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[[Image:Pentacle 2.svg|thumb|200px|right|The [[pentagram]] within a circle, a symbol of [[faith]] used by many Wiccans.]] |
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The use of the spelling "magick" specifically refers to the magical system of Aleister Crowley and Thelema. It is not to be used here, since this article does not have to do with Crowley or Thelema magick. Please avoid this. |
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This article uses British English (non-Oxford) spelling only, established per consensus on the talk page. |
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Do not change the word pentagram to pentacle, they are two different items, and pentagram is the item shown here. |
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'''Wicca''' is a nature-based religion found in various countries throughout the world. It was first popularised in 1954 by [[Gerald Gardner]], a retired [[United Kingdom|British]] civil servant.<ref name="WitchcraftToday">{{cite book |last=Gardner |first=Gerald B |authorlink=Gerald Gardner |title=Witchcraft Today |publisher=Mercury Publishing |location=Lake Toxaway, NC |year=1999 |origyear=1954 |oclc=44936549}}</ref> He claimed that the religion, of which he was an [[initiation|initiate]], was a modern survival of an old [[witchcraft]] religion, which had existed in secret for hundreds of years, originating in the pre-[[Christianity|Christian]] [[Paganism]] of [[Europe]].<ref name="WitchcraftToday"/> The veracity of Gardner's claims cannot be independently proven, and it is thought that Wiccan theology began to be compiled no earlier than the [[1920s]].<ref name="WiccanRoots">{{cite book |title=Wiccan Roots: Gerald Gardner and the Modern Witchcraft Revival |first=Philip |last=Heselton |authorlink=Philip Heselton |publisher=Capall Bann Pub. |location=Freshfields, Chieveley, [[Berkshire]] |month=November |year=2001 |isbn=1861631103 |oclc=46955899}}</ref> |
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Various related Wiccan [[traditions]] have since evolved or been adapted from the form established by Gardner, which came to be called [[Gardnerian Wicca]]. These other traditions of Wicca each have distinctive beliefs, rituals, and practices. Many traditions of Wicca remain secretive and require that members be initiated. There is also a movement of ''Eclectic Wiccans'' who do not believe that any [[doctrine]] or traditional initiation is necessary in order to practice Wicca.<ref name="DrawingDownMoon">{{cite book |last=Adler |first=Margot |authorlink=Margot Adler |title=Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-worshippers and Other Pagans in America Today |publisher=Beacon Press |location=Boston |year=1979 |isbn=0-8070-3237-9 |oclc=6918454}}</ref> |
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==Core concepts== |
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Because there is no centralised organisation in Wicca, and no single "orthodoxy", the beliefs and practices of Wiccans can vary substantially, both among individuals and among traditions. Typically, the main religious principles, ethics, and ritual structures are shared, since they are key elements of traditional teachings and published works on the subject. |
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As practised by initiates in the lineage of Gerald Gardner, Wicca is a variety of witchcraft founded on [[religion|religious]] and [[magic (paranormal)|magical]] concepts. As such it is distinguished not only by its religious beliefs, but by its practise of magic and its [[#Morality|ethical philosophy]], initiatory system, organisational structure and secrecy.<ref name="NWCFAQ"/> Some of these beliefs and practices have also been adopted by others outside of this lineage, often termed '''Eclectic Wiccans''', who generally discard the institutions of initiation, strict secrecy and organisational hierarchy, and tend to have more widely varying beliefs. Some Eclectic Wiccans neither perform magic nor identify as witches. Wiccans generally will not [[Proselytism|proselytise]], and initiatory groups may even deny membership to some individuals, since an initiate is considered to be a priest or priestess and is expected to develop the skills and responsibility that entails.<ref name="NWCFAQ"/> |
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Wicca is only one variety of pagan [[witchcraft]], with distinctive [[ritual]] forms, seasonal observances and religious, magical and ethical precepts. Other forms of witchcraft exist within many cultures, with widely varying practices. Many Wiccans, though not all, call themselves [[Neopaganism|Pagans]], though the umbrella term ''Paganism'' encompasses many faiths that have nothing to do with Wicca or witchcraft. |
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===Divinity=== |
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{{main|Wiccan views of divinity}} |
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For most Wiccans, Wicca is a [[Dualism|duotheistic]] religion. In the book ''Nature Religion Today'', the authors write: "The deities of Wicca are understood as embodiments of a life-force manifest in nature."<ref name="NatureRelToday">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=rLYCOOUlsBcC&pg=PA6&sig=RyQgiPle57NcIUAQCY0CAoEIsAM#PPA6,M1 |title=Nature Religion Today: Paganism in the Modern World |first=Joanne |last=Pearson |coauthors=Roberts, Richard H; Samuel, Geoffrey |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |location=Edinburgh |pages=p. 6 |month=December |year=1998 |isbn=0-748-61057-X |oclc=39533917}}</ref> The Goddess and God are seen as complementary polarities and this balance is seen in nature. They are sometimes symbolised as the Sun and Moon, and from her lunar associations the Goddess becomes a [[Triple Goddess]] with aspects of "Maiden", "Mother" and "Crone". Some Wiccans hold the Goddess to be pre-eminent, since she contains and conceives all. The God is the spark of life and inspiration within her, simultaneously her lover and her child. This is reflected in the traditional structure of the coven.<ref name="WitchesBible">{{cite book |title=A Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches Handbook |first=Janet |last=Farrar |authorlink=Janet Farrar |coauthors=and [[Stewart Farrar]] |publisher=Phoenix Publishing |location=London |pages=pp. 181-182 |year=1981 |isbn=0919345921 |oclc=62866821}}</ref> In some traditions, notably Feminist branches of [[Dianic Wicca]], the Goddess is seen as complete unto herself, and the God is not worshipped at all. Wicca is essentially an [[Immanence|immanent]] religion, and for some Wiccans, this idea also involves elements of [[animism]].