So you want to learn about Wicca and you can’t, or prefer not to, join a coven to do so. Can you learn to ‘be’ Wiccan without training under a teacher? This is a really good question and you’ll get a variety of answers depending on who you talk to.

Some teachers will say that you can’t learn to be Wiccan unless you train under a good teacher. I’d suggest part of that statement is true. If you want to learn the fundamentals and practices of a particular group (or even tradition) then yes, you probably do need to learn under a good teacher of that group/tradition. But often, what teachers forget is that many people can be Wiccan without belonging to a particular tradition or group. For those people, they can learn on their own up to a certain level. We’ll talk about that in a moment but first let’s consider something else.

The first thing to remember when you first start out is that you can learn ‘about’ Wicca from books, the internet and so on, but you can’t learn to ‘be’ Wiccan unless you ‘do’ Wicca. The religion of Wicca isn’t just a cognitive, knowledge thing, it’s a practice, it’s a way of life, it’s a ‘doing’ thing. To be Wiccan, you don’t just know about Wicca, you also do Wicca.

So that means if you want to learn about Wicca, then by all means read as many books as you can, visit as many web sites, watch the rituals offered at open festivals, talk/email and contribute to as many online forums as you can. But, if you want to learn how to be Wiccan, then you need to do all that AND actually do it yourself. Have a go at rituals, have a try at writing a ritual, follow the scripts for circle casting offered in good books, listen and watch nature and work with it. Do Wicca, don’t just read about Wicca.

Remember I said earlier that you can learn to a certain level on your own? Well that’s certainly true and for many people that’s perfectly enough. But if you want to take your training to a whole new level, then you probably do need to train under a teacher and maybe work with a group. Honouring Wicca as a group lends a whole new layer of learning to everyone and not just because a community shares its knowledge with you. Working with a good group can give you the opportunity to see the real power of group magic, shared ritual and the magnificence of communal celebration. Working with a group of like minded people makes the learning multiply exponentially for everyone and it’s a wonderful thing!

However, take heart. If you can’t or simply don’t want to train with a teacher, you most definitely can learn, both about and to be, Wiccan. Just choose your sources of information carefully and above all do it, don’t just read about doing it!

Smiles and blessings, Amethyst