| Excerpt
from Wiccan Beliefs & Practices: With Rituals for Solitaries &
Covens
Before starting down this
rather detailed road of definitions, let me be
perfectly clear and state that virtually any definition one can attach
to the
words witch, witchcraft, or Wicca is in many ways dependent on the
person making
that definition. My own experience has taught me that if you were to ask
one
dozen people who claim to be Wiccans exactly what that word means, you
would
probably get at least a half-dozen different answers, and each answer
could
probably be tied to some acceptable reference source.
This seeming discrepancy
is not due to any attempt to mask the truth or to a
lack of information among Wiccan practitioners, but is due in large part
to the
fact that our Craft is growing and diverging today at a phenomenal rate.
Many of
the newer Wiccan Paths, sometimes referred to as Neo-Wiccan, have
evolved with
their own definitions or interpretations of these basic words. Their
definition
of Wicca may not always coincide with that held by the older
Anglo-centered,
British Traditional forms of Wicca that originated in the United
Kingdom.
There are many Traditions
of the Old Religion and many Paths within each
Tradition. They each differ sufficiently to make even some basic
definitions
somewhat open to the interpretation of the practitioner. The definitions
I
present in this chapter are essentially my own and are based on my
research
sources and my personal understanding of my chosen Tradition and Path,
which is
generally understood to be Eclectic-Celtic Wicca. These definitions may
not
reflect those of other Wiccans who follow other Traditions. They may use
reference sources that differ from mine and may therefore arrive at
definitions
that differ from what I present here. Nonetheless, I believe the
definitions and
explanations I provide offer as good a beginning as any.
I want to be very clear
at the start of this book that the comments,
thoughts, and opinions you will read here regarding Wiccan theology,
rituals,
and such are mine as I understand them based on my own experience and
learning.
They reflect my interpretations of how I live and practice Wicca from
the
perspective of my own Tradition and Path and from my own sources of
information.
I am by no means touting the material in this book as being something
that
speaks for all Wiccans. I have no intention of making that claim, nor, I
believe, should any other author. When I use the words we or our in this
book, I
am simply referring to Wiccans in general. The use of these words is not
meant
to imply that a statement under discussion is accepted exactly as I have
written
it by all who practice Wicca. There is indeed no "one and only
way" to
work the Craft and worship our deities. We all have some differing
understanding
or interpretation of many aspects of the Old Religion, and each one of
these
interpretations is, by definition, the correct one for those who embrace
it.
In any event, I encourage
you to read what I present and use that information
as a starting point in developing your own understanding of the Craft.
Read as
many sources as you can, do as much research as you can, and do not
regard any
one source as presenting the pure and unimpeachable truth over all
others.
Wicca and
Paganism
What does the word Wicca
really mean, and where did it come from? Wicca is
only one of many religions of the world that can be grouped under the
umbrella
of Paganism. So before we can define Wicca, we must first define the
word Pagan.
Pagan comes from the Latin word pagani or paganus, which translates into
"hearth or home dweller," generally meaning a country person.
In the
days of the Roman Republic, the word pagani was somewhat derogatory in
its
application since those so addressed were considered "country
cousins"
and were usually thought of as being somewhat inferior to their more
worldly,
city-dwelling counterparts. With the expansion of Christianity, the word
Pagan
was redefined as one who worshipped the old gods and goddesses and did
not
seriously worship the new Christian god. In the early years of the
Christian
movement, being a Pagan had not yet taken on the ominous overtones of
heathen or
heretic that later lead to the persecutions and horrors of the Dark
Ages, that
period in history generally referred to as the Inquisition or the
Burning Times.
The current definition of
the word Pagan from The American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language1 is "a practitioner of any of
the
non-Christian, non-Muslim, or non-Jewish religions, typically holding a
polytheist or pantheist doctrine, philosophy, or creed."1 A Pagan
is thus
anyone who follows a religion other than the Christian, Muslim, or
Jewish
religions. This obviously includes such diverse religions as the Hindu,
Taoist,
Confucian, Buddhist, Pacific Islander, American Indian, and, of course,
all the
nature-oriented or Earth-worshipping Eod and goddess religions.
According to
information culled from both The 1993 Encyclopedia Britannica and the
The 1998
Cambridge Fact Finder1, the total of these so-defined Pagan religions
accounts
for approximately 50 percent of all the religious adherents in the
world, which
is, needless to say, a significant number of individuals.2
Figure 1 gives a general
graphic representation of how Paganism, the
Traditions of Wicca, and some of the various Paths within Wicca can be
visualized from the standpoint of my own perspective and learning.
Others may
not agree with my arrangement of some of the figure components,
disagreeing on
how I have represented or depicted the relationships between some of the
Traditions or Paths. I appreciate and understand this disagreement,
since few of
us will see these concepts in exactly the same way.
In any case, this figure
is only meant to give some visual form to the
concepts of Tradition and Path, and is obviously not meant to depict
each and
every form of Pagan Tradition or Wiccan Path. There are far too many of
these to
include in one simple graphic, and only a select few of the major
Traditions and
Paths are represented. Please note that the arrangement of figure 1 is
alphabetical; there is no superiority implied by the order of appearance
or by
the absence of other major Pagan Traditions or Wiccan Paths.
That brings us back to
the original question¿what does Wicca mean? There
are those who, with justification, may say that anyone who invokes a
deity and
addresses that deity through magick in order to bring about change is
practicing
witchcraft and is therefore a witch. Given that definition of
witchcraft, one
could assume the title of witch if magick were practiced by invoking a
deity
associated with virtually any theology, and no one could tell you that
you were
not practicing witchcraft as you understood it.
There are also those
within Wicca who may not totally recognize your claim to
be a witchcraft practitioner since that claim may fall outside of what
their
Tradition or Path may define or recognize as the practice of witchcraft.
This
may sound like splitting hairs, but I think it has some validity in that
the
title of witch and the understanding of what witchcraft is can be
related
directly to how one interprets the origin of those words. That is not to
say
that a person initiated as a witch under a theology outside of Wicca has
no
validity as a witch¿far from it. I am only saying that the validity of
one's
claim to be a witchcraft practitioner may not necessarily be recognized
by all
those who practice under other Traditions or Paths of Wicca. This
analysis,
however, is probably more germane and firmly anchored to the teachings
associated with the previously mentioned British Traditionals, such as
the
Gardnerian and Alexandrian Traditions, and much less so in the newer and
generally more eclectic Craft Traditions that have evolved outside of
that
influence.