<ref name="Hermetica">{{cite book |title=Hermetica: The Ancient Greek and Latin Writings Which Contain Religious or Philosophic Teachings Ascribed to Hermes Trismegistus |first=Hermes |last=Trismegistus |editor=Sir Walter Scott (ed., trans.) |publisher=[http://www.shambhala.com/ Shambhala Publications] |location=Boston |pages=p. 185, Libellus IX |year=1993 |isbn=0877733384 |oclc=60695274}}</ref> A key belief in Wicca is that the goddesses and gods are able to manifest in personal form, most importantly through the bodies of Priestesses and Priests. The latter kind of manifestation is the purpose of the ritual of [[Drawing down the Moon (ritual)|Drawing down the Moon]] (or Drawing down the Sun), whereby the Goddess is called to descend into the body of the Priestess (or the God into the Priest) to effect divine [[possession]]. |
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According to Gardner, the gods of Wicca are ancient gods of the British Isles: a [[Horned God]] and a [[Great Mother]] goddess.<ref name="MeaningWitchcraft1">{{cite book |title=The Meaning of Witchcraft |last=Gardner |first=Gerald B |authorlink=Gerald Gardner |publisher=Copple House Books |location=Lakemont, GA |pages=pp. 260-261 |year=1988 |origyear=1959}}</ref> Gardner also states that a being higher than any of these tribal gods is recognised by the witches as [[Cosmological argument|Prime Mover]], but remains unknowable.<ref name="MeaningWitchcraft2">{{cite book |title=The Meaning of Witchcraft |last=Gardner |first=Gerald B |authorlink=Gerald Gardner |publisher=Copple House Books |location=Lakemont, GA |pages=pp. 26-27 |year=1988 |origyear=1959}}</ref> |
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Some Wiccans have a [[Monotheism|monotheistic]] belief in the Goddess and God as One. Many have a [[Dualism#Ditheism/Bitheism|duotheistic]] conception of deity as a Goddess (of Moon, Earth and sea) and a God (of forest, hunting and the animal realm). This concept is often extended into a kind of [[polytheism]] by the belief that the gods and goddesses of all cultures are aspects of this pair (or of the Goddess alone). Others hold the various gods and goddesses to be separate and distinct. Still others do not believe in the gods as real personalities, but see them as [[archetype]]s<ref name="DrawingDownMoon2">{{cite book |last=Adler |first=Margot |authorlink=Margot Adler |title=Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-worshippers and Other Pagans in America Today |pages=pp. 25, 34-35 |publisher=Beacon Press |location=Boston |year=1979 |isbn=0-8070-3237-9 |oclc=6918454}}</ref> or as [[thoughtform]]s. A unified supreme godhead is also acknowledged by some groups. [[Patricia Crowther (Wiccan)|Patricia Crowther]] has called it ''Dryghten''.<ref name="WitchBlood">{{cite book |title=Witch Blood! The Diary of a Witch High Priestess! |first=Patricia |last=Crowther |authorlink=Patricia Crowther (Wiccan) |publisher=House of Collectibles |location=New York City |year=1974 |isbn=0876371616 |oclc=1009193}}</ref> [[Janet Farrar]] and [[Gavin Bone]] have observed that Wicca is becoming more polytheistic as it matures, and embracing a more traditional pagan world-view.<ref name="ProgressiveWitchcraft">{{cite book |title=Progressive Witchcraft: Spirituality, Mysteries, and Training in Modern Wicca |first=Janet |last=Farrar |authorlink=Janet Farrar |coauthors=and [[Gavin Bone]] |publisher=New Age Books |location=Franklin Lakes, NJ |month=January |year=2004 |isbn=1564147193 |oclc=53223741}}</ref> |
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===Morality=== |
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{{main|Wiccan morality|Homosexuality and Wicca}} |
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Wiccan morality is largely based on the (often misunderstood) [[Wiccan Rede]]: ''An it harm none, do what ye will''. This is usually interpreted as a declaration of the freedom to act, along with the necessity of taking responsibility for what follows from one's actions.<ref name="ExegesisRede">{{cite journal |url=http://www.draknet.com/proteus/rede.htm |title=Exegesis on the ''Rede'' |journal=[[Harvest (Neopagan magazine)|Harvest]] |first=Judy |last=Harrow |volume=5 |issue=3 |month=[[Oimelc]] |year=1985 |accessdate=2007-02-26}}</ref> Another element of Wiccan Morality comes from the [[Rule of Three (Wiccan)|Law of Threefold Return]], which is understood to mean that whatever one does to another person or thing (benevolent or otherwise) returns with triple force.<ref name="HighMagicsAid1">{{cite book |title=High Magic's Aid |first=Gerald B |last=Gardner |authorlink=Gerald Gardner |publisher=Michael Houghton |location=London |year=1949 |pages=p. 303 |oclc=6894675}}</ref> |
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Many Wiccans also seek to cultivate a set of eight virtues mentioned in [[Doreen Valiente]]'s ''[[Charge of the Goddess]]'',<ref name="EightSabbats">{{cite book |title=Eight Sabbats for Witches |first=Janet |last=Farrar |authorlink=Janet Farrar |coauthors=and [[Stewart Farrar]] |publisher=Robert Hale Publishing |location=London |month=May |year=1992 |origyear=1981 |isbn=0709047789 |oclc=26673966}}</ref> these being mirth, reverence, honour, humility, strength, beauty, power and compassion. In Valiente's poem, they are ordered in pairs of complementary opposites, reflecting a [[dualism]] that is common throughout Wiccan philosophy. Some lineaged Wiccans also take note of a set of 161 [[Wiccan Laws|laws]], commonly called the ''Ardanes''. Valiente, one of Gardner's original high priestesses, has noted that these rules were most likely invented by Gardner himself in mock-archaic language as the by-product of inner conflict within Gerald Gardner's Bricket Wood coven.<ref name="RebirthofWitchcraft">{{cite book |title=The Rebirth of Witchcraft |first=Doreen |last=Valiente |authorlink=Doreen Valiente |publisher=Robert Hale Publishing |location=London |year=1989 |pages=pp. 70-71 |isbn=0709037155 |oclc=59694320}}</ref><ref name="TriumphoftheMoon">{{cite book |title=The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft |first=Ronald |last=Hutton |authorlink=Ronald Hutton |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York City |date=[[2005-05-24]] |origyear=1999 |isbn=0198207441 |oclc=41452625}}</ref> |
