Wiccan beliefs on the end of times.

[bloodfire777]

I was just wondering what the beliefs of the end of times were from a Wiccan religious perspective. Do Wiccans not beleive in an armageddon? If Wiccan members of this site could give me some feedback it would be greatly aprreciated. Thanks for your time.

[IronGhost]

I am not a Wiccan, but I know many of them, and when I was a newspaper reporter, I did some stories about them. Also, one of my best friends is a Wiccan High Priestess.

I don't think the Wiccans believe in Armaggedon. They may have an end-time concept, but I don't think so. A big part of their beief system is the constant renewal of "all that is." To them "onging Change" is a big thing. They celebrate the changes in seasons, for example, which is highly significant to them.

I think they see time and the world as an endless, eternal flow.

Any true Wiccans out there have a comment? Did I get this right?

www.ironghost.wordpress.com

[bloodfire777]

Thanks for the reply. I considered myself a Wiccan for quite some time and yes they do believe life is basically an eternally flowing circle of life. But I was just wondering if anyone out there had heard of a Wiccan End of times concept, i have looked for a long time on any Wiccans who believe in it with out any success. Thanks again.

[Rasani]

well this is interesting i go to a catholic school and thier concept is really askew , no offense , but i know many cultures have a end of the world out look , and if thios is one thing that doesnt i find that quite........... awesome , i mean why does the world have to end i mean at one point it should , but it doesnt have to this i really quite kewl i have a whole new respect for wiccans

[Beckys_Mom]

For those that think wiccan is evil and it's all witchcraft spells ect.......you need to read up on what wicca really is.you will find there is a loving spiritual nature to it all....it''s worth reading up on

[Byuu94]

No.

There are different "Wiccas", so I can't account for them all but generally there is no "end of time". I think the earth will end eventually, but everything continues. There is no total and absolute END.

[Bella-Angelique]

Norse pantheonic wiccans believe this.

Norse religion believes that the world is not eternal. It was created from the body of the primordial giant Ymir and sits in between extremities of hot and cold. And as the world had a beginning, it will so have an end. The day of the final battle of Ragnarok will come and the forces of good will march out one last time against the forces of evil. The imperfect world will be destroyed so a new, perfect world will arise.

[Kismit]

That's very interesting Bella. Any idea how old that particular belief is?

After years of looking into Pagan based faith and belief. I would have to agree on a general level they do not believe in an end of days. If the Earth is gone the spirit will still remain. The Spirit world and the living are the same things just different sides of the coin. There is also no judgement, except your own and Karmic reprecussions so there is no need for a Judgement day or a day of reckoning.

They also on the whole don't have one singular all powerful God. They believe in many spirits with usually a lead Male and Female spirit. These spirits are neither Good or Evil they just are, they do there job they are important and occasionally you can get a little help from the right one when you need it.

With a collection of Gods it is much harder to have one make any magor decisions that will effect everything. Far safer and more practicle, it's the democratic religion.

[+Sherapy]

i don't know much on this philosophy except from reading on here and having a dear friend that is pagan but i will say from what i have seen on this site from the people here such as Kismet , Darkwind, silver cougar these are amazing people who live a life that is an inspiration to all and to me.. if i was ever to do religons this is one of the ones i would choose.but for now i enjoy learning about it.

[newbloodmoon]

From what I have read about, and talked with Wiccans of different systems of belief I have yet to see an end all of all end alls in their belief system. It's more of a cyclical thing. In other words your car doesn't stop just because your wheels have made one complete turn. Or if they wear out from use you just get new tires. (over simplified I know sorry)

[Chiron_the_Horse]

well this is interesting i go to a catholic school and thier concept is really askew , no offense , but i know many cultures have a end of the world out look , and if thios is one thing that doesnt i find that quite........... awesome , i mean why does the world have to end i mean at one point it should , but it doesnt have to this i really quite kewl i have a whole new respect for wiccans

We do not practice witchcraft. My wife and I are heavily into this and I am a priest of sorts and she is a healer. It has been my way of life for many years.

