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Wicca, Wicca, Who's Got the Wicca?
or
My Tradition, or Yours?
[An article which attempts to make sense of all the various Traditions,
Brands, Denominations, ect., which may confuse the unwary new-comer to Neo-
Paganism (Wicca in particular).]
By: Hurn
Greetings, and Bright Blessings... Welcome to this, the next in a
series of introductory pieces on Alternate Religions. Today, we shall
take a look at the many varied Traditions in the Wicca Family of Faiths.
Whilst there is, indeed, a large number of groups who profess one set of
tenants, or ideas; one soon begins to see why they may all be lumped
together as one Religion.
Obviously, to start, one must define Religion as it applies to these
groups of people. Next, a listing of some of the more Popular Traditions,
giving a basic description of each. Lastly, some comments on the "cords
which bind these groups together", ie. a discussion on the Underlying
Philosophies of the New Age Movement, Neo-Paganisms in particular.
I. What is a Religion?
A dictionary definition of religion looks something like:
Religion, n.; An organized system of Beliefs and/or Rituals,
centering on a Supernatural Being or Beings.
Everyone with me so far? Good. I think we can all agree on definitions
for "Beliefs" and "Supernatural", so the only sub-definition will be
"Ritual": any ordered sequence of events or actions, including
directed thoughts, especially one that is repeated in the 'same'
manner each time, and that is designed to produce a predictable
altered state of consciousness, within which certain magical or
religious results may be obtained.
Now, by using these definitions, the astute reader may realize that one
need not "believe" in anything in order to belong to a Religion, although
most 'established' churches Do require that one has conforming beliefs in
order to become 'accepted into' that Religion. One of the beauties of
the Pagan/NeoPagan/Wiccan Religion is that the majority of the sects do not
require one to have 'conforming' beliefs. One need not Believe in the
God/dess in order to worship them, and this is the key to being a New Age
type Religion.
New Age Religions acknowledge that there are many paths to Godhood,
and that each person should find his/her own way. Thus, while there is
communication and discussion between the diverse ways of Wicca, there is
generally no cause for religious persecution or Holy Wars. Also, there
are very little 'missionary' type efforts, since there is no Prime
Directive stating that everyone who does not believe a certain piece of
Dogma is Wrong, and will burn in Hell forever, unless saved, or made to
see the light.
Contrary to most religions, it is Not the shared set of Beliefs, or
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similar Dogma which holds the Wiccan Religions together. Rather, it is the
Attitudes of the people involved, and their common Heritage which provide
the bonds of cooperation among the Pagan Peoples. These points of agreement
shall be further addressed following a brief list of some of the more
popular Traditions, with a description of each.
II. Traditions/Branches/Gatherings/Sub-Groups/Interpretations/ect.
[nb. This is not, by any means, an all inclusive list]
A. Gardnerian:
Started by G. Gardner, in England, in the mid 1950's, this Tradition
claims to have existed, in secret, since the Witch-Burnings began during
the Middle Ages. While there is some doubt as to whether or not it is as
old as it claims, there is no denying that the Gardnerian Sect has been one
of the most Influential of the Traditions. In fact, many of the groups
which follow were started by people who had been introduced to Paganism
and the Worship of the Lord and Lady as members of a Gardnerian group.
Characteristics:
A structured religion with definite hierarchy within each group (known,
as a Coven), but little to no Authority of one coven over another. Within
the coven, a Matriarchy exists, with the High Priestess generally being
considered the leader (there are, of course, exceptions to this, but these
descriptions are, for the most part, only generalizations based upon
information gathered from many sources).
The typicalGardnerian view of the God/dess is that of a Dominant Three-
Faced Goddess (Maid, Mother, and Crone) with a Male Consort (Who has 2
sides.. the Young Summer King, and the Old Winter King).
Ceremonies include a series of initiations into higher levels of the
Craft, various Holiday Celebrations (based, of course, upon the "Wheel of
the Year" calendar of Feast days.
B. Alexandrian:
Started about the same time as Gardner's, this tradition is fairly
similar, with a little more emphasis upon Ceremonial Magick. There are
numerous Covens in both US and Europe.
C. Dianic:
This is more of a Sub-class, rather than a particular Tradition. There
are several Feminist Traditions which are considered Dianic. This
sub-class tends to emphasize the Female aspect of the Goddess, sometimes to
the exclusion of the Male God. Some feel that these groups are rather
reactionary and self limiting. Be that as it may, the Dianic Covens tend
to be more politically active.
D. School of Wicca:
Headed by Gavin and Yvonne Frost, this School is the largest
correspondence school of Witchcraft in the US. Numerous Covens have
resulted from this School, although it is somewhat unconventional (if, that
is, anything dealing with Wicca could be called conventional). The Frosts'
views on Wicca as a religion do differ with the majority.. in that they do
not consider Wicca as "Pagan", but rather as Monotheistic.
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E. Seax (or Saxon) Wicca:
Startedby Raymond Buckland, who wasoriginally a leader in promoting the
Gardnerian Tradition, as an alternative to the existing Covens. Unlike
most traditions, which consider the Coven group to be the normal unit of
division (ie. all ceremonies/Rituals = Group Rites), the Seax version has
provision for lone witches (often referred to as Solitaires). Another thing
which sets this particular brand apart is its non-reliance upon being
properly initiated into the Wiccan community. Many of the other groups
require that new members be brought to existing covens to be ceremonially
initiated into that Tradition, and that only after years of study within
the group is one ready to start a new coven. The Seax tradition,
recognizing that there may not be a friendly, neighborhood Coven, allows
for self-initiation, and Auto setup of a Coven.
F. Traditionalist (Welsh, Scots, Greek, Irish, etc...)
Like Dianic, this is a sub-class. Each Traditionalist group is based
upon the traditions, literature, myth, and folktales of that particular
geographic/demographic area. This is evident in the Names of the God/dess
used by individual groups.
III. Common ties/beliefs/Ideals/ect...
Asstated earlier, it's not doctrine/dogma similarities which tend to hold
these diverse groups together, rather, it is the common Ideals and feelings
expressed by the Pagan Peoples themselves. Here are some examples:
The Wiccan Rede: "An it harms none, do what thou will." is almost
universally accepted amongst the groups. Most groups tend to be
polytheistic, animists, pantheists, ect. One is not "converted" to Wicca,
rather, the new comer feels a sense of "Coming Home", or, more poetically,
"The Goddess calls to Her own". Nature plays a big part in most
Traditions, either as direct personification of the God/dess, or as
aspects of them. There is no counterpart to the Devil, as such, in the
Pagan religions... no personification of All Evil, rather, the choice is
there for all to make. However, there is the Law of Three Fold Return,
which states "That which thou dost send out shall return three fold", so
good begets good, and evil befalls those who are evil (a horrendous
understatement / simplification, but true).
Author's note:
Whew! That was a long haul of writing in one sitting... if there are any
big errors noticeable, mail me, and I'll make a second draft of this.. or
perhaps even expand it some.. (my time is limited in as far as when I have
opportunities to just sit down and write something like this, but I can
usually squeeze in some time, here or there.)
I hopethat this issomewhat enlightening... there aresome other files,
here, which give more basic explanations of the terms used.. (Witch, Coven,
Magick, ect..) ... I did assume a small amount of familiarity present
within the reader... if anyone wishes, I can append a Preface covering that
which was presupposed knowledge.
Blessed Be...
Hurn
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