The Maiden

Information for the beginner.

We will start our journey by exploring religion, but I will take it perhaps a different way than what you may be expecting. I want to talk about the word 'religion' and how the origins of the word can help us understand what it means. What an interesting etymology it has! It is from the Latin religio which can mean sanction or supernatural constraint. This word may be derived from religare which is to restrain or to tie back, closely related to the word 'rely.' The origins of this word suggest that religion at its core is a system of laws, and what is a law but a binding custom or practice?

Before I run away with my words, the short of it appears to be that religion, a word that is often interchanged with faith, is really about control. A group of people get together and willingly agree on what rules they will restrict themselves to. Merriam-Webster defines religion as "a personal set or institutionalized system of attitudes, beliefs, and practices." We see this every day, when people are bound to the laws of their religion; "I can't do that, it's against my religion." It is against my personal laws to which I am willingly tied. By this etymology, saying 'laws of one's religion' is actually redundant, because religion by definition is a system of binding laws.

I do want to talk about this definition for a moment, particularly the first part of it: "a personal set." This is the most important part of the definition, in my opinion. Religion does not have to be defined by someone else. It can be defined by you and be a perfectly valid religion. I am separating this part of the definition for a reason. My religious practice is based on my own personal set of sanctions to which I willingly choose to bind myself.

Do you have religion? Do you have rules and laws that you bind yourself to follow? I do, and they teach me to love all life, be mindful of how my actions affect others, and to take responsibility for them. We often think that being tied to something is not necessarily a good thing, but in this case, the constraint is quite beneficial, I think! More about these points will be discussed later: the specifics that make up my religion.

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It is not my intention to write an entire article in detail about the history of Wicca or the different denominations thereof (at least, not at this time). I will briefly discuss the origins of the religion here, and where it seems to be heading today.

Despite popular belief and use, Wicca is not an 'old religion.' It has only been around for about sixty years or so. The official creation of modern Wicca, and even the use of the term in such a way, is accredited to Gerald B. Gardner in the mid 1900's. His teachings are practiced today in the denomination called Gardnerian Wicca. Many practitioners of this believe that it is not Wicca if it is not Gardnerian. I do not believe this. For the simple fact that if he can create a religion, why can't I? I do believe it is safe to say that every following denomination of Wicca has evolved from Gardner's system. It should be noted that much of what is a part of Gardner's system has roots in paganism and the ancient practice of Witchcraft. Gardner's own definition of Wicca was "a positive and life-affirming religion." Well said, sir.

Gardner claimed that he had found a surviving coven that practiced the matriarchal traditions of pre-Christian Europe. This statement is much debated by religious scholars. Whether Wicca is truly a revival of ancient practice or simply invented by Gardner himself is a non-issue. The fact remains that modern Wicca and Witchcraft (these two words are often interchanged, but I will discuss this in a later article) are popular throughout the globe, and continue to gain in popularity.

The ritual format of Wicca was influenced by Aleister Crowley's mysticism, which was deeply steeped in Hermetics and Buddhism. The former of the two is probably the one you are least likely to have heard of, so I will take a short aside to define it. Hermetics are the teachings of a spiritual teacher in ancient Greece, known as Hermes Trismegistus. He was associated with Hermes, the messenger god of Greece, and Thoth, the Egyptian god of mysticism. Trismegistus means "thrice great." Hermes Trismegistus is accredited with the writing of the Emerald Tablet, though this is debated by scholars. The text of the Emerald Tablet is short and cryptic, but it is also the foundation for the art of alchemy. The text includes a phrase that Wiccans should recognize, "as above, so below," a testament to Wicca's Hermetic influence. Hermetics was a highly secretive study until the publication of The Kybalion in the early 1900's. This book was written by three unknown followers of Hermetics, who decided it was safe to record those ancient oral teachings that had been passed on to them from followers of Hermes Trimegistus.

I hope you're following this little transgression. Gardner's witchcraft tradition was influenced by ancient Pagan practices (known matriarchal religions), Buddhism, Hinduism, and Crowley's Victorian-era occultism; which was influenced by Hermetics, Buddhism, and yoga. Not too long ago, I was asked to research why chakras, the body's energy centers, are used within many Wiccan practices, when it seems to be otherwise unrelated to Wicca. I will speak more on chakras later, but I will say, it seems to be Crowley's influence on modern Wicca that supports chakra work. Crowley was a devout practitioner of Raja Yoga (sometimes called classical yoga). It is within yoga that the chakras were defined as we know them today.

