HISTORY OF MODERN WICCA

Wicca is a not only a spiritual path, but defines itself as a religion. Craft author, Margot Adler, calls it "a religion without converts". Wicca, (Craft- Neo-paganism) emerged in many forms during the counter-culture of the sixties and continues to be an engaging path in the 'New Age' movement.

PAGANISM

Starting with pagan, we must first define the root meaning of the word. It comes from paganus, meaning a rural or country dweller --later it came to mean someone out of earshot of early Christian evangelism. To the early Christian the word simply meant a non-believer, but eventually it became synonymous with the frightening word: heretic -- one who must be converted or suffer dreadful consequences in the afterlife. It also came to mean one who worshipped many strange and fearful gods and held superstitious rites. The Church came to believe such people were dangerous, as they might convert or harm others. In the movies, and other popular culture, pagans were always depicted as uncivilized savages, sacrificing beautiful virgins to grotesque idols, etc.

Pagans were originally hunters and gatherers and evolved into agricultural people, farmers and breeders of livestock. They depended on nature for their sustenance, therefore fertility of animals and crops was the most important aspect of their rites. At one time, all inhabitants of the earth were pagan. They worshipped nature spirits, and in shamanistic rites sought to share power with them. Eventually, totemic spirits became gods, and sometimes tribal wars were fought to appease those gods. Moving further ahead, most pagan societies developed gods much like themselves, with the same needs and fears, enemies and friends; male and female. Later, paganism became an outgrowth of the spiritual needs of humans as well as an explanation of how and why things happened the way they did. Thunder, for example, might be an angry god, sexual lust came from a fertility god or goddess, draught, from a missing rain god; sunshine, from a heavenly, joyful chariot god. The moon, usually female, with it's twenty eight day cycle, connected to darkness and to mystery. A mother goddess was connected to earth, since it was from the earth that all life sprung. The sex of the gods varied from culture to culture. Wisdom, war, love and sex, for example, could be male or female, depending on the city, the weather, the age, culture and pantheon. Moral or ethical teachings were not usually the business of the gods until much later in history. As time went on, rural pagans shifted to classical pagan society by adding philosophy to their pagan faith. Among the later Greeks and Romans, the teachings of the gods served as examples and archetypes for good and evil choices.

Conservative western theologians today still consider Hindus as pagan, because they revere many gods and nature spirits. Hindus do not see themselves that way. Hindus believe that each of their gods and demi-gods; devas (there are thousands) are segments of the multi-persona of a complex and androgynous Supreme Source. If one reads the Gita, the Hindu sacred book, they will find it filled with moral and ethical teachings. Tibetan Buddhism, an offshoot of Hinduism, has a similar pantheon, as well as many books on noble and ethical teachings. Therefore, in some cultures, paganism developed into a spiritual philosophy as well as a religion. Where that did not succeed, the culture often succumbed to Islam or Christianity, although the sword contributed to conversion as well.

PANTHEISM

Pantheism has roots in paganism, but with considerably more depth. Paganism suggests innocence; simplicity -- but childish indifference to morals, spiritual needs or ethics. Pantheism adds philosophy, ethics and metaphor, including present Jungian psychology. It augments the search for spiritual truths through archetype and allegory explained through dreams, legends, nature, music, art and poetry.

In her book, The Training and Work of an/n/t/ate, Dion Fortune, a famous 20th century occultist and author, defines Pantheism as a mystical path encompassing beauty and power. G.I.Gurdjieff, a renowned esoteric author, teacher and student of P.D.Ouspensky, (a famous theosophist of this century) connected pantheism to the Orphic branch of mysticism "whose aim is the realization of the inherent idea of the Divine through the harmonization of inspiration and feeling."

Pantheism recognizes by connecting with the ebb and flow of the cosmos, and honoring nature in her many sacred aspects, one may acquire knowledge and spiritual truths of many traditions both ancient and ever changing. In regularly connecting to this 'mystical mandala', pantheists honor the Goddess, or female archtype, in her guises as sacred Muse, and the God, or male archtype, in his guise as activating Energy. Through connecting and bonding with these aspects, and with each other, pantheists strive to deepen their own mystical powers and enhance their spiritual lives. They are dedicated to the continual opportunity evolution presents, which is to transform and regenerate their inner spirit and value the sacred in all life.

