I thought perhaps this thread can be used for historical purposes.


History and Origins of Wicca


There is no exhaustive or authoritative source that traces Wicca back through ancient times. Wicca is mainly a 20th century manifestation of ancient nature worship systems based out of northern Europe that existed thousands of years ago.

“Wicca is a religion rooted in the mists of Neolithic history… it is basically a fertility and agrarian society. It is a religion of nature worship and the subsequent interaction with nature that is dissented from that practice by the Celtic clans of Western Europe and the indigenous peoples of the British Isles, the builders of such monuments as Stonehenge.”1

“Wicca originated among the Celts and other peoples who lived in the area now known as Great Britain. Wiccans celebrate the Earth and believe all living things have a spirit. They espouse pantheism and claim to see the divine in everyone. Most celebrate monthly rituals, or "esbats," centered on the lunar cycles, and eight annual Wiccan holy days, or "sabbats," centered around the solar cycles, solstices and equinoxes.”2

These pagan oriented nature worship systems filtered down through history in countless ways, but were mainly practiced in secret (and still is today). The secrecy was a specially necessary during the European dominance of the Roman Catholic Church.
Basically, these pagan traditions developed out of agrarian societies where the environment had a profound effect upon survival. Those who studied the seasons and the stars sought to predict and understand the influences of the environment upon crops, cattle, rain, etc. and in so doing also desired to be able to influence these factors. It was from the desire to understand and control nature that gave rise to the various pagan and earth based worship systems. therefore, we can see when we study ancient European pagan writings, that there are countless deities.
Additionally, an important aspect of nature worship deals with the woman. It is the woman who was able to give birth to continue the race. In cultures where offspring were needed to work the land, to hunt, and to care for the elderly, women were, of course, vitally necessary. Therefore, the female became, in some cultures, mystically endowed with special powers and this mystical endowment was transferred into the various theological pagan worship systems.
At first, there were a great number of cultures located all over the ancient European landscape. Since Europe is a large area and since weather patterns, terrain, water supplies, temperature variations, animal types, etc., varied in those areas the development of nature worship (Druids, Celts,) also took on aspects that reflected those variables. Therefore, the ancient systems could be polytheistic, monotheistic, feminine focused, masculine focused, ritualistic, calendar based, hunter based, etc.
Because of the multifaceted and buried background, the nature based worship systems were not codified and there is no "official" pagan tradition. Nevertheless, today's Wicca is based upon these ancient and pagan roots.

The Burning Times

The Burning Times is roughly from the year 1000 to around the 1700s where countless numbers of which is were killed through the misapplication of biblical texts. Perhaps the most commonly cited biblical verse supporting the killing of witches is found in Exodus 22:18, “You shall not allow a sorceress to live." The Roman Catholic Church which was in power in the Middle Ages in Europe, was often very oppressive. Wiccans today often identify themselves with the time of the witch burnings and Judge Christianity based upon the atrocities committed by the Roman Catholic Church. Unfortunately, many Wiccans did not realize that the Roman Catholic Church also persecuted Christians, torturing many of them for not submitting to the authority and rule of Roman Catholicism. In Christianity, particularly in the Protestant Reformation, we refer to this time as "the Inquisition" which was begun by Pope Innocent VIII in 1484 The point is that Roman Catholic Church does not represent Christianity and its atrocities committed upon both pagans and Christians is not the true representation of Christianity.

Wicca Today

Aleister Crowley, an evil man involved in the occult, claimed to have channeled a book called "the book of the law." It focused on a new era of spirituality governed by the Egyptian God Horus. From this work, Crowley established the first group of modern witches.
It wasn't until recently that Wicca took formation as a loosely based system, mainly from the works of Gerald Gardner who formed the Wiccan tradition known as Gardnerian Wicca. Through Gardner the idea of the God and goddess were "solidified" and Wicca became a religious movement.
Wicca is now growing: “scholars have estimated that Wicca is the second-fastest-growing religion in the United States (after Islam).”2

I guess that all depends on who you ask and how they define witchcraft.

I just finished reading Penczak's historical account of witchcraft. He traces it clear back to early cavemen 50,000 years B.C.E. and further.

His arguments come from the cave paintings. He argues that their paintings depict a believe in many spirits. Spirits for each aspect of nature and Elemental magick.

I certainly wouldn't try to argue it as a case in law.

But I think he made a valid points. These are the points he made.

Spirituality used to be focused on nature and the elements and appeals made directly to them. (that's the tradition of witchcraft, or at least a founding part of it)

He also shows that many ancient cultures worshiped female goddesses as the givers of life.

Their artifacts clearly depict God as a female. The naked breasts of these statues, pictures, and engravings are unmistakable. God was considered to be female. By early man. They worshiped masculine Gods too. So they saw both the feminine and masculine aspects in God, but typically they saw the feminine as being the giver of life. Most likely because this is the way it is with humans. It's natural to associate femininity with the giving of birth.

