1. The Wiccan Rede- "An ye harm none, do what ye will" This is one of the most important beliefs of the wiccan religion. It is an ethical guideline, that wiccans follow, which means that we may follow whatever spiritual path we choose, and do whatever it is that we want, as long as it harms no one, and nothing, including ourselves. This also includes, taking responsibility for what we choose to do.   2. The Three-fold Law This is another important wiccan belief, which states, that whatever a person does, or whatever energy a person sends out, whether it be for good or ill, will return back to that person, 3-fold, or three times stronger. This also relates to a law of the universe called the Law of Cause and Effect, the action and reaction principle in the law ofphysics, and similar to the Eastern law of "Karma." Wiccans believe that both positive and negative energies originate back to the originator of those energies. Because of this we believe that means that if one does good things, and sends out positive energy to people, it will be returned, and if one does "bad" or hurtful things, this will also be returned. This law is where the saying "What comes around, goes around" comes from.   3. The Wheel of the Year Wiccans and Witches celebrate what they call the "Wheel of the Year" Which includes (8) Sabbats, that mark the changing of the seasons, and the stories of the God and the Goddess, which symbolize the cycles oflife, death, and rebirth. This initially only included the (4) Greater Sabbats which were: Samhain, Imbolc, Beltaine, and Lughnasadh, or Lammas. Many modern pagans also include the Lesser Sabbats which are the solar events, which are: Yule (Winter Solstice), Ostara, ( Spring Equinox) Litha (Midsummer Solstice) and Mabon (Autumanal Equinox) Wiccans often gather together for ritual, reverence, to honor the God and Goddess, and celebration, which includes, singing, dancing, chanting, and feasting.   4. The Elements Wiccans believe that these are forces exist both outside of ourselves, and within us. Within, we see ourselves reflected in the Elements of Air, Fire, Earth and Water. Air represents wisdom, and intellect, Earth represents the body, the earth, and strength, Fire stands for passion, and enthusiasm, and the energies of Water symbolize love, compassion and emotion, while the Spirit is the element that binds these all together.   Outside of ourselves, there exist elemental kingdoms that are active agents, of conscious Spirits. The spirits of earth, are known as Gnomes, the spirits of Air, are Sylphs, the spirits of fire are Salamanders, and those of Water, are known as Undines. It is thought that everything in nature was created and maintained by one or more of these elemental beings. This is why the elements are summoned during ritual and magick.   5. The Goddess & The God-  Wiccans believe in the balanced polarities of the feminine and the masculine which are seen as the Goddess and the God. They are ultimately all a part of the One Ultimate Creative Life Force, which many call God/Goddess/Spirit. According to the wiccan tradition, the Goddess is seen as the origin of all creation of the earth, nature and life itself. The Goddess is also seen in three aspects which are the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone, which correspond with the waxing and waning phases of the moon, and also the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The God aspect is seen as the masculine side of nature. He represents the wild force of nature the hunt, that is strong and expressive, without being patriarchal and and destructive. He represents sexuality and fertility, that allows the Goddess to create life, and he is also the keeper of the gates of life and death. Different traditions have different deity structures consisting of many Gods and Goddess's that represent specific aspects of the ultimate plane of existence. Each one is unique, and used to attune one to the mysteries that the deity represents, and to provide a ?bridge? to the higher planes of existence.   6. Reincarnation One of the most important beliefs that wiccans share, is the belief in reincarnation. They do not believe in the Christian version of "heaven" or "hell". Instead, they believe that death just takes them to another plane of existence when our body dies. Wiccans call this plane of existence "Summerland", which is a "waiting place" between lives, which is comparable to the Christian belief of heaven.  They believe that a person's soul chooses to continuously be reborn, again and again, until they have learned all their spiritual lessons, which their soul is meant to learn, to ultimately elevate their souls to ascension to The Ultimate Life Force. Because of this belief, this makes wiccans ultimately responsible for their own actions in life, as they believe the mistakes they make, and the wrongs they commit, will have them return back again and again, until they can "get it right," and learn the spiritual lessons they are meant to learn.   7. The (7) Planes of Existence   1. The Physical Plane- Which is the material plane where we exist now, where everything is solid matter. 2. The Elemental Plane- (also known as the etheric plane) This is the plane of existence where the fairies and elementals reside which is the closest to our material plane of existence, helping to build it, yet not a part of it. 3. The Astral Plane- Dreams, visions, and astral travel occur at this level. 4. The Emotional Plane- This is sometimes referred to as the "upper astral" containing the highest and purest of the astral level. 