What is Wicca?
by Amber K, High Priestess
Wicca (sometimes called Wicce, The Craft, or
The Old Religion by its practitioners)
is an ancient religion of love for life and
nature.
In prehistoric times, people respected the
great forces of Nature and celebrated
the cycles of the seasons and the moon. They
saw divinity in the sun and moon, in
the Earth herself, and in all life. The
creative energies of the universe were
personified: feminine and masculine
principles became Goddesses and Gods.
These were not semi-abstract, superhuman
figures set apart from Nature: they
were embodied in earth and sky, women and
men, and even plants and animals.
This viewpoint is still central to
present-day Wicca. To most Wiccans,
everything
in Nature - and all Goddesses and Gods - are
true aspects of Diety. The aspects
most often celebrated in the Craft, however,
are the Triple Goddess of the Moon
(Maiden, Mother and Crone) and the Horned God
of the wilds. These have many names
in various cultures.
Wicca had its organized beginnings in
Paleolithic times, co-existed with other
Pagan
("country") religions in Europe, and had a
profound influence on early Christianity.
But in the medieval period, tremendous
persecution was directed against the Nature
religions by the Roman Church. Over a span of
300 years, millions of men and women and
many children were hanged, drowned or burned
as accused Witches. The Church indicted them
for black magic and Satan worship, though in
fact these were never a part of the Old
Religion.
The Wiccan faith went underground, to be
practiced in small, secret groups called
"covens"
For the most part, it stayed hidden until
very recent times. Now scholars such as
Margaret
Murray and Gerald Gardner have shed some
light on the origins of the Craft, and new
attitudes of religious freedom have allowed
covens in some areas to risk becoming more
open.
How do Wiccan folks practice their faith
today? There is no central authority or
doctrine,
and individual covens vary a great deal. But
most meet to celebrate on nights of the Full
Moon, and at eight great festivals, or
Sabbats (See "Sabbots") thoughout the
year.
Though some practice alone or with only their
families, many Wiccans are organized into
covens
of three to thirteen members. Some are led by
a High Priestess or Priest, many by a
Priestess/
Priest team; others rotate or share
leadership. Some covens are highly structured
and hierarchical
while others may be informal and egalitarian.
Often extensive training is required before
initiation, and coven membership is
considered an important commitment.
There are many branches or "traditions" of
Wicca in the United States and elsewhere,
such as the
Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Welsh Traditional,
Dianic, Faery, Seax-Wicca and others. All
adhere
to a code of ethics. None engage in the
disreputable practices of some modern
"cults", such
as isolating and brainwashing impressionable
lonely young people. Genuine Wiccans welcome
sisters and brothers, but not disciples,
followers or victims.
Coven meetings include ritual, celebration
and magick (the 'k' is to distinguish it from
stage
illusions.) Wiccan magick is not at all like
the instant 'special effects' of cartoon
shows or
fantasy novels, nor medieval demonology; it
operates in harmony with natural laws and is
usually
less spectacular - though effective. Various
techniques are used to heal people and
animals, seek
guidance, or improve members' lives in
specific ways. Positive goals are sought,
cursing and
'evil spells' are repugnant to practitioners
of the Old Religion.
Wiccans tend to be strong supporters of
environmental protection, equal rights,
global peace and
religious freedom, and sometimes magick is
used toward such goals.
Wiccan beliefs do not include
Judeao-Christian concepts as original sin,
vicarious atonement, divine
judgement or bodily resurrection. Craft folk
believe in a beneficient universe, the laws
of
karma and reincarnation, and divinity
inherent in every human being and all of
Nature. Yet laughter
and pleasure are part of their spiritual
tradition, and they enjoy singing, dancing,
feasting and love.
Wiccans tend to be individualists, and have
no central holy book, prophet, or church
authority. They
draw inspiration and insight from science,
and personal experience. Each practitioner
keeps a personal
book or journal in which s/he records
magickal 'recipes', dreams, invocations,
songs, poetry and so on.
To most of the Craft, every religion has its
own valuable perspective on the nature of
Deity and
humanity's relationship to it; there is no
One True Faith. Rather, religious diversity
is necessary in
a world of diverse societies and individuals.
Because of this belief, Wiccan groups do not
actively
recruit or proselytize; there is an
assumption that people who can benefit from
the Wiccan way will
'find their way home' when the time is
right.
