Here we go, folks! One of Ocean’s famous Pagan tests! This one is a basic test that takes questions from six main subject areas -Beliefs, Tools, History, Spellcraft, Divination, and Ceremonial Magick. It was originally posted at my private Pagan blog, so some of you may have seen it before. With little time and energy to create original posts these days, I thought I would copy this one from there and post it here at the Crossroads for everyone to see. Feel free to take the test and see what you know…
I’m sure some of you are looking at this and thinking “holy crap!” Maybe this test is making you feel totally stupid, or that you are finding out just how little you really do know.
This is not meant to be an easy test, folks. Many of the questions asked here are similar to ones that I had to answer in order to achieve the rank of Third Degree High Priestess and receive my ordination from my original tradition/coven (Circle of the Goddess, which has now disbanded). These tests were given only after a considerable amount of in-depth study.
But the point is… there is a lot of work involved in the practice of Wicca, and/or the journey of the Pagan Path. This is not a religion of the lazy – it’s not one where you can simply go to Sunday School once a week and then forget about it for the next couple of days. The Craft requires a commitment…a 24/7 commitment. You can’t slack off and expect to learn this stuff, folks.
I’m not saying that you have to make Paganism your total obsession, but you have to do the work. You have to put in a regular, consistent effort to learn, and to practice what you learn.
You have to read, Read, READ. Not necessarily just books, but all sources of information. There’s plenty of resources right here that you can check out – websites and blogs and the like.
The point is, I can’t hold your hand for you constantly and keep lighting a fire under your butts. You’ve got to take the initiative yourselves.
Before you continue with the test, I would like to take a moment to thank Laura Wildman, one of my former teachers, whose knowledge and wisdom formulated many of the questions found here. Laura has now put many of these questions into a book titled “What’s Your Wicca IQ?” published by Citadel Press. I encourage anyone interested in learning more about Wicca to buy this book – it’s on my recommended reading list. Thanks Laura, for everything.
Bright Blessings, and Good Luck!
~ Ocean
1. In modern Paganism, the seasonal celebrations are reflections of the cycles of life, death, and rebirth. These festivals are said to be
a) the Lighting of the Flame
b) the Stirring of the Cauldron
c) the Circle of Life
d) the Wheel of the Year
2. The earliest form of Witchcraft was most likely
a) tribal Shamanism
b) temple Priestesses
c) divination experts
d) village wise women
3. What is a spell?
a) a period of time
b) mixing together different magical ingredients
c) the speaking of magical words
d) a wish sent with intent
4. The art of divination is based upon the assumption that
a) the diviner has supernatural powers
b) objects and symbols are independent sources of psychic power
c) there are links among humans, objects, and the forces found in Nature
d) divination tools are magical entities
5. This Celtic deity is known by name only from a single Gaulish altar inscription, yet He is popular within many Wiccan circles:
a) Dagda
b) Cernunnos
c) Herne
d) Gobniu
6. Deosil is __________, and widdershins is __________
a) forwards, backwards
b) counterclockwise, clockwise
c) positive energy, negative energy
d) clockwise, counterclockwise
7. After the Witchcraft laws were repealed in England in 1951, he came forward to expound upon the ideas of Margaret Murray. He is credited with being the founder of the modern Witchcraft religion known as Wicca:
a) Alex Sanders
b) Gerald B. Gardner
c) Charles Leland
d) Robert Cochrane
8. Of the following, which Wiccan practice comes out of the Golden Dawn?
a) elementals and color associations
b) assuming God forms
c) Watchtowers
d) all of the above
9. Who was the first to put forth the theory that the witches persecuted during the Inquisition were actually members of an organized Pagan religion, a fertility cult with roots that went back as far as Paleolethic times?
a) Jules Michelet
b) James Frazer
c) Margaret Murray
d) Gerald Gardner
10. At what time in the year does the Oak King traditionally challenge, fight, and kill the Holly King?
a) Midsummer
b) Beltaine
c) Winter Solstice
d) Lammas
11. The circle is __________ with salt and water; the circle is __________ with fire and air.
a) made wet, made sweet
b) charged, cleansed
c) cleansed, charged
d) cleansed, cleansed
12. The following is a Sanskrit word that is used to describe the essence or spirit. It is sometimes also called ether, the emptiness from which reality takes its form:
