Lately there has been a rash of articles on Witchvox concerning the origin of Wicca. Whether Gardner made it all up or did he actually get his knowledge from the New Forest Coven. The data cited runs from historical documents to a claim that a woman is a reincarnated member of the original New Forest Coven.
My only comment on this, is "Does it really matter?"
For me Wicca works. I feel the presences of the Gods on a daily basis, I know my worship is valid. So who cares if it is fifty years old or fifty-thousand years old? There is no need for me to validate my religion to anyone or anything.
With the other religions of the world claiming a much more ancient heritage, it can be disheartening to hear or know that our religion only goes back to the 1950's with credible proof and with shaky proof only a decade or so earlier. Although many of our spiritual practices are a reclaimed version of something that our distant ancestors did.
I bring this up because it is a question that I think our kids may ask at some time in the future. If we choose to raise them as Pagan they are going to ask the questions about our history. And we need to think about our answer before they do.
But I am interested in hearing what you all think. Please comment below.
Blessed Be!
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5 Comments:
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chritch
on
June 24, 2009 12:59 PM
Another great post Patrick-not that I expect anything less :-). I agree with you that what does it really matter whether Wicca is 50 years old or 5,000? From an Anthropological perspective there were Pagan beliefs and practices thousands of years ago and I think it is perfectly okay to teach our children both the modern and ancient history of our beliefs. The truth is all religions are man-made and have skeptical beginnings-i.e. did Joseph Smith really see golden tablets in the woods? The important thing to remember is that your spiritual journey and relationship with the Divine is real and personal. Religion is just the cultural practices within a belief system and religions change or adapt all the time. Everyone has the choice to use whichever method or religion works for them. Life is too short to waste on arguing religious semantics. We should get off our couches and start reconnecting to the Divine and our own Divinity!
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Patrick McCleary
on
June 24, 2009 9:10 PM
You're going to make me blush. Thanks for the compliment.
Although I think you stated it better than me. I completely agree that we need to connect back to the Divine that we all came from. -
Anonymous
on
June 27, 2009 1:56 PM
well I am not that well versed on which pagan traditions come from which group - wicca, druid, etc. But what I do know about the ancient roots of paganism is that humans worshiped the feminine divine well before Christ and that the ancient Greeks, Romans, Gaelic, and Germanic all worshiped a pantheon of gods that we know today. So if someone in the 1950's made up one little ritual or one little fact and added it to the religion as a whole, that doesn't change the larger history and the fact that Paganism is as old as the other religions. To say we are not, is like saying that being Lutheran is not being a true "Christian" because it wasn't the first variety of that religion.
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hexeengel
on
July 10, 2009 3:28 PM
Related website: http://esoterica.bichaunt.org
(sorry for the late comment) -
Patrick McCleary
on
July 12, 2009 8:00 PM
Thanks for the link.
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