Wiccan Belief: A Brief Overview

The history of witchcraft and wicca can be traced as far back as 10,000 years ago to the early Shamans, but most agree the form of Wicca commonly practiced today was likely founded, and certainly brought to the attention of mainstream society, by Gerald Brosseau Gardner in 1954 with the publishing of his book, “Witchcraft Today”. Gardner’s name is closely associated with that of Aleister Crowley, a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and the Grand Master of theGerman Masonic order called the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), a combination of Masonic rites and the traditions of the Rosicrucians, the Templars, the Illuminists, and Bengali Tantrism. Gardner is reported to have met Crowley sometime in 1947, and soon becomes a member of the O.T.O., and is thereafter authorized by Crowley to found an O.T.O. encampment and initiate new members. Crowley dies on December 1, 1947 and Gardner pronounces himself as successor to Crowley as leader of the O.T.O. However, Karl Germer actually assumed leadership, and held it until his death in 1962. Sometime in 1950, Gardner begins distancing himself from Crowley and the O.T.O. in favor of Wicca. In 1951 Gardner founds the Northern Coven in London. In 1953 Doreen Valiente is initated by Gardner, and soon became High Priestess. In 1954 Gardner publishes the now legendary, “Witchcraft Today”. In 1957 Wicca splits into two factions, one that supports Gardner’s growing publicity of the religion (led by Gardner) and one that opposes it (led by Doreen Valiente), the cause of this division remains largely a mystery to this day. In 1959 Gardner publishes “The Meaning of Witchcraft”, in which he first uses the term “Wicca.” Modern day practitioners often refer to themselves as “Wiccan“.

Most, but not all, Wiccan’s believe in a Goddess and a God as equals, which represent a single reality. Neither Deity deserves more importance than the other. The term, “Triple Goddess“, refers to the three aspects, or life phases, of the one Goddess. All three forms of the Goddess (and stages of life) are regarded as equally valuable and desirable. Simplified, the three stages of the wiccan female Deity are:
The Maiden – which represents innocence and adventurousness.
The Mother – which embodies compassion and love.
The Crone – which represents wisdom.
The male God of Wicca is commonly known as the “Horned God“. In Wiccan teachings, the Horned God is most often associated with hunting, strength, and virility. He is often illustrated as a man with horns or antlers, and commonly depicted with an erect phallus, a symbol of the power to create life. Other illustration may depict him as having cloven hoofs or the hindquarters of a goat. Together with the “Great Goddess“, the “Horned God” form the duality that makes up all reality in the Wiccan belief. In addition to the main Goddess and God, many Wiccans worship various other male and female “lesser” deities, most of which are attributed to Celtic pagan traditions.

Although the Wiccan Rede has a debatable origin, it is held in high regard as the one governing rule over all Wiccan followers and practitioners. “Rede” is derived from an Old English word “roedan” which means to guide or direct. One common version of the Rede is:
“An it harm none, do what thou wilt.”
“An” and “wilt” are Old English words for “if” and “want to.” Put in simplistic terms, the Rede states that a Wiccan is free to do what ever they want to, as long as it does not harm themselves or anyone else. In conjunction with the Rede, The “Threefold Law“, or law of returns, adds a reward for those who adhere to the Rede, and a punishment for those who violate it. The Wiccan law states that:
“All good that a person does to another returns three fold in this life; harm is also returned three fold.”
It is unclear if the Wiccan Rede and Wiccan Threefold Law can be attributed to Gerald Gardner (1884-1964) or Doreen Valiente (1922-1999), the two individuals generally regarded as the founders of modern Wicca. Gardner makes several references to the Wiccan Rede and Wiccan Threefold Law in his third book, “The Meaning of Witchcraft.” And Doreen Valiente gave a speech on October 3, 1964, in which she clearly outlined the terms of both the Wiccan Rede and the Wiccan Threefold Law. Some even attribute the Wiccan Rede and Wiccan Threefold Law to Aleister Crowley in his “Law of Thelema“, which is contained in his 1904 book “Liber AL vel Legis“, or translated: The Book of the Law. A few Wiccans also follow a set of 161 Laws often referred to as “Lady Sheba’s Laws“. They are based in large part on Gerald Gardner’s Old Laws, which he attributed to his New Forest Coven which first came to light in 1957. Most Wiccans also seek to cultivate the “Eight Wiccan Virtues“. These may have been formulated by Doreen Valiente in the “Charge of the Goddess“. They are mirth, reverence, honour, humility, strength, beauty, power, and compassion. They are purposefully placed in paired opposites which are perceived as balancing each other.

Another notable aspect of the Wiccan belief is the set of four – or sometimes five – elements of nature. The classical four elements are: air, fire, water, earth. In more modern times a fifth element has gained popularity. This fifth element is the spirit or “akasha”. Some practitioners view the five points of the pentagram symbol as representing these five elements. There are “Solitary Wiccans” but an attempt is usually made to reflect the balance between the Wiccan Goddess and God in the form of a “Coven“. A Wiccan “Coven” contains both female and male members, although men tend to be a minority in the Wiccan religion. However, one notable exception is Dianic Wicca, which worships the Goddess exclusively and only women are admitted into the Covens” These Covens”typically have very elaborate initiation ceremonies, and many Wiccans use a special set of altar tools in their rituals; these can include a broom, cauldron, chalice, wand, Book of Shadows, altar cloth, athame, altar knife, boline, candles, and/or incense. Representations of the God/Goddess are often also used, which may be direct, representative, or abstract. The Wiccan tools are not regarded as having any innate powers of their own, though they are usually dedicated or charged with a particular purpose and used only in that context.

Most Wiccan teachings uphold the use of “Charms” and “Spells“. In it’s most basic definition, a Charm is an amulet; an object believed to have magical powers that will ward off evil influences over the wearer, or bring them good luck. A Spell is generally considered to be a spoken incantation intended to either harm or help others. However, Wiccans are prohibited from doing harm to others. This is generally interpreted as forbidding any spell that seeks to dominate, manipulate or control another person without their expressed wishes. Rather than casting a “love spell” – which could be viewed as a form of manipulation and control over another – a Wiccan might instead cast a spell to make themselves more open to love. Before performing a spell, Wiccans believe the caster should carefully think through all the possible repercussions. Wiccans believe that spells alter the course of the universe and are not to be entered lightly without thoroughly considering all of its possible effects. The number of Wiccan spells are quite literally countless, with more being developed by practitioners daily. It is commonly believed that a Wiccan’s spells are contained in their personal journal, or “Book Of Shadows“.

Whether you believe the practice of the Wicca is a religion, or simply modern day witchcraft – the fact remains, the amount of followers and practitioners continues to grow. About 100,000 people practice Wicca in the United States and Canada, according to Wiccan high priestess Rosemary Kooiman. For more detailed statistics, please visit: Adherents.com