Practicing Wicca – the basics

This page talks in a very basic way about what it is that Wiccans actually do.  To learn more, see ‘What Wiccans do‘.

Secrecy

Initiated Wiccans have sworn an oath of secrecy.  What that means is that even if you can find Wiccan secrets in books or online, individual Wiccans are oathbound not to tell you themselves.  As part of the oath, we also swear not to reveal the names of other Wiccans – so unless someone is very publically Wiccan, has specifically given permission for their name to be passed to you or has introduced themselves to you as Wiccan, you may not easily be able to find out who is Wiccan.  I’ve been in public moots where seekers have been asking questions, surrounded by initiated Wiccans, none of whom have been able to answer – or to tell the seekers that there are Wiccans in the room. 

Having said that, Wiccans are, although generally more introverted than extroverted, a convivial and welcoming bunch and for the most part we are keen to bring in new people – so don’t be too put out if some of your questions meet with silence.

The downside of the secrecy is that there are people claiming to be Wiccan who are not – or who use the veil of secrecy as a way to manipulate people into unsavoury practice (please see the page ‘Information for Seekers’ and read the section on red flags and warning signs).  Therefore, if you feel a coven is too secretive or feel uncomfortable in any way, you should back away.  You can go onto any of the Facebook groups mentioned in the ‘Information’ section and ask outright about the coven you have joined.  Someone (probably lots of people) will respond to you to confirm whether they are genuinely Wiccans or not – and sometimes you may learn more about their character.

The wheel of the year

Wiccans observe what is often described as ‘the wheel of the year’.  The earth turns and with it, the seasons.  A critical part of Wicca is about living in harmony with the world around us and this means noticing the changing of the seasons, which flow always one into the other.  It also means noticing – and caring for – other living beings, from ants and spiders to pets and domesticated animals, to wild animals, fish, birds, reptiles – and yes, to human beings as well, even the ones who annoy you.

There is a lot which one can do under the banner of living in harmony with the changing of the seasons, however specifically for Wicca, we celebrate 8 ‘Sabbats’ throughout the year as well as the 12-13 Esbats, or full moons each year, each of which we celebrate with specific rituals.  This means that we meet at least once a month.  Different covens have had different approaches, however ours is to meet regularly both online and in person, sometimes indoors, sometimes outdoors, sometimes as a coven, sometimes with other covens.  

There are plenty of places you can go to learn more about the sabbats and esbats, so here is a very basic overview; we encourage you to read as much as you can from other sources.

  • Yule / Midwinter solstice – the longest night; a celebration of the returning sun and the lengthening of the days
  • Imbolc – the earliest spring ritual, a celebration of life returning to the world
  • Spring equinox –  Balance.  We celebrate spring and the start of the true ‘light half’ of the year, when the days are always longer than the nights
  • Beltane – traditionally a fertility rite, a celebration of new life and burgeoning growth
  • Midsummer solstice – the longest day; a battle between summer and winter as the days start to grow short
  • Lammas / Lughnasadh – solemn celebration of the sacrifice of the harvest and the reaping of the corn; the first harvest rite.
  • Autumn equinox – Balance.  The main harvest festival when we celebrate the fruits of the earth.  The start of the true ‘dark half’ of the year
  • Samhain / Halloween – The final and darkest harvest; we celebrate our ancestors and those who have gone before at this time of the dead.

I have not included dates, because equinoxes and solstices change annually and sabbat dates depend on whether or not one is in the Northern or Southern hemisphere.  Midwinter in the UK is midsummer in Australia, for example.

The Elements

Wiccans generally begin building our relationship with the elements early in our journey – although interestingly, while Gardner acknowledged the elements, the merging of elements with directional quarters was not part of his original practice and was introduced later on, although still early in the history of the craft.   

The four elements used in western magical traditions today, including within Wicca, can be traced back to the ancient world.  In Greece they are credited to Pythagorus; in India they appear as the Hindu Vedas and in Tibet, as the Buddhist Mahabhuta. The Chinese proposed 5 elements (wood, fire, earth, metal and water) over 2400 years ago under the theory of 五行; or wuxing, and the elements also appear in the Egyptian Hermetic texts attributed to Hermes Trismagistus.

Empedocles (circa 450 BC) pulled together and classified the four we know now – earth, air, fire and water and around 100 years later, Aristotle proposed a fifth, ‘aether’ which we now label as ‘spirit’.

Most Wiccans recognise these 5 elements and they are generally assigned directions in which air=east, fire=south, water=west, earth=north, although different covens and practices can and do change these.  If you have the sea or a lake to the south of your temple space, you might want to re-assign ‘water’ to the South; equally if you have a fireplace in the room, you might want to re-assign Fire.  Some traditions have other assignations, however in general Wiccans follow the order above.

The Gods

Wicca by its nature celebrates the feminine, however in practice, male and female are in balance, so we celebrate both a god and a goddess.  While the true names of the gods in Wicca are oathbound (see above), covens will often also work with their own gods – sometimes local gods, sometimes gods from other pantheons, such as Norse, Egyptian, Greek, Hindi and many others.

Many people develop personal relationships with one or more deities; while some people never make a specific connection. You may find yourself constantly tripping over imagery relating to a particular deity and go on to develop a relationship with them; or you may seek out a deity because of what they represent to you – but there is no pressure in Wicca to find a personal deity and no barrier to following your heart.

