Wicca

Wicca is a neo-pagan (meaning "new pagan") religion. 

Wicca was created by a British man named Gerald Gardner in the mid-to-late 1940s. Gardner popularized the new religion through his three books: High Magic's Aid (1949), Witchcraft Today (1954), and The Meaning of Witchcraft (1959). 

 Name 
Before the name "Wicca" was adopted, the religion was sometimes called simply "the craft".Kemp, Anthony. (1993). Witchcraft and Paganism Today. London: Michael O'Mara Books. Page 3.

In his books, Gardner called Wicca the "witch cult" and "witchcraft". He called its followers the "Wica" (or "Wicca"). In his 1959 book he also called them the "Wicca" (with two 'c's). The word "wicca" means "witch" in Old English.Seims, Melissa. (2008). "Wica or Wicca? - Politics and the Power of Words" in The Cauldron magazine #129. Available online at www.thewica.co.uk/wica_or_wicca.htm. People who follow Wicca are called "Wiccans". 

Wicca is now used as an umbrella term for many different paths that have branched off from Gardner's original practices.

Origin
Sometime between 1945 to 1949, Gerald Gardner changed and added to the rituals of an earlier group, the New Forest Coven. In so doing, Gardner created Wicca. 

Many elements from the grimoire (old hand-written book) called the Key of Solomon are present in Wicca. Those are also in Gardner's 1949 book, High Magic's Aid, and were most likely added by Gardner himself, rather than by the New Forest Coven that came before him.

The New Forest Coven was created in the city of Christchurch, England (on the southern coast of England), some time in the 1930s.  It was created by a group of low-ranking members of the Ancient Order of the Rosicrucians in the Crotona Fellowship.  Members of that group read the books about witches by Margaret Murray and Charles Leland, which gave them the idea to create a witch coven.

Some time after Gerald Gardner joined the Rosicrucian Order Crotona Fellowship in Christchurch, he was drawn to the group of low-ranking Rosicrucians. They initiated him into the New Forest Coven in September 1939, shortly after Gardner had lost all faith in the Rosicrucian order's leadership on September 3rd.

Beliefs
There are many different traditions of Wicca, yet many are common beliefs that are shared by all Wiccans, such as the afterlife, magic, and morality.

The God and The Goddess
Most Wiccans believe in a horned male god, Pan, and a moon goddess, Hecate. Some Wiccans believe that the god and the goddess are equal. However, others think the goddess is more important than the god.Farrar, Janet and Farrar, Stewart. (1987). The Witches' Goddess: The Feminine Principle of Divinity. London: Robert Hale. Page 59.

Only members of an unorthodox sect called Dianic Wicca do not believe in both the god and the goddess. They believe that only a goddess exists.

Morality
The Wiccan Rede
The main Wiccan moral teaching is called the Wiccan Rede. The word rede means "advice" or "council" in Old German. "An ye harm none, do what ye will" is the very basic Wiccan Rede, which means, "Do what you want to do, but do not harm anything in the process." This is most likely based from Crowley's "Do what though wilt, shall be the whole of the law". This means that you must think about how your actions will affect other beings and yourself.

The Rule of Threefold Return
There is a rule in Wiccan (branched from Pagan belief) called "the rule of threefold return", "the threefold rule", "the rule of three", or similar names that use the word "law" instead of "rule". The rule of threefold return is a belief that what you do for good or bad will return to you 3 times the original intent. Therefore, you should only send out or work with good intentions to avoid three-times the bad return as Karma. 

The rule of threefold return is revealed to second-degree initiates (though they are usually already familiar with it) during the second-degree initiation ritual. During this ritual, the initiator scourges the initiate, and then the initiate returns three times the number of scourgings to the initiator. That second-degree initiation ritual, along with the threefold rule within it, were made public by Gerald Gardner's 1949 book High Magic's Aid, in chapter 17.

In 1986, a Wiccan named Raymond Buckland, created a new definition for the rule of threefold return in hiw his popular book Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft. In Buckland's definition, the rule of threefold return is not a rule of conduct, but a law of karma, which states that every beneficial action or harmful action that a person does returns to them three times as powerful. Buckland's definition of the threefold rule became more well-known than the original definition of the threefold rule.

Practices
Altars
Many Wiccans have special places at home where they perform rituals, magic, and worship. These places are called altars. Originally, there was only one altar that was used by the coven when they gathered. But as solitary Wiccan practice became more popular, Wiccans started to use personal altars.

Wiccans put holy and special objects on their altars, like:
 A pentacle. A Wiccan pentacle is a rigid disk, the size of a small saucer, that has a pentagram on it which spans across the disk. A Wiccan pentacle may be made of a variety of materials, such as wood, ceramics, or metal. In Wiccan rituals, the face of the pentacle is shown to the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west), so as to show the pentacle to the "lords of the watchtowers", which are believed to be in those directions.
 An athame (pronounced ah-THAH-may). This is a magical knife that is used in rituals. An athame traditionally has a black handle, but not every one does. It is never used to cut anything physical, but is used to make a circular 'cut' through the air, to cast the magic circle. In the 'cakes and wine' ritual and the symbolic 'great rite' ritual, the athame is used to symbolize the male penis.
 A wand. This is normally wooden, but can also be glass, metal, or clay. It might also have decorations such as crystals, paint, ribbons, or wire. It is traditional for it to be the length from your elbow to your wrist. It is used to direct magical energy.
 A chalice. This is a cup that is used in two rituals. People drink from it during the 'cakes and wine' ritual. In the 'cakes and wine' ritual and the symbolic 'great rite' ritual, the chalice is used to symbolize the female vagina.

