Origins of Wicca
The religion of Wicca began in the 20th century. It has no roots in paganism, but is notably known for having been inspired by a myriad of different practices, specifically honing in on putting a modern twist on traditional practices.
It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was introduced to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant. Wicca draws upon a diverse set of ancient pagan and 20th-century hermetic motifs for its theological structure and ritual practices.
To understand the origins of Wicca and how it became so widespread, we need to understand the Feminist movements that inspired its growth, such as The Goddess Movement.
(Gerald Gardner)
The Goddess Movement was one of the many ways in which witchcraft would begin to separate itself from the devil and its negative associations, and “Although the belief systems and practices of modern witches vary widely from group to group, there are generally consistent qualities: a female principle is deified, equal to or greater than a male principle; body and soul are interdependent; nature is sacred; individual will is sacred and powerful; time is cyclical; sexuality, spontaneity, imagination, and play are sacred and often incorporated into ritual; and the experience of pleasure is sacred--a positive life force. Worship can be monotheistic, polytheistic, or pantheistic.” (Dumpert, 1999), This is formally known as The Goddess Movement, and is a particularly modern view on witchcraft and Wicca in relation to its reclaiming into today’s world.
This movement describes the spiritual beliefs or practices (mainly in neopaganism) that grew as a reaction to perceptions of predominant organized religion as male dominated, and makes use of goddess worship and focus on gender and femininity. It is widespread and non-centralized and the practices vary widely. The Goddess Movement is also referred to by some as being a form of cultural religiosity that is increasingly diverse, graphically widespread, eclectic and more dynamic in process.
The goddess in this context is the same goddess worshipped in Wicca, which was explained in the article, however the goddess movement is not entirely Wiccan-based, nor is it bound to any other religion worshiping a female God. Instead it is a conglomeration of multiple religions and practices of worshipping femininity and female gods with the intent of redefining religion as something that is not male dominated.
Some, such as dianic-wiccans, exclusively worship female deities while others do not. It is shown that “In some parts of Europe, women believed that they participated in nighttime spiritual journeys led by the goddess Diana or by other supernatural female figures. These nighttime spiritual assemblies would dance, feast, and occasionally enter the homes of neighbors, rewarding the hospitable and punishing the slovenly. The wild ride with Diana was a form of folk belief in the "wild hunt," a troop of spirits led by a female or male deity that rode out at night, striking terror in those who encountered it. During the Middle Ages, the Christian view of these beliefs changed. Early in the period they were seen as merely superstitious and mistaken, but towards the tenth and eleventh centuries they began to be considered heretical. The Canon Episcopi, a legal document of the Frankish kingdom issued about 900 CE, condemns "wicked women… who believe that they ride out at night on beasts with Diana, the pagan goddess.…Such fantasies are thrust into the minds of faithless people not by God but by the Devil." Gradually, the folk concept of the wild hunt, with its feasting, music, and dancing, was transformed into the diabolical sabbat, a nocturnal assembly of witches under the direction of the devil where horrible acts took place.” (Russell, 2005).
Belief systems range from monotheistic to polytheistic to pantheistic, encompassing a range of theological variety similar to that in the broader neopagan community. Wicca has huge impacts on witchcraft because witchcraft directly derives many of the topics, ideas, and even practices of wicca despite not being religiously tied down to anything. Today, there are witches of many religions who still come together to worship and celebrate wiccan holidays as a part of their craft
Sources:
Dumpert, J. (1999). Witchcraft: Contemporary Witchcraft Movement. In S. Young (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Women and World Religion. Macmillan Reference USA.
Burton, J., & Magliocco, S. (2005). Witchcraft: Concepts of Witchcraft (L.Jones, Ed.). Gale In Context: World History. Retrieved March 17, 2021, from vol. 14, Macmillan Reference USA,2005, pp. 9768-9776
Picture of flying witches - https://www.history.com/topics/folklore/history-of-witches
Picture of Gardner - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Gardner_(Wiccan)
Picture of nature and pentagram - https://www.history.com/topics/religion/wicca