[scoobysnack]

well this is interesting i go to a catholic school and thier concept is really askew , no offense , but i know many cultures have a end of the world out look , and if thios is one thing that doesnt i find that quite........... awesome , i mean why does the world have to end i mean at one point it should , but it doesnt have to this i really quite kewl i have a whole new respect for wiccans

I grew up Catholic but do not consider myself Catholic today. I'm alarmed at what you said you were taught in school. The world does not end. The world as we know it will end, but life will continue for many more centuries. If you stictly follow the bible, you know after the rise of the antichirst followed by second coming of Christ is followed by 1,000 years of heaven on earth. The world will not end, but America's super power status will come to an end likely in the next 25 years, no later then the end of this century. Why? It's part of the agenda for creating a world government to be ruled by a world governing body of elites.

Even the Mayan, and Hopi indian prophecy say it's not the end, simply the end of the old world and start of the new world.

Edited February 21, 2006 by scoobysnack

[+Sherapy]

edit: doesn't fit the flow of converstaion....

Edited February 21, 2006 by Sheri berri

[+Sherapy]

That's very interesting Bella. Any idea how old that particular belief is?

After years of looking into Pagan based faith and belief. I would have to agree on a general level they do not believe in an end of days. If the Earth is gone the spirit will still remain. The Spirit world and the living are the same things just different sides of the coin. There is also no judgement, except your own and Karmic reprecussions so there is no need for a Judgement day or a day of reckoning.

They also on the whole don't have one singular all powerful God. They believe in many spirits with usually a lead Male and Female spirit. These spirits are neither Good or Evil they just are, they do there job they are important and occasionally you can get a little help from the right one when you need it.

With a collection of Gods it is much harder to have one make any magor decisions that will effect everything. Far safer and more practicle, it's the democratic religion.

One word kismet owned this!!! applause namsate sheri

[SilverRain Queen]

In the Wiccan belief, there is no End-time concepts. Life is an eternal flow ring and everything goes back to the beginning eventually. Belief in the Goddess, (mother earth spirit) that she is in control of everything. Nature will take it's course to purge anything that becomes detrimental to the preservation of the life cycle. So if there is an 'end-time' so to speak, it's the earth purging this interference (man) off the planet.

[bloodfire777]

Thanks everyone for your great replies. I really dont know what I believe but it is all very interesting to me. I dont know, it is so hard, i dont know. But thanks again for the feedback.

[The Raven]

That's very interesting Bella. Any idea how old that particular belief is?

I'm not Bella but I do know an acceptable amount of information on Norse beliefs, and as far as I know, this belief has most likely been around since 200 A.D. at the very least. It is likely to have existed long before that, but because there are few if any written Germanic/Scandinavian records created during that time, it is nearly impossible to determine.

Although, as Bella said, the world would come to an end in a final battle that would end the lives of even the Gods themselves, a new world would be created afterward and humans to repopulate it. Two of the deities I remember reading about that survive Ragnarok are Vidar, God of Silence, and his brother Vali, God of Vengeance.

[Sinful Darkness]

I have been Wiccan for quite a few years now and as far as I can tell there is no belief in End of Days. This would be mainly because a good many believe in the concept of re-incarnation, (as do I myself) meaning there IS no end but merely a cycle that we all go through. Birth, life, death and re-birth.

[Jackscolon]

I can't speak as a norse wicca but rather as an Asatro practictioner. Many asatro view the world today as a result of Ragnarok and not a thing to come. Having said that our universal existence is considered as being of circular nature and as such this world will again experience a new end and a new beginning some time in the future. The name Ragnarok itself means Judgement/Destiny of the gods and it is used as a title for what happened to the old gods. It is really mostly a story concerning the battles between the Jættir and the Asir and not so much humans. After Ragnarok all the Jættirs and most of the Asirs are gone. The few surviving Asirs meet on the Field of Ida in front of Asgard and conjure up the rays of the Sun so Yggdrasil the tree of life, once again will grow.