Many people feel that,
technically, the word witch should be applied only to
those practitioners of Paganism who follow one of the many Traditions of
the
Wiccan religion. The reason for this seems to be rooted in the
derivation of the
word witch. Some dictionaries and encyclopedias vary when defining its
root
source, with some listing it as a word of Germanic origin and others
claiming it
to be from Old English.
The 1999 World Book
Encyclopedia1 defines Wicca as "the practice of
witchcraft where-in most witches call their religion Wicca, from the
Anglo-Saxon
word meaning wisdom or wise, which is the root of such words as witch
and
wizard."3 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
defines
the word witch as "from the Middle English wicche, from Old English
wicce
(feminine) and wicca (masculine) meaning wizard or sorcerer, a believer
or
follower of Wicca, a Wiccan."4 The 1999 World Book Encyclopedia
defines the
word witch as being "from the Old English word wicca, which is
derived from
the Germanic root wic, meaning to bend or to turn. By using magic, a
witch is
believed to have the ability to change or bend events. The word can be
applied
to a man or a woman."5 The word witch thus seems to be able to
claim a
derivation from Wicca, meaning a practitioner of the Wiccan religion, a
wise
one, or one who can influence and change events. The words witch and
Wiccan
would thus appear to be interrelated, at least according to these
reference
sources.
Does this mean that only
Wiccans are witches? Not necessarily, since we have
already said that, in a broad sense, a witch is one who has the ability
to
influence events through magick and that this ability is not limited to
Wiccans.
That thought can probably be summarized with the statement that not all
Pagans
are witches, not all witches are Wiccans, but all Wiccans are witches.
There are
many differing Traditions of the Pagan religion involving rituals with
magickal
workings, and they may be performing witchcraft, but the practitioners
of Wicca
would seem to be witches and to be practicing witchcraft in the most
literal
sense of the word.
One can further bolster
the argument relating the words witch and Wiccan by
saying that the practice of Wicca brings with it an acceptance of all
the
ramifications inherent in magickal workings aimed at bringing about
change. By
that I mean that we who practice Wicca assume all the responsibilities
and
consequences of our actions commensurate with the Wiccan Law, also
sometimes
called the Wiccan Ethic. We understand this Law or Ethic and apply it to
our
daily lives. We fully appreciate the meaning of the Wiccan Rede and the
Threefold Law, and we try our best to uphold the Old Code of Wiccan
Chivalry.
These concepts form the basis of the ethics of the Old Religion, which
will be
discussed in the next chapter.
There are other Pagan
Traditions that practice magick to bring about change,
but in some cases these Traditions may not embrace a recognition of the
concept
of "harm none" that is at the root of the Wiccan Law. In so
doing,
they may be working magick and effecting change, but may possibly be
doing so in
a form that is not acceptable to Wiccans, although they are in reality
still
practicing witchcraft. By making this statement, please remember that I
am in no
way implying that these other Pagan Traditions are in some way inferior
to Wicca
or that Wicca is the only way to practice Paganism or even witchcraft.
All Pagan
Traditions, or any religious traditions for that matter, are valid for
their
followers. If a spiritual path or path of enlightenment is appropriate
to the
practitioner, then it most certainly is proper and valid for those who
practice
it.
As always, one of the
prime ingredients of adherence in any religious
doctrine must be the spiritual and emotional awakening that comes from
within
the practitioner. This thought is exemplified by one line from The
Charge of the
Goddess, which states, "For if that which you seek, you find not
within
yourself, you will never find it without." Thus, if that awakening
occurs
within you, then the Path is a viable one, regardless of what others may
think
or assume about the "validity" of that Path. This is also true
for the
Solitary practitioner of Wicca, because all the teacher-student training
and
Coven initiations in the world will not make one iota of difference if
the
initiate is not fully and totally in tune with the Old Religion on a
spiritual
level. That is a decision the God and Goddess will make when They are
good and
ready to make it and, believe me, They will let you know when the time
is right.
It is not something novices can arbitrarily decide on their own, and it
is not
something that is automatically conferred simply due to the public rite
of a
Coven initiation.
Truly becoming a witch,
be it done as a Solitary or in Coven, is a deeply
moving and profound mental, spiritual, emotional, and sometimes even
physical
experience. It is an awareness of your connection to the God and
Goddess, an
awareness or maybe even a reawakening of your eons-old link through your
ancestors to that wonderful and all-encompassing thing we call Nature.
The
feelings and emotions that will surge through you when you experience
that
awakening are impossible to describe with the written word. They will
alter your
heart and raise your soul. They will leave an everlasting mark on all
who
experience that awakening with an impact on your very psyche that is
almost
physical, and your life will be forever changed. Once you truly
acknowledge and
accept your rightful title of witch, regardless of how it is conferred,
you will
never again be the same.
Wicca makes no claims to
be "the only way"; indeed, no religion can
really make this claim, because all spiritual traditions or paths are
meaningful
and valid to their practitioners. Unfortunately, there are many
religious or
spiritual paths that do not share this concept and honestly believe they
have
the only meaningful or right avenue of religious pursuit. This type of
myopic
thinking can usually be found in the more fundamentalist or militant
factions of
most religions. It usually manifests eventually in such things as
inquisitions,
holy wars, or other attempts to impose the will of the (usually)
minority
fundamentalists on the rest of the adherents. Fortunately, Wicca does
not make
this claim; in fact, we refute it and fully support the concept that any
religious path is by definition acceptable to the followers of that
path.
Some Wiccans now
recognize the many differing aspects of the Old Religion,
even to the point of making the somewhat inflammatory statement that
Wicca as we
know it today has evolved far beyond the concepts described by Gardner
and how
it is practiced by Gardnerian or Alexandrian witches.
British Traditional Witch
and High Priestess Raven Scott breaks from the more
traditional school of thought and makes the analysis that common usage
has
somewhat changed the way we now see and understand Wicca and what it
means to be
Wiccan. Scott states, "Part of this change has been brought about
by the
very thing we actually desired to see, our formal recognition as an
organized
and accepted religion under the laws of the United States."6
Scott also accepts the
fact that not all Wiccans may know the Mysteries and
cherished beliefs of the British Traditionalists. She comments that
"those
newcomers to Wicca are discovering their own Mysteries to make either
their own
Traditions in their own way, or they are working the Craft as Solitaries
and in
so doing they have evolved multiple versions of Wicca."7 I
personally feel,
as does Scott, that both versions of Wicca have a place in our Pagan
society
because both of them, the traditional and the new, enable us to connect
with our
ancestors and to find that divinity we seek. In the long run, isn't that
what
really matters?
