The Sacred Hearth

What is Wicca?

While Wicca is one of the fastest growing religions in the world, and one of the most well-known of all modern Pagan religions, it truly has little in common with other Pagan religions and perhaps less in common with other Witchcraft traditions. It has a history that is fraught with conflict and its members often find themselves at odds with other Pagans, especially reconstructionist Pagans and members of other faiths that embrace Witchcraft. That being said, it is a religion that embraces just about anyone in a non-judgemental way and is truly a beautiful and meaningful spiritual path to those who choose to follow it.

The History of Wicca

Wicca was first made public by Gerald Gardner in the 1950s after Britain repealed its Witchcraft act, though some believe he had alluded to it in earlier fiction work (High Magic's Aid). According to Gardner, he was initiated into a Wiccan coven by Dorothy Clutterbuck in 1939 and this coven was the most recent of an unbroken line of practicing Wiccans that extended back to prehistory. They say that the word Wicca comes from Wicce, and that that is the derivation of the word Witch. He and his followers postulated (or at least implied) that all Witches were actually followers of of this religion, an assertion that continues to annoy non-Wiccan Witches everywhere- except of course for the Witches that never heard of Wicca, of which there are quite a few.

This claim seemed to be backed up by the earlier writings of Margaret Murray, a feminist Anthropologist who theorized that the great Witch Hunts of Europe were actually systematic genocide against a feminist religious order. Modern Anthropologists have since vehemently debunked Murray’s claims and many religious scholars believe Gardner actually created Wicca based on her findings rather than agreeing that her finding supports the history claimed by it. Even so, many modern Wiccans still believe that their religious ancestors were persecuted during this period which is known as the “Burning Times” and remember it accordingly, especially at Samhain.

There is really no way to prove or disprove the antiquity of the Wiccan religion, but it does seem to follow the pattern of various occult orders that sprang up around the turn of the century, bears a striking resemblance to the ramblings of Aleister Crowley and the findings of the aforementioned Margaret Murray. It is probably safe to assume that it was developed somewhat earlier than the 1950s, but it probably doesn’t have an unbroken line since prehistory. More likely is a revival of a variety of ancient traditions, or at least the perception of them, blended with more modern New Age and Eastern concepts. This does not mean, however, that it’s any less valid than any other religion. All religions started somewhere.

Wicca was brought to America by several elders of the tradition and spread by various writers including Janet and Stewart Farrar, Raymond Buckland and Scott Cunningham. The Farrars' brand of Wicca is somewhat shocking, though some insist it is closer to the original (Gerald Gardner has been accused of inventing the religion to sate his lust and his tradition, and that of the Farrars, required actual sexual intercourse during specific rituals) while Raymond Buckland and Scott Cunningham present a much more socially acceptable form of Wicca.

The Wiccan God and Goddess

The Wiccan God and Goddess, also known as the Lord and Lady are one in the same, two parts of a divine whole. Every God that ever was and every Goddess that ever was is part of this divine whole. It’s like a disco ball with every facet a different face of the God or Goddess. Wicca has come under some fire from other Pagan religions for this seeming heresy.

Many Wiccan traditions give the Goddess far more importance than the God, while other Wiccans see this as somewhat of a heresy itself as it eliminates the concept of balance that is central to the divine androgene concept.

The God is generally seen as being horned and according to the popular history of Wicca (mentioned above) the early Church saw horned God images and men playing the part of the God in a horned mask and mistook it for their Satan, or perhaps that their Satan got his horns from an attempt to demonize the horned God. The face of the Goddess changes according to the seasons from maiden to mother to crone. The names they are called differ according to the culture that appeals most to the coven or solitary Wiccan or according to the request they wish to make of them. For example, if they are doing a spell for love, they might include a prayer to Aphrodite, a spell to protect their dog, Artemis, a spell for creativity, Brigid. (This, of course, annoys the heck out of Recons, Heathens and Neo-Hellenics.)

Basic Tenets of Wicca

The Wiccan religion is extremely flexible. The tenets of each individual coven is set forth by its leadership and daughter covens may keep those codes of conduct, interpretation of Deity and ritual style or develop new ones. This doesn’t mean, however, that Wicca is a “whatever works” kind of deal, though unfortunately many people who call themselves Wiccan will say it is.

Gerald Gardner originally set forth many very specific rules that most Wiccans today aren’t even aware of. The 161 laws of Wicca may or may not have been written by Gardner himself and are more or less ignored by most solitary Wiccans and most covens today, especially in America, though some still follow them. More familiar is the Wiccan Rede, which exists in many forms, but is summed up by Gardner’s contemporary Doreen Valiente " Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill, / An it harm none do what ye will." There are many versions of the Rede out there, as well as the Charge of the Goddess, which has come also to be associated with Reclaiming and other Goddess traditions and, not to be forgotten, the Charge of the God. You can find out more about these quite easily by doing a search on any good search engine.

Organization

Although many Wiccans are solitary, that is, they practice alone, some work in groups known as covens. Covens can be of any number and are usually presided over by a Priestess and/or Priest (Sometimes members take turns filling these roles.). New members are given an initiation and training. There are three degrees or levels of training. Once the third degree has been reached, a Wiccan is then qualified to lead his or her own coven.

Each coven has its own way of operating and its own particulars about how they worship and as each new coven is formed, things change slightly from the way things were done in the mother coven. Thus there are in reality countless forms of Wicca in existence today.

Wiccan Worship

Wiccan worship has many ritual elements. In those circles I have attended, the ceremony began by calling the quarters- standing to each direction in turn and inviting the elemental spirits associated with that direction to join the circle, and then a circle was cast. Generally the ceremony included a purpose or a spell of some sort. The Goddess and/or God was evoked under one or many names and asked for blessing. The simple feast (cakes and ale or bread and wine or cider) was then shared with the group and a bit offered to the God and Goddess, the Gods and spirits dismissed and the circle opened.

Wiccans may worship in the nude, in ceremonial robes or in street clothes. The altar is usually covered with a special cloth reserved for the purpose and decorated with God and Goddess images, seasonal flowers, an athame and a chalice (representing the phallus and the womb) various objects representing the elements and occasionally a wand for directing energy.

The pentacle is the symbol of the Wiccan faith (and others as well) and to Wiccans it represents the five points of the human body and the five elements, earth, air, fire, water and spirit.

This is just an overview, of course. One cannot fully explain any religion, much less one so complicated as Wicca in a brief and admittedly biased outline. I’m not Wiccan but merely a scholar of every religion that will let me learn about it. If you’re interested, you should get your information from the experts!

For more information about Wicca:

Check out Wicca for the Rest of Us (This is absolutely the best website about Wicca I have ever seen. It is clear, concise, dedicated to squashing misconceptions and determinedly fluff-free.)

Of course you need to read, read, read. Read these first. (In order) But please verify the history with other (preferably secular sources) before quoting it to anybody. I recommend The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft by Ronald Hutton to anyone interested in Wiccan and Neo-Pagan history.

Witchcraft for Tomorrow, Doreen Valiente
Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, Scott Cunningham
Wicca For Life: The Way of the Craft-From Birth to Summerland, Raymond Buckland
A Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches Handbook, Janet & Steward Farrar
Witchcraft Today, Gerald Gardner

This article is copywrited Dawn Black, 2007. It may be distributed electronically with this footer intact. Dawn is an up-and-coming Pagan author featured at http://www.sacredhearth.com.