Wiccan Wonders: Into the Forest Once More

Have a question or comment?

Have a link you want added to the Places to Find More page? Email me the link and a short description (optional) and I'll add it as soon as I can.

Starting years and years ago, misconceptions were created about Wiccans and witchcraft. This page is dedicated to the silly, weird, and even offensive things that Wiccans are thought to be or do. I’ll list the misconception and details about it, and then explain why it’s just not true.

Wiccans are Satanists or Satan-worshippers.

Truth: Let me start with Satanists. Yes, Satanism is a real religion, as real as any religion there is, and yes, they have the reputation for being "evil." First of all, I’ll point out that Wicca and Satanism have not real "ties", belief-wise. Therefore, Wiccans aren’t Satanists and Satanists aren’t Wiccans. Secondly, from what I’ve heard, Satanists are not evil. I’m not 100% sure what they believe exactly, but they don’t all go around killing babies, trying to hurt people and whatnot. They are part of a very real religion and shouldn’t be looked down upon by so many just because we’ve been told they all worship the "Prince of Darkness and Evil".

Now to my favorite part of this myth: Wiccans being Satan-worshippers. Here’s the short answer to this one: Wiccans don’t believe in "Satan" or any other "evil being" like it. How could they worship something they don’t believe exists? The longer answer is something like this, though: Not only do Wiccans not believe in Satan, but they tend to love to point out the fact of the matter: Christians made up Satan. Satan was created long, long ago by the Christians that so desperately wanted to convert all the Pagans. So, what did they do to make the "switch" easier? They took the figure that the Pagans believed in (The Horned God, whose horns represent animal life, hunt, etc. and isn’t red at all) and perverted it. They told the Pagans that their god was evil and tricking them all until the Pagans were convinced it was true. Well, either convinced or afraid that they’d be killed by Christians if they didn’t agree. Either way, though, it’s still the truth. Satan was never real and I’m surprised that so many people think he is. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t look down on people, like Christians, that do believe he is real and ruler of some demonic underground Hell, but it’s kind of silly to me that they don’t realize that he was made to look like the Horned God.

Wiccans cast spells to hurt people, animals, etc. either mentally or physically.

Okay, this is probably one of the funniest myths if you know the truth. Yes, some witches (practitioners of witchcraft) cast spells to harm, but Wiccans don’t. I’ve even heard it bluntly put as this: "If you try to cause harm to other people with magick, you’re not Wiccan and can’t consider yourself one." Now, I know that there are probably those of you reading gasping in shock and anger, saying, "Not a Wiccan?! How dare you tell me I’m not! I can cast any spell I want and I’m still Wiccan!!" but the truth is, no, you’re not if you intentionally try to harm people. Wiccans are Wiccans partly because they follow the Wiccan Rede ("An’ it harm none, do what you will.") and the Threefold Law. They are the Wiccans’ rules and if you don’t follow them, you’re breaking the rules of the religion. Let me point out, though, that I’m not saying to be Wiccan you have to be perfect. Everyone will end up hurting someone one way of another. It’s unavoidable. Just because you break up with your boyfriend or girlfriend and this hurts them doesn’t mean the pain you caused will bite you three times back. I think that the Gods will understand and not send karma to bite you. But to be Wiccan you have to not try to hurt people, animals, etc. There’s a difference between accidentally bumping into someone and hurting them and stabbing them with a pencil. As long as you really try to be kind and not hurt people, you do, indeed, have the potential to be Wiccan.

Wiccans cast love spells to make people love them.

Heh, yeah. That would be no. Despite the reputation Wiccans have gotten, Wiccans don’t cast love spells to make someone like other people or themselves. Some witches may, but Wiccan witches don’t. Why? Look carefully at the Wiccan Rede and what casting a spell to make someone love you does. The Wiccan Rede says that you can’t hurt anyone in anyway. What does the spell do? It takes away freewill. Taking away freewill is hurtful and isn’t to be done, according to Wicca.

Let me further explain this, though, to take away any confusion. Wiccans don’t cast spells to make people love someone else, but they do, however, cast love spells. These love spells, though, don’t affect freewill. They tend to do things like make you confident enough to ask the person out, attract your "soul mate" to you, let your best qualities shine, etc. They are meant to help love and the Wiccan’s love life without forcing anyone to do anything. There is also a type of magick I myself have not used (for obvious reasons) and that is sex magick. Yes, it does exist and I consider it a form of love magick. I won’t get into things like that here, though. If you want to learn more about those types of magick, do an online search and look for a reliable site.

Wiccans cast curses or hexes on people.

Of all the Wiccans I’ve talked to, not one of them has believed in the concept of "hexes" or "curses." Also, Wiccan rules forbid harmful magick. See Misconception #2 for more info.

Wiccans sacrifice babies/animals/blood/etc.

Really? Because I thought the Wiccan Rede applied to Wiccans.

No, Wiccans don’t sacrifice things. Killing babies and animals isn’t a Wiccan thing to do. As for blood sacrifices, though, it depends. Now, don’t get all scared and try to "hide your veins from the Wiccan" because I said that. Just read on, please. When it comes to blood sacrifices, Wiccans tend to be split. Some Wiccans think that using their own blood in rituals is powerful and helpful. Some think to get the blood, you have to hurt yourself, and that’s "Un-Wiccan." Some even think that you can use menstrual blood (if you’re female) in spells! Here’s my view on it: I personally would never cut or otherwise hurt myself, especially to get blood for something like that. I don’t, however, condemn those that do as "Un-Wiccan," though. If they are comfortable with it, they can go right ahead. I don’t agree with cutting yourself for other reasons, though. In rituals with blood, the practitioner may prick themselves. Cutting more than that, especially for no reason, is against the Wiccan Rede in my opinion, though.

