Wiccan Beliefs

In my second post entitled "What is Wicca?" I gave a brief overview of Wiccan beliefs but I didn't go into any detail. I will dedicate this post to a more quality and detailed listing and explaining of these (and some more) beliefs. I would like to note that this is a summary of general beliefs and that every individual is free to adapt these beliefs to their own needs and preferences. Therefore, when you ask a Witch what he/she believes in and notice a difference in what they say and what is written in this post, don't be surprised, but believe me, you will also find many similarities.

Some Wiccan views and practices are:

• the belief in a Goddess and God (bitheism)
• the celebrating of eight annual festivals (four Sun festivals and four fire festivals) and 12-13 moon phases (usually full moons) but some people celebrate even more often than this
• the belief in reincarnation
• the acceptance of karmic effects (an echo of which is the Threefold law and which is mentioned in the Wiccan Rede)
• the showing of respect and thankfulness towards nature and celebrating it in all its aspects
• the creation of one's own sacred space and "sacred texts"
• the acceptance of the existence of higher energies and alternative realities
• the belief in the control of energy and consciousness (magick)
• the toleration of other belief systems and religions
• the belief in freedom of mind and choice

If I have forgotten anything, by chance, please do remind me :) and I will add this to the list, but since I think I have mentioned everything of vital importance, I will go on to explain each item separately.

1. Bitheism

This concept indicates a belief in two Deities, in this case a Goddess and a God as the two main archetypes who symbolize fertility, natural balance, man-woman, masculinity-femininity, the Sun-the Moon, day-night, strength-tenderness and so on. In the eyes of Witches, they aren't entities to which we should bow but more like entities with which we can identify. The way in which they will be imagined or even called/named depends mainly on the individual. Some may simply call them God and Goddess, others the Horned God and Great Mother, while others may give them names from preexisting mythology (e.g. Cerridwen, Cernunnos, Diana, Pan, Isis, Osiris etc.). In the end, it isn't important how we see them or name them but how we experience them.

The Goddess aspect is quite important because of its being omitted so often in modern times due to the patriarchal construction of society. This could possibly be the reason for a sudden need for leveling out the male and female. 

Everything that is female and all feminine aspects are represented by the Goddess. Though men can also relate to her since every being has a male and female side to them (though in a different ratio). Witches often believe that a person is truly balanced only when they completely level out their male and female side so there really is no need to be embarrassed about your femininity/masculinity.

The Goddess is a symbol of every woman and just like every woman, she has three phases. She is first a Maiden - chaste, young, naive, inexperienced but also full of enthusiasm, optimism and the strength of life. Her symbol is the waning moon. In time, the Maiden blossoms into the Mother (according to the cycle which I will cover in more detail in the Sabbats section of this blog). In this period, she is caring, wise, experienced and at the peak of her physical strength which makes the full moon a very fitting symbol for her. Just like every being, she also grown old and matures into the Crone. Even though her physical strength may have left her, she is wiser than ever and full of the experiences life has to give. It is because of this waning strength that the Crone's symbol is the waning moon.

The Goddess and the God develop simultaneously. He is usually thought to have two phases (though some accept a third also). In the Autumn and Winter he is called the Horned God - a symbol of the wilderness (depicted by the stag antlers on his head), physical strength and masculinity. During the Spring and Summer, he is the Green God who symbolizes the green side of nature when everything is in bloom. We can easily connect these to phases to the food that is eaten during the corresponding seasons. People acknowledged the Horned God in Winter when they needed animal meat for proteins, their skin for clothes and bones for weapons while the Summer is warm and there is no need for such concern so people live off of greenery. According to another myth, the God is divided into two more aspects: the Holly King and the Oak King. The Holly King rules from December 21 (when he defeats the Oak King) until June 21 (when the Oak King takes over). The Oak King logically rules from June 21 to December 21. On the left side, you can see a depiction of the Green God and the above him the horned God Cernunnos. To the right are two pictures of the Oak King with his beard made of tree roots and the Holly King below.

I have already mentioned that every Witch can have different beliefs. Therefore, some may decide to only acknowledge the Goddess (there are traditions that do this too!), while others may be completely polytheistic or perhaps acknowledge only the God in his two aspects (or three if you decide to incorporate the Blue God as a baby into the whole story). Some may even decide to recognize the trinity of the God, Goddess and Child (though you will rarely come across these last to variations).

If I were to get into the philosophy of Deities, that would last a bit too long, though I think I gave a general insight into this topic.

2. Sabbats and Esbats

Both of these are names for celebrations. There are eight Sabbats in a year of which four celebrate the Sun (two equinoxes and two solstices), and the remaining four denote the changes of the earth (sowing, harvests etc.). Esbats are the celebrations of the full moon of which there are twelve to thirteen in a year. Some Witches may also celebrate the new moon which means that in their cases there are even more celebration per year.