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Although Gardner initially demonstrated an aversion to [[homosexuality]], claiming that it brought down "the curse of the goddess",<ref name="WitchcraftToday2">{{cite book |last=Gardner |first=Gerald B |authorlink=Gerald Gardner |title=Witchcraft Today |publisher=Rider and Company |location=London |year=1954 |pages=pp. 69, 75 |oclc=1059746}}</ref> it is now accepted in many traditions of Wicca. |
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=== Reincarnation === |
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Reincarnation is a traditional Wiccan teaching. [[Raymond Buckland]] holds that a soul always reincarnates into the same species.<ref name="CompleteBookByRayBucks" /> |
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===The elements=== |
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The [[classical element]]s are a key feature of the Wiccan world-view. Every manifest force or form is seen to express one of the four archetypal elements — [[Earth (classical element)|Earth]], [[Air (classical element)|Air]], [[Fire (classical element)|Fire]] and [[Water (classical element)|Water]] — or several in combination. Some add a fifth or quintessential element called Spirit (also called [[Aether (classical element)|aether]] or [[akasha]]). The five points of the frequently worn [[pentagram]] symbolise, among other things, the four elements with spirit presiding at the top.<ref name="ABCwitchcraft">{{cite book |title=An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present |first=Doreen |last=Valiente |authorlink=Doreen Valiente |publisher=Phoenix Publishing |Custer, WA |month=July |year=1988 |origyear=1973 |pages=p. 264 |isbn=0-919345-77-8 |oclc=18547421}}</ref> In the casting of a [[magic circle]], the four cardinal elements are visualised as contributing their influence from the four cardinal directions. |
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[[Image:Paganavebury.jpg|thumb|175px|A handfasting ceremony at [[Avebury]] in [[England]], which occurred during [[Beltane]] of 2005.]] |
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===Ritual=== |
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When practising magic and casting spells, as well as when celebrating various festivals, Wiccans use a variety of rituals. In typical rites, the coven or solitary assembles inside a ritually cast and purified [[Magic circle (Wicca)|magic circle]]. Prayers to the God and Goddess are said, the "Guardians" of the North, South, East and West are welcomed, and spells are sometimes worked. |
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An altar is usually present in the circle, on which ritual tools are placed. Before entering the circle, some traditions fast for the day, and/or ritually bathe. After a ritual has finished, the God, Goddess and Guardians are thanked and the circle is closed. |
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====Ritual attire==== |
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A sensationalised aspect of Wicca, particularly in Gardnerian Wicca, is the traditional practice of working in the nude, also known as ''[[Skyclad (Neopaganism)|skyclad]]''. This practice seemingly derives from a line in ''[[Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches#Influence on Wicca and Neopaganism|Aradia]]'' but may be honoured more in the breach than the observance. Skyclad working is mostly the province of Initiatory Wiccans, who are outnumbered by the less strictly observant Eclectics. When they work clothed, Wiccans may wear robes, cords, "Renaissance-faire"-type clothing or normal street clothes. |
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[[Image:Athame and Boline.JPG|thumb|75px|left|An [[athame]] (black handle) and [[boline]].]] |
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====Tools==== |
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Many Wiccans use a special set of [[Magical tools in Wicca|magical tools]] in their rituals. These can include a [[broom]] (besom), [[cauldron]], [[chalice (cup)|chalice]], [[wand]], [[Book of Shadows]], [[altar cloth]], [[athame]], [[boline]], [[candle]]s, [[crystal]]s, [[pentacle]] and/or [[incense]]. Representations of the [[God]]/[[Goddess]] are often displayed. Each of these items has a different significance. The tools themselves are just that — tools — and have no innate powers of their own, though they are usually dedicated or charged with a particular purpose, and used only in that context. For this reason, it is considered rude to touch another's tools without permission.<ref>Crowley, Vivianne. ''Wicca: The Old Religion in the New Age'' (1989) London: The Aquarian Press. ISBN 0-85030-737-6</ref> |
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===Special occasions=== |
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Wiccans hold a wide range of occasions with religious significance. Each full moon, and in some cases a new moon, is marked with a ritual called an [[Esbat]]. |
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Wiccans also follow the ''[[Wheel of the Year]]'' and celebrate its eight festivals known as Sabbats. Four of these, the [[cross-quarter day]]s, are greater festivals, coinciding with old [[Celts|Celtic]] fire festivals. These are [[Samhain]], [[Beltane]] or May Eve, [[Imbolc]], and [[Lammas]] or [[Lughnasadh#Wicca|Lughnasadh]]. The four lesser festivals are the [[midsummer|Summer]] and [[solstice|Winter Solstices]], and the Spring and Autumn [[Equinox]]es, which are referred to by some groups as [[Litha#Wicca|Litha]], [[Yule#Wicca|Yule]], [[Ostara]] and [[Mabon]], respectively. |
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The names of these holidays are often taken from [[Germanic paganism|Germanic pagan]] and [[Celtic polytheism|Celtic polytheistic]] holidays. However, the festivals are not reconstructive in nature nor do they often resemble their historical counterparts, instead exhibiting a form of [[universalism]]. Ritual observations may display cultural influence from the holidays from which they take their name as well as influence from other unrelated cultures. |
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[[Handfasting]] is another celebration held by Wiccans, and is the commonly used term for their weddings. Some Wiccans observe the practice of a trial marriage for a year and a day, which some traditions hold should be contracted on Lammas (Lughnasadh), as this was the traditional time for trial, "[[Telltown]] marriages" among the Irish. |
