I came across a post by a friend that started, “Claiming that things are Native American when they are not (or claiming that things are Wiccan when they are not) is a potentially harmful practice. It erases the real practices of the group in question. If the practice is harmful, it blames that group for originating it…”
I agree on the matter of the reputation of a particular group being ill-affected. However there is much I disagree. Can’t speak for Native American traditions..but I can for Wicca..as I have been practising Wicca for almost 20 years…
Wicca itself is a very young path (1950’s ) and has so many other religious and spiritual practices built into it.. (Gerald Gardner travelled parts of Asia, and picked up ideas before coming back to England.. and surfacing with `Wicca’ – Many already know he instilled naturism into it, as he was a follower of that).
So in fact, much of Wicca is actually `not wicca’ . And if within a short time of its `origins’, it can produce branches (Gardnerian, Alexandrian)…it follows that in a few more decades, Wicca will have produced ever more branches, and some of it may not even be called Wicca.
Think about all the other old religions..and how they have seeded and created sects, branches etc. And you can see that it WILL happen to Wicca too.. if it continues to grow as a religious path. That much of it, history assures us (comparison to other religions).
Why even go that far..! Wiccan Covens have autonomy and are governed by its Coven High Priest & High Priestess – who can and do `add’ their own practises and wisdom to the subsequent generation of Wiccans they cultivate (prepare, initiate and tran). So despite keeping the same copy of Book of Shadow (copying it and handing it down), potential and an avenue for slow change is already built int Wicca.
So I like to end this blog post by saying..
1) Spirituality will and does evolve.. and we should let it.. and evolve with it.. because that’s what nature does…!
2) No one owns spirituality or a religious path ..
If someone comes to us (individually) and asks for help or guidance, we can give it… That much is within our reach.. But if we observe something else going on out there, and no one has asked for our help.. we may intrude and offer our wisdom..but chances are it won’t be welcomed.. or valued.
So calling something Wicca, when it is not.. well, that;s neither here nor there..
-Mani Navasothy
(Wiccan HP)
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2 thoughts on “Calling something Wicca – then, now and tomorrow!”