It wasn't until much later in history that the Mediterranean civilizations decided that a male God should be the one and only God and that everything should be patriarchal.

That was truly where the founding ideas of Wicca traditions became corrupted by male-chauvinistic men who had egotistical agendas. They created a jealous male God in their image.

As civilizations continued to grow the Celts were indeed the culture that preserved the original Wicca traditions. But they were finally overcome by the egotistical male-chauvinistic Mediterranean-influenced cultures.

So according to Penczak, Wicca was indeed the first true religion and the male-chauvinistic patriarchal God wasn't created until much later in history.

I feel that he puts forth a sound case that only a fanatic who is obsessed with the male-chauvinistic God would even bother to argue with.

I think it's clear that our creator is truly genderless in any case. But if God has a gender it would certainly be female if only because in nature it is the female who gives life. The idea that God would be male holds no merit whatsoever.

And yes, I agree, now that we have freedom of speech and freedom of religion, Wicca is regaining its recognition and respect as a genuinely intelligent view of our creator.

It's only a matter of time now and it will eventually emerge as the wiser path for all humanity to embark upon.

The male-chauvinists had their burning times, but that's all over with now.

They failed to suppress the truth of nature. Now intelligent people are returning to the wisdom of our ancient ancestors.

It makes one think before any of the mediterrenean mythologies existed who were the leaders of their groups. Since woman were the goddesses of this ancient spiritual path did the woman keep the order of the people?

We know like you say why men changed the religous belief system to worship predominately a male god figure so they can take control of the woman also.

but how was it before this happen. Did the woman run the settlements? Was it equal rights meaning there was a time that both men and woman were equal for a long time before men changed this by force?

I wonder how it could have been?

Penczak offers his own personal feelings on this.

He offers that, to him, the evidence appears to suggest that while the tribes worshiped the main God as female, they also gave just as much respect and worship to the male aspect of God.

So he doesn't believe that this necessarily translated into a matriarchal society, but rather into a truly egalitarian society in most cases.

There's no way to know for sure of course.

In the Christian Bible their God denounces the role of women in social matters. The Bible clearly states that women are not to speak out on matter of religion or political importance.

So the Christian God is clearly a patriarchal God who has personally denouned the role of women in society via his own word.

Ironically modern day Christians seem to not care what their God has to say in this matter. Christian women are some of the most voiciferious women around.

To me that has alway been absurd to hear a Christian woman preaching the doctrine of a God who had clearly told her to sit down and shut up.

Why these people insist on supporting a God that the truly don't even believe in, nor repect, is beyond me.

However, this is nothing in the Wicca tradition anywhere that denounced the role of men in society. So Wicca cannot be said to be matriarchal.

Now it is possible some some covens have gone down that path. But one might question the validity of such a path. When does any religion become a cult lead by a priest or priestess who has their own agenda?

Where's the line, and how can we know it?

The Christian Protestants rejected the Catholic Pope as their leader. Now they are all their own Paper Popes, each Chrisitain claiming that God agrees with them!

I can't help by laugh.

Sure, it's true that Wicca is a very free religion and that all Wiccans are free to build their on communique with the Gods.

So why should Christianity not be allowed to do that same and still be respected?

The answer to that question is simple. The Christian God is a heavily judgmental God with all sorts of a laws, commandments, rules and regulations, not to mention having written a book that is supposed to be HIS WORD.

Well, if every individual can just do whatever they want then this flies in the face of a very precise Judgmental Godhead who supposedly wrote it all out carved in stone!

I mean, Christianity is a belief that the BIBLE is the WORD of God.

That's what it's based on.

But Wicca doesn't have a bible. They one one creed, "Do as ye will, and harm none".

Beyond that they have a lot of very flexible folklore that everyone is encouraged to accept only intuitively.

Take what ye will, and ignore the rest.

So that's what Wicca is based on.

But Christianity is based on a single book that has virutally been carved in stone. Yet, the Prostestants have tried in vain to make it into a "Personal walk with God".

But it can never work that way as long as it is chained to the Bible. All it does is cause people to argue over 'interpretations'.

It's a religion that not only pits believers against non-believers, but it even pits believers against believers.

Look at this, a Christian was morally crucified simply because he didn't believe in Hell.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlton_Pearson

So Christians will quickly crucify each other if they feel that someone has violated their doctrine of "The Bible".

Christian's worship a Book.

Wiccan's worship God.

Yes it is sad how the Christians and the many denominations just fight amongst themselves. It is such a chaos!

Wicca is clearly a much more peaceful solution.

