First off, let me begin by saying I am not Wiccan. I only know what I know about Wicca through research, not by experience. All my life, I have always possessed a fascination for Witchcraft and Wicca—the more I read about it, the more I relate to it. I haven't yet pursued Wicca for a few different reasons: 1. it's an expensive religion. To begin with Wicca, numerous objects and ingredients are required. Wicca is a commitment and a way of life. 2. fear. It's not a great idea to toy with magick without properly knowing what you are doing. So until I can receive proper training, I will restrain from practicing the magicks. And 3. Because of the common negative misconceptions about Witchcraft, society might view me as someone with which not to associate. It's easy to say, "I don't care what anyone thinks about me," but the truth is I really do care. Wicca is complex and still a very "in the dark" religion—when some people hear the term, they're automatically spooked and don't want to take the time to learn the truth. This is how rumors spread. The reason I am writing this article is to hopefully help people understand and learn the facts about this wonderful way of life.

1. Wicca is not Satanism.

The Wiccan pentacle or pentagram represents the five elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit.

The pentacle of Satanism is an inverted pentagram, meant to represent the head of a goat. The two upward-facing points are meant to resemble the horns of a goat, the sideways-facing points are ears, while the downward-facing point is the muzzle. People get these two symbols mixed up all the time, but clearly they are very different.

Wiccans do not worship the devil. Wiccans do not believe in Satan, Lucifer, or the devil, as he is often called in Christian religions. They believe that he is simply a Christian entity. Wicca is a very peaceful, harmonious and balanced way of life which promotes oneness with the divine and all which exists.

2. All Pagans are not Witches and all Pagans are not Wiccans.

Wicca is a religion that falls under the term Paganism—they are not the same. "The difference between Paganism/Wicca is Paganism is an umbrella term. Paganism is used to describe any religions outside of Christianity, Judaism or Judeo-Christian. Wicca is a form of Paganism, meaning it is a religion that falls under it. Paganism describes a number of religions, such as: Wicca, Taoism, Buddhism, Sikhism, etc. Wicca is just one particular religion that falls under this umbrella term. Wicca is derived from the word, "witchcraft." Because the word 'witchcraft' has so much negativity attached to it, because of Christianity and the Bible, the name 'Wicca' was created to describe the religion of witchcraft," according to yoexpert.com.

Paganism actually existed long before Christianity. Wicca is a more modern religion based upon the reconstruction of pre-Christian traditions originating in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Gerald Gardner was one of the first people to shed some light on Wicca and teach/voice it to those who were unafraid to learn about it.

3. Wiccans do not have magical powers, but magick does exist.

Wiccans cannot make a rabbit appear out of a hat or levitate a pencil—it just doesn't happen.

"Magick" in Wicca is different from the "magic" you are familiar with. "Magic" is to magicians and "magick" is to witchcraft. Also, not all Wiccans practice witchcraft. For Wiccans, magick is part of the natural world. Some spells take the form of prayers to the gods and others are based on direction of will and intent. Most Wiccans will tell you they use spell-work for a variety of things such as healing, personal empowerment, prosperity, etc. Magick is a tool that is typically used in unison with the mundane, or non-magical world.

Magick is not used for the sake of power. The Wiccan Rede severely restricts Wiccans' spells and rituals—

it prohibits manipulation, harm and coercion. Spells must be used for the good of all, and they cannot harm anyone or any living being. Witches have a very strict belief in the "Law of Three" which states that whatever they send out into the world shall return to them threefold. With this in mind, a "true Witch" would hesitate in doing magick to harm or manipulate another because that boomerang they throw will eventually come back much larger and harder than when they threw it. This way of thinking can be compared to "karma" or "the golden rule." Do unto others as others would do unto you.

If you begin to practice magick for the wrong reason, you could find yourself in huge trouble. Even though magick is used for good, some people apply their negative energy to magick which can create a huge disturbance in the cosmic flow of the universe. The shadows exist in the invisible world that parallels our own living creatures. Unlike creatures from our world, they lack physical form, and feed on energy instead of matter. Magick is serious business.

4. Wiccans do not wear all black every day and are not fighting to be the next Supreme.

If you associate Wicca with "American Horror Story: Coven"—

just stop. This may come as a bit of a shock to you, but the things you see on TV and in the movies about witchcraft is mostly fiction...GASP.

5. Wiccans are not nudists and do not have sex orgies.

There are some Wiccan groups who practice skyclad, or nude, but remember: in nature, being nude is not sexual. I'm not really sure how the rumor about Wiccan sex orgies came to light, but it is absolutely ridiculous. It might be because of their liberal views on sex and sexuality—they don't care who you sleep with, as long as everyone involved is a consenting adult.

Also, not all witches are lesbians. There are lesbian witches but there are also lesbian Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, etc.

6. Wiccans do not sacrifice animals.

"Since Wicca is a nature-based religion, followers are encouraged to respect all living things. Wiccans make sacrifices or offerings to their chosen deities, but these offerings are usually bread, fruit, wine or flowers," according to A Wiccan Bible.

"Witches love animals. We never harm or kill them in our rites or spells. Blood sacrifice of any sort is against our law. That 'eye of newt and toe of frog' stuff is nonsense," according to The Wicca Handbook.

The Divine is present in nature, and so nature should be honored and respected. Everything from animals and plants to trees and rocks are elements of the sacred. You'll find that many practicing Wiccans are passionate about the environment.