Here I will
try and give my own definitions as to what Wicca is and isn't. There is still a
lot of misinformation floating around the web about this, and beginners need to
be very careful what books and websites they are using to learn. I hope the
information provided here proves a useful starting place to what can become a
very interesting journey in spirituality.
HISTORICAL
BEGINNINGS
THROUGH THE
MISTS OF TIME: I have seen many claims on many websites as to how and when the
tradition of Wicca began. Over the last 50-60 years there has been much
research into this very subject but there are very few reliable books on the
subject. Some websites and books claim that Wicca (as it is today) is an
ancient lineage that pre-dates even religions like Hinduism (academically
credited with being the oldest living religion to date) but that is simply not
true. The opposite of this view claims that Wicca is the invention of Gerald
Gardner who simply made it up, for all intents and purposes.
WHAT WE DO
KNOW: The truth, as you might of guessed, lies somewhere between these two
polar opposites. Gerald Gardner certainly brought Wicca into the spotlight in
the 1950's but there is growing evidence to support the idea it was not his
invention, but that perhaps he helped embellished a tradition that existed (and
was practiced) prior to 1940-50. However, the fact still remains that antiquity
is no measure of relevance as by this we might argue therefore that Hinduism is
more relevant than Christianity - which I'm sure more than a few Christians
might have a problem with. What we know is that Wicca is a spiritual path that
"works" for many people - and surely that should be enough for it to
be viewed with some measure of respect?
RECCOMENDED
READING:
Triumph of
the Moon: The history of modern Pagan Witchcraft by Prof. Ronald Hutton
WICCA -
Magickal Beginnings: The Evolution of a Modern Witchcraft Tradition by Sorita
D'Este and David Rankine
WICCA &
WITCHCRAFT DEFINED
WICCA: this
is a British Initiatory Mystery tradition that involves three aspects - that of
Magick, Mysticism and Religion. British - because that's where it started.
Initiatory - because those wanting to become Wiccan must be initiated into a
Wiccan coven in order to become part of this tradition. Mystery Tradition -
Means that certian aspects of becoming Wiccan only come to be known (or
revealed) through spiritual experiences, which essentially means that these
aspects remain a mystery to the seeker until they have reached a certain level
of development.
The religion
part is in the form of interacting with deities. Most Wiccan's will tell you
that they do not worship deity, but instead build a relationship and work with
a deity to achieve certain spiritual goals. Other aspects of religion can be
found in the various celebrations (known as Sabbats & Esbats) with the
retelling of pagan myths and legends during the rituals associated with them.
WITCHCRAFT:
this is something that can cause quite a lot of misunderstanding among Wiccan's
and those seeking to become Wiccan. Witchcraft is to Wicca what Meditation is
to a Buddhist, or prayer to a Christian, Muslim or Jew. You do not necessarily
have to be Wiccan to practise Witchcraft, because it is simply a craft and does
not have any doctrine assosiated with it - in the same way a number of
different religions use prayer. However, it is one of the fundamental parts of
Wicca and so ALL Wiccan's will use Witchcraft in one form or another.
The forms in
which you will find Witchcraft in Wicca are the form of rituals, spellwork,
healing, energy work, divination etc. I also feel that it is important to note
that it's very different to what gets put forth in the media as to what
constitutes Witchcraft - the "real stuff" is often a very personal
and empowering experience for the practitioner. Some readers may be
dissapointed to discover that the sacrificing of cats and the drinking of blood
are generally not something Wiccan's do as part of their practise.
RECCOMENDED
READING:
The Real
Witches Handbook by Kate West
HOW TO GET
STARTED
FIRST STEPS:
One of the biggest mistakes a Newbie makes is to jump on a Wiccan mailing list
and ask to be taught. That already says to any experienced Wiccan that this is
not the path for you. If that has been your first inclination then you might
want to ask yourself why you are really interested in Wicca.
Wicca has a
lot to do with self-discovery and you will find that many Wiccan's, and those
of related paths, have strong interests in Psychology. It's a path where your
development is left in your own hands for much of the time, and within a
genuine Wiccan Coven you will never be spoonfed with information.
You should
keep in mind that nothing worth having is ever easy, so beware of online
"Witch Schools" that offer up easily digestable information, training
and self-initiation. No good will ever come of this, and you will never be
given any real challenges to deepen your understanding of yourself and your
path.
By all means
join a mailing list, or online discussion forum, but try lurking for a while to
get a feel for the place. Also, don't cling to people whose opinions you agree
with but instead challenge yourself to be open-minded enough to consider other
options.
Read, read,
read, and then read some more. It really doesn't matter what, but the books
mentioned here will set you off in a good direction. Learn about the history of
Wicca and then when you encounter newer forms of it, you can have some
perspective on whether someone is trying to reinvent the wheel (never a good
idea!) or making a genuine attempt at discovering a new aspect of it. Another
good tip for choosing the books to read is to take a good look at who the
author is. Sometimes a quick Google Search will be very enlightening -
otherwise keep your wits about your and really think about how much sense the
information really makes.
And most
importantly - remember that no matter how much you read, you don't know a damn
thing until you have experienced it yourself! But having said that, there is
still nothing that beats the guidance of an experienced teacher - so watch out
for one, because they will pop up and take you under their wing when you least
expect it.