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Infants in Wiccan families may be involved in a ritual called a [[Wiccaning]], which is analogous to a [[Infant baptism|Christening]]. The purpose of this is to present the infant to the God and Goddess for protection. Despite this, in accordance with the importance put on free will in Wicca, the child is not necessarily expected or required to follow a Pagan path should they not wish to do so when they get older. |
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===The Book of Shadows=== |
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In Wicca a private journal, history or core religious text known as a [[Book of Shadows]] is kept by practitioners, similar to a [[grimoire]]. In lineaged groups, such as [[Gardnerian Wicca]], the Book's contents are kept secret from anyone but the members of the lineage concerned (i.e., those initiating and initiated by a particular coven). However, several proposed versions of the Book have been published. Sections of these published versions, such as the "[[Wiccan Rede]]" and the "[[Charge of the Goddess]]", as well as other published writings about Wicca, have been adopted by non-initiates, or eclectic Wiccans. For many eclectics, they create their own personal books, whose contents are often only known by themselves. |
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==Traditions== |
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{{see also|List of Neopagan movements#Wicca|l1=List of Wiccan organisations|Category:Wiccan traditions}} |
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A "tradition" in Wicca usually implies the transfer of a lineage by initiation. There are many such traditions<ref name="BeaufortIndex">{{cite web |url=http://beaufort.bravepages.com/ |title=Beaufort House Index of English Traditional Witchcraft |work=Beaufort House Association |date=[[1999-01-15]] |accessdate=2007-04-02}}</ref><ref name="DiffTypesCraft">{{cite web |url=http://www.hexarchive.com/wicca/witchcraft.htm |title=Different types of Witchcraft |work=Hex Archive |accessdate=2007-04-02}}</ref> and there are also many [[Solitary practitioners|solitary]] or Eclectic Wiccans who do not align themselves with any particular lineage, some working alone, some joining in covens. There are also other forms of witchcraft which do not claim origins in Wicca. Traditions within the [[United States]] are well described in [[Margot Adler]]'s ''[[Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today|Drawing Down the Moon]]'', [[Starhawk]]'s ''[[The Spiral Dance]]'', and Chas S. Clifton's ''Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America''<ref>Clifton, Chas. S. ''Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America'', Lanham, MD: Rowman Altamira, 2006, ISBN 07591020023</ref>. |
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The lack of consensus in establishing definitive categories in Wiccan communities has often resulted in confusion between Lineaged Wicca and the emergence of Eclectic traditions. This can be seen in the common description of many Eclectic traditions as traditional/initiatory/lineaged as well. In the United States, where the confusion usually arises, Wiccans in the various linages extending from Gardner may describe themselves as [[British Traditional Wicca]]ns. |
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===Covens and Solitary Wiccans=== |
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<!--SPELLING: The spelling in this article has been standardised to British (non-Oxford). Please don't change it without good reason.--> |
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Lineaged Wicca is organised into covens of initiated priests and priestesses. Covens are autonomous, and are generally headed by a High Priest and a High Priestess working in partnership, being a couple who have each been through their first, second and third degrees of initiation. Occasionally the leaders of a coven are only second-degree initiates, in which case they come under the rule of the parent coven. Initiation and training of new priesthood is most often performed within a coven environment, but this is not a necessity, and a few initiated Wiccans are unaffiliated with any coven. |
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<ref name="CompleteBookByRayBucks">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=fr0pse0LBK0C&printsec=frontcover |title=Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft |publisher=Llewellyn |location=[[Saint Paul, Minnesota|Saint Paul]] |first=Raymond |last=Buckland |pages=pp. 17, 18, 53 |year=1986 |isbn=0-87542-050-8 |oclc=14167961}}</ref> |
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In contrast, Eclectic Wiccans are more often than not solitary practitioners. Some of these "solitaries" do, however, attend gatherings and other community events, but reserve their spiritual practices (Sabbats, Esbats, spell-casting, [[worship]], magical work, etc.) for when they are alone. |
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A commonly quoted Wiccan tradition holds that the ideal number of members for a coven is [[13 (number)|thirteen]], though this is not held as a hard-and-fast rule.<ref name="CompleteBookByRayBucks" /> Indeed, many U.S. covens are far smaller, though the membership may be augmented by unaffiliated Wiccans at "open" rituals. When covens grow beyond their ideal number of members, they often split (or "hive") into multiple covens, yet remain connected as a group. A grouping of multiple covens is known as a grove in many traditions. |
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Initiation into a coven is traditionally preceded by a waiting period of at least a year and a day. A course of study may be set during this period. In some covens a "dedication" ceremony may be performed during this period, some time before the initiation proper, allowing the person to attend certain rituals on a probationary basis. Some solitary Wiccans also choose to study for a year and a day before their self-dedication to the religion. |
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===Lineaged and Eclectic Wicca=== |
