Introduction
Wicca is a neo-pagan (modern pagan) religion influenced by ancient pagan beliefs. It is a natural magic cult where Wiccans perform West-European rituals to give honor to nature. This belief did not become widespread long ago, but more than a million people now identify with Wiccans. The cultural memory has been shaped by the experience of ancient religious movements and used to benefit those around them. The word “witch” is often used about them, but not all Wiccans call themselves so. Nevertheless, witchcraft is the most critical aspect of the religion, and Wiccans are most often represented as strong female witches in the culture.
Historical Location
Wicca is believed to be a collection of many religious beliefs that originated in England before the arrival of Christianity. The origins of the popularization of Wicca come from the mid-twentieth century: Gerald Gardner propagated the idea of witchcraft and laid down the principles of this religion. He argued that it was a surviving modern religion of ancient witchcraft that had existed in secret for centuries, with its roots in pre-Christian European paganism (Aufderbruck-Londres, 2017). Although the authenticity of Gardner’s opinion cannot be proven, he contributed significantly to the spread of the cultural idea of Wicca. Wiccans themselves believe that the roots of the religion go back to prehistoric cults: the worship of Mother Earth and the Great Goddess.
It is difficult to verify the authenticity of the origin of Wicca, but its roots lie in ancient pagan cultures. Literary sources confirm this: Margaret Murray has long compared witchcraft rituals and Christianity; she has also studied the characteristics of paganism as magic. In addition, Murray researched the transformation of Wiccan culture, and many followers agreed with her ideas. Although there were several significant studies of Wicca before and after Murray, it was not until the repeal of the Witchcraft Act of 1735 that the adaptation and spread of this religion began (Aufderbruck-Londres, 2017). Gardner made a tremendous contribution, for which he was also initiated as one of the witches. He popularized Wicca considerably and enshrined the central tenet, “Do what you will as long as you do not harm anyone” (Timeline – World History Documentaries, 2017). It allowed Wicca to gain a foothold in the British Isles and then migrate to the United States, where it was instantly incorporated into the culture.
Wicca did not stop spreading: although the British media continued to discredit and deny the truth of the group’s beliefs, Wicca spread as far as Australia. Australia and the United States served as a new round of development of the cultural idea of Wicca because these countries already contained many pagan motifs. New traditions of Wicca based on local folklore and mixed with the basic traditions of the Gardnerian doctrine were emerging there. In Great Britain, followers of the Gardnerian tradition began to undergo their initiation, and their numbers increased significantly (Gottlieb, 2017). A branch known as Alexandrian Wicca emerged from one of them, though it is claimed that this tradition arose from a traditional source. Increasing popularity on both sides of the Atlantic, and in other countries, along with growing print runs, calculated to get many people to start practicing Wicca without being a coven member or undergoing initiation to get such an opportunity. In response, traditionally initiated Wiccans in North America began to describe their tradition as the British Wicca tradition.
Multiple branching out quickly contributed to the social adaptation of Wicca, and as early as the second half of the 20th century, the literature on Wicca was no longer taboo. Although it continues to be questioned by skeptics opposed to all religious beliefs, the culture flourished. At the end of the 20th century, Wicca smoothly flooded Brazil, with communities springing up in major cities like Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo. These communities served as a significant impetus for developing religious beliefs in Brazil and then substantiated Wiccan solid movements.
Quantification
The number of Wiccans worldwide is not officially known. It has been found that it is more difficult to establish the number of members of neo-pagan religions than any other religion because of their family structure or clans. The difficulty arises because the census does not yet allow separation within a pagan context. It means that Wiccans are often left in the same pagan group as other faiths, which affects their perception of society. While in England, this division is leveled out, with about 65% of all Pagans identifying themselves as Wiccans according to surveys, in the US, Australia, and other countries, self-identification is much easier (Timeline – World History Documentaries, 2017). More than a million people are believed to identify as Wiccans in the United States (Berger, 2021). Despite the differences between traditions, all Wiccans generally hold similar ideological motives.
Wicca in Culture
Wicca is the most famous magical movement in the Western world and one of the pillars of the new age. The image of the witch in European culture has been very closely linked to women. Wicca grows out of the cultural image and becomes a distinctly feminine religion. The magic is the realization of women’s rights and potential. There are usually men in the coven: they may even play an important role, but the head of the coven will always be a woman. Some branches of Wicca believe that they can do without men in their tradition altogether (Gottlieb, 2017). Such an interpretation is most often found in portrayals of Wicca culture. Many films and books are dedicated to female characters who worship the forces of nature and the Great Goddess.
The Wicca movement can be viewed from a historical and cultural perspective in the work of M. Z. Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon, retelling King Arthur’s legend from a female perspective. The tale recounts the years when the world of the Christian God had not yet displaced the world of the Fae from the canvas of time, and magic was a commonplace affair (Bradley, 1984). The protagonist of the story is Morgana, a hereditary witch who strives to preserve the ancient beliefs in Britain. She has noble status, is the high priestess of Avalon, and is torn by the arrival of Christianity in her world. Morgana’s chief tragedy is that ancient pagan beliefs are being pushed out of Britain because her half-brother Arthur sees the political picture of the world differently. Mists demonstrate the origins and transformation of Wicca and tell of their traditions. The tale provides insight into the cultural heritage of Wicca as a pagan phenomenon that has always been on the side of the good.
The cultural identification of Wicca through Mists conveys a common sentiment in historical terms: war and political games forced the people to renounce paganism and come to a unified religious movement, Protestant England. Mists told the story of how the role of women changed in history and Wicca culture and solidified the idea of women’s supremacy (Bradley, 1984). Morgana’s image is similar to traditional beliefs in the supremacy of the supreme goddess and the unity of womanhood with nature. It is the feminist motifs that become the primary interpretation of the Wiccan religion.
Bradley demonstrates that the pagan customs of Avalon have always been closely related to women, which allows us to conclude that Wicca originated long ago. Witchcraft, as a phenomenon, referred to women, and paganism recognized their connection to nature. Thus, Bradley created a cultural identity for Wicca: a strong woman who found an alternative to religious belief. She asserted that neo-pagan movements were the primary way to preserve reason and order, while Judeo-Christian organized religions were clouding the political minds of men (Bradley, 1984). The cultural appropriation of Wicca is realized precisely through the sensible paganism carried by women to secure their minds from God. Goddess worship and respect for women is the image Bradley created for Wiccans, which is quite correct and accurate.
Conclusion
Wicca is a neo-pagan movement that developed the idea of the unity of nature primarily through the feminine and the worship of the Supreme Goddess. It is believed that the movement originated in England from ancient European religious beliefs. One of the popularizers of Wicca was G. Gardner, who spread principled traditions. It is difficult to estimate the number of followers because of the difficulty of self-identifying as pagans, but about one million American citizens identify themselves as Wicca. Among the cultural aspects is the narrative of M. Z. Bradley, who recognized the Wicca culture as a current in which women indeed derived their power through union with nature. Goddess worship became the main narrative, which is the most practical paganism.
References
Aufderbruck-Londres, D. (2017). The impact of paganism on the Anglo-Saxon cultural identity through popular culture.
Berger, H. A. (2021). What is Wicca? An expert on modern witchcraft explains. The conversation.
Bradley, M. Z. (1983). The mist of Avalon. Alfred A. Knopf.
Gottlieb, K. (2017). Cultural appropriation in contemporary Neopaganism and witchcraft. Honors College, 304.
Timeline – World History Documentaries. (2017).Witchcraft: The truth behind the world’s fastest-growing religion (pagan documentary) [Video]. YouTube.