Wicca Ways

There were traces of Wicca (wise ones) dating back 25,000 years. By the time of the Anglo-Saxon kings in England, the king would never think of acting on any important matter without consulting the Witan; the Council of Wise Ones.

With the coming of Christianity there was not the immediate mass-conversion that is often suggested. Christianity was a man-made religion. Whole countries were classed as Christian when in actuality it was only the rulers who had adopted the new religion, and often only superficially at that. Throughout Europe generally the Old Religion, in its many and varied forms, was still prominent for the first thousand years of Christianity.

An attempt at a mass conversion was made by Pope Gregory the Great. He thought that one way to get people to attend the new Christian churches was to have them built on the sites of the older temples, where the people were accustomed to gathering together to worship. He instructed his bishops to smash any "idols" and to sprinkle the temples with holy water and rededicate them. Pope Gregory thought that he was successful. The people weren't quite as gullible as he thought. When the first churches were being built, the only people he could get to build them were from the Pagan Community. In decorating the churches they cleverly incorporated figures of their own deities. That way if they were forced to attend these churches they could worship their own gods.

In England, in 1951, the last laws against Witchcraft were finally repealed. This cleared the way for the Witched themselves to speak up. In 1954 Dr. Gerald Brousseau Gardner, in his book Witchcraft Today, said, in effect, ‘What Margaret Murray has theorized is quite true. Witchcraft was a religion and in fact it still is. I know because I am a Witch myself.” He was the first to give the Witches’ side of the story.

The Craft

The Craft is a religion of love and joy. Why are Wiccans more content; more warm and happy? Much of it has to with their empathy with nature. Early people lived hand-in-hand with nature through necessity. They were part of nature, not separate from it. An animal was a brother or a sister, as was a tree. Women and men tended the fields and in return received food for the table. Sure, they killed animals for food. But then many animals kill other animals in order to eat. In other words, women and men were part of the natural order of things, not separate from it. Not “above” it.

Take time to stop and appreciate all that is about you. Smell the earth, the trees, the leaves. When you can, go barefoot.

Principles of Wiccan Belief

• We pratice rites to atune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the moon and the seasonal quarters and cross quarters.
• We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. Wee seek to live in harmony with nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.
• We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person, Because it is far greater than ordinary it is sometimes called
• We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity - as masculine and feminine- and that this same Creative Power lies in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive to the other. We value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magical practice and religious worship.
• We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological, worlds sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, Inner Planes, ect. - and we see in the inter-action of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magical exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.
• We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.
• We see religion, magic and wisdom in living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it - a world view and philosophy of life which we identify as Witchcraft - the Wiccan Way.
• Calling oneself “Witch” does not make a Witch - but neither does heredity itself, nor the collecting of titles, degrees and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with Nature.
• We believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness giving meaning to the Universe we know and our personal role within it.
• Our only animosity towards Christianity, or towards any other religion or philosophy of life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be “the only way” and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practice and belief.
• As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present and our future.
• We do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do we worship any entity known as “Satan” or “the Devil”, as defined by the Christian tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another
• We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.