IMPORTANT: i felt the need to address this

Recently I have been getting a lot of notes about my practicing Wicca. Some have said how "cool" it is and others talk of how Wicca is the reason that I am depressed. I think I should maybe give some background information on Wicca and what this religion really stands for.

Wicca is a nature based religion. Wicca is not a Satan-worshiping religion. . . in fact it is far from it. We worship the Lord and Lady. Wiccans don’t even believe in Satan, heaven, or hell.  We believe in a responisbility to nature and seek to live in harmony with nature. We believe in both inner and outer worlds. . . seen and unseen forces. We do NOT harbour any ill feelings toward other religions except for their claim to be "the one true right and only way." We believe that to give evil (Satan) a name is to give evil power and we do NOT work to harm others.

Wicca is not a religion out to harm. In one of the notes I recieved it said, "I just wanted to say that witchcraft brings along alot of darkness and negative energy. As much as you think its helping you it really can cause negative energy and bring about evil in your life. Maybe the cuase of depression have to do with evil forces at work." There is no dark or neative energy at work here. . . And Wicca has helped me to become the person that I am today. I tried following the Christian religion when I was younger, but I was never comfortble. I have always believed in "wordly forces" since I was a child. I have been having dreams of the future since I was about 9 and I still have them today. I have always believed in what some people call fantasy creatures. . . fairies, ghosts, and many other creatures of that sort. I have seen ghosts since I was little (and you can believe me or not on this one).

I know that Wicca has become a trend among teens and it has been that way for a couple years. I know that when I first found out about Wicca and started buying books on the subject my parents look at it as a phase that I would grow out of. But this is something that will never leave me. Wicca has brought to my life a sense of belonging. . . When I tried to practice Christianity something inside me didn’t feel right. . . it wasn’t until I read the book "Teen Witch" by Silver Ravenwolf that things started to make sense. I don’t practice Wicca as the "cool" thing to do. I practice Wicca because that is who I am. I am good at spells.

Now I know what some people may think as soon as I say spells. They think of the movie "The Craft" or of blood, animal sacrifices, eye of newt. . . Well let me clear something up really quick. We don’t use blood or animal sacrifices and eye of newt is a nickname for an herb. When I perform magick (there is a reason why the word is spelled this way) I use candles, oils, incense, herbs, crystals, and other supplies. I have performed many spells over the years that I have been practicing (I think around 7 years now) and some have worked, some haven’t, but the success of the spell or ritual has to do with the purpose of the spell and the mind set of the caster.

I meditate, center, and do my daily devotions almost everyday. Remember I said that Wicca was about balance. . . you can’t just attain balance. . .its something that you have to work at. When you perform a spell or ritual your mind must be clear of everything else except the spell and the spell process. It is hard to do that. . . it requires a lot of practice.

I am no expert on Wicca. . . I am sure that there are things that I have left out, but I hope this has cleared up some things about Wicca. I hope this has opened some eyes to the truth. Wicca is not dark or evil. . . it is a positive religion about nature, balance, and harmony. It is because of Wicca that I can sit here right now and inform you all of this. Wicca has kept me as strong as I am. . . I am a proud Wiccan!