Moving away from Wicca...

[Iris]

Has anyone else noticed this trend amongst pagans...namely, that a lot of pagans start out from having an interest in Wicca and then progress to non-Wiccan paths? Why do you guys think this is? Is it to do with the volume of available information on Wicca as opposed to other types of paganism (the first book I ever had was "Wicca: a guide for the solitary practitioner"...go figure). Is it just that people are perhaps uneasy at first about experimenting outside of clear guidelines (the rede etc)?

Personally I started out being mainly interested in Wicca but have lately been investigating all kinds of different paths. I still follow the rede and think I probably always will, but I have ceased to call myself Wiccan, and I'm now looking into other ways of doing ritual etc (that whole "I call on the guardians of the watchtowers... :lol: just isn't me...)

Thoughts, people? :)

[Faery-Wings]

I know that I started out studying the Wiccan Path. I think that this because of the amount of information readiily available out there is a big draw. There is also a comfort level in it, knowing that is more well know, and more accepted than some of the others. Also as a newbie, I think it is a bit disconcerting and difficult to be able to create a path completely your own, or follow one less known. Additionally, I think on the surface, Wicca has a lot to offer and has a lot of philosophies that people will say, "Wow that is how Ifeel." But as they delve deeper into their studies, more comes out that they perhaps disagree with, and then have the confidence to shed what they dislike. After a while, these people realize that they are no loger practicing Wicca, but rather a religion of thier own.

Of course, this is referring maining to those who end up on an Eclectic path, rather than one who ends up in Druidry, or as a Reacon, or Heathen.

[*Cerridwen*]

definitely, most of the informatioon out there is geared towards Wicca, if you look more closely there is information on many other paths but, I agree that most people possibly start off with Wicca...

[misschief]

i think in my case, it's just because we (meaning the people i know personally), are growing up... and for us, wicca was umm... fluffy. not saying it's fluffy period. but for us it was... as we grow and mature, we leave wicca behind us and go to other paths that are more practical for us.

[~*Ginger*~]

I think that we all have a desire to reach the place where we feel comfortable, knowing that we can be the best we can be.
That our heart, mind and feet lead us to that place, and it seems normal to me, that there are many paths that we walk upon that lead us to that place.

[mothwench]

Is it to do with the volume of availbale information on Wicca as opposed to other types of paganism
:uhhuhuh: yes.
Is it just that people are perhaps uneasy at first about experimenting outside of clear guidelines (the rede etc)?
:noway: no.

(of course i can only speak for myself, but i think that's pretty much the reason.)

[Morr]

i started out in Wicca..
I was a Celtic Wiccan for about 5 years... then I moved up & on to Celtic Reconstructionism.
I guess things just change.

[Lai]

I've noticed that too.. and it also happens to hold true for me. I had no idea this stuff was out there until my best friend became obsessed with Wicca and told all of us all about it. I was wary, and never really became Wiccan because it seemed like a hype rather than religion, but it was thanks to Wicca that I've found out that there's more out here than I can imagine.

[Fideal]

I was Wiccan for about three months before I realized I didn't believe most of it, and moved towards tradional folk witchcraft path. Soon afterwards, I learned about Irish Celtic Reconstruction and just jumped right into it, because it was just...me.

I think people start out Wiccan even if they don't really believe in it because its the easiest to get information on. Once a person learns about other paths, they realize if what they believe isn't right for them, and move on.

[-Sky-]

That's so true!I started with Wicca and I am still wiccan,I think I will always have the main wiccan beliefs in me.It's that when I started I was mainly just wiccan,now I started exploring other traditions too.

~Anna

[{Tigress}]

For me it was the first Pagan religion I was introduced to. I met Wiccan friends, so naturally, when I decided Paganism was for me, I switched to Wicca. Then, as I grew spiritually, I also grew in confidence and realized that it was okay to form my own set of beliefs. I still "think Wiccan" in many ways, and still respect a lot of what I learned, but my Path has led me to knew and different Truths now.

