[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).]
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 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 typical Gardnerian 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.
E. Seax (or Saxon) Wicca:
Started by Raymond Buckland, who was originally 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...
As stated 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 hope
that this is somewhat enlightening ... there are some 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