What Is Wicca?

Wicca is a tradition of Witchcraft popularized by Gerald Gardner in the 1950s. Although many of its traditions predate Gardner’s synthesis of practices by centuries, it was only then that Wicca as we know it today came into being. Many people confuse Wicca with Witchcraft; while Wicca does use Witchcraft, all Witchcraft is not necessarily Wiccan. Similarly, while there are Covens in Wicca, not all Witchcraft Covens are Wiccan.

Wiccan rituals are nature-based, and focus upon two balanced deities represented by the Goddess and the Horned God. The former, the Goddess, is indicative of fertility, of love, and of, to put it in Eastern terminology, the Yin. Conversely, the Horned God is symbolic of strength, creation, and what would be in Eastern philosophy the Yang. These opposing male and female forces constitute one whole. As such, Wicca is a tradition that very much strives for balance.

Wicca is also far more concerned with morality than other magical practices, such as Voodoo or Obeah. For example, curses in almost all situations are frowned upon in Wicca. One Wiccan tenant, the Wiccan Rede, states that you may do as you wish as long as it harms none. Similarly, the Wiccan Law of Threefold Return states that whatever you do will return to you threefold. It easy to see how these things can come into conflict with certain magical practices, such as the placing of hexes and curses on others.

However, it should be noted that not all Witches subscribe to such beliefs. Many are willing to perform curses type spells, do not believe in the Wiccan Rede or Law of Threefold Return. These same Witches would consider such laws and claims dogmatic, particularly the assertion that Threefold Return is a “law” of such. While there is much to say for the premise that what you do will come back to you, there is also the question regarding the rigidness of Wiccan morality and the authority to place such judgments upon another for the spells they choose to cast.

One notable deviation from traditional Wicca is that of Dianic Wicca. Primarily female-oriented, Dianic Wicca excludes the worship of the Horned God and focuses strictly on the worship of the Goddess. Many Dianic rituals focus on themes of feminism, fertility, and the power of the female spirit. Similarly, most Dianic Covens are female-only, in sharp contrast to traditional Wiccan covens that require both male and female members for their respective roles as worshippers of the Horned God and Goddess. And although stemming from Wicca proper, many Dianic Wiccans are moving away from self-identification as “Wiccan” and more toward a new form of Witchcraft they simply refer to as Dianic in one form or another.

Another central element to Wicca is the Book of Shadows. Not a single book, but rather a collective recording of the rituals, principles, and events within any given coven. As this is a collective journal, each Coven will have a very different Book of Shadows. These are traditionally kept secret, although some large Covens have opted to publish sections in the past. Typically, a Book of Shadows could be called analogous to the Bible of the Coven.