Post by mayal on Aug 14, 2004 15:23:28 GMT -5
I have put this on my own forum but thought it important enough to cross post it here too.
• Before I start this lesson I should say that most of the materials you’ll be reading in this lesson comes from a book by Raven Grimassi called The Wiccan Mysteries.
A lot of people wonder about how Wicca originated, well the oldest form of European Traditions originated from the ancient regions in and around Egypt, Italy, Greece and Mesopotamia. It is here in the time between 7000 B.C. and 3500B.C. that the first matrifocal cult of the great Goddess and her consort the Horned God first appeared. This is the foundation of the Wiccan Mysteries.
The roots of Wicca really extend to as far back as the Ice Age when the people we drawing on cave walls there hunting experience and even ritualistic drawings of supernatural occurrences. As the Hunter-Gatherer human began to emerge into the agricultural scene the god he worshiped turned from a stag-horned God to a goat-horned God. This probably happened because of the need to domesticate animals.
The Old Religion was originally a fertility cult that worshipped a Goddess and a God. In origin Wicca was a nature based religion that focused on the energies that came with the changing of the seasons.
The focus though in the beginning was not on a masculine form deity but on a feminine form. The ancestors of Wiccans worshipped the Great Goddess, who personified the mysteries of women. These mysteries were the reasons women separated themselves from men and formed there own societies. These mysteries include the ability to bleed for days with out feeling weak and bringing life into this world.
Men seeking to understand there own importance moved away form this Goddess Cult into the Hunter/ Warrior cult. However, this was a very slow process and many men stayed with the Goddess Cult as priests. Mostly these men were the old or hurt warriors who couldn’t go on the Hunt anymore so they were taught by the women. From this body of men rose the Priesthood of Wicca. In time a rift occurred and they separated into lunar and solar based cults. As men became stronger, they moved away from the domination of the women culture though the Great Goddess stayed a force to be reckoned with.
As Rome went on to conquer Europe the soldiers went on to spread there own form of Paganism. And when Rome officially conquered Britain in A.D. 43, and held it for 400 years the Celtic culture was completely altered and mixed with the roman Paganism.
As people started to build cities and empires the lunar and solar cultures became farther apart. The controlling, rule-making solar cult was better able to conquer and subdue enemies, so they controlled the religion and in time outlawed the lunar cult, because they feared they would undermine the solar culture.
The Lunar cults began to practice there rituals in secret and away from the cities. Even though the Solar cult controlled the cities the hearts of the people were with the Lunar cults (and of coarse the Goddess). It was these cults that protected the crops and the forests and mountains became there temples.
The Witch Cult and the other Mystery Traditions continued until the Christians looted and destroyed these temples, in the Fourth century. In A.D. 324 Constantine (the then Emperor) said that Christianity was to become the official Religion and that everyone should follow it. The Pagan temples were either destroyed completely or had churches build on top of them, and the old religion withdrew to live in the shadows. Even though the people feared the Christian zealots they still went to the village witch to be healed and for magickal help.
All the beliefs and practices of the Pagans that survived were condemned as demonic by the Christians and suppressed. In A.D. 743 the Synod of Rome outlawed any offerings or sacrifices to Pagan Gods or Spirits. In A.D. 829 Synod of Paris advocated the death of witches, sorcerers etc… The earliest trial carrying the death penalty was in Orleans, France in 1022. Executions of witches were happening as early as 1100s but became acceptable in the 1300s. Papal Bulls turned the persecution of witches into an epidemic. In the first year after the publication of the 1484 Papal bull 41 people were burned in Como, Italy. In 1510, 140 witches were burned in Brescia and 300 more in Como in 1513. In Valcanonia 70 people were burned and 5,000 other were under suspicion. Germany saw 6000 executions and Northern Europe as a whole saw 50,000 executions. France and England saw less than 2000, while in Eastern Europe saw 17,000 executions. These times were called the BURNING TIMES.
In England in 1951 the last of the laws against witchcraft were repealed by parliament. Soon after that the revival of the Cult in England began. During 1954 and 1959 an English witch by the name of Gerald Gardner published his books on witchcraft. His form of witchcraft contains much of the aspects of the Italian based witchcraft. Gardner did much to change the image of Witchcraft. Gardner’s own work was very much influenced by two other writes, Leland and Frazer. Both were famous for there research in the field of witchcraft.
During the 1950s and the 1960s Wicca grew and expanded into Europe and the United States and Australia. During the late 1960s Wicca offered an alternative spirituality to a new generation, many of those who were involved in the Hippy movement came to Wicca. Wicca was not as structured as the Judeo-Christianity culture and this had its appeal to the generation that was already questioning society and its support structures.
The decade of the 1980s brought the most changes to Wicca to date. This decade saw a lot of books on Wicca and saw a lot of traditions springing up, everyone had a new idea or a different approach. This decade shifted focus away from the Traditional form of Wicca and based it in the new Eclectic form of Wicca.
During the 1990s the old traditional form of Wicca was completely lost and except for a few old teachings popping up here and there completely forgotten. Most Wiccans in that time took to calling themselves witches instead of Wiccans and more emphasis was put on magic rather than the teachings.
Now a revival of the old traditions is happening. People have started to look back towards the origins of the Wiccan beliefs and take them into consideration. They realized that magic alone is not a religion and that it is a side of Wicca but not all of it.
