WITCHCRAFT AND WICCA

Witchcraft in Africa

In that part of Africa which lies south of the Sahara desert, the terms Witch and Witchcraft were the names given by early Christian missionaries and anthropologists to what might be called Native sorcerers: persons who use destructive black magic to engage in psychic attacks on other people. These terms are still in general use in that area. They have no connection to Witchcraft as it is practiced in North America and Europe; the same term is being used in two different places in the world to refer to two completely different religions and practices.

The Ministry of Safety and Security of South Africa's Northern Province created a Commission of Inquiry into Witchcraft, Violence and Ritual Killings. The Commission issued a report in 1996-MAY which showed that thousands of people had been accused of witchcraft, have been run out of town and have lost their property. More than 300 have been killed by vigilante mobs over the previous ten years. The victims were accused of "shape-shifting" themselves from human form into bats and birds, of converting people into zombies, and of causing death by calling down lightning or through the use of toxic medicines.

Ten farms have been set up in the Northern Province to hold hundreds of refugees who have been found guilty of witchcraft by traditionalist kangaroo courts. One possible source of confusion in the country is the Suppression of Witchcraft Act (1957) which does not differentiate between most forms of traditional African healing and sorcery (black magic); it bans both practices.

Witchcraft in Europe and North America

• Wicca, the revival of a pre-Christian religion of Northern Europe, and
• Satanism, the worship of the Christian devil, Satan.

This paper will deal with the religion of Wicca only. It is unrelated to Satanism and to black magic. There have been many references in the books, media, etc which attempt to differentiate among these very different religions and practices which have been lumped together under the term "Witchcraft".

History of Wicca

• Margaret Murray who authored The Witch Cult in Western Europe and The God of the Witches. These books promoted the concept that some of the Witches who were exterminated by the Christian Churches during the "Burning Times" (circa 1450-1792) were remnants of an earlier, organized, and dominant pre-Christian religion in Europe.
• Gerald Gardner, a British civil servant, who:
  • joined a Wiccan Coven in 1939, taking the (then) usual vows of secrecy
  • persuaded the coven to let him write a book in 1949 about Wicca in the form of a novel, High Magic's Aid. He carefully revealed a few of the Old Religion's beliefs and the historical persecutions that they endured.
  • wrote Witchcraft Today in 1954 in which he described additional details about the faith.
  • wrote The Meaning of Witchcraft which described in detail the history of Wicca in Northern Europe.
  • added many rituals, symbols, concepts and elements from ceremonial magick, Freemasonry and other sources to "flesh out" the coven's beliefs and practices which had become long forgotten. .

According to Gardner, Wicca:

• began in prehistory, as ritual associated with fire, the hunt, animal fertility, plant propagation, tribal fertility and the curing of disease.
• developed into a religion which recognized a Supreme Deity, but realized that at their state of evolution, they "were incapable of understanding It" . Instead, they worshipped what might be termed "under-Gods: the Goddess of fertility and her horned consort, the God of the hunt.
• continued their predominately Moon based worship, even as a mainly Sun-based faith of priests, the Druids, developed and evolved into the dominant religion of the Celts. By this time, Celtic society had gradually spread across Northern Europe into what is now England, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland etc. They never formed a single political entity, but remained as many tribes who shared a common culture and religions.
• survived the Roman, Saxon, and Norman invasions by going underground
• suffered major loss in numbers during the active Christian genocides, which continued into the 18th Century
• reached a low ebb by the middle of the 20th century. Much of the theology and ritual had been lost; Wiccan covens had become so isolated that they had lost contact with each other.

Relationship between Witchcraft and Christianity

Much of Christianity was derived from Wicca, Druidism and other Pagan sources; this includes the sites of many cathedrals, the lives of many Christian saints (who were really pagan Goddesses and Gods), and many Christian holy days. There are many vestiges of Paganism which remain a part of our culture; e.g. Groundhog Day, Christmas, May Day, Halloween, the names of the days of the weeks and months of the year, common sayings, numerous traditions associated with holidays, etc.

In order to gain a complete religious monopoly, the Christian Church decided during the 15th century to hunt down and burn believers in the Old Religion. The Church created an imaginary wicked religion, and said that Wiccans were evil Witches who followed that religion, sold their sold to Satan, etc. Hundreds of thousands of suspected witches were exterminated during these "burning times" which lasted until 1792 in Europe and into the 1830's in South America. The Roman Catholic church burned witches; the Protestant churches hung them. Wiccans went underground, and stayed out of sight until the middle of the 20th century.

