A post to help under stand the meaning of the Wiccan, and Pagan Religion

So I wanted to take a moment to educate everyone about my new design of work I am doing in my new shop.

There is so much controversy about the Wicca and Pagan religion out there today.

Lately while in chat or I will have people come up to me and ask isn’t Witch craft evil, and dark?

Is it worshiping the devil? Is it just me or lately it seems to be a major fad that has started?

Of course there is many varieties of religion out there today, many are misunderstood including the Wicca, and Pagan religion.

Of course you will find some who misuse their powers and practice dark magic.

That is not what it is truly about.

Wicca is earthbound. Representing the God, and Goddess. 

Powered by the 4 basic elements, air, fire, water, and wind, also the 4 corners North, East, South, and West. But did you know that there is also a 5th element that is not always mentioned which is spirit.

White Magic used for good, healing, increasing intuition, and physic abilities. 

White spell casting to help those around you in a positive way, and last but not least protection.

The Wiccan and Pagan Religion dates back before Christianity. Many symbols also relate back to those of the Ruins.

 Many times Gemstones and symbols are used to help us accomplish these positive tasks generating a positive energy that we absorb using our 7 Chakra's. 

The Chakra system has also been used by the Native Americans. They as well preformed magic, and healing powers used for the greater good of their tribes.

According to Native Medicine the chakras are the surface of us. They are Force Centers of Energy of permeating, from a point on the physical body, and the layers of the subtle bodies. 

They are considered the focal points for the reception and transmission of energies.

Anodea Judith (1996: p. 5) provides a modern interpretation of the chakras:

A chakra is believed to be a center of activity that receives, assimilates, and expresses life force energy. The word chakra literally translates as wheel or disk and refers to a spinning sphere of bio energetic activity emanating from the major nerve ganglia branching forward from the spinal column. Generally, six of these wheels are described, stacked in a column of energy that spans from the base of the spine to the middle of the forehead, the seventh lying beyond the physical world. It is the six major chakras that correlate with basic states of consciousness, also called super consciousness, (Yoga), objective consciousness (Gurdjieff), Buddhic consciousness (Theosophy), cosmic consciousness, God-consciousness (Sufism and Hinduism) and Christ consciousness (New Thought), are expressions used in various spiritual traditions to denote the consciousness of a human being who has reached a higher level of evolutionary development and who has come to know reality more accurately. It also refers to the awareness or knowledge of an 'ultimate reality' which traditional theistic religion has named God and which Gautama Buddha referred to as the unconditioned element. Evolution in this sense is not that which occurs by natural selection over generations of human reproduction but evolution brought about by the application of spiritual knowledge to the conduct of human life, and of mental proficiency brought about by spiritual practices. Through the application of such knowledge (traditionally the preserve of the world's great religions) to practical self-management, the awakening and development of faculties dormant in the ordinary human being is achieved. These faculties are aroused by and developed in conjunction with certain virtues such as lucidity, patience, kindness, truthfulness, humility, and forgiveness towards one's fellow man – qualities without which, according to moral/ethical stipulations of the various traditions, higher consciousness is not possible. This assumes that our morality system in our 'lower' consciousness is correct.

There has also been some confusion relating to the different symbols used in the Wicca Religion.

Believe it or not many of the same symbols have also been used by the Native Americans.

Below I have provided some of the symbols and definitions to help understand in depth what they are used for what they truly represent. These symbols are not only used by the Pagan, and Wiccan Religion's but by many other cultures in world today. Each symbol means something either similar, or completely different to those of a different religion.

THE PENTACLE:  There is a lot of people out there that do not know the true meaning of the pentacle and are misleaded or uneducated regarding its true meaning. I would like to clear this up with the following information. Many believe the pentacle symbolizes satanic worship or involvement in some way with evil or black magic. That is the furthest thing from the truth.
A pentagram is a five-pointed star. A pentacle is in a closed circle.
A symbol for Hygeia, the Goddess of health, and the pentacle was also used by Pythagoras to symbolize harmony of body and mind and thus, health. For Gnostic and Manchurian sects the five points of the star represented light, earth, air, fire, and water. In modern Paganism, it represents the same concepts but spirit takes the place of light. Later in the early Christian period it was the symbol by which the undercurrent of Gnosticism was recognized.
In Christian iconography the five-pointed star at one time represented the five stigmata of Christ. To the Etruscans it represented all the stars in heaven. In the middle ages this icon held apotr0paic (evil-banishing) significance. And finally you'll recognize the free mason symbol of the blazing star.

