What is Wicca?
Wicca is a neo-pagan religion that holds, at its core, a strong belief in the divinity of nature. It recognizes the divine nature as being female (The Goddess) and male (The God).

Wicca was developed in the early part of the 20th century, primarily by Gerald Gardner. Wicca is not an "ancient" religion, but it is based upon many of the ancient pagan beliefs held centuries ago.

All Wiccans are pagans, but not all pagans are Wiccan.

What is a witch?
A witch is someone (male or female) who practices magic. Magic is manipulating the powers of nature (energies) to achieve needed results. Wiccans believe that we can connect with the energy of nature, through the Goddess and the God, to make changes and influence events. Wiccans practice magic as a part of our religious ceremonies - although not all Wiccans are witches.

What's up with the pentagram...do Wiccans worship the devil?
The "devil" is a Christian concept and plays no role in Wicca. The pentagram (five-pointed star) and the pentacle (pentagram enclosed by a circle) are important symbols in Wicca. They represent the four elements (Earth, Water, Air and Fire) plus the fifth element - Spirit. Wiccan pentagrams are oriented with one of the point facing up...Satanists use the pentagram facing downward.

So what are the "rules" of Wicca?
Although there are many variations of Wicca, all Wiccans subscribe to a core set of beliefs that help define us. The overriding principal of Wiccan life, which can be found in a verse called the Wiccan Rede, says "An it harm none, do as ye will". Some non-Wiccans interpret that to mean "do whatever you want"...but that's too simplistic. The "harm none" restriction places some strict limitations on Wiccans.

Here are some other fundamental Wiccan beliefs:*
- The Goddess and God are revered. This is central to Wiccan thought.
- Wiccans believe that the human soul is reincarnated, allowing us to grow and learn in each incarnation.
- Power can be sent to affect the world in positive ways -- this is magic.
- What goes around, comes around. The energy and deeds you send out - both good and bad - return to the sender three-fold.
- Every religion is right to the person who follows it. Wicca isn't "better" than Christianity or other religions. Wiccans are not evangelical -- we have no need to convert others to our way of believing.
* Borrowed from Scott Cunningham's book, Living Wicca

So how many different Goddesses and Gods are there?
The answer is, "it depends". Some Wiccans choose to worship the Goddess and the God in an abstract form. Others communicate with them through manifestations of other ancient gods. Celtic, Greek and Norse pantheons are very prevalent in Wicca. Whatever concept of deity a Wiccan uses, it all revolves around the idea that the divine nature of the Universe is both male and female.