Wicca emerged from the shadows in England in the 1950's with the publishing of books by Gerald Gardner. It has expanded at a furious rate in North America and Europe. They total about 200,000 in North America, where they have surpassed in numbers such established religions as Buddhism, the Quakers, and Unitarian-Universalism. The Canadian Census of 1991 recorded 5,530 Neo-Pagans, which would be mostly composed of Wiccans. However, the actual number is believed to be much greater, as many Wiccans are known to lie to the census taker rather than expose themselves to physical harm in the event that their faith became publicly known.

Wicca is the only religious group of significant size whose members are persecuted in North America. Many Assaults, arson, economic attacks are reported yearly. There have even been shootings and one public stoning! The perpetrators of this religious hatred are usually very devout, very concerned but terribly misinformed people. They believe the misinformation that has been spread about Wiccans continuously since the Middle Ages. It is only in Eastern Massachusetts, Southern California and in a few cities in North America that most Wiccans feel secure while coming out of the (broom) closet.

Wiccan Beliefs

• Wiccan Deities: Most Wiccans believe that a creative force exists in the universe, which is sometimes called "The One" or " The All". Little can be known of this force. They regard the Goddess and the God as representing the female and male aspects of the All. Most regard various pagan Gods and Goddesses (Pan, Athena, Diana, Brigit, Zeus, Odin, etc) as representing various aspects of the God and Goddess.
• Respect for Nature: Wicca is a natural religion, grounded in the earth. All living things (including stars, planets, humans, animals, plants, rocks) are regarded as having spirit.
• Gender Equality: Wiccans celebrate the sexual polarity of nature: the fertilizing rain is one manifestation of the male principle; the nurturing earth symbolizes the female. Females are respected as equal (and sometimes at a slightly higher rank) to males. They aim for a female-male balance in most of their covens (groups), although men are typically in the minority. Sexuality is valued, and regarded as a gift of the Goddess and God, to be engaged in with joy and responsibility.
• Three-fold Law The law states that:

       All good that a person does returns three fold
       in this life; harm is also returned three fold.

• The Wiccan Rede: This is the main rule of behaviour:

   
       An' it harm none, do what thou wilt

  This means that a person should feel free to do what ever they want to, as long as it does not harm themselves or anyone else. This and the three-fold law obviously prevent a Witch/Wiccan from doing harm to themselves or to others, or attempting to manipulate others, or taking illegal drugs, etc.

Wiccan Practices

• Organizational Structure:Wicca is one denomination (the largest) within Neo-paganism. Other Neo-pagan groups include individuals and groups who are reconstructing Druidic, Egyptian, Greek, Roman and other ancient religious traditions.

  Many, perhaps most, Witches are solitary practitioners; they perform their rites alone. Others form covens which are informal groups of Wiccans. There is no hierarchy beyond the coven; no provincial or national organization. Those covens which have a High Priestess and/or Priest elect one of themselves to that office.

• Rituals: Wiccans try to meet out of doors where possible. North American climate and concern for personal safety usually forces them indoors. They gather in a circle, which is often 9 feet in diameter. Candles on the circumference are oriented to the four cardinal directions. An altar is at the centre or at the northern candle. Rites begin with a casting of the circle, in which the circle is outlined and purified, and the candles lit. A space is thus created within the circle; this is sometimes visualized as a sphere, or as a cylinder or cone. The purpose of this space is to confine healing energy until it is released.

  The central portion of each meeting may celebrate the full moon, a new moon, a Sabbat or a special Wiccan ceremony. It might include healing, divination (scrying, Tarot cards, Runes, etc), teaching, consecration of tools, discussion, or other life-affirming, nature based activities. After the major work is completed, food (perhaps cakes and wine) is eaten, and the circle is banished. Because of the increasing concern over addictions to alcohol and other drugs, many covens have replaced wine with juice, water etc.

