Ben GruagachComments Off on The Wiccan Rede and the Law of Threefold Return
Some modern Wiccans have decided to not include the Wiccan Rede and the Law of Threefold Return in their philosophy. Some even argue that statements like the Threefold Law aren’t Wiccan at all[1]. The usual arguments are that the Wiccan Rede, “An’ it harm none, do what you will” is too simplistic and is impossible to follow, and the Law… Read more »
Ben GruagachComments Off on Oaths and Secrets in Wicca
Gerald Gardner liked drama and prestige1. When he first started promoting the religion of Wicca he included oaths of secrecy as part of the first degree initiation rite. This served to impress on initiates that Wicca was a serious secret society. It also acted to preserve Wiccan teachings as exclusive to those who had been formally admitted to the group…. Read more »
Ben GruagachComments Off on Wiccan, Witch, Pagan – What’s the Difference?
(This article is an excerpt from “The Wiccan Mystic.”) What Is Wicca? Current historical research suggests that Wicca is a modern Pagan religion first promoted by Gerald Gardner around the 1950s. Wiccan beliefs are structured on the practices of witchcraft as outlined by Gardner. Modern scholars such as Ronald Hutton, in his detailed and highly influential book “The Triumph of the… Read more »
Ben GruagachComments Off on Communicating with Dream Characters
Our dreams are populated with all sorts of interesting characters – friends, family, strangers, fictional characters, animals, mythical beings, Gods and Goddesses. Each night when we close our eyes and give ourselves over to dreamland we gain unique opportunities to interact with intelligences with which we normally don’t have contact. Some explain these dream figures as parts of ourselves that… Read more »
Ben GruagachComments Off on Mixing Pantheons in Modern Pagan Practice
It has been said by some Wiccan authors that mixing mythological pantheons is bad and should be avoided at all costs. The usual argument given for this admonishment is that each pantheon, indeed each deity, has very specific features and should be treated individually. To equate one goddess with a similar goddess from another pantheon is seen as disrespectful. Each… Read more »
