Wicca is a redeveloped nature-based pagan religion. It wasn't until the 1950's that laws against witchcraft were dropped and Dr. Gerald Gardner came out in his 1954 book entitled "Witchcraft Today" and publicly announced that he was a witch. Before then, witches kept very private the going-ons’ in the Craft. In fact it was though Gardner's teachings and other trickles of sources, that formed the witchcraft we know today. So witchcraft is the only religion (that I know of) that is both very old and very new.
Witchcraft, in some form, can be seen in the behaviors of prehistoric man. Drawings of horned men adorned the walls of caves that were home to small tribes of people. A matronly figure, usually with child, was also featured often. Being hunters and gatherers, the prehistoric man relied upon the animals and crops to feed them. Most of the animals that were hunted generally had horns. It only made sense that the God of the Hunt was also horned. The earth provided a bounty of food as well. A seed could blossom into a plant that could feed the hungry and heal the injured. The earth gave of itself, as do women in childbirth. From this the Goddess of Fertility sprang forth. At this point witchcraft was more of just magick and rituals than an actual religion. If the prehistoric man danced around a bonfire with sticks held to his head as a symbol of horns, then maybe the God would be proud and grant the dancer a good hunt the next day. Things like this formed the building block of the religion we now know.
Prior to the forming of the Christian church, witchcraft was everywhere. Still more like a magick than a religion, witches used their magick to bring a good harvest, an easy childbirth, to heal a sick one or to simply protect against the evil spirits that lurked around every corner. The ritual leaders, the priest and priestesses came to be known as the Wicca; the "Wise Ones" and their duties did not end with the Craft. They were called upon to act as mediators and often-aided Kings and other such people of importance with decisions. They were viewed as the go-between from the people to the Gods.
Christianity began to take form and spread a lot slower than most would believe. Kings who may have claimed themselves as Christians may still have met with their Wiccans to decide important issues. Most people rejected the new religion and stuck with the old. Christianity then "turned ugly". In an attempt to convert mass amounts of people, Pope Gregory the Great gave the order to have the places of worship for pagans smashed down and erected churches on the same land. He did this thinking the people would foolishly wander in and begin their worship their God. The pagans were not so stupid. As a second attempt at mass conversion, the church attacked the Wiccan God. A horned figure. Thus or Wiccan God of the Hunt was morphed by the Christian church to be the Devil we have heard of today. Now that the pagans were Devil-worshipers, the church felt it was their duty to save the pagans from themselves. "The Gods of an old religion become the Devils of a new".
With the ever-growing strength of the Christian church the Craft started becoming less and less apparent. If only in the public's eye. Covens still met, but now met in secret. Church going citizens may return to their homes and in private worship the God and Goddess they always loved. Anti-Christian propaganda grew along with the church. Wiccans continued to do good for the sake of the people. Rituals were still held for the hopes of a good harvest. However, the church began claiming the when the witches preformed such a ritual it was to do evil. All the work of the Devil.
In an effort to eradicate the evil from this world, the church began burning "witches" at the stake, hanging them or torturing them into repenting. It is estimated that nine million died during what Wiccans call "The Burning Times". The burning times, by the way, lasted nearly 300 hundred years. The most famous of the stories of the burning times was immortalized in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible". Written during the 1950's and the days of the "Red Scare" when people were branded Communist and were killed politically. Miller sought to make a statement on the state of affairs and wrote one of the most haunting plays of our time. Showing people that times have not changed, he told the story of a jealous child and the destruction that occurred of her wrath. At this time if you bared a grudge against another person, it was easy to have them arrested for being a witch and "disposed of". This concept did not originate with Salem. Nor did it end there. An alarming amount of people murdered during the bloody 300 years were not even witches. But simply people that were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Because of the needless death and the alarming possibility that this sort of behavior can happen again, most, if not all Wiccans have vowed, "The burning times-never again".
For centuries witchcraft stayed underground. Information was passed though families and through covens. But in 1951, England dropped all laws against witchcraft. Since then witchcraft has exploded into what we know today. Wiccans began coming out of the woodwork with the information they had. From there Witchcraft began to rebuild itself into more of a philosophy and religion. Documents and texts were re-written as the originals were destroyed during the hiding times. Gerald Gardner laid the path for modern day Wicca. In about 40 years, Wicca has finally gained the strength and creditability it deserves.
