Hi. I'm new here but I looked over everything however have one question. Do I have to have a religion? I was raised Christian but my family shoved it down my throat while the church go-ers always gave me dirty looks. I'm not very Christian. In fact, I have a hard time believing in it anymore since almost everyone is shoving down my throat. I mostly believe in the art of Wicca and herbal magic. I do need advice. I don't wanna believe in something then have it shoved down my throat. It ruined one religion for me. I don't want to have another one ruined. Please need advice. Blessed be.
Hello. No, you do not need a religion to practice witchcraft. Also, I believe that you think Wicca is witchcraft. To clarify, Wicca is a religion. Not all people who practice witchcraft are Wiccan.
Surely if someone doesn't know the basic principles, then starting with energy manipulation, something that includes other basic practices, may not be the best place to start.
There are some great pinned posts about basic practices and how to get started.
Lark also has a great forum with lots of the useful posts onto it:http://www.spellsofmagic.com/read_post.html?post=829286&offset=0
For the original poster, no you don't have to have a religion to practice, many people are non-religious in their practice, however some choose to include a religion and deities into their spell-work or rituals. What you choose to believe in, and how much you choose to believe, is solely up to you.
well, you're not one religion until you choose it for yourself. [kind of contradictory from the whole 'born christian, therefore christian' most were raised] don't be so quick to label yourself, i spent 3 years soul searching and studying world religions until i discovered Wicca, and after that i did the typical year and a day thing before i started calling myself Wiccan and dedicating to the Lord and Lady.
take time to meditate and journal, figure out who you are and what you believe. i suggest making a list of beliefs [killing is wrong, cursing is fine, no meat on friday...] when you feel satisfied with the list, put it away for 3 months then take it out and edit it with any new information you might of discovered, and put it away again. repeat this 4 times until the year is up and by the end you should have a pretty solid list of beliefs you can use as a personal code of conduct. [you can edit this list as you get older, but i wouldn't edit it too much otherwise they're just words, not personal facts of life]
you might also wish to make a list of questions and views about Wicca and what draws you to it. you might discover it's the right path for you, or perhaps a similar pagan path is. research and ask questions, best of luck to you.
You do not need religion, to practice magic. You do not need to belong to a religion to work with the spirits associated with it. You do not need religion to communicate with spirits, nor do you need religion to practice magic.
