Week7

History of Wicca

This is not an in-depth exploration of Wiccan history. It is merely a brief overview of what I know and what I belief. For more information, there are any number of books available as well as numerous websites with which to learn more. I’m not including any in this lesson, but there will be sites noted next week when I cover specific individuals who have contributed much to Wicca.

On to the history. There have been a number of claims that Wicca is an ancient religion, with roots spanning back centuries. Some claim that it is the continuation of a hereditary chain of practice stemming back before the witch burnings. And then, of course, are the claims that Wicca is just a cult for perverts.

As to the claims that this is a craft dating back hundreds of years, there are some serious questions as to the validity of such a statement. But that isn’t to say that portions of the practice and beliefs aren’t ancient. However there is no paper trail dating back into antiquity. But the premise behind some Wicca ritual is based upon rites from much earlier times, predating Christianity.

For all intents and purposes, 1939 is generally recognized as the date that the practices of Wicca came into being. This is purported to be the year that Gardner was initiated into witchcraft by "Old Dorothy" as a member of the New Forest Coven. For a number of years opponents of Wicca, attempting to pass Gardner off as a fraud and fake, claimed that Dorothy Clutterbuck never existed. But several people undertook research to prove that this individual did live, and more importantly, it was extremely likely that she and Gardner did met. Doreen Valiente found considerable evidence to the birth, marriage, and death of Dorothy Clutterbuck.

During WWII, Gardner and members of the New Forest Coven participated with a number of witches in Britain in a ritual, the intent of which was to turn back the soon-to-be invading German army. Up until then, everything pointed to a full-scale invasion, and yet, for reasons unknown, Hitler decided not to pursue the British.

In 1949, Gardner published a fictional book which gave information about ritual practices; the book was called "High Magic’s Aid." Gardner later published two books specifically on Wicca. The first was "Witchcraft Today" published in 1954, and "The Meaning of Witchcraft" which was published in 1959. These were the first books on Wicca. And unlike other religions in Britain, the primary focus was in Goddess worship. In a world weary from patriarchal control, this was a very welcomed change.

Gardner’s interest in publishing these books was to let others know that an older religion still existed, and to spread its knowledge before it died out. There were no formal teaching groups, and entrance into a coven was either due to family membership or by invitation. Gardner believed that the craft would eventually die out since very few younger members were being initiated despite the continued dying off of the older members.

Wicca spread as Gardner initiated others into what is now known as Gardnerian Wicca. Each of these individuals brought their own creativity with them, and Wicca began to evolve into what we have today. Some of the people initiated were : Doreen Valiente, Monique Wilson, Pat Crowther, and Rae Bone. From these people, and for those who they initiated, came some of the other traditions followed by Wiccans besides Gardnerian.

Ray Buckland was initiated by Monique Wilson. He has written many books on Wicca, and is responsible for bringing Wicca to the U.S. He has since founded the Seax-Wicca tradition.

One of Pat Crowther’s initiates (Pat Kopanski) initiated Alex Saunders. Alex Saunders has since founded Alexandrian Wicca. In turn, Alex Saunders (and his wife Maxine) initiated Stewart and Janet Farrar.

In addition to those traditions, other traditions were born. Z. Budapest founded Dianic Wicca, also known as feminist Wicca. George Patterson founded Georgian Wicca which is a blend of Celtic, Alexandrian, Gardnerian and traditional witchcraft. There are covens following Celtic Wicca, faery Wicca, and Streghe traditions.

Add into the mixture are Norse covens, Egyptian covens, and just about any other ethnic group. There are Wiccan covens using shamanistic paths. And then there is the very broad, very blended eclectic covens. And all this came about because a man from England published a book on witchcraft in 1954.

That’s impressive, but any serious student of Wiccan history will readily agree that a number of the things that Gardner claimed to be based upon ancient traditions were in fact based upon high ceremonial rituals used by groups such as the Golden Dawn and the Freemasons. And certainly, Aleister Crowley had more than a little to do with the ritual writings.

That the tenets of our faith and our basic ritual practices are cobbled together from a number of sources should not be an issue. What Gardner and the others have created was a system of worship incorporating a blend of ancient beliefs, ceremonial magic and freemason rites from the late 1800’s, and modern prose. It is possible that some of Gardner’s work is based upon actual witchcraft practices, but there is no way to prove it. But that doesn’t make it less effective.

Wicca is a continually evolving faith, with each coven and group changing its ritual practices based upon the creative efforts of its own members. The basic structure remains, but the method of connecting changes slightly. In this, we are ever growing; ever opening and expanding to the universe. We are limited not by constraints written by men long since dead, but by our own mindset.

Ultimately, what matters most is the intent, both within our practices and our minds. Gardner gave us a form of worship which recognizes foremost the rights of the individual to worship in a manner most fitting to them. A form of worship that reveres the forces around us. A form of worship that allows the individual the opportunity to interact with the divine on a more personal level than almost all other religions.

Today, I suspect that Gardner would be pleased to see traditions that are radically feminist, faery traditions, and traditions based upon specific ethnic / racial groups. We embrace shamanism, Buddhist principles, and yoga exercise. Wicca didn’t die out, but has flourished and grown into its own. We are, truly, a faith of the world’s past, present and future.

All religions had to start somewhere. And here we are. Be merrily met to merrily part and merrily meet again. Welcome home.

Homework for the week - go read a book on Wicca and/or surf the web and read what others have to say. Some people need to know every little detail while for others an overly broad overview is more than sufficient. Go as far as you want in your research, and enjoy the knowledge you gain.