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As practised by Gerald Gardner and his followers, Wicca was and is a secretive and exclusive society of religious witchcraft, with entry to the society only gained through initiation by another Wiccan. However since the 1960s other, non-initiated people have adopted the term "Wicca" to describe their beliefs and practices, which vary from those of traditional, lineaged Wicca to a greater or lesser extent. Wiccans without a lineage to Gardner are termed Eclectic Wiccans, "who are liberal in their practices, following the technique of using anything that works no matter where it came from."<ref name="BonewitsEssentialGuideWitchcraftWicca">{{cite book |title=Bonewits's Essential Guide to Witchcraft and Wicca |first=Isaac |last=Bonewits |authorlink=Isaac Bonewits |publisher=Citadel Press |location=New York City |date=2006 |origyear=1971 |pages=p. 81 |isbn=0-8065-2711-0 |oclc=62761119}}</ref> Eclectic Wiccans now significantly outnumber lineaged Wiccans, and their beliefs and practices tend to be much more varied.<ref name="NWCFAQ">{{cite web |url=http://www.newwiccanchurch.net/articles/btwfaq.htm |title=British Traditional Wicca F.A.Q. |publisher=New Wiccan Church International |location=Sacramento, CA |accessdate=2007-04-02}}</ref> |
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In the Eclectic Wiccan movement there is much more variation in religious beliefs, and secrecy and organisational structure play a less important role. Generally, Eclectic Wiccans will adopt similar ritual structures and ethical principles to Traditional Wiccans. A few Eclectic Wiccans neither consider themselves witches nor practice magic. |
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===Secrecy and initiation=== |
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Some practitioners of lineaged initiatory Wicca consider that the term 'Wicca' correctly applies only to an [[initiation|initiate]] of a traditional branch of the religion ([[Gardnerian Wicca|Gardnerian]] or [[Alexandrian Wicca]], or their offshoots such as [[Seax-Wica]]) because [[eclectic Wicca]] is different in practice from the religion established by Gardner.<ref name="NWCFAQ"/> However, the term has increasingly come to be adopted by people who are not initiates of a traditional lineaged [[coven]].<ref name="KindsofWitchcraft">{{cite web |url=http://www.starkindler.org/witch.html |title=Kinds of Witchcraft |work=Starkindler.org |first=D W |last=Piper |date=[[2005-11-01]] |accessdate=2007-04-02}}</ref> Eclectic Wiccans may undertake rituals of self-dedication, and generally work alone as [[solitary practitioners]] or in casual groups, rather than in organised covens. Thus eclectic Wicca shares some of the basic religious principles, ethics and the ritual system of traditional, lineaged Wicca, but not the organisational structure, or the belief that Wiccan initiation requires a transferral of power from an initiator. Therefore, some lineaged Wiccans have adopted the term '[[British Traditional Wicca]]' to differentiate themselves from this movement.<ref name="KindsofWitchcraft"/> |
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Within traditional forms of Wicca there are three degrees of initiation. First degree is required to become a witch and gain membership of a coven; those who aspire to teach may eventually undergo second and third degree initiations, conferring the title of "High Priest" or "High Priestess" and allowing them to establish new covens.<ref name="NWCFAQ"/> |
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At initiation, some Wiccans adopt a [[Craft name]] to symbolise their spiritual "rebirth", to act as a magical alter-ego, or simply to provide anonymity when appearing as a witch in public (see [[#Discrimination against and persecution of Wiccans|Discrimination against and persecution of Wiccans]] below). |
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==History== |
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{{main|History of Wicca}} |
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===Origins=== |
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The history of Wicca is much debated. 'Gardner claimed that the religion was a survival of matriarchal [[Paganism|Pagan]] religions of pre-historic Europe, taught to him by members of the [[New Forest Coven]]; their rites were fragmentary, and he had substantially rewritten them. It has been posited by authors such as [[Aidan Kelly]] and [[Francis X. King]] that Gardner invented the rites in their entirety,<ref name="CraftingArtMagic">{{cite book |title=Crafting the Art of Magic, Book I: A History of Modern Witchcraft, 1939-1964 |first=Aidan |last=Kelly |authorlink=Aidan Kelly |publisher=Llewellyn Publications |location=St. Paul, MN |month=May |year=1991 |pages=pp. 41-42 |isbn=0875423701 |oclc=22891894}}</ref> incorporating elements from the thesis of [[Margaret Murray|Dr. Margaret Murray]], incantations from ''[[Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches|Aradia]]''<ref name="Aradia">{{cite book |title=Aradia, or, the Gospel of the Witches |first=Charles G |last=Leland |authorlink=Charles Godfrey Leland |publisher=Phoenix Publishing |location=Blaine, WA |year=1998 |origyear=1899 |isbn=0-919345-34-4 |oclc=44483420}}</ref> and practices of [[ceremonial magic]].<ref name="CraftingArtMagic-Review">Aidan Kelly's theories have been critiqued in detail: {{cite web |url=http://www.wildideas.net/temple/library/frew.html |title=Crafting the Art of Magic: A Critical Review |first=Donald Hudson |last=Frew |work=WildIdeas.net |year=1991 |accessdate=2007-06-05}}</ref> |
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Heselton concludes that while Gardner may have been mistaken about the ancient origins of the religion, his statements about it were largely made in good faith. Gardner's account is as follows: After retiring from adventuring around the globe, Gardner encountered the [[New Forest coven]]. Subsequently fearing that the Craft would die out,<ref name="WitchcraftToday3">{{cite book |last=Gardner |first=Gerald B |authorlink=Gerald Gardner |title=Witchcraft Today |publisher=Rider and Company |location=London |year=1954 |pages=pp. 18-19 |oclc=1059746}}</ref> he worked on his book ''[[Witchcraft Today]]'', releasing it in [[1954]], followed by ''[[The Meaning of Witchcraft]]'' in 1959. These books formed the basis for the growth of Wicca from the 1960s onwards. |