Many of us have found
something that speaks to the deepest and most emotional
parts of our very inner selves, something that speaks to us across the
gulf of
thousands of years. What speaks to us was not called Wicca those
thousands of
years ago. There were no Gardnerians or Alexandrians at the building of
Stonehenge, there was only the Craft of the Wise and it was simply
there, as
part of the everyday lives of our ancestors. That is the concept of the
Old
Religion that many of us embrace today. We choose to call our practice
of that
religion Wicca, and we choose to call ourselves witches.
I think that most
practitioners of today's Craft realize that these new
approaches have abandoned any deep or hidden content and instead embrace
a
totally open and visible path. I think we also understand that learning
the ins
and outs of the deeper meanings of our religion was never meant to be
something
that could be done quickly by just reading a few books. We can probably
all
agree here that a deeper understanding of the Craft does indeed require
a
program of dedication¿it is not something that can be learned easily.
On the
other hand, the newer open or visible paths do lend themselves to a
quick course
of study. While they must, by definition, mask the deeper meanings of
our
religion, they still enable one to get a foothold as either a Solitary
or as a
member of a nontraditional Coven.
Summarizing these
thoughts, we can probably make the assumption that the
Craft of the Wise was originally formed around those deeper and hidden
concepts;
it was never intended to be a religion for an extended population. There
was
usually only one witch or healer in any given village who truly knew the
Mysteries, and little thought was probably given to providing
interpretations of
the belief system beyond that necessary for communal rituals.
The result of this
transition from the hidden to the open in the twentieth
century is the fact that many seekers of Wicca have learned the religion
essentially through books. Unfortunately, because of this, many of the
deeper
concepts may have been misunderstood or misinterpreted; thus, the
Mysteries have
been changed from that which was understood by the Traditionalists to
that which
is understood by the newcomers.
What we have postulated
essentially recognizes the emergence of a different
form of Wicca, a Wicca that is open, fluid, evolving, and dynamic. This
new
concept of Wicca sometimes causes serious concerns among traditionalist
practitioners because it seems to strike at what they see as the very
heart of
Wicca; and we must realize that their viewpoint, as narrow as it may
seem to
some newcomers, does indeed have merit.
The Wicca I identify with
is the practice of the Old Religion that recognizes
the old gods and goddesses who have been with us for literally hundreds
of
thousands of years, only the names have changed. It is the Wicca that
understands the balance in nature that gives us life, death, and
rebirth, and it
calls to me from the deepest parts of my very being. That is my version
of
Wicca. True, it may not be exactly the same Wicca as practiced by the
traditionalists, but it is what calls to me. It is how I understand and
worship
the Old Ones, by embracing the divinity we call Nature in all her
glorious
manifestations.
Table 1 at the end of
this chapter describes some of the better known Paths,
some would say sub-Traditions, of Wicca It is a relatively short table,
since it
would be impossible to include each and every Path. I included the table
only to
give the novice reader a feel for the depth of the differing Paths. It
is in no
way intended to be a complete compilation of the major Paths of Wicca.
If you
are a practitioner of a Path that is not described in this table, then I
apologize for my unintentional oversight. I have listed the various
Paths
alphabetically; their order of appearance is in no way to be construed
as
placing one over another in order of importance.
If you are just beginning
a study of Paganism, you may need to evaluate many
differing Traditions or Paths before finding the one for which you are
looking.
Your chosen Path in the Old Religion must be one that is uniquely suited
to you
as an individual and one that lets you speak to the Lord and Lady in
your own
fashion. That Path may lead you to teachers and a Coven relationship, or
it may
lead you down the Solitary path. Each has its own validity, and one must
not be
construed to be somehow superior to the other.
To those people who say
that a Solitary is not a real witch, that a Solitary
initiation into the Craft is not a real initiation, and only a Third
Degree
witch or an Elder can initiate another into the Craft, I take great
exception.
If a Solitary individual completes a reasonable course of study in the
Wiccan
religion, formally and without reservation dedicates and consecrates to
the Lord
and Lady, swears to defend Them and all those who love Them, and vows to
follow
the Wiccan Law, then that individual has indeed self-initiated. That
initiation
has been duly witnessed and accepted by the God and Goddess, and he or
she has
as much right to the title of witch as anyone initiated by any Coven
High
Priestess or High Priest in any Coven ritual.
As to the use of the word
self-initiate as opposed to self-dedicate, I feel
to some degree that this is simply a case of semantics. The 1999 World
Book
Encyclopedia defines the word dedicate as "the act or state of
giving up
wholly or earnestly to some person or purpose."8 It defines the
word
initiate as "a formal admission into a group or society, or the
ceremonies
by which one is admitted to a group or society."9 Whether you use
the word
dedicate or initiate, you are doing the same thing in either case. You
are
giving yourself wholly to a purpose (Wicca), and you are being admitted
into
that society (of Wicca) by a ceremony.
Having stated that
Solitaries have exactly the same right to use the title of
witch as any Coven initiate, it is important to realize that Solitary
practitioners must by necessity obtain their information from existing
written
sources, either books or possibly from the Internet. Please be aware
that not
every written source available on our Craft is necessarily a
"good"
source. There are many published materials that contain errors or
misinformation. This is usually not by design, but is usually due to
conflicting
opinions or philosophies between authors or, in some cases, is simply
due to a
lack of research by an author. Be aware of this and seek the opinions of
others
regarding the credibility of an author before totally accepting his or
her word.
Never assume any one author or teacher has the final and absolute
answers to all
your questions, and always know that there may be some kernel of wisdom
in
almost any source. If necessary, take what information you feel you can
use,
build on that, and leave the rest behind.
Most people knowledgeable
in the Old Religion will also tell you that there
is no "one and only true Path" of Paganism or Wicca. If you
are
unfortunate enough to come across a teacher or source that espouses this
philosophy, run like hell because this is the last place a novice or
seeker
needs to be. There is no such thing as "the only way." As long
as your
path of study is built on a background of solid information, it is quite
acceptable, if not necessary, to develop your own religious philosophy
by taking
the best parts of many others to form a new whole. The Path some
identify as
Eclectic-Celtic Wicca, which has taken what its practitioners believe to
be the
best from several Paths (Irish, Welsh, and Scot, and maybe even some
Anglo-Roman
influences), is exactly that and is perfectly acceptable. The main thing
that
matters in such an eclectic Path is the spiritual connection between you
and the
deities. As long as this connection is established, provides you with
growth
both spiritually and magickally, and is one in which you are
comfortable, then
go with it.
There is nothing wrong
with changing your chosen Path later on. As your Craft
knowledge expands over time, you may realize that there is some other
Path
within a Tradition, or maybe an entirely different Tradition, that seems
more
comfortable for you. If that happens, it is fully permissible to change
direction and go with the new one¿nothing is forever cast in stone. You
are
free to find the way most suited to you, be it as Solitary or in an
established
Tradition, but it must be one of your own choosing and one that ignites
your own
spirituality.