Branches of Wicca
The most wonderful thing about Wicca is the opportunity for diversity in the way we worship. For example, I worship Faery and am Solitary. But that doesn't mean that one way of worshipping is right or superior. We all pay homage to the same deities, though we may use different name and means. The following are a brief description of the various traditions involved with either Witchcraft, Wicca or Paganism.
Alexandrian: This branch was created in the 1960's in England. This is an offshoot of Gardnerian, created by Maxine and Alex Alexander. It is essentially modified Gardnerian.
Gardnerian: This is the tradition that started it all. In the 1940's or so, Gerald Gardner came forward and announced that Witchcraft was alive and well, and that he was going to help bring it back to public awareness. He called his new religion "Wicca" and established many of the rituals and concepts still in use by Wiccans today. It is a nature based religion, promoting the worship of a Goddess as well as a God, and was unique in establishing that women were equal to men in worship and leadership.
Dianic: The Dianic tradition is primarily a women's only spiritual path. Drawing from the woman's movement, this promotes a female spirituality connecting with the inner as well as cosmic Goddess. Since many members are rejecting the patriarchal religions, the Goddess becomes the primary deity. Oftentimes the God is not called, or is considered only a necessary part of the Goddess's creational process. This is not a male hating society.
Eclectic: An eclectic witch does not belong to one tradition, but rather "creates" his/her own tradition, using different types of beliefs and ideologies. Generally eclectics practice solitary, but this is not always the case.
Faery: The use of Faery power, and emphasis on sensual experience and awareness. Victor Anderson and others are the founders. A branch of Faerie shamanism or Celtic shamanism. We see ourselves as Fey like. There is a deep respect for nature and our surroundings, and the beings in nature. Based on ancient Ireland, and the Gods of the Tuatha De Danann.
Kitchen Witch: You will find this Witch in the home, healing and performing practical magick to the betterment of her family. Dealing with herbs, stones and elemental magicks, this Witch tends to form a more homey aspect of the Craft. This is not to be confused with being inferior, far from it, this branch is on equal footing with all the others.
Odinism: Odinism is a modern revival of the pre-Christian Pagan traditions of Northern Europe. This tradition follows the concept of "faith, folk and family". It draws heavily upon Norse and Celtic traditions, and focuses upon ones past to create ones future. It promotes honor and community service, and seeks to pass on learning to the new generations.
Druid: Born of the Celtic tribes, these were the religious and knowledge holding leaders of the Celts. They fell into three orders: Bard, Ovid and Druid who each had different levels of responsibility to the community. Study involved twenty years and was memory based with little or no written magickal language (although this is no longer true today). The Druids were the most learned, and filled judicial, advisor and knowledgeable positions. It was said that a Druid striding upon a battlefield could stop a war. Today's Druids follow a nature-based faith, with an added focus on continual learning. Their holy days are different than the Wiccan faiths.
Dryad: Essentially, a female Druid. In the olden days, women and men were trained differently due to the belief that men and women absorb and project energy differently. The Dryads were inclined to do more magick and divination, but were still considered the equals of their male counterparts. Many women today use the Dryad term instead of calling themselves Druid.
Stregheria: Italian Witchcraft based upon the Goddess/mortal incarnation Aradia. They worship the Goddess Diana and Her consort Dianus. They have eight Treguendas that make the "Wheel of the Year", and these holidays tend to be different from the Wiccan Sabbats. They have a very strong family based faith, and do not follow the Rule of Three. In fact, the Strega claim that it was Aradia who taught Her followers how to poison their enemies. They do however follow the notion that "What goes around, comes around".
Witta: The Old Religion of Ireland, this faith promotes the worship of Mother Earth without all the fancy tools and trappings. It draws heavily upon Celtic and Norse lore, and recognizes the fairy traditions (like the leprechauns). Using the Gaelic language and Irish customs makes this a very rich in detail religion. The Scottish religion: Wita is very similar. This term has been coined by author Edain McCoy.
Solitary: A solitary is one who does not belong to a coven, and practices all rites, rituals and magick alone. She/He can draw upon an established tradition, or use a unique blend of many to create his/her own special form of worship. If one is solitary, this does not mean one cannot be initiated into the craft. The person would just create their own ritual, and perform it when they feel ready. It is advisable to network, so new ideas can be exchanged, and keep abreast of issues that could affect your worship.
Coven: A coven is a group of witches that practice together. They generally are made up of witches practicing the same tradition, but this is not always the case. Together they form a family, working together "In perfect love and in perfect trust." There is usually a High Priest(ess) or both that heads the rituals and magick using and they usually are the keeper of the coven's Book of Shadows.