 The Dragonfly:  Dragonfly is the power of light.
The dragonfly inhabits two realms: air and water
and the influence of both these elements will be felt by Dragonfly people.
They will be emotional and passionate during their early years (the influence of water)and more balanced with greater mental clarity
and control in as they mature (the influence of air).
The Dragonfly is the essence of the winds of change, the messages of wisdom and enlightenment; and the communication from the elemental world. Dragonfly medicine beckons you to seek out the parts of your habits which need changing. Call on Dragonfly to guide you through the mists of illusion to the pathway of transformation.
The number 2 is important to Dragonfly,
so think in terms of two year periods when you begin a change.
Dragonfly brings the light and color of transformation into your life.
It does insinuate that you try to communicate with the elemental world.

FLOWERS: Flowers have been used for magical purposes for centuries. Symbolizing deep love, invoking feelings of happiness, and cheer. Some flowers are used as protective charms. Other flowers are used for good luck and prosperity. Flowers can used to convey a message, and to share our feelings. They can also deliver warnings to us.

BAMBOO

Bamboo itself contains and holds its own powers. Its not a wood, but holds strong energy.

It has the powers of protection, and luck. It has also been used as a divination tool in Chinese Temples. It has also been used as a charm against evil spirits. It is said it can be used for hex or spell breaking if you are put under one but that is only if you believe in hex’s. Both partys must believe in such for one to be effective. I personally do not believe in hex’s, and believe this is part of dark magic, which I do not condone.

Celtic Knot: interconnecting forces of life, and the endless circle of life.

Triple Spiral: It represents the Triple Goddess of the three ages of womanhood. It later came to represent the holy trinity in Christianity; God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

Triquetra: represents the three planes of existence.  The Physical, mental and spiritual planes. Although the three points are separate, they interlock together, symbolizing the connection between the three planes.

The Dragon: Perhaps the most powerful animal of all in Celtic mythology, the dragon symbolized the whole of creation, in the might of the earth and in the bending of the rivers.  It also represented a guardian or an obstacle against physical or spiritual gain.

All Seeing Eye:  A universal symbol representing spiritual sight, inner vision, higher knowledge, insight into occult mysteries.

Masonic symbol for the all-seeing eye of god - an mystical distortion of the omniscient Biblical God and guess what it’s on our nations dollar bill!

Amulet: Worn to bring good luck and protection against illness, and evil forces.

Ankh:  An Egyptian cross symbolizing a mythical eternal life, rebirth, and the life-giving power of the sun.

Arrow:  These two pictures shows the astrological sign for the archer (Sagittarius) -- part of the zodiac. But, through history, the arrow has also symbolized war, power, swiftness, the rays of the sun, knowledge... as well as deities such as the Greek god Apollo and goddess Artemis (both hunters), the Hindu weather god, Rudra; and various gods of sexual attraction: Eros (Greek), Cupid (Roman), Kama (Hindu)

The native American Cheyenne warriors revered the "sacred medicine arrows" as symbols of male power. Arrows held by skeletons would point to disease or death.

Crystal: To help receive send and hold energy. It holds great healing powers, and is Energizing.

Used for divination, scrying, and clairvoyance.

Bat: A symbol of good fortune in the East, it represented demons and spirits in medieval Europe.

Butterfly:  Reminds Christians of the transformation that took place through Christ's redemption and regeneration. When Christ was born again, and we became a new creation.

To many Wiccan, and Pagans, its mythical meaning is linked to the soul of those who has passed in search of reincarnation.  

The Circle: Is an ancient and universal symbol of unity, wholeness, infinity, the goddess, female power, and the sun. Earth-centered religions such as pagans, and wiccans, it represents the feminine spirit or force, the cosmos or a spiritual Mother Earth, and a sacred space.