These are the eight Sabbats:

Name	Pronunciation	Date	Symbolism	Traditions
Yule/ the Winter solstice	/'ju:l/	December 21	Renewing and rebirth during the Winter	Lighting fires, Yule logs, carrying flowers around the circle
Imbolc	/'imbolk/	February 2	Celebration of light (encouraging the Sun to show itself once more)	Lighting candles in the circle, wheel symbol on the altar, blessing seeds
Ostara/ the Spring  equinox	/os'ta:rah/	March 21	The beginning of Spring	Lighting a fire during the ritual
Beltaine	/'beltein/	May 1	Return of fertility (peak of the year)	The Maybole, blowing horns, jumping over the fire
Litha/ Midsummer/ the Summer solstice	/'liθa/	June 21	The climax of magickal energy and the Sun's strength	A cauldron with flowers (and a sword) in the circle, jumping over fire, drying herbs
Lammas/ Lughnasadh	/la'ma:s/ /lu'nasah/	August 1	The first harvest, being thankful	Eating bread, getting rid of negative things, making corn dolls
Mabon/ the Autumn equinox	/'meibon/	September 21	The second harvest, mysteries	Glorification of fruit (the love of the God and Goddess), throwing leaves
Samhain	/'soʊen/	October 31	End of the Summers, showing respect to the deceased	Divination (in smoke, fire, a mirror), leaving food after the ritual for spirits, carving pumpkins

Name	Symbols and Colors	Phase of the God	Phase of the Goddess
Yule	red, green, cauldron, yule log, small tree in a pot	Is born/reincarnated (the Holly King)	Gives birth to the God (the Maiden)
Imbolc	white, silver, green, blue, a bowl of snow, greenery, flowers	Growing up (the Blue God) (the Holly King)	the Maiden
Ostara	white, green, pink, purple, plants in pots, fires, the cauldron	Growing up (the Green God) (the Holly King)	the Maiden
Beltaine	white, flowery colors, flowers, cauldrons filled with flowers,  mirrors	Marries the Goddess (the Holly King)	Is impregnated (the Mother)
Litha	white, golden, orange, mirrors (for catching the light of the Sun or candles)	Peak of power (the Horned God) (the Oak King)	the Mother
Lammas	yellow, orange, green, corn  dollies, special breads	Declining strength (the Oak King)	the Mother
Mabon	brown, golden, orange, pine cones, corn, dry leaves	Withering (the Oak King)	the Crone
Samhain	red, black, orange, white, apples, pumpkins	Dies (the Oak King)	Mourns for the God (the Crone)

The ones in yellow are the Sun festivals (the equinoxes and solstices) and the ones in green are the festivals related to the earth (often called the fire festivals because of their Celtic origins and fire-related traditions).

All of these eight Sabbats make the Wheel of the Year because the year turns just as a wheel does.

I don't plan to go into greater detail in this post about the Sabbats because I think that this is sufficient for you to understand how these festivals mirror the natural cycles as well as the cycles of life which are reflected back onto the myths regarding the Goddess and God. I will dedicate at least one post to each Sabbat as the year proceeds and you will be able to find them in the Sabbats section of this blog. There, you will be able to find more correspondences (I will add more information to the above table for each Sabbat) and in addition to this, I will talk a bit about games and traditions which are characteristic of that particular festival as well as the Sabbat's history. 

Esbats are celebrations of the Goddess' power since the Moon itself is a symbol of her power. Though I will talk more about the appropriate ways of celebrating the Sabbats and Esbats in later posts after I cover a bit more theoretical ground ;)

3. Reincarnation

The word itself means "being born again" and comes from the Latin word incarnare (to be born, be made out of meat) which gains a new meaning by adding the prefix re- which indicates a repeated action.

Now this isn't a new concept. Actually, it was well-known in India and Greece around the 6th century BC (and it is thought that it could have been known even earlier than this). This was probably quite a popular concept among the Celts in the 1st century BC as well as some Christian groups such as the Bogomils and the Cathars (11th and 12th century). You are probably familiar with the appearance of the reincarnation theme in Norse and Egyptian mythology. This idea managed to survive all the way up to the 20th century when the German philosophers like Schopenhauer or Nietzsche started discussing about it.

Of course, this notion is more popular in the East than the West. It is, in fact, on the the essential beliefs in Hinduism since it is thought that a person can be reincarnated for one of several reasons: to deal with unfinished business, to learn something new that is necessary for the growth of the soul, to balance out karma (what goes around, comes back around!), to reach a certain goal etc. This belief is also present in Buddhism, but you probably knew that already :)

But not to blab on too much, how does this belief fit into Wicca?

When we look at the phases of the Goddess and the God, we can notice that everything is cyclical and that the God is, in accordance to this, always reborn and the Goddess rejuvenated because every year once again returns to its beginning. I said in the beginning of the post that Witches try to identify themselves with these Deities...and this also applies to reincarnation.

This cyclical motion can be seen in the turn of the Wheel of the Year also (the passing of the seasons), the Earth's rotation, the death and birth of every living being and, of course, in the Sun-Moon cycle which represents the Goddess and God themselves.

The second reason why reincarnation can easily fit into Wiccan beliefs is because Witches believe in the flow of energy. When we die, our physical bodies return to the earth but we believe that the soul continues to live in another, to us unfamiliar, reality awaiting its reincarnation for the above mentioned reasons. Our souls, our energy, in this way circulates from life to life.

In order for you to get a better understanding of this flow or energy, I will deal with it more in subtitles seven and eight.

4. Karma, the Threefold Law and the Wiccan Rede

All of these three talk mainly about the same thing. I won't even talk about the Wiccan Rede since I talked about it in one of my previous posts in detail. I would like to elaborate on the concepts of Karma and the Threefold Law in Wicca. Both actually send out the same message: everything you do will come back to you.

The word karma itself comes from Sanskrit and means action or deed. It is an essential part of Indian philosophy which says that every action has its consequences. Therefore, everything you do will come back to you, be it good or bad.

The Threefold Law is basically the same thing as Karma. It is also mentioned in the Wiccan Rede (which is why I put it under this heading):

Mind the Three-fold Laws you should, three times bad and three times good.

