WICCA IS A MORDERN VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL PRE-CHRISTIAN,EUROPEAN SHAMANIC RELIGION,THAT IS,A RELIGION NOT JUDEO-CHRISTIAN IN ORIGIN. THE WORD PAGAN COMES FROM THE LATIN ROOT,PAGANUS,MEANING "NOT OF THE CITY" OR RURAL. BECAUSE CHRISTIANITY SPREAD MOST SLOWLY IN THE OUTLYING RURAL AREAS,IT WAS THE PAGANS WHO WERE CONVERTED LAST-AND SOMETIMES INCOMPLETELY-SO THEIR FAITH BECAME A MIXTURE OF OLD AND NEW RELIGIONS. MANY LOCAL SAINTS ARE CHRISTIANIZED VERSIONS OF PAGAN DEITIES (LIKE SAINT BRIGIT), ADAPTED SO THAT LOCALS WOULD MORE EASILY INTEGRATE CHRISTIANITY INTO THEIR BELIEFS.
WICCA IS EARTH-,NATURE,AND FERTILITY-ORIENTED;ITS FOLLOWERS WORSHIP AT THE TURN OF THE SEASONS AND AT NEW AND FULL MOONS. THEY GENERALLY ACKNOWLEDGE BOTH MALE AND FEMALE DEITIES,AND BELIEVE IN REINCARNATION,MAGICK,AND DIVINATION.WHILE WICCA IS A SPIRITUAL AND PHILOSOPHACAL PATH,IT IS FIRST AND FOREMOST A RELIGION,TERMED "THE CRAFT" MEANING THE CRAFT OF THE WISE.
THE WORD WICCA HAS 2 POSSIBLE SOURCES. THE FIRST IS THE ANGLO-SAXON "WIC"OR"WIT" MEANING WISE OR LEARNED. A PERSON "OF THE WICCA"WAS A PERSON WHO HAD KNOWLEDGE (USUALLY OF HEALING AND HERBS)WHICH PLACED THEM APART FROM ORDINARY PEOPLE. ANOTHER POSSIBLE ORIGIN IS THE CELTIC WORD "WICK"WHICH MEANS TO BEND OR BE SUPPLE. WICCANS WERE PEOPLE WHO BENT AS LIFE AND CONDITIONS WARRENTED. IN THE STORY OF THE OAK AND THE WILLO, THE OAK DOES NOT BEND AND IS BLOWN DOWN IN THE STORM, WHILE THE WILLOW IS SUPPLE, BENDS, AND SURVIVES THE STORM WITH LITTLE DAMAGE. ANOTHER INTERPRETATION OF WICK, OR BEANDING, IS "BENDING WITH YOUR WILL" AS ONE DOES IN THE PROCESS OF MAGICK.
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