As for using menstrual blood… Well, I probably wouldn’t (I think it’s a little…dirty, if you will), but I realize that blood is powerful and say, "Go ahead!" to any females who use this. It’s naturally collected and made and doesn’t hurt to get (well, if you don’t count cramps), so why not if you’re careful? Like I said, though, I find it a little strange and wouldn’t do it myself. You’ll have to find other places for information on that if you’re interested.

Wiccans are fakes that use tricks to get money.

I won’t deny it, some people use Wicca as a means to get money. I’ll say this, though: if they are tricking people into giving up money, they probably aren’t really Wiccan. It’s true that some people charge money for use of abilities (Tarot readings, etc.) but that’s because Wiccans have expenses, too, just like everyone else. As long as the prices aren’t outrageous, I think it’s fine. Feel free to disagree, though. That’s just my opinion. As for using tricks, like I said, only someone who’s not Wiccan would trick someone with fake "magick."

Another comment on this I’d like to add: some people would say that this isn’t a myth, that Wiccans don’t do real magick because magick is fake. I won’t argue with them. I acknowledge that many people think magick is a joke and totally unreal and they’re allowed to think that. As long as they aren’t harassing people with their opinion, they can have it and say it.

Wiccans only think what they do because they have mental problems and/or are on drugs.

Okay, it’s true that there are some Wiccans that do drugs or have mental problems. But so do people of every other religion. Most Wiccans believe what they do because it’s just what they believe. You don’t have to be crazy or drugged up or anything to believe what Wiccans do.

Wiccans are anti-Christian (a.k.a. Wiccans hate Christians).

I’ll admit it; some Christians may not be a Wiccan’s favorite people. But that usually only applies to extremist and mean Christians, the ones that judge, discriminate, harass, and threaten Wiccans. We as Wiccans don’t really "hate" anyone, especially based on religion. We don’t care what religion you are; as long as you’re a good person, we have the potential to befriend you. Most Wiccans will not hate you or be cruel to you because you’re Christian. This actually leads to me the next misconception, one that people think may "justify" Wiccans not liking Christians:

Many Wiccans/Witches were killed in the Burning Times (the time in history when "witch-hunts" took place and people were burned, hung, etc.).

Although many people, even some Wiccans and Witches, think this is true, it’s reality time. Of all the people killed in the Burning Times, it’s highly unlikely that even one was a real witch. A very, very few may have been Pagan, but probably not. The people killed were just people that were disliked by someone or people that had a knack for using herbs for healing. Real witches probably didn’t even exist in America yet and the only Pagans were most likely just the Native Americans there. As for there being Wiccans, the people that think this need to do more research. Wicca as a religion wasn’t created until the 1950s. It’s based on ancient practices, but there was not such thing as a Wiccan in that time.

How this relates to the 8^th Misconception: those that believe that witches and Wiccans/Pagans were killed in the Burning Times blame current Christians for this. True, some Christians now-a-days may still call you evil if you’re a Witch, Wiccan, or Pagan, but they didn’t do this to any actual Wiccans, Witches, or Pagans back in the day. The argument that they "hurt Wiccans/Witches/Pagans first" can’t be backed by the Burning Times.

There are "Wiccans" out there that are actually *gasp* Fluffy Bunnies!

I had to put my thoughts on the "Fluffy Bunny" in here somewhere. I know that the views on the "fluffy bunny" differ from Wiccan to Wiccan. Some think they’re every real and very annoying, some think they are misguided, and some think they aren’t even real. That’s one aspect that splits the views. The other is if the term should be used or not. Those who like the term use it a lot; some even seem to overuse it. Others don’t like the term and find it offensive. The rest tend to think it’s offensive, but aren’t afraid to utter it every now and again. Personally, I fall into that last category.

Let me explain what a "fluffy bunny" is for those who don’t know. Typically a fluffy bunny Wiccan is one that says they’re Wiccan but don’t actually understand it. Maybe they think it makes them cool, maybe they want to cast bad magick, or maybe it’s to scare people. Sometimes it’s just as simple as they only read one book or one website and think that they are a Wiccan expert. They’re views also tend to be singular; what they say is right and they won’t change. These are the Wiccans that annoy the most other Wiccans because they give the Craft a bad name. I personally think that yelling at all of these poor "Wiccans" isn’t what we should do, though. Yes, I think they do exist, but what help is it to call them stupid or fake? Then again, will sitting back and letting them continue this way help, either? Although it’d be hard, helping them, informing them, is probably the best course of action. If you do, you’ll find out what kind of "fluffy bunny" they are: one that does want to learn Wicca, but hasn’t gotten very far, yet, or one that thinks Wicca is something it’s not. By explaining what’s true and what’s not, but can hopefully try to weed out the truly non-Wiccan ones and help the rest find out if Wicca is for them – or not.

There are many other sites with info on the "fluffy bunny." All of them will have a different opinion on the little critters, so read all you can and then make an informed choice as to what you think of them.

Ignorance, harassment and disagreeing.

I was told by another person that knows about this website that I should include this part. It’s an important part, so please do read it. In this conclusion, I want to show the difference between people who are ignorant of what Wicca is, people that are harassing you, and people who just disagree with Wicca. It’s true: Wiccans and Pagans are harassed and discriminated against all the time. There are many religious people out there that think Wicca is wrong. But Wiccans must realize that we cannot be angry with all of them. Here are the three types of people who tend not to like Wicca and why what they say should or should not bother a Wiccan.