So, I've read Lesson 1 in Wicca Revealed. I'm also reading Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham. I'm thinking that I'd rather practice alone than with a coven.

My reasons for this are personal, and not meant as a judgement for or against covens. For one, there is a lack of coven activity in my area. For another, part of my reasons for exploring Wicca is that I chafe at the idea of having to follow someone else's "rules" for my spirituality. I've got a history of going to Roman Catholic and Pentacostal Christian churches, and while I've learned some things, I dislike that when in groups, people tend to "copy" one another's spiritual experiences. My own mother practiced Roman Catholicism and what she called "voo-doo". I'm looking for a connection to God that is mine.

I've also found so much in common between Wicca and Christianity. Another reason as to my dislike of Christian churches is that many of the congregants do not understand the history behind their faith. They scoff at the idea of a Goddess, yet the Holy Spirit, through which all life is created, is described as nurturing, which is a very feminine characteristic that is missing from Yahweh and Jesus. So even in Christianity, we see that there is most certainly a "goddess" in place, it just isn't given a formal name. And it is through the Holy Spirit that many Pentacostal Christians claim to receive gifts, such as speaking in tongues or the laying on of hands. So these gifts, which are in essence the same gifts that Wiccans say they can achieve through communion with the Goddess. So the Christians are essentially doing magic, they just have a different name for their practices and their god. And don't even get me started on the holiday calendars, lol!

All of this is making much easier for me to be open to finding God in nature (I use the term God to mean the creative life force, both the masculine aspects and the feminine; it is not meant to exclude the Goddess). It is also making it easier for me to strike out on my own and define my own spirituality. I feel no conflict between my Christian upbringing and my research in Wicca, and actually find the two to be very compatible. It is only the other adherents, from both faiths, who seem to have issues with the other.

While Wiccans seem to be very knowledgeable about their faith's history, many Christians that I have met seem very ignorant. They seem to be under the impression that their faith sprang up with alll of the holidays, the trinity, and the Bible fully intact from the beginning. They fail to see that there were many different branches to Christianity, as varied in the beginning as Wicca is today. I think that many of them would be surprised at how differently the saints practiced the faith from them. There were some who believed that Jesus was God's son, but not a god-in-man form. There were some who believed that he was married to Mary Magdelene, and chose her to be the head of his church. There were some who believed that he was God, but not in a man's form. There were some who did not believe in the resurrection.

So what does this have to do with Wicca? It may not be relevant to any here, but it is very relevant to me. I am a research nut, and if something doesn't make sense to me on a logical level, then I won't follow it. This is the main reason why I found Christian churches to be incompatible with me; the faithful were ignorant of their history, and would defend their misconceptions even when confronted with the truth. I cannot be a part of a religion like that. I feel that religion can be used, in conjunction with logic and reason, to help reveal universal truths. Any religion that thrives on ignorance is useless to me. This is why I am turning towards Wicca. It makes sense, even Trinitarian Wicca. God is everywhere, God is limitless, and God is truth. It is only us humans who limit Him/Her, with our limited human minds.

And so, I'm embarking on a difficult journey. To find a path that completes me spiritually, gives me comfort, and reveals the greater aspects of the universe to me and connects me to it. Wish me luck!

- Hera

I have been studiously reading my lesson and I have researched a few different practices. I am gravitating toward becoming a solitary Green Witch. This practice seems to speak to me the most, thusfar. I will study the Wicca lessons on this site, because I am interested in the general knowledge and the degree system. Here is my research project:

Research Project
Green Witchcraft

Find out about:

The tradition's founders: Green Witchcraft is the Old Religion, grounded in the power of Nature. It was founded by the Ancient ones.

Where and when it started: It was founded in a time when people were communal and social equals.

Where it's based: The Green Witch is generally a solitary witch and works alone or in a small family group. The practice is Nature based.

Where it currently operates: The Green Witch uses the outdoors and its elements, earth, air, fire and water to collect and use energy to achieve magickal goals.

What its specific systems are: There are several styles of Green Witchcraft. The Green Witch may choose to blend mainstream religion with The Craft, she/he may wish to ignore religion and call upon the power drawn through uniting with Nature the Mannuz (The Self), or she/he may choose to work directly with the Divine as the Goddess and God or Lady and Lord.

What goddesses and gods it uses: If the Green Witch chooses to work with deities they could be The Goddess and God or Lady and Lord. If staying in mainstream religion the Goddess might represent the Virgin Mary, God could be Jesus, St Francis as the Greenman, etc.

Whether or not it has a degree system: There is no strict degree system in this type of practice, although the solitary practitioner may opt to belong to a degree practicing system to further enhance his/her individual practice.
Whether it has any tradition publications: Ann Moura has published The Green Witchcraft Series. There are also many other authors with publications to guide the solitary practitioner.

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The wiccan Rede
Bide the Wiccan law ye must In perfect love, and perfect trust, Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: An' ye harm none, do what ye will. What ye send forth comes back to thee, so ever mind the Rule of Three. Follow this with mind and heart, and merry ye meet, and merry ye part!

I find this very interesting and am also doing my first lesson in the course. I chose Seax-Wica to research and already know that it is not for me. Thank you very much for your information. I may do some more research into the Green Witch tradition. I like the idea of mixing in mainstream religion. I am interested in the way in which Christianity and Paganism overlap. I sat in church this morning and stared at Mary on the left of the altar and Joseph at the right, with Jesus on a cross between them. There are so many elements that are shared by both.

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I enjoyed reading your research. I share many of the same views with you when it comes to christianity and it urks me me when Christians won't acknowledge their own beliefs.

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