Even though it is called a law, it really isn't one in the literal sense. Wicca doesn't have sacred scriptures or any sort of Bible; every individual makes their own rules based on their moral. This "rule" is actually a suggestion which tells us to be careful what we do because everything can (and will) return to us. It is called "threefold" because it states that everything will return to us three times the amount we sent it off. Again, this isn't literal. Karma doesn't measure what we do so it can't give us back three kisses if we kiss someone once. This is put symbolically so that the reader will understand more easily that they will get back what they give, but in a larger scale.

5. Celebrating Nature

Wicca (the Witches' religion) is a Nature religion, which means that, apart from it being oriented towards the natural cycles, it also worships and respects nature. Out moral should be enough to tell us that it is wrong to harm any other living being and this is nicely put in the Wiccan Rede whose shortened version goes like this:

These Eight words the Rede fulfill:
"An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will."

The "none" in the second line doesn't imply only other people but also yourselves, which is quite often forgotten. Also, it includes animals and plants, not only people (so basically all living things). Nature is worshiped and celebrated because it is the one thing than enables us to live! The Sabbats are there for us to be show gratitude for what we have, among other things for the food and drink that we have (which are coincidentally an important part of every ritual).

Because of this, you may often come across Witches that are vegetarian or even vegan because they think that they harm animals by eating them. An ecological viewpoint also goes hand in hand with Wicca because there would be no life without the Earth (among other things).

6. The Book of Shadows and the Sacred Circle

Wicca isn't an organized religion and, in contrast to the many organized religions out there, doesn't have that one leader, common sacred spaces or sacred scriptures. 

Witches work in smaller groups called covens (ideally made up of thirteen members but this may vary) or in less formal groups called circles. Each coven has its own leaders called the High Priest and High Priestess who lead every celebration (though this may also vary from tradition to tradition, but lets take this as the starting point). The difference between a coven and a circle is that covens have stricter rules regarding ritual performance. In order for a coven to be a coven, it has to have a HP (Priest) and/or HPs (Priestess) while circles can consist of non-initiates also where celebrations are lead by basically anyone who is willing (of course, within the circle and in agreement with the other circle members).

There is no specific church or temple in which Witches gather. Their (or our) sacred space is nature! This is precisely why it is always better if the Sabbats (or any other rituals) are done outdoors (since this enables a better connection to the outside world and forces of nature). The only addition that makes and space sacred is the circle which is cast by the members before every ritual. The casting of the circle (i.e. erecting the temple, the official name for the beginning of every ritual which includes defining the sacred space and cleansing it) is done in various ways for which it is a bit too early to talk about just now. When I write a post on the appropriate ritual from, then I will address this in detail. For now, it's enough to know that a space is sacred in Wicca when it is cleansed and consecrated and every person has the ability and power to make this happen.

Like I said, there are not sacred documents, although some Witches will agree that some poems and rituals are used more often than others and have become sort of a canon, but that is simply because the poems are perfectly harmonious and appropriate (and in addition to this, they were often written by the founders of this religion) and ritual processes strong. Despite this, it is always recommended that each coven/circle/individual writes their own rituals and spells because it is thought that each act/object gains strength with the amount of time and energy that is put into it. It will also be more effective and also more intimate and have a higher meaning to the practitioner(s). This is why no sacred book can be compiled (not even several of them). This is why every individual has their own "sacred book" called the Book of Shadows where all of the secrets of the Craft are kept as well as a collection of the knowledge that person has gained through the years. This, of course, doesn't have to be a secret, but most people prefer to keep it that way since they write private rituals, divination results, dreams (and their analyses) in there. All of these are of a private nature.

Of course, working in a group isn't obligatory. There is a number of Witches that work alone because they prefer this or they don't have other options because there are no other practitioners near them etc. I have been working alone since I began practicing Wicca and I think I haven't done anything wrong by doing so. But this is a large topic that I'll cover in a separate post.

7. Other Energies and Realities

Witches believe that other energies and realities do exist but that they are manifested in different forms. Though not all Witches will agree on this. What I'm referring to here is the belief that our world isn't the only world that exists and that there are other worlds parallel to ours. This can be a metaphor but doesn't have to be. I will leave this for you do research and discover for yourselves.

Even though some worlds cannot be seen with the naked eye, we still believe that they exist. We don't see air, yet we know it exists because we breathe it. We believe in the existence of emotions, the subconscious and energy even though we cannot see them. This is why Witches often believe in Faeries and other beings that are believed to come from these other realities but also in the visibility of the aura, the functionality of holistic healing and the possibility of astral travel. This, again, doesn't have to be true for each individual. I repeat that this is a generalization and I apologize to those of you who do not fit into the one of the aforementioned groups.

Since I already mentioned the belief in energy, I might as well add more to this with this next section.

8. Magick

Magick is, despite what you might think, quite a simple concept which is a bit harder to grasp. It has been define over and over again as the ability to control energy and consciousness. This is paraphrased, of course. Some of the definitions include:

Magick is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will.

~Aleister Crowley

Magic is the projection of natural energies to produce needed effects.

~Scott Cunningham

We do not affect fate by our magical operations, we affect ourselves; we reinforce those aspects of our nature which are in sympathy with the powers we invoke.

~Dion Fortune

Magic is making something happen that you want to happen.

~Raymond Buckland

Magic is the act of using your will to cause change, by focusing and directing your psychic energy.

