An interesting conversation came up on a message board I frequent. The discussion was about calling yourself a witch. Some people think that all it takes to be a Wiccan is to call yourself one, and some people think there’s more to it than that.
I think the whole notion of being a member of a religion based solely on declaration is rooted in a cultural understanding of religion derived from Christianity. While many Christians argue that ‘those other folks’ aren’t Real Christians™, the basic thrust is that if you believe in Christ you will be saved, and this conception permeates people’s understanding of what it means to be a religious person. In fact, often I’ve seen people struggle to understand that a “religion” can be something other than the standard definitions used in Christianity or, sometimes, Judaism. Religion “is” belief in a creator deity, it “is” based in a Holy Book, it “is” defined by belief.
Not so much.
For me, as a Jew, I have no difficulty understanding that different religions define and gatekeep their boundaries in different ways. Judaism is defined exclusively by birth or a long and complex conversion experience. You can believe you are a Jew until the kosher cows come home; if your mother isn’t Jewish and you haven’t converted in temple, then you ain’t. Period.
But because faith is our most common cultural model, people apply that model willy-nilly, and believe it can be properly applied to Wicca. In fact, Wicca doesn’t work on a faith model, and that is a difficult concept for people who are still rooted in the larger culture.
Traditional Wicca works on a lineage model. You’re Wiccan because you were initiated as a Wiccan by a Wiccan in a proscribed initiation ceremony. Some people feel this is elitist or exclusionary. It’s neither; it’s a way of defining boundaries. Okay, maybe “exclusionary” is a fitting word, because boundaries exclude. They also embrace. A door is exclusionary, one side of it puts you in the house, the other puts you outside the house, but there’s no implied superiority of inside over outside.
Again, people resent this because they’re assuming a faith-based model, but that’s a wrong assumption.
Eclectic Wicca is also most accurately defined by practice, not by belief. You’re an eclectic Wiccan because you do things that Wiccans do; you cast circles, call quarters, mark holidays, worship the Lord and Lady. These are all behaviors. You might think the “worship” part is where faith comes in, but worship, too, is an activity; it is external, not internal. It’s a thing you do. I didn’t say “believe in” the Lord and Lady. Some Wiccans, as a matter of fact, don’t believe in the Lord and Lady; their worship is purely metaphorical and symbolic. They’re still Wiccan.
I had stopped reading blogs for a while, as it is my nature to do something really strongly for a few months and then stop all together. You blog I come back to every few months, I read and read and read and it is because of posts like this that I do so.
I have always respected your insight and tend to agree with you.
I have had this argument time and again.
“I’m Wiccan because I cast spells and believe in a Goddess.”
“No, I’m Wiccan because I actively worship a Feminine and Masculine Divine, Cast a Circle, I research and devote my time to my practice and do what other Wiccans do. Wicca is a religion where Action honestly does speak louder than mere words.”
You know as well as I do that my HPs doesn’t always believe in a Great Goddess and Consorting God, but strongly understands them as symbols in our subconscious and the power associated with them and works her rituals because of this.
I like that you put this forward and have said similar things, as an eclectic Pagan, such as what I said on a MW thread discussing what religion “is.” http://mysticwicks.com/showpost.php?p=3421404&postcount=14
I concluded with this. Ultimately, I ideally view religion more as being a set of rites, practices, and a web of virtues, with a maximum emphasis on connection and personal excellence and minimal emphasis on belief. This allows a person involvement in multiple religions/paths, and doesn’t view morals, ethics, or virtues as proprietary, because when that happens, then we get into power struggles.
I’m not someone who spends a whole lot of time considering issues of “religion” and “faith”. I have always thought of the two as being pretty much interchangeable – it never occurred to me to disassociate “Faith” from “religion”. And I have to say I struggle more with the idea of disassociating “worship” and “belief”. I guess I don’t understand why a person would regularly engage in symbolic and metaphorical rituals to deity(s) that they don’t believe in.
It’s not that they don’t believe in them, Ken, it’s that they may not believe in them as literally true. They may be engaging in these behaviors as a cultural, social, or psychological practice.
Personally, I believe in my Gods, but there are definitely those who don’t. Hell, I know Jews who fast on Yom Kippur who don’t believe in God. They do it because it is important to them to maintain a tradition and a connection to their culture.
