May 09 2008
What is Wicca?
What is Wicca
Recently I was part of a discussion about this question. As a trained, but not actively practicing, Wiccan priestess, I have found myself disappointed with my own answer. lol
Wicca is a young religion with very old and wonderful roots. It is often referred to as the gateway, or entry level ‘pagan’ path. This is mostly because it is one of the most prevalent and well known of the pagan paths. This does not mean that it is less than other paths, or that it is lacking in any way.
The only real trouble with Wicca, that I can see, is that it shares some of the same roots as Christianity and that makes it both more comfortable for new comers to the pagan path, but also very uncomfortable to those same people as they grow. This only happens however when those that have explored Wicca only do a very cursory or ‘scratch the surface’ exploration.
Wicca is a very deep, moving, beautiful and POWERFUL theology. It is not lacking in any regard, quite the opposite in fact. It has been my experience that most that turn away from Wicca do so for one of two reasons. They either never looked past the surface of it or dismissed it as frivolous, our they DID look past the surface and discovered it was too damned hard to bother with. LOL
Wicca is NOT a religion that you can practice on occasion and shelve the rest of the time. It is a very deep and involved theology that requires deep dedication and a life time of ongoing study and exploration.
You should take note that at the beginning of this article I specified that I was a non practicing Wiccan priestess. That means that I have the formal training, but have not pursued the deeper studies. I do not feel that I have devoted the proper energy or resources towards this to say that I am a ‘practicing wiccan priestess’.
I also said that it is young but has deep roots, old roots, some going back to the dawn of time, though many would argue that fact with me. Wicca as we know it now can be formerly traced back to Gerald Gardner, who many know, basically borrowed bits and pieces from various ideologies to create Wicca as we know it now. It is a young religion and a very vibrant one. One that is growing and evolving at an amazing rate, without losing its core or its foundation.
Personally, I attribute this to the very fact of what its foundation is. It is a conglomeration of complimentary ideas. Its structure is based in Ceremonial Magic, its theology in Egyptian Mythos, and its animus (everything is one, and that one is ALL *energy*) is shamanic.
All three of these are very old, and very strong. They combine wonderfully to create a magnificent religion that is structured for those that want/need the structure, but it is also fluid and growing and open in its acceptance that all is one and that one is all. To call yourself Wiccan, you can believe in ONE God, One Goddess, The God and Goddess as One, or any variation of that. The concept is open and very fluid in this. That is the power and beauty of shamanism, or animism. All is energy and energy is All. ?
I am Wiccan, though Strongly shamanic in my theology rather than ritualistic, and that is fine.
I tend to be solitary in my practice, such as it is, simply because I abhor the politics that seem to result whenever you put people together in any kind of religious environment.
Theological believes are very sacred and private to me. No one can tell me what I believe is wrong, and I will never tell anyone else that what they believe is wrong.
However, those that feel that feel that Wicca is a ‘fluffy’ or unworthy path should really take the time to know it. It’s not an easy path by any means, but is a very worthy and noble path and I have the utmost admiration for those that walk it in a true fashion.