~Jennifer Hunter 

These are only some of the definitions that exist, but you can see how alike they all are. I think there's no need to talk any more about what I mean at the beginning of this post what I said "the belief in the control of energy and consciousness". 

It's worth stating that magick isn't a game. It can have serious consequences and one must have a strong character and moral in order to not go down the wrong path or get lost on the way. There is no "one" wrong path; it is different for every one of us. Then again, whole books have been written on this subject, so I'll just dedicate a separate post on the topic of magick and moral soon enough.

9. Wicca's Attitude Towards Other Religions

Maybe it was precisely the persecutions and other atrocities that Witches had to go through in history that made them so tolerant today, open and sociable. And truly, I have yet to come across a Witch that has hatred or any other negative emotions towards other religions or their followers.

We believe that everyone has a right to their own beliefs and tastes. A hundred people, a hundred paths, right? Everyone is different and we can't expect everyone to agree with all of our thoughts nor can we agree on everything with everyone else. Though what often surprises other people is the way in which Witches approach other beliefs. There is always a positive reaction along the lines of: "Great! I respect your beliefs, but you also have to respect mine.". I think that this couldn't be any clearer :)

This is why you will never see a Witch recruiting anyone or forcing them to follow "the right path". Firstly, we believe that Wicca isn't the only right path. The "right path" is different for every individual...their own personal right path which fits your needs and beliefs. By persuading or using any form of manipulation, we can only cause harm to others and if you remember the only rule of Wicca, it states: HARM NONE! We also believe that any religion that doesn't cause harm in any way to others is great! :D

10. Free will

In accordance to everything that I mentioned earlier, we think that every person as the right to their own free will and freedom of choice. We do not force our beliefs on anyone else.

If everyone were to live in mutual respect  love and peace and tolerate others (if not love or like them), the world would be a much better place. But hey...dare to dream!

Anyway, I think I have a good "summary" of Wiccan beliefs for now :)

Until next time. Yours,

Witch's Cat

Blessed Be! :D

Progressive Witchcraft

A glass figurine of the Mother Goddess

Turner Row Glass Art

2013

An example of the evolution of religious

depictions and religion itself

A short while ago, I finished reading the book Progressive Witchcraft by Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone which amazed me. It really expresses an interesting view of witchcraft which I would like to share with you.

The word progressive in itself signifies a process which is carried out or advances gradually/in stages. By giving this adjective to the term witchcraft, the authors automatically implied from the very start that they think that the Craft changes in time, from generation to generation if not from day to day. This is obvious if we compare what we think to be Prehistoric witchcraft with that of the Middle ages or the 20th century and modern-day witchcraft. 

An important factor in this change is simply evolution. Now, I don't just mean the evolution of mankind but also the evolution of ideas, religious beliefs, individuals etc. Conventions and traditions have always existed, but some of them are replaced by new ideas which, again, in time become new traditions/conventions. This process goes on and on...cyclically if you will. Witchcraft (in this case Wicca) has to change in time, as does everything else, to fulfill the needs of its practitioners. 

Let us take a Greek from the 1st century BC, for example. He is traditional in his own way; he worships the local gods, visits the temple when necessary, prays to his gods before battles etc. He simply did what most of his contemporaries did. Even in the  Middle ages there were some alternative religions to Christianity to which a number of individuals turned, but they couldn't freely practice their beliefs because of the fear of being killed, or even worse, tortured. Religion becomes flexible when it is forced to do so. Examples of this flexibility are Witches using ordinary kitchen knives for their athamés, normal house brooms for sweeping the circle, gathering medicinal herbs under thee pretense of collecting culinary herbs etc. These may seem to be silly examples, but it is exactly these kinds of examples that can give us a clear insight into the evolution of a religion. I have to repeat myself when I say that a whole new religion emerged from underground when the Witch Laws were repealed in the 1950s. There was now a whole new group of people with similar beliefs that wanted to practice then freely. With the advancements in technology, it soon came to be that Witches could meet each other over the Internet and even today, one of the most common ways for Witches to get their supplies is by ordering them from various web-shops. This wasn't possible before because of several reasons: 1) there was no Internet; 2) when a person would come out with their beliefs and wants, they would be executed. It's quite simple. We now have more religious freedom than our ancestors, believe it or not...at least when it comes to the West. 

Figurine of a Mother
Goddess,
Kouphovouno, Sparta,
cca. 65000-5800 BC

With the emersion of people like Gerald Gardner and Sanders in the 20th century, a type of cult of personality came into existence. Up to now, I never thought about it that way, but then I read the aforementioned book which gave me this new perspective on things. And they truly were celebrities of their time (at least in the circles we're talking about). They were equally scandalous to their contemporaries as some movie stars/musicians are to us now. The reason why they were so popular and influential is because they were among the few who managed to break out on the scene given the conditions of the time. Namely, there weren't many books on witchcraft published back then so, basically, the only way for someone to learn anything about this was to find a circle or coven. Only then could some information be available.

Of course, with the advancement of technology and growing group of people interested in the subject, there came a fruitful time of publishing books on witchcraft, creating related websites and so on. All of this quickened the deterioration of the cult of personality. More personas emerged examples of which are Raymond Buckland, Scott Cunningham, Starhawk, Zsuzsanna Budapest, Deborah Lipp, Janet & Stewart Farrar, Doreen Valiente, Gavin Bone, Dion Fortune and others. All of these people expressed their thoughts and some even confronted tradition. This is how several "leaders" came to be and with them, several traditions. Though, along with this, certain dogmas that existed up to then were forgotten/abolished (believe it or not, even Gardner had a number of "rules" which he expected his followers to live by blindly, simply because they were rules...but this was just another religious dogma which someone decided to tear down).

