Wicca

Today, many Wiccan groups owe their basic foundation to the principles laid out by Gardner. Wicca is not an ancient religion, but Gardner did integrate some old obscure knowledge into his original tradition. A lot of Witches and Pagans were perfectly happy to continue practicing their own spiritual path without converting to Wicca. There is an unlimited deal of debate within the Pagan community about whether or not Wicca is truly the same body of Witchcraft that was practiced before. Nevertheless, many

This religion is an oral based religion, passed down from mouth to mouth. Pagans may rely upon any natural force, such as a body of water, or a natural rock formation. They use these to help them focus energy upon their gods or goddesses. Both, Pagans and Wiccans, have varying religious practices; however, many of them are also similar. Pagans focus more on the group aspect of tradition and the 'old times';, whereas, Wicca is based primarily upon the needs and wants of the witch.

At first glance, Wicca and Scientology may appear to be completely opposite religions, sharing no common tenets or practices. Contrary to this, both systems of beliefs actually share several distinctive qualities that set them apart from many major religions in the world. First, Wicca, the formal organization of witchcraft, is a mystery religion. Each practitioner is considered a witch, and practitioner of The Craft, which contains several different beliefs concerning theology and divinity depending on an individual because of their freedom to study what they seek. Members may choose to be solitary, or part of a coven, which is a group of Wiccans that share beliefs and conduct rituals together.

Shamanism Shamanism- The dictionary defines it as a religion practice by indigenous people. The people of far northern Europe and Siberia began practicing shamanism about 5000 years ago before religion. That is characterized by a belief in an unseen world of gods, demons, and ancestral spirits responsive only to the shamans. According to encyclopedia Britannica; Shamanism religion centers on a shaman person who achieves powers through trance or ecstatic religious experience. Although shaman’s repertoires differ from culture to the next, they are thought to have powers to heal the sick.

I would like to start off by offering a bit of history on wicca, or "the craft". Wicca is a pagan religion, which means that it doesn't acknowledge the Christian concept of God. Generally, wiccans worship more than one god or goddess while also paying reverence to the earth and to nature herself as a source of life and all that we are. It is said that wicca evolved during the days of pre-historic man who developed a strong bond with his surroundings. Early man found a sense of "divine power" in the world around him, attuning himself to the rhythms and cycles of nature.

When he returned to England he began a coven, and from this coven he wrote rituals and published books on Witchcraft, his grimoire, or bible, is still in existence and is located in the Ripley's collection in Toronto. Gardner soon became a part of many covens and spiritualist organizations. He was influenced by a man named Aleister Crowley, an earlier occultist who styled himself as "The Great Beast". Crowley was a part of an occultist group named the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an occult that Gardner would later join. Gardner took the complicated rit... ... middle of paper ... ...

Though Dafo remained Gardner's friend she felt she needed to leave his coven after he went public, because she feared for her own safety due to the increased awareness of the public. In the West, the practices of Witchcraft out dates Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and many other large, very old religions. The true roots of the word Wicca stem back much further than the 1950's. Wicca was originally known to mean “to bend or shape,” as it was in the early days of Christianity; covens were called this or the “Wit,” the “Witta,” “Wicce, and also “Vitki,” by those early Christians. A lot of the traditions held by Christians have roots in Paganism.

Does the term “Devil worshiper” ever cross your mind? Do you think of potions and spells? For many, many generations, we have underestimated what the true meaning of a witch and what witchcraft really is. What is the history that hides behind it? Witches and witchcraft have been in our history since the ancient times.

Some Wicca’s join groups called co... ... middle of paper ... ...alled witches. Wiccans follow the Wiccan Rede in the same way that Christians follow the Bible. Wiccans believe that each person’s path is valid and no one path is better than any one else’s path. Although some refuse to acknowledge that Wicca is a religion, it is one because it meets what we generally accept to be the major characteristics of a religion. There are groups of people who believe it is a religion, there are those who do not.

I wanted to see what is fact and what is false about the myths and stereotypes about witches and witchcraft. To fully explore this subject I have found information on the history of witchcraft and its evolution into the religion of Wicca that is practiced today. I have also looked into how the media today and in the past has presented witches and the type of propaganda that they use that further in the falsehoods that still are present about the craft. Another aspect of my project is two interviews that I conducted with people associated with witchcraft, Meghan Lewis and Carol Karlsen. Witchcraft the religion is quite old.