SOCIAL RELIGION

Social religion

Social religion

Introduction

Wicca is one of a group of earth-based or neo-pagan religious movements centered on nature and goddess worship that have flourished primarily in Europe and North America since the 20th century. Wicca is a belief system and a way of life that emphasizes oneness with the divine and the interconnectedness of all beings, nature, and the cosmos. It is mainly influenced by pre-Christian Indo-European religions, but it also draws from many of the world's spiritual traditions. Wicca is also referred to as witchcraft, or “the Craft,” and practitioners may identify themselves as either “Wiccan” or as a “Witch.” Wiccans believe that the word's meaning is “to bend” or “to shape” reflecting a belief in magic as “bending” natural and cosmic forces. This entry describes Wicca as a religion and as a spiritual movement, including Wiccan views of divinity, ethics, traditions, and spiritual practice, and will close with a brief summary of Wicca's views on women and on women's standing in the religion.

Most Wiccans believe that their religion dates to Paleolithic times when the cycles of nature were celebrated in sacred seasonal festivals and a Great Goddess reigned supreme. Today, Wiccans look to the past to creatively reconstruct these ancient religions. Modern Wiccans have reacted against monotheistic patriarchal religious institutions, which they view as sexist, oppressive, and elitist. Wiccans believe that humans' separation from nature has had devastating consequences, and they seek to reestablish the human connection with nature and to restore a sacred ground to existence. Because of its alternative ideas and recent origin, Wicca is considered a new religious movement. Wicca's inclusiveness and the freedom to direct one's spiritual life lend appeal.

Discussion

Wicca lacks a formal structure and is made up of many subtraditions, so it is diverse and difficult to characterize. There are, however, core beliefs that all Wiccans share. Wiccans believe that nature and all beings are sacred. The natural world comprises four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Human beings are made up of energies associated with the elements. The spirit unites the four in harmony and wholeness. This model of the sacred is symbolized by the pentagram or pentacle—a five-pointed star with each point representing one element and the spirit, enclosed by a circle signifying the spirit. Wiccans believe that every moment and experience is sacred and that the divine is present in all things in the here and now.

Deities are viewed as personifications of universal principles or as aspects of a singular godhead, and are imaged as both male (the god) and female (the goddess). The goddess usually has some degree of primacy because she is viewed as the source of life and of limitless power. Wiccan worship typically revolves around the goddess, who is imaged in three forms— maiden, mother, and crone. The three forms mirror the phases of the moon cycle—waxing, full, and waning. The male aspect of deity is usually represented by the “horned god” and associated with the animal world. Wiccans draw from pantheons and mythologies of the world's ...