Different sections of Wicca?

[Aakosir]

I was just reading a post from Charcoal Kitten and she was considering Wicca. The replies said that Wicca is very sexually based. I have been reading about Wicca and I have not found anything in my books about it being sexual. I have read about a few rituals where they jump over fires to increase fertility, but I haven't come across anything that would require 18+. I'll tell you the book I have. Wicca for Beginners; Fundamentals of Philosophy and Practice, by Thea Sabin. Is this wrong? Or is it just misleading?  

[Cranium Squirrel]

I'd like to see the author's lineage first. She claims status as a high priestess in a Brit Trad coven somewhere in the Pacific northwest, and I'd like to know from which trad she hails and where it traces to. 3nodding But that's me.

Also, she may be an oathbreaker if this book has as much as some of the summaries online claim it does in it - mysteries are mysteries for a reason, after all, and those who share them with the uninitiated get a free trip to - of all places - the Christian hell.  

[Violet Song jat Shariff]

Aakosir

I was just reading a post from Charcoal Kitten and she was considering Wicca. The replies said that Wicca is very sexually based. I have been reading about Wicca and I have not found anything in my books about it being sexual. I have read about a few rituals where they jump over fires to increase fertility, but I haven't come across anything that would require 18+. I'll tell you the book I have. Wicca for Beginners; Fundamentals of Philosophy and Practice, by Thea Sabin. Is this wrong? Or is it just misleading?

First question you should probably ask, is what kind of authority does Sabin have on the topic? Is she an initiated Wiccan? Or is she just familiar with Outer Court information and uses it to build her own eclectic path from it?  

[Cranium Squirrel]

Violet Song jat Shariff

First question you should probably ask, is what kind of authority does Sabin have on the topic? Is she an initiated Wiccan? Or is she just familiar with Outer Court information and uses it to build her own eclectic path from it?

She claims High Priestess status in a BTW coven, which her husband is HP for. Hence my asking for trad name and lineage for her - I've heard that claim made before by other authors (or similar claims) only to see it unravel on inspection. 3nodding  

[TeaDidikai]

Byaggha

I'd like to see the author's lineage first. She claims status as a high priestess in a Brit Trad coven somewhere in the Pacific northwest, and I'd like to know from which trad she hails and where it traces to. 3nodding But that's me.

Just for context- there are lineaged groups that do not hold to Scorplett's position on the term Wicca, and there seem to be a lot of them in the Pacific NW.  

[Cranium Squirrel]

TeaDidikai

Just for context- there are lineaged groups that do not hold to Scorplett's position on the term Wicca, and there seem to be a lot of them in the Pacific NW.

Mm, that is a point, but it doesn't make me any less curious. xd And I would still like to know which group it is, as that may make a difference on the information's quality.

Too much time in M&R.  

[Aakosir]

So you think this person just kind of created their own coven, not really relating to the original Wicca?  

[aoijea23487]

Thea Sabin is a 3rd Degree Gardnerian HPS based in the Seattle area. I am actually going to attend a party of hers, where I will meet her, so I can ask her if you like. I also know one of her first degree coveners personally (he was initiated by her); he helps out a bunch in my Outer Court training. They're legit and vouched for.

My HP is a 3rd Degree Gardnerian. He is legit. Yet, he does not hold the usual M&R or A&J stance on what is Wicca and what is not. He says he was a solitary Wiccan before he was initiated. Not all BTWs think the same on the "what is Wicca and what is not" debate. He considers me Wiccan. I disagree, but I have not pressed the issue.

As for the book, I own a copy. I think that it's a really valuable book because it goes into detail about the importance of meditation, visualization, grounding, centering, etc., which are invaluable skills that other "Wicca 101" books gloss over. I have basically ignored the rest of it, but I think it's a great book if you're interested in becoming initiated or starting your own Wicca-inspired neopagan path.

