by Rev. Hyperion

Created on: January 16, 2007   Last Updated: May 11, 2007

Wicca has stormed our culture as a wonderful alternative religion for many. It gives women equal footing with men, recognizes the divine feminine along with the divine masculine, celebrates the enjoyment of life's pleasures, recognizes sex as a worshipful act, offers a connection with the earth and her seasons and gives its followers an understanding of the cycles of life, death and rebirth. But Wicca, like many other religions out there, is only as profound as the follower's desire for it to be profound.

One of the greatest blessings for Wicca was the flood of cheap books (primarily motivated by the publisher Llewellyn) which brought this esoteric religion to the public eye. People interested in different ways to worship the earth and craft magic were finally able to put a name to the spiritual tenets they already held in their hearts. The common person could easily find an entire section of books offering spells, rituals, explanations about the religion from a myriad of authors at their local Barnes and Noble. It became very easy for anyone to pick up a book on the Craft, perform a self-dedication ritual, hang a pentagram charm from their neck and call themselves a Wiccan without any obligation to a church, authority, or organization.

While this flood of books was certainly a blessing, it was also a bane, for it created the illusion that practicing Wicca mas merely a matter of doing what a book said. Nothing could be further from the mark. This "quick fix" approach to spirituality leads people to become disenchanted with Wicca because just about every book out there is merely a rewriting of the same information over and over again.

Wicca in its original form, involves far more than the current watered-down books contain. It involves deep personal introspection and a constant working on self-improvement. It involves hard work and consistent spiritual exercises to build relationships with the spirits of ancestors, the spirits of plants and nature and with the divine. These relationships are what reveal the mysteries of how the universe works, the true nature of life, and the power that allows a Witch to transform his or her reality. There's far more wisdom in a tree than in a book, and yet many "arm chair occultists" and "full moon Wiccans" never even leave the comfort of their warm, cozy living rooms to venture into nature and see where the real power of the Witch resides. There is an unending well of information in the arms of the ancestors alone, that most Witches never tap. Also, there is the never-ending process of self-improvement, conquering your weaknesses, fostering your strengths and truly coming to know yourself that very few ever bravely take on.

If you truly apply yourself, work your spiritual exercises like regular meditation and trance work, and build the relationships with nature, the Gods and yourself, then you'll truly find that the Craft is one of the most profound religions out there. Sadly, many people simply want an instruction set, or a recipe to follow and never want to make the effort or take on the spiritual journey required of a magical adept in the Craft. In all likelihood, those who think that Wicca isn't deep enough simply haven't ever done any serious studying, research or application to truly plumb the depths that await them.

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