How To Be A Wiccan

"I want to learn how to be a Wiccan; how do I do it?" This is one of the most common questions I receive from beginners.

It sounds like there should be some easy answer. If it were Christianity, I could say, go to church, obey the Bible, and accept Jesus Christ as your personal saviour. . . or some such dogmatic response.

Wicca, though, is not so simple. It's a complex melding of philosophy and practice, a world view more than a 1-2-3-done kind of religion.

This is because Wicca is a spiritual practice as well as a religion.

Still, in order to give beginners a toe-hold for figuring out how to be a Wiccan, here are the basic spiritual principles that are involved in practicing Wicca.

Please note: This is a general overview, and does not cover specific Wiccan practices. For more specific information, please see the Wicca Practices section.

How To Be A Wiccan In 9 Easy Steps

Understand that the Divine is Immanent.
The Divine is not "out there" somewhere in the sky, or anywhere else. Divinity is manifest in the physical universe.
Indeed, everything that exists is an extension of the Divinity that creates us.
This means that you are sacred.
Everyone is sacred. Everything is sacred Divinity shines through everything, once you have eyes to see it.
Living with this awareness aligns you with truth, and also with joy.

Learn to hear and follow your inner guidance. >
Since the Divine lives within you, you need only to listen within, in order to receive guidance.
This means you are your own highest authority. No one is entitled, or even able, to dictate what is right for you.

Accept your responsibility for all your actions, words, even thoughts.
The responsibility is yours, whether or not you choose to see it. No one can make you feel anything or do anything you have not already chosen.
As an extension of the Divine Source, you hold the power to co-create reality with your attention and intention. You can create your own experiences.
Therefore, blame no one. (Not even yourself.)

Honour the Wiccan Rede and the Three-Fold Law.
Be conscious of the results of your actions. Avoid harming anyone, human and non-human.
And when good things come to you, remember to give thanks and share them with others. This maintains a healthy vibrational Balance.
Without this Balance, good things stop coming.

Respect others.
This means honouring other viewpoints, and different choices.
Since everyone is sacred, no one has the answers for anyone else. All answers are sacred.
There is no one objective truth, or best way.
The need to convince anyone of anything shows that you have forgotten their basic divinity.

Honour your Mother Earth.
The Earth is sacred. Every inch of dirt is sacred ground.
Nature is magick in action. And the cycles of life on Earth hold the secrets of the Universe.
So celebrate the Earth in all Her seasons and rhythms. The rites of birth, death, and rebirth are holy mysteries, to be celebrated. Whether the phases of the Moon, the seasons of the Sun, the life cycle of the harvest, or the rites of passage of ourselves and our loved ones.
These rituals align you with the rhythms of nature and the beauty of the Divine.

Spend time with whatever aspect of Divinity speaks to you.
Wicca involves an intimate, personal relationship with your Source, and every relationship requires care. Develop a friendship with the Divine: talking, listening, sharing things.
This relationship is between you and your deity. There is no right nor wrong way to be friends with the Divine. No one can tell you how to do this. Let the Divine and your own nature guide you.
You need no one and nothing else in order to create close connection with your Source. You are your own priest/ess.

Enjoy your life.
The Charge of the Star Goddess says:

"Let my worship be in the heart that rejoices, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals."

Of course, this refers to things that are truly pleasurable, not dubious pleasures that leave you feeling bad or that cause negative repercussions to come back to you, later.
Feeling good is one of the signs that you are aligned with the Divine.
Joy is a gift the Divine gives you, and it is a gift you give to the Divine. Life is meant to be wonderful.
As the Koran reminds us:
"You will be called upon to account for all the permitted pleasures in life you did not enjoy while on Earth."

Know that in the end, everything you seek is within you.
Goddess, God, love, happiness, fulfillment, wealth, health . . . it is not outside of you, but within.
Whatever it is you want, when you find it within you, you will find it in your world.
When you know yourself, you know everything.

So Can You Be A Wiccan?

As you've seen from these basic principles, anyone can be a Wiccan . . . as long as it's a lifestyle choice, and not a trendy label to pin onto your hat.

There's more to being Wiccan than simply saying you are one, or chanting over candles.

But it's not so esoteric that only the long-studied initiate can understand how to be a Wiccan, either.

Bottom line, there's no trick involved in how to be a Wiccan. All that's involved is a resonance with the philosophy of Wicca, and a willingness to live your truth.

With Brightest Blessings,

erin Dragonsong