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Much of Gardner's rites and precepts can be shown to have come from the writings of earlier occultists and other extant sources, and the remaining original material is uncohesive and mostly takes the form of substitutions or expansions within unoriginal material. Roger Dearnaley describes it as a patchwork.<ref name="AnnotatedChrono">{{cite web |url=http://www.cyprian.org/Articles/gardchron.htm |title=An Annotated Chronology and Bibliography of the Early Gardnerian Craft |first=Roger |last=Dearnaley |work=Cyprian.org |year=2000 |accessdate=2005-12-09 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060424045404/http://www.cyprian.org/Articles/gardchron.htm |archivedate=2006-04-24}}</ref> |
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Some, such as [[Isaac Bonewits]], have argued that Valiente and Heselton's evidence points to an early 20th century revival pre-dating Gardner, rather than an intact old Pagan religion. This argument points to some of Gardner's historical claims which agree with the scholarship of that period but contradict later scholarship. Bonewits writes, "Somewhere between 1920 and 1925 in England some folklorists appear to have gotten together with some Golden Dawn Rosicrucians and a few supposed Fam-Trads to produce the first modern covens in England; grabbing eclectically from any source they could find in order to try and reconstruct the shards of their Pagan past."<ref name="VeryBriefHistory">{{cite web |url=http://www.spiritualitea.com/articles/briefhistory.shtml |title=A Very Brief History of Witchcraft 1.0 |work=Spiritualitea.com |first=Isaac |last=Bonewits |authorlink=Isaac Bonewits |year=1971 |accessdate=2007-06-05}}</ref> |
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The idea of a supreme [[Mother Goddess]] was common in Victorian and [[Edwardian period|Edwardian]] literature: the concept of a [[Horned God]] — especially related to the gods [[Pan (mythology)|Pan]] or Faunus — was less common, but still significant.<ref name="TriumphoftheMoon2">{{cite book |title=The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft |first=Ronald |last=Hutton |authorlink=Ronald Hutton |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York City |date=[[2005-05-24]] |origyear=1999 |pages=pp. 33-51 |isbn=0198207441 |oclc=41452625}}</ref> Both of these ideas were widely accepted in academic literature and the popular press at the time.<ref name="TriumphoftheMoon3">{{cite book |title=The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft |first=Ronald |last=Hutton |authorlink=Ronald Hutton |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York City |date=[[2005-05-24]] |origyear=1999 |pages=pp. 151-170 |isbn=0198207441 |oclc=41452625}}</ref> |
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===Later developments=== |
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Gardnerian Wicca was an initiatory [[mystery religion]], admission to which was limited to those who were initiated into a pre-existing coven. Wicca was introduced to North America by [[Raymond Buckland]], an expatriate Briton who visited Gardner's Isle of Man coven to gain initiation. Interest in the USA spread quickly, and while many were initiated, many more non-initiates compiled their own rituals based on published sources or their own fancy.<ref name="NewPagans">{{cite book |title=The New Pagans |first=Hans |last=Holzer |authorlink=Hans Holzer |publisher=Doubleday |location=Garden City, NY |year=1972 |oclc=281240}}</ref> |
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Another significant development was the creation by feminists in the late sixties and seventies of an eclectic movement known as [[Dianic Wicca]], or feminist Dianic Witchcraft. Dianic Wicca has no connection of lineage to traditional Wicca, and creatively interprets published materials on Wicca as a basis for their ritual structure. This specifically feminist, Goddess-oriented faith had no interest in the Horned God, and discarded Gardnerian-style hierarchy and lineage as irrelevant. Rituals were created for self-initiation to allow people to identify with and join the religion without first contacting an existing coven. This contrasts with the Gardnerian belief that only a witch of opposite gender can initiate another witch. |
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In the United Kingdom, initiates of Gardner had begun to perform their own initiations, and a number of lines of Gardnerian descent began to arise. From one of these (although it was originally claimed to derive from a traditional, non-Gardnerian source) came the line known as [[Alexandrian Wicca]]. Increasing popularity on both sides of the Atlantic, and in other countries, along with the increasing availability of published material, meant that many people started to practice a form of Wicca without being part of a coven or having participated in an initiation. In response to this, traditionally initiated Wiccans in North America began to describe their version as [[British Traditional Wicca]]. |
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The 2001 American Religious Identification Survey estimated that at least 134,000 adults identified themselves as Wiccans in the [[United States]], compared to 8,000 in 1990.<ref name="ARIS">{{cite web |url=http://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_briefs/aris/key_findings.htm |title=American Religious Identification Survey |publisher=City University of New York |location=New York City |accessdate=2007-06-05}}</ref> This works out to a doubling of numbers every thirty months. |
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==Etymology== |
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{{see also|Witch (etymology)}} |
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The spelling ''Wica''<!--This is not a misspelling, but the term used by Gardner.--> first appears in the writings of Gerald Gardner (''Witchcraft Today'', 1954, and ''The Meaning of Witchcraft'', 1959). He used the word as a [[mass noun]] referring to the adherents of his tradition of witchcraft ('the Wica'), rather than the religion itself. He referred to the religion as ''witchcraft'', never ''Wica''. The word seems to be based on the [[Old English]] word ''[[:wikt:wicca|wicca]]'' (pronounced {{IPA|/ˈwiʧːɑ/}}); similarly, ''wicca'' and its feminine form ''wice'' are the predecessors of the [[modern English]] ''[[wikt:witch|witch]]''. |