Among these dogmas was the belief that a person could become a Witch only by initiation, or someone whose ancestors were directly linked to Gardner and witchcraft (i.e. if you were born into the Craft). In a way, witchcraft became a thing of inheritance and this is, in my opinion, quite elitist. Though many of the people I mentioned in the above paragraph would agree with me on this point because they were the ones who fought against this sort of elitism. Though there can be a good side to this ancestralism/traditionalism. The bad side is, obviously, the hierarchical scheme that goes along with it in the sense that a person who isn't initiated into the Craft is hierarchically in a lower position than a person who is initiated even though they may have the same beliefs and practice them in the same way. The good side is that it gives a sort of frame in which people can feel secure; people know exactly who to turn to for information because these people (mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers) had been the ones transferring knowledge the whole time (if we are, in fact, talking about an inheritance-based society).

It was just a matter of time before Witches would become independent  and this time came with the publication of more and more books which made them all the more procurable, along with the numerous websites which were free, none the less! Ancestry stopped playing an important role just like the cult of personality did. It was now the individual that was important! At the same time, the obligatory bitheism of Wicca was overthrown and replaced by a universal polytheism since each individual was free to worship their own gods. For example, in stead of everyone in Ireland acknowledging Cernunnos and Aradia, there were those who worshiped Roman gods. Why not?

Gavin Bone and Janet Farrar defined progressive witchcraft as a description of the evolution of the Craft and not a tradition in the classical sense (therefore it cannot be compared to the Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Dianic or any other tradition since it is eclectic and gives a great amount of freedom without raising any barriers. 

But don't get me wrong, the authors of Progressive Witchcraft were not against tradition. They actually think that tradition (or anything else from the past) teaches us something valuable from which we have to get a certain piece of advice or warning (or both). Nobody has made mistakes in their past; they merely did what they thought was right. We may define some things as mistakes, but who are we to judge others? I have to agree with them on this subject. I believe that the past isn't something that has to be buried and never spoken of again but rather something that should be analyzed and remembered in order for us to learn from it. 

One important difference between witchcraft of the past and the present is that we can now see a much bigger importance of religious/deity-related aspects in contrast to the magickal aspect which has somehow lost its significance. This isn't bar or good, simply an observation. Before, you could read about magickal and ceremonial works and rites for this and that everywhere, but now...well I personally know very little Witches that do magick on a (semi) regular basis (if at all). Everything is based on the spiritual aspect nowadays. I think that it came to be this way simply due to the course of events. We just aren't forced to do fertility rituals in hopes of the land becoming more fertile because all we need to do is go to the grocery store for food. Women don't have to do love magick to find a good husband because they are emancipated enough to approach the man they like without negative consequences and so on. You get the picture. Magick just doesn't play such an important role in our lives anymore. But this makes the unseen forces that our ancestors dealt with all the more fascinating to us, which makes us want to understand them.

Another difference is in the roles the High Priest and High Priestess play in Wicca. Before, the three-degree hierarchical system of knowledge was present in every tradition (except the Alexandrian tradition with its five degrees). I say "knowledge" because a practitioner could gain the title of second/third degree only after they had grasped a certain amount of knowledge. I would compare this to passing exams in school. When someone says they're on their third year of college, that doesn't mean that they're superior to someone who is only on their first year, but simply that this person had more time and the will to pass the necessary exams to continue onto the next year. Wicca functions in the same way. The individual can't proceed onto the next degree until they have grasped that amount of knowledge otherwise they won't be able to cope with the obligations that this degree comes with. It is because of this that the Priest/Priestess was revered. These people had to be skilled, adept individuals that had the third degree and that were initiated. Bear in mind that all of this was quite hard to achieve considering that amount of information that was available as well as the number of like-minded people. A modern idea has since developed that each practitioner is his/her own Priest/Priestess, which is quite logical. People are now forced to work alone or in smaller groups of two to five people due to practitioners being so scattered. In addition to this, Wicca is a religion that demands constant learning, practicing and activity. Passivity isn't an option here. I personally know more solitary Witches than those that work in groups. These Witches start learning from book like "a guide for Solitaries" from this or that author and use their common sense to adapt group rituals for themselves. 

This idea of hierarchical Priesthood was encouraged by the concept that initiation was only possible inside the circle. Many modern practitioners are opposed to this idea, and I will admit that I belong to this group. Why would contact with the Divine be possible only in a certain space? This contact is, in my opinion, more possible when one works along in meditation than in group works where everyone is concerned with the course of the ritual, what others are doing, what everyone has to say/do etc. And besides, the gods, if you believe in them, don't follow the earthly time; they only know of the biological clock of every human being. With the development of these ideas came the notion that the Priest/Priestess aren't the ones that do the initiation but rather the Goddess and God. After all, what is initiation than the direct contact between the human and the Divine? This is how many people will describe the possibility of self-initiation/self-dedication to the "traditionalists". From this, we can conclude that initiation doesn't even have to take place in the circle but actually anywhere....as long as you are open to it.

As I said at the beginning of the post, the evolution of religion includes the religion of each individual.  Wicca is often defined as a "mystery religion" because these mysteries are left for the individual to discover, and not for groups.  Each person will perceive them differently. Jung described this process as the journey through the Ego (conscious self), Id (the subconscious), Anima (hidden female aspect of every man), Animus (hidden male aspect of every woman) and the Shadow (the part of the subconscious that the Ego doesn't recognize, that he represses). Only when all of these aspects are unified can the individual experience these mysteries.

