Neopaganism Essays

Pandemonium can dictate a country’s or settlement’s future when not taken under control. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, perfectly illustrates the downsides of pandemonium, but also a real life event. In 1950s America, the Communist Party was sparking outrage and chaos that soon the United States would face a fascist government. Both situations lead to tension in society and people turning their backs against each other. In “Are You Now or Were You Ever?”, also written by Arthur Miller, the

Of all the great heroes in epics and movies alike, each one of them has his or her great traits as well as fatal flaws. Unfortunately, our hero’s fatal flaw is losing faith in God and he loses his life because of that. In the epic Beowulf, many references to Paganism and Christianity are found throughout the tale due to the author’s belief that faith in God assures victory whereas faith in paganism assures defeat. Paganism and Christianity parallel the struggle of holiness and evil throughout the

Throughout the text of Beowulf, the Anglo-Saxons translated their beliefs when they passed this epic tale generation to generation. Loyalty existed as one of the strongest beliefs of the Anglo-Saxons. They believed that loyalty to the authority would lead normal people to greatness and rewards. Another belief expressed in Beowulf was the establishment of the epic hero. These heroes could do more than regular men could, as they defined themselves as strong, loyal, and well known people. While honoring

In all of Paganism, Wicca and Witchcraft, I think the differences between the Pentagram and Pentacle is the cause for the most confusion and has the most misconceptions. It is unfortunate because the Pentacle is probably our most mainstream symbol. It’s the one symbol that I feel anyone would see and would associate with Witchcraft and vice versa. But that same Pentacle, when inverted is the most misconstrued. Pentagram, Pentacle, inverted, not inverted. What’s the same and what’s different? What

Wicca: An inside Look Since the beginning of time, religion has proven its importance amongst mankind with each passing decade. Beginning with a small number of religions, the branches of these religions continue to grow along with the number of religions available. Amongst these new movements is the religion of Wicca; a pagan religion that started a mere fifty years ago. Despite being a new religion, its newfound exposure through various media platforms has sparked new interest in the origin and

There are many different ways that witches have been portrayed throughout history and through different non-fiction works of literature. There are the gross, ugly, green faced, witches that we see during Halloween. There are the witches that were being hunted during European witch hunts during the 15th and 16th century. The burning of witches at the stake during the Salem witch trials of 1692. Witches portrayed in books with magical powers and wands, and finally, the real witches, the men and women

Wiccan symbols are used in spells and rituals. They represent elements of nature such as the Sun, the Moon, the stars and the Divine Spirit. They were used as sacred codes in rituals, ceremonies and worn as jewelry to protect the practitioner. The common misconceptions of people who are misinformed about WitchCraft are that these are symbols of negative forces such as the Devil, which, by the way, is a Christian invention. Wiccans and most other pagans do not believe in the imaginary creature called

The pentacle symbol has been around since the Stone Age. It is amongst the few ancient symbols that are still highly popular today. Over the course of history, it has been used in religion, art, architecture, fashion, and more. However, the meaning and interpretation of this symbol vary significantly. In the Wiccan religion, the five-pointed pentacle symbol signifies the five basic elements of life such as water, air, fire, earth, and the spirit. The circle around the star-shaped figure symbolizes

What do the words Pagan and Wiccan mean? And what is the difference between them? These are questions we have all asked ourselves and been asked when starting our spiritual journey, or when we first started to be interested in magic. The purpose of Wicca is to honor the Lord and Lady, observe turns of the Wheel of the Year, and to pay attention to one’s spirituality. The Wiccan Rede states “An ye harm non, do what ye will.” Wicca is intimately tied to one’s relationship with the divine, by whatever

The Invincible Queen of the Dead “I am the mistress of your charms (Shakespeare, Macbeth). This is a quote from Hecate in the play Macbeth. In the play, Act 3, Scene 5, Hecate is meeting with three other witches; when she says, “I am the mistress of your charms,” she is speaking to her fellow witches whom she is not pleased with (Shakespeare, Macbeth). Hecate was once worshipped by both the Greeks and the Romans. She was worshipped on the nights where no moon was visible. These people worshipped

