Traditional Wicca Defined

[ Witchcraft and Paganism ] [ Origins and History ]
[ Defining Components of Traditional Wicca ] [ Resources ]

Two sects of Wicca, Traditional and eclectic, exist. This essay attempts to define and explain the Traditional variant; information on eclectic Wicca can be found Wicca 101 @ Red Deer and Elyna's or at the Church of Universal Eclectic Wicca website.

Witchcraft and Paganism

To understand Traditional Wicca, one must also understand the definitions of witchcraft and paganism as well. You will find differences in definition among the pagan community as to who and what they are. These are my interpretations. Please be advised that others might not agree.

Witchcraft is characterized by the collection and use of folk lore and remedies for the purpose of influencing the outcome of events, for gathering information, or for health needs. One who practices witchcraft utilizes a variety of common local items in his or her brews, sachets, poultices, and charms. They may also practice divination in the form of scrying and employ a variety of other techniques. Known as witches (not to be confused with Witches, those who practice Wicca), these folk may include a deity or use none at all. These witches are not necessarily pagan but may instead be looked upon as keepers and seekers of occult information.

Pagans (sometimes referred to as Neo-Pagans to distinguish them from the pre-Christian peoples from whom they derive most of their practices) are a large and diverse group of people who practice earth oriented spirituality. This includes but is not limited to shamanism, heathenism, Vodoun, Santeria, and Wicca. The only common denominator is that they do not subscribe to the traditional Judeo-Christian belief system. Most pagans are pantheistic (meaning they believe divine force is present in the laws of the universe and that all gods are generally treated as extensions of that divine force) and/or polytheistic (meaning they work with many gods and goddesses, which they may or may not view with pantheistic tendencies).

Many pagans use ceremonial magick (casting of circles, summoning of elementals and deities, etc) but not all ceremonial magicians are pagan. Some are simply that --- ceremonial. They assign no central deity, female or otherwise, to their workings. They simply work with magical energies according to a set of rules (or not, if the person deals in chaos). Most of these rules came from the writings of Aleister Crowley, who in turn borrowed from older sources such as the Rosicrucians, freemasonry, and certain esoteric Christian or Gnostic orders.

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Origins and History

Traditional Wicca is a specific pagan religion founded by Gerald B Gardner in the early 1950s. Gardner had a background in anthropology and had traveled the world studying many cultures including their religious beliefs, practices, and customs. Much of his time was spent in the Far East, where he worked the rubber and tea plantations and served as a customs officer. In 1936 he retired and returned to England with his wife, settling in the New Forest area.

During World War II while serving with civil defense, Gardner came into contact with some neighbors who were members of an occult fraternity which derived its practices from the Rosicrucian Order. Gardner assisted with a community theater sponsored by the group and helped them perform plays with occult or mystical themes. He noticed some members of the group seemed to be involved in other, deeper activities that had nothing to do with the supposed Rosicrucian Order and eventually learned that those people belonged to the remnants of an old-time witch coven. Through them Gardner was introduced to its priestess, named by some as Dorothy Clutterbuck, and initiated into the coven.

Gardner wished to share his excitement and wonder at discovering evidence of a pre-Christian tradition which had evidently survived the ages; he perceived the existence of the coven as an important discovery for folklorists and as a potential refuge for unconventional people like himself where they could obtain a form of spiritual satisfaction that did not exist in more acceptable creeds. Unfortunately, the last of Great Britain's Witchcraft Acts forbidding practice of the art had not yet been repealed and his elders forbade him from publishing anything. They feared that to do so would bring untoward publicity and with it renewed persecution.

In 1949, with the old priestess passed away, Gardner published his first work dealing with witchcraft. High Magic's Aid was a fictional historical novel but provided much information on the actual practices of magic and witchcraft. In 1951 the last of the Witchcraft Acts was repealed and replaced with the Fraudulent Mediums Act which allowed legitimate use of psychic gifts and focused on deliberate acts of fraud committed for material gain. Gardner took the opportunity to reintroduce what he termed the Craft of the Wise and provide renewed interest via broadcasts, publications, and press interviews.

The Craft of the Wise had become his life and Gardner feared it was in danger of dying out. Most of the original coven were elderly and many of them had actually died after major ritual workings. He had to find a way to revive the old traditions before they died with their practitioners, to send out a call to younger people ---people who were witches at heart or perhaps had been practitioners of witchcraft in a previous life. Gardner strongly believed that the Craft must grow and change with the world around it in order to remain a living thing. In 1954 he published a second nonfiction book, The Meaning of Witchcraft. This new publication contained much of the same information as his previous fictional work but was much more straightforward regarding witchcraft practices and history.

