to Texarkana,AR. My older sister Brittany had graduated high school and was in college. So me and my siblings moved to the Bible Belt. Churches was everywhere and I was forced to attend the church and I hated every minute I was there. It seemed like the preacher was pointing out everyone’s flaw and what would be a sure way to Hell. I didn’t like the messages I heard. As I went though High School I tried to fit in by hiding my interest and being or trying to make my parents happy. There was a turning point in my life which I wont talk about in this essay but it made me realized that I wanted to follow the Wiccan path. Now I’ m a Senior in High school and I am trying to graduate. My parents’ and family still don’t accept my faith and wont let me practice it so I have to practice in secret. My parents said I can read about Wicca but not practice it but I will do both. I know Wicca is right form me. I have started a Book of Shadows and I am also going to buy a pentacle necklace on Tuesday. I am proud of being a Wiccan in training and I try to be polite and answer any questions people have when they ask me about my Faith. I will continue to try and learn more about my craft. Well I also would want to figure out my sexuality as well. I consider myself a Gothic Witch but I wont write to much about this, that will be for another essay. I hope this all makes sense of how I found Wicca.
Obviously a very popular article :) Wicca is a beautiful religion to me, much like a fairytale (not to be disrespectful at all, to the contrary I mean this as a compliment). However, you wouldn't post this in the opinions section if you didn't want discussion, right? :) Hopefully so....forgive me if not :P I am a Christian, and I think it's horrible how your parents potentially drove you away from Christ. If every time I was curious about vampires my parents told me I was going to He... (more »)
Deuteronomy 18:10-12: For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to The Lord. It is clear that you were never a Christian. If you had really known Jesus, you would have never turned to Wicca. Jesus is everything, the beginn... (more »)
my parents HATE wicca.they dont want to listen to me. i am practicing it in secert..acually a lot like you..im a teen.my religin (parents) is hindu......they say the in hindusim u are somposed to have peace with all realigeons..but my parents dont li ke witchcraft!!!! i stay up till 12:00 on my phone using the internet and studing more about it.my parents think im sleepng...its terrible that i cant follow what i believe...
merry meet :) i agree with quite a few people when they saw i loved reading your article, and i fully support u in ur decision 100%. i grew up wrapped around the bible but im a proud wiccan and im not afraid to admit it, i just felt the bible and christianity was wrong for me, i think people could learn alot from reading this Blessed be
What I like most about Wicca is the sense of equality and openness to nature. It is not about proving your faith, it is about being a protector and a giver. I'm not planning on getting into the magic part of it, but I've always been curious about the herbal remedies made from plants. I can see that as something I could learn.
I loved reading your article. There are quite a few things you've encountered that I too have had to deal with. Those being: I'm a practicing Witch, I'm gay, and I live deep in the Bible Belt (Alabama, to be exact).
I take great pride in who I am, though. And I wish you all the good blessings in the world, you're gonna need them. But stay strong and stay true to who YOU are. Not what society wants you to be. That's the key to a truly happy life.
I live in the Bible Belt too. And I hate it. My mom's friend hates me just because I'm Jewish. If she knew I was studying Wicca, I would never be able to see my friend again. Its also really hard for me when it comes to finding a boyfriend that isn't going to reject or judge me because I am learning about Wicca. So I know how you feel.
I'm still confused about what it is. I'm not a Wicca, but i totally respect you guys. But what exactly is it? What do you believe in? and does the magic actually work????? :) please respond
Wicca is a religion that belongs to a much larger umbrella-of-a-belief-system called Witchcraft. The tenets of Wicca are a belief and devotion to two deities; a God and a Goddess. (Note that there are PLENTY of Witchcraft religions that don't acknowledge any deities at all or the Judeo-Christian God). Wiccans (like most all true practicioners of Witchcraft) tend to view the Earth/Universe with respect. Thay goes a long way, and is interpreted differently by many. Wiccans range from radical green... (more »)
Dear Sirie, I don't wish to start an argument or anything, but the very foundation for your answer to "What is Wicca?" is wrong. Wicca is not a form of witchcraft, in fact, the two are very different. To break it down, Wicca, and witchcraft, are both under an umbrella term, Neo-Paganism, which in itself is a for of Paganism. Being a Wiccan does not make you a witch, and being a witch does not make you a Wiccan. A Wiccan follows the three-fold law, tenets, and the Wiccan Reede and prays to their ... (more »)
I'm glad you wrote this. Many people have this feeling when it comes to Wicca, but I will tell you that Wicca is not the devil's work, nor is it evil. Wicca has only white magic and is tune with nature. Which is what I love most about it. I too have been fancinated with this kind of thing since I was in 4th grade. I've recently just started to learn Wicca about the end of last year so i am still learning as well.
Wicca to me feels so natural and I feel like I was ment to learn it. You ... (more »)
I am not bashing Wicca, nor am I trying to offend anyone who is involved in Wicca. I respect you for finding that you need something else in your life and your audacity(sp) to go out and find what it is. But Kristen, its not Wicca.
You don't understand that their is someone who loves you. He loves you so much that he formed you and he brought himself down from an amazing position to die for you. I don't know whats going on in your life, but I know that if you th... (more »)
Asking someone to question if their respective religion is "right" is, indeed "bashing" their religion. This kind of behavior is what most people consider "shoving it down someone's throat." It makes potential seekers of your religion respect your religion even less for having such an intolerant view towards all outside beliefs.
Wicca feels natural to me. There were things about it that I already believed in before I even started reading about Wicca. I feel that I was connected to it my whole life until I really truly opend my mind to it. I do belive in Jesus and in a higher power, but Wicca is something more special to me.
I am Jewish on my mom's side of the family, but she grew up in a really strict Jewish life and she didn't want that for me. And to be honest I'm glad she felt that way because I don't want ... (more »)
Your awesome for writing this! iM 13 AND A WICCANm, i may not be able to practice like someone in a bigger city, but i do as i can, im still concerned bout telling people but i do my best, im happy you have so much confidence, which gives me some! <3 =D )O(
I'm a wiccan as well, and I think it's great that it has helped you so much. The content of the article is good, but steps could be taken to organize it better and make it easier to read. In paragraph form, your article would sound lovely. Blessed be. )O(
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