Wicca is the belief that the cosmic energy of the universe exists in two parts. The God and The Goddess. Believing in these two deities and living your life by The Rede is what makes you a practitioner of Wicca.
Now, many practitioners are Dedicated or Initiated. For certain groups these words are interchangeable, for others they are two distinctive things. I will explain to you how this was explained to me.
* Initiation is the first step to dedication. When one is Initiated (either by yourself or into a coven) Initiation means that you have looked into the religion and you wish to follow it. Many people Initiate before doing their Year and a Day study.
* Year and a Day study is exactly how it sounds. You (or your coven) draws up a study plan that lasts about a year and a day. During this time you focus on studying your path.
* Then comes Dedication. After fully studying and going through your learning plan and you still want to be a part of WIcca you Dedicate yourself, either self dedication or via a Coven, depending on how your path has gone.
Now, you used the words 'becoming a part' of the Wiccan religion. I hope that I am inferring this correctly when you are asking how does one get involved. The other part of me wonders if you are asking how does one seek out a community/coven...and that is an entirely different post.
I hope this helps!
~Chrysalis
Reference: goddesses-and-gods.blogspot.com