As The Raven says in his post above two of these Asir are Vile and Ve, who are the brothers of Odin. Also Magne and Mode, who are the sons of Thor has survived. Eventually Balder, whose dead initiated Ragnarok, escapes from Hel alongside his brother Høder and joins the survivors. Also a few of the Vanirs(a clan of gods related to the Asirs) have survived, including Freja the goddess of fertility. Together they build the Halls of Gimle on the ruins of old Asgard. As for the human race only Liv and Livtrasser has survived by hiding under the ashes of Yggdrasil. Just like Adam and Eve they are destined to repopulate the world with their sons and daughters.

Most Asa-laug tell this story as an origin story of this world, but also include the Vølvirs vision of the dragon Nidhogg, Gnawing at the roots of Yggdrasil. Once the dragon has had its fill the Tree of life will again tumble and fall to the ground, thus initiating a new end and a new beginning. as a result of Ragnarok Nidhogg is imprisoned, but the dragon may yet still escape.

Obviously Asatro is based on very few written accounts and mostly takes its legends from the oral traditions of Scandinavia. So various accounts of Ragnaraok exists within the various Asa-laug. I hope this post has presented information relevant to the Op even if maybe not directly related to Wiccan beliefs.

Edited October 10, 2015 by Jackscolon

[mysticraven]

Regarding Jackscolon's remarks, I believe the question was ....

I was just wondering what the beliefs of the end of times were from a Wiccan religious perspective. Do Wiccans not beleive in an armageddon? If Wiccan members of this site could give me some feedback it would be greatly aprreciated. Thanks for your time.

Wiccan religious perspective, not Norse Pagan perspective. The average, modern day WICCAN is rather different to a Norse Pagan.

[back to earth]

During my various forays into different systems (from the arm chair and 'in the field) . I joined a Wiccan 'Alexandrian' coven - which is fairly mainstream for 'Wicca' . I took 1st and 2nd degree initiation ( 3rd , in that system, is for priest and priestess, we already had them so no need , although I had done the priests role a few times, in various ceremonies. No, there is no 'end of days' as such. Maybe a type of 'happy hunting ground' for the 'departed.

Also some more modern stuff, a la 'Skyhawk' and such. Here its a bit more free form, so concepts like re-incarnation are are adopted by some. But no Armageddon to come ... maybe a past one , when they were Catholics ( which church seem to produce great witches ) got finally fed up sitting through mass and .....

Armagettin out of here !

[back to earth]

There is also an obscure religion ( for some ) called Thelema ..... it can be shown that much of modern Wicca ( a la Gerald Gardner - the 'founder' ) was adopted and adapted from this source.

IT does have a view on the 'Apocalypse' but it is and inverted one. Its the changing of an 'age' , and represents a lot of things that have started to happen - like moving towards a sexual equality , the rise of the individual, a new consciousness. Its best symbolised by this card. based on an image from the Apocalypse;

One meaning is that our churches finally collapse and religion looses its power ... of course, this is seen as a disaster by those that think they have power and a 'terrible evil' upon the world.

There is some very interesting alternative ( to other 'Apocalypse theories' ) views, advice, and models within its complex symbolism. But, although this system (Crowley's) was the origin of Gardener's Wicca, and Alexandrian Wicca is a blend of 'Gardenerian Witchcraft' and Crowley's 'Magick' , created by Alex Sanders - ( all 'old boys note' ) I was unable to detect this particular idea passing over into Wicca (although a lot of other ideas did ) . This was early stages. Gardenarian Wicca got reformed by ... some woman whose name escapes at the moment, and she chopped or adapted parts ... but its been years since I was familiar with the relevant writings and details.

That was probably for the best ...

Gerald Gardener;

Edited October 11, 2015 by back to earth

[back to earth]

Doreen Valiente .... thats the one

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doreen_Valiente

[back to earth]

Those were the days eh ?

(Sorry, that just looks so weird to me for a 'nature religion' ..... our circle was outdoors and could hold up to 300 people, permanent 1/4 altars built to represent each element , and ancient tree root doorway .... and we didnt dress like that either

Edited October 11, 2015 by back to earth

[ShadowSot]

Nine year old thread. Some old familiar but gone faces.