And the conclusion? Don't just blindly follow everything you read in books. Think about what makes/doesn't make sense to you. See what you can change to fit your needs, but without changing the core. Throw out the information you don't need, but keep what you find useful. Be free and don't be afraid! :D

Sretan Beltane 2013

Sinoć sam se u sitne sate vratila iz Zagreba autobusom premorena, ali sretna i puna dojmova. Nevjerojatna je gostoljubivost mojih dragih pagana :D koliko ljudi mogu i žele izaći u susret i pomoći drugima. Nisam ostala gladna (dapače!) i imala sam lijepi topli krevet. Zaista divno :D ali pravi dojmovi su se stvorili tek drugog dana u Zagrebu kada se smo slavlje odvijalo :D

Pripreme su bile dugačke i umarajuće (sjeklo se drvo za vatru, za majski stup, bralo cvijeće za vijence i ostale ukrase, kidale vrpce za stup, pripremalo prostor itd.), no sve se to na kraju isplatilo. Onog trenutka kada smo se svi skupili i otvorili krug....predivno! Sve skupa nas je bilo oko 35 i s toliko je ljudi energija morala biti jaka.

Ritual ne planiram ovdje iznositi već ću postaviti nekoliko slika pošto će svaka od njih reći tisuću riječi i to sigurno ljepše sročenih nego što bih ja to mogla napraviti.

Pogled na prostor gdje smo slavili (tu je već sve
namješteno pa da vidite kakav dojam sve to skupa
ostavlja) :)

Poslovi su se morali raspodijeliti pa su muškarci lijepo išli u šumu,
sjekli drvo za vatru i naravno morali tegliti cijelo stablo za majski
stup haha :D no isplatilo se!

Dok su oni nosili drva, mi žene smo bile iskorištavane kao besplatna
radna snaga i radile vijence, pripremale vrpce za majski stup itd.

A ja sam i plela vjenčić od cvijeća za svećenicu,
no on je usahnuo u međuvremenu :/

A morali smo i jesti :D "Veseli čušpajz" je bio na
meniju, a ovdje vidite samo početak pa da ne mislite
da je to sve što je nas (skoro) 40 imalo za jesti :)

Zvijezda dana je bila naša mala beba koju su
mama i tata obukli u zeleno da bude u skladu
sa sabatom :D

Posebnost ovogodišnjeg rituala je bio bend! :D kojeg moram jako
nahvaliti jer su bili ODLIČNI!!! Zovu se Tribal Jam Orchestra i sviraju
zapadnoafričke bubnjeve, didgeridooe, gongove, razna još
puhačka glazbala, ali i hapi drum :D zaista su podigli atmosferu što
tijekom rituala, što kasnije za vrijeme plesa oko vatre ;)
Naravno, evo vam i link za njihov youtube kanal :D 

Naši dragi Svećenik i Svećenica su bili izrazito
dobrog raspoloženja i krasno cijeli ritual vodili.
Energija je bila jaka i svih nas ponijela, iako tu to možda
nije vidljivo jer je ovo fotografija sa samog početka
rituala gdje su nas oni svih jedno po jedno uvodili
u krug.

Jako mi se dopalo uređenje oltara, no s obzirom da se
radi o jako velikoj površini, bilo ju je teško popuniti pa
možda djeluje donekle minimalistički.

A evo i fotografija za vrijeme samog rituala kad su počinjale pripreme
za ples oko majskog stupa.

I naravno sam ples :) koji je postao jako smiješan
u ovo doba jer je krug plesa bio izrazito malen i
svi su se gužvali već i sada...a ples se još
nastavio nakon ovoga pa možete misliti kako smo se
tek kasnije smijali!

Relativno gotov majski stup je, po mom mišljenju,
ispao jako lijepo :D a i trakice su bile vrijedno napravljene
pa je moralo ispasti dobro! :D

No, mi odrasli nismo imali čast dovršiti majski stup jer nam je ipak
postalo previše tijesno. Dječica su uskočila u pomoć i dovršila ukrašavanje
uz prekrasnu glazbu našeg Tribal Jam Orkestra koji su bili vrijedni i svirali
od 2 popodne pa sve do 11 u večer. Svakako, djeca su stvorila jednu
posebnu atmosfere slobode i spontanosti koja se svima dopala :)

Završili smo ritual i sada je trebala početi "fešta" :) Zapalila se vatrica
i počelo svirati, pjevati i plesati.

Ponijela nas je glazba i svi smo plesali u transu...zaista je atmosfera
bila NEVJEROJATNA! Neki su komentirali da su se osjećali
kao da su se vratili u pećinsko doba koliko su bili slobodni, radosni
i zaneseni svime. Bend je učinio svoje....i mnogo više.

Ja sam se isto malo zanijela s glazbom i počela svirati bubnjeve xD
A s vremeenom su fotografije postajale sve mutnije,
i mutnije....

....i mutnije...

Nadam se da sam vam barem donekle uspjela dočarati atmosferu koja je vladala tijekom cijelog dana i da je vama atmosfera za vrijeme vaše proslave bila jednako lijepa, ili još ljepša :D Naravno, moje veselje nije prestalo tu jer sam još jedan prekrasan dan provela s prijateljima u Zagrebu  dozvolivši sebi dan godišnjeg odmora :) 

Moram se zahvaliti svim svojim prijateljima koji su bili tu sa mnom i s kojima sam dijelila ove predivne trenutke...znat će oni tko su :) 

Želim vam svima sretan Beltane i da vam ostatak godine bude što plodniji u svim aspektima vašeg života! :D

Blagoslovljeni bili!

