Wicca

What is Wicca?

What discussion about paganism would not be complete without the uttering of the word WICCA? This is usually what is pictured by society when the term pagan is brought up. Wicca is a new pagan religious movement that was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century. It was publicly introduced in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant. Wicca draws upon a diverse set of ancient pagan and 20th-century Hermeticism for its theological structure and ritual practices.


Wicca has no central authority figure. Its traditional core beliefs, principles and practices were originally outlined in the 1940s and 1950s by Gardner and Doreen Valiente, both in published books and in secret written and oral teachings passed along to their initiates. There are many variations on the core structure, and the religion grows and evolves over time. It is divided into a number of diverse lineages, sects and denominations, referred to as Traditions. Each Tradition follows its own organizational structure. Due to its decentralized nature, there is some disagreement over what actually constitutes Wicca. Some traditions, collectively referred to as British Traditional Wicca, strictly follow the initiatory lineage of Gardner and consider the term Wicca to apply only to similar traditions, but not to newer, eclectic traditions.

Wicca is typically duotheistic, worshipping both a Goddess and a God. These are traditionally viewed as the Moon Goddess and the Horned God, respectively. These deities may be regarded in a henotheistic way, as having many different divine aspects which can, in turn, be identified with many diverse pagan deities from different historical pantheons. For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as the “Great Goddess” and the “Great Horned God”, with the adjective “great” connoting a deity that contains many other deities within their own nature. These two deities are sometimes viewed as facets of a greater divinity, which is regarded as an impersonal force or process rather than a personal deity. While duotheism is traditional in Wicca, broader Wiccan beliefs range from polytheism to pantheism or monism, even to Goddess monotheism.

Wiccan celebrations encompass both the cycles of the Moon, known as Esbats and commonly associated with the Goddess and the cycles of the Sun, seasonally based festivals known as Sabbats and commonly associated with the Horned God. An unattributed statement known as the Wiccan Rede is a popular expression of Wiccan morality, although it is not universally accepted by Wiccans. Wicca often involves the ritual practice of magic, though it is not always necessary.

The Faery Tradition

The Faery Tradition

Faery is a modern form of American Traditional Witchcraft derived from the teachings of Victor and Cora Anderson. These were passed down through their other initiates, still thriving even today. A rich and diverse spiritual art, Feri seeks to transform the individual through practices of ritual magic, meditation, and energy work. Faery draws power from various cultures and their magical systems including Huna; Conjure; Voodoo; Tantra; Celtic Folklore; Christian Mysticism; Yezidi Mythology; Greek Gnosis; and others, and continues to integrate the magic and mysteries of ancient and evolving cultures into its rich spiritual tapestry. Image result for faery tradition Faerie is understood and integrated through direct experience; adherents include dedicated practitioners and persons initiated ritually into its mysteries. The diversity of the Tradition can be seen in the various spellings of the name, which include Faery, Faerie, Fairy, and Feri.

Celtic Paganism

Ancient Celtic religion comprised the beliefs and practices of peoples of Western Europe now known as the Celts. The time mostly associated with Celtic society was roughly between 500 BC and 500 AD, spanning the many different periods in ancient times: the Roman, British, and Irish Iron Age societies being only three of the best known.

Very little is actually known with any certainty about the Celtic people for they did not leave written records; most all knowledge was passed down verbally, from generation to generation, and apart from documented names that are thought to be of deities, the only detailed accounts were done by the Roman invaders.


Celtic paganism was one of a larger group of Iron Age polytheistic religions.  The Celtic pantheon consists of numerous recorded deities, both from Greco-Roman stories and written literature. Figures from medieval Irish mythology have also been interpreted as iterations of earlier deities as well.

According to Greek and Roman accounts, the Druids came to be in Gaul, Britain, and Ireland. Very little is definitely known about them. Following the conquest of Gaul and southern Britannia, though, Celtic religious practices began to display elements of the new Romanization, resulting in a Gaelic-Roman culture with its own religious traditions, and thus, its own set of gods and goddesses, such as Cernunnos, Artio, Telephones, etc.

In Roman Britain, this lost at least some ground to Christianity by the time the Romans left in 410. This began to change in the next century as the pagan Anglo-Saxon religion was in the process of getting eradicated. Christianity was supplanting the earlier religious traditions; however, polytheistic traditions still left a legacy in many of the Celtic nations, and eventually served as the basis for a new religious movement: Celtic Neopaganism, in the 20th century.

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Paganism

The pagans of the past followed the ancient gods and goddesses of the land. Paganism was the religion of the Ancestors and the reverence of nature. “Nature” provided the necessities of life: warmth, shelter, food, and water. It is, however, much more than an Earth religion. Way back in the day, mankind was struggling to survive. Of course, the natural world was the only world that most understood. This belief system could have stopped with that, but spirituality added a new element to the mix. Stories and myths were told and retold to explain every question mankind had up to that point. Today, paganism has either continued or has experienced a revival. Most everyone has heard the term Neopagan, which means new pagan. So Neopaganism is the new pagan movement following old ideas and practices, much older than most modern religions such as Judaism, Christianity, or Islam.

Sacred places are recognized either as a personified natural feature like a mountain or lake, or as a fully articulated guardian spirit, entity, or deity such as Athena, the goddess of Athens or Poseidon, the God of the Oceans. The cycle of the natural year is seen by most Pagans as a model of spiritual growth and renewal. This is most commonly known as the Wheel of the Year. The Wheel’s eight spokes are marked by festivals according to the seasons. The earth is sacred; the Wheel marks the movement of the earth through the seasons.


Each culture had its own set of beliefs and their own set of gods and goddesses. Also, the number of gods and goddesses within each culture were considerable. The funny thing about all this is that the gods and goddesses were recognized as being the same between cultures; only the names changed. The Goddess of Love was known as Venus in Rome but was called Aphrodite in Greece. Similarly, the God of Magick in Greece was Hermes; he was known as Thoth in Egypt. All Pagan religion was not public religion; much of it was domestic. This was religion that pervaded the whole of everyday life. Followers lived, breathed, and died revering the earth and their Gods. This was not a religion where you could put on a suit or dress on a Sunday morning and just give an hour of your time away. This was living Life. Magic was an acceptable activity in Pagan societies since the two worlds were thought to be in constant communication with one another. In ancient Rome, a new bride would anoint the doorposts of her new home with wolf’s fat to keep famine from the household. A new-born would receive a consecrated amulet to wear as a protection against harmful spirits. Specialist magicians, such as horse-whisperers and healers, were common throughout pagan societies.

In the present day, Paganism manifests both as communities reclaiming their ancient sites and ceremonies, and as individuals pursuing a personal spiritual path alone or in a small group. Many modern Pagans live joyfully and without shame. Modern Pagans tend to be at ease with themselves and others. Pagan women have a dignity which is not always found outside Pagan circles. Modern Pagans are often creative, playful and individualistic, affirming the importance of the individual psyche as it interfaces with a greater power. There is a respect for all of life and usually a desire to participate with rather than to dominate other beings. This is mostly true, but there are dark pagans that follow the darker aspects of the gods. These pagans are NOT evil, as such, but recognize and work with these darker energies.