Wicca is a Western neo-pagan religion based on a reverence for nature. Wicca gained popularity in 1954 thanks to its creator Gerald Gardner, a retired civil servant.
At first, Gardner called his religion "witchcraft" - it was a secret and ancient teaching. He claimed that members of a witchcraft cult, which survived in Europe and operates in secret, initiated him into this teaching. Gardner himself considered the Wiccan tradition to be a continuation of pre-Christian European beliefs - they were based on the veneration of the forces of nature, which were embodied in the image of the Mother Goddess and God the Father.
However, archaeologists, anthropologists and historians believe this version is doubtful, and it is officially believed that Wicca was created not earlier than the 20s of the XX century. Wicca is indeed similar to archaic matriarchal beliefs, but rather resembles an attempt to partially recreate them, in order to combine them later with the concept of modern neo-paganism.
Not only are Gardner's followers called Wiccans, but everyone who has similar beliefs is also called Wiccans. New forms of Wiccan theory and practice are constantly being created.
Creator of the Wiccan tradition
Gerald Gardner was a civil servant, amateur anthropologist, writer, and occultist. He came from a wealthy family and grew up in the care of an Irish nanny. Since childhood, Gardner suffered from asthma, therefore, believing that the warm climate would be more useful for the boy, his parents let him go to the continent with a nanny. And so it happened that Gardner spent his youth in Europe, in Ceylon, in Asia. Then he moved to Malaysia, where he grew rubber, met the locals and studied their religions, which impressed him very much.
After 1923, Gardner took a job in the civil service: as a government inspector in Malaya. After 5 years, he married an Englishwoman, with whom he lived for more than 33 years. At 52, Gardner retired, returned to England, where he published an essay, Chris and Other Malay Weapons, based on his research.
In London, however, he did not live long - in the same year he and his wife moved to Highcliff, where Gardner became seriously interested in the occult and nudism. In 1939 he joined the "Society of Folklore", wrote in the magazine "Folklore", in 1946 he became a member of the public committee. Gardner loved titles.
In 1947, he met Aleister Crowley, who initiated him into the Eastern Templar Order. There is a version that Gardner was initiated into the VII degree of the Order, from which the study of sex magic begins. According to another version, Crowley himself taught Gardner some magical practices, which he later included in his own rituals. However, according to occultist Patricia Crowther, Crowley did not give Gardner any witchcraft material.
Under the pseudonym "Skyr" Gardner wrote two books: "The Coming of the Goddess" and "Help of the High Magic." Five years later, two more of his works were published: "Witchcraft Today" and "The Significance of Witchcraft", where Gardner described the witchcraft tradition to which he was initiated. He claimed to have taken a vow of silence, and only after the repeal of the Witchcraft Act in 1951 was he able to discover "the true essence of witchcraft."
In 1960, Gardner's wife died. This knocked him down, and the asthma attack returned. Gardner himself died in 1964 of a heart attack. Buried in Tunisia.
Theology and the underworld
The Wiccan tradition is based on the worship of 2 divine principles - male and female, which have the image of God and Goddess. There is no consensus on the equality of these principles:
- some worship only the Goddess;
- others worship the Goddess somewhat more than God;
- still others consider the principles to be equal and worship them in the same way;
- the fourth worship only God.
But the latter are less common, since Wicca pays more attention to the feminine principle. According to the Wiccans, all the gods and goddesses of the religions of the past are the hypostases of their Father God and Mother Goddess. The latter will be endowed with the property of a trinity: a virgin, mother and an old woman, which reflects the connection of the Mother Goddess with the lunar cycles.
The Wiccan God is the horned hunter god of the ancient tribes that inhabited Europe. It has nothing to do with the Christian god, because, according to the teachings of Wicca, there is no one omnipotent deity who created the world. The cornerstone of Wiccan theology is the extreme immanence of God and Goddess.
Another important part of the Wiccan tradition is the transmigration of souls. Wiccans believe that after death, the soul of a person is in the land of eternal summer, where it waits for the next incarnation and prepares for it. Wiccans do not recognize the concept of Paradise or the Kingdom of Heaven, they do not want liberation from the wheel of Samsara and merging with the Absolute. They find meaning in the real world, and in practice show no interest in the afterlife. Even their spiritualism is focused on the practical goals of life, and not on communication with the afterlife.
Magic and symbolism
Wicca has not only a spiritual, but also a magical component. Witchcraft in it is a sacred act, a way of serving the Goddess and God, therefore the teaching is called the "religion of witches." The word "Wicca" itself is translated from Old English as "witchcraft".
At the same time, magic lessons are not required. It is enough for a Wiccan to adhere to the basic concepts of religion and in his own way express reverence to the Goddess and God. However, most of the doctrine focuses on witchcraft, without which there will be:
- sacred places and rituals;
- divine services and sacraments;
- scripture and prayers.
Even the holidays of the Wiccans are magical rituals, and the community is a coven of witches and sorcerers, and practitioners.
Wiccan symbolism brings together many ancient symbols from different cultures, but there are also strictly official signs that can be seen on Wiccan tombstones. The first such sign is a straight pentagram, which depicts the harmony of the elements under the leadership of the spirit. The second sign is the lunar symbol, it denotes the Goddess.
Rituals and celebrations
The Wiccans do not have universally accepted rituals: each follower or coven himself comes up with a course of action and creates his own rituals. And all this is recorded in the book of shadows - a collection of spells, ceremonies and other magical information that is not told to anyone. But it is known what the Wiccan rituals are dedicated to:
- initiation practices;
- sabbats and esbats;
- Wiccaning, when a newborn child is presented to God and the Goddess in order to gain their protection (this is not a dedication and not an analogue of baptism among Christians);
- hand-fasting is a Wiccan wedding ritual.
Wiccans believe that the forces of the elements can be controlled with the help of willpower, and thus cause changes in the mental and physical level of people's lives.
Wicca holidays are of pre-Christian origin and are associated with the changing seasons. And the Wiccan calendar is called the "wheel of the year." All holidays are divided into 2 groups: 4 great holidays of the changing seasons and 4 holidays for the days of the autumn and spring equinox, as well as the solstice. All these holidays are called sabbats. In addition, the full moon and new moon, which are called esbats, are considered festive times.