Let me be clear, however,
about one very important point that every Solitary
practitioner must take into account. I am in no way implying that a year
and a
day of self-study, followed by a self-initiation, automatically grants
the
Solitary immediate peerage and equality with those who have completed
years of
formal study with established teachers and attained the level of Third
Degree in
a structured Coven.
There are people in our
religion who have dedicated their lives to learning
the Craft. They have been taught by others who have similarly dedicated
their
lives to the study of our Craft, and many of them have gone on to accept
the
position of Coven High Priest or High Priestess. Some have also earned
the right
to the title of Elder, with all the respect due them that their
hard-earned
wisdom and education merits. These people are the ones you should seek
if at all
possible, for they are the teachers who can and will pass on to you
knowledge
that is virtually impossible to attain on your own from any book. I have
been a
Pagan for over thirty years and I marvel almost daily at the knowledge
that I
realize I have yet to uncover. The old axiom "the more you learn,
the more
you realize you don't know" is very true, believe me.
That leads us to a brief
discussion of what constitutes a Wiccan Priestess or
Priest. Generally speaking, Wicca does not embody the structure of
clergy and
congregation typically found in most religions. Any practitioner of the
Craft
who has initiated is considered a Priest or Priestess of Wicca. There is
no
overall governing body granting formal certification. That is not to say
that
these individuals have amassed sufficient skills or knowledge to become
teachers, only that by the time of initiation these people have
developed ritual
skills and the affinity with our deities that essentially define the
words
priest and priestess.
As to High Priestess or
High Priest, typically each Tradition will have its
own requirements in both the time and skills needed before a Priest or
Priestess
can attain this position. It is a position of leadership within the
Coven, and
the individuals so designated will be responsible for leading all
rituals and
magickal rites. It is also a position of trust and responsibility, which
will be
discussed in more detail in chapter 2 on ethics.
What Does
Wicca Really Embody?
Wicca is a religion
rooted in the mists of Neolithic history. By whichever
name you choose to call it¿Wicca, the Old Religion, Witchcraft, or the
Craft
of the Wise¿it is basically a fertility and agrarian religion. It is a
religion of nature worship and the subsequent interaction with nature
that is
descended from that practiced by the Celtic clans of Western Europe and
the
indigenous peoples of the British Isles, the builders of such monuments
as
Stonehenge. The basics of what we today call Wicca can be found in the
pantheons
and theologies of both the Celts and British Islanders. Wicca by that
very
definition is thus an Anglo-European Pagan religion, and I personally
feel that
it is impossible to have a Wiccan Tradition such as Egyptian Wicca,
Buddhist
Wicca, or North American Indian Wicca. While the Egyptian, Buddhist, and
North
American Indian religions are obviously Pagan religions in their own
right, they
cannot be part of the Wiccan Tradition of Paganism.
That is not to say, of
course, that one cannot extract elements of Wicca and
somehow merge them with elements of something like Buddhism. I suppose
that
could be done, but such a conglomeration, even though it may be
meaningful to
its adherents, could not in reality be called Wicca since the
theological
concepts would in all probability be too far removed from Wicca as the
rest of
the Wiccan population understands it.
Just a few more words
need to be said about the origin of Wicca. Although
there is no question that Gerald Gardner should be credited with
bringing our
religion into the public eye in the twentieth century, he did not invent
Wicca.
It would be more correct to state that Gardner rediscovered it or
possible
reinvented it by developing the Tradition that bears his name,
Gardnerian Wicca,
from which many of the present day myriad Wiccan Traditions may have
themselves
evolved. Gerald Gardner, Aleister Crowley, and Margaret Murray have all
made an
indelible contribution to the revival of the Wiccan religion it exists
today,
and their part in our evolution must never be forgotten.
The religion we know as
Wicca was already thousands of years old before any
of these contributors came on the scene. It is true that it was probably
not
called Wicca five thousand years ago. I am sure the rites and rituals
practiced
then were somewhat different from today's counterparts, but the religion
we
Wiccans practice at the dawn of the twenty-first century is indeed
rooted in the
earliest religious observances of our Neolithic ancestors. It is
essentially the
same age-old religion observing the same nature-driven ritual holidays
and
recognizing the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth. It is the
same now as
it was then.
As was discussed earlier,
the definitions associated with our religion can be
somewhat dependent on who you ask. Our religion is changing day by day.
It is
growing and expanding, which sometimes brings growing pains. There are
many
practitioners who have spent most of their lifetimes learning the
intricacies of
the Craft, studying for years before they would dare assume the mantle
of witch,
and who sometimes feel the old ways are being ignored and shunted aside
by a new
breed of practitioner. To a certain extent, this feeling may have some
merit.
There are probably too many "boilerplate" instruction books
available
on Wicca and witchcraft that take little or no time trying to impart
what it
means to be Wiccan. They jump instead directly into the mechanics of
"how
to be a witch" with no regard for the responsibility and
understanding that
must be inherent in that mantle.
As Wiccans, we
acknowledge and worship the old gods and goddesses in a form
both pleasing to Them and meaningful to us, and do so in a form that has
remained essentially unchanged for thousands of years, regardless of the
Tradition of the practitioner. We do not want to change the basics of
that
worship, because they are at the heart of what it means to be a Wiccan.
Once you
step out of that philosophy and develop a path of worship that fails to
address
those basics or subverts the old methods, you are no longer practicing
Wicca.
You may be practicing a Pagan religion and working some form of magick,
but you
are not practicing the Old Religion, you are not practicing Wicca.
Even given the somewhat
diverse definitions of Wicca, we can still make the
following general statements regarding the fundamental tenets that are
at the
heart of the religion with some degree of certainty. The religion of
Wicca, the
Old Religion, is a loving and peaceful Pagan religion of nature or Earth
worship. It is tied to the phases of the moon and the seasons of the
year as
defined by both lunar and solar astronomical events. It is oriented
generally
toward agrarian fertility celebrations and recognizes both a female
goddess and
a male god as equal deities. Wicca is a spiritual awakening within one's
self,
recognizing the interrelationship between humankind and nature. It is
first and
foremost a veneration of our Lord and Lady, a deep and abiding
understanding of
the natural order of things, and an awareness of the religious and
cultural
significance of our special holidays. Only after all this is Wicca
concerned
with spells, magick, and the arts of divination.
Wicca teaches us that the
Goddess and God are equal and exist together in
each and everything in and on this Earth, including ourselves, so that
we are
part of the God and Goddess just as They are part of us. We and our
deities are
all linked together as part of the life force or cosmic energy that
flows
through all things, both animate and inanimate. The witch becomes in
tune with
this force, this energy, during rituals. It is the same force we tie
into and
manipulate for the creation of positive personal change through spells
and
magick.