Wicca is quite the conglomeration of faiths and practices! And it evolves daily. Modern practitioners incorporate stronger Celtic influences, work with Egyptian and Hawaiian pantheons, are naturalists and herbalists, and basically add anything that feels right to their religion. We are a hodgepodge, much like the English language where words are borrowed and assimilated from any place they can be obtained.

As far as continuing evolution, there is a statistic that I will quote directly from Wikipedia's entry on Wicca, "The 2001 American Religious Identification Survey estimated that at least 134,000 adults identified themselves as Wiccans in the United States, compared to 8,000 in 1990. This works out to a doubling of numbers every thirty months." Census reporters claim that it is one of the fastest growing religions in the United States. And why not? Much of Wicca is open to personal interpretation and allows the practitioner to tailor a faith that is completely and whole-heartedly believable to them. That is as it should be. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, "...religion is a matter which lies solely between a man and his god" (Jan 1, 1802: letter to the Danbury Baptist Association).

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Believe it or not, this is a hard topic to approach. It is not often easy to explain the difference between being Wiccan and being pagan. This is because they are often interchanged, and widely misused. Wicca is a pagan religion. The word pagan is from the Latin paganus, which means civilian or country dweller. Its use in Roman times was to describe anyone who did not live in the city, basically outside of their modern civilization. It was in the country where people relied less on the governing bodies to provide for and support them, and eventually devised many ways of supporting themselves; to include herbalism, divination, and rituals to protect the harvest. The country dweller relied on the world around them, such as the farms and the livestock. The use of the word and who it defined evolved. In the time of the widespread popularity of Christianity in Rome, the word was used to describe any follower of a polytheistic religion, the definition in common use today. Soon, the use of this word was replaced with heathen.

Wicca is a polytheistic religion (what this means will be discussed in the next article), and therefore all practitioners of Wicca are pagans. Wicca is also a proper noun; it describes one polytheistic religion in particular (one that has many denominations, but one nonetheless). Followers of Hindu or Shinto are also pagans. Wicca is a religion, pagan is a type of religion.

I have come across many people in my travels who tell me the same thing: they say they don't agree with many things that are common practices in the Wiccan faith, and therefore are only pagan. This is where the word is used as a misnomer. Pagan itself is not a religion. In this instance, they are using the word to describe their practice, that is lacking in the religious sanction that exists in Wicca. It is a hard line to draw, but there is no religion that is named "Pagan." It is important to note that one day, this definition may change. Someone may invent the Pagan religion. I think non-Wiccan pagans everywhere may take issue with such an action, though.

So, the short of it is that any Wiccan may also call themselves pagan, and any other follower of a polytheistic religion may do so as well; just as Baptists, Protestants, and Catholics are all Christian (except that Christian is also its own religion). 

When Wiccans gather in groups to celebrate their holidays and perform their rituals, the plural noun used to describe them is a coven. If you are familiar with Christian practices, the coven would be comparable to the congregation of a church. There are usually two leaders (but not always), and a circle of participants. The coven learns together, with many teachers and students among its members, led by a High Priestess and a High Priest (or just a High Priestess), who set the laws of the coven that all members must abide. If a member does not completely agree with those laws, they cannot be a part of the coven. It is not uncommon for a member to break off from the mother coven and begin their own with their own personal alterations.

A Wiccan does not have to be in a coven, though some will argue this point. The majority of modern practitioners are solitary, their faith practice is their own. They are their own teacher, student, and High Priestess or Priest all at the same time. The solitary practice is popular probably because many people turn to Wicca because of a dislike of other, highly structured group religions. The solitary makes their own structure, their own laws, and holds their own ceremonies. Also, due to the still-secretive nature of Wicca, a coven is hard or impossible to find for many.

There is no right or wrong path here. If being a member of a larger coven suits you, you are still Wiccan. If being in solitary charge of your own faith journey suits you, you are still Wiccan. I have done both. While I am studying with a coven at the moment, a solitary practice is far better suited to me and my personal religious tastes. If a coven is available to you, you may want to try them out. Most will have open circles for non-members to attend and get a glimpse of what their coven is about. I personally believe that you will never know what is fitting for you unless you try all your options. You may get a good feel for the local coven by getting to know its members as well, without having to attend a ritual. I am not saying this to encourage coven membership, remember that I consider myself solitary, I say do this to encourage you to know your own faith. I think I will take a lot of fire for this, but if you don't know your faith, how can you practice it? (I say I'm going to meet opposition for this statement because I have come across a staggering amount of people who do not know how they view divinity, or do not know what it means to them to have faith. I find it somewhat hypocritical to practice something, even say you are devoted to it, when you are not sure what you think of it. I will have an article all about this at a later time.)

