Teen wiccans

I've noticed in many forums, young 13-15 year olds dabble in with Wicca. It's not bad believing in anything, or finding your own path, but some teen wiccans have an unrealistic idea of Wicca and witchcraft in general.

For example, I've noticed a few threads by some on this site. The ones who are asking about spells to turn them into something else, or to manipulate their "crushes" into loving them.

Do you feel offended when they treat witchcraft like the fairy tale version of witchcraft they see on TV?

I know that some individuals seemingly find themselves annoyed, aggravated and offended when someone comes into witchcraft & the like with unrealistic expectations. Here's my two cents, so to speak; I find it to be a double-sided coin.

On the one hand, we are given an opportunity to correct that stereotype/viewpoint & truly teach the real side of things. This can lead to the growth of the person who held the unrealistic "fairy tale" versions of things.

On the other hand, sometimes individuals do not want to hear anything but what they have previously determined is right, so indeed it becomes frustrating when someone refuses to change their viewpoint and continues to treat the craft as though it is something from "Charmed" & the like.

Well I might be new to it and almost 16, but I definitely feel annoyed. I mean without all the Hollywood television and facts, it all comes down to your beliefs. If someone wants to believe in such impossible things that cannot exist, that's their decision. But they'll have to take the criticism with that. I however, believe that we should all ask ourselves "If it was just us, what should we believe?". Such as, basing on the world we live in, it separates reality and fantasy. So if it can't occur in this universe, they should know that fantasy is just fake. But that's just my opinion.

I'm 14, but I'm dead serious about Wicca. I get SO aggravated when "Wiccans" dress in dark makeup and clothes and get tons of piercings. They're just adding to the stereotype!!

"I get SO aggravated when "Wiccans" dress in dark makeup and clothes and get tons of piercings. They're just adding to the stereotype!!"

I totally understand that. While I'm all for self-expression, I'm also pretty interested in self-responsibility. When you choose to announce or make obvious something like your religion or your political persuasion, you become part of their public face and the world will draw part of their conclusions on these groups from how you conduct yourself. If a person actually cares about Wicca, which one would assume includes self-proclaimed Wiccans, it only seems natural that they'd rather represent Wicca in a good light that helps to dispel fear and misconception.

I would say first of all that this is not a problem that is confined to teen Wiccans. I have also seen a lot of older Wiccans on this forum and others who have no idea what Wicca is about, nor even know that Wicca is a religion and not just an excuse for casting spells willy-nilly. My experience with these older ones who are only in it for the superficial trappings is that they are far less apt to even want to learn anything different and will maintain their beliefs even in the face of evidence to the contrary.

Young teens often get into Wicca for the wrong reasons. They think it's cool. They think it will magically fix all the problems in their lives. They learn about it from poor sources such as "Charmed" or the "Secret Circle." As with the adults, some of them really want to live in the fantasy world and nothing will make them change and grow beyond that.

On the other hand, some of those same young people will listen to the voice of someone who has walked this path for longer than they have been alive and will start to get a grasp on what Wicca truly is. They learn, they grow, and they move beyond the stereotype.

But I never know when I first meet these youngsters which sort they are going to be. So I always try to be patient and to help provide them with better information so they can decide how they want to proceed. If I simply treated each teen as if they were only in it as a game then I would be guilty of not fulfilling the oaths I have taken to my Gods to share my own knowledge with those who are seeking.

Merry meet,

I am among the youngest on this site being 13. I came to paganism in search of a place to fit in and a place where i knew my spirit would belong. I have spent the past year learning all about wicca and i have touched on various spells, but have not yet done any because i know i am not yet ready.

When i came to wicca i had this beautiful sensation. My heart seemed to stop for a moment and i felt this sense of belonging and i knew that wicca was for me.

Being in a catholic family has made things difficult for me. My family do not know i am wiccan only because i wish to make sure this is the right religion for me before i say i am wiccan, scare everybody, then realise later on it wasn't worth the drama because i didn't fit in afterall. I wasn't on this site for the past month until a few days ago because i was trying to overcome my fear of leaving the religion i had grown up with. I can now tell you that I have no fear and I am ready to take on this adventure.

I know that many of you on this site are much wiser than I, but all i ask is that you give me a chance. I am not the average thirteen year old.

Willow.

Willow I know what you mean I've been on this site for nearly a year and I am not the average 15 year old and I've felt that sense of belonging and just like stereo-typing the whole Wiccan society stereo-typing is going on inside us with the more knowledgeable of us saying all of us younger ones are in it for personable gain and fantasy rather than being mature and sensible I am a very independent, intelligent and most of all I have found a place where everything makes sence but I am afraid of telling my friends and family and then being more alone than ever I am scared that my friends and people at school will regect me so I have to hide myself and no-one knows the real me and I fear I will not know myself soon.. GOSH I've wrote LOTS I better stop : )

Its because of the stuff they see in early childhood

The biggest example is the movie Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost

Two of my youngest cousins watched that movie nearly everyday and later claimed to be a Wiccan but they were just goths who were exposed to lies as a child

Sorta, but I'm used to it. They should add a quiz allowing teens who actually know what Wicca is about join (Like the quiz to enable live chat). But the people making the quiz could give the people taking the quiz some about Wicca to read that related to the test.