Vaša, Witch's Cat

Merry Beltane 2013

Upon returning home last night in the early hours of the morning and after 5 hours of being cramped up in a bus, I instantly fell asleep but with a smile on my face and many new memories to cherish. I was again amazed by the hospitality of my fellow Pagans :D It's amazing how people want and can help out other human beings :) I didn't go hungry (on the contrary!) and had a warm, soft bed to sleep in. It was truly wonderful. But the real memories were made during the second day of my stay in Zagreb when the Beltane ritual itself was held :D

The preparations were long and tiring; wood was cut for the fire and the maypole, flowers were picked for garlands and other decorations, ribbons were made for the maypole, the land itself was prepared for our work etc. But everything was worth it in the end. The moment in which we all got together in the circle and opened it...just amazing! The energy was bound to be very strong since there was about thirty five of us.

I don't plan to write out the whole ritual here. In stead, I will post a few pictures since each of them is worth a thousand words, and will definitely speak out more eloquently than I could ever manage :)

This is a view of the area in which we held the
ritual (and "after-party"). Though everything
was already set up here so you can get a fuller
impression :)

Of course, work had to be divided so the men went out to get
firewood and to cut down the tree for the maypole. They also
had to bring it back to the ritual space, which wasn't an easy
job, but it was worth it :D

While the men did physical work, we women were busy with a
slightly easier form of manual labor :) we made the decorations (in
this case, the ribbons for the maypole).

And I was also busy making the garland for the
Priestess, but it unfortunately withered due to
the sun and lack of water :/ 

There HAS to be food! We had "happy porridge"
on the menu but don't think that this is all the 40 of us
had to eat :) this photo was taken during the preparations :)

The star of this Sabbat was this little darling whose
mommy and daddy dressed all in green so he could
be a fitting symbol for this Sabbat :D

What made this Sabbat incredibly special was the fact that we
had a band that I have to give credit to because they were
AMAZING!!! They are called the Tribal Jam Orchestra and play
a variety of instruments, from west African drums, didgeridoos, gongs and
many wind instruments to the hapi drum. They really made a huge
difference and helped raise the energy during the ritual but also
during our dancing around the fire :) Of course, I can't
forget the link to their youtube channel :D

Our dear Priest and Priestess were in a
wonderful mood and lead the ritual wonderfully.
The energies were high and carried us all into an ecstasy,
even though this may not be visible on the above picture
since it was taken at the very beginning of the ritual where
we were admitted into the circle
one by one.

I really like the altar, but since it was quite big,
it was hard to fill with decorations and ended
up giving off quite a minimalistic impression.

And here's a photo that was taken during the preparations for
dancing around the maypole.

And, of course, the dancing itself :) which was
quite funny at this point since we were all
squished together because we had so little room
to dance in. We crashed into each other and laughed
but everything turned out great!

You can see how nice the maypole turned out :)
at least in my opinion ^^ but the ribbons were
made with love and care so it couldn't have
turned out badly :D

Since the grown-ups didn't get to finish the maypole dance since
we were too big, the children did it for us :D They were wonderful
to watch running around and dancing to our dear Tribal Jam
Orchestra who were very diligent and played from 2 in the afternoon
until 11 in the night. These two groups really made the ritual
special and gave it a dose of spontaneity and freedom
that everyone seemed to like :D

We finished the ritual and now the party could start :D The fire
was lit and we started to dance, sing and be merry.

The music simply took over all of us and carried us into a trance which
was UNBELIEVABLE!!! Some even commented feeling like they
were in a sort of primordial state...like they were back in the
caves dancing to shaman drums (which were also played by the way) ;)
The band did their job and much much more than that!

I also got carried away with the music and took
part in the drumming :D And in time, as you can see, the photos
got blurrier and blurrier....

....and blurrier...

I hope I managed to give you at least a slight impression of what what the atmosphere was like during the whole day and that the atmosphere in your celebration was equally as nice if not better :) Of course, my merriment didn't end there since I stayed in Zagreb one more day which i spent with my dear friends and allowed myself a day of rest :)

Thanks to all of my friends who were there with me and with which I shared these beautiful moments...they will know who they are :)

I wish you all a merry Beltane. May the rest of the year be fruitful in all the aspects of your lives! 

Blessed be!
Yours, 

Witch's Cat

Wiccan Traditions

Gardnerian Wicca

I have already mentioned that this was the first Wiccan tradition. It was founded in the 1950s in England by Gerald Gardner whose name it carries. He enabled the expansion of Wicca throughout Great Britain and later on in America (through Raymond Buckland). In my previous post entitled "The History of Wicca" i already talked about Gardner's initiation into "wica" so I won't repeat myself in this post. This tradition puts more emphasis on the Goddess than the God though it claims that both are necessary for balance. Garner also introduced the three-degree initiation system. Before initiation both general and from one degree to another, the practitioner has to wait a year and one day in order to live through the cycle of the year once more and relive it in a new light and learn how this cycle functions in Wicca. Because of balance, this tradition advocated male-female pairs working together in covens and doesn't approve of homosexuality or bisexuality because of the same reason. The covens usually work skyclad (naked) though most modern-day covens don't treat this as a rule. The magickal works in this tradition are mainly oriented towards healing. If you want to find out more about this tradition, you can read some of Gardner's works among which I would emphasize Gardner's Book of Shadows (even though it is the modified edition).