The religion of Wicca did not originate with the celts. It was invented in the mid-1900's by Gerald Gardner. It's practices and beliefs are based on ancient practices and beliefs. But, since there are no written records of these things it's impossible to know exactly how ancient people lived them out and practiced their rituals for sure. There was no religion called "Wicca" before 1950.

I understand what you are saying here Ruth, but technically speaking this isn't precisely true.

While it is true that Gerald Gardner created a version of Wicca around 1940 that was eventually formally recognized by the U.S. Government as a valid religion in the U.S. Gerald Gardner did not coin the word Wicca.

The actual word Wicca dates back to Middle English, and was used at that time to refer to anyone who practiced witchcraft. Whether or not they saw this as 'valid religion' is truly irrelevant.

The word was in use even at that time to refer to the practice of witchcraft.

One could argue further than the Middle English word Wicca may have actually been stolen from a previous culture's language. So the actual term (and its roots) may date back to the very dawn of language for all we know.

So I would personally hesitate to restrict the word Wicca to only the officially recognized religion of Gerald Gardner. Although, that's certainly one valid use of the word.

You might say that Wicca (as a U.S. religion) refers to the religion started by Gerald Gardner.

But I think it would be a bit restrictive to suggest that the word can't also have other historic meanings as well.

At least this is what Penczak claims. He suggests that the word "Wicca" had been around long before Gerald Gardner was ever born.

See. You made me buy these books and now I'm bugging you with the details.

That's good! You will find, however, that the history of the word Wicca is hotly debated and no one can actually say for sure either way. When most people use the term now they are referring to the current religion known as Wicca. Again, this is hotly debated topic amongst those that hotly debate things.

When it come to semantics I'm almost always willing to give a very large berth to the use of words.

A person can use a word to mean whatever they like. Awl I ask is that they give me the definition of the word as they are using it so I know what they mean by it.

That's all I ask.

I do not think that worshiping the Goddess and the God was a religion as such. It was a way of the people in olden times to understand the working of nature, like the moon phases, the relation of the sun to the different times of year and such.
And Druids, Shamans or Witches were the ones to study it more closely and pass their findings on to the next generations.
Rituals and such where only conducted to keep people in accord with nature, and of course to get them together in times when their homes were spread out over a vast territory.

Does anybody else find this ironic?

I know we're supposed to hate christians and all , but I can't really blame them anymore. Now I just blame the people in power, and the people who aspire to that power. They're the ones pulling the wool over most peoples eyes.

It's pretty much just a rip off of our and egyptian religion. Not to mention that it's mostly just astrology. Sirius, being the brightest star in the east, is said to be followed by the three kings. The three kings, being Orion's belt, follow the star in the east, to locate the place of the sunrise on Dec. 25th.



They're worshiping the same thing we are, and don't even know it.

yes, i have always found that ironic and quite funny actually.

And, i agree about blaming the Christians. i don't at all and even practice Catholic spirituality myself. it is about power and the people who have the money and power and use religion as a means of keeping it.

What is Wicca? A Basic introduction
By: Keitha (FireWind)


Wicca is a much misunderstood spirituality that can be explained and described in more ways than can be imagined. Ask a hundred people what Wicca is, and you will likely get a hundred very different answers. This is because Wicca is a personal spirituality, a journey that an individual undertakes in one of a thousand different ways. It is unique to each and every individual that walks the path. While this is one of Wicca's greatest strengths, it also makes it very hard to describe what Wicca is in any kind of specific detail. In this article, I've attempted to explain the more generally accepted beliefs and practices of modern Wicca. My hope is that those with little experience dealing with Wiccans might better understand what it is that we 'do'.

Wicca is a type of Neopagan Witchcraft. That is to say, we generally practice a reconstructed version of pre-Christian European Pagan spirituality. Beliefs and practices are generally centered around a culture of the practitioners choosing, usually with a belief in that culture's deities and folklore, etc. However, since Wicca is a personal spirituality, this does not hold true for everyone. Many practitioners choose beliefs on the basis of what 'feels right', and you will find those who practice a mix of Celtic, Greek, Native, Sumerian, Hindu, Buddhist, and other beliefs. Wiccans have a high regard for the beliefs and practices of others, and for the individuals right to find their own path. As such, almost any combination of beliefs and practices is possible.

Being a Pagan spirituality, Wicca reveres the natural world. The Earth, the seasons, the tides, the moon and stars: all things are sacred. All life, all plants, animals, and peoples are sacred. I am sacred, and so are you, regardless of our similar or differing personal beliefs. We build no physical "churches" except when it is necessary. Our sacred places are outside, in the forests, in the fields, in our hearts.

