| Advanced Wicca |
| Lets say you’ve been studying for a few years. You do rituals, can work successful magic, celebrate the sabbats, and know all the basics of Wicca. You start to think you want some information on Advanced Wicca. Well folks, I'm sorry to say that there are no mysterious rituals or knowledge that you will learn if only you could get ahold of someone who could teach you these 'advanced' practices! One thing a lot of Wiccans complain about is that there are no advanced texts on Wicca. The truth is, Wicca has basic practices and basic ways to do things. There are really no advanced ways to practice, no hidden rituals and practices that are waiting to be revealed. This can be frustrating when you come to a point in your practice and wonder “Ok, now what?” So, let me give a few suggestions on some advanced Wicca. You’ll notice a lot of these things are not directly related to Wicca but tie in closely. Wicca is a progressive path. You start off learning the basics, then as you grow and learn more, you start to branch off into other areas, that ultimatly link right back to Wicca in one way or another. Hopefully you will grow, mature and soak up all kinds of information whils on this path. Naturally you will want to explore more. 1. First I would suggest learning who the key players in Wicca were and are, and their significance in Wicca - Gerald Gardner, Doreen Valiente, Charles Leland, Alister Crowley, Alex Sanders, Starhawk, The Frosts, Lady Sheba, The Farrars, Scott Cunningham, and any other significant author, High Priest or Priestess, or other leader in the Wiccan community. Read about what they have contributed, what they have given to the Pagan community. Read about their form of Wicca and how they practiced. Some Wiccans know the basics about some of these people, but dive deeper. By learning about others, you can see how they practice and maybe be inspired by them and what they teach. 2. Read about Wiccan history. I think its very fascinating to learn how Wicca was started and who helped it along the way. Read about Gerald Gardner and where he got his ideas from. He was inspired by people like Alister Crowley, Margaret Murray, Charles Leland, Ceremonial magic, The Golden Dawn and other such groups and people. Its neat to see how the leaders interacted with each other through the last 60 years or so. 3. Read about pagan history. Go to the library and pick up some books on Ancient Rome, Greece, Britain, Egypt and other civilizations. Learn how they lived, what they practiced, how they practiced and how they interacted with other peoples. When we learn about our past we can apply it to our future. Also read about the religions in Britain. When reading about ancient pagan practices and history you can come up with your own opinions on things like: whether you believe there is a long line on hereditary witches since hundreds of years ago, whether there really were groups of witches before Gardner and whether he was initiated into such a coven. There are many things in the history of paganism that we just don’t know about because of lack of evidence, so go out there and read about it as much as you can. Then you will have at least a bit of knowledge on our origins and can apply it to what you practice today. 4. Read myths and folk lore. A lot of what Wicca was based on was folk lore. It was taken from what the ancients used to practice and believe. Also read about various myths and legends from cultures around the world. You will learn about different Gods and Goddesses and can take from those myths and folk lore and apply them to your practice. It would be very valuable if you were aware of the various Gods that you called upon in ritual, surely you wouldn't call on one without knowing all about them! 5. Join a group or coven. If you have been practicing by yourself, you have a certain way of doing things. If you were to join a coven or a group you would learn new ways of doing things. Maybe they have different beliefs. Maybe they do rituals differently. It will be a good learning experience to work with others and learn how to successfully make magic with others. When you join a group you interact with others. Its only natural for people of like-mind to flock to each other and when this is done, you can ask questions and hear other opinions. 6. Learn about other traditions. If you’re, for example, a Dianic witch, then read about Gardnerian Wicca, or Seax Wica. Its always interesting to learn about other traditions. Often times they have different beliefs, practices, myths and deities. Its neat to compare and contrast the various ones. Also, read about different ways of doing magic. Maybe your interested in Cabbala, Chaos magic or Ceremonial Magic. If so, read about it, practice it and see what happens. 7. Read, read, read! I don’t care what the material is, whether its about Wicca, history, philosophy, anthropology, psychology, paganism, magic, or whatever. You will be surprised what you can learn about yourself and your beliefs and practices when you read about various subjects. Don't just run over to the Metaphysical or New Age sections at the bookstore, take a look at the history and social sciences section as well. 8. Practice other things. Learn how to use a specificdivination tool and master it, work with herbs or crystals, make crafts related to paganism, work with the aura or do anything related. Plant a garden, grow your own herbs or vegetables, join an environmental group, recycle your cans, bottles, plastic and paper, get into politics and work to spread awareness of Wicca and Paganism - elect people who care for the same things you do and will work to get them. 9. Interact with nature! This is probably the most important thing out of everything I have mentioned! You're a Pagan for God's sake, get out there and act like one, lol! There are numerous ways to enhance your practice. Don’t just look to Wicca directly. You will need to break away from that, pick up some other ideas then go back and fit things together. Wicca is about experiences and feelings as well as practice. You can learn so much about your beliefs and religion by learning about other things. |
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