Recently I received this letter from a seeker.
Hello,
My name is Gabrielle, and I was just browsing around for Wiccan web sites and found yours. Although I’m not sure that I could believe in Wicca, (I’m an atheist), I am extremely fascinated by your religion. I was hoping to get some tips on how to learn more about your lifestyle etc. I wish that I was able to believe in something so beautiful as Wicca, but it unfortunately isn’t for me I guess. Anything that you can tell me would be great. I have been trying to find some tarot cards that I like because I love the idea of them, and I’ve been searching bookstores for books about witches and haven’t found anything that would jump out at me…of course, I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.
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Thank you for reading this, and for your time,
PS: I would say “Blessed Be” but I’m so ignorant to everything that I have no idea if it would be an insult to tell you this when I’m not Wiccan. Like I said…I have NO idea.
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My reply was as follows this text
Merry Meet Gabrielle:
I usually reply to emails sooner, but two weeks ago my parents were visiting and stayed for about a week, and the following  week I had dental surgery and didn’t feel much like doing anything including chewing.
It’s always nice to hear from seekers such as yourself. Yes, I know you said you’re an atheist, but even atheists want to know the truth about existence and that’s all a seeker is—someone trying to find their true path. Truth is truth no matter whether you ascribe it to a God-form or quantum mechanics.
Faith is another matter. You either believe in something or you don’t and no amount of evangelizing by me or someone else can change your mind if deep down you cannot reconcile the proffered beliefs with your own worldview. However, even a quantum physicist must make a leap of faith; for many of the exotic particles they study cannot be observed directly but rather only as an after effect of a quantum event. Take for instance the subatomic tachyon particle. Nobody has ever seen one or caught one in a Petri dish, but the existence of these particles fill gaps in relativistic equations thus making Einstein’s special theory of relativity work. It was as though the scientists said, “gee, it would be nice to have a particle that travelled faster than light to make these equations come out right.” So the physicist believes in tachyons not because he’s seen one or measure one but because he sees the effect the tachyon has on quantum mechanics. Similarly, astronomers for many years only knew or  ‘believed’ in the existence of black holes not because they could see them but by observing the black holes gravitational effects upon other astronomical bodies.
Thus it is with Goddess and God. Seldom do we feel their hand upon our shoulders, even rarer is the manifestation to the visible or audible. Although once (recently) I did have the Goddess throw a book at me, but that was just to get my attention. I’ve always said that I’m one of her slower students.  Like a whisper of cool silk passing against our skin or a sudden intuition or when reality bends to meet your will, that is the most likely way most of us experience the touch of the Divine upon our lives. When you feel the connectivity of things in the universe, you can’t help but  understand that when we are done with this mortal coil, that what happens to our spirit is something more than winking into nothingness or vacationing for eternity in the Summerland. That somehow our spirits are meant for more than that.
Don’t despair if you haven’t had such an epiphany. There are people far older than you that have  less of a clue. Even a belief in not believing in the gods or even a god is a belief and perhaps as valid a path as any. Only the person walking a path knows whether it’s the right way or not.
Okay, I think we covered faith as well as this space permits. You also asked for any information we could give you.
Our tradition, the Dark Moon Tradition, is based upon Gardnerian and Alexandrian teachings. Gardnerian and Alexandrian are two other traditions—just as Christianity is divided into different doctrines (e.g. Catholicism, Protestantism, etc.)—Wicca is similarly divided. What makes our tradition different from our Gardnerian and Alexandrian counterparts is we emphasize the use of witchcraft, chaos, and ceremonial magick in our practice. Contrary to popular belief, not all witches are Wiccans. Wicca is a spiritual path and witchcraft is merely a system of magick much like Kabala, or Ceremonial Magick.
Our own spirituality is nature-based. We strive to understand how everything is since to us the world is one large living organism. This belief within us is shamanistic. Most of us are rabid environmentalists for by saving the planet, we’re really saving ourselves. While for us Wicca is a way of life and not just a religion, we observe 8 holy days or Sabbats and 24 or more Esbats. Our Sabbats are:
- Samhain (our new year and your Halloween)
- Yule or the Winter Solstice (observed around Dec. 21 not on the 25th like Christmas)
- Imbolg (Feb 2)
- Ostara or Spring Equinox (around March 21st  similar to the Christian Easter)
- Beltane (May 1)
- Litha or Summer Solstice (Around June 21st)
- Lughnasadh (August 1)
- Mabon or Fall Equinox (Around September 21)
We also observe Esbats which are lesser holy days such as the full and dark moon and the occasional blue moon.
Our way of life is initiatory and considered a mystery school where we attempt to learn and understand the miracles and mysteries which everyday life presents.
You also asked me to recommend some reading material. I’m going to list three books. While not an exhaustive study of Wicca, these books give a good basic understanding of the Wiccan way of life. The books are listed below this paragraph.
- A Witch Alone by Marian Green
- Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland
- The Ultimate Book of Shadows for the New Generation Solitary Witch by Silver Ravenwolf (I’m not SR’s biggest fan, but this book is particularly good for would be teenage Wiccans.
Hopefully, the above list will be enough to get you pointed in the right direction. And hopefully, I’ve been of some help also. If you have any more questions or just want someone to point you in the right direction, I’ll be glad to be of assistance and I promise that I’ll answer your next query in a more timely fashion.
Oh and by the way, it’s always okay to say, “Blessed Be” if that’s what’s in your heart. The Goddess recognizes intent and not whether you’re a card-carrying Wiccan or not.
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Blessed Be and Merry Part,
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