5. The Mental Plane- This is where the watchers, arch angels, and Ascended Masters exist. 6.The Spiritual Plane-This is where the Gods and Goddess's exist. 7.The Ultimate Plane- This is where the Ultimate Life Force exists.   These planes of existence go from the lowest level, which is where we are on the physical plane, to the highest plane of existence, which is the Ultimate plane, where the Ultimate Life Force exists. These are essentially the lowest and highest frequencies in which energy exists. Wiccans believe that everything is a part of the Ultimate Life Force, from all the lower planes to the highest, and that everything on this plane and in the universe is all a part of the Ultimate Spirit, or Creative Life Force.     8. The Use of Magick Many Wiccans practice magick. They believe that magick is the ability to bring about changes in ones world with the use of personal will or strong desire, much like the use of prayer. Magick can be brought about by understanding the laws of nature, as well as understanding how a person can enlist the aid of a spirit or deity. Magick is accomplished by the understanding of, and use of metaphysical principles used to manifest ones needs, with a change in consciousness, intent and focus, visualization, the use of correspondences, and magickal tools. They believe that magick should never be used for harm.   9. Ethics Wiccans believe in a "live and let live" philosophy, and tend to be very tolerant of other religions and lifestyles. They strive to be non-judgmental, believing everyone is doing what they are meant to do, and are right where they are suppose to be, at this point in time. They believe in non-violence, and peace, and believe that everyone has to find and follow their own spiritual path. They have no need to "recruit" and believe that those who are meant to find the path, will.  Wiccans also have an innate sense of right and wrong, and strive to do the "right" thing, because they know that, it is what is best for their own spiritual growth.   10. Personal Development & Responsibility Most wiccans believe in taking personal responsibility for their lives. This means not only taking responsibility for ones issues, choices, mistakes, and faults, but this also means not blaming others for the things that are not right in your life. Wiccans make a conscious choice, to acknowledge and deal with their issues, and strive to change their unhealthy behavior and actions, and to become a more evolved person. They also take a very active role, in personal, and spiritual development to expand their knowledge and their skills, to become the very best person they can be. They feel that there is always something more to learn, and pass on to others.   11.  Respect for Nature Wicca is an earth based religion, and wiccans have great respect and reverence for nature, and most are involved in environmentalism,  and conservation. This is because we believe, that the earth is alive, and has a spirit, as does everything on the earth. We believe that everything is a part of the Ultimate Life Force, and that nothing is greater or lesser than another, and that everything is of equal importance and an important part of the working whole, and they honor the earth, and all the life forces upon her.   12. "As above, So below" Another common teaching is that everything that exists here on the earth, is first created in a higher, non-physical dimension, as our physical dimension is just a "reflection" of a higher dimension. Everything that exists here in our physical world, began as a thought form of energy, that eventually manifested itself here, in the lower, denser plane. This teaching is one of the basic roots of magick.     13. Ritual Most wiccans practice ritual of some sort. This is a way to worship, and is a means to help us communicate with the deities and spirits, and to gain access to other dimensions and other states of consciousness. Rituals are often performed at the sabbats, to assist inl connecting us with the seasonal turning of the year, and also on esbats, for reverence of the divine, or as a prelude to working magick. Wiccans do not have a specific building or church as other religions, and are able to create sacred space, that exists "between the worlds" wherever they wish.   14. Herbalism Witches & Wiccans practice herbalism which is the utilization of the properties of plants for healing and self improvement. There is a belief that in addition to it's physical properties, every plant has a divine spark or "mana" that has certain qualities, and characteristics, and it is this power of the plant's particular energy that is employed in magick and spell casting for specific purposes. These herbs can be used in many ways: In sachets and talismans, incenses and candles, lotions & ointments, and in food and drink. They can be used in their natural plant form, dried, or made into essential oils.   15. Divination Is method to assist in discerning what the future may hold.  Many wiccans, because they believe in taking personal responsibility for their own lives, and spiritual development, often use divination, as a tool, to help guide their path. Divination allows us to either prepare for what lies ahead, or to take action to alter a probable situation. They believe in free will, and that it is possible to change any pre-determined event or pattern. There are many methods of divination, and some include:  Tarot cards, crystal balls, black mirrors, runes, fire scrying, psychometry, and reading tea leaves.      ~Tala 2006~