History of Wicca

Wicca, a nature based religion, and started around the late 1940's. A growing number of people around the world, are growing dissatisfied with traditional religions, and therefore seek a religion that involves one on a personal level. A religion which celebrates the spiritual, as well as the physical, where a reverence for the divine is combined with the exercise of magic. Wicca is such a religion, which focuses on honoring nature in the image of both a god and a goddess. The fact that Wicca has some deep roots in the history of religion, and that the practice of magic is accepted makes it very attractive to many people. But until recently, Wicca has given the impression to be an exclusive religion, mainly due to the lack of information; this has in turn resulted in wide reaching frustration among interested parties.

Wicca is a popular movement in America and Europe. It is a nature based religion with various traditions, Gods and Goddess worship, witchcraft, spells, rituals, and divination. Wiccans come from all paths of lives, there are lawyers, doctors, students, and even rocket scientist that are Wiccan. Wiccans’ also believe in the Wiccan Rede, “An it harm none, do what you will. Wiccans celebrate eight holidays; two solstices, two equinoxes and four other holidays roughly equally spaced throughout the year. These holidays are called Sabbats.

Wiccans are not evil. Wiccans don’t harm people. Wiccans are Not Satanist. Wiccans are not dangerous. Wiccans are ordinary people. Wiccans have families, jobs, hopes, and dreams. Wiccans are not a cult. This religion is not a joke. Wiccans are real. Wiccans are serious. Wiccans have a sense of humor. Wiccans don’t want to convert you.

.Wicca emphasizes harmony, respect for the rhythms of nature, and the worship of both the male and female aspects of divinity. At the heart of Wicca is the law “Harm None”. Wicca teaches you to look at the world through magical eyes, to see fabulous in the mundane, to care for and tend your days with consciousness.

Wicca sees the Earth as a living Goddess, who blesses us and must be nurtured and cared for in return. Wiccans honor and work with the cycles of nature and the seasons rather than trying to dominate their environment. The Wheel of the Year, the Wiccan sacred calendar, is marked by eight festivals that celebrate the eternal circle of life.

Gerald Gardner was born in 1884, and spent most of his life in Malaya. He returned to the UK 1936. He joined the Folklore Society, and in June 1938, also joined the Rosicrucian Theatre where he met ‘Old Dorothy Clutterbuck’. In 1939, he claims he was initiated by ‘Old Dorothy”.  Gerald Gardner created Wicca in the late 1940’s.

 In 1954, in England, Gerald Gardner published "Witchcraft Today", the first positive book about Witchcraft. Gardner was the first to call this form of Witchcraft "Wicca", and its practitioners, "Wiccan". He reinforced the description of Witchcraft as published by Dr. Murray, and went further to claim that he himself was a witch. Gardner was a press- hound; his coming out made headlines around the world and drew a lot of interest from people. Raymond Buckland was one of these. He was initiated by Gardner's High Priestess and in the early 1960's, brought Wicca to the United States. With freedom of religion guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, the US was fertile ground for the revival of the old ways. In 1971 Buckland followed up with his own book, "Witchcraft from the Inside". In Europe too, Wicca was flourishing. In the late 60's and early 70's, a Witch named Alex Sanders made headlines and started his own Wiccan tradition in Britain, now known as "Alexandrian Wicca".

Written in the 80's -“Wicca, a Guide for the Solitary Practitioner” by Scott Cunningham is considered by many to be one of the most influential works on modern Wicca. Cunningham gave accreditation to those who practiced without a coven. The old belief was that it took a Witch to make a Witch, and that initiation into the Craft was conferred within a coven. Cunningham showed that being Wiccan was a matter of the heart and between the practitioner, and the God and Goddess. Scott Cunningham, among others, showed that Wicca was not just about following old rituals, but that a Wiccan can invent their own rituals, should investigate the Divine Power for themselves, and should do what is right for them.

Wicca is said to be the fastest growing religion in America today, if not the world. The Wiccan population has increased fairly steadily. This is partially due to the emergence of additional paths, but also because Wicca has generally enjoyed a broad and persistent pattern of growth since the initial works of Gardner.

There are no reliable estimates of the number of Wiccans today. The best estimate is 750,000 makings Wicca about the 5^th largest religion in the United States. The public has become more aware of Wicca and the frequency of violence has decreased greatly.