A Hedgewitch is someone who practices Hedgewitchery or Hedgecraft.
HedgeCraft is a spiritual path and is a form of Traditional Witchcraft. It is most commonly practiced by modern Pagans. Hedgecraft is based on the village wisewoman of European folklore. It has similarities to the traditional cunning folk of England.
Hedgewitches often practice herbalism, magick, wildcrafting, and many different forms of healing. The use of shamanic techniques is a part of this tradition. Such techniques as the use of trance inducing plants, drumming, dance, chanting and meditation. Hedgewitches are generally unconcerned with overly formal magical workings, preferring more simple folk magic. This is a heavily nature oriented tradition, as such, most Hedgewitches live outside of urban areas. In ancient times, the local Hedgewitch or wisewoman typically lived just on the outside of the town's boundary hedge, part of the community but also an outsider.
Most Hedgewitches practice is solitary and private, based out of the home. Although Hedgewitches can still be active in their local Pagan community.
The term Hedgewitch is a source of controversy due to its idiosyncratic nature. By looking at the word "hedgewitch," we can learn that it comes from the Saxon word for witch, haegtessa, which translates to "hedge-rider". The Old Norse lay Havamal refers to "hedge-riders, witching aloft". Other names for hedge-riders are myrk-rider, Wyrd-rider, and Gandreidh (wand-rider).
In 1992, the modern pagan author Rae Beth released a book entitled Hedge Witch: A Guide to Solitary Witchcraft, an attempt at redefining the term for the modern era. Rae Beth proposes that "The work of the hedge witch is to take the insights of the wildwood mystic and apply them in the service of life, through spells that help and heal the land, other people or creatures, or our own selves," and that the Hedgewitch is a solitary individual. The inspiration for the term as employed by Rae Beth seems to have been the idea of a solitary and individualistic practitioner, paralleling the old term 'hedge-preacher' for an itinerant preacher with no fixed living. However, the definition and practice of Hedgecraft as outlined by Rae Beth is controversial as it is very obviously Wicca based.
In physical terms, the hedge separated the town from the wilderness. Crossing the hedge was considered dangerous, due to the fact that the forest was regarded as a locus of uncanny happenings, including witchcraft. To the hedgewitch and witches alike, the hedge was not thought to be a physical boundary, but a mental barrier to be crossed in trance work. It is the line drawn between this world and the next; between reality and dream. Shamanic practice is common, and is considered a hallmark of a Hedgewitch. From this perspective, if the hedge is the border between a village and the wilderness, the Hedgewitch walks the border with a foot in both worlds. The act of Shamanic Journey, Astral Travel, Soul Flight (and such) is often referred to as "Walking the Hedge, "Crossing the Hedge" or "Riding the Hedge" by Hedgewitches.
All the stories you hear of witches flying off on brooms "to the sabbat" or to Venusberg Mountain are, according to the book, true--to a point. The Hedgewitch supposedly would anoint her besom (broom), pitchfork, goat, distaff, or bread paddle, place it between her legs so that the ointment could enter her body, and "off" she went. Though in modern times such practices are rare and have changed considerably.
Outside of the academic world this specific sense of the term with its medieval connotation of magical liminality and boundaries between the worlds was primarily promoted via Nigel Jackson's 1994 book 'Call of the Horned Piper' and has since exercised a pervasive influence in the contemporary witchcraft milieu, investing the term 'hedge-witch' with a more archaic resonance and meaning in magical practice.
Spirituality in Hedgewitches varies from almost none to Wiccan to Abrahamic, but is almost always neopagan.
Dianic Wicca
Born of the feminist movement and founded by hereditary witch Zsuzsanna Budapest, Dianic Wicca embraces the Goddess but spends little time on her male counterpart. Most Dianic Wiccan covens are female-only, but a few have welcomed men into their groups, with the intention of adding some much-needed polarity. In some areas, the phrase Dianic Wiccan came to mean lesbian witch, but that is not always the case, as Dianic covens welcome women of any sexual orientation.
Exceptions to the Rule:
While many Wiccan paths follow a belief system that limits hexing, cursing or negative magic, some Dianic Wiccans make an exception to the rule. Budapest, a noted feminist Wiccan writer, has argued that hexing or binding those who do harm to women is acceptable.
Honoring the Goddess:
Dianic covens celebrate the eight Sabbats, and use similar altar tools to other Wiccan traditions. However, among the Dianic community there is not a lot of continuity in ritual or practice – they simply self-identify as Dianic to indicate that they follow a Goddess-based, feminine-focused spiritual path.
The core belief of Dianic Wicca, as founded by Z Budapest, states that the tradition “is a holistic religious system based on a Goddess-centered cosmology and the primacy of She Who is All and Whole unto Herself.”
