Wicca is a rather new religion. It is based on ancient northern European pagan beliefs in a (fertility) Goddess and a horned God, who is her consort.
Many Wiccans use one specific pantheon of deities, such as Celtic, Roman, Norse or Greek, and their belief is that they are all different God/dess’s. On the other hand, some believe that all the God/dess’s in these pantheons are aspects of the one God and Goddess. (Personally, I ascribe to the former belief and find the latter rather unreasonable. I can't imagine how a goddess of love and fertility could be the same person as the goddess of death and pestilence. The other problem I have with the "all god/dess's are one god/dess" prospect, is the fact that you are pulling deities from completely different cultural backgrounds, and asking them to work together. Even worse, what if they were enemies at some point? They won't be helping you much if they are busy hissing at each other when you call for their help. My opionion - form your own.)
Most Wiccans also believe in reincarnation. When a Wiccan dies, it is generally believed they go to the "Summerlands" and await their next incarnation. When they have lived the full gambit of lives, and learned everything they possibly could, they then pass on forever. Death isn't something to fear as eternity in a pit because you stole grandma's apple pie - but in your next reincarnation don't be surprised if you turn out to be a baker.
We have no "Good and Evil" deities, and see these as different sides of the same coin. There is a dark aspect to every light one. An example of this could be the Greek god of the underworld, Hades. Most would see "Underworld" and say "Oh, he is so evil." But, he isn't evil, he's just doing his job of collecting the souls and keeping them busy. (That may be an over simplified example...but, hey, it works.)
The Goddess’ symbol is the Moon in all of its phases. Wiccans generally revere Nature and the Earth as her body, so it is not surprising that many are involved in Ecology and trying to preserve the Earth. Her aspects of Maiden, Mother and Crone coincide with the phases of the moon. (Waxing, Full and Waning ). The Dark Goddess is associated with the New moon.
The God’s symbol is the Sun, which fertilizes the Earth to make everything grow. There would be nothing without the Sun. The God is born to the Goddess at Yule, grows stronger through out the end of winter and spring, then unites with the Goddess at Beltane, thus perpetuating the Wheel of the Year. As summer and fall progress, the God slowly weakens and we say goodbye to Him at Samhain, knowing He will return again at Yule, again continuing the Wheel of the Year.
Some Wiccans practice magic (sometimes spelled with a "k" to differentiate it from stage magic), which we will get into more fully later, however, you don't have to practice magic to be Pagan.
Wicca is a legally recognized religion in the United States, there is even a Wiccan section in United States Army Chaplains book.
Please note that there are many differences in Traditional Wicca and the more common or everyday Wicca that is most popular now. Traditional Wicca would be one of the groups that have spread from Gerald Gardner's original tradition.
This is a brief overview of a Wiccans beliefs – however, not all Wiccans believe in the same things. One should keep this in mind while reading thru this site. By the way, all Wiccans are Pagans, but all Pagans are not necessarily Wiccan. And Wiccans are not neccesarily Witches. Still interested, eh? Well, onward and upward then...