A Portrait of Wicca
H.Ps. Phyllis w. Curolt, J.D.
President Emerita, Covenant of the Goddess (COG).
COG is one of the largest and oldest Wiccan religious organizations, with members in North America, Europe, and Australia.

Wicca is a vital, contemporary spiritual path reviving the ancient, pre-Christian indigenous religion of Europe. It is a life-affirming Earth religion that is both old and new, "traditional," and vibrantly creative. Wiccans experience the Divine as immanent, as embodied in the Universe, the world in all its aspects, and in humanity, as well as transcendent. Therefore all of life is perceived as sacred and interconnected. Modern Wicca incorporates ancient and modern liturgy, ritual and shamanic practices by which people attune themselves to the natural rhythms of the Earth and the Universe, enabling them to experience communion with the embodied Divine. Wiccans honor nature as a profound spiritual teacher and devote themselves to the contemplation and integration of the spiritual wisdom inherent in the Earth's cycles of seasonal transformation.

Wicca -- also known as the Old Religion, Witchcraft, or the Craft -- is derived from the old Anglo-Saxon word wicce, pronounced "witche," giving rise to the commonly used but frequently misunderstood term witchcraft. Wicce meant a practitioner of the Old Religion, and reflects the influence of the Old Norse word vitke, meaning a priestess, seer, or shaman. The word pagan is from the Latin paganus, a country dweller. Heathen, another related term also misinterpreted as a pejorative, meant one who dwelt on the heath. All were European peoples who, like Native Americans and other indigenous groups, lived close to the Earth and respected their relationship to nature as sacred.

Wicca is nondogmatic. There is no single leader or prophet, nor is there a Wiccan bible or literature of revealed and absolute truth. Rather, Wicca is a dynamic and accessible system of techniques, the mastery of which enables each individual to experience the Divine personally. Most Wiccans consider their practice a priest/esshood involving years of training and passage through life-transforming initiatory rituals. Priestesses and priests are respected as Elders and teachers of these techniques, for it is a basic Wiccan precept that each individual has the capacity and the responsibility to experience the sacred mystery that gives life true meaning.

It is a Wiccan tenet that spiritual insight is achieved through living in harmony with the Earth. Like the spiritual worldview and practices of Native Americans, Taoists, and many indigenous Earth religions, Wiccan spiritual practices are intended to attune humanity to the natural rhythms and cycles of nature. Rituals therefore coincide with the phases of the moon, which are particularly significant for women, and the seasonal changes. Wiccans seek to live in a balanced way with nature and to practice their spirituality not only in sacred rituals but in the way they live each day. Thus the Divine is experienced not only in prayer, meditation, ritual, and shamanic work, but in gardening, preparing a meal, recycling trash, making love, giving birth, and growing old. Divine presence is felt in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food upon our tables, the creatures and plants with which we share this beautiful planet, and the sacred Earth that nourishes and sustains us.

Our reverence for the Earth expresses our reverence for the Divine, which it embodies, and reflects a deep ecological concern that is more than pragmatic. As an embodiment of the Divine, the Earth is not treated as a utilitarian object, to be exploited, polluted, and destroyed for man's short-term greed. Rather it is inherently sacred in its value. This fundamental respect for the Earth as sacred has drawn many people to the practice of Wicca and, like other indigenous religions, may be one of its greatest contributions to a world imperiled by ecological crisis.

The Divine is also perceived and experienced anthropomorphically as well, though there is great diversity among Wiccans as to whether they characterize the Divine as exclusively feminine or as a multiplicity or dyad of feminine and masculine forms and metaphors. In contrast to most of the world's religions, Wicca acknowledges the Divine as feminine as well as masculine. The Goddess, who is seen as both transcendent and immanent, is an essential aspect of Wiccan worship. She may be worshipped as the nameless single Goddess, or as any of the many aspects and names by which She has always been known. Personified as the Triple Goddess, the Great Mother, Isis, Gaia, Demeter, Cerridwen, Brigid, Oestara, Innana, Ishtar, Shekinah, Shakti, Kali, Amateratsu, and many others, the Divine feminine is also experienced in the energies of the Universe, the mysteries of the moon, the blessings of the Earth, and the wonders of our own bodies, which like the Earth itself are held to be sacred. This honoring of the Divine in its feminine aspect, as well as the genuine respect for women as spiritual leaders, wise women, and healers, has been a primary reason for the rapid growth in popularity of Wicca among women. According to the Institute for the Study of American Religion (U.C. at Santa Barbara), Goddess spirituality, to which Wicca is a venerable contributor, is the fastest growing religion in America.