Dianic Wicca, also known as Dianic Witchcraft and Dianic Feminist Witchcraft, is a Goddess-centered, woman-centered witchcraft tradition, who combined elements of Gardnerian Wicca, Italian folk-magic recorded in Charles Leland's Aradia, feminist values, and ritual, folk magic, and healing practices learned from her mother. It is practiced in women-only groups.
Beliefs and practices
Most Dianic Wiccans worship the Goddess only, acknowledging that She is the source of all living and contains all within Her. There are Dianic witches who practice other forms of paganism (possibly including honoring a male deity or deities) outside of their Dianic practice. Some Dianics are monotheistic, some are polytheistic, some are non-theistic.
Most Dianics worship in female-only circles and covens, but there are mixed-gender Dianic traditions. Eclecticism, appreciation of cultural diversity, ecological concern, and familiarity with sophisticated concepts of psyche and transformation are characteristic. Originally lesbians formed the majority of the movement, however modern Dianic groups may be all-lesbian, all-heterosexual or mixed.
Some Dianic Wiccans as "positive path" practitioners do neither manipulative spellwork nor hexing; other Dianic witches (notably Zsuzsanna Budapest) do not consider hexing or binding of those who attack women to be wrong.
Differences between Dianic and mainstream Wicca
Like other Wiccans, Dianics may form covens, attend festivals, celebrate the eight major Wiccan holidays, Samhain, Beltane, Imbolc (or Imbolg), , the Solstices and Equinoes (see Weel Of The Year) and the Esbats, which are rituals held at the fll moon. They use many of the same altar tools, rituals and vocabulary as other Wiccans. Dianics may also gather in more informal Circles, which implies less of a commitment.
The most noticeable differences between the two are that Dianic covens are generally female-only while other Wiccan covens are mixed, some aiming for equal numbers of men and women, and that most Wiccans worship the God and Goddess, while Dianics generally worship the Goddess as Whole Unto Herself.
Dianic tradition refers to the beliefs, practices, practitioners and history of feminist, earth-religion, neo-pagan oddess worshippers. It is synonymous with the Neopagan religious traditions that place emphasis on the feminine divine. The term Dianic is derived from the Roman goddess of the moon, hunting and childbirth, Diana whose companion Nyhmps were female.
The three main branches of Dianic Neopaganism are:
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(Non-Wiccan) Feminist Dianic Witches, who may have been inspired by Z Budapest, the New York Redstocking's W.I.T.C.H. manifesto, or feminist spirituality movements, who emphasize self-initiation, womanism and non-hierarchical organization. Most Dianics fall into this category, even if some acknowledge Z. Budapest as a foremother, because they do not participate in the initiation/ordination lineage of Dianic Wicca.
Dianic tradition is difficult to define, because it is a spiritual tradition that encourages creativity, celebrates diversity, and demands personal empowerment and responsibility. For some, Dianic tradition is every day folk religion, hedge-witchery or kitchen-witchery. For others, Dianic tradition is more formal, with highly developed liturgy and cosmology. For most, in its essence Dianic tradition is a Women's Mysteries tradition, linked to such traditions across time and across cultures. They are a celebration of women's bodies, women's experiences, the Divine Feminine, and the biology and culture of womanhood, rather than rejection or dismissal of men and masculinity.
Most Dianics conceive of and experience the pagan Wheel Of The Year in terms of both seasonal reality and also the life stages of women and of the Great Goddess: maiden, mother, queen, crone and hag.
Some Dianics, like Wiccans, celebrate together in large-group rituals and spellcrafting on the sabbats (seasonal holy days) or the esbats (full-moon days). There are Dianic covens and circles, however many Dianics are solitary practitioners by preference or circumstance.
Celtic Wicca
Moon Names of Celtic Origin
January - Storm Moon
February - Chaste Moon
March - Seed Moon
April - Hare Moon
May - Dyad Moon
June - Mead Moon
July - Wort Moon
August - Barley Moon
September - Blood Moon
October - Snow Moon
November - Oak Moon
December - Wolf Moon
Celtic Wicca is a Tradition of Wicca, loosely syncretized with elements of Celtic mythology, mostly, as noted by authors including Hutton, Kelly, Greer and Cooper, by way of the Romanticist Celtic Revival. Raeburn (2001) is aware of the ahistoricity of "Celtic Wicca", establishing "a firm distinction between historical Cetic inspiration and modern Wiccan practice". Celtic Wiccans worship some of the gods of the Celtic Pantheon, however this worship is within a Wiccan structure, not a eltic One.
Wicca, as established by Gerald Gardner in the 1940s, contained a few Celtic elements, along with elements from many other cultures such as Hinduism, romanticized re-interpretations of some Native American beliefs, as well as Masonic traditions (Greer and Cooper, Hutton, Kelly); Celtic Wicca can be seen as emphasizing such Celtic elements as there are to be found in Gardnerian Wicca while de-emphasizing some of the more obviously non-Celtic elements.
Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism (CR) is a polytheistic, animistic, religious and cultural movement. It is an effort to reconstruct, in a modern Celtic cultural context, an ancient Celtic religious tradition. Pagan reconstructionism has been around since the 1970s, but little of it had been specifically Celtic in orientation.[
Practices
CR is not only about scholarly research. The founders and elders of CR believe that mystical, ecstatic practices are a necessary balance to scholarship, and that this balance is a vital component in determining whether a tradition is CR. They also believe that participation in, and respect for, the living Celtic cultures is a vital part of the tradition. Language study and preservation, and participation in other cultural activities such as Celtic music, dance and martial arts forms, are seen as a core part of the tradition.
Celtic Reconstructionists focus their religious reconstruction efforts on a particular Celtic culture, such as the Gaelic, Welsh or Gaulish. While they believe it is helpful to study a wide variety of Celtic cultures as an aid to religious reconstruction, and to have a broad understanding of religion in general, in practice these cultures are not lumped together.
Many CRs view each act of daily life as a form of ritual, accompanying daily acts of purification and protection with traditional, or slightly re-Paganized, prayers, chants and songs from sources such as the Scottish Gaelic Carmina Gadelica or manuscript collections of ancient Irish or Welsh poetry. Celebratory, community rituals are usually based on traditional community celebrations as recorded in folkloric collections by authors such as Marian McNeill, Kevin Danaher or John Gregorson Campbell. These celebrations often involve bonfires, dances, songs, divination and children's games. More formal or mystical CR rituals are often based on traditional techniques of interacting with the Otherworld, such as the act of making offerings of food, drink and art to the spirits of the land, ancestral spirits, and the Celtic deities. CR ritual structures are based on the ancient Celtic cosmology of the "Three Realms" - Land, Sea and Sky - with the fire of inspiration seen as a central force that unites the realms. These more formal rituals may also involve traditional songs and prayers from the living Celtic cultures as well as ceremonies and visionary techniques reconstructed from older, Polytheistic sources. Mystical practices are usually reconstructions based on accounts in the older manuscripts. Many CRs maintain altars and shrines to their patron spirits and deities, often choosing to place them at outdoor, natural locations such as wells, streams, and special trees. Some CRs practice divination. Ogham is a favored method, as are folkloric customs such as the taking of omens from the shapes of clouds or the behaviour of birds and animals.
Sub-traditions
Not all people who make use of Celtic reconstructionist techniques are entirely comfortable with using the terms "Celtic Reconstructionism" or "Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism" as a name for their religion. Others feel comfortable with the term CR, but have decided to name their CR sub-traditions to distinguish their practices from other sub-groups and flavors of CR. Some other names that people involved in CR-style religion have chosen to use include:
- Amldduwiaeth ("Polytheism" in Welsh)
- Aurrad ("person of legal standing in the túath" in Old Irish)
- Celtic Restorationism
- Ildiachas ("Polytheism" in Irish Gaelic)
- Ioma-Dhiadhachd ("Polytheism" in Scotts Gaelic)
- Liesdoueadegezh ("Polytheism" in Breton)
- Neo-Celtism
- Pàganachd ("Paganism, Heathenism" in Scots Gaelic)
- Págánacht ("Paganism, Heathenism" in Irish Gaelic)
- Págántacht (alternate Irish spelling of Págánacht)
- Senistrognata ("Ancestral Customs" in reconstructed Old Celtic)
- Yljeeaghys ("Polytheism" in Manx)
In addition, a variety of smaller CR sub-traditions further refine and modify these terms to describe the particular beliefs and practices of their groups.
Celtic nations
The Six Nations considered the heartland of the modern Celts
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Six nations tend to be most associated with a modern Celtic identity, and are considered 'the Celtic nations'. These are:
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Brittany
Irelad
Scotland
Wales
Crnwall
Isle of Man
- It is these 'Six Nations' that (alone) are considered Celtic by the Celtic League and the Celtic Congress amongst others. These organizations ascribe to a definition of Celticity based mainly upon language. In the aforementioned six regions, Celtic languages have survived and continue to be used to varying degrees in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Brittany.
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Central Valley Wicca
Central Valley Wicca, sometimes abbrebiated as "CVW", refers to a particular group of traditions within the Neopaga religion of Wicca which trace their roots to a group of Wiccan practitioners who brought their practice from ngand to the Cetrl Valley of Calafornia at some point in the early 1960s. It is one of three branches of British Traditional Wicca, alongside Gardnerian and Alexadrian Wicca, as defined by New Wiccan Church in California.
There are several theories about the origins of Central Valley Wicca, leading to a degree of debate among researchers. Some speculate that CVW is an early off-shoot or even a precursor of Gardnerian Wicca, while others suggest that the CVW share a common ancestor with what later became Gardnerian Wicca. According to their original custom, an initiate of Central Valley Wicca was not told who their initiator's initiator was; therefore, the identity of the person who first brought Wicca to the Central Valley remains a mystery. What is known is that she had ties to England and had most likely lived there; she was either British or had close connection to a British subject prior to settling in California.
