Olivia Seeney
PHL222
Comparative Religions
Wicca
Wicca is traditional pagan witchcraft that is practiced religiously. The origins of Wicca develop from pre-Christian religious traditions, folklore, folk witchcraft, and ritual magic of Northern and Western Europe (Wicca). Gerald Brosseau Gardner pulled the origins of modern Wicca from a variety of occult beliefs, magical practices, and western esoteric writings by Aleister Crowley (Melton). He popularized Wicca when he became initiated into a coven of witches after returning to England in 1939, shortly before WWII. He wrote two books titled “Witchcraft Today” in 1954 and “The Meaning of Witchcraft” in 1959 which inspired and interested people all over the world. Wicca does not have any sacred…show more content… The “Book of Shadows” consists of rituals and spells composed by one of the major figures in Wiccan religion, Gerald Brosseau Gardner (Wicca). Wiccans follow in a general set of beliefs and practices including worship of the Goddess, respect of nature, and both polytheistic and pantheistic views. Oher beliefs include the following: everyone has divine within, one should develop natural gifts for occult magic, natural spirits are invoked in rituals, nature and the Earth are sacred manifestations of The Goddess, and everyone has their own spiritual path. Wicca’s often meditate, visualize, use invocation, chant, burn candles, and perform special rituals to trigger a sense of the mystic (Wicca Beliefs and Practices). Wiccans believe that the serpent is a symbol of eternal life and female spiritual power. They use many symbols in Wiccan religion like the pentagram which is a five pointed star, the crescent moon, the Ankh, and crystals. Wiccan religion has a lack of belief in the need for forgiveness and salvation because they have no belief in sin, therefore, without sin; there is no need for forgiveness (Melton). There is also no need for salvation because there is nothing to…show more content… Wiccan views on the afterlife vary. They do not believe in heaven or hell, rather they believe in karma and reincarnation. The honored divine of the Wiccan community is the Triple Goddess who consists of the virgin, the mother, and the wise woman. Another divine in the Wiccan religion is the Horned God (Wicca). Most wiccans believe in the wholeness of the image of the divine is both male and female. The major festivals in Wicca are called Sabbats. There are eight Sabbats throughout the year that mark the changes in the seasons. The festivals are the winter solstice, the summer solstice, the spring equinox and the autumn equinox. The other festivals are Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain. By the 1980s there were about 50,000 wiccans in Western Europe and North America. In the 1990s and 2000s Wiccan religion became a part of pop culture and wiccans took to new age beliefs and practices (Wicca Today). Teenage wiccans became increasingly apparent as the popularity of wiccans rose. First beginning as a mysterious cult like faith, Wicca