a) Rumi
b) Tatoli
c) Akasha
d) Chakra
13. What are the primary differences between Ceremonial Magic and Wiccan practices?
a) Wicca is more formal and organized in its practice
b) Ceremonial Magic focuses heavily upon theology and form
c) Ceremonial Magic uses an elaborate system of symbolism, numbers, colors, and timing
d) Wicca has an unbroken line reaching back to prehistoric times, while Ceremonial Magic dates as far as the Middle Ages
14. This popular plant is used in everything from pickling to garnishes. It is also a very powerful antibiotic, and mixed with sage in tea form, can help sooth a common cold. During the summer, it can keep mosquitos at bay, and hung up in the home, can dispel negative energy:
a) lavender
b) Saint John’s Wort
c) parsley
d) garlic
15. Do magic that involves banishing or removing an obstacle during a _____ moon; and magic to increase your luck, fertility, health or to draw something to you during a _____ moon.
a) full, new
b) waxing, waning
c) blood, blue
d) waning, waxing
16. In astrology, a house is
a) a section of the chart with only one Zodiac sign in it
b) a building with four walls and a roof
c) a particular grouping of signs within an individual’s astrological chart
d) a mathematical division of the sky
17. You are in desperate need of a job. Of the following, which is the best course of magical action?
a) do candle magic to send out a psychic call for a job
b) do chanting and power raising directed toward finding a job
c) empower the paper of your resume that it gets into the right hands, and mail it out
d) burn a copy of your resume, and scatter the ashes to the winds
18. What is the difference between a Witch’s circle and a Ceremonial Magician’s circle?
a) the words used to create it
b) a Witch creates a circle to make a connection with the spirits; a magician’s circle is used to keep the spirits at bay
c) magicians visualize a purple light, Witches see it as white
d) there is no difference between the two
19. Which Celtic Goddess was the only one to have been worshiped in Rome itself and whose worship was spread through the regions of Roman occupation?
a) Bridget
b) Ostara
c) Epona
d) Nemesis
20. This is the “bible” which should be in any witch‘s library:
a) Drawing Down the Moon, by Margot Adler
b) The Spiral Dance, by Starhawk
c) there is no such thing as a Witches bible
d) What Witches Do, by Janet and Stewart Farrar
21. The Elementals are best described as
a) the four elements of life found within Nature, which form the foundation of natural magic
b) the spirits that personify the four elements
c) a Pagan music group that wrote many of the chants currently used within the Pagan community
d) air, fire, water, and earth
22. This is the most significant of the Sabbats, because it marks the beginning of the new year for Wiccans and most Pagans:
a) Yule
b) Beltaine
c) Samhain
d) Imbolc
23. Collectively, the runes are called the
a) futhark
b) aettir
c) Eddas
d) mystical doodles
24. The Law of Thelema states
a) do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law
b) I am what is attained at the end of desire
c) live, laugh, and love
d) you shall honor and obey the High Priestess
25. A controversial occultist during the twentieth century, he was a Ceremonial Magician whose writing and ideas had a major influence on the founders of the modern Witchcraft movement:
a) Aleister Crowley
b) Gerald Gardner
c) Cecil Williamson
d) Raymond Buckland
26. He is hung upon the World Tree to gain knowledge (Norse Tradition):
a) Odin
b) Balder
c) Thor
d) Loki
27. Pantheism is
a) a religious concept that identifies the Gods as present in all matter
b) the worship or honoring of a collection of deities from the same culture
c) the celebration and worship of the God Pan
d) a famous temple in Greece dedicated to the Goddess Athena
28. The Inquisition was a campaign to eradicate
a) pagans
b) witches
c) heretics
d) midwives
29. Divination tells the reader
a) the likely course of events
b) the actual events that will occur
c) only past events
d) where the money is hidden
30. The Death card in a tarot reading means
a) that the questioner will die in the next year
b) that someone close to the questioner will die in the next year
c) the ending and transformation of a situation
d) the ending of a situation
ANSWERS TO THIS TEST CAN BE FOUND AT THIS LINK: https://deafpagancrossroads.com/2008/09/07/answers-to-pagan-mini-test/
This sculpture shows the sign for "connect"...and that is what Deaf Pagan Crossroads is all about - making connections. Connections between Deafhood and Paganism, connections between the Deaf Community and the Hearing Community, connections between myself as the writer and you as the reader. I hope you will take the time to read my various posts, some of which are listed below. Welcome to the Crossroads, and I hope you make some connections here!
i thoroughly enjoyed myself reading thru, recognizing many things, and smiling at the fact there is always more to learn.
Thank you, for bringing this out in your blog.
For reasons deep in my feeling/thinking bones, I feel that you are contributing, maybe unconsciously, to the advancement of ourselves.
