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
Baptism is the ceremony where parents and a priest bless a baby in the name of the Christian God and signifies that the child will be brought up Christian.
Wiccaning, also known as paganing and saining, on the other hand is what happens when a baby is blessed with protection, health, and happiness. There is no obligation or strings attached that bind you to any one religion or practice, and wiccaning can be adapted to any religion.
“The Wiccaning is a magickal ceremony for the parents to seek wisdom and guidance, and set their own intentions as they responsibly guide their child in understanding of our world.“ - Michelle
This ceremony is done like so:
Create a traditional altar, adding items such as a special garment and a special amulet for the child to wear that will grant them protection throughout life. Other than that, add the basics such as tributes to each element, gods and ancestors, and whatever tools you may use to create your sacred space
Create a sort of a temple by casting a circle around the altar. This is around when you would light the candles and incense and whatever else
Next, the parents of the child will carry it to the altar while any attending guests will form a circle around them
There are certain words that should be said here, but it largely varies per group and intent, so just do your research and practice a script beforehand
Finish the ceremony by closing the circle however it is traditionally closed
There is a separate wiccan ceremony of induction called an initiation, and it requires having been studying for a year and a day after declaring ones dedication to the craft. After the initiation, there is more study and practice required of course, but the initiation is a proclaiming to anything and everything that you are a regularly practicing witch.
Wiccanings may also be merged with naming ceremonies, in which the only change would be in the words the parents speak. In this, they will do the ceremony specifically on the tenth day after the baby’s birth.
The Würzburg witch trials of 1625–1631, which took place in the self-governing Catholic Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg in the Holy Roman Empire in present-day Germany, is one of the biggest mass trials and mass executions ever seen in Europe, and one of the biggest witch trials in history.
The 15th and 16th century had prominent witch hunts, but no one in America talks about them nearly as much as they talk about Salem. Salem, evidently, has become a sort of attraction. There is nothing wrong with bringing up topics as this for educational purposes and getting people interested and excited about learning of history, however it is undeniable that America, specifically the United States, widely ignored the Germanic witch trials. It even barely acknowledges the trials done in England, which were small in comparison to the atrocities committed in Germany during those witch hunts.
“ The height of the German witch frenzy was marked by the publication of the Malleus Maleficarum (“Hammer of Witches”), a book that became the handbook for witch hunters and Inquisitors. Written in 1486 by Dominicans Heinricus Institoris and Jacobus Sprenge, and first published in Germany in 1487, the main purpose of the Malleus was to systematically refute arguments claiming that witchcraft did not exist, to refute those who expressed skepticism about its reality, to prove that witches were more often women than men, and to educate magistrates on the procedures that could find them out and convict them. The main body of the Malleus text is divided into three parts; part one demonstrates the theoretical reality of sorcery; part two is divided into two distinct sections, or “questions,” which detail the practice of sorcery and its cures; part three describes the legal procedure to be used in the prosecution of witches.“ - Witch Trials in Early Modern Europe and New England
“… [The] clerical/political leaders of territories like Eichstätt, Bamberg, Würzburg, Mainz, or Cologne harshly hunted witches, often by violating civil rights of the accused. Torture could be carried out on hearsay evidence from as few as two witnesses, and contrary evidence by equally valid eyewitnesses could be ignored. Although imperial legal codes were supposed to prohibit repeated torture, professors and lawyers argued that further bouts of torture were a mere continuation of the first application. Tortured victims produced fantastic stories and accusations that fed the frenzy of the hunts. By about 1630 this wave of persecutions petered out. Many critics had raised voices against the entire practice of hunting witches. Friends of the persecuted had appealed to the emperor and institutions of imperial government like the Imperial court in Speyer or the Diet which in turn called for a halt. And many of the biggest foes of witches simply died. Witch hunts throughout the empire would continue to sporadically break out until the witch laws were revoked in the eighteenth century. Authorities legally executed the last witch in the empire, Anna Maria Schwägelin, in 1775.” - A Witchy Hunt: Germany 1628
It goes into detail into what the torture was like and what the logic of the time was. Here is an example of some of what it tells in the story you partake in.
“The judge in the middle says, “We need to be more sure about your connection to witchcraft. You will be examined for the devil’s mark.” The armed men take you to a small room. They take off all your clothing. You are too frightened to protest. An official takes a long needle and begins pricking you.He pokes it into your skin. You are too afraid to say something wrong. You barely flinch, even when he sticks it into unmentionable parts. Blood spots your skin.