Alexandrian Wicca

It also, like Gardnerian Wicca, got its name from its founder - Alex Sanders. We can see a huge influence of the Gardnerian Wicca on this tradition since Sanders himself was one of Gardner's followers before his emancipation. Alexandrian Wicca can be defined as a fusion of Gardnerian Wicca and Judeo-Christian practices as well as ceremonial magickal elements. Practitioners of this tradition also celebrate both the Goddess and God but Sanders, opposed to Gardner, doesn't insist on covens made up of male-female heterosexual couples; in fact, he approves of gay and bisexual relationships. As additional reading for this tradition, I would recommend you read June Johns' book King of the Witches: The World of Alex Sanders and, of course, the Alexandrian Book of Shadows.

Saxon Wicca

The aforementioned Raymond Buckland is the patriarch of this tradition for which you can assume has a Saxon background. Actually, Buckland didn't set out to "copy" the Saxon religion but rather create something completely new. Covens in this tradition work openly (as in the rituals are open for everyone) and all materials related to this tradition are easily attainable. An important difference between this tradition and the two that preceded it is that this one acknowledges self-initiation  therefore it can be practiced by own or many people, depending on your preferences and situation :) Though it is traditional to have a High Priest and High Priestess at the head of the coven. Each group decides by themselves how to work and what to do which gives a certain dose of freedom to its practitioners. The best source for Saxon Wicca would be Buckland's book of Saxon Witchcraft written by Raymond Buckland himself.

Dianic Wicca

It was actually founded by Ann Forfreedom, but one of the most important and popular representatives is Zusanna Budapest. Contrary to modern beliefs, this tradition isn't strictly for women. In fact, men can also take part in Dianic rituals if they like. Though each coven is left to their own decision-making regarding who to accept (only women or both women and men) and each individual has the option of choosing whether to work in a coven or as a solitary.

What sets this tradition apart from the others is the fact that they endorse female leadership and it is precisely because of this that these covens are labeled as "lesbian-oriented". The High Priestess has a bit more prestige than the High Priest, though both play their parts in rituals. Accordingly, more emphasis is put on the Goddess than the God and this goes so far that some covens decide not to even celebrate the God at all. As I have mentioned in my previous posts, all followers of this tradition are encouraged to be informed on subjects regarding feminism and other problems regarding humanity as a whole.

The Frostian tradition

This tradition is another which was named after its founders - Gavin and Yvonne Frost. Its beginnings can be found in the 1970s when the founders decided to take Welsh traditions as their starting point. If you don't recognize this name, perhaps you will recognize its more popular name: "The Church and School of Wicca which teaches basically everything that is said in the Frosts' book entitled The Witch's Bible (please differentiate this book from Janet and Stewart Farrar's book A Witches' Bible a.k.a. Eight Sabbats for Witches). In the beginning of the tradition, followers only acknowledged the God, but the Goddess later started to be worshiped also. It is famous for its emphasis on sexual freedom and is often found as baffling or even repulsive because of this. It is because of this that sexually-related traditions came to be repressed over time. Along with the Frosts' aforementioned book, you can also have a look at their official website: http://www.wicca.org/.

Georgian Wicca

Its founder of the Georgian tradition is called George E. Patterson and it was founded in 1970 in the USA (more specifically, California). It kept growing until 1980 when it became the Georgian Church. Like other traditions, this one is also based on Gardner's and Sanders' teachings but with a mixture of the English traditions even though it didn't come to life in England. It can't be traced back directly to BTW (British Traditional Wicca - a name for those covens who can trace their lineage directly back to Gardner of the New Forest coven) though its influence can definitely be seen.

It is most commonly described as eclectic because all of its followers were urged to write their own rituals and to use all the (quality) materials they have for learning. Each coven makes their own decisions though everyone is encouraged to work skyclad. Both the Goddess and the God are worshiped but it seems to me that the Goddess is a bit more favored than the God. All eight Sabbaths are celebrated but other works are incorporated into them (be they of a religious or magickal character).

You can have a look at the official page of this denomination if you want to read up more on them: http://georgianwicca.com/. And since this tradition is, in a way, eclectic, then I won't recommend any special literature so you can just read what you feel like reading, basically or have a look at the Recommended reading section.

Other traditions

These are some of the most famous traditions, but certainly not all of them. I should also mention the American Celtic Witches, Australian Witches (which is actually all the traditions put together on the Australian continent), the Y Tylwyth Teg Church (a Celtic-Welsh tradition), Church of the Crescent Moon (and Irish-based tradition), Circle Wicca (also connected to shamanism and Native American beliefs), Deboran Witchdom (eclectic tradition), the Northern Way (also called Asatru, connected to Norwegian beliefs), Pecti Wicca (a Scottish tradition), the Tesalonian tradition (oriented towards Greek beliefs and tries to reconstruct Greek magickal practices and follows Greek philosophical beliefs) etc.

There are many more traditions, but in stead of listing them all here, I would rather you found out for yourselves what suits you best. It isn't may place to tell you which tradition is right for you. It is my job to give you a few pieces of information which may help you to find what you are looking for and lead you towards the right path for you. I sincerely hope that this short overview of Wiccan traditions helped you at least a little bit in this search :)

Until next time. Yours,

Witch's Cat