At this point, the validity of Gerald Gardner's version of witchcraft must be addressed. Gardner's actions were an unprecedented break from the traditional witchcraft values of silence and secrecy. There were those who felt that his publicizing of witchcraft had done more harm than good and disputed the authoritativeness of Gardner's version of the Craft. If tradition is defined as the passing of knowledge and practices from one person to another and the Craft is known to attract strong, unique personalities, it must also be assumed that those traditions will be influenced by their keepers. Such is the case with Gardner; the covens and Tradition he founded bear the imprint of his personality and personal ideals.

Gardner indicated in his writings that the rites and rituals of the old coven were fragmentary. He gathered these fragments and pieced them together, supplementing them with his own knowledge of various magickal systems and practices in order to make them workable. This amalgam of ancient pre-Christian, Masonic, and Thelemic practices constitute what has become known as Gardnerian Wicca. All Traditional variants are based to some degree on this.

Traditional Wicca encompasses many variants; the particular manner in which each Tradition and each coven within that Tradition performs the rites and rituals may vary according to the teacher, but the format established by Gerald Gardner remains the same. That means a variant labeling itself Traditional Wicca must be an initiatory, oathbound, mystery based priesthood.

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Defining Components of Traditional Wicca

Traditional: Gardner defined Wicca as a traditional religious practice. Tradition describes material transmitted from the ancestors by word of mouth through the ages---opinions, customs, ways of doing things. There is no doubt that some of the fragments Gardner pieced together come from such a tradition. Tradition also describes time honored processes which carry the weight of truth and as such are inviolable within the group sworn to uphold those traditions. The Traditional Wiccan religion involves both the transmission of information from initiator to initiate and the practice of a specific way of doing things.

Initiatory: Generally, most Traditions will not take green seekers; by the time the person finds the Tradition, he or she has gone as far as he or she can with the public basics and are seeking the full experience. Those who become dedicants are expected to already have a basic knowledge of Wiccan ritual practices, magick, and ethics. When the dedicant becomes initiated, he or she is then part of that Tradition. Traditional initiatory Wicca involves finding and being accepted by a qualified practitioner of the chosen Tradition, which includes any of those who can trace their lineage back to Gerald Gardner or, in some cases, one of his initiates who can do the same.

Oathbound: When a dedicant takes initiation, they give oaths, the specific content of which is known only to those in the Tradition. An oath is both a solemn calling to the gods to witness the truth and sincerity of what one says and a fervent attestation of the inviolability of one's words and actions. When the dedicants are oathbound, they may not reveal either the contents of the oath or the specific mysteries they have been sworn to protect. The oaths are in place not to keep people from learning but to protect sacredness of the rites themselves. Some things cannot be told but must be experienced; because telling these mysteries would be a cheap, incomplete experience, they are kept oathbound. There are also some things which should be kept inside the Tradition because to pass them on purely verbally (or in writing for that matter) would give people the impression that they knew what they had not experienced and thus might miss the true experience that could lead to real knowledge. Holding Traditional material oathbound allows each new seeker to discover the wonders of those mysteries for themselves without any predisposition based on others' words.

Mystery based: The mysteries referred to in the Wiccan religion have complex and inter-related meanings. A mystery, in the basic sense, is something unknown which arouses curiosity. When this definition is applied to religion, it expands to incorporate the lore, skills, and practices peculiar to that religion which initiates must experience in order to reap the knowledge of those mysteries. Some guidance may be had through book learning and the advice of a mentor, but the religious truth incomprehensible through knowledge and reason alone may only be revealed by the initiate's own experiences as they explore the mysteries of their Tradition.

Priesthood: Like its conventional counterparts, the Traditional Wiccan religion has a clergy ---members of a learned profession who have dedicated their service to the Craft--- and a hierarchy within that clergy. It differs from conventional religions in one important aspect: from the time the seeker is accepted into the Tradition onward, he or she is considered a member of the priesthood and acts as such. They do not function as an intermediary between others and the deities, as none is needed, but can provide counsel if asked to do so. Periods of study are generally divided into cycles of one year and one day, although in extenuating circumstances the time can be shorter or longer. A seeker begins as a petitioner. During this time, the petitioner is evaluated for magickal knowledge and a course of study is developed after determining areas in which the petitioner is weak or has not studied. The petitioner may also attend open circles where non-initiate are allowed and may, if invited, be allowed to participate in some coven workings. This allows potential initiate and coven to evaluate group dynamics and make the determination of what is best for all concerned. An accepted petitioner becomes a dedicant and can eventually move through the degrees and become an Elder or even High Priest or Priestess of his or her own coven.

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Resources

Adler, Margot. Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess Worshippers, and Other pagans in America Today; Penguin Arkana, 1986

Buckland, Raymond. Witchcraft from the Inside; Llewellyn, 1996

Dictionary.com

Gardner, Gerald B. The Meaning of Witchcraft; Magical Childe, 1959

Valiente, Doreen. An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present; Phoenix Publishing Inc., 1973