The man with the pricker says to the guards, “I have incontrovertibly found the devil’s mark on this person!"They allow you to put your clothing back on. Then they escort you into the courtroom again. You stand before the judges. The judge in the middle says, "We now have serious and certain evidence that you are a witch. Further questioning on the matter will be done by our appointed magistrate. Guards, take the prisoner to a cell."The armed men take you by the arms and lead you out of the courtroom, through the courthouse, to stairs that lead down.“
There are 48 colors of the moon, but here are some of the most frequently talked about colors and what they mean for witches :) I will also discuss some things you can do on any full moon, whatever color it may happen to be! :)
How To Celebrate Every Full Moon
Gather moon water
Cleansing and charging warm-toned crystals in the moonlight
Painting
Doing shadow work whilst observing the moon and meditating
Full Moon Bath Ritual
First things first, before you take this bath, clean the bathtub mindfully using the appropriate scents for your upcoming bath’s intentions
Gather your favorite items and or items related to the pink moon such as stones, a specific drink of your choosing, candles, and perhaps either your shadow book or a book that you see if we connect with
Turn off the lights and work by candlelight, perhaps with appropriately calming music
Meditate in the water along with herbs, flowers, and bath salts chosen according to your intent. You can also finish connecting to each of the elements by adding in the elements of air through incense, however I would argue that the element of air is covered if you decide to take a hot bath or have some kind of purifier on in the room, creating a mist or fog
You can finish your bath by visualizing the cleansing of your soul and magick as you drain the water, and then lightly clean out the tub once again to make sure that all of the herbs and flowers are taken care of and disposed of properly
Finally, take note of how you feel after the ritual and record it for future use
This is a ritual that can be adapted to any full moon, as full moon baths are quite a popular activity.
Pink
The pink moon in witchcraft is generally all about spring.
Also called the egg moon, the grass moon, the pink phlox moon, and many other names, the pink moon is mainly about fertility end growth. It signifies faith in the future and anticipates abundance, and is the perfect time to set new things into motion or make new commitments. It is also a good time to find courage, trust, adaptability, and maturity in relation to new paths in life. It is a wonderful time for reflection and shadow work, and it has been said that doing shadow work during the pink moon is more fulfilling on top of the many other feelings associated with the work.
Red
The red moon in witchcraft is generally all about fall.
Also called Hunter’s moon, the blood moon, the sanguine moon, and many other names, the red moon honors the year that has been and the sacrifices made by the plants and animals used to sustain us. It is a sort of celebration of life for the aspects of nature that gave their lives, and the day is spent honoring ancestors and releasing old griefs. It signifies growth, renewal, wisdom, company, and resting. Associations with the Blood Moon being an omen of destruction to come, but it is also generally understood that the night of the blood moon should be used to celebrate life and the flowing of life in relation to the flooring of blood through your veins. You are to make peace with your past and understand your shadow-self, balancing and enhancing your magical energies and powers through recognizing and letting go of grief.
Blue
The blue moon in witchcraft is an extra full moon in any season and occurs once every 2.7 years. There are some negative connotations fine Blue Moon because it confuses people who were attempting to prepare for various types of weather and crop rotations. This, and another negative connotation spawns from the fact that with the addition of this extra Moon there is an unlucky number of 13 full moons in that year instead of 12. However the Blue Moon is quite a fortune in time when it comes to Witchcraft because it is seen as a taken moment; a time of the year that is separated from the norm and ergo the perfect opportunity to re-gather ones senses and hope for the superstitious “once in a blue moon” luck of something unusual. The blue moon is also a time where you should set goals, as they will be strengthened under this moonlight. You can also utilize the blue moon to call for safety, joy, peace, love, health, energy, and empowerment. Meditation is best done in the moonlight of this night, and most you will see better results from verbal magick and spells. This is the perfect time to prepare yourself for what’s to come. It acts as the perfect break to collect yourself before continuing on with your craft following this night.
sources: scattered but mainly from “Wicca Year of Magic” by Lisa Chamberlain. Overall a good book but here are a few gripes: not very inclusive.. just uses she/her pronouns when talking about witches. talks about requiring a lot of tools when not all are necessary. however it’s a good book for beginners, talks about history very well, and generally promotes differing perspectives and ways of practicing the craft
Our button machines make other things like magnets and hand mirrors that are like buttons but there is a round mirrors set in the back.
I just had a dumb idea to to make hand mirrors with the fool from the tarot on the other side.
Not sure if it’s a good idea so I’m just going to leave this here.
I did the thing. To the folks that had questions about these, this is what they look like in the 3.5" size. I’ll add the fool ones and a few others with moons and pentacle a on them to the the website soon. I also made magnet and button sets of symbols for the elements.
I’d also like to remind you that my before the pandemic, the primary part of my income was making custom buttons at Portland Button Works. Our machines can also make other round things like these mirrors but also magnets and bottle opener Keychain. You can put anything you want on one. We can also do quantities as small as one, the price just breaks at higher quantities.
I love this cheeky little fool mirror. That would be a great witchy gift for friends or covers even!
I kind of want a scrying mirror this size and might have to talk to you about something cool like that! I love button presses lol