Some Wiccans put other objects on their altars, such as statues of gods or goddesses, a bell, candles, incense, and/or a besom (an old-fashioned broom that is made of all-natural materials). A besom is often used to "sweep" away negative energy or spirits.

Those objects that are common on solitary altars are derived from the various objects that are used in the wiccan group rituals. Those ritual objects include a sword (also called a 'magic sword'), a black-handled knife (called an athame), a bowl containing water, a bowl containing salt, an asperger (an object that sprinkles water), candles, a bell, a white-handled knife (which is now usually called a 'bolline', due to being confused with a different object), a wand, a cup (also called a chalice), a pentacle, a censer (a container that burns incense), a scourge (a short whip with several whipping cords), and binding cords. Gerald Gardner, a founder of modern Wicca, started the practice of calling such objects by the misnomer 'tools' or 'working tools', because he was imitating Freemasonry, which used actual tools, such as a trowel.

Wiccan Holidays
Wiccans have two types of holidays, called sabbats and full moon esbats. There are eight sabbat holidays throughout the year. As the name suggests, full moon esbats take place during a full moon, so there are twelve or thirteen of them per year. Many post-Gardnerian wiccans use the neo-druidic term 'wheel of the year' to refer to the cycle of eight sabbats.

The eight sabbats are as follows:

SabbatNorthern HemisphereSouthern HemisphereHistorical OriginsAssociationsNovember Eve, aka SamhainOctober 31stApril 30thCeltic (see also the Celts)Death and the ancestors.Winter Solstice, aka Yule or YuletideDecember 21st or 22ndJune 21stGermanic PaganismThe rebirth of the sun.February Eve, aka Candlemas or ImbolcJanuary 31st, or February 1st or 2ndJuly 31st, or August 1st or 2ndCeltic (see also the Celts)First signs of spring.Spring Equinox, aka OstaraMarch 21st or 22ndSeptember 21st or 22ndGermanic PaganismThe beginning of spring.May Eve, aka Beltaine or May DayApril 30th or May 1stOctober 31st or November 1stCeltic (see also the Celts)The full flowering of spring. Fairy folk.Gallagher, Anne-Marie. (2005). The Wicca Bible: The Definitive Guide to Magic and the Craft. London: Godsfield Press. Page 67.Summer Solstice, aka LithaJune 21st or 22ndDecember 21stAugust Eve, aka Lughnasadh or LammasJuly 31st, or August 1st or 2ndJanuary 31st, or February 1stCeltic (see also the Celts)The harvest of grain.Autumn Equinox, aka Mabon or ModronGallagher, Anne-Marie. (2005). The Wicca Bible: The Definitive Guide to Magic and the Craft. London: Godsfield Press. Page 72.September 21st or 22ndMarch 21stNo historical pagan equivalent.The harvest of fruit.

Book of Shadows
In Wicca, a private book containing spells, rituals, potions, and occult knowledge, called a Book of Shadows, is kept. In some types of Wicca, such as Gardnerian Wicca, the contents of the book are kept secret from anyone but other members of the group, or coven. However, some versions of the book have been published. Some parts of these published versions, such as the "Wiccan Rede" and the "Charge of the Goddess" have been used by non-Wiccans or  Wiccans. Many eclectics create their own personal books, and keep them to themselves.

Music
Wicca music or Wicca rock is music influenced by the Wicca religion and its beliefs relating to nature and conservation.A Canadian Wicca Band at CBC Radio

An early band called Themis   toured Canada and the USA in 2007 singing and talking about Wicca.Toronto Music Scene Magazine  "that means that it is hard to say what type of music it is except to say that it is Wicca Rock, a new genre. ... Each song is: melodic, most have happy words filled with hope and love and the songs have a nice beat for dancing... featuring live tribal drumming (no drum machines in Themis music) and rythmic guitar" The Themis body of works promotes Wiccan themes, such as the divinity of nature; the Lord and Lady (dual deity aspect of Wicca) and an ethical credo (moral code) that resembles Wiccan philosophies.

Another Canadian band, a group of vocalists from Vancouver Canada, the Chalice and Blade    perform original pieces based on the beliefs of Wicca and "sing songs which show (their) reverence for the earth and the balance of the God and Goddess" -Chalice and Blade  

According to The Religion Newswriters Foundation   "Wicca is moving into the mainstream" smashing stereotypes as their movement matures. Throughout America, Wiccans are organizing congregations and youth groups, training clergy, pursuing charity work, sharing parenting tips and fighting for civil rightsWicca Moves Into The Mainstream   - The Religion Newswriters Foundation

References

Other websites
 Witchvox.org  - Neopagan news and networking site
 Covenant of the Goddess (U.S.)
 Pagan Federation (UK), (Canada)
 The Pomegranate : The International Journal of Pagan Studies
 Religious Tolerance- Wicca 

Category:New religious movements
Category:Paganism
Category:Witchcraft