But in Wiccan practices this is achieved through personal choice rather than written direction. With these two apparently simple examples, we can see why the practice of Wicca might appeal to those in modern society, when our involvement with the ecology of the planet and the continued struggle of women in society, often fail to get the recognition from mainstream religions that people want to see.Īnother aspect which appeals to people in society today, and which often engages the interest of younger generations, is the belief that we should be judged by our behavior rather than mere words. Often though, you will find that some Wiccans worship one female only. It is also very contemporary in that it considered a religion which preserves the importance of the feminine by worshiping both male and female deities. Yet most people might be surprised to learn that it is even more contemporary in its way of thinking and has extreme relevance to today’s society.įor example, Wicca associates itself very much with the earth and conservation of the environment. Wicca, which is also sometimes referred to as Pagan Witchcraft, was introduced to the public in 1954 by a British man, Gerald Gardner. However, like most religions and other forms of worship, the intention behind it is to perform acts of good which have their foundation in only beneficial intentions. The practice of Wicca though is now thought to be a relatively new concept but it has more than one foot founded in many ancient, and principally pagan or sometimes neopagan, rituals. And, if we simple scrape the surface of our ancestry, what we find is that many of these forms of worship preceded recognized religions by hundreds of years. Whether Wicca started centuries back, or just recently, it hasn't shown very many new aspects, or evolutions.Last Updated on Decemby Coven of the GoddessĪlthough there is a tendency to categorize many of the practices which are outside, or even on the periphery of mainstream worship, as being something which is strongly related to our concept of the occult world, most of them, including Wicca are simply different forms of religion. There are different individual beliefs on where Wicca originated because in Wicca, the origins do not necessarily matter, and they are not needed for prayer, or rituals. Under these terms, Wicca would not have enough time to evolve from the writings, and take on new aspects. This theory states that Wicca is a religion that was create from aspects of 'traditional witchcraft' and then organized by Gerald Gardner. Yet another different belief is that Wicca was simply not in existence before Gerald Gardner's books. Some Wiccans believe that Wicca dates back to the witch hunts, where the witches being hunted were followers of the Wiccan religion, and others believe the witches were pagan and Wiccan combined, and it wasn't till after Gerald Gardner's books were written that Wicca began to separate itself under more distinct terms. Wicca can be considered a modern religion. This creates the argument that there simply hasn't been enough time for Wicca to evolve from what it was. These are said to be the same items that witches or Wiccans used in the earlier centuries.Īnother aspect is that many believe Wicca was not truly created until the 1890's, with the publication of Gerald Gardner's books. Candles, stones, leaves, flower petals, goblets or chalices, stones, a knife or boline (a Wiccan ritual knife), and a Book of Shadows are all still commonly used in Wiccan spells and Rituals. They still use the same tools to preform their spells and rituals. Wiccans still practice either individually, or with a coven, like they have for the last few centuries. Not all Wiccans experience this, but there are more than a few cases where Wiccans have been pushed away because of their beliefs. Those who do 'step out of the closet', run the risk of being ridiculed, or discriminated against. Some, if not most Wiccans keep their beliefs secret to those who are outside of the community. These actions can also be reflected in current day. They kept their religious beliefs and practices secret, unless it was shared with a coven or group. In earlier centuries, when witches were being persecuted, those who practiced witchcraft, paganism, and Wicca kept to themselves. In my research, Wiccans have tried to stay as true to the old ways as possible. However, the rituals and magic of the belief system have not drastically changed over the centuries.
The evolution of Wicca is hard to trace, partly because of conflicting origin stories.
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