|
And, finally, the misinformed part? {Yeah, I know, back to this old shoe again.}
Satan is a concept in Judeo-Christian-Islamic faiths. To witches and Wiccans, Satan does not exist - so, how is it that we could have worshipped him???? Not only do witches and Wiccans NOT worship Satan, witches and Wiccans believe that you should take your own personal responsibility for the "bad" things you do and to not blame them on anyone/anything else {including the devil}.
Just as an interesting side note, the Jewish and Islamic faiths do not have such "total loser" definitions of Satan. In Angelology, the Archangel Beqa was who rebelled against God. When he rebelled, God changed his name to Satanail, which means "adversary", and later, his name was shortened to Satan. In rabbinical and Islamic texts, it is believed that Satan will one day repent of his sins and wrong doings. And, God will then restore him to his former glory of being an Archangel and a Prince Regent of a number of angelic choirs. The medieval Catholic Church taught that this redemption would never take place {also adopted by the medieval Protestant Churches}. {These same Churches also teach that Lucifer is the same angel as Satan. Neither the Islamic nor Jewish faiths consider Lucifer the same person as Satan nor as a fallen angel.}
SO, WHAT'S THE UPSHOT OF ALL OF THIS? Witches often call themselves white so that people will understand that they practice only POSITIVE magic, that they are not evil, and that they don't worship {or even believe in} Satan.
Pretty bad, eh? All that explaining for two, little, tiny words - white witch.
Worship - magical rites / ritual - spellcrafting & divination - empowering & enhancing.
Worship in Wicca and witchcraft is done no differently than in other religions. There is prayer, praise, and celebration.
The prayer, praise, and celebration are supplication to the Goddess - asking her to intervene and to bring good things. There also are various rituals and themes associated with the sabbats and esbats {holy days/festivals}, but there rarely is an officially organized agenda to follow or even prayer and hymnbooks.
Worship in Wicca and witchcraft also is known as magic {or the practice of magic}. Magic rites/rituals are made up of spellcrafting and divination. On sabbats and esbats as well as at any festivals, the magic that is practiced is considered to be "of the Goddess" - sacred and holy. There is divided opinion amongst some Wiccans and witches - but particularly by skeptics and non-supporters of Wicca and witchcraft - that spellcrafting and divination, when practiced at other times, is mundane. BUT many Wiccans and witches feel that magic, practiced at any time, for any reason is always "of the Goddess", and therefore, always sacred and holy.
|
|
