Wicca

Writen by Fern, OCS Herbalist

Wicca
Men and women of any background are attracted to Wicca for reasons of
exceptance and personal empowerment, and with good cause. Wicca is the
fastest growing of all the alternative religions in America, Canada and
England.

Wicca as it stands today was started by Gerald Gardener in the 50's.
Though most who consider themselves Wiccan are not "Gardnerian" he is
considered to be the founding father of the movement.

The major beliefs held are that the Sacred is the" God and Goddess" and
that they have many aspects. Any God is seen as an aspect of the God
principal as are all the Goddesses seen as parts of the Great Goddess.
The usual classification of God/Goddess is aspected in three ways,
Grandfather, Father and Son and their Goddesses as Maiden, Mother and
Crone. They see the Goddess as "The First Among Equals".

Wiccans celebrate Sabbats at the eight major points of the year and Esbats
at each of the moons. The Four Elements as well as the Planets, Herbs,
Stones, Crystals, Colours, Candle Magic, and many other forms of Operant
Magic are used in Spellcraft to effect the material World.

Central to Wicca are the Moon, the Sun, The Earth and Trees of which many
are sacred. Divination through many traditional and non traditional means
are practiced widely as ways to see into one's own path as is astrology.

Practiced either alone (Solitary practitioner), in sacred pairings (male
and female, often lovers) or on groups called Covens. The purpose of a
Coven, other than kinship is to raise power with which to shape the Universe
according to the Will of it's members. This is seen not as selfish
manipulation but as a serious and sacred duty to bring order to the Universe.
In order to balance the power, as male and female energies are complimentary
frequently Covens are half male and half female with a High priest and High
priestess who hold the group together as well as share roles in ritual.

Salem Massachusetts is a mecca (if you'll forgive the term) for
practitioners of all types of Wicca. If you live in or are visiting
New England you would do well to make a pilgrimage here, so to speak.
Lorrie Cabot is listed as the "Official Witch" of Salem and there are a great
many magic shoppes and book stores specializing in Wicca and alternative
religion.

Gardnerian Wicca
Named after the founder of modern Wicca, Gerald Gardner. Those of Gardnerian
Wicca are initiated by one of a line of people that were initiated descending
from Gardner himself thus producing and unbroken lineage of tradition starting
before him with the members of the New Forest Coven. Guardinarians always
practice together in Covens as they train to become High Priests and Priestesses
who are then able to initiate others.

The chief Gods worshiped are the God and Goddess pair Carnnunos and the Great
Mother.

Alexandrian
A branch of Wicca derived from Gardnerian Wicca founded by Alex Sanders and his
wife Maxine in England during the 1960's. The name of the tradition is both a
play on Sanders first name and a reference to the great lost library of Alexandria.
Sanders was initiated into Gardnerian Wicca and attained the level of First Degree
before breaking away and starting his own faction. Alexander Sanders is known as
 "The King of Witches".