Interestingly, if you ask 10 Wiccans what they think about the gods, you are at risk of getting 12 answers. While many Wiccans believe that individuals god are real autonomous deities with their own free will, others believe that they are human-generated thought forms or other types of energy. There are Wiccans who believe that different gods are aspects of a single being; or that there exists a small number of distinct deities who have thousands of names from different places, cultures and times. There are Atheist Wiccans who do not believe that gods exist, seeing them as aspects of ourselves which we can use to interpret and work on our own psycho-spiritual beings – or who simply accept the Wiccan engagement with deities without sharing belief.

All of the above are generally considered acceptable within the wide scope of Wiccan practice; although there are some who insist that their own interpretation is the only correct path. It is therefore worth discussing your beliefs if you are intending to join a coven in case you find yourself at odds with their core practice in the future.

Whatever you believe, working with different deities can develop and enhance the experience of magical work; and Wicca offers a practice which allows people to find an experience of the gods that is meaningful for them.

Seeking and Training

There is more about what to expect elsewhere on this site (look at the ‘Information for Seekers’ page), however it’s worth giving an overview here of what to expect when you first dip a toe in the water of Wicca. While there are as many ways of practicing Wicca as there are covens, there are some core commonalities, so while the below may not hold true for every group, it likely does for the majority.

Assuming you’ve met a coven, here is an overview of what might happen next.

Firstly, you have to ask – both to train with the coven and, after training is done, for initiation. Covens want to be sure that this is your will, so tradition has it that you have to ask whether a coven will consider you. If a coven is keen on you there may be some big fat hints dropped, but they are unlikely to openly ask you to join. If you successfully complete your training the coven undoubtedly wants you to stay, but again, it needs to be your will – so you have to ask again.

Training is generally a year and a day, however this varies wildly. Famously, in the old days people could be initiated immediately; but this caused a few problems and has changed over time. Some groups have a curriculum that you need to complete however long it takes you, while others have periods as short as a few months; but a year and a day is most common.

It is important for you to understand that the real purpose of the ‘year and a day’ is for you to get to know the coven and for them to get to know you, rather than for you to have to learn anything specific (although in the vast majority of covens, you will be expected to do some study and practical work). Covens are family and need to feel like one. Good relationships and building a regular and familiar practice are vital components in creating successful and meaningful magical work.

It goes like this. One day you meet a stranger in a coffee shop for an awkward chat about witchcraft. Move on a short while and they are helping you move, supporting you through illness, working on your CV, helping you with family etc… and you are doing the same for them. You go from being complete strangers to going on holiday, laughing, crying, learning, exploring and having deeply magical experiences together in what is quite a short amount of time. And while covens can be joyous, they require commitment; they require people to show up, pitch in and do the work, month after month after year after year.

If you can’t show up for your year and a day, even for reasons outside your control, it’s unlikely you will be able commit to regular coven practice, and without that, the energy of the group cannot grow. Equally, if you find yourself in the middle of chaos, or in a controlling or unpleasant environment, you are unlikely to ever feel safe enough to generate strong magical energy or enjoy a beautiful coven experience. Either way, your year and a day gives everyone a good amount of time to understand whether or not you and the group are a match, or if somewhere different might be better for you.

What comes next?

After initiation comes the commitment and the real learning. As above, you will be expected to show up, to contribute, to listen and to support. Many covens run for decades with a core of the same people. While people drop in and out (you can leave Wicca at any time), Wicca is a practice that requires your presence for success. It’s a praxis; you learn by doing, you grow by doing; the doing of the thing, the experience of the magic, these are the real mysteries. The words can be found in books, but the experience can only be lived, so by asking for initiation, you are making a deep and lasting commitment.

On the most basic level, the coven should be expected to support your growth and offer you a proper grounding in the Wiccan mysteries, including a safe and regular practice that leads to a lifetime of magical growth; on a bigger level, it should also, although potentially after some time, offer you access to the wider Wiccan community.

It is difficult to properly express how connected the global Wiccan community is, or how often there are opportunities to meet and work with other initiates, often in incredible environments. There are unparalleled educational and magical experiences to be had. Lifelong relationships and interests have been launched; new research and important safe-guarding communications get circulated. Not every coven wants to engage with this wider community, many prefer small, private spaces to create meaningful practice – so again, get to know the coven and ensure it’s right for you.

The more you grow in Wicca, the more you learn how much you don’t know and the more you are expected to do service within the craft. There are 3 degrees in Wicca, the first being given at initiation. The second and third are not advancements or achievements, they don’t put you above anyone else in the craft just as your first degree does not put you ‘above’ seekers. Each degree is a commitment; both to your own growth and importantly, to what you can give back to the craft itself, whether by teaching, supporting, volunteering, or doing the most menial service there is and running a coven.

I have been in regular, monthly coven practice for nearly two decades, and in and out of covens for two decades prior to that. I have been a solitary witch, a seeker, an initiate and a High Priestess. Has it been difficult? Yes it has. Have I gained more than I have put in? Yes I have. My coven, even the newest members, are like family. We have done some wildly successful magic together and we support and enrich each other through highs and lows. This is what I want people to understand, above all else. Is Wicca hard work? Yes it is. Is it worth it – yes. Yes it is.