Danielle Stemen Prof. Presnell Engl. 1103 13 Mar.

2013 Wicca Proposal Inquiry question: What are the beliefs of Wiccans and why is this type of spirituality depicted as satanic by the public? Primary purpose: To explore I will be exploring the different aspects that make up a Wiccanis it a religion, a way of life I am not really sure exactly what it means to be Wiccan. Do these people actually consider themselves to be witches? Where did the beliefs originate from? How have they progressed over time? They are usually portrayed as very evil and dark in movies/books/pop culture, which has always attracted me to the topic. I am drawn to potions and spells and magic and scary things. However, when meeting an actual Wiccan in public, many seem to be very kind and very normal people. I will probably focus on revealing that practicing Wicca does not automatically make you a worshipper of Satan or an evil person. I will explore why pop culture tries to make Wiccans seem evil, when their religion focuses on the exact opposite. Prior beliefs, assumptions, stereotypes: The stereotypes of Wiccans are precisely what I will be exploring. Like I said, I have always assumed that these witches, so to speak, are malicious, satanic beings. When I think of a Wiccan, I immediately think of a scene in the movie Baby Mama. Couples and their surrogate mothers are in a counseling meeting. One of the couples surrogates happens to be Wiccan. Dressed head to toe in black, wearing dark lipstick, dark hair (very stylish, I might add), the girl wears a blank expression throughout the whole scene. People around her seem uneasy and frightened by her, and while it is very amusing, I have always been skeptical. I am not really sure if all Wiccans are so dark. Then again, I could be completely wrong. I think one factor may be dark peoples attraction to Wicca, making it fashionable or interesting to take it up, and that may be why so many Wiccans act that certain way. I dont really know. I know that Wiccans have stores, pagan shops, etc. I think I could find some people rummaging around those kinds of stores that I could interview/get to know, in order to get a better, more personal understanding of the subject. I would love to learn about the practices, beliefs they have. Do they actually worship Satan or do some still believe in a god? It would be extremely interesting to find out.

Working knowledge: When I searched the term Wicca, many articles appeared, containing information about the subject. Straight away, I learned that Wiccans are actually not satanic at all. From http://www.wicca.org, I found that Wiccans actually have their own church and school. When digging through the site a bit more, I found the specific definition of a Wiccan: Wicca is a new religion that emphasizes growth through harmony in diversity, knowledge, wisdom, and exploration. I also found that Wiccans are working hard to have green spaces in cities reserved for worship purposes. It seems to me that Wiccans actually arent as evil as they are portrayed in pop culture. They live by the quote, If it harm none, do what you will. So, any spell or ritual they perform is fine, really, as long as their intent is not harmful. When doing a quick research about the topic, I find myself to be more intrigued than I was before knowing anything about it. The language Wiccans use is just beautiful: Bide the Wiccan Laws we must In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust. Live and let live. Fairly take and fairly give. Cast the Circle thrice about To keep the evil spirits out. To bind the spell every time Let the spell be spake in rhyme. Soft of eye and light of touch, Speak little, listen much. Deosil go by the waxing moon, Chanting out the Witches' Rune. Widdershins go by the waning moon, Chanting out the baneful rune. When the Lady's moon is new, Kiss the hand to her, times two. When the moon rides at her peak, Then your heart's desire seek, Heed the North wind's mighty gale, Lock the door and drop the sail. When the wind comes from the South, Love will kiss thee on the mouth Just reading this short excerpt of beliefs Wiccans stand by just blew me away. Although they are in fact witches, and witches are known to be evil creatures, this poem seems to say quite the opposite. I would love to explore the metaphors, find out exactly what these witches believe. My findings from this quick research sort of showed that Wiccans actually stands for peace, harmony and positivity. So what I want to learn more about it the history of Wiccans, their

current role in society, what they actually believe, and why they are portrayed as evil when they stand for exactly the opposite.

If I have to narrow: I will narrow to finding out the reasons why a positive religion is portrayed as an evil, satanic one. If I have to broaden: I will broaden to looking at all of the beliefs Wiccans hold.