Discussions of the history of the craft are some of the most controversial discussions we have. There is much disagreement on every subject, from the derivation of the word "Wicca"to whether or not there are any true family traditions. The idea that the old ways have endured in secrecy through the years of Judeo-Christian supremacy in the west is intoxicating and alluring, but difficult to support. When you get into some of the specific cultural variations (Strega or Norse for example) there is more support for continuation of regional paganism, but in the interest of presenting an overview of paganism rather than teaching a specific tradition, I will stick to what I know.
It is possible to reconstruct pre-Christian paganism from ancient sources. The Asatru of today are one of the more visible pagan groups practicing this type of reconstructionist paganism. There are also a large number of people practicing reconstructions of ancient Greek, Roman or Egyptian paganism. Reconstructionist paganism is a research intensive path, potentially as much career as it is religion, and there are intensive programs in universities all over the world offering PhDs in Egyptology, Cultural Anthropology and Classics just for starters. At the very least there are volumes written solely on the mythologies of ancient cultures, and a solid background in such mythologies is essential to honoring their gods.
The advent of the Christian Era and the acceptance of Christianity as a state religion brought with it a mass conversion of the populace to Christianity. The Inquisition and the Protestant reformation, both attempts to eradicate what were viewed as heresies from the Christian doctrine, strengthened the hold of Christianity on the people and drove many of the pagan traditions into the role of superstition and quaint custom. Whether the Inquisition officially targeted those who followed the old religions or not is hotly debated, but it is safe to say that fear of persecution drove those who did remain underground and encouraged them to put a Christian face on their family practices.
In 1921, Dr. Margaret Murray wrote a book entitled The Witch Cult In Western Europe, and while there may be debate on the accuracy of the book's information, there seems to be little doubt that she was one of the first people to publish anything resembling unbiased research. In 1954, just 3 years after the last laws banning Witchcraft in England were repealed, Gerald Gardner "came out" as a witch saying in effect, "Dr. Murray is correct in her writings, I know because I am myself a Witch."
Whatever you think of Gardner (there are a number of modern witches who think that a much of his work was pure fabrication), he was a pioneer, and he gave today's witches a stepping stone for formulating their beliefs and practices. In his 1949 novel, High Magic's Aid, he spun his beliefs about witchcraft into an accessible/publishable format. One of the reasons given for writing the novel was that his coven was not open to having their practices published. The novel format allowed the information to be presented as fiction. It took an additional 5 years to get permission to go ahead with a "factual" presentation, Witchcraft Today. And in 1959 he published his third book, also non-fiction, The Meaning of Witchcraft.
Gardner's research led him to believe that perhaps there were errors and losses in the modern rites. He believed that when the persecutions began the witches were driven underground. Their handwritten books, containing the rites and rituals of their covens, became the entire liturgy of their religion. Since the witches had scattered and lost contact with each other, much of the liturgy of the covens was incomplete. This problem was magnified as each coven evolved, adopting new rites and symbols and discarding old ones that no longer held any meaning. These handwritten books of rites and rituals, called Books of Shadows, were the cornerstones of the religion as Gardner saw it. If they were, as he believed, inaccurate and incomplete, somehow the true rites had to be reconstructed and preserved before any more could be lost. Gardner set out to write a Book of Shadows which would be complete.
Here is where the largest part of the dispute over Gardner falls into place. There are a great many people who believe that Gardner either commissioned Aleister Crowley to write the Book of Shadows, or that it was the result of Gardner's overactive imagination. Whichever, his Book of Shadows became the foundation for a Tradition which took his name, Gardnerian Witchcraft.
In the U.S. Witchcraft found its early advocates in Sybil Leek and Raymond Buckland, a student of Gerald Gardner. Buckland has written a large number of books on the topic, as has Leek, who authored Diary of a Witch. Over time, modern witchcraft began to splinter so that from Gardnerian Witchcraft has sprung Alexandrian, Georgian, and many Celtic, Saxon, and other regional traditions. The question now becomes which tradition, if any, appeals to the seeker.
Today there are many options available to the person interested in the craft. Much has been written in the past 10 to 15 years on all aspects of Witchcraft and Paganism. One of the most common paths, and the one which many of you will follow (at least for a while) is that of the Solitary Practitioner. A large volume of literature directed at the Solitary Practitioner can be found in the writing of Scott Cunningham. In addition, many of the rituals designed for covens can be adapted to solitary practice. Of the witches I have known who practice with covens, most do solitary work as well.
Another option, and one which brings paganism to the attention of many women (at least) is feminist spirituality. In the modern day alot of research is being done into early civilizations and the role of the Goddess in those civilizations is being written about with more and more regularity. Much of the information available is based on very thin evidence because the civilizations being discussed did not have written records of their religious lives to support or contradict the theories being presented. If you look in the women's studies sections of most bookstores you will find a great many books on women's spirituality and I strongly recommend reading some if you are interested in re-claiming the feminine divine.
Many traditions have complex initiatory rituals, and some have degree systems which show the witch's position within the coven and give some idea of what the witch has accomplished. It is not my intention to say that coven membership is restrictive or that it has no place. The decision to belong to a coven is a purely personal one. Whether one belongs to a coven or not, whether a person is 2nd or 3rd degree or whether they have ever even been formally initiated makes no difference in the eyes of the gods. To say that such differences are important amounts to the petty backstabbing for which so many members of the craft decry some Christian sects. One thing that most approaches to the craft have in common is a belief that there is no "one true path." This would seem to indicate that initiate or not, 3rd degree or solitary, all are the same in the eyes of the goddess.
As Silver RavenWolf says in To Ride A Silver Broomstick, "Each day our history is written." Modern paganism is a living religion, constantly growing and changing. Our belief that there is no single true path and our acceptance of some form of the rede (As it harms none, do as you will) means that each person makes the religion what THEY need. From the time that you begin practicing any form of paganism you are changed. As you change, your beliefs change with you, as do the rites you perform. If we accept this transformation of the religion into something which resonates with each of us, we must also accept that the history of Paganism is re- written with each new person who finds their way to this path. Paganism is not a static religion and each student takes from their teachers (in person, in a group like this one, and in books) the keys to a spiritual future which works for them.
Please continue the discussion of Pagan History.
You should have a notebook for the class, I would recommend dividing your notebook into sections which you will find useful. (ie, you might want to have sections for exercises, journal entries, perhaps a glossary section, one for divination, one for correspondances, one for poetry or writings on the craft).
Decide whether you want your notebok to become your Book of Shadows or if you want to develop a BoS alongside your notebook.
Since this lesson mentions Books of Shadows, search on the web for electronic Books of Shadows. Make note of URLs that you find so that you can share them when have our BoS lesson. Look at how each BoS is organized, what do you like about it, what would you change... This will help you when you start working on yours.
Silver RavenWolf has a list of names at the beginning of her section on history. Go to the library, or search online, and see how many of these people you can find out about. Why does she consider them important? What have they contributed to Paganism?
There are countless other names which could be added to this list and there are some disputes about the contributions of some of the people on the list as well... In exploring the histories of some of these people you may find conflicts (witch wars) in personal philosophies, but what all of these people have done, and one of the things that merits their placement on this list, is they have been *OUT THERE* making our presence known to the world at large...
You can discuss any of these topics on the list or you can take advantage of the time before the official lessons start to do some research on your own.
Warmest Blessings,Document Copyright (c) 1997 Andi Woods-Fasimpaur
This and all related documents can be re-published only as long as no information is changed, credit is given to the author, and is provided or used without cost to others.