Deborah Lipp is another famous Wiccan author. She is a 3rd degree Gardnerian, also. I picked up her book called "The Study of Witchcraft," which, along with her other books, is excellent. In it, she labels some things "Radical Wicca" (stuff like "Dianic Wicca") and "Eclectic Wicca." She says that one of the things that "Traditional Wiccans" can learn from "Eclectic Wiccans" is that the Lord and Lady are available to all.

This may be a matter of her UPG. As Wicca is orthopraxic and not orthodoxic, the UPG of initiated Trad Wiccans differs. Her UPG could say that the Lord and Lady are not exclusive, while other UPG says they are. I honestly won't know for sure until I'm initiated and I experience the Mysteries for myself, but I lean heavily toward the M&R stance that the only Wiccans are BTWs.

My advice is to do your own research and do it well. Formulate your own stance.  

[aoijea23487]

Byaggha

Also, she may be an oathbreaker if this book has as much as some of the summaries online claim it does in it - mysteries are mysteries for a reason, after all, and those who share them with the uninitiated get a free trip to - of all places - the Christian hell.

It's extremely difficult to share a mystery, as they are experiential in nature and cannot be "penned down" or verbally articulated. The practices that set one up for experiencing a Wiccan mystery, however, are oathbound, and revealing those is what makes you an oathbreaker in this context. She does not reveal those practices in her book.  

[Cranium Squirrel]

Illiezeulette

It's extremely difficult to share a mystery, as they are experiential in nature and cannot be "penned down" or verbally articulated. The practices that set one up for experiencing a Wiccan mystery, however, are oathbound, and revealing those is what makes you an oathbreaker in this context. She does not reveal those practices in her book.

Cool, thanks. Just wanted to make sure that was covered, at minimum, because that's kinda a big deal. 3nodding Appreciate it!

Hm. And thanks for pointing out the mysteries thing - I'm going to have to reword that in future, if it comes up. biggrin  

[aoijea23487]

Byaggha

Cool, thanks. Just wanted to make sure that was covered, at minimum, because that's kinda a big deal. 3nodding Appreciate it!

Hm. And thanks for pointing out the mysteries thing - I'm going to have to reword that in future, if it comes up. biggrin

The difference between the actual mystery itself and the rite that sets you up for a mystery is a minute but important detail. 3nodding  

[Cranium Squirrel]

Illiezeulette

The difference between the actual mystery itself and the rite that sets you up for a mystery is a minute but important detail. 3nodding

True, true. 3nodding

Still, I've always been leery about being told 'this is the REAL RITUAL OF WICCA PEOPLES WHEN THEY INITIATES!', mainly because I feel it's a bit close to Oathbreaking for my tastes. I might just be really, really nuts about that kind of thing though. Especially given I don't know the exact perameters of what Oathbreaking is, being an outsider to it and never having been told what is and isn't cool to talk about aside from asking lineaged people and waiting until I hit the one question they refused to answer and backing off. xd  

[Bastemhet]

Illiezeulette

It's extremely difficult to share a mystery, as they are experiential in nature and cannot be "penned down" or verbally articulated.

Is this your personal opinion or are you commenting on the nature of mysteries itself?  

[maenad nuri]

Sophist

Illiezeulette

It's extremely difficult to share a mystery, as they are experiential in nature and cannot be "penned down" or verbally articulated.

Is this your personal opinion or are you commenting on the nature of mysteries itself?

If it's personal, it's a very shared opinion. I'd say its a comment on the nature.  

[aoijea23487]

maenad nuri

Sophist

Illiezeulette

It's extremely difficult to share a mystery, as they are experiential in nature and cannot be "penned down" or verbally articulated.

Is this your personal opinion or are you commenting on the nature of mysteries itself?

If it's personal, it's a very shared opinion. I'd say its a comment on the nature.

To my knowledge, it is a direct comment on the nature of the Wiccan Mysteries. Perhaps not for all Mysteries of all religious traditions, but certainly for Wicca.