Why is Wicca So Hard?

Sorry again for venting and putting negativity on this website. I just wanted to know if someone understood this type thing.

I really don't understand what this post means. O.o No disrespect I'm just confused.
Anyways, I have some questions. I want to know the difference between types of Wicca. I want to know how Gardnerian Wicca is different from Alexandrian. (Besides just the skyclad thing.) I want to know the specific things that make Gardnerian Wicca Gardnerian. I want to know the difference between the old stuff and the new stuff. What exactly did Scott Cunningham find? Was Gerald Gardner really opposed to homosexuality? Things like that.

Yeah, Hoenheim, your message doesn't really make much sense, are you just giving advice?
I don't know much about Alexandrian Wicca, but I do know that the Gardnerian tradition is very secretive and selective, requiring you to be initiated into a coven, that can trace it's members back to members initiated by Gardner or his coven members. Apparently Gardner learned from the New Forest coven which was a witch's coven that had survived through witchcraft being illegal, and wouldn't even let Gardner publish their work. Basically they're the original Wiccans, and they're private and exclusive and yeah probably a bit elitist or snobby.
I was never really comfortable with a God/Goddess format, or with having to be initiated or any of that business, if you're not either, you should consider yourself a Witch, instead of a Wiccan, because, technically speaking, there is a difference :/ and while it takes a certain kind of person to make an issue of it, you may find that simply calling yourself a witch comes with a lot less baggage.

True, but I am still very attached to paganism. I guess the lesson to be learned from this is no one can define your beliefs.

No they can't, which is one of the reasons I turned away from Wicca... I could never identify with the God/Goddess idea, just never felt it in my heart. Organised religions have rules, Witchcraft is just a craft, so you can make it your own :)

Agreed! I have a deep respect for secular witches and all kinds of witches.

Hoenheim, in response to your wine bottle of knowledge analogy. Maybe someone finally removed that cork after years of work only to find the wine turned to vinegar. The problem with mystery traditions, is that you don't truly know what you are getting yourself into until after you made a huge investment of time and resources in it.

I can't speak for others, but with big commitments like this I would rather know exactly what I'm getting myself into from day one. This goes for all mystery traditions. Until these traditions have something extraordinary to show resulting from their secret rituals, names of power, and ideas, I will gladly stick with my current practices and self study.

HallowWood, let's try to unravel some of your questions. Gardner believed that nakedness was the nearest we could get to naturalness. He believed being naked was good for the health of the body,and good for soul,(Temperament or spirit).His idea that "only humans wear clothing" got him a reputation as "a dirty old man!".
The Great Act (sex) in Gardner's view should be a real act between consenting adults; usually husband and wife. The ceremony was meant to represent Life; the coming together of the male and female in Nature. Alex Sanders wanted the Great Act to be "symbolic", as it was in the ancient city of Alexandria; the Athame representing the male, and the Chalice the female. That, really, is the main difference between Gardnerian Wicca, and Alexandrian.
Of course, over the years, writers have added and subtracted so much to the various "paths" of Wicca, that I'm pretty sure Gardner wouldn't recognize the religion he started! I was there at the beginning, and I know how much has changed over the years!
But the "originals", Crowley,Gardner,Sanders,Valiente, and others, all had the same aim. To have some form of witchcraft made Legal in the United Kingdom.
They did it by "blending" very old traditions with some new ideas; and creating a "new" religion.

I see this thread has taken on a life of it's own, but I just read the original post and would offer a response to the first question:

Religion and Politics are like a great big public swimming pool...most of the noise comes from the shallow end.

HallowWood, You might find some understanding in my post at http://www.spellsofmagic.com/read_posts.html?post=609224 It's not that people are trying to make it "hard". The fact is that Traditional Wicca is oath-bound and we cannot talk about particulars with anyone who is not also an initiate in a specific Traditional Wiccan coven,

It makes your question about what makes Gardnerian Wicca different from Alexandrian Wicca impossible for me to answer except in very broad terms since the practices of each of those Traditions is oath-bound. I am a Gardnerian but I honestly don't know exactly how an Alexandrian might practice except in general terms. In the same manner I could only share with you general information about what it means to be a Gardnerian Wiccan, but I cannot talk at all about our rituals or even any particulars about the specific Deities we honor. If one feels called to that path then they need to go through the training and initiation to become a Gardnerian. It's not that we're being elitist, it's simply how the Tradition was created and continues to function. Not all are called to become one of Her Hidden Children.

There are some things that are shared by all Wiccans, whether they are Traditionalists or Eclectics. I talk about them in my thread on the Core Beliefs of Wicca in the Main Wiccan Thread, There is room for variety in Wicca, but if one takes it too far it may remain a valid person spiritual path, but it is no longer Wicca.

I hope this helps. I'll happily answer any questions I can within the confines of my oaths.