Now, here's the term that takes more scrutiny than any other self-identifying term in Wicca. Witch. Maybe you all should say it with me: Witch. While it is tempting to tell you what a witch is not, it think it would be far more effective if I just tell you what we are.

A witch is a practitioner of Witchcraft. It seems obvious when I state it that way! Witchcraft is not a religion. It is the practice of magick, the use of ritual or ritual actions (also called spell casting) to influence change in the energies of the world around us that directly affect us. A Wiccan is not always a witch, but I have noticed this phenomenon is very rare. In Gerald Gardner's Wicca, Witchcraft was an essential practice. Also remember that one can be a witch without being Wiccan. Witchcraft is only the craft of magick. 

In terms of Wicca and its laws (discussed later), the use of Witchcraft is a positive act to attempt to better oneself or one's situation. Magick can be used for healing, to bring about a bountiful harvest, and to protect the cat who spends time outside of the home in an otherwise dangerous world. There is much debate on what is magickally ethical, and I will talk more on this later as well.

Let me take a moment to bring to light this concept of magick. First, I will talk about the term and the strange way I have spelled it. The word that everyone is familiar with is 'magic.' Magic can mean a lot of things; the magic of witches, the stuff of fantasy stories like unicorns and genies granting wishes, the art of sleight of hand (also often called stage magic), and others. The problem that faces the Witchcrafting community is that many outsiders do not believe their practice is real. This is fine, if that is what you wish. It has now gotten into popular use for witches to call their craft 'magick.' This tells insiders and outsiders alike that they are talking about something different than the first things that usually jump to people's minds at the mention of the word. A witch's magick is a very different thing than sleight of hand. The alternate spelling is used to make that distinction. I originally thought I was not going to use the magick spelling at all, but it is common practice in the community, and I do understand the importance of illustrating the difference (especially to someone who may not be able to get Mandrake the Magician out of their minds when thinking about magic). 

Magick is the manipulation of the energy of the world to bring about a necessary change. Everything natural has energy; trees, rocks, metals, animals, rivers, everything, even colors. This energy can be tapped, drawn upon, and sent forth to behave a certain way or act upon a certain thing. This is magick. It works through the power of one's will, the strength of one's need, and faith. A person's mind is a strong thing, and even the most experienced manipulator of energy can fail if they do not believe. This is a kind of self-fulfilling prophesy principal of magick; our thoughts manifest and we will see only what we expect to see.

So, a witch is a practitioner of magick. A witch can be male or female, and it is the only term used (i.e., a male witch is not a warlock). Witches shape the world around them, to bring into their lives things that they need. These things can be prosperity, good health, protection, and others.

Since this site is about my religion, you will see me use Wiccan and witch interchangeably. This is because I am a Wiccan witch. Witchcraft is a part of my faith practice, and this is a true statement for most Wiccans. I am confident that non-Wiccan witches will still find some beneficial information here.

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Laws

There are not many laws that govern the numerous denominations of the Wiccan faith. There are only two that seem to be universal. The first is the most important, the most quoted (with many variations), and frequently misinterpreted. This is called the Wiccan Rede: An it harm none, do what ye will.

I'm going to break this down by words. Rede is Middle English, it is derived from the word read, which can be traced to Old High German rAtan: to advise. The Wiccan Rede is advice. It is advice that is taken as law in Wiccan use, but advice nonetheless. The use of "an" in this case is an archaic definition, once another word for "if." That changes what we're looking at quite a bit. If it harm none, do what ye will.

For the most part, this is often taken to be similar to the Golden Rule (we should all know that one: do unto others as you would have them do unto you), though that is not entirely accurate. It is advice on morality. In the truest sense, it is any action that does not do harm (defined as physical or mental damage, injury) to yourself or others is alright to take. We must be careful here, because it is impossible to go through life causing absolutely no harm to anything, and that is not what the Rede means anyway. We cannot be afraid of actions that might cause harm. Wiccans base a lot of their practice on their intent, their purpose in the action they take. If a witch's action is not intending to cause harm, it is an acceptable action under the Rede. Personal protection is a good example of this. In fact, a witch's inaction to protect themselves could be interpreted as against the Rede, as harm to ones self is included.  And if harm is caused inadvertently, then responsibility for it is what follows.