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There are several suggestions as to the more distant origins of ''witch''. In 1891 [[Charles Godfrey Leland]] wrote in a footnote: "''Witch''. Mediaeval English ''wicche'', both masculine and feminine, a wizard, a witch. Anglo-Saxon ''wicca'', masculine, ''wice'', feminine. ''Wicca'' is a corruption of ''wítga'', commonly used as a short form of ''wítega'', a prophet, seer, magician, or sorcerer";<ref name="GispySorcery">{{cite book |url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/gsft/gsft06.htm#fn_10 |title=Gipsy Sorcery and Fortune-telling |first=Charles G |last=Leland |authorlink=Charles Godfrey Leland |publisher=T. Fisher Unwin |location=[[London]] |year=1891 |chapter=Chapter IV: South Slavonian and other Gypsy Witch-lore |pages=p. 66 |oclc=5097570}}</ref> and in 1921 etymologist Ernest Weekley noted the possibility of a connection between ''witch'', the Gothic ''weihs'' ("holy") and the Germanic ''weihan'' ("to consecrate"), and that the reason the connection was likely being "…the priests of a suppressed religion naturally become magicians to its successors or opponents…."<ref name="EDME-witch">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=2Oj6G-YgaYoC&pg=RA1-PA1641&sig=XtllwxrEa93sPijEoor94T36q-I |title=An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English |first=Ernest |last=Weekley |publisher=Dover Publications |location=New York City |pages=p. 1641 |date=[[1967-06-01]] |isbn=0-486-21874-0 |oclc=934298}}</ref> |
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Gardner himself claimed he learned the term from existing members of the group who initiated him into witchcraft in 1939: "I realised I had stumbled on something interesting; but I was half-initiated before the word ''Wica'' which they used hit me like a thunderbolt, and I knew where I was, and that the Old Religion still existed."<ref name="MeaningWitchcraft3">{{cite book |title=The Meaning of Witchcraft |last=Gardner |first=Gerald B |authorlink=Gerald Gardner |publisher=Aquarian Press |location=London |pages=p. 11 |year=1959 |oclc=2378484}}</ref><ref name="GardnerWitch">{{cite book |title=Gerald Gardner: Witch |first=Jack L |last=Bracelin |publisher=Octagon Press |location=London |year=1960 |pages=p. 151 |oclc=2792799}} 1999 reprint, Thame, Oxfordshire: [[Mandrake Press|I-H-O Books]].</ref> |
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The spelling ''Wicca'' was not used by Gardner and the term ''Wiccan'' (both as an adjective and a noun) was not used until much later, but it is now the prevalent term to refer to followers of Wicca.<ref name="wiccandef">{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wiccan |title=Definition of "Wiccan" |work=Dictionary.com |accessdate=2007-05-13}}</ref> |
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==Discrimination charges== |
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{{main|Religious discrimination against Neopagans#Wicca}} |
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According to the traditional history of Wicca as given by Gerald Gardner, Wicca is a survival of the European witch-cult that was persecuted during the [[witch trial]]s (sometimes called the ''[[Witch-hunt#The Burning Times|Burning Times]]''). Since then theories of an organised pan-European witch-cult have been discredited, but it is still common for Wiccans to feel solidarity with the victims of the witch trials.<ref name="WitchcraftInside">{{cite book |title=Witchcraft From The Inside: Origins of the Fastest Growing Religious Movement in America |first=Raymond |last=Buckland |authorlink=Raymond Buckland |publisher=Llewellyn Publications |location=St. Paul, MN |date=[[2002-09-01]] |origyear=1971 |edition=3rd edition |isbn=1-56718-101-5 |oclc=31781774}}</ref> |
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There have been accusations that Wicca is a form of [[black magic]] and [[Satanism]], especially in connection with [[Satanic Ritual Abuse]] hysteria, although Wiccans deny any association with either of these.<ref>Prominent claimants of Wiccan involvement in a Satanic conspiracy include [[Jack Chick]] (see {{cite web |url=http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=cabc&c=whs&id=4638 |title=Jack Chick |work=WitchVox.com |first=Kerr |last=Cuhulain |date=[[2002-08-26]] |accessdate=2006-11-01}}) and, in the late 1980s, Lieutenant Larry Jones of the [[Boise, Idaho|Boise]] Police Department (see {{cite web |url=http://www.holysmoke.org/wicca/file18.htm |title=The Vile "File 18" |work=HolySmoke.org |accessdate=2006-11-01}}). A hoax document quoted by Jones and others is "The Seven W.I.C.C.A. Letters" (strongly resembling the "[[Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion]]" hoax), which details the supposed Satanic conspiracy (see {{cite web |url=http://www.holysmoke.org/wicca/wicca-letters-hoax.htm |title=The Seven W.I.C.C.A. Letters |work=HolySmoke.org |accessdate=2006-11-01}}).</ref> Because of the popular negative connotations associated with witchcraft, many Wiccans continue the traditional practice of secrecy, concealing their faith for fear of persecution. Revealing oneself as Wiccan to family, friends or colleagues is often termed "[[coming out]] of the broom-closet". |
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In the United States, a number of legal decisions have improved and validated the status of Wiccans in that country, especially ''[[Dettmer v. Landon]]'' in 1985. However, there is still hostility from some politicians and Christian organisations.<ref name="SatanicArmy">{{cite press release |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20020617210538/http://www.freecongress.org/press/releases/990609.htm |title='Satanic' Army Unworthy of Representing United States |publisher=Free Congress Foundation |date=[[1999-06-09]] |accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref><ref name="RISwiccan">{{cite journal |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070524174633/http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/csrpl/RINVol2No2/wicca.htm |title=Something Wiccan This Way Comes |journal=Religion in the News |first=Mark |last=Silk |month=Summer |year=1999 |volume=2 |issue=2 |issn=1525-7207}}</ref><ref name="BarrProject">{{cite news |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20000229034145/http://www.lawstreet.com/journal/art991101wiccan.html |title=Barr's Witch Project: Lawmaker Wants to Ban Witches from the Military |work=LawStreet Journal |date=[[1999-11-01]] |accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref> |
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==References and notes== |