Some Pagans who perform Pagan ritual may be suspending disbelief, and may be doing it for the same reason you suspend disbelief in the theater; to have a satisfying experience.
So out of curiosity, what is Wicca without boundaries? Does it dissolve into a generic neo-paganism, or does it lose meaning altogether?
Re: Paganism and Suicide : the classical Buddhist teaching…
And yet paganism is most definitely a religion.
My sister happened to pos……
It’s a good question, Amy. Generic neo-paganism is one possibility, probably the typical one, but then there are the “Christian Wiccans” and the other blends that make no sense to me, as well as people who don’t have any kind of practice at all—so what’s the point?
but then there are the “Christian Wiccans” and the other blends that make no sense to me…
There’s a guy in my area who practices/teaches “Zen Wicca.” He also claims to be writing a book that’s going to Finally Reveal the Truth about Wicca, thereby destroying the credibility of those snobby, elitist British Traditionals.
Call me a yokel, but that doesn’t strike me as very Zen.
I’ve been struggling with this myself. I volunteer in prison ministry and within prisons, there are specific privileges that are granted to a member of a religion. For example, Jews get kosher food, Catholics get crucifixes and Bibles, and Wiccans get pentacles, tarot cards, and in one institution I worked at, herbal tea.
The challenge comes in when an inmate wishes to change their religion to Wicca. Some might do it for sincere religious reasons and others will do it just because they want the privileges granted.
So, what should the rules be for determining if someone is truly Wiccan or not? I have not come up with an answer yet. I’m glad that no prison has asked me that question yet, but I know it will happen someday, especially with the current controversy in Washington about an inmate declaring multiple religions.
I think your definition is a bit too restrictive. For example, in South Dakota, where I currently live, there are extremely few practicing circles (I only know of 2 in the state). There may be others who are practicing underground, but for people new to the religion, your definition makes it nearly impossible for people in remote areas to convert.
I do understand your point about it being too easy to call oneself Wiccan, though. I know of many Wiccans who seem to be such in name only.
Over the next few centuries, I think this question will work itself out. It took Christians 200 years to come to a consensus on this question for their religion, and it was done by force and coercion. Since Wiccans fiercely reject coercion, I don’t expect it to be resolved any faster with us.
Thanks for the thought-provoking post.
Thank you for doing this important work, Morninghawk.
Eclectic Wicca embraces the solitary path, and there is nothing wrong with choosing that path.
A prisoner obviously has limitations on practice. You can certainly practice Wicca without tools where tools are impossible to get. You can construct, for example, an “astral athame” and cast a circle with this invisible tool.
And regardless of how you view your own practice, you can call yourself a Wiccan Seeker or Aspirant.
I agree with your points, Deb, but you also recognize that there is value in Solitary Wicca, in Eclectic Wicca, and in Paganism. My problem is with Traditional Wiccans who believe Wicca is only legitimate or “real” if it’s Traditional.
Well, some people are snots. Other people are merely guarding the integrity of the word. 25 years ago, Wicca was, in fact, either initiatory or not Wicca. Usage has changed.
I kind of liken it to a medical professional who doesn’t want to see “crazy” used to mean wacky or wild. Technically they can make a good case. But usage changes, and the colloquial use of “crazy” is legitimate. I think I posted on the language issue before, but it’s worth revisiting.
i am a searcher. I profess myself as a Christian, that has not changed, but I have always been a progressive Christian. Throughout my entire life I have been drawn to magic, to the unexplained, the mysitical side of faith. Mainstream Christianity has lost touch with the mystery of our faith, and more and more I realize the common bond we have to the ancient ways of the pagan.
I find no conflict with this, and am trying to come to grips with it in my own personal faith path.
I am not a wiccan, but I feel a pull to many of it’s rituals, ideas and it’s sense of inner peace with the nature around us.
Can anyone speak to me to what I may be feeling.
A side note, it is hard to let go of many of the warnings I heard all my life with regards to Christianity and pagan worship. It is hard to let go of old fears.
thank you for listening.
Jerusha, you’re not going to get much discussion from a post that is over two months old, so you may want to go to a forum rather than a blog.
The website Mystic Wicks, linked on the right, is an excellent resource.
I can tell you that I don’t think Wicca is a natural home for a Christian, but there are many mystical and magical paths that can work harmoniously with Christianity.
Thank you for your help.