Wicca is a modern religion based on witchcraft. It was started by a British retired civil servant named Gerald Gardner in the first half of the 20th century. When Gardner was getting his religion started he believed that he was preserving an intact pre-Christian religion although he felt it was so scarce and fragmented that he needed to put it… Read more »
There are lots of books about the history of witchcraft. Many do not even mention modern practitioners, let alone witchcraft religions like Wicca. Some do mention modern practitioners but fail to fact-check claims resulting in some of the worst speculations being reported as fact. Here are some books about the history of witchcraft, ancient and modern, that tend towards being… Read more »
Throughout history the British Isles have been swept by waves of new inhabitants and ideas. Some came as invaders and others as settlers from other lands. As each new ethnic group became established and eventually assimilated into British culture their unique qualities were absorbed too. One of the notable influences on the British Isles and therefore on English occultism and… Read more »
Pagan religions are living traditions that have evolved over time and continue to change today. Occult practices and religions such as Wicca in particular have drawn from inspiration around the world including sources originating in the Americas. The West has had a very noticeable impact on the development of occult philosophy that is easy to see when we look for… Read more »
“Listen to the words of the Great Mother, who was of old also called Artemis, Astarte, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Dana, Arianrhod, Bride, and by many other names…” This opening passage from the Charge of the Goddess used by Wiccans around the world is familiar to many, but how many realize that this introductory statement was inspired by the ancient… Read more »
Paganism and occultism in the English-speaking community today owes a lot to the East. Sure, most of the borrowed Eastern ideas have been adapted and changed over the years by various English practitioners but the basic ideas themselves are from Eastern sources. We don’t have to look very hard to find things that come from the Middle East, from India,… Read more »
Wicca is a pretty diverse religion today with assorted different denominations (usually called “traditions”), independent covens, and thousands if not millions of solitary practitioners around the globe. What exactly makes all of these practitioners Wiccan? Historically the religion of Wicca traces to Gerald B. Gardner who first promoted and taught a form of religious witchcraft as far back as the… Read more »
Way back in the Spring of 1974 during a Pagan conference called “Witchmeet” in Minneapolis, MN USA a diverse group of 73 witches, representing a range of groups as well as solitary practitioners, formed what they decided to call the American Council of Witches. The group held only a single meeting before they chose to disband. At that meeting they… Read more »
In recent news there has been a story making the rounds about a Maine resident, Phelan Moonsong, who wears a pair of horns on his head most of the time even when out in public. Moonsong got the attention of reporters when he was able to get a copy of his driver’s license (which he uses as ID, as he… Read more »
“Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: An’ it harm none, do what you will.” There are a lot of half-truths told about the Wiccan Rede: ☆ it’s an ancient rule ☆ it’s mandatory for all Wiccans ☆ it’s a long poem, with a short-form phrase that is commonly quoted ☆ it makes it impossible for Wiccans to curse Here’s the truth…. Read more »