I join in wishing our dear one happiness, harmoniousness, and enlightenment in her journey.
WOW! You are right, Osh… this is not an easy test at all! It really opened my eyes to how much knowledge is required to become a Third Degree High Priestess, and encourages me to respect you (and all Third Degree Pagan Clergy) even more. Although you’re pretty humble about it, I know you have spoken about being a Third Degree High Priestess with a certain level of pride, and now that I better understand what is truly involved, all I can say is that you have every right to be proud of yourself.
I did give this test a try, but I must admit that I was shooting in the dark also. It makes me realize how much more I need to learn, but it has only whetted my appetite and increase my desire to discover what I can about the Pagan Path. I know you can’t hold my hand and keep that fire lit under my rear, but just knowing you are there to guide me means a lot.
Anyway, here are my guesses… you’ve got my permission to tell me how badly I did! 😀
1) D, 2) B, 3) C, 4) B, 5) B, 6) D, 7) B, 8} D, 9) D, 10) A
11) C, 12) D, 13) B, 14) D, 15) D, 16) A, 17) C, 18) A, 19) A, 20) C
21) A, 22) C, 23) A, 24) A, 25) A, 26) C, 27) B, 28) B, 29) A, 30) D
Can I just say you can’t post these answers quickly enough for me?
It’s like a song I can’t get out of my head…only instead of lyrics, I think: “I got that one right, that one wrong, that one right.”
Quick, where’s the spell to hurry Osh up?
Hey, I’ll take a stab at this.
1)D 2)A 3)C 4)C 5)B 6)D 7)B 8)C 9)C 10)D 11)D 12)C 13)C 14)D 15)D 16)D 17)C 18)B 19)D 20)C 21)B 22)C 23)A 24)A 25)A 26)A 27)B 28)C 29)A 30)C
OK, so how do I find out how many I got right/wrong? LoL!
Hold on to your horses, gang – I will be posting the answers this weekend, I promise!
In the meantime…
Considering that you are still pretty new to the Craft, FireSpirit, you didn’t do that bad. You got exactly 50% (half of the questions) correct. That’s a good start… just keep on studying and I am sure you will do better in the future.
Luciferian, you did pretty well, you only missed six out of thirty, so your score is 80% The ones you missed were pretty much from various subjects, so I can’t really say if there is any particular area that you are weak on (I’m weak in Ceremonial Magick, so I tend to score low in that subject). You seem to be pretty well rounded in your knowledge, which is to your credit.
Feel free to email me privately at oshginva@gmail.com if you wish further explanation of your test scores, but please wait until after I have posted the answers (which again I will do this weekend, I promise!) before doing so.
Thanks!
1) D
2) A
3) D
4) C
5) A
6) D
7) B
8) D
9) C
10) C
11) C
12) C
13) C
14) D
15) D
16) C
17) A
18) A
19) C
20) D
21) D
22) C
23) A
24) A
25) A
26) C
27) A
28) A
29) B
30) D
How is my test??????
Thank you. Like to learn.
You did well, Witchpi… you got twenty out of the thirty correct. You have a few areas of weakness, but overall you did not do badly. Just keep studying!
1)D 2) A 3)B 4)C 5)B 6)D 7)B 8)A 9)D 10)D 11)C 12)C 13)C 14)C 15)D 16)C 17)C 18)A 19)D 20)A 21)A 22)C 23)A 24)D 25)A 26)A 27)A 28)C 29)A 30)C
I checked my results myself but do you have book recommendations to strengthen my weak areas?? or anything like that?
This post here at the Crossroads may help:
https://deafpagancrossroads.com/2007/11/18/exploring-paganism-what-to-read/
The best thing I can encourage you to do is just keep reading…and reading different subjects. Pagan history, Pagan practice, Pagan ethics, different Pagan paths, etc. The more you read the more you learn.
If you can, seek out others (particularly Pagan elders) with whom you can engage in intelligent discussions to further your knowledge and understanding of various aspects of Paganism.
Finally, don’t be in a hurry to try and learn everything all at once. I’ve been on the path for 30+ years now, and I am still learning. I cannot and do not claim to know everything – Paganism is such a diverse religion with so many different paths that go off in different directions. I have my own weak areas. There are very few people – even those who have been practicing the Craft for years – who are going to score 100% on this test, and nobody should be expected to.
Remember…you are on the Path exactly where you are meant to be right now. And from here you can only move forward.
Blessings to you, and the best with your studies