This brings us to the second law: called the Law of Return or the Threefold Law. It states that whatever energy we send or action we take will be returned to us thrice as strong. If you send blessings, those blessings will return to you threefold. Likewise, if you send curses, those curses will be upon you threefold. This is how we know responsibility. What manifests in our life is what we put into it. There is no cosmic scorekeeper tallying your karma thrice over in either direction. That's my fancy way of saying this principal is not literal. The energy that returns to us is amplified simply by the nature of energy. This law teaches us to accept consequences for our actions, for good or ill.  

Polytheism

Wicca is a polytheistic religion. This means the concept of divinity includes more than one god, and often as a duality: a god and goddess. Quite a lot of practitioners focus on the goddess. This may be due to the singular god that exists in most mainstream religions that many Wiccans cease to follow. The most common way (that I have found) to speak of the deities is to call them Lord and Lady, though many covens will call them by an appropriate name from an affined pantheon or as relevant to the current holiday. 

Even the Lord and Lady take many forms as they appear in nature symbolism. The Lady is the Maiden before marriage, the Mother heavy with child, and the Crone walking to the end of her days. The Lord is the consort of the Maiden and the son of the Mother. The deities are not incestuous, this is the symbolism associated with them. The Lady follows the cycle of the moon: waxing, full, and waning. The Lord follows the cycle of the sun: weak and dying in Winter, bringer of life and strength in Summer.  

Even with this multiplicity, my belief recognizes that we are all part of the same energy. The Lord is also a part of and equal to the Lady, and they are also found within the Earth, the sky, the trees, the mountains, the birds, bugs, cats, mice, and even you and I. The divine exists within each person as much as any god or goddess, and they are therefore our equals to whom we can turn for help and guidance. The deities are beings of immense power, on a plane that we as humans have not yet achieved. They are deserving of our respect, and can be called upon for aid. We are all interconnected, so deities are treated with familiarity. God and Goddess are simply two aspects of this one universal energy, which I will hereafter call the All.

Nature Affinity

This belief that we and everything around us are part of the All leads to a deep reverence for nature. Wiccans tend to love the Earth and work to protect it. We respect the life upon it and the part we play among that life. 

Life is a cycle, and we see it in all aspects of life. We start out young, grow to maturity, reproduce, then die so that the young may start out, and grow, and reproduce, and so forth. This pattern exists in the trees, in the fields, in the moon and the sun, and in the lives of animals and people. We are all a part of it.

The cycles within nature play an important role in Wiccan celebrations, and in specific practice.
 

Magick

 I discussed magick and what it is in the previous article. Magick is an integral practice to many Wiccans. The way spells are performed may vary from tradition to tradition, but almost all traditions include some practice of magick.

Holidays

Here is another word to explore. Holiday comes from Old English hāligdæg: hālig holy and dæg day. It is literally a day set aside because of its religious significance.

Sabbats

For Wiccans, there are eight major holidays. They are all a part of the Wheel of the Year; the annual cycle of time passing in nature. These eight special days are collectively called Sabbats, and they are integral parts of the Wiccan calendar. The word Sabbat comes from the Hebrew shabbāth: literally meaning rest. Yes, it has the same origins as the word Sabbath, which is commonly used in Jewish religious practice. The names of each Sabbat in use today come from many sources, the most common are of Celtic origin with some Anglo-Saxon thrown in. In general, the days are named for the month in which they occur in ancient calendars. I will present them in the names that are used within my practice.  I will write of them all in greater detail in a later article.

The eight Sabbats are mostly evenly spaced throughout the Wheel of the Year. They consist of four Greater Sabbats, and four Lesser Sabbats. The Lesser Sabbats are the simplest to mark; they are the solstices and equinoxes, also known as quarter days. The cross quarter days, approximately midway between each quarter day, are the Greater Sabbats. The Greater Sabbats are also major fire festivals. 

For many Wiccans, the Wheel of the Year begins and ends at Samhain (pronounced sow-wen), occurring on October 31st in the Northern hemisphere and May 1st in the Southern hemisphere. In ancient times, it was the third and last of three harvest festivals: the meat harvest. This is the time when the country dwellers needed to evaluate how much livestock they could feed through the Winter, and how much meat they would need for themselves. Necessary livestock was slaughtered and the meat prepared and stored for the long Winter months. It is a celebration of death, where those who have passed during the previous year are honored and sent with love to the next life. The Lord, symbolized in the Sun, dies at this time.

The next holiday occurs on the Winter solstice, the Lesser Sabbat of Yule. This is the rebirth celebration, the Sun God is born again at this time.  For the pagan folk, this day marked the beginning of the end of Winter. The days will start to get longer, and soon the Sun will give warmth to the frozen land and shine on the crops in the fields.