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{{reflist|2}} |
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==Bibliographical and encyclopedic sources== |
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* Raymond Buckland, ''The Witch Book: The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, Wicca, and Neo-paganism'' (Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 2002). |
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* Anne Carson, ''Goddesses and Wise Women: The Literature of Feminist Spirituality 1980-1992 An Annotated Bibliography'' (Freedom, California: Crossing Press, 1992). |
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* Chas S. Clifton and Graham Harvey, ''The Paganism Reader'', New York and London: Routledge, 2004. |
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* James R. Lewis, ''Witchcraft Today: An Encyclopedia of Wiccan and Neopagan Traditions'' (Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 1999). |
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* J. Gordon Melton and Isotta Poggi, ''Magic, Witchcraft, and Paganism in America: A Bibliography'', 2nd ed., (New York and London: Garland Publishing, 1992). |
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* Shelly Rabinovitch and James R. Lewis, eds., ''The Encyclopedia of Modern Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism'' (New York: Kensington Publishing, 2002). |
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* Valiente, Doreen, ''The Rebirth of Witchcraft'', London: Robert Hale Ltd., 1989. |
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==Academic studies== |
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* Nikki Bado-Fralick, ''Coming to the Edge of the Circle: A Wiccan Initiation Ritual'' (Oxford University Press, 2005) |
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* Chas S. Clifton, ''Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America'' (AltaMira Press, 2006) |
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* Ronald Hutton, ''The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft'' (Oxford University Press, 1999) |
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* Laura Jenkins (Otago University press, 2007) |
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* Zoe Bourke (Otago University press, 2007) |
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* Helen A. Berger, ''A Community of Witches: Contemporary Neo-Paganism and Witchcraft in the United States'' (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1999). |
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* Jon P. Bloch, ''New Spirituality, Self, and Belonging: How New Agers and Neo-Pagans Talk About Themselves'' (Westport: Praeger, 1998). |
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* Graham Harvey, ''Contemporary Paganism: Listening People, Speaking Earth'' (New York: New York University Press, 1997). |
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* Lynne Hume, ''Witchcraft and Paganism in Australia'' (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1997). |
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* James R. Lewis, ed., ''Magical Religion and Modern Witchcraft'' (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996). |
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* T. M. Luhrmann, ''Persuasions of the Witch's Craft: Ritual Magic in Contemporary England'' (London: Picador, 1994). |
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* Sabina Magliocco, ''Witching Culture: Folklore and Neo-Paganism in America'' (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004) |
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* Sarah M. Pike, ''Earthly Bodies, Magical Selves: Contemporary Pagans and the Search for Community'' (Berkeley/Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2001). |
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* Kathryn Rountree, ''Embracing the witch and the goddess: Feminist Ritual-Makers in New Zealand'' (London and New York: Routledge, 2004). |
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* Jone Salomonsen, ''Enchanted Feminism: The Reclaiming Witches of San Francisco'' (London and New York: Routledge, 2002). |
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* Allen Scarboro, Nancy Campbell, Shirely Stave, ''Living Witchcraft: A Contemporary American Coven '' (Praeger Publishers, 1994) [http://doi.contentdirections.com/mr/greenwood.jsp?doi=10.1336/0275946886] |
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==External links== |
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{{wiktionary|wicca}} |
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* [http://www.witchvox.org The Witches' Voice]: Neopagan news and networking site. |
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* [http://www.cog.org Covenant of the Goddess (USA)] |
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* The [[Pagan Federation]] - [http://www.paganfed.org UK], [http://www.pfpc.ca Canada] - Organisation whose stated mission is "To Promote and Defend the Pagan Traditions". |
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* [http://www.equinoxpub.com/journals/main.asp?jref=51 ''The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies''] - Official site for this scholarly journal; includes online articles from 2004 onward. |
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[[Category:Wicca| ]] |
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[[af:Wicca]] |
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[[ar:ويكا]] |
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[[an:Wicca]] |
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[[eo:Viko]] |
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[[fa:ویکا]] |
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[[fr:Wicca]] |
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[[ko:위카]] |
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[[he:ויקה]] |
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[[lad:Wika]] |
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[[ja:ウィッカ]] |
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[[ru:Викка]] |
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[[si:විකා]] |
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[[simple:Wicca]] |
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[[sr:Vika]] |
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Revision as of 16:09, 29 October 2007
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