Wiccans have one fundamental ethical precept: And (if) it harm none, do what you will. This honors the great freedom that each individual has to ascertain truth, to experience the Divine directly, and to determine how to best live her or his own life. With that freedom, however, comes a profound responsibility that none may be harmed by one's choices and actions. As in many religions, individual Wiccans reach different conclusions when applying these fundamental precepts to such issues as vegetarianism, abortion, or participation in war.

Wiccan spiritual practices, often referred to as "magic," are in fact ancient techniques for changing consciousness at will in order to better perceive and participate in Divine reality. A primary purpose of Wiccan techniques is the transformation of the self to fully develop one's gifts and capacities to live a full, joyful, and spiritual life. In this sense, they are also used for practical ends such as healing, divination, purification, blessing, and the raising of energy to achieve positive life goals such as fulfilling work and relationships. All of these techniques, which may include prayer, meditation, ritual, drumming, singing, chanting, dancing, journeying, trance, and others, require and engender wisdom, maturity, patience, passion, and an abiding commitment to the sacred.

The "casting of a spell," frequently misunderstood as a means of having power over people or nature by the use of supernatural forces, is actually a form of ritual and meditation which is very similar to prayer in other religions, except that, instead of beseeching the aid or intervention of an external deity, the indwelling Divine energy is drawn outward into manifestation in the world through harmonious interaction with the Divine presence already present. The idea of controlling and having dominion over nature or others is alien to Wiccan cosmology. Wiccans do not work with supernatural powers nor do they seek to have "power over." The essence of Wiccan spirituality is respect for and attunement with the natural energies of the Earth and the Universe as a means of attuning one-self with the sacred. It is unethical to engage in any form of spiritual work that seeks to control, manipulate, or have power over others. While work may be done on behalf of another, such as healing which is an important and ancient aspect of Wicca, even this is never done without the knowledge and consent of the person who is being assisted.

There are many different traditions or denominations within the Old Religion. Some reflect the particular practices of certain ethnic groups such as Celtic, Norse, Welsh, Greek, Italian, Finno-Ugric, Lithuanian, etc. Some are part of the initiatory traditions made public by such practitioners as Gerald Gardner. Still others practice with the guidance of liturgical works published and taught by contemporary Wiccans. Some practitioners search within themselves for inspiration and direction or work creatively in groups in a mutually agreed-upon group structure. Some traditions are practiced by women only, others by men only, and many include both women and men. Some traditions may date back for hundreds of years or more, and others have been in existence for only a few years.

Whether carrying on the spiritual vocabulary of an ancient lineage or drawing forth the highest creative and spontaneous expression of a single individual, the great strength of Wicca lies in its diversity and vitality -- it is a living, growing religious tradition.

---

A Guide to Nature Spirituality Terms
Selena Fox
Founder and leader of Circle Sanctuary, an internationally linked Nature Spirituality resource center and Shamanic Wiccon church based in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin

Animism: ancient philosophy that views everything in Nature as having an indwelling spirit/soul, including the plants, rocks, waters, winds, fires, animals, humans, and other life forms. Animism is the foundation of shamanism and has been considered the earliest form of human religion on planet Earth.

Earth-Centered Spirituality: honoring the spiritual interconnectedness of life on planet Earth, often as Mother Earth or Gaia, but sometimes as a gender neutral Earth Spirit. Sometimes called Earth religion and Gaian (Gaean) religion. Related Eco-Christian form is Creation-Centered Spirituality.

Ecofeminism: feminist environmental philosophy that draws parallels between the oppression of women and the oppression of Nature by patriarchy and which advocates the spiritual and political liberation of both.

Goddess Spirituality: revering Nature and honoring the Great Goddess in one or more of Her many forms. Usually polytheistic and sometimes multicultural in practice. Usually incorporates feminist perspectives.

Heathen: Another name for Pagan. Many contemporary practitioners of Teutonic nature religions prefer this term for themselves and their spirituality.

Nature Religions: religions that include an honoring of the Divine as immanent in Nature. May be premodern, modern, or postmodern in philosophical orientation. Usually polytheistic, animistic, and pan- theistic. Include traditional ways of various native peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia, Polynesia, Europe, and elsewhere; religions of ancient Pagan cultures, such as Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Minoan, Assyrian, Celtic, Teutonic, and others; and contemporary Paganism.