The Greater Sabbat known as Imbolc is next in the Wheel. This falls around February 1st in the North, and August 1st in the South. This is a fire festival, when the longer periods of daylight that started at Yule are starting to be noticed. The fertility of the Earth, while seriously celebrated later, is anticipated on this holiday. The last signs of Winter are vanishing, and the ripeness of the fields will soon return.

Ostara is a Lesser Sabbat celebrated on the vernal equinox. On this day, pagans celebrate the planting of the fields. The Lord continues to grow in strength, and the Goddess, reverted to the Maiden at Imbolc, prepares for her marriage. The livestock is teeming with life.

Beltaine is a Greater Sabbat that falls opposite Samhain in the Wheel of the Year; celebrated on May 1st in the North and October 31st in the South. It is often regarded as the second most important holiday in the Wiccan calendar. This is the major fertility festival. It is the Great Marriage between the Goddess and the God, her son and consort. The fields are growing and crops are ripening. Everywhere, the new life that started at Ostara is in full bloom.

The next holiday is the Lesser Sabbat Midsummer, falling on the Summer solstice. The light of the Sun dominates the night on this day. Summer is at its height, and the preparations for Winter must soon begin. Soon, the Lord will begin his decline, until his death once again at Samhain.

The first harvest follows Midsummer. It is the Greater Sabbat called Lughnasadh (pronounced loo-nah-sah). This is the grain harvest, breads are prevalent during this time. The major preparations for Winter begin among the country dwellers, and we start to see the Lord lose his strength.

The last of the Lesser Sabbats in the Wheel of the Year is Mabon, the Autumnal equinox. This is the second harvest, when fruits and vegetables are dried and stored for the coming Winter. This is also regarded as the Witch's Thanksgiving, a time to give thanks to the fertility of the previous Spring. The dying of the Sun god will start to be more noticeable after this day.

The third harvest, Samhain follows, and thus, the Wheel turns.

Esbats

Sabbats are times set aside for ritual celebration. Esbats are times set aside specifically for the performance of magick. They fall on the twelve or thirteen full moons during the calendar year, the energy that accompanies a full moon being most conducive to magickal working.

Between the Esbats, the cycle of the Goddess is observed, just as the Sabbats are the great cycle of the God. The Goddess begins as the Maiden in the new moon. She grows through the waxing moon to the fullness of the Mother in the full moon, and declines to the Crone in the waning moon. The three days before the next new moon are called the dark of the moon, and it is the time between the Lady's death and rebirth.

Certain magicks are more beneficial during certain phases of the moon, but the Esbats in particular are reserved for spell working. I will write more of Esbats in a later article as well.

Ritual

While I will give a more in depth look at rituals at a later time, they are a major part of a Wiccan's practice. A ritual is simply a ceremony, though it tends to be quite an elaborate undertaking for many. There is special preparation, necessary tools, and certain steps that are uniform in all rituals. Sabbats are the most ready example of a time for ritual. Many of the spells cast during Esbats are done in ritual as well. The actual performance of rituals vary across traditions quite greatly.

Reincarnation

 As Wiccans observe the cycle of life, death, and new life in the turning of the Wheel of the Year, and in the occurrences of nature about them, so do we see our own life as a continuous cycle. Many believe we have spent, or will spend, several lifetimes on this Earth. For some, the cycle is endless. For others, we as beings of energy are working towards the height of knowledge, what the Buddhists call Enlightenment. At the highest point of our self-learning and self-knowledge, we are returned to the All, and may or may not return to a life on Earth as the All deems fit.

Many believe that there is a holding place, called the Summerlands, where souls wait after death for their next incarnation. Some souls will stay here, aiding those who are in life for a few cycles, others will see the Summerlands only briefly as they turn to their soul's next cycle. I believe the time spent in the Summerlands between life cycles is the soul's choice, as it relates to the specific path or duty that soul sets for themselves to fulfill. I also believe that all souls go here; the people, the animals, even the souls of plants find their way to the Summerlands. There are also non-Earthly souls within the life cycle. Angels and Elementals that have chosen to incarnate for a specific purpose, Wise Ones that have returned from the All to guide those still learning, and beings from the vast life among other worlds who choose to spend some time teaching the life of Earth. We are all part of the All. 

There are many specifics that vary among Wiccan traditions, but the above ideas seem to be universal among covens and solitary practitioners alike. These are the points that we all most agree upon.

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