At that time, individual names for "traditions" of Wicca were not in use; they simply called themselves "Wicca." Today, however, the various branches of Wicca that descend from the Central Valley Wicca have developed into traditions in their own right, including Silver Crescent, Kingstone, Daoine Coire, Assembly of Wicca, and Majestic. Some of the offshoot traditions from CVW have blended in influences from other related Pagan paths, although most retain the core essence of CVW.
Central Valley Wicca shares basic beliefs with, and has similar ritual structures and practices to, other forms of British Traditional Wicca as they are practiced in England. However, their interpretation of some of the material is unique, and their lore is similar but not identical.
Faery Wicca
Faerie Faith is a Wiccan tradition that branched off from the "Old Dianic" tradition (later renamed McFarland Dianic) through the work of Mark Roberts and his high priestess, Epona.
The Neopagan Faerie Faith founded by Roberts and Epona is often confused with other traditions of similar name, including:
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The customs practiced among the ancient and modern celts, which survive in the Celitc nations and the diaspora as "folklore" and "folk customs". The "Fairy Faith" as it is known in traditional Gaelic culture does not resemble Wicca.
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The Feri Tradition founded by Victor Anderson.
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Radical Faeries, a nature-worshiping, spiritual and political group, primarily consisting of gay men.
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Beliefs and practices
The distinguishing characteristic of Faerie Faith is the use of the Beth-Luis-Nion "Celtic tree calendar", invented by Robert Graves in his book, The White Goddess. The system is based on Graves's controversial re-interpretation of the Celtic ogham alphabet; however, Graves's invention is not based on any actual Celtic calendar. In the Faerie Faith, specific lessons are associated with each lunar month, and students experience personal transformation in connection to each tree/letter
Faery Wicca (or "Fairy Wicca") is an umbrella term that refers to any tradition of modern Wicca that focuses on the Fae (gnomes, elves, faeries, sprites, etc.), their lore, and their relation to the natural world. It may also refer to a specific tradition of modern Wicca, founded by author Kisma Stepanich.
Faery Wiccan traditions are strongly tied to nature, particularly seasonal changes and the solar and lunar calendar. Adherents of Stepanich's Faery Wicca claim that it recovers the traditions of an ancient fairy race called the Tuatha De Danaan, the mythological precursors to the Celtic people; however, this is disputed by those familiar with ancient Celtic polytheism and mythology. Stepanich's Faery Wicca draws liberally on some degree of Irish mythology, from the author's interpretation of Celtic history, legend, pseudohistory, imagination, and a variety of non-Celtic sources.
Faery Wicca is not related to the late Victor Anderson's Feri Tradition of witchcraft, which is sometimes (confusingly) spelled Faery or Fairy, nor is it directly related to the gay men's group, the Radical Faeries. Though Faery Wicca may draw inspiration from some of the customs practiced among the ancient and modern celts, it shares more with other modern Wiccan traditions than with the "Fairy Faith" as it is known in traditional Gaelic culture.
Sprites - The term sprite is a broad term referring to a number of preternatural legendary creatures. The term is generally used in reference to elf-like creatures, including fairies, dwarves, and the likes of it; but can also signify various spiritual beings, including ghosts.
Belief in Sprites
The belief in diminutive beings such as sprites, elves, fairies, pixies, gnomes, Japanese yōkai and various Slavic fairies has been common in many parts of the world, and might to some extent still be found within Neo spiritual and religious movements such as "Druidry" and Ásatrú. The belief in spiritual beings, particularly ghosts, is almost universal to human culture.
In some elemental magics, the sprite is oft believed to be the Elemental of air (see also Sylph). Another variation is the water sprite.
Sprite Traps
A sprite trap is a magical device used to capture troublesome or harmful spirits and ghosts. These devices refer to a sprite as a preternatural creature.
The sprite trap is created from a blackthorn stave and copper wire that has never carried electricity. During a ritual process, the copper wire is bound to the stave with red thread and the stave is marked with a Dag (or D) rune.
Sprite traps are used at night, when the trap is set at the entrance to a home, church, graveyard, or other location where disturbances are taking place. To attract the troublesome entity, a cleft blackthorn stave with a lighted candle is placed in front of the trap.
After the sprite trap has captured a spirit, it is removed from the location and the red thread is cut with a consecrated knife; the thread is then placed into a prepared witch bottle. If the bottle has been prepared to imprison the spirit, a spell is recited while the thread is placed in it. Finally, the bottle is corked and sealed with red wax before being buried. A thorn bush will be planted on the site.
It is said that if a witch's bottle containing a spirte is opened, a very angry spirit will escape.
Shamanistic - Wicca
Shamanic Multicultural Witchcraft derives from the interweaving of Wicca with the Shamanic belief structures as set forth within books by Mircea Eliade and Michael Harner.