Wicca is a religion based
on harmony with nature and all aspects of the God
and Goddess divinity. It is a veneration of our Earth. We understand
that our
world is in the midst of an ecological disaster in the making and that
our
atmosphere and our water have been polluted to the extent that major
expenditures of effort and money are now required to even begin to
repair the
damage. Fortunately, some steps are finally being taken to stop the
destruction
of the ozone layer and to decrease the emissions of greenhouse gases
that cause
global warming. This does not mean the ecological battle is over¿far
from it¿since
the damage already done to our atmosphere and oceans will take years if
not
centuries to repair. While there may be no immediate solutions to these
problems, they are issues of which we as Pagans and Wiccans must be
acutely
aware.
We understand and are in
tune with the seasons, the natural order of changes
in nature and in the universe. We recognize that death is part of life
just as
night is part of day, and that storms and monsoon rains are needed just
as much
as the warm spring mists and dry summer days. You cannot have one
without the
other. This concept of balance is carried forward in our understanding
of the
balance needed between male and female and our belief that our God and
Goddess
are always equal, even though one or the other may tend to dominate in
some
rituals.
Wicca is a peace-loving
religion that exemplifies joy and harmony with all
the manifestations of nature. We understand and recognize the
relationship of
humankind to the natural order of all things. We recognize divinity in
everything both animate and inanimate, and embrace the God and Goddess
equally
in perfect love and perfect trust.
Wicca has its roots in a
pre-industrial fertility or nature-oriented agrarian
religion, and the seasonal festivals or other working meetings of
witchcraft
typically coincide with either the solar or lunar cycles of nature.
These
festivals and meetings, generally referred to as Sabbats and esbats, are
further
discussed in chapter 4.
A Wiccan
Philosophy
What is a Wiccan's basic
belief? Having previously made the case for Wicca
being an esoteric, multifaceted, almost an ethereal concept, can we even
answer
this question? There may not be a single answer, but I believe we can at
least
address it. First of all, you must understand that how I define Wicca is
based
on the teachings and practices of my own Tradition. I am not implying
that the
thoughts and concepts in the following paragraphs are universally held
by all
Wiccans. In general, though, I believe you will find that most of the
basic
material being discussed herein is generally accepted in some form by
the vast
majority of those who practice Wicca.
You also need to
understand that our religion is not specifically a goddess
religion. It is a nature religion keyed to the natural order of events
that is
somewhat goddess-oriented due primarily to the unique position of the
female in
the birth cycle. We understand that obviously both male and female
components
are necessary for reproduction, but we also recognize the special place
of the
female in that cycle. When we discuss the Wiccan Sabbats later on, you
will see
that the Goddess is the dominant entity throughout all spring and summer
rituals, with the God coming into prominence for the rituals of fall and
winter;
but even in those late-year celebrations and rites, the Goddess element
is still
present.
Like most religions of
the world, the Pagan religions also have their own
creation stories, those "in the beginning" stories that differ
markedly from one Pagan religion to another. Although many similarities
exist,
there are significant differences between the creation stories of
Buddhists,
Native Americans, and Wiccans; and within the Wiccan religion, there are
differences between the creation stories of the various Traditions.
If there is a basic
creation story imbedded in most traditions of Wicca, it
might be something as follows, and it does not differ that much from the
basically accepted facts of evolutionary science. Generally speaking, we
accept
the fact that billions of years ago, according to astrophysical
sciences, the
entire universe was created in one split second by what is generally
referred to
as the Big Bang. This violent explosion of matter and antimatter
expelled gases
and dust particles at phenomenal speeds in all directions, a process
that
continues even today. As the eons passed, many of these particles of
dust and
stellar matter condensed and coalesced into larger and larger objects,
finally
forming into a multitude of stars and planetary systems. On many of
these
planetary systems, life began.
As Wiccans, we each have
our own Tradition's view of this process and how
life as we know it evolved; but I believe many of us consider that this
Big Bang
concept may have evolved from something similar to the ultimate cosmic
orgasm
between God and Goddess, eventually giving birth to every element and
component
of our universe. As time passed and life developed on myriad planets, it
universally exhibited the balance and equality of male and female that
is
personified by the God and Goddess. On planet Earth, those early life
forms
began to recognize and accept the balance and divinity that is
personified by
what they choose to identify as Nature. The male and female balance was
recognized by the most primitive of emerging life forms, and the
acceptance of
nature as a manifestation of the God and Goddess divinity began to
emerge as a
driving force in all sentient beings.
As time progressed, our
ancestors moved out of their Paleolithic caves and
built villages and cities, and they worshipped the God and Goddess as
they saw
Them existing in all things. They saw Nature as continuing year by year,
ever
renewing. This then could have been the beginning, the creation, of what
we
today call our Wiccan religion. From these basic concepts came the image
of life
ever-dying to be reborn, that which we understand as our "Wheel of
the
Year" and that which we identify as our "Mysteries."
The concept of the Wheel
of the Year is woven into the fabric of most
Traditions (see figure 2). Simply put, it is our calendar that defines
the dates
of our Sabbat rituals and shows those rituals to be repeating year after
year,
eternally. The Wheel tells us that the Wiccan year begins on the Sabbat
of Yule
when the Goddess gives birth to the God. The God grows strong through
the spring
and summer Sabbats of Ostara and Beltain when the God and Goddess unite
and the
Goddess becomes pregnant with the new God. The God begins his repose
through the
fall Sabbats of Lughnassadh and Mabon, finally dying on Samhain to be
reborn at
Yule, and the cycle begins again.
Interwoven with the Wheel
of the Year are the Mysteries, those innermost
parts of the theology of each Tradition that make it unique and special
to its
followers. The Mysteries are an integral part of each Wiccan Tradition,
defining
each and every one. They are a cyclical part of the Wheel of the Year,
the cycle
of nature, and they are the things that novices learn as the Tradition
is
studied, defining their Wiccan heritage and shaping their future. The
concept of
Wiccan Mysteries is discussed in more detail in chapter 4, although in a
rather
generic sense. Since this book has been written essentially to cut
across
Traditions and be as nontraditional as possible, I will leave it to each
reader
to identify, understand, and learn independently those things that form
the
Mystery of your chosen Tradition.
This concept of the
eternal cycle of all things is at the heart of Wiccan
philosophy, because it exemplifies our belief that all things must
continue and
that there must eventually be balance in all things. There can be no
spring
without winter, no rain without sun, no day without night, and no life
without
death. The Wheel of the Year and the Mysteries show us that all aspects
of
existence are cyclical and repeating, never to end, everlasting and
eternal.
