Reclaiming (Neopaganism)

Part of a series on
Contemporary Paganism
Movements
Baltic Celtic Chuvash Egyptian Estonian Finnish Germanic Hellenic Italic Mari Semitic Slavic Stregheria Wicca
Concepts
Ethnic religion Nature religion Paganism Polytheism Animism Henotheism Pantheism Panentheism
Approaches
Reconstruction Syncretism Neotribalism Neoshamanism Technopaganism Witchcraft
Related movements
Gnosticism Hermeticism Rosicrucianism New Age Thelema Theosophy Tengrism

Reclaiming is a tradition of modern, feminist Witchcraft. It is made of an international community of women and men working to combine witchcraft, the Goddess movement, earth-based spirituality, and political activism. The tradition developed in the classes and rituals of its predecessor, the Reclaiming Collective (1978-1997). It was founded in 1979, amidst the peace and anti-nuclear movements, by two Neopagan women of Jewish descent, Starhawk and Diane Baker, in order to explore and develop feminist Neopagan emancipatory rituals. Today, the organization focuses on progressive social, political, environmental and economic activism.

History

Reclaiming originated in 1979 in the San Francisco Bay Area, blending the influences of Victor and Cora Anderson's Feri Tradition of Witchcraft, Dianic Witchcraft as taught by Z. Budapest, and the feminist, anarchist, peace, and environmental movements.

Influences and teachings

Reclaiming's spiritual approach is based in the religion and magic of the Goddess or Earth Mother, who is understood as the immanent life force, not as a transcendent deity.

On some levels Reclaiming has much in common with Wicca, and the Wiccan Charge of the Goddess is commonly utilised; part of it is quoted in Reclaiming's core agenda, known as "The Principles of Unity". However, given its focus on dismantling and resisting structures of power and domination, Reclaiming uses consensus process and non-hierarchical structure in its covens - there is no High Priest or High Priestess as there would be in an Alexandrian or Gardnerian witchcraft coven. Reclaiming members are enocuraged to take an active part in co-creating group rituals.

Theologically, Reclaiming is very diverse and inclusive. The common thread is an active honoring and defending of the Earth, and a support of the Gaia hypothesis. Teaching and rituals, which are often focussed on shamanic techniques such as guided meditation, trance work, shapeshifting and ecstatic dance (as in the Spiral Dance, an iconic group dance often performed at rituals and at protest rallies), is empowering the individual and the community to take action. Reclaiming often uses chant as part of its rituals and has released numerous recordings of chants used in the movement. The embodiment of myth and fairytale in dramatic rituals (often done with spontaneity, a quality highly valued in the movement) which enact the cycle of the Seasons or the lessons of particular gods and goddesses are important in Reclaiming.

Among the tradition's teachers are Starhawk, author of The Spiral Dance and several other books; T. Thorn Coyle, author of Evolutionary Witchcraft; Diane Baker and Anne Hill, co-authors of Circle Round: Raising Children in the Goddess Tradition (1998) and M. Macha Nightmare, co-author of The Pagan Book of Living and Dying.

Activities

Today, Reclaiming has several dozen affiliated communities across the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia. Weeklong intensives called "Witchcamps" bring Reclaiming people together in about a dozen regions. Classes such as "Elements of Magic," "Rites of Passage," and specific meditative and magical techniques such as the "Pearl Pentacle" and the "Iron Pentacle" assist participants to share practical skills in personal empowerment and group process. Reclaiming has also produced several CDs of Pagan chants and songs, and publishes the magazine Reclaiming Quarterly.

See also

• Neopaganism
• Feri Tradition
• Dianic Wicca
• Feminism
• Environmentalism
• Spiral Dance

Further reading

• Jone Salomonsen, Enchanted Feminism: The Reclaiming Witches of San Francisco (London and New York: Routledge, 2002) ISBN 0-415-22392-X
• T. Thorn Coyle, Evolutionary Witchcraft (Tarcher/Penguin, 2004)
• Starhawk and M. Macha Nightmare, The Pagan Book of Living and Dying (Harper/SF, 1997)
• Starhawk, author of The Spiral Dance and numerous other books - see Starhawk
• Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids Goddess-Worshippers and Other Pagans in America (Penguin, 2006)
• V. Vale, "Modern Pagans" (Re/Search, 2001)
• Victor and Cora Anderson, authors of numerous books about the Feri Tradition under the Harpy Books imprint

External links

• www.reclaiming.org - regional contacts,classes,rituals, and more
• www.reclaimingquarterly.org - news, photos, music, and more
• www.witchcamp.org - info and dates for Reclaiming intensives
• [1] - Essays on 25 years of involvement in Reclaiming