The biggest differences between Shamanic Wicca and other Wiccan traditions are a belief in the "Plant and Animal Nations", the belief in The Old Ones, the belief in The World Tree, the use of the Solar Cross instead of the Magic Circle (though some may use The Medicine Wheel, and the practice of the Vision quest to obtain knowledge.
Beliefs
Shamanistic Wiccans believe the earth is a temple, and its plants and creatures are partners and teachers. Practitioners of Shamanistic Wicca worship a deity that is both male and female at the same time, a mother who is their father, the Lady who is their Lord, who together created all that is, was, or will be. They respect all life, cherish the free will of sentient beings, and accept the sacredness of all creation.
Practices
The Rite of Vigil (Spirit Quest) is a rite of passage in some Native American cultures. Similarly, Shamanistic Wiccans believe in the importance of a personal Vision Quest. The New Age Spirit Quest usually involves the aid of rhythmic drumming and chanting, through which the Shaman enters an ecstatic trance. This trance frees the Shaman's consciousness from his/her body, allowing it to fly into the realms of the spirits, and to experience these realms with all the senses of his/her corporeal body.
The New Age Spirit Quest borrows heavily from the mythology and symbolism] of native North America. For example, Ted Andrews, one of the Seminal figures and writers within the modern Nature Speak movement, has borrowed heavily from the central myths and folktales of the Native Americans, in the creation of his 3 books (Animal Speak, Animal Wise and Nature Speak). Those three books have become a teaching aid for the New Ager, the Neo-Pagan, and the Neo-Shamanists. Such borrowings and adaptations have become increasingly controversial; even the use of the term “spirit quest” is being challenged as a form of cultural mis-appropriation. Many Native Americans perceive the use of indigenous forms by non-natives as being intrusive, rude, and disrespectful of their spiritual heritage.
Followers believe shamanic journeying is more than the mystical encounters with spirits; Shamans undergo the trance-journeys for self healing, the healing of others and the gathering of information. Like the pastors and priests in Western society, shamans are not self-appointed, but called to their tasks by the spirits themselves,and then must be trained and recognized by the Elders of the Community.
Shamanism and Native Americans
Unfortunately, the term Shamanism has been misused in popular culture for many years. The entertainment industry has used medicine man and shaman interchangeably (and usually inaccurately) to describe The Holy Men and Women of Native America. The public began to assume that Shaman was a Native American word, and that Shamanism was a universal Indian Religion -- yet in reality, there is no universal Indian Religion. There are hundreds of Indian Nations in North America, each with its own culture, language, and spiritual belief system. Many of these Nations are very different from one another in their religious traditions, and none of them describe their beliefs as Shamanism. Even from a scholarly standpoint, few Native systems can be accurately described as Shamanism - the ecstatic trance journey is simply not a major part of most North American Indian Cultures.
This confusion was reinforced by the commercialization of the pseudo-Indian groups that sprang up in the late 1970's. These New Agers focus mainly on alternative healing methods and environmental awareness, and misrepresent themselves as genuine teachers of Indian Traditions, exploiting the stereotype of Native Americans as ecological warriors and spiritual healers. This practice is particularly offensive to traditional Native Americans. The teachings of these movements are neither traditional nor typical of Indian Beliefs, nor are they shamanic, as they rarely if ever stress the ecstatic trance-journey as a central practice. Yet the movement continues to misrepresent itself as both Indian and Shamanism.
As a result, many Native Americans see the use of the word "Shamanism" as the height of an offensive stereotype and commercial exploitation of their people's beliefs. Many "neo-shamanists" and scholars are sensitive to this issue, and strive to educate the public about exploitation of indigenous cultures, as well as correcting common misconceptions about the words "shaman" and "Shamanism
Inuit examples
At many Inuit and other Indian groups, the vision quest is a turning point in life taken before puberty to find oneself and the intended spiritual and life direction. When an older child is ready, he or she will go on a personal, spiritual quest alone in the wilderness. This usually lasts for a number of days while the child is tuned into the spirit world. Usually, a Guardian animal will come in a vision or dream, and the child's life direction will appear at some point. Once the child has grown into his- or her- self, s/he will return to the tribe and pursue that direction in life. If a child has not visionquested by puberty, the child is thought to be lazy. After a visionquest, the child may apprectice an adult in the tribe of the shown direction (Medicine Man, boatmaker, etc).
The vision quest may be a part of shamanism, more exactly, the learning and initiation process of the apprentice for achieving the ability for shamanizing, mostly under the guidance of an older shaman.
The vision quest may be said to make the initiand establish a contact with a spirit or force. Psychologically, it may have effected hallucinations. See a complex emic and etic approach to Eskimo shamanism in .
The technique may be similar to sensory deprivation methods. It may include long walking on uninhabited, monotonous areas (tundra, inland, mountain); fasting; sleep deprivation; being closed in a small room (e.g. igloo).
