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

[blb01]

A few people told me that I'm not Wiccan because I haven't been initiated in a coven. However, this WAS at Gaia Online, and that site is VERY out of control. So please tell me, is it true that initiation is required to be Wiccan?

[Feathers in Hair]

Hello, and welcome!

I hesitate to speak, because I am not Wiccan, but I've heard several different opinions on the matter. It really depends on the tradition you want to be in, and how you feel about the issue. I get wary when people try to demand that people be initiated by another person or a coven, because it sounds a lot like what many people in the "Earth-based religions" community turned away from some of their former religions for.

Again, though, it really depends on how you feel.

[Darkdale]

Originally Posted by blb01

A few people told me that I'm not Wiccan because I haven't been initiated in a coven. However, this WAS at Gaia Online, and that site is VERY out of control. So please tell me, is it true that initiation is required to be Wiccan?

I am not Wiccan, but I have heard nothing of initiation being necessary. I would recommend reading AJ Drew's A Wiccan Bible. It is a very down to earth and beautiful explanation of Wicca (no fluff and no nonsense).

[Unedited]

You absolutely do not need to be initiated to call yourself a Wiccan. You only have to be initiated to join certain covens or groups. And you of course don't need to be part of any group to be a Wiccan. Most Wiccans I know are solitary practicers.

[blb01]

Thanks a lot. You don't know how much those people upset me. Some of them aren't even Wiccan. Some of them say that they used to be. I should have known to not to listen to people from Gaia Online. I'll be staying away from their religion forums from now on.

[Feathers in Hair]

I don't know enough about them to have formed any opinion, but please feel welcomed here on RF! A lot among us aren't Wiccan, but we have a wonderful time learning from each other.

[Shadow Wolf]

Well, if you plan on being a solitary witch, then how can you be initiated by a coven?

Some of them aren't even Wiccan. Some of them say that they used to be. I should have known to not to listen to people from Gaia Online. I'll be staying away from their religion forums from now on.

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.

[Flappycat]

Eh, you can worship some god or other in traditional Wiccan fashion if you want, but some seek the warmth of being a member of a coven. Just use it as an excuse to do a lot of reading, and you'll be fine. Reading is good. It sharpens the mind.

[Fluffy]

Is baptism necessary to be a Christian? Some say yes, others say no.

Who are the ones who say yes to dictate another's religion to them?

I've never been initiated and consider myself a Wiccan. If another looks at that and decides that I am not Wiccan then that is cool but it won't change how I view myself.

[Halcyon]

Can't solitaries do their own self-initiation/dedication ritual anyway, if they feel it to be necessary. It frustrates me when people say "you're not a true (insert religion) because you haven't taken part in this ceremony/ritual".

The way i see it, as long as you believe in what a religion has to say, that makes you a follower of that path.