• Wiccan Sabbats: (Seasonal days of Celebration) There are eight Wiccan Sabbats, spaced about 45 days apart during the year. Four of these are minor Sabbats: the two equinoxes of March 21 and September 21st when the daytime and nighttime are each 12 hours long. The Saxons added the two solstices of December 21, (the longest night of the year) and June 21 (the shortest night of the year). Actually, the exact date of these Sabbats vary from year to year and may occur from the 20th to 23rd of the month. The major Sabbats are also four in number. They occur roughly between the minor Sabbats, typically at the end of a month. Different Wiccan traditions assign various names and dates to these festivals. Perhaps the most common names are Celtic: Samhain (Oct. 31), Imbolc (Feb. 2), Beltane (May 1), and Lammas (Aug. 1). Dates are approximate. Their origins are believed to be related to hunting, farming, and animal fertility.
• Rites of passage: These include:
  • Dedication, where a person confirms an interest in the craft,
  • Initiation, when a person symbolically dies and is reborn as a Wiccan; a new name is adopted
  • Handfasting, which was originally a marriage for a one year period. Most Wiccans now regard it as creating a permanent partnership
  • Parting of the Ways, which recognizes the end of a marriage
  • Wiccaning, which welcomes a baby into the craft, but does not obligate the child in any way
  • Funeral Ceremony, for a Wiccan who has died
• Wiccan tools: Hardware which are used to perform Witchcraft rites often look like common household items. The following are typical:
  • Athame (double sided ritual knife) used for many purposes, but never for cutting
  • A bowl of salt representing the element earth
  • Incense representing the element air
  • Two candles representing the Goddess and God
  • A bowl of water representing the element water
  • A bell which is rung to delineate sections of the rite
  • A wand to cast the circle
  • A goblet and perhaps a libation bowl to hold a drink
  • A circle, typically 9 feet in diameter, formed from a rope or row of small rocks, markings on the ground or floor, etc
  • Four candles just outside the circle, at the four cardinal directions

Is Wicca/Witchcraft a Religion?

Judge J. Butzner of The District Court of Virginia declared in 1985 that Wicca is clearly a religion for First Amendment purposes....Members of the Church sincerely adhere to a fairly complex set of doctrines relating to the spiritual aspect of their lives, and in doing so they have 'ultimate concerns' in much the same way as followers of more accepted religions. Their ceremonies and leadership structure, their rather elaborate set of articulated doctrine, their belief in the concept of another world, and their broad concern for improving the quality of life for others gives them at least some facial similarity to other more widely recognized religions. Judge Butzner's decision was confirmed the following year by the Fourth Circuit Federal Appeals Court.

Misinformation About Wiccans

• Popular confusion between two essentially unrelated religions: Satanism and Wicca
• 500 years of negative and false beliefs about Wiccans which originated during the Witch burning times of the 15th to 18th Centuries.
• Present day religious hatred and misinformation, spread primarily by conservative Christians. (There may be religious hatred disseminated by other individuals or groups, but we have never been able to locate any).

offer to devils, or otherwise kill, the children that they do not otherwise devour...[they] cause abortion, kill infants in the mother's womb by a mere exterior touch

• a desire to reduce the number of people entering Heaven and thus delay the Final Judgment when Satan, his demons and the Witches would be cast into Hell.
• a need to "confect from the limbs of such children an unguent which is very useful for their spells".

We realize today that Kramer and Sprenger's beliefs were false, groundless and based solely upon myth and rumour. But similar beliefs are still being promoted in the 1990's. Authors, usually Evangelical Christians, confuse five essentially unrelated beliefs which have been referred to as "Witchcraft":

• Witchcraft as mentioned in the Bible (actually a form of black magic or of killing people by poison)
• Witchcraft hysteria of the Renaissance (actually an unfounded panic involving nonexistent Satan worshipers)
• Wicca (actually a pre-Christian, earth-based, Neo-pagan religion)
• Satanism (actually a group of religions based on concepts of Satan which predate the Middle Ages)
• Santeria (actually a Caribbean religion which combines Roman Catholic and Native African beliefs)

Since the authors believe that these unrelated faith groups are identical, they can freely attribute the activities of one group to another. For example, since the Bible condemns Witchcraft (sorcery), they believe that Wicca is also condemned. (It isn't). Since Santerians engage in animal sacrifice, they assume that Wiccans do as well. (They don't).

Some current examples of religiously based misinformation can be found on the home page of Media House International (11):