Seax-Wica
Seax Wica Psalm
Ever as I pass through the ways
Do I feel the presence of the Gods
I know that tin aught I do
They are with me
They abide in me
And I in them
Forever
No evil shall be entertained
For Purity is the dweller
Within me and about
For Good do I strive
And for Good do I live
Love unto all things
So be it forever
Author Unknown
Seax-Wica is a tradition of the Neopagan religion of Wicca and inspired by Saxon tradition. It is specifically not intended to be a reconstruction of ancient Anglo-Saxon religion.
In 1973 Raymond Buckland, an author and practitioner of Gardnerian Wicc, created a new variation of Wiccan tradition, which did not break his Gardnerian Wiccan oaths. He wrote a book called The Tree as its definitive work. It was published in 1974 by Samuel Weiser and subsequently republished in 2005 as Buckland's Book of Saxon Witchcraft. There are also online Books of Shadows for the tradition on assorted websites.
The tradition honors the Germanic deities Woden and Freyja, and uses a minimal set of the usual ceremonial tools and a spear. Runes are significant and regularly discussed.
Openness
The Seax tradition does not employ any secrecy oath. The official books of Seax-Wica don't intend to omit or misrepresent the tradition although they may be a bit sparse in terms of detail, leaving such things to individual practitioners or groups.
Buckland's Book of Saxon Witchcraft doesn't mention how a solitary practitioner with no consecrated tools available gets started, as consecrated tools are used to cast the circle, and tools are consecrated within the already cast circle. For now, one must find someone with consecrated tools, or visit one of several websites to find out about a workaround ritual. However, Buckland has pointed out that his 'Big Blue Book' gives instructions on how to proceed when no tools are available. These are sufficient to allow one to begin, self initiate, and consecrate one's first tools.
Also, there are several Yahoo Email lists and web-based discussion boards for the tradition where one may inquire for more detail and clarifying commentary. (See below.)
Organization
Seax-Wica allows for self initiation into the Seax path.
There are also many covens. A coven is autonomous, and ruled by the vote of its members, who elect or unelect the officers. There are 4 officers as currently called for in Buckland's Book of Saxon Witchcraft. High Priest and High Priestess are elected by the members of a coven to serve for 13 moons; also there is the Thegn, a sort of sergeant at arms/guard/watchman, who may also be responsible for the covenstead or guarding the ceremony, and a Scribe/secretary, keeper of the coven's records - and if one incorporates a congregation, a treasurer to satisfy the legal demands of most US states. This last office is not mentioned in the current edition of the book, but may be a legal requirement in your state if you legally incorporate the congregation - you should check with a lawyer licensed in your state or territory on the matter.
Dr. Buckland is not the leader of the order, but is respected as its founder, and continues to practice it and contribute to it.
Raymond Buckland has also written extensively on a number of topics relating to Wicca, neopaganism, and witchcraft.
Offshoots
Seax Wicca can boast at least two distinct offshoots from its original tradition.
The first is Théodish Belief, founded by Garman Lord in 1976. There are currently more than a half-dozen Théodish groups in the United States, both large and small, all of which derive from the self-described "Seax Wiccan heresy" which Garman Lord founded.
Another offshoot of Seax Wica is Lyblác Anglo Saxon Witchcraft. This tradition based on Anglo-Saxon practices was founded in 2003 by Wulfeage/Sean Percival and has members from all over the world. In July 2007 Wulfeage was voted into the position of Stiweard of Seax Wica by coven and solitary based Gesith (Seax Priesthood) from the UK,Sweden, Germany, Holland, Peru and Australia.
Controversy
In the early 2000s, Buckland appointed a priest by the name of Mark Ventimiglia as head, or Stieward, of the Seax-Tradition. Mr. Ventimiglia was known to be fervently opposed to homosexuality, ritual sacrifice and omnivorism. As evidenced in correspondence between Ventimiglia and Daven, another priest of the tradition, Ventimiglia believed that homosexuals and those who eat meat should be executed by law. There are no laws in the Seax-Wica tradition that say homosexuality or the eating of meat are wrong, yet Ventimiglia insisted that the Gods of Wicca "hate faggots" and that gays could not rightfully call themselves Seax-Wicans. He was eventually removed from his post as Stieward in 2004.
Blue Star Wicca
A blue septegram is used as the symbol of the Blue Star tradition
Blue Star Wicca is one of a number of Wiccan traditions created in the US in the 1970s based loosely on the Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions. It continues to be practiced today in areas of the United States (including Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Washington, and others), as well as having members in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada.
Origins and history
The "Coven of the Blue Star", established in Philadelphia in 1975 by Frank Duffner AKA "the Wizard", gave birth to both the name and the original membership of what would eventually become the Blue Star tradition. In 1980, on its membership application to the Covenant of the Goddess, the coven described itself (with tongue in cheek) as practicing "Great American Nontraditional Collective Eclectic Wicca". Early hives from the original coven spread throughout the New York metropolitan area.
