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Wiccans, as followers of Wicca are now commonly known, typically worship a

Goddess (traditionally the Triple Goddess) and a God (traditionally the

Horned God), who are sometimes represented as being a part of a greater

pantheistic Godhead, and as manifesting themselves as various polytheistic

deities. Other characteristics of Wicca include the ritual use of magic, a

basic code of morality, and the celebration of eight seasonally based

festivals. Although Wiccan views on theology vary, the vast majority of

Wiccans venerate a Goddess and a God. These are variously understood through

the frameworks of pantheism (as being dual aspects of a single godhead),

duotheism (as being two polar opposites) or polytheism (being composed of

many lesser deities). In some pantheistic and duotheistic conceptions,

deities from diverse cultures may be seen as aspects of the Goddess or God.

Traditionally the God is viewed as a Horned God, associated with nature,

wilderness, sexuality and hunting. He is also the Sun God. The Goddess is

usually portrayed as a Triple Goddess with aspects of 'Maiden', 'Mother' and

'Crone', but she is often just the Moon Goddess. Secondarily, the God is also

sometimes viewed in a triple form (possibly in a reflective religious homage

to the triple Goddess, referencing their complementary polarity) that being

the aspects of 'Son', 'Father' and 'Sage'. Wiccans believe that all gods are

one god, and all goddesses are one goddess. There is also a being called

Dryghten, who is higher than both the God and Goddess, and is unknowable.

Dryghten is the godhead. Wicca is essentially an immanent religion, and for

some Wiccans, this idea also involves elements of animism. A key belief in

Wicca is that the Goddess and the God (or the goddesses and gods) are able to

manifest in personal form, most importantly through the bodies of Priestesses

and Priests via the rituals of Drawing down the Moon or Drawing down the Sun.

Reincarnation is a common belief amongst Wiccans. A popular saying amongst

Wiccans is "once a witch, always a witch", indicating that Wiccans are the

reincarnation of earlier witches. Wiccan morality is largely based on the

Wiccan Rede, which states "an it harm none, do what ye will". This is usually

interpreted as a declaration of the freedom to act, along with the necessity

of taking responsibility for what follows from one's actions and minimising

harm to oneself and others. Another common element of Wiccan morality is the

Law of Threefold Return which holds that whatever benevolent or malevolent

actions a person performs will return to that person with triple force,

similar to the eastern idea of karma. Wiccans believe in the five classical

elements, although unlike in ancient Greece, they are seen as symbolic as

opposed to literal; that is, they are representations of the phases of

matter. These five elements are invoked during many magical rituals, notably

when consecrating a magic circle. The five elements are: Air, Fire, Water and

Earth, plus Aether (or Spirit), which unites the other four. Common tools in

the Wiccan practice include a special set of magical tools. These usually

include a knife called an athame, a wand, a pentacle and a chalice, but other

tools include a broomstick known as a besom, a cauldron, candles, incense and

a curved blade known as a boline. An altar is usually present in the circle,

on which ritual tools are placed and representations of the God and the

Goddess may be displayed. Before entering the circle, some traditions fast

for the day, and/or ritually bathe. After a ritual has finished, the God,

Goddess and Guardians are thanked and the circle is closed. The Wheel of the

Year is a Wiccan and Neopagan term for the annual cycle of the Earth's

seasons. It consists of eight festivals, spaced at approximately even

intervals throughout the year. These festivals are referred to by Wiccans as

Sabbats. Lughnasadh was one of the four main festivals of the medieval Irish

calendar: Imbolc at the beginning of February, Beltaine on the first of May,

Lughnasadh in August and Samhain on the first of November. One early

Continental Celtic calendar was based on the lunar, solar, and vegetative

cycles -- and the precession of the equinoxes -- so the actual calendar date

in ancient times may have varied.

The 8 Sabbats:
--- Samhain, Halloween, festival of the dead
--- Yule, Mother's night, winter solstice, Christmas, the wild hunt
--- Imbolc, bride's day, Brigit's fire, healing and poetry
--- Eostre, spring equinox, Easter, tree festival
--- Beltane, May Day, sabbat in the month of May
--- Midsummer, Litha, summer solstice
--- Lughnasadh, bread harvest, first fruit harvest
--- Mabon, autumn equinox, wine harvest, fruit harvest

I noticed alot (almost entirely) of your post is copied directly from Wikipedia.com/wicca, are you trying to tell us something? Still this is my input, but from a more directly related point of view.

I would not put it as traditionally, as much as it is simply popularity, despite the many books and resources saying Wiccans tend to base their beliefs around dieties -I for one, know on a personal basis (having wiccan friends and being somewhat wiccan in the past) that having a diety is not a necessity and definitely not the ones you mentioned.

It is easier to borrow resources from a diety sure, granted whether your workings become successful or not becomes to their whims and fancies, not to mention your intentions. There are many others who rather work with either other witches or their own power, not tying themselves to some external subject or influence. In a sense, being more natural this way as it is done with our own abilities to shape the world.

I found more sucess when I relied on myself in the past, though I was never considered a true blue wiccan as I did not walk their entire path, choosing to pursue other goals and did not agree with some parts of their philosophy, and it might seem untraditional to you but before gods and spirits were found, people worked using their own hands with no help ...working without these things might be more traditional than you think.

Nonetheless, I respect the decisions of witches who still would prefer to work with non-human entities to moral means.

On a different subject, what is the goal of this intruiging but perculiar thread?

I think (keyword) the goal of this thread is to show Wicca as being one of the oldest, and purest belief systems, if not the oldest religion in the world. Although there are many different belief systems that Wiccans practice, I've found that the universal belief in a Mother Earth Goddess dates back roughly 30,000 years ago, and may even pre-date human existence beyond that. It's unknown whether or not neanderthals practiced religion, but if they did, I'm sure it would be somewhat on the "shamanic" borderlines of Wicca.

Wicca is a fairly new concept, when compared to the Pagan origins from which it came. However, I'm not seeing very much to suggest a big change in Pagan beliefs or practices. For example, many Wiccans still believe in a universal Moon Goddess, sometimes called Selene, which is actually a Greek transition of the nameless lunar deity from ancient prehistoric times. Many Wiccans also practice a form of Witchcraft dealing with the five basic elements, which I believe stems from an ancient forgotten "shamanic" cave ritual.

Perhaps what I find most interesting, and one of the reasons I've chosen Wicca for study, is the existence of eight Sabbat days or festivals. Wiccans celebrate Halloween, they celebrate Easter and Christmas, and other Pagan hollidays. Wiccans celebrate the winter solstice, the summer solstice, and the spring equinox. This to me shows that they know astronomy, and how the seasons change. They have a tree festival, a bread festival, a fruit festival, a wine festival. This is all very fascinating to me, because it shows a higher intellect and greater understanding of harvests and seasonal change. This too might come from an earlier prehistoric observation of weather and whatnot. If so, then this shows that ancient European cavemen were a lot more intelligent than we previously thought.