Nature Spirituality: honoring the spiritual interconnectedness of life not only on planet Earth but throughout the Universe/Cosmos; more encompassing term than Earth-Centered Spirituality because it also includes Celestial religions; used by some as synonymous with contemporary Paganism and by others as also including interfaith blends, such as those that combine Paganism with Eco-Christianity or Eco-Buddhism.

Neo-Pagan: Contemporary Pagan. Pagan: pertains to a nature religion or a practitioner of an ancient and/or contemporary nature religion; also used to refer to a Nature Spirituality, Earth-Centered Spirituality, and/or Goddess Spirituality group or practitioner.

Pantheism: the Divine as immanent; the Divine is in everything and everything has a Divine aspect.

Panentheism: Pantheism that also includes a transcendent component conceptualized as the Sacred Whole or Divine Unity.

Polytheism: honoring Divinity in two or more forms. Can be belief in/worship of multiple aspects of a particular deity; of the Divine as Goddess and God; or of many Goddesses, Gods, Nature Spirits, and/or other Divine forms. Some, but not all, polytheistic nature religions acknowledge an all-encompassing Divine Unity.

Shaman: an adept who serves as healer and spirit world communicator for her/his tribe or community. Sometimes known as a Medicine person. This role is tribal culture/community defined.

Shamanic Practitioner: someone learning and working with shamanistic healing practices for self-development, and in some cases, also for helping others. Sometimes known as a Medicine worker. This role is self-defined.

Shamanism: animistic spiritual healing practices usually involving ecstatic trance and spirit world journeys by adepts. Forms of shamanism include Traditional, which are rooted in specific indigenous tribal people's cultures, and Multicultural, which are contemporary forms that integrate old and new spirit wisdom ways from more than one culture.

Wiccan Spirituality: contemporary paths rooted in one or more nature folk religions of old Europe. Also known as the Old Religion, the Craft, Wicca, Wicce, Ways of the Wise, Neo-Pagan Witchcraft, and Benevolent Witchcraft.

Witch: some Wiccan practitioners use the word "Witch" for themselves in connection with their spirituality to bring back its pre-Inquisition use in Europe as a term of honor and respect, meaning "medicine person/medicine worker," "shaman/ shamanic practitioner," "wise woman/man," "priestess/priest of the Old Religion." Other Wiccans refuse to use the word "Witch" because of later negative definitions of the word which led to its use as a tool of Pagan genocide and religious oppression in Europe and North America for hundreds of years. During the "Burning Times" of the Middle Ages, bigots in power changed its definition, making it a term linked with evil, and used it as a brand to mark and exterminate folk healers, those who refused to convert to state-sanctioned forms of Christianity, political rivals, and others. Contemporary usage of the word "Witch" by non-Wiccans is diverse but in recent years has been changing in academia and elsewhere to reflect the growing public awareness and understanding of Wiccan Spirituality's reclaiming of the word.

---

The Charge of the Goddess
Listen to the words of the Great Mother, she who was of old also called Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melusine, Cerridwen, Arianrhod, and many other names:

"Whenever you have need of any- thing, once in the month, and bet- ter it be when the moon is full, then shall you assemble in some secret place and adore my spirit, which is Mother of all creation.

"There shall you assemble, who are fain to learn all mystery, yet have not won the deepest secrets; to you shall I teach things that are yet unknown. And you shall be free from slavery; and as a sign that you are truly free, you shall be naked in your rites, and you shall dance, sing, feast, make music, and love all in my praise. For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit and mine also is joy on earth, for my law is love unto all beings. Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop you nor turn you aside. For mine is the secret door which opens upon the Land of Youth, and mine is the cup of the wine of life, the Cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of immortality. I am the gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the hearts of humanity. Upon earth I give knowledge of the spirit eternal and beyond death I give peace, and freedom and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor do I demand aught in sacrifice, for behold, I am the Mother of all living and my love is poured out upon the earth."

Hear the words of the Star Goddess: she in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven, and whose body encircles the universe:

"I am the beauty of the green earth, and the white moon among the stars and the mystery of the waters, and the desire of the hearts of humanity. I call unto thy soul- arise, and come unto me. For I am the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe. From me all things proceed, and unto me all things must return. Before my face, beloved of Gods and humanity, let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infi- nite. Let my worship be within the heart that rejoices, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore, let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence, within you. And you who think to seek for me, know your seeking and yearning shall avail you not unless you know the mystery: that if that which you seek you find not within you, you will never find it without. For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire."

Composed by Doreen Valiente and Gerals Gardner from inspiration and traditional sources.