A Pentacle is a magical tool and has been one of the most powerful symbols in history and was once used by almost all Ancient Cultures. The Pentacle is thought to hold several layers of symbolism, It is thought to be the symbol of life, love, light, unity, wholeness and divine knowledge. The Pentacle has been associated with protection and was used in protection from the evil spirits, demons, and etc. The Pentacle has been shown in a great variety of shapes and symbols that appear in the old magical

The Religion of Wicca originated in the early twentieth century as part of contemporary paganism. It was founded by the “father” of Wicca, Gerald Gardner. Wicca is a form of Paganism, said to have derived from pre modern Europe. Wicca was founded and based on the idea that witches are not followers of Satan, but rather followers of pre-Christians. Today there are various types of Wiccan’s religions. Some Wicca and other contemporary pagan religions practice monotheistic dimensions and others practice

Misunderstood Magic can be real to some people and fictional to others. It could be used to describe a feeling, or it could mean an action. There is a form of magic known as witchcraft. The art of witchcraft can range from simple activities like burning incense for protection to complex and eerie acts like summoning the dead. Society defines those who participate in these types of acts as witches. Witches are sometimes depicted as evil, deceiving, and grotesque hags. This is far from the truth

In America, .03% of Americans reportedly practice New Age Pagan religions, including the Neo-pagan Earth-centered Wiccan religion (PewResearch). Today “witch” and “witchcraft” has over a dozen different meanings. Witches are often depicted in movies, television or books as those who practice fantasy magic like author J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter or the powerful demon fighting witches on the television show Charmed. Christian religions and the Bible often cast witches and witchcraft as evil and associate

Abigail Williams’ Influence Is it okay for a person to lie and hurt other people just to keep him or herself safe? In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, Abigail Williams lies, a lot, to keep herself safe. Throughout the story, many people are accused of witchcraft. When a person is accused of witchcraft, it is very easy for them to get out of the accusation if they lie. The lies that are told shifts the belief of who knows witchcraft,(comma?) and Abigail Williams uses those lies to gain influence

Witchcraft versus Wicca The idea of magic and witchcraft has been around for a long time. Though, what are they exactly? Movies and TV shows such as Harry Potter, Hocus Pocus, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch all embody what is predictably thought of when people hear these words. However, witchcraft is not just found in fiction and superstition. There is a religion created in the early twentieth century known as Wicca, which shares some of the same aspects of stereotypical witchcraft. Though modern

So mote it be means so must it be, or so be it. Mote was a Saxon verb that meant must, so we so one say so mote it e hay are really saying so must it be, and is used as a closing much like the christian amen. "According to Webster 's dictionary, the word mote was originally a Saxon verb which meant "must." It appears back in the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer, who used the line The word mote be cousin to the deed in his prologue to the Canterbury Tales". about.com, author Patti Wigington

The Gods of mythology have many different physical attributes; however, the divine guardians with horns bulging threw their head are said to have immense powers of prophecy. Two of the most famous horned Gods in mythology are Pan and Cernunnos. They are widely categorized as one God known as the “Universal Horned God”, but this theory could not be more false. These are two famous Gods that are completely different because of their actions throughout history. Pan, a Greek god, is most famously

What I Know Before beginning the research process, my knowledge on witchcraft, Wicca, and Paganism was very limited. I gathered that Wiccans practice witchcraft and that Wicca falls under the umbrella of Paganism. I had no knowledge on witchcraft at all. I struggled to discern fact from fiction regarding the practice of witchcraft. Familiar only with caricatures and fictional portrayals of witches and wizards like Hocus Pocus and Harry Potter, I knew not to rely on the inaccurate representations

Witches and Wiccans are commonly mistaken for one another, due to their similar names and practices. The word “witch” comes from the Old English words “wicca” and “wicce”, referring to male and female persons who did witchcraft. What we know as Wicca now is a religion, whereas witchcraft is a spiritual practice. Due to the fact that they are commonly confused (there are sometimes even Wiccans who are confused about the distinction), I stopped calling myself a Wiccan. I have most of the beliefs of