The Quartered Circle aka The Celtic Cross:  The sacred circle filled with a cross, four equal lines pointing from the center to the spirits of the north, east, south, and west -- or to the basic element: earth, water, air, and fire. In Native American traditions, it forms the basic pattern of the MEDICINE WHEEL and plays a vital part in major spiritual rituals. Many contemporary pagans consider it their main symbol for transmitting the energy of the goddess. Many Churches have used variations of the same popular shape, usually calling it the Celtic Cross.

The Crescent Moon: A symbol of the aging goddess to contemporary witches. It is also considered a victory over death to many Muslims. In Islamic lands, crescent can be seen enclosing a lone pentagram.   

The Elements: The four basic elements to many pagans are Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. Many consider the first two passive and feminine - and the last two active and masculine. In Wiccan or Native American rituals, the quartered circle aka the Medicine Wheel represents a "sacred space" or the sacred earth. The four lines may represent the spirits of the four primary directions or the spirits of the earth, water, wind and fire.   

EYE OF HORUS:  This symbol represents the eye of Egyptian sun-god Horus who lost an eye battling Set. The Pagans and Wiccans use it as a charm to ward off evil. 

HAND OF FATIMA: The Hand of Protection from demons and sorcerers. It is thought to protect us from the Evil around us which comes in many forms. 

HEXAGRAM aka Star of David: When surrounded by a circle, it represents the divine mind, It is also the Jewish people's Star of David.

Horn: The ancient magical charm or amulet worn as protection against Evil. It also stands for the same for the Celtics as well. It is often worn with a cross for double protection. In pre-Christian Europe, animal horns pointed to the moon goddess and considered sacred. 

Lightning Bolt: In ancient mythologies from many cultures the lightning bolt would be hurled by male sky gods to punish, water, or fertilize the earth or its creatures. Navajo myths linked it to the Thunderbird, the symbol of salvation and divine gifts. 

Lion: An ancient symbol of the sun, dominion, power, ferocity and bravery, the "king of the beasts" was often used on heraldic shields, flags or banners by medieval European rulers. In Tarot cards, an occult system of divination based on the Kabala, it symbolized strength or power. In ancient mythology it was identified with sun worship and the imagined power of both gods and goddesses. The lion head ringed by its golden mane would used in ancient mystery initiations and ritualistic sun worship.

While Pagan, and Wiccan nations used it to represent their mythical views of reality, the lion was created by God, in the bible it tells us how he used the Lion for his purposes.

OM: Sanskrit letters or symbol for the "sacred" Hindu sound ohm called the mother of all mantras. Apparently, the four parts symbolize four stages of consciousness: Awake, sleeping, dreaming, and a trance or transcendental state

The Snake: Most earth-centered Wiccan or Pagan cultures worshiped the serpent. It represents rebirth, protection against evil, either male of female sexuality, rain and fertility, a mediator between the physical and spiritual world. It also represents female energy or life force in goddess worship, sometimes linked to the eastern Kundalini force or a supposed "goddess within. 

Spiral: Linked to the circle. It is an ancient symbol of the goddess, the womb, fertility, feminine serpent force, continual change, and the evolution of the universe.  Believe it or not it also one of the most common found shapes in nature.

Double SPIRAL: Linked to earth-centered or mystical faith in a blend of evolution and devolution, renewal, life, death, rebirth, spiritual, and physical. The back and forth flow of earthly and cosmic changes. With its focus on the unity of opposites, it resembles the Yin Yang.

SQUARE:   In contrast to the circle this often symbolizes the sacred and spiritual, including the earth. The square represents the physical world. Like the quartered circle, it points pagans to the four compass directions: north, east, south and west. While the circle and spiral symbolize female sexuality in many earth-centered cultures, the square represents male qualities.

Sun and Moon: A universal pagan expression of the merging of opposites. Like the Yin Yang, the marriage of  the male sun and the female moon represents unity in diversity, compromise instead of conflict, and conformity to a new consciousness where all is one.

GEMSTONES: Of course as explained earlier there are many types of stones which equal different types of crystal formations. Each stone holds is own power of energy to work with the 7 different Chakras. If you visit my blog page http://mandileighs.blogspot.com/p/gemstone-metaphysical-properties.html you can find many stones with their Metaphysical healing, and magical properties, vibrations, and Chakras. Please remember not all stones are listed only those that I have used in my work. 

Before Each listing I do on my completed items, I research each stone to ensure you have the most accurate information needed so the piece you choose accurately meets your needs.