We thus recognize the
existence of a supreme creator/creatrix from which all
other things that Wiccans hold sacred have sprung. We believe that
everything
was created by an entity we call "the One," which is that
primal and
indefinable essence of the ultimate existence that is almost beyond
comprehension and is at the heart of everything we identify as the
spiritual
beginning of us all. We perceive the One to be composed of equal
elements of
both male and female, which is personified as the Goddess and God
divinity that
bring the concept of balance to all we know as nature. The Goddess and
God are
knowable and generally within our reach, yet still beyond our real
understanding. Their essence is always present in all things¿in the
sky,
fields, streams, rivers, trees, flowers, and in all of us. We are and
have
always been part of the Goddess and God, and They are and have always
been part
of all of us.
To take this idea one
step further, we also conceive of the many aspects of
the God and Goddess that are represented by the actual named entities we
invoke
and address at our rituals and rites. We understand that our deities are
not
single individual entities. These thousands of aspects are each part of
the
essential personality of the God and Goddess, each unique and each
directly
addressable. When we do an invocation or a ritual spell casting, it is
vitally
important that we understand exactly which personification or aspect of
our
particular deity we wish to invoke. Each aspect of the God and Goddess
deity has
a specific name, and these are the names we call at our rites. In short,
every
God and Goddess of virtually any Wiccan Tradition have multiple aspects,
each
one of them available to the practitioner to be called on as necessary,
and each
one unique.
We also understand that
the domain of the Goddess is the night sky. She is
invoked each esbat as the Silver Lady of the Night, the full moon,
ruling the
tides of oceans and the cycles of women. She is the Triple Goddess as
Her symbol
moves from young woman, to mature woman, to old Crone, to death and
rebirth, on
a monthly cycle as represented by the phases of the moon. As the Maiden,
She
brings a new beginning; as the Mother, She represents the nourishment of
birth;
and as the Crone, She is all wisdom and compassion. She rules over all
fertility, crops, and reproduction. She is the goddess of fields,
streams,
woodlands, the sea, and of all small creatures. She is fertility for all
living
things, giving birth and nourishing the young, be they animal or
vegetable. She
is the mother of us all, our creatrix, and in the end all will return to
Her.
We understand that the
domain of the God is the day sky. He rules over all
aspects of the hunt and is the consort of the Goddess in reproduction,
ever-dying and being constantly reborn to rise as Her son and Her lover.
He is
the fire lord of the day, the blazing sun. He is the dispeller of the
cold of
winter and the bringer of the warmth of summer. He is hunter, craftsman,
warrior, shepherd, and lover. He is the Horned God of forests and
mountains, and
defender of all creatures. He is the nature force that impregnates
Mother Earth.
He is the wisdom and empowerment of all physical laws. He is the father
of us
all, our creator, and in the end all will return to Him.
Like the Goddess, the God
can have many aspects, and, like Her, it is
necessary to know and understand which of His aspects a practitioner is
trying
to call upon when ritual work is being done. Figure 3 is a graphical
representation of these concepts. While this figure does not attempt to
identify
the many aspects our God and Goddess can represent, since that would be
impossible in a single graphic, it does give a general idea of how we
may view
or interpret the interrelationships comprising a basic Wiccan theology.
The
figure boxes labeled "Aspects" could represent literally
thousands of
entities, each with a specific name and each with a specific
responsibility
within any number of pantheons.
Wicca, like all
religions, addresses the issue of life after death. Unlike at
least the Christian religions, however, Wicca does not endorse the
concepts of
heaven or hell with the corresponding one-time reward or punishment
scenario¿these
are strictly parts of the Christian theology. Wiccan philosophy embraces
the
concept of multiple reincarnations. The physical body you presently
inhabit is
only a shell for the intellect, the soul, or the spirit; call it what
you will.
The physical demise of that material entity releases the spirit back to
the
place we call Summerland for a time of rejuvenation, reflection, and
ultimately
another incarnation of the physical self. This process of reincarnation
is
repeated for numerous lifetimes until a development of the spirit is
reached
where that spirit can truly merge with the male and female balanced
creator/creatrix
entity. We return to the God and to the Goddess. This is one of the
basic truths
of the Wiccan religion.
What really is
Summerland? Many define it as the place of ultimate peace and
contentment, the place of eternal springs and summers, of soft green
grasses and
gentle warm breezes, and of clear, cool waters. It is the ultimate
paradise, a
place not of death but of life. The Romans called it Avalonia, from
which comes
the Avalon of Arthurian legend. The Norse call it Valhalla; North
American
Indians may call it the Last Hunting Ground; and some other Pagan
religions may
simply call it the Otherworld. We all have our definitions and our
conceptions
of what Summerland is, and they are mostly different, driven by our own
desires
and our understandings of the afterlife. It is therefore not readily
definable
in the written sense. It is a place in the hearts and minds of each of
us, and
its definitions vary with each of us. One thing is certain, though, in
the
philosophy of Wicca. We know that Summerland awaits us all as we pass
from this
incarnation, and we know also that Summerland is only the first step on
our
individual roads to immortality.
As Pagans, we understand
that even as our physical bodies may cease to exist
in what we may perceive as the present physical world, some of our
essence will
continue to inhabit that world even as our spirits journey through the
gates of
Summerland. This concept is beautifully represented in a prose that I
have seen
many times and in many forms, although each of the variations says
essentially
the same thing. I am unaware of the author of the original work so for
purposes
of this manuscript it is simply "Anonymous."
Do not grieve for me
when I die, for I am still here.
I will be in the evergreen trees of the forest.
I will be in the flowers of the meadow.
I will be in the spray of surf at the beach.
I will be in the sigh of the wind on a warm summer day.
I will be in the waters of the rushing stream.
I will be in the light of the sun, and of the full moon.
I will be with the God and Goddess forever.
I will be reborn.
¿Anonymous
How often we may
reincarnate, and how much time is spent in Summerland
between incarnations is a matter of conjecture among various authors and
Wiccan
practitioners. My own past-life experiences let me subscribe to a break
or space
between incarnations of what appears to be at least several hundred
years. How
many incarnations we may experience probably depends on each individual
spirit
entity. Since the ultimate merging process is one of growth and
experience, it
is probably up to each one of us as individuals to determine how many
incarnations we experience before final union with our God and Goddess.
Can the reincarnation
process be cross-specie or cross-gender? I personally
believe that it is not cross-specie. Once the cycle is begun as a human
entity,
it must continue in that vein to completion. As to cross-gender, I don't
know.