[Gede]

MM!~
Wicca is the most accessible and dare I say 'mainstream' tradition of Paganism, and therefore it is often the door to the world of Magick, so to speak. It does offer a sense of comfort in that its central tenet expresses that we are individuals with a will of our own, but should work to bring no harm to others and ourself, which immediately allows an individual to feel justified in feeling an affinity with a religion that is popularly associated with Satanists.

I identified as Wiccan for the first year or two, much like everyone else here, and then I realised that I wasn't following Wicca and yet I knew that I'm Pagan. I think it's mainly because newbies aren't entirely sure of what it is to be Wiccan and think that the term is simply a broad and open term relating to anything remotely Magickal or Witchy, therefore they adopt it with great enthusiasm. But that's not to say that everyone who is Wiccan will drop it to find something more, there are many that are truly spiritually aware in that system.

Namaste, Gede...

[CleftOfLight]

I was never interested in Wicca,I read about wicca after the fact.I guess people move on from wicca because its kinda blah,and a little bit cheesy.but if it helps you out then use it by all means.

[CleftOfLight]

another resonwhy I think people move on from wicca is beause theres no magick there,or barely any.And its a hint of paganism.So naturally if you are interestedin magick or paganism you will move on to something less lacking.

[Nephthys]

I personally never gave myself a name such as 'wiccan' or anything. But I did however start out with learning about Wicca. At first it seemed like it was completely right for me, but later on I learned that it wasn't. I've found things that I don't quite agree with.

I think people start with calling themselves Wiccan and then move on because Wicca is quite well know at the moment. If you want to know something about it you can easily find information.

[Iris]

Ah no...scary Frank rabbit avatar thing...*hides from creepy pic*

Ahem. My posts are so profound. :D

:lol:

[AterCorax]

"Wicca is something you grow out of."

Joke, but I've found it to be true for quite a few people, including myself.

-Ater

[Leander]

Whoa - what's the probability of this thread having more incredible timing...not much I think. I started out in Wicca, but I am looking for another path. I'm not quite sure why, but I have an incling that it is because of the sheer amount of stuff there is about it. I always like finding out things, but not all at once...I like a challenge in finding out things. Has anyone got a suggestion for a different path for me?

[{Tigress}]

Whoa - what's the probability of this thread having more incredible timing...not much I think. I started out in Wicca, but I am looking for another path. I'm not quite sure why, but I have an incling that it is because of the sheer amount of stuff there is about it. I always like finding out things, but not all at once...I like a challenge in finding out things. Has anyone got a suggestion for a different path for me?

You need to figure out what you like and don't like about Wicca, make a list, and then if you still want help with ideas for new paths, make a new thread with your list and get suggestions from other members. With an infinite number of Paths available to you, it's impossible to make suggestions without knowing what you're interested in or where you feel you're being pulled. You wanted a challange... you've got one already. :)

[WhiteDragon]

I started out as Wiccan. But as I got to reading the reede and all that stuff. I was way turned off lol.
I just don't feel comfy following something like that.
I really don't follow any path I just kinda pick and choose for what I need at the time.
I do believe in the Goddess, and my matron is Bast. But beyond that, I just find what I need as I go along lol. Don't get me wrong, I do have a set of beliefs, and a set of my own rules and ways. But if I am doing something for the first time, say a new ritual/spell, I look up and take what I think would be the most comfy for me. Or just make it up as I go along kinda. ^..^

[Iris]

Whoa - what's the probability of this thread having more incredible timing...not much I think. I started out in Wicca, but I am looking for another path. I'm not quite sure why, but I have an incling that it is because of the sheer amount of stuff there is about it. I always like finding out things, but not all at once...I like a challenge in finding out things. Has anyone got a suggestion for a different path for me?

Hey Leander! You're in a similar position to me I guess...the Wiccan method of doing things just doesn't sit right anymore, so I'm kinda searching for an alternative. Anyway, this page on Witchvox (http://www.witchvox.com/xtrads.html) might be a good resource for you. It has info about all kinds of different traditions.

