Wicca practices may seem confusing to those who do not have knowledge or understanding of what it means to be a Wiccan. To a Wiccan, magical and ritual practices are seen as positive, life affirming and celebratory. They do worship the God and Goddess (some traditions worship only the Goddess) and perform certain spells and rituals to keep them in contact with these divine beings.

Wicca practices may be carried out alone or within a group of witches called a coven, this is group of about thirteen witches. No matter how a Wicca chooses to practice there are some practices that almost all Wiccas are involved in. To an outsider these might seem confusing at first. Let’s have a look at some of the things a Wicca does and their significance.

Wicca Practices

Casting or creating the magic circle – The magic circle is used for many different purposed and is one of the most common Wicca practices. The circle may be used to protect Wiccas from harm and tampering by negative forces when doing a spell or ritual. It is seen as having great magical power and by some as a bridge between worlds.

Magical Wicca practices are an important part of Wicca spirituality. Magical practices and divination are cornerstones of Wicca. A variety of techniques are used for these practices for example astrology, astral projection (out-of-body experiences), incantations, mediumship (channeling), necromancy, raising psychic power, sex magic, spell casting, trance states, and many others.

Part and parcel of Wicca practices are the practice and perfection of altered states of consciousness. A wicca might go into a trance state to help him or her achieve greater focus during spells, divination or rituals. During a witches training he or she will be taught how to enter a trance state at will. Chanting, ecstatic dancing, hypnosis, meditation, rituals, even sex magic and drugs are used in many circles to achieve this altered state.

Wicca practices like “Sex Magic” are sometimes controversial. Sex magic is the use of sexual intercourse (actual or symbolic) to help in spell casting or rituals. Wiccas believe that its use creates greater power during a magical rite. Trance states like “drawing down the moon”, the Goddess, or “drawing down the sun” the Horned God are very important to a Wicca. This is when a Goddess or God enters and possesses a priestess or priest respectively during a ritual.

Wicca practices do not ever include Satanic worship. In fact according to their beliefs Satan does not actually exist. They do not view the world or people as evil. Likewise there are no amimal (or human!) sacrifices made to Gods and Goddesses as many people mistakenly believe. Most Wiccan practices involve celebration of natural cycles or “Sabbats” or spells and rituals for protection and healing.

Wicca practices like Tarot, rune reading or using the I-Ching are not seen as foretelling the future but rather communing with God and Goddess to provide guidance and clues as to what the future might bring for an individual. While many Wiccas practice divination they do not believe they have the ability to “see” into the future.