Is initiation required? (Earth, tradition, hell, bible, religions)

[Draka]

I'm Solitary and I have done a self-initiation. Do I feel it was necessary for me? yes. It felt right. I do not feel the need to join a coven and really don't want to either. I prefer being Solitary. As for anyone else that is their decision. Whatever feels right to you is what is right for you. No one else can tell you what your beliefs are anyway...they can't crawl inside your mind...they are yours.

[Circle_One]

Just to reiterate what everyone else has said, you absolutely do not need to be initiated to be Wiccan. There are certain traditions, however, like Gardnerian, that require you to be initiated by a coven member in order to join their coven, but certainly not all traditions are like this.

If you wish to practice solitary, then it is, by no means, a requirement, though a lot of covens will have you initiated into their coven before becoming an actual member.

And as Halcyon said, if you do feel it is necessary, there are self-initation rituals you can do on your own, but do not, for one second, think that it is necessary in order to practice Wicca. It is not.

[Tez]

Not to put Wiccan down, but I think many people, when first going into earth-based religions, look at Wicca first because it's more mainstream, and easier to find information about. And then many find other paths, while many stay as a Wiccan.

So True, I found out about paganinsm through Wicca, I read an article in a "Teen Magazine" years ago about a girl who was Wiccan. I found out more information about it and paganism and chose to follow Wicca, a few years later I found that it wasn't quite my thing since I always worked alone, so I started looking into the path of the Solitary Witch instead.

I think because its the most well known path because of things like Buffy, etc.. That people seem to choose it first and are a bit weary of looking in to other paths, but eventually get over it as they learn more. I found it pretty scary and confusing when I first started learning, there were so many pages on the net one saying one thing and another saying something different. It made me feel like I was getting no where, lol, but eventually the more you read the easier it gets. Suppose its the same with learning anything though.

- Tez

[Dark_Waltz]

Well I am sort of on the fence often I match up to wiccan beleifs but I also do not do things in line with the tradition, I call myself simply a pagan or a witch occasionally a wiccan I tend to be just me
But ponder this,
Does the flower need instruction to grow?
Do the trees need to feel validated by each other?
I personally think a ritual for initiation is not required at all if it is not needed or wanted,
It is a mere formality that is not to say it is useless however,
I personally feel this is a very organic path and when the time is right you may want to be initiated either into a coven or as a solitarty,
It has to be a natural desicion and no one has the right to tell you what you should and shouldn't do with regard to initiation,
Oh and you must be part of a coven to be a wiccan or pagan is a pile of bull !
Infact some people in covens are more in it for noteriety more than anything,
Find your own way to grow

[Solon]

To be a pagan, you only need only to follow in the ways of the Old Ones and observe their rites as much as possible. It matters not a jot to me, which God you follow, my personal Gods are Egyptian and Greek, Amun of Ipet-Swt and Athena of Athens.

Solon

[Worshipper]

Originally Posted by Draka

I'm Solitary and I have done a self-initiation.

Would you mind sharing a bit more about your self-initiation, Draka? I don't want to pry into your private religious life, so I will completely understand if you don't want to share, or if you only want to share in vague terms. But what did you do to initiate yourself?

My wife and I read the initiation rites in Gardner's Book of Shadows at the Internet Sacred Text Archive a few years back and we really liked what we read. We have talked about sort of initiating one another using those rituals. But it does seem strange for a non-initiated person to initiate someone else.

[krishnano]

I used to be a Wiccan and was a solitary practitioner for most of it, although I did consider coventry. It really is up to you about how you wish to conduct yourself in Wicca, but now that I've matured a little, I think initiation is not a bad thing either.

The good thing about initiation is that you have a community, a coven who is there to help you, and it also helps to preserve the mysteries of the Craft (being a new religion in itself and all... it IS Neo-Paganism after all), fluffy bunnies aside. Solitary practicing is nice too, but the danger is always fluffy bunnies.

I always liked this site for that reason: Wicca: For the Rest of Us - Fluffy Bunnies

I had a fondness for the Alexandrian tradition and Blue Star Wicca, and if I continued on my Wiccan path, I would have been part of either one.

[Draka]

Originally Posted by Worshipper

Would you mind sharing a bit more about your self-initiation, Draka? I don't want to pry into your private religious life, so I will completely understand if you don't want to share, or if you only want to share in vague terms. But what did you do to initiate yourself?

My wife and I read the initiation rites in Gardner's Book of Shadows at the Internet Sacred Text Archive a few years back and we really liked what we read. We have talked about sort of initiating one another using those rituals. But it does seem strange for a non-initiated person to initiate someone else.

My self-initiation was basically a reaffirmation of my dedication. You do a dedication to the path first. Dedicating oneself to the Lord and Lady and the study of your chosen path. You study for the term of at least a year and one day before initiation. At that time, after all your study, you find yourself still seriously holding your beliefs and vastly more knowledgable of your path, you do another ritual to self-initiate. It is a very private and intimate thing between yourself and the Divine, so no, I won't reveal the ritual I did itself. Oh, and please remember, just because you study for that term doesn't mean you ever stop studying. Learning is a constant.

[Worshipper]

I very much like the idea of studying beforehand. What did you study? How much study did you do during the course of the year and day (5hrs/wk; 5hrs/day; 5hrs/month)? Are there things that you didn't necessarily study but that you would now recommend to a novice?

I hope I'm not being too nosy.

[Draka]

Originally Posted by Worshipper