Tzipora Klein (née Katz), who had joined the coven in 1977, and with her then-husband Kenny Klein, left on a folk music tour after the 1983 release of their cassette Moon Hooves in the Sand, which contained Blue Star liturgical music. The music tour facilitated the spread of the tradition throughout the United States, as the couple helped to found new covens while on the road. In 1992, Tzipora Klein would publish Celebrating Life: Rites of Passage For All Ages through Delphi Press. Kenny Klein published The Flowering Rod: Men, Sex and Spirituality in 1993, also through Delphi Press.
As new covens were formed, it was common practice to include the words "blue" or "star" (Raven Star, for example, or Wolf Star) in the name, but this practice is less observed nowadays. Some groups have used references to stars (Nova Grove, for example, or Polaris Coven), but some simply choose the name that inspires them (Compass Rose, SummerOak, or Braided Stream).
In 1991, members of StarFire Coven introduced the Tradition in Ireland. In 1997, the Guild of the Swan Weavers introduced Blue Star in England. In 1998, the Tradition was introduced in Canada by Devyn Christopher Gillette of BarleyMoon Coven.
Despite the inevitable disagreements and friction that will develop in a large, diverse, and widely-spread group, a remarkable sense of community and closeness obtains between members of the Tradition, to the point where annual convocations are often referred to as "Family Gatherings."
Practices
Blue Star remains a predominantly initiatory coven-based tradition in the model of the Gardnerian or Alexandrian traditions, but a number of "solitary" practitioners exist, typically with a form of long-distance relationship with an established group. There is no self-initiation in Blue Star.
Blue Star practitioners are known primarily for their emphasis on community service as a means to celebrate the gods and protect the interests of the contemporary Pagan community. Other hallmarks include the use of music in their ritual and liturgy (arguably unusual amongst traditional Wiccans), the importance placed upon a ritual feast, the use of a septegram as a symbol rather than a pentagram,and initiatory tattooing. Blue Star and the Feri tradition are the only two large traditions of witchcraft to feature a septegram prominently in their symbolism. Blue Star rituals typically have a round altar in the centre of the circle of participants. The positioning and handling of the ritual tools on the altar is given special attention within the tradition.
The Blue Star tradition's theology allows for enough flexibility to allow polytheists, pantheists and monotheists to participate in the tradition, and rituals can involve prayer or invocation to Wiccan deities, the gods and goddesses of Pagan peoples, or deified abstractions.
Ranks and degrees
Blue Star is unusual for having a five-part rank system, as opposed to the three degree system of most initiatory Wiccan traditions.
Dedication is the first rite of passage within the Blue Star tradition, and indicates a commitment to a Pagan spirituality generally and a loose commitment to the tradition specifically. Those who have been through this ceremony are referred to as "Dedicants".
Neophyte marks an intermediary step between Dedication and Initiation, and indicates both a level of facility with Blue Star practice and theory, and a willingness to take on increased responsibility within the tradition. Neophyte differs from the other ranks in being seen as a preparation for Priesthood, as opposed to an end in and of itself. After this rite of passage, the person is referred to as a "Neophyte".
First Degree Initiation is the ritual through which someone enters the clergy within Blue Star. Someone who has attained their First Degree is referred to as a priest, priestess, or simply "initiate."
Second Degree recognizes further training and commitment within Blue Star beyond that of the First Degree. It is usually, although not always, the time when one takes a leadership role in a coven, preparatory to "hiving" or establishing an independent coven.
Third Degree is given to those people who are judged by their teachers to be capable of leaving the coven that they were trained in and taking full responsibility for creating a new coven of their own.
Relationship to other traditions
As mentioned above, Blue Star Wicca was inspired at least in part by both the Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions. It was also influenced by the American Welsh tradition and the Pagan Way series of class material.
In turn, Blue Star has inspired other traditions, such as Maidenhill Wicca, and Braided Wheel.
Blue Star has a special relationship to the Odyssean tradition, as a "sister" or "cousin" tradition.
The Rowan Tree Church
The Rowan Tree Church is a Wiccan organization, legally incorporated in 1979. It is an Earth-focused network of Members dedicated to the study and practice of the Wiccan Tradition known as Lothloriën. Originally centered in Minneapolis beginning in the late 1970s, its main office is in Kirkland, Washington. The Rowan Tree Church maintains its network through newsletters, the internet and with an annual retreat (meeting every third year at Old Faithful and, at other times, at The Hermit's Grove in Kirkland). The Rowan Tree Church has an in-depth training program which leads to ordination. It has been publishing The Unicorn newsletter since 1977. It began around the work and teaching of Rev. Paul Beyerl in the mid-1970s.
What is Lothloriën?
Lothloriën is an Earth-based religion, with our roots in mystery religions of the world. As an Earth-based religion, we celebrate the seasons and the cycles of life. We recognize that Truth is found in many cultures around the world and draw our archetypes from many paths. What makes Lothloriën unique is our acceptance of all people regardless of their culture, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion or sexual orientation.