• Before I start this lesson I should say that most of the materials you’ll be reading in this lesson comes from a book by Raven Grimassi called The Wiccan Mysteries.
A lot of people wonder about how Wicca originated, well the oldest form of European Traditions originated from the ancient regions in and around Egypt, Italy, Greece and Mesopotamia. It is here in the time between 7000 B.C. and 3500B.C. that the first matrifocal cult of the great Goddess and her consort the Horned God first appeared. This is the foundation of the Wiccan Mysteries.
The roots of Wicca really extend to as far back as the Ice Age when the people we drawing on cave walls there hunting experience and even ritualistic drawings of supernatural occurrences. As the Hunter-Gatherer human began to emerge into the agricultural scene the god he worshiped turned from a stag-horned God to a goat-horned God. This probably happened because of the need to domesticate animals.
The Old Religion was originally a fertility cult that worshipped a Goddess and a God. In origin Wicca was a nature based religion that focused on the energies that came with the changing of the seasons.
The focus though in the beginning was not on a masculine form deity but on a feminine form. The ancestors of Wiccans worshipped the Great Goddess, who personified the mysteries of women. These mysteries were the reasons women separated themselves from men and formed there own societies. These mysteries include the ability to bleed for days with out feeling weak and bringing life into this world.
Men seeking to understand there own importance moved away form this Goddess Cult into the Hunter/ Warrior cult. However, this was a very slow process and many men stayed with the Goddess Cult as priests. Mostly these men were the old or hurt warriors who couldn’t go on the Hunt anymore so they were taught by the women. From this body of men rose the Priesthood of Wicca. In time a rift occurred and they separated into lunar and solar based cults. As men became stronger, they moved away from the domination of the women culture though the Great Goddess stayed a force to be reckoned with.
As Rome went on to conquer Europe the soldiers went on to spread there own form of Paganism. And when Rome officially conquered Britain in A.D. 43, and held it for 400 years the Celtic culture was completely altered and mixed with the roman Paganism.
As people started to build cities and empires the lunar and solar cultures became farther apart. The controlling, rule-making solar cult was better able to conquer and subdue enemies, so they controlled the religion and in time outlawed the lunar cult, because they feared they would undermine the solar culture.
The Lunar cults began to practice there rituals in secret and away from the cities. Even though the Solar cult controlled the cities the hearts of the people were with the Lunar cults (and of coarse the Goddess). It was these cults that protected the crops and the forests and mountains became there temples.
The Witch Cult and the other Mystery Traditions continued until the Christians looted and destroyed these temples, in the Fourth century. In A.D. 324 Constantine (the then Emperor) said that Christianity was to become the official Religion and that everyone should follow it. The Pagan temples were either destroyed completely or had churches build on top of them, and the old religion withdrew to live in the shadows. Even though the people feared the Christian zealots they still went to the village witch to be healed and for magickal help.
All the beliefs and practices of the Pagans that survived were condemned as demonic by the Christians and suppressed. In A.D. 743 the Synod of Rome outlawed any offerings or sacrifices to Pagan Gods or Spirits. In A.D. 829 Synod of Paris advocated the death of witches, sorcerers etc… The earliest trial carrying the death penalty was in Orleans, France in 1022. Executions of witches were happening as early as 1100s but became acceptable in the 1300s. Papal Bulls turned the persecution of witches into an epidemic. In the first year after the publication of the 1484 Papal bull 41 people were burned in Como, Italy. In 1510, 140 witches were burned in Brescia and 300 more in Como in 1513. In Valcanonia 70 people were burned and 5,000 other were under suspicion. Germany saw 6000 executions and Northern Europe as a whole saw 50,000 executions. France and England saw less than 2000, while in Eastern Europe saw 17,000 executions. These times were called the BURNING TIMES.
In England in 1951 the last of the laws against witchcraft were repealed by parliament. Soon after that the revival of the Cult in England began. During 1954 and 1959 an English witch by the name of Gerald Gardner published his books on witchcraft. His form of witchcraft contains much of the aspects of the Italian based witchcraft. Gardner did much to change the image of Witchcraft. Gardner’s own work was very much influenced by two other writes, Leland and Frazer. Both were famous for there research in the field of witchcraft.
During the 1950s and the 1960s Wicca grew and expanded into Europe and the United States and Australia. During the late 1960s Wicca offered an alternative spirituality to a new generation, many of those who were involved in the Hippy movement came to Wicca. Wicca was not as structured as the Judeo-Christianity culture and this had its appeal to the generation that was already questioning society and its support structures.
The decade of the 1980s brought the most changes to Wicca to date. This decade saw a lot of books on Wicca and saw a lot of traditions springing up, everyone had a new idea or a different approach. This decade shifted focus away from the Traditional form of Wicca and based it in the new Eclectic form of Wicca.
During the 1990s the old traditional form of Wicca was completely lost and except for a few old teachings popping up here and there completely forgotten. Most Wiccans in that time took to calling themselves witches instead of Wiccans and more emphasis was put on magic rather than the teachings.
Now a revival of the old traditions is happening. People have started to look back towards the origins of the Wiccan beliefs and take them into consideration. They realized that magic alone is not a religion and that it is a side of Wicca but not all of it.