One can argue that in order to achieve the complete balance of male and
female,
which is emphasized in Wicca, one should experience existence as both
sexes. So
far, my personal past-life experiences have only reflected a male
existence, as
far as I can tell.
Wicca is more than a
religion of nature ritual and reincarnation philosophy.
It is also a religion of healing and change using a positive mental
state and
positive energy to achieve relief from both internal and external
injuries or
problems. This is the application of magick or spellcraft that we use to
bring
about these positive changes, a concept we will discuss in detail in
chapter 6.
The witch also understands and uses meditation techniques, as well as
various
herbs (either wild or cultivated) in conjunction with mainstream medical
practices to help alleviate illness or injury. Our skills are meant to
work in
conjunction with modern medicine, not to replace it.
Chapter
Summary
As we have discussed in
this chapter, the definitions of Pagan, Wiccan, and
witch vary among Pagans depending on the training and Pagan Tradition
followed.
Generally speaking, not all Pagans are Wiccans, not all Pagans are
necessarily
witches, and not all witches are Wiccans, but all Wiccans are indeed
witches.
Regardless of whether we
practice the Craft in Covens or as Solitaries, we
practice it in a fully autonomous environment. We and we alone are
totally
responsible for the content and format of our rituals and rites and for
how we
establish a relationship with the Lord and Lady. There is no single
individual
appointed over us, no one empowered with the title of Grand Pagan, King
or Queen
of all Witches, or Supreme Wiccan; nor is there an overall World Council
of
Witches passing laws and handing down directives to the rest of us. Even
when a
new Coven hives off from another and there is some allegiance between
the two,
that relationship is never such that one is subservient to the other.
There are, however,
several loose confederations of Pagans such as the
Covenant of the Goddess and some of the public awareness or public
education
organizations like the Pagan Educational Network. In these types of
associations, Covens and Solitaries occasionally come together as both
individuals and groups to celebrate a major Sabbat jointly or to address
a
common issue.
The upside to this
autonomy is that we are indeed all fully independent in
thought, word, and deed (at least within our own Tradition) to practice
as we
see fit. The downside is that it is difficult for us to organize into
any really
unified or cohesive whole if it becomes necessary to address a legal
issue
involving our rights, or even if one of us might be threatened. I
strongly
suggest that if you are practicing in a small Coven or as a Solitary
that you at
least make an effort to contact other Pagans in your area and develop
some form
of a relationship. This can usually be accomplished through a local
Pagan or
occult shop, or, failing that, try the Internet and search for
like-minded
groups within your geographical area.
It is important that you
have some idea of where to go in order to resolve
questions about the religion or just to be able to swap ideas and
concepts with
others, and to be made aware of possible antiwitch activities or
pogroms; or, in
the worst case, to have someplace to ask for help if that need should
ever
arise.
Since we are all fully
autonomous, we are all free to interpret the
guidelines of the Old Religion as we understand them and to worship the
Old Ones
in our own way. Others may disagree with our interpretations and even
with some
of our rituals, and it is fully their right to do so, be they novice or
Elder;
but any disagreement must be seen in the context of the other person's
Tradition
or Path, and no one, regardless of tenure in the Craft or position in
their own
Coven, is automatically endowed with infinite wisdom and infallible
knowledge of
all things Wiccan. No one has the right to tell other practitioners that
they
are "doing it all wrong"; in fact, I have known novices, those
still
in their first year and a day of study, who have demonstrated more Craft
spirituality and magickal insight than some people who have been
practicing the
Craft for years.
We practice a very old
religion, one that venerates life and understands the
magickal relationship between ourselves and the divinity we call Nature,
one
that predates by thousands of years the advent of Gerald Gardner and the
establishment of Gardnerian Wicca. Our religion is generically called
witchcraft, although we who practice it today usually call it Wicca. No
one,
regardless of his or her professed Craft genealogy, has ownership of the
word
witch and can tell you that you cannot call yourself a witch or practice
witchcraft unless you do so in a certain way. Practice the Craft in
whatever way
gives you a spiritual connection to the God and Goddess, and do it in
such a way
that you grow spiritually and magickally. Do all these things in
conformance
with the Wiccan Law, and you are indeed practicing witchcraft.
Wicca is a peaceful,
nature-loving, and life-affirming religion with an
inherent belief in the balance of nature, which can incorporate the
practice of
witchcraft in order to bring about a positive change in our lives or in
our
environment. We do not profess to be "the only way," and we
understand
that what is the right and sensible path for us may not be the right
path for
others. There are many religions in this world, and there are many
Traditions
within Paganism and many Paths within Wicca. Each one of them is
meaningful and
viable to its practitioners.
We honor and support all
religions in the belief that religion is an
individual choice and that each person must follow his or her own
personal path
of conviction. We do not disparage other religions or modes of worship,
and we
do not attempt to convert others to our way of thinking. Our way can
only be
attained through an individual's own initiative, never by proselytizing
or
recruitment.
Wicca is a peaceful and
loving religion, and these concepts are incorporated
into our rituals and daily activities. The tenet "Love is the Law
and Love
is the Bond" is fully understood and recognized by all
practitioners of
Wicca.
Table 1
Descriptions
of Several Paths of Wicca
The material presented in
this table was initially inspired by Raymond
Buckland's book Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft, as well as by
conversations with others in the Craft. While the material presented
here is
obviously not meant to give the reader a complete description of each
Tradition
listed, it should at least yield enough information to determine if a
particular
Tradition merits further investigation or study.
As noted before, this is
only a sampling of some of Wicca's major Traditions,
with their arrangement in this table being purely alphabetical. There is
no
superiority or inferiority either expressed or implied by the order of
appearance, or by the lack of appearance, of a Tradition or Path.
1. Alexandrian
This is one of the
Traditions generally grouped under the heading of a
"Brit Trad" or British Traditional form of Wicca. This
Tradition was
originated in England by Alex Sanders in the early 1960s, with its
rituals being
essentially a modification of Gardnerian Wicca. A structured degree
system of
First through Third Degree is used for advancement within the Coven.
Alexandrian
Wicca is an initiatory Tradition and is therefore not open to
Solitaries.
2. British Traditional
Witch (BTW)
This Tradition is
essentially derived from Gardnerian principles and has a
strong Celtic component. This is a highly structured Tradition with
specific
educational and training requirements that need to be met for
advancement within
a Coven through a degree process. This is an initiatory Tradition where
an
initiation is done only by an approved Elder, and the initiates can
typically
trace their lineage back to the original Coven of Gerald Gardner; thus,
BTW is
not a Tradition open to the Solitary practitioner. Some BTW Covens still
tend to
defend militantly the use of the word witch. The believe this word is
properly
applied only to initiated members of this Tradition.