Through the archetypes of Unicorns and other universal symbols we extend our beliefs into an inclusive view of reality. We seek to transcend gender-limiting expressions of the Divine and embrace all peoples and cultures upon our planet. Lothloriën strives to be inclusive in all ways.
I feel that we are on a spiritual path. We are not here for just one life but many. That life may come in the form of human and may not. However, I believe that whatever form you are in can be in service of the Lord and the Lady. Being in service of the Lord and the Lady means to me to be in harmony with nature. It means to honor the God and Goddess in all of their forms. Hopefully, in time, we can build on our previous incarnations and grow more knowledgeable and 'enlightened' in order to devote ourselves to nature and all of her embodiments.
The Charge of Lothloriën states our belief system. Every time we say the charge we are recommitting ourselves to our beliefs. The Charge of Lothloriën admonishes us to work within nature. We are to give of ourselves to our communities as a counselor and healer. We are to be of service to our communities doing our work for the good of all. Also, we will work within nature to do our work. We will use the bounties of the earth to aid the sick and of the heavens to give counsel. We will be unselfish in our service, knowing compassion and wisdom and not performing our duties for a higher good for ourselves. If we work within nature by honoring her and give of ourselves without ego, then we are fulfilling the Charge of Lothloriën.
—written by Lilith
The Charge of Lothloriën
Then you shall be taught
To be wise,
So in the fullness of time
You shall count yourselves
Among those
Who serve the Ancients;
And you shall grow to love
The music of the Woodlands,
To dance to the sound of His pipes,
In step with cloven hooves
And the forest song…
And you shall learn
The Mystery of Rebirth,
Filling your hearts with Her moonlight,
Growing in harmony with the Earth,
As Her children,
Protective of your Mother…
And you shall grow in wisdom,
And you shall grow in compassion,
And in love shall you heal the sick,
Pursuing the arts of healing,
The lore of the Mother's Herbes…
Learning the psychic arts,
To cure,
To nurture,
To help Her children grow…
And in wisdom you shall give counsel,
Knowing the skills of divination,
Seeing how the children
Best flow in Universal Harmony;
Understanding planetary cycles
And knowing prophecy…
Thus will you be the Wise Ones,
Knowing the lores of Nature;
The Wiccans of the heaths,
Of the countryside,
The Pagans of the Cities…
Knowing all are One to the Mother,
Knowing all are One to the Father.
Let thy life,
And the life to come,
Be in the service
Of the Lord and Lady.
What does it take to become a Rowan Tree Church Member?
Membership in The Rowan Tree Church provides the monthly RT News, our monthly newsletter, a copy of the Annual Report and invitations to participate in rituals and gatherings, whether as a solitary or with a local Community. All Members are offered access to our central library, and, for a modest subscription fee to cover shipping, may check out books for research and pleasurable reading. Cassette tapes are available through our tape library. If you are considering joining The Rowan Tree Church, we ask you to read A Wiccan Bardo, Revisted. If you want this Tradition in your life, and you want to join the church, please send us a note with your thoughts, to:
The Rowan Tree Church
PO Box 0691
Kirkland, WA 98083-0691
eGroup
Are you a member of The Rowan Tree Church email group? This is a great way for Members all over the world to stay in touch, share stories, ask questions, and communicate about upcoming Sabbats. Once you join, a single email can easily be distributed out to all other Members in the email group. For more information about subscribing, visit: groups.yahoo.com/group/therowantreechurch. Or send an email to: therowantreechurch-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. The email group is open to current Rowan Tree Church Members only. This is a very low-volume email list (one message or less per day) and we hope you'll join us! This is not a chat room.
Source: http://www.therowantreechurch.org/index.php
Hellenic polytheism
Hellenic Polytheism is an umbrella term for a wide variety of polytheistic religious movements which are ideologically related by their reverence for the ancient Greek pantheon and/or their adoption of ancient Greek religious practices.
The religion of Ancient Greece was a polytheism practiced in the area surrounding the Aegean Sea, at least since the Mycenaean period in approximately 1200 BCE and continuing through the Hellenistic period in the 4th-2nd centuries BCE, into the domination of Roman Empire in the first centuries CE. The widespread practice of Hellenic polytheism largely came to an end following edicts issued by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I at the close of the 4th century A.D. and the policies of his Christian successors.
Origins
Modern Hellenic polytheist organizations are "revivalist" or "reconstructionist" for the most part, but many adherents like Panagiotis Marinisin from the group Dodecatheon in Greece, has stated that the religion of ancient Greece has survived throughout the intervening centuries, and that he, himself, was raised in a family that practiced this religion. Whether or not they believe that the Hellenic polytheist religious tradition is continuous, there is evidence that Greek Hellenic polytheists see the movement as an expression of Greek cultural heritage, in opposition to the Orthodox Christianity that is overwhelmingly dominant in Greