So, if you take what Gardner put in place and compare that with what we practice today, there isnt much left from the original path that is still being practiced. So the question becomes - is it still 'Wicca'?
Lets try an analogy........
If We Took.......
INGREDIENTS:
* 1/3 cup vegetable oil
PREPARATION:
.........it would be called Chocolate Cake.
Now if we removed the following.........
* 2 squares unsweetened chocolate
....just because we felt like it - not really into anything sweet.
But hey, I sure do love my meatloaf! What if I borrow and add my favorite ingredients from that recipe.........
2 lbs. ground beef
Mix it in with......
1/3 cup vegetable oil
And prepared it as follows......
Preheat oven to 350°. Heat oil and ground beef in an 8-inch square baking pan in oven until the beef is browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add water, Ketchup, Mustard, hot sauce, egg, flour, salt, baking soda, and vanilla. Using a fork, beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape pan with rubber spatula and spread batter evenly in the pan. Sprinkle with chopped onions and chopped pecans. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and serve as is or with whipped topping.
What would we have?
A. A real disgusting mess
The answer is D. All of the above.
So why would you take a perfectly good tradition, strip it of its core tenets, and then add this and that of whatever you fancy and still call it Wicca? If you arent using the entire recipie, your end product is not going to yield a palatable plate.
Wicca is a specific religion with specific rites and practices. It is not an umbrella term like the words ‘witch’ or ‘pagan’. You can practice anything you like, even worship a can of dog food, and it will have meaning. Doing so does not make it Wicca though. Tenets, rites, Practices, Core beliefs - these things make it Wicca.
* 2 squares unsweetened chocolate
* 3/4 cup water
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 egg, slightly beaten
* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 1/3 cup chopped pecans
* whipped topping
Preheat oven to 350°. Heat oil and unsweetened chocolate in an 8-inch square baking pan in oven until chocolate is melted, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add water, sugar, egg, flour, salt, baking soda, and vanilla. Using a fork, beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape pan with rubber spatula and spread batter evenly in the pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and chopped pecans. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and serve as is or with whipped topping, if desired.
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 C chopped white or yellow onion
1/4 C ketchup
1/4 C mustard
2 T hot sauce
3/4 cup water
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup chopped pecans
whipped topping
B. Not a Cake
C. Not a Meatloaf
D. All of the Above
