Bide within the Law you must, in perfect Love and perfect Trust.

These Eight words the Rede fulfill: “An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will.”

Wicca is one of the most misunderstood religions in the world. When people think of witches, they usually think of old women who wear black robes and pointy hats and make potions with nasty ingredients. And, over the centuries, the word ‘witch’ has become synonymous with malevolence. However, real-life witches are anything but evil.

Contrary to popular belief, witches and Wiccans don’t hex people. Wicca is a practice about connecting with nature and manipulating energy, not causing harm or distress to others. In fact, there is a cousin of Witchcraft that advises against just that; Wicca. Wicca is a nature religion built on old world Pagan traditions. The Wiccan Rede, seen above, warns against infringement upon the will of others and outlines the basic Wiccan morals.

Because Wiccans are somewhat of a minority, it can be hard to meet many fellow Wiccans in person. For this reason, there is a huge Internet community of Wiccans and Witches. There are countless Wiccan blogs and Youtube channels. One such channel, My Pagan Life, was created by Maja, a 15-year-old girl from Norway. She makes informational videos on topics such as crystals, herbs, and moon phase correspondences. “The two things I find the most beautiful about Wicca is The God and Goddess, and the community, both of which have really made me feel myself at home,” said Maja.

One great part of Wicca is the view of deities–there are two, one male and one female, and they are both equally important to celebrations and lore. What’s more, neither deity is solely male or female. Since Wicca is based on balance, the God has both male and female energies and so does the Goddess.

The Goddess, the female deity, is represented by the moon and is a huge part of Wicca. She is one of the reasons I was attracted to Wicca.

Nature is another huge part of Wicca, and many Wiccans say that they were attracted to their religion by the nature aspects. The dates of celebrations like Ostara and Mabon are calculated based on the sun’s position, and phases of the moon are often used in rituals. Even the God and the Goddess, though they are worshipped as human-esque, could be viewed as representations of nature and natural cycles.

Possibly the most controversial topic when discussing Wicca is the fact that many Christian holidays, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas, have their roots in ancient Pagan festivals. For example, the use of bunnies and chicks as a symbol of Easter is not Christian in its origin; ancient Christians borrowed the idea from ancient Pagans. It’s not really a problem, but at least give us credit for our stuff.

Even though it’s misunderstood, Wicca is a beautiful religion. It offers a unique, fun, fulfilling way to get more in touch with nature and myself, and it’s open to anyone.