Notice I did not title this "The History of Witchcraft". Discussions of a historical perspective of Witchcraft are some of the most controversial discussions we have. There is much disagreement on every subject, from the derivation of the word "Wicca" to whether or not there are any true family traditions. The idea that the old ways have endured intact and in secrecy through the years of Judeo-Christian supremacy in the west is intoxicating and alluring, but difficult to support with documented evidence. Although there is a keen interest in Celtic derivations, it is very difficult to document from a historical perspective. The Celts (although a desire exists to assign them to the region of what is now identified as the United Kingdom) were actually a nomadic culture that was believed to occupy many areas of Europe. When you examine some of the specific cultural variations (Strega or Norse for example) there is more documented support for continuation of regional paganism, but in the interest of presenting an overview of paganism rather than teaching a specific tradition, I will stick to what I know.
Contrary to the Christian Mythology that declares that Man is made in the image of God, quite the reverse is the basis for Earth based Religion.
Early man lived from day to day, hunting and gathering the necessities that were required to sustain life. Over time, observations were made that certain times of the year produced better results than other times. As these observations were recorded, usually as drawings, the idea of a higher being or perhaps consciousness, was perceived. Early man also discovered the relationship between himself and all of nature. The perception of the connection that developed eventually evolved into what we identify as Religion. Icons, in the image of the beast to be hunted were created. Hunters discovered that by assuming the characteristics of the beast to be hunted, they would be much more successful in the hunt. Eventually, over generations, these Icons were perceived as what we now call Gods. Hence, the concept of "The Lord of the Hunt". This was an image created by man in his image, with the characteristics (aspects) of the beast.
Many mysteries were observed by early man, without any understanding of the underlying reasons for them. Fermentation is one of the early mysteries. Imagine for example, the reaction to the result of this natural process. Surely, something magical must have happened to cause such a wonderful transformation.
Women, who stayed at home in the village, while the men hunted and gathered, were no doubt equally mystified when the food they buried for storage burst from the ground and reproduced in kind. Year after year, generation after generation, women learned through acquired knowledge, that certain parts of plants, when covered by the ground they walked on, would bring forth new plants from the old. They also observed the effect of water on the plant. When water came from the sky, the plants would grow. When the water did not come from the sky, the plants would not emerge, but simply wait. They also observed that the plants needed the light from the sky. When they buried the same plant parts inside a cave or other covered structure, the plant would either just barely live or would adapt and find the light it needed to live. Women learned the relationship between our Mother the Earth, and our Father, the Sky. Women had already learned the relationship between the mystery of childbirth and their own bodies and the requirement to join with men. Since there was a physical comparison between the sprouting of plants from the Earth and the birth of children from the women, the association of Mother Earth and Father Sky was natural. Hence, the concept of the Goddess, who was created in the image of a human girl (Maiden), Mother and mature woman (Crone). The Sky Father, who has many names, was also created in three aspects. The young aspect of the Sky Father was believed to be the Son of the Earth Mother because of the emergence every day of the Sun from the edge of Mother Earth. It was also observed that as time went by the Sun would get stronger and provide more and more of the life giving light and water to the Mother. When the Sun was at its' strongest, the Aspect was compared to the Mature Man image. But, as time passed, the Sun Father (Man image) would grow weak and the light of the Sun would become shorter and shorter. Eventually, the Sky Father would be overtaken by the "Lord of Darkness". It was a logical deduction that early man would perceive the "Lord of Darkness" . By this time in the evolution of thought, it could be clearly observed that everything in nature existed in balance:
Before we delve farther into this historical perspective, a common understanding of the term Pagan must be established. Before the Christian era, it is unlikely that the term Pagan as we know it, existed, except as it's original Latin derivative "Paganus" used to describe "A Country Dweller". I have also seen it used to describe an illiterate person, i.e. "Yokel; an unsophisticated, uneducated small town person. However, within this document, Pagan is defined as; someone that practices a Pre-Christian Polytheistic Earth based Religion.
The advent of the Christian Era and the acceptance of Christianity as a state religion brought with it a mass conversion of the populace to Christianity. It was during this conversion period that the negative connotation of Pagan was used by the Christian leaders to describe the many original and independent thinkers that refused to be controlled by the State sponsored Christian Church.
Generally separate and apart from the Religious aspect of Paganism were the Wizards and Sorcerers who practiced magic. I use the term Magic in the context of affecting a change to reality through the use of both the "Light and Dark" forces of the natural world. Any magical system, to be effective, must, in all cases, maintain a balance between all of the forces of nature.
Whether the Inquisition "officially" targeted those who followed the old religions or not is hotly debated (certainly in Christian circles), but it is safe to say that fear of persecution drove those who did remain true to their polytheistic beliefs underground and encouraged them to put a Christian face on their family practices. What is known, is that any who were identified as Sorcerers or Wizards (the practice of Magick - not necessarily associated with Religion), were accused of diabolical Witchcraft and either burned alive, decapitated (thought to be merciful) or hung by the neck. Later, the Catholic Church, in concert with other Christians, renounced the existance of Witches.