Because pantheism is the path of the 'mystic' it is not interested in validating itself through a mysterious, non-verifiable, hereditary tradition, but through genetic memory in the guise of fairy tales, myth, poetry, dreams and folklore which supply the follower with various ideas and symbolism. The language may be likened to that of an artist in search of beauty and truth; the training designed with the view of bringing consciousness into complete harmony with all parts of nature. Search for spiritual knowledge is through study and interpretation of various esoteric traditions with origins in both Eastern and Western philosophy. Pantheists tend to be a-political, do not recruit or proselytize nor become preoccupied with hierarchical power. They do seek to train interested and responsive students to recognize their own personal divinity by blending imagination, dream, myth and intuition into the creation of mystery plays, poetry and metaphorical ritual.

When training, the teacher perceives the questions of the student to be more significant than the answers, and encourages students to seek spirituality and inner power from a variety of ancient and modern esoteric wisdom.

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THE CRAFT, THE TRADITIONS, THE LEADERS

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GERALD GARDNER- the founder of "modern wicca"

THE GARDNERIAN TRADITION

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RAYMOND BUCKLAND

Raymond Buckland

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ALEX SANDERS

THE ALEXANDRIANS

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FEREFERIA

FEREFERIA

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STARHAWK

STARHAWK

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COG - DIANIC

COG - DIANIC

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VICTOR ANDERSON, GWYDION, AND THE FAERY TRADITION - (NEMETON)

THE FAERY TRADITION

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THE CELTIC TRADITION

THE CELTIC TRADITION

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CHURCH OF ALL WORLDS AND PAGAN WAY

CHURCH OF ALL WORLDS

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DRUIDISM - ISAAC BONEWITS

DRUIDISM I.B

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NORSE PAGANISM

NORSE PAGANISM

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NEW REFORMED ORTHODOX ORDER OF THE GOLDEN DAWN

THE GOLDEN DAWN

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SHAMANISM

SHAMANISM

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CEREMONIAL MAGIC

CEREMONIAL MAGIC

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THE HERMETIC ORDER OF THE GOLDEN DAWN

HERMETIC ORDER OF THE GOLDEN DAWN

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THE CONNECTION

Can all of these diverse paths possibly be connected? In many ways, yes. All have magickal roots. Among pagans, all celebrate the divinity of nature, and that divinity is intrinsic, not from without, as in ceremonial magick. Practitioners interchangeably call themselves, Craft. Most revere the feminine and masculine aspects of the cosmos, and observe various seasonal changes of the year. Many use initiations in their progressions, (from the ceremonial). The majority of Craft groups celebrate rites in a circle, but the circle has different criteria for the pagan than it does for the ceremonial.

It is probably true that many pagans started out with interests in Wicca, magick, Shamanism, or New Age, and carried away with it some of it's more positive trappings. However, much of New Age quickly mutated into very expensive gatherings (promising eternal youth or instant healing) through pseudo-shamanism, creative visualization, crystal power, channeling, hypnotherapy, holistic methods, UFO journeys, walk in's, extra-terrestrial dolphins, etc. (Angels are the most recent). Some of these paths may contain elements of value, but one cannot master any art or discipline successfully from one seminar or a few simplistic books. Curious, but confused followers soon dropped out. Others saw a chance to make money and became self-certified teachers, channelers, hypno-therapists, etc.

As said before, many west coast pagan groups augmented or substituted traditional Wiccan rites with Native American shamanistic type practices, and that concept eventually moved east. Other groups supplemented their Wiccan rites with music, creative rituals and Celtic or Faery folklore. Some chose to identify themselves as pagan rather than Wiccan, though today the terms are often interchangeable. A few left Craft and joined the 'New Age' culture.

Today, quite a few pagan circles are pantheistic in nature, (particularly Faery traditions). Still, some cling tenaciously to the old ways.

Much of Wiccan lifestyle, has to a great degree, remained largely immersed within the counterculture. Initially, many seekers find Wicca romantic, visionary and utopian, but after time some outgrow the unconventional lifestyle and grow weary of participating in networks of pagan webs, competing for preeminence. Hierarchical, public and/or ego-centric groups often bring frustration and disappointment to many -- who quietly (or angrily) drop out. Serious practitioners have often re-grouped with other like-minded magickal people and formed their own private covens or clans. Recent Green Egg 'reader survey' shows that 40% of magickal people practice as solitaires, 5% with a group, and 54%, both. Therefore webs change and shift.

As you can see, Craft, like most pursuits in life are organic -- they move and shift, modify. Perceptions change with experience and knowledge. Many of the leaders in this paper changed their ideas as they discovered new currents or systems that worked better for them. Some of the leaders such as Ray Buckland and Aidan Kelly changed quite radically -- others shifted positions and became more adaptable as they grew older and perhaps wiser. The history of the Craft is still as organic and changeable as their traditions and as magickal and provocative as their pioneers.

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Pagan-Class

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