Happy seeking! :)

[bshore]

I tend to keep circling arround Wicca, mostly because of the ammount of info. Wicca seems kind of cheesy sometimes, especially looking at some of the pictures in the Farrar and Adler books, but I do identify with the basic principles of their teachings: mother and father as Godhead, respect nature, do magic if you want.

I find that once I get into a fixed ideology, like the rede and Charge of the Goddess, I get turned off. Kinda like in the movie Dogma, I think it's better to have ideas that strict beliefs.

[Moonstoned]

Well Iris, you probably know this about me already as I have pm'd you too many times lol!

I started with Wicca, got very interested with the Chaos magicians as I am very 'pro' using whatever speaks to the individual in magic. Chaos doesn't use one belief system but borrows what it needs each time. So, if we are talking magic, I'm happy about Chaos.

However, that's all well and good for magic, but it didn't speak to me spiritually. I have looked and read and now find that druidry is apparently my 'home'. I am now learning and think that it is where I belong. What is saying to me is what I believed all these years without having a name for it. I find my house and my life is full of the imagery of druidry, unknown to me (!) and I am very excited at the moment. As I posted in another thread, and as a friend told me, if you sit and listen, you will often hear the clues that have been evading you when you were busy with the day to day stuff. So, I'm a happy bunny! :reading:

[Strawberry Bounce]

I started out studying Wicca & really thought I would commit to that path. Gradually, I moved on. It was the first non Christian religion I learned about, & I dived right in without really evaluatiing what I believed. I needed a label.

[Sephiroth]

i started out studying many different pagan beliefs but i started out as a celtic-wicca and then like six months later i moved on to druidism. :fprtyman4 :fpipesmok :fpeace: :boquet:

[Ben Trismegistus]

I think the deal is that there's a lack of good role models in the Wiccan community at large. A lot of people come to Wicca first because it's the most well known and most accessible neopagan path. Then, once in the Wiccan community, they tend to find nothing but bad books and flaky people, and after a while get turned off by what they perceive Wicca to be.

I came to Wicca differently than most -- I met a community of intelligent, talented, interesting people who helped bring me to the Path, rather than having an interest in Wicca and having to seek out either a community or information. There's a lot more chaff out there than wheat, and therefore it's easy for a seeker to become easily disillusioned with Wicca and search for something they consider to be either more "serious" or more "established".

[Blair]

I think part of it is the availability of info about Wicca. But I also think that it's important stepping stone for many unfamiliar with paganism in general. It opens up other choices that aren't always evident when someone is outside the pagan community. Also some people need a structured environment when they learn something new and I think Wicca has that structure. And of course, you don't know if you like something til you try :)

I truly practiced and believed in Wicca for a few years. It was an important part of my life. I was in a bad point in my life and I needed the guidance it offered, but I didn't just jump at the first religion that fit my problems. I treated it as a serious decision. But as I started to transition from high school to college, my beliefs changed and I found I didn't hold the same exact beliefs. I no longer follow the rede and I don't cast circles. But Wicca was important that it gave me what I needed when I needed it and opened up other possibilities to me.

And to Leander: You might wanna try an eclectic path. You would most likely find endless research to keep you occupied. There are so many paths out there and the beauty of eclectism is you can take what you want and disgard what you don't agree with.

[kaosxmage]

I broke into the pagan paths as a young punk member of LaVey's Satanic Church, then found my way to wicca from there ...I've discovered I'm not the only one who did this, but one of few willing to admit it. I didn't care for the total humanist movement in satanism, and to be honest, it was a rebellious thing. Wicca offered more spirituality and mystery so it was good, for a while. I was quickly disenchanted with the duotheism, the rede, and overall disney feel of it. But it was there and available ...so I played around with it, until I started to stumble on other paths. I abandoned wicca many years ago, and have since been an explorer of many paths, but to be honest, I've crafted my own cosmology and belief structure, and I walk a path without a name. I suppose I could give props to wicca for my first real step on the right track.

Much love, :heybaby:
--Kaos