I live in a rural area where The Craft is looked down upon, so it is very hard to find and/or join a coven. I am looking for a teacher. I have been practicing for over a year, however I am having some areas of difficulty. I am 27 years of age and I am female. Two things; I'd like to find a teacher on-line (if possible), and what are your views on solitary wicca, as it is eclectic vs traditional
The only views on wicca that you will get on this site will be brittish traditional wicca. We have a moderator who follows this path and believes that ecclectic wicca and solitary wicca and christian wicca are not wicca. And we are not allowed to argue with the moderators. Shes not wrong, and heres why: (believe me, ive researched it) wicca is an initiatory mystery religion brought to the united states from europe by gerald gardner, ray buckland and scott cunningham. Unless you were initiated by someone linneaged from them, then you are not quite wiccan yet. However, not knowing that raises many questions like, do you actualy know enough about wicca to pursue it? Or perhaps you are a solitary witch whos practices are similar to that of a wiccan. Anyway my account will probably be gagged or this post will be deleted for speaking out so i hope your thankful and not resentful.
Excuse me Diligent, but as the Moderator in question I must correct what you have said about me. It is true that I do not believe that one can mix Christianity and Wicca as the two religions hold vastly different beliefs.
However, I have never said, nor would I say that those who are solitaries or those who are eclectics cannot be Wiccans. While there are some British Traditional Wiccans who hold to that belief, I am not one of them. In my opinion the term Wicca has come to have a much broader meaning over the years and that it now covers both solitary and eclectic practices.
Furthermore, this site is open to discussions of all forms of Wicca, not just British Traditional Wicca. Perhaps in the future you might want to be sure of what you speak before leading someone astray by making false claims.
Guinn, I understand how difficult it can be to find a teacher when you live in a rural area. Have you tried checking the listings at http://www.witchvox.net for your state? They have listings by state for individuals, groups, shops, and events. You might find something there. If there aren't any groups listed but there are shops and events you might try checking with those sources. Many groups don't advertise widely but do make themselves known on a more local level.
Another place to try is meetup.com Type in your zipcode and either Wicca or Pagan to see if there are any meetups near you.
Check out the thread here on SOM in the Wicca Forum called Wicca Basics and you'll find a lot of good information and resources listed.
As I already mentioned, I have no issues with the validity of solitary or eclectic practices; although I think it is possible to get so eclectic that what you are doing no longer follows the beliefs and practices of Wicca.
While I don't take on-line students I am always happy to try to answer specific questions or to point people at good resources. So feel free to ask me at anytime. I've been Wiccan, both solitary and coven, for some 30 years. I am a 3rd Degree initiate in both an eclectic Tradition and in Gardnerian Wicca so I have a pretty fair understanding of both sides of that equation.