• In an article "Child Sacrifice in the New Age", Jay Rogers states: "The promotion of abortion is not just a political issue for members of Wicca; it is part of a religious agenda - the religion of witchcraft and child sacrifice....we were not able to ascertain whether or not Witches use the blood of aborted children in their sacrifices....it stands to reason that such a sacrifice, protected by law, could be used by witches." (Here, they are confusing Wicca with the Renaissance beliefs about Satan worshipers who were believed to kill and eat children. The author assumes (incorrectly) that Wiccans engage in sacrifices, and speculates whether they use the blood of aborted fetuses (they don't). The reader may be left with the belief that Witches kill babies. (They don't; they are specifically prevented from harming others by the Wiccan Rede.)
• In Statements of a Practicing Witch? the anonymous author states that "research revealed a vaster [sic] network of abortion providers associated with the Wiccan religion". (Wiccans are probably over-represented among the staff at abortion clinics, but then so would Atheists, Unitarian Universalists, and members of the United Church of Christ, Unity Church, and other liberal faith groups. "Witchcraft is an ancient religion requiring child sacrifice which has resurfaced in our day." (There are many historical writings about human sacrifice among ancient Celts; but all are based upon the writings of Julius Caesar. There is some doubt that he was accurate in his description of the Celts; his description of human sacrifice may well have been imaginary. Even if the ancient Celts sacrificed children (as did many cultures in pre-Christian times) Wiccans do not today.) "A revival of neo-paganism has brought with it a revival of human sacrifice in the form of abortion." (There is no obvious link between the legalization of abortion in North America and the rise of Neo-paganism; Wiccans have never had significant political power because their numbers are so few).
• In What is the Wiccan religion? an anonymous author states that "Wicca is an ancient religion requiring human sacrifice".
• In Witchcraft and Satanism: Are they one and the same? Eric Holmerg of Hells Bell's, Reel to Real Ministries, writes the following misinformation: "Although Wiccans deny their association with the devil, they readily admit that they worship a 'Horned God' named Pan. It is an inescapable fact that Pan is the universal symbol for Satan." (Present-day beliefs about Satan as a totally evil quasi-deity were largely developed during the Middle Ages. Pan is a fun loving satyr of the woodlands; one of the oldest Gods of ancient Greece. He predates Christianity by many centuries. They are totally unrelated) "The universal law of witchcraft and satanism is one and the same...". They are not. For example, Wiccans are prohibited from harming others; members of the Church of Satan are allowed to attack and even attempt to kill enemies with black magick.

Prejudice Against Wiccans

• Providence RI: Rhode Island Child Protective Services made their first unannounced visit to a foster home in history. They removed three foster children. This occurred four days after the foster mother was identified in a positive local newspaper article as a Wiccan.
• Palm Bay FL: The city prohibited the Church of Iron Oak from holding meetings at the home of one of their members. This is a Wiccan group.
• Knoxville TN: A Wiccan group had been meeting in a room at the World's Fair site. They were booted out after an individual became upset at the sight of some robed Wiccans.

Additional Essay on Wicca

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References

1. Special thanks to Anthony R. Thompson (athomps@netspace.org) for permitting us to copy his pentacle image.
2. An impressive list of Pagan (including Wiccan) Internet resources can be seen at: http://www.netspace.org/~athomps/pagan/paganres.html
3. Another impressive resource list is at: http://www.primenet.com/~ioseph/paganism.htm
4. Pandora's PaganWeb is a charming WWW site which describes both Wicca and other Neopagan religions. See: http://www.geocities.com/athens/3038/
5. The Witches' League for Public Awareness promotes understanding of their religion. Their home page has many links to other Wiccan sites. See: http://www.CelticCrow.com
6. A list of names of women and men killed because they were suspected to be witches (12th Century to 1922 CE) can be seen at: http://www.primenet.com/~ioseph/burnwitc.htm
7. The Pagan Home Educators Alliance is an association for Pagan homeschooling families and for businesses who provide goods and services to the Pagan community. Their services include: a member's networking directory, a directory of businesses, a quarterly newsletter, an on-line E-mail newsletter, a catalog directory of publications for Pagan families, etc. Write: PHEA PO Box 95, Wauconda, WA 98859. E-mail: SonoraSky@aol.com and PgnHmEdAll@aol.com
8. The Green Egg POB 1542, Ukiah CA 95482 is a high quality US Neopagan quarterly magazine published by the Church of All Worlds. It contains considerable Wiccan information.
9. Hecate's Loom Box 5206, Station B, Victoria BC, V8R 6N4, Canada bills itself as Canada's International Pagan Magazine. It is also a quarterly with a great deal of Wiccan content.
10. The Earth Religions Assistance List (EARL) helps Pagans, Wiccans, Druids, Unitarian Pagans and other "Earth Religionists" who face legal problems and/or discrimination because of their faith. They have a WWW site at http://205.226.66.2/~rowanf/ERAL/eral.html. They also have a mailing list ERAL which can be joined by sending an Email to eral-request@dreksys.com with the message consisting of only the word Subscribe
11. Media House International is an Evangelical Christian group that publishes a quarterly magazine Champions. They have a section of their home page devoted to providing misinformation about Wicca, and trying to show that Wiccans engage in human sacrifice. See: http://www.forerunner.com/champion/X0038.html

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