Wiccans generally believe in both male and female aspects of divinity. Usually, both goddesses and gods are respected as equals, with neither aspect seen as "more important" than the other. While Wiccans can worship many gods at any given time, sometimes a general "Divine Feminine" is referred to as "The Goddess", and a "Divine Masculine" as "The God". The Goddess is generally seen as the shaper, the mother or wise one. It is She who brings forth life and shapes the world. The God is generally seen as the giver, of energy and life. He is the Horned One, the God of the forests, the grain, and the hunt. It is he that sometimes gives the spark to the Goddess that she may create and form life. The idea of The Goddess or The God is not an exclusive title or belief however, and the individual is free to worship whatever gods and goddesses they please.

We have only one law that governs ethics and morality: "An it harm none, do as ye will". We believe that all things are interconnected, and our thoughts and actions echo through the world in ways we might never have imagined. As such, all things we do are returned to us threefold- if we do ill, we are returned ill three times. If we do well, we are returned this also three times. And so our destiny is in our own hands, we must shape it as best we can. We are free to do whatever we like, but be careful of causing harm even unintentionally.

Our services are called rituals, and we honour the gods and the Old ways. We sing, we dance, we call our gods and celebrate life. It is hard to describe what happens at an average ritual, because almost every single one will be different from every other ritual. Everyone has their own idea of what a ritual should be, and everyone does theirs a little differently. Generally, we burn candles and incense, we talk with our gods, we look within ourselves, we try to understand the world around us, and we try to become better people.


There are some things that we do not do, however, and it's a shame that I have to cover them in this article. Because we claim the name 'Witch', there are some strange misconceptions about us. Following are some of the common ones.

Our gods are sometimes horned. They can be very sensual and sexual. Some of them die and some of them rule the Underworld. But none of our gods are the Christian devil. Our horned gods are the ancient fertility gods; they can be both the hunter and the stag. They are the power and joy of life itself. They are forces beyond time. They are not vengeful or rebellious children engaged in family feuding, and they care nothing for such things. Our gods are recorded on the walls of ancient caves; they are complete within themselves. Those that label them devils are misguided or confused. We are not satanists; we are Wiccans.

We are also frequently accused of performing sacrifices which take life. This is also untrue. We do make offerings of food, wine and flowers from time to time, but nothing much more than these. The closest we get to sacrifices is the pig that roasts for dinner, for those of us who eat meat.

Finally, we are sometimes accused of trying to "recruit" people into Wicca. This accusation is so groundless that I don't understand why it is still floating around. We believe that everyone has the right to choose their own path. We believe that no-one can tell another individual what is 'right' for them. We believe in the fundamental right to believe in whatever we choose. And we believe in your right to choose differently. Trying to force others to become Wiccan goes against everything that we are. There are few things that you can say is true for 'all Wiccans', but this I think is one of them. It is the acceptance of differences that makes a true community.


Wicca is a 'mystery religion', as opposed to a 'revealed religion'. This means that we have no holy books, no prophets, no holy people. There is no-one that can tell us the answers that we seek. There is no book that will explain what we don't understand. We believe that the answers are hidden within ourselves; we must work to search ourselves for our answers. No-one else can do it for us.

We cast spells, and we do magick. But we don't harm or manipulate others lives. If we were to do so, the law of three would return whatever we had done. I am frequently asked for 'Love Spells' to make someone fall in love with the asker, and I adamantly refuse. This isn't love. This is extraordinary disrespect for the person you are trying to manipulate. A spell is like a prayer: it is communication, and sometimes a request, we make of our gods. Frequently we will work for healing, self improvements, inner strength, or help with skills like self honesty. We pray to our gods for the same reasons that members of other religions pray to their gods or God.

Is Wicca a "white light" spirituality? No, I would say not, although some may disagree with me. We generally believe in balance in all things. Simply taking the "happy" parts of life and assigning it a spiritual meaning is only half a spirituality. Walking the Wiccan way involves a great deal of introspection and self discovery. And you won't always like what you find. But there are lessons in the hardships in life; there are valuable things to be learned. While we may not actively seek out difficult life lessons, they do tend to find us regardless. This is a part of being a human being. If something bad happens, it is because it was meant to happen. There are things we need to learn, and even the painful things have meaning. In embracing the dark and painful parts of life as well, I believe that we, as well as many other major religions, are not "white light" spiritual paths.

All these things we are; and yet I would like to say one more thing. To members of other religions: we are not your enemy. I truly want to make this clear. We respect the individual's right to believe in what they will. We believe in other's rights to believe differently from ourselves. If sometimes we seem to be at odds with other spiritual paths, it is simply because we feel we are not being treated with the same respect. But we'd probably much rather sit down and chat over tea than be at odds with anyone.

Being such a varied and individual spiritual path, there is much more information I could go into. But I hope that this helps to explain some of the basics of "what Wicca is". As I mentioned before, not everything holds true for everyone, but this is the general basics of what it is we do and believe.