This section, "The Occult" will answer questions most asked about religions like Paganism, Satanism, and various New Age movements.  The are filed under this title for the sake of easy organisation and I appologise if such a title offends you; it is not meant to have a negative connotation.

Remember, if you're searching for something specific, hit "control F" at any time to do a keyword search on this page.

Q. What is a "playgan?"

A. Entertainment. Actually, a "playgan" is slang for a wannabe-Pagan. Usually a teenybopper Wiccan (though there are some adults) who run around casting "love spells" and "curses" on people, and pretending they know the religion, which generally, they do not.

Q. What is Wicca (or various misspellings of the word)?

A. Wicca is a Neo-Pagan religion that emphasises a duel God and Goddess worship, reveres the earth and generally believes in reincarnation. It has lately become another "spiritual trend" and oftentimes R&F is greeted with ill-informed "wiccans". You can get real information on Wicca here. Note: if you're Wiccan, and haven't even *heard* of the 161 laws -- time to start researching some more.

Q. 161 laws? What? I've never heard of those.

A. 161 laws deal with aspect of Wiccan life, and were written by Gardner and his coven -- the original Wiccans. To read the laws, go here. Many of these laws seem quite strange, but when you consider societal beliefs towards witchcraft at the time, they make more sense.

Q. I've heard that Wicca is the oldest religion from some people and the newest from others -- which is it?

A. Wicca is one of the newest religions in the grand scheme of history.  Wicca began in the late-1940s, making it a very contemporary faith.  However, to say that Wicca is ancient has some validity, because it has drawn from old sources to develop it's current system of belief.  Wicca is considered a modern reconstruction of ancient pagan beliefs (paganism is one of the oldest faiths, however it is not the same thing as Wicca).

Q. I heard that Pagans worship the earth instead of a deity... is this true?

A. Pagans honour, respect, and treasure the earth - but do not worship it. Their religions are usually nature-based, and many are centred around polytheistic worship.

Q. Do Wiccans -- or any other practitioner of magic(k) -- perform black magick?

A. According to most credible witches, there is no such thing as "black" or "white" magick. Such colours are simply a metaphor for "good" and "bad." In truth, all magick is magick... there are no sides, or colours, to it. It is the intent behind the magick that makes it good or bad. Wiccans generally are peaceful, nonviolent people, and supposedly only perform magick used for good. But it is said "a witch that cannot hex, cannot heal;" [credit Pandy] all witches are capible of both.

Q. What is a "fluff-bunny"?

A. "Fluff-bunny" is a nickname given to posters -- particularly Wiccans and neo-pagans -- who do not acknowledge the darker aspects of their faith.  The term may also be used to refer to ignorant or annoying posters.

Q. Why do Satanists keeping claiming that they don't worship Satan?

A. Simply put, because they usually don't. Most Satanists -- La Veyan -- use "Satan" as an archetype that represents the things that their religion stands for. La Veyan Satanism, the most common type, is actually an athiestic (or agnostic) religion, and does not believe in God, Satan or Hell. To learn more about the religion, go Here.

Q. If Satanists don't worship the devil, why do they say "Hail Satan?"

A. They aren't hailing a diety, but rather a concept. For a detailed explanation see: www.Satanism101.com's FAQ page. Basically, it means "Hail Me!" since the archetype of Satan is an embodiment of all the religion represents.

Q. Do Satanists sacrafice children/puppies/animals?

A. The most common form of Satanism is La Veyan Satanism, which states that harming a living thing, when not out of defense, is morally wrong.

Q. What about diabolists or non-La Veyan Satanists? Do they worship the devil?

A. They are rarer branches of Satanism that do worship a devil-like figure as a deity, but they are rare and most other Satanists don't take them seriously. The only place these people are common is among uber-rebel teenagers who are just trying to get attention.

History/Culture Related
v The Occult by Colin Wilson.

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