3. Celtic
This Tradition is a mix
of the Kitchen Witch Path with the very early Celtic
pantheons of Scot, Irish, and Welsh, and even having some Druid flavors.
Anglo-Roman influences can also be present in some Paths of Celtic
Wicca. The
emphasis is on nature veneration and the elements identified as the
Ancient Ones
or Old Ones, and it stresses the magickal properties of trees and
plants. Celtic
Wicca does not, however, have the firm connection to specific and holy
groves,
springs, or trees, as does the Druid Tradition, and is easily adaptable
for
Solitaries. The basic ritual structure and content of Celtic Wicca can
generally
be found, to some degree, in most Traditions. This may be one of the
oldest
Wiccan Traditions because of its broad influence across the entire
Wiccan
format.
4. Dianic
Developed by Margaret
Murray in 1921, this Tradition is typically identified
as a feminist Tradition. The focus of many Dianic Covens can be totally
on the
Goddess to the exclusion of the male God component, with all emphasis on
"wimmin"
or "womyn" only. This is generally an initiatory Tradition,
but many
individuals practice its tenets as Solitaries. Almost any Pagan
Tradition can
support a Dianic Path.
5. Eclectic
This Tradition is
essentially a mix of various Paths wherein the worshipper
selects what are considered the best parts of several Paths and combines
them
into a new whole, without following any specific or single Tradition or
magickal
practice. It is easily adaptable to the Solitary practitioner, but the
downside
to being totally eclectic is the obvious end result of developing a new
concept
of worship, one so new or different that it may no longer be considered
Wiccan.
6. Gardnerian
This Tradition was
founded by Gerald Gardner in the middle 1950s and is
generally considered to be the starting Tradition of the modern
witchcraft
revival movement. Gardnerian Wicca is another of the British
Traditionals and is
highly structured, with firm requirements in both time and skills that
have to
be met for advancement through the various degrees. Self-initiation is
not
possible in Gardnerian Wicca; thus, it is not a viable Path for
Solitaries.
7. Hereditary
This is a highly
restrictive Tradition, since you must be able to trace your
Wiccan ancestry back several generations in your genealogy. Teachings
and
initiations are done only by a living relative who was similarly
instructed and
initiated, and outsiders or nonfamily members are not considered for
participation. It is ideal for Solitaries if you can meet these
qualifications.
8. Kitchen Witch
This Tradition is devoted
essentially to the practical or working end of the
Old Religion, with emphasis on the use of plants and spells for such
things as
protection and healing. This Tradition may come closest to the generally
understood meaning of what a witch is and does, and it was apparently
practiced
by the Neolithic inhabitants of most of Western Europe. This is also one
of the
Traditions most easily practiced by Solitaries, since the required
education can
be obtained from either self-teaching or can be learned from others.
9. Seax-Wica
This Tradition was
founded by Raymond Buckland in the early 1970s as an
offshoot of Gardnerian Wicca. Seax-Wica (that is the correct spelling of
this
Path) differs from Gardnerian primarily in its ability to accommodate
the
Solitary practitioner. There are no degrees in Seax-Wica, but emphasis
is placed
on skills learned either through instruction or self-instruction, and
one can
self-initiate.
10. Strega
This is an Italian
Tradition, dating from about the middle of the fourteenth
century a.d., that emphasizes worship of the Goddess in Her form of
Aradia,
daughter of Diana. Some of the Sabbat names in Strega may differ from
those used
in other Traditions of Wicca, although many of the same rites and
festivals are
celebrated.
11. Teutonic or Nordic
This Tradition is
probably just as ancient a form of Wicca as the Celtic
form, but it has its base in the Nordic countries of Europe, with
emphasis on
the Nordic pantheon more than on the British Isles or Celtic deities.
This
Tradition is typically more prevalent among some of the
Germanic-speaking
peoples such as the Dutch, Danes, Norwegians, Swedes, and Germans.
- The American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language, 3rd ed., s.v.
"pagan."
- The 1993 Encyclopedia
Britannica, s.v. "world religions"; The
1998 Cambridge Fact Finder, s.v. "religions."
- The 1999 World Book
Encyclopedia, s.v. "Wicca."
- The American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language, 3rd ed., s.v.
"witch."
- The 1999 World Book
Encyclopedia, s.v. "witch."
- See Raven Scott, Who
Is Wiccan?, http://annex.com/raven/wiccans.htm.
- Ibid.
- The 1999 World Book
Encyclopedia, s.v. "dedicate."
- Ibid., s.v.
"initiate."
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Wiccan
Beliefs & Practices: With Rituals for Solitaries &
Covens
Modern Wicca is a
vibrant, uplifting nature religion practiced by hundreds of
thousands of people in the United States alone. But wearing
"witchy" jewelry and casting a few spells does not
make one a witch, for Wicca is a lifestyle and those who walk
its path have solemnly dedicated themselves to the service of
the Goddess and God.
Wiccan Beliefs and Practices was written for the solitary
witch or non-traditional small coven. Written by a Wiccan High
Priest and retired aerospace engineer, Wiccan Beliefs &
Practices includes crucial information not found in other
introductory Wiccan books, including:
 | Ethics of a
Witch, including the Code of Chivalry
| How to write
and develop your own spells and rituals;
| The
physically-challenged Witch
| Out of the
broom closet: is it right for you?
| Know your
rights: the legal protection of Wicca as a legitimate
religion
Author Gary Cantrell speaks from personal experience with
Wiccans of all ages and degrees of physical ability,
bringing you an earnest examination of modern Wiccan beliefs
and a practical guide to the Craft of the Wise.
In the following excerpt, the author explains why he chose
to "come out of the broom closet."
I elected to reveal my practice of witchcraft publicly
simply because I personally feel that the time for
intentionally hiding ourselves has come to an end. We are
practitioners of a kind, gentle, and peace-loving religion.
We are not the bloodthirsty or depraved, orgiastic fanatics
all too often portrayed by the entertainment and news media.
The general public has been misled about witchcraft for over
a thousand years, and now with our numbers reaching an
all-time high, possibly in excess of one million people
worldwide, we need to stand up and set that record straight.
We are out there by the hundreds upon hundreds of thousands.
We are in the arts, the sciences, and the humanities. We are
law enforcement officers, engineers, builders, doctors, and
farmers. We are a legally recognized religion under the
protection of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the
United States, and our isolation from the rest of the
religious community should and must come to an end. With the
phenomenal growth of witchcraft since the 1970s and with the
free and easy interchange of information afforded to us by
things like the Internet, that time will come to pass and it
will happen soon. It may be happening now.
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