Wicca a New Religion or an Old Religion?

     Debate currently rages over whether Wicca is a new religion, or the oldest of all religions. Some say that it has been practiced in Europe since the Ice Age. Others say that Wicca is a neo-pagan faith, a 20th century construct.
     Wicca is actually both. Modern witches follow in the tradition of our earliest ancestors and are the shamans and healers of the 21st century. We are priests and priestesses of the Great Goddess; we practice the ancient art of sacred magic in the modern world. Certainly witchcraft has changed over the millennia. Methods and tools may be different, but the intent is the same: to help and to heal, to honor the Mother in all we do.
     Witchcraft has adapted when necessary - we are only just emerging from the siege mentality that the Burning Times imposed upon us. We are in the process of learning how to live openly as witches again. Witchcraft has also evolved - we no longer slay the sacred king each year. There are no more burnt sacrifices in Wicca, no shedding of animal or human blood to make spells work.
     Every Wiccan is a priest or priestess of the Goddess as well as a witch. We serve her in whatever ways we are able to serve, according to our talents, abilities and personal circumstances. Each Wiccan determines his or her own code of personal conduct and behavior according to the Rede.
     Wicca is an Earth religion - an accepting open minded faith that celebrates diversity and considers us all to be children of the same Mother. Our temples are gardens and forests, libraries and beaches, mountains and bookstores. Wicca consists simply of its witches and their collective beliefs and practices. It is a voluntary association of individuals who share one faith but practice it in myriad ways. No one is born Wicca - not even our children, for we expect them to choose their own spiritual paths when they're of age to make such choices. There's no dress code, but many witches wear pentacles.
     Wicca is an organic religion, one that's evolving and emerging as a worldwide faith. This isn't a faith that knocks on your door. It's one to which you make your own way. Wicca is a way of life, a belief system that reflects itself in the ways we interact with the world around us. Personal integrity and respect for Mother Nature are important parts of the Wiccan way.
     The Wiccan faith has two pillars - the Great Goddess and a poem called "The Wiccan Rede." The first step in becoming a witch is to find your way to the goddess. The second step is to establish an ethical system in which to use her gift of magic. How can someone get involved in the occult without being seduced by its dark side? The answer is that you must have an ethical belief system, one with which you keep faith.