Little Witch House - History of Witchcraft

Rhiana Moonstar's
Wicca & Witchcraft

Artwork © Jessica Galbreth

History of the Old Religion

The term "Pagan" is derived from the Latin "paganus," meaning "of the country, of a village, rustic, etc". Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary confuses this issue by defining the word as "country dweller, heathen, a follower of a polytheistic religion". In common belief, the pagan label seems to include polytheism, new-agers, some Christian, most non-Christians. The Wiccan label is also confused as that of Pagan. It seems that some modern writers seem to be confused as well. They define Witchcraft (or Wicca) as a religion (or religions) and sometimes "the Old Religion." This does not mean that we, as pagans, disagree with any particular path or belief, as we believe all paths are sacred. We simply view things in a different light. Witchcraft is actually the remnants of the pre-Christian religions of Europe that was brought to these shores by early immigrants. Followers are generally secretive with outsiders and have little contact with other communities. They do not parody Christianity and they do not worship satan.

In pre-Christian times, people observed the way the Earth yielded its bounty and found many parallels between the fertility of the Earth and the fertility of women. Earth was regarded as our Great Mother and all things feminine were considered holy. When sexual intercourse was recognized as the means of procreation, (like that of the cycles and harvests of the Earth) it was considered a sacred act. Paganism (the pre-Christian nature religions) was normal. Life was celebrated. Mother Earth and Mother Nature, which are terms still used today, were worshipped along with the elements which without there could be no life: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water.

As these people watched the sky, they learned a lot about the rythms of the earth by observing the patterns made by the stars at night and the cycles of the seasons and moon. They saw metaphors in the phases of the moon as it waxed, waned and became full. The lifespan of the moon, played out monthly (which is where the word "month" comes from) demonstrated the universal trinity of beginning, middle, end; maiden, mother, crone. After a while, the moon became the symbol of the Pagans' triple Goddess. Each of the moon's four phases (waxing, full, waning, new) lasts for seven days; this is where the 7-day week comes from. One full month, therefore, is exactly 28 days. The seasons and the harvesting of food also played a big part in the Old Religion. The changing of the seasons coincides with Wiccan Sabbats as well as today's Christian holidays.

Somewhere along the lines the concept of patriarchy was developed. The patriarchs decided that in order to achieve exclusive dominance, it was necessary to denigrate women and everything that went along with the organization of a matriarchal society. The procreative powers of women became envied, then feared. It may have been felt that if women could create, then maybe they could easily destroy as well. It was then declared "evil" and "sinful." Soon, sex itself were considered dirty and taboo, to be avoided at all costs. To support the patriarchal claim that men were superior to women, stories were invented and old myths were either condemned as proof that evil forces were at work against them to show males in the superior position. Men began to claim that the goal of the female was to destroy males and the evil tool they used was their sexuality. The old ways of the Pagans were looked down upon as evil. Things like using herbs and gathering to worship the moon at night became sinful. Anyone who spoke of these things or were seen doing these things which were contrary to the new patriarchy was branded a heretic and faced unthinkable physical punishment. Anyone who practiced a religion other than the official one, especially if it was Pagan, was branded as evil, and subjected to torture and execution. Years of repression led to forgetting by all but a persistent few who managed to preserve the old ways.

Those people that decided to preserve the old ways had to do so in secret. They were not even able to write things down for fear that somebody would see. They kept everthing they practiced and learned in memory. There was more of a public resurgence of the Pagan ways in the 1950's when Gerald Gardner made his claims about joining a coven and learning their secrets which he authored books on. This is around the time that Wicca was formed. Wicca is considered a neo-Pagan religion because is was formed after the rise of Christianity. The terms Old Religion, Witchcraft, and Pagan, usually refer to that of the ways of the pre-Christian era.

Today, Pagans, Wiccans, and any form of religion that practices witchcraft is possibly the most slandered religions in the world. The Christian tradition declares that their mode of worship is the one and only "right" way, declaring any variation to be wrong and evil, punishing and persecuting any who practice differently. In truth, Witchcraft is not evil, merely different from Christianity. Buddhism is different from Christianity, but it is hardly evil. Unfortunately, all the negative myths generated about Witches are mostly still believed today. In its simplest form, Witchcraft is merely worshipping the earth and celebrating the change of seasons and the phases of the moon.

Perhaps the most famous (and the most negative) reference to Witchcraft may be found in Ex. 22:18 from the King James Version of the Bible : "Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live." This, unfortunately, is a mistranslation, and following is evidence supporting this claim. In the KJV, the translation of Ex. 22:18 is "Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live." The NIV has it as "Thou shalt not suffer a evil to live."

Some believe that the Old Relgion, Paganism and Witchcraft are the same as Wicca but it is not. This is not meant to be a derogatory statement but one of history. Wicca was created based on the findings of the beliefs of that which come from the pre-Christian era. Wiccan is similar but not the same.

History of Wicca

Wicca, is a reconstruction of an ancient Pagan religion of Northern Europe which pre-dates the Christian era. It can be directly traced back to the writings of:

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 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 wrote Witchcraft Today in 1954 in which he described additional details about the faith.
other sources to "flesh out" the coven's beliefs and practices which had become long forgotten.

Relationship Between Witchcraft & Christianity

The first missionary to the Celts may have been St. Paul. He sought converts to Christianity in the Celtic land of Galatia as recorded in his Epistle to the Galatians of the Christian Scriptures (New Testament). Later missionaries and the Roman army gradually spread Christianity across Europe, easily converting the rulers and the Druidic priesthood, but having less success in bringing the common folk or "county dwellers" to the new religion.

Much of Christianity was derived from 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 exterminate believers in the Old Religion, and other heretics. The church created an imaginary evil religion, and said that those that practiced Witchcraft were evil Witches who followed that religion, kidnapped babies, killed and ate their victims, sold their soul to Satan, etc. Many suspected witches were exterminated during these "burning times" which lasted until 1792 in Europe and into the 1830's in South America. Some estimates run as high as 10 million and as low as 3,000. An accurate number cannot be determined; it was probably between 100 and 300 thousand. The Roman Catholic church preferred to burn witches; they were hung in Protestant countries. Witches 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.

Wiccans who allow their faith to be known publicly are sometimes heavily persecuted in North America; on a per-capita basis, they may well be victimized more often than members of any other religious group. Many assaults, arson, economic attacks are reported yearly. There have even been shootings, one public mass stoning and one lynching in recent years! Reports circulate frequently of misinformed child protection officers seizing children from the homes of Wiccans because they feared that they would be killed or abused in some Satanic ritual. 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. In other areas, they tend to avoid persecution by keeping their religious faith secret. Unfortunately, this policy can have negative results, as people speculate that because Wiccans remain underground, they must have something to hide. This is a "no-win" situation with no obvious solution.

One big difference between Witchcraft and Christianity is the belief in reincarnation. Christians normally don't believe in reincarnation they believe in the resurrection of Christ. Pagan followers normally believe in reincarnation and more or less believe that what they do in this life will effect what happens in the next. Therefore, it is important to note that Pagans generally try to live a good, moral life in hopes that their next life will be better than the present life. Another important difference is the Christian belief in heaven and hell. Christians are taught to fear God and if they follow Gods rule they will live eternally in heaven and if they do not follow God's law they will eternally live in Hell. Pagans do not have such beliefs. Pagans do not belive in the devil or satan or even Hell. Pagans believe in the afterlife or Summerland which is a place one goes after physical death where they wait until they are reborn again to physical life.

Wiccan Beliefs

Their beliefs include:

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 (local 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, and without manipulation.
Three-Fold Law The law states that:

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

The Wiccan Rede: This is the main rule of behavior:

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 Wiccan from doing harm to themselves or to others, or attempting to manipulate others.

Wiccan Practices

Their practices include:

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, Wiccans are solitary practitioners; they perform their rites alone. Others form covens which are informal groups of Wiccans. There is usually no hierarchy beyond the coven; no state, provincial or national organization. Those covens which have a High Priestess and/or Priest democratically elect one of the group 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 usually oriented to the four cardinal directions. Some Wiccans align the candles to the walls of the room. An altar is at the center of the circle 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 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 (Esbats): 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.

Wiccan Tools:

Hardware which is used to perform Wiccan rites often look like common household items. Although there is much variation among individual Wiccans and their covens, the following are typical:

Athame (double sided, ritual knife; often black handled) used for many purposes, but never for cutting. It is either created by its owner, or is a re-worked purchased knife. A sword is sometimes substituted for the athame.
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.

One does not need such tools to be Wiccan or Pagan, they are merely props, our intent is the Magick!

Is Wicca a Religion?

The word "religion" is often associated with a centralized organization, local religious buildings, a minister preaching to a congregation, a single male deity, an extensive creed, etc. These factors are not really present within Wicca. This causes some people to conclude that Wicca is not a religion. Being a pre-Christian, aboriginal religion, Wicca simply does not have a similar structure to more conventional religions; its closest analogous religion in North America is Native Spirituality. There are also many different sects of Wicca...Gardnerian, Faery, Eclectic, Dianic, etc.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 states "to be a bona fide religious belief entitled to protection under either the First Amendment or Title VII, a belief must be sincerely held, and within the believer's own scheme of things religious." (USCA Const. Amend 1: Civil Rights Act 1964 701 et seq., 717 as amended 42 USCA 2000-16).

The District Court of Virginia declared in 1985 (Dettmer v Landon, 617 F Suup 592) 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 J. Butzner of the Fourth Circuit Federal Appeals Court confirmed the decision (799F 2nd 929) in 1986. He said: "We agree with the District Court that the doctrine taught by the Church of Wicca is a religion." Butzner, J. 1986 Fourth Circuit.

Wiccan and other Neo-Pagan groups have been recognized by governments in the US and Canada and given tax exempt status. Wiccan priests and priestesses have been given access to penitentiaries.

Overall, I believe it is important when choosing a religion, path, or way of life that one should inventory their own beliefs first, then choose their path accordingly. Some people choose Wicca or Witchcraft because they think it is cool, or they think they can cast spells on people. The intent should be choosing a path that closely matches the beliefs one already has and having faith and respect for a higher power. I must also note that the information on these pages is purely that - information. The words you read here is information that I have gathered over my years of studying Witchcraft and Paganism.

Brightest Blessings from Rhiana (1548 bytes)