Wicca is a modern shamanic religion based on ancient pagan rituals, and may also be called witchcraft. Wiccan beliefs form part of neopaganism, where groups that believe in European beliefs prior to Christianity, such as the Celtic religion, fall into place.
The name Wicca would originate in Old English, and its meaning represents the man who practices witchcraft. While wicce it is the feminine word to identify the woman who shares the same beliefs and practices. The term witchcraft in English is witchcraft, and modern witches are identified as witch and the witches, wizards.
Wiccan followers call themselves witches and wizards. But due to prejudice related to these terms, they also started to use the word "Wiccans".
Part of Wicca's bad name lies in the confusion that they were a Satanic sect of devil worshipers, linking witchcraft exclusively to black magic. What happens is that the cults of Wicca are not dedicated to the devil, and even there is the concept of hell and devil as in Christian theology.
Between the Wiccan symbols, the main one is the Wiccan pentagram, which is formed by a five-pointed star inserted in a circle. Each tip represents an element of nature (air, earth, fire and water) in addition to the spirit. The pentagram is used in the form of pigments by Wiccans and also works as a form of identification among followers.
Wiccan followers do not sacrifice animals. They identify themselves as devoted to nature, and therefore could not offer animal sacrifices to the gods in its name. There are offerings, but these are elements such as fruits, wines and flowers.
For its followers, Wicca, or called "the art", is the religion of love and joy, which among its beliefs is the relationship of people with nature. The female figure is very important to witchcraft, as it is the personification of Mother Nature. She is the greatest force in the universe, who gives life and maintains everything that exists. For Wicca, people belong to nature, not the other way around, and that animals and natural elements would all be related to people, like siblings.
You Wiccan rituals they are used as a way to re-establish this relationship with nature, and happen according to the cycles of the moon or changes in seasons. Spells in Wicca take place alongside rituals, and never aim at another person's harm. They are always made for good, to conjure love and joy.
Among Wiccan beliefs, there is the so-called "Triple Law", who understands that anything one wishes for the other must come triple back to him. And that, therefore, we must only wish for good things, to receive good back.
The Wiccan religion is polytheistic, with more than one god to be revered. Among the various lines and/or interpretations of Wiccan beliefs, at least two deities are common: the Goddess, who is the representation of the Earth and the Moon, and its consort, the Horned God (God of the Horns), who is the Sun and the animals.
The two gods complement each other and maintain the balance of the universe, with an idea similar to the yin and yang of the Taoism.
There is no sacred book of Wicca. What exists is the call Shadow book, but that's like a follower's diary, in a personalized way. It is not a set of norms and stories as we find in the Qur'an or the Bible.
Wicca in Brazil
Wicca in Brazil has existed since the 1980s, when groups brought the belief from Europe, and started performing their rituals here too. From 1990 onwards, there was greater contact between Brazilian and European Wiccans, in order to regularize and structure the religion in the country. There are temples and groups following Wicca throughout Brazil, mainly in Brasília and São Paulo.