Wicca can be traced to
ancient people who worshipped a fertility goddess
The
History of Wicca - Where Did The Craft Originate?
by James
Johnson
The history of
Wicca or "The Craft" is complex but traditional Wicca is rooted in
the so called "British Mystery Traditions", for example the Picts,
who existed before the rise of Celtic consciousness, the Celts, and
some Celtic Druidism.
Wicca predates
Christianity by about 28 000 years.
A variety of
archaeological discoveries, reveal that the history of Wicca can be
traced as far back as the Paleolithic peoples who worshipped a
Hunter God and a Fertility Goddess. Cave paintings, that are dated
at around 30,000 years old, depict a man with the head of a stag,
and a pregnant woman standing in a circle with eleven other people.
Modern
American Wicca has its roots in British Wicca, brought to the United
States in the late 1950's by English and American initiates of
Gardnerian, Alexandrian and Celtic Wicca. These are different forms
of Wiccan tradition. All of these cultures form part and parcel of
the history of Wicca.
The ancient
Greek Mysteries of Eleusis, Italian Mysteries of Rome, Etruria and
the general countryside, Mysteries of Egypt and Persia before Islam,
and various Babylonian, Assyrian and other mid-eastern Mysteries
also find a place in the history of Wicca and its beliefs and
traditional practices. Perhaps the best way to describe Wicca is to
call it a modern religion, based on ancient witchcraft traditions.
But do bear in mind that not all those who practice witchcraft today
are Wiccas.
Wicca is a
both a belief system and a way of life. Over the years information
about how Wiccan ancestors lived and worshipped has been lost due to
actions of the medieval church. However, modern Wiccas have tried to
reconstruct the history of Wicca in an effort to lay the foundation
for their practices.
During ancient
times Wicca was called "The Craft of the Wise". This name was
derived from the fact that most Wiccas aligned themselves with the
forces of nature. They also had knowledge of herbs and medicines,
gave council and were important in the village and community as
Shamanic healers and leaders. The history of Wicca indicates that
Wiccas once had a prized place in society which is quite a contrast
to how they are viewed today.
Ancient Wiccas
felt that man was not superior to nature, the earth and its
creatures. Instead they were only one aspect of the world. The idea
of sustainable development to maintain balance and equilibrium was
central to the belief systems of the ancient Wicca. The history of
Wicca is a far cry from the way that man views the earth today.
In the last
several hundred years, witchcraft and witches have been incorrectly
labeled as evil and unrighteous. Where do these ideas that form so
much a part of the history of Wicca originate? Some Wiccas believe
that the medieval church of the 15th through 18th centuries created
these myths.
This was done
in an effort to covert people to Christianity. The history of Wicca
contains many stories of the persecution of witches based on so
called "evil" practices.
Another theory
about the history of Wicca is that as medical science became more
prominent in society those who did these initial studies did not
understand female physiology, especially menstruation. This
"mystery" seemed to fit in with the churches agenda in labeling
healers as evil heathens and placing power and respect in the hands
of male physicians.
Many of these
myths and superstitions have survived in modern times giving The
Craft a bad name. While Wicca is essentially witchcraft, those who
practice it usually do not refer to it as such because of these
negative connotations. The history of Wicca is important since it is
the persecution of those who practiced it that has led to its
current ethic of "religious freedom first".
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