It is possible to reconstruct pre-Christian paganism from ancient sources. The Asatru of today are one of the more visible pagan groups practicing this type of reconstructionist paganism. There are also a large number of people practicing reconstruction's of ancient Greek, Roman or Egyptian paganism. There are also many people that have created neo-Pagan Spiritual belief systems by drawing on many cultural influences. Reconstructionist paganism is a research intensive path, potentially as much career as it is religion, and there are intensive programs in universities all over the world offering PhDs in Egyptology, Cultural Anthropology and Classical History. Additionally, there are volumes written solely on the mythologies of ancient cultures. A solid background in such mythologies is essential to honoring their gods.
As we have seen, Earth Based Religion has existed from the dawn of time. However, in 1921, Dr. Margaret Murray wrote a book entitled The Witch Cult In Western Europe, and while there may be debate on the accuracy of the book's information, there seems to be little doubt that she was one of the first people to publish anything resembling unbiased ( i.e. not laced with Christian Dogma) research. In 1954, just 3 years after the last laws banning Witchcraft in England were repealed, Gerald Gardner "came out" as a witch saying in effect, "Dr. Murray is correct in her writings, I know because I am myself a Witch." Whatever you think of Gardner (there are a number of modern witches who think that a much of his work was pure fabrication), he was a pioneer, and he gave today's witches a stepping stone for formulating their beliefs and practices. In his 1949 novel, High Magic's Aid, he spun his beliefs about witchcraft into an accessible/publishable format. One of the reasons given for writing the novel was that his coven was not open to having their practices published. The novel format allowed the information to be presented as fiction. It took an additional 5 years to get permission to go ahead with a "factual" presentation, Witchcraft Today. And in 1959 he published his third book, also non-fiction, The Meaning of Witchcraft.
Gardner's research led him to believe that perhaps there were errors and losses in the modern rites. He believed that when the persecutions began the witches were driven underground. Their handwritten books, containing the rites and rituals of their covens, became the entire liturgy of their religion. Since the witches had scattered and lost contact with each other, much of the liturgy of the covens was incomplete. This problem was magnified as each coven evolved, adopting new rites and symbols and discarding old ones that no longer held any meaning. These handwritten books of rites and rituals, called Books of Shadows, were the cornerstones of the religion as Gardner saw it. If they were, as he believed, inaccurate and incomplete, somehow the true rites had to be reconstructed and preserved before any more could be lost. Gardner set out to write a Book of Shadows which would be complete.
Here is where the largest part of the dispute over Gardner falls into place. There are a great many people who believe that Gardner either commissioned Aleister Crowley to write the Book of Shadows, or that it was the result of Gardner's overactive imagination. Whichever, his Book of Shadows became the foundation for a Tradition which took his name, Gardnerian Witchcraft.
In the U.S. Witchcraft found its early advocates in Sybil Leek and Raymond Buckland, a student of Gerald Gardner. Buckland has written a large number of books on the topic, as has Leek, who authored Diary of a Witch. Over time, modern witchcraft began to splinter so that from Gardnerian Witchcraft has sprung Alexandrian, Georgian, and many Celtic, Saxon, and other regional traditions. The question now becomes which tradition, if any, appeals to the seeker.
Today there are many options available to the person interested in the craft. Much has been written in the past 10 to 15 years on all aspects of Witchcraft and Paganism. One of the most common paths, and the one which many follow (at least for a while) is that of the Solitary Practitioner. A large volume of literature directed at the Solitary Practitioner can be found in the writing of Scott Cunningham. In addition, many of the rituals designed for covens can be adapted to solitary practice. Of the witches I have known who practice with covens, most do solitary work as well.
Another option, and one which brings paganism to the attention of many women, (at least) is feminist spirituality. In the modern day, a great deal of research is being done regarding early civilizations and the role of the Goddess in those civilizations. Unfortunately, much of the information available is based on very thin evidence because the civilizations being researched did not have written records of their religious lives to support or contradict the theories being presented. If you look in the women's studies sections of most bookstores you will find a great many books on women's spirituality.
Many traditions have complex initiatory rituals, and some have degree systems which show the Witch's position within the coven and give some idea of what knowledge the witch has acquired. Obviously, the decision to belong to a coven is a purely personal one. One thing that most approaches to the craft have in common is a belief that there is no "one true path." This would seem to indicate that initiate or not, 3rd degree or solitary, all are the same in the eyes of the God/dess.
What I have presented here is my understanding and interpretation of what I've experienced, what I've been taught and what I've read. You, as an independent thinker, should read everything that you can find and assimilate that knowledge into your own thought processes.
As Silver RavenWolf says in To Ride A Silver Broomstick, "Each day our history is written." Modern paganism is a living religion, constantly growing and changing. Our belief that there is no single true path and our acceptance of some form of the Rede (As it harms none, do as you will) means that each person makes the religion what THEY need. From the time that you begin practicing any form of paganism you are changed. As you change, your beliefs change with you, as do the rites you perform. If we accept this transformation of the religion into something which resonates with each of us, we must also accept that the history of Paganism is re-written with each new person who finds their way to this path. Paganism is not a static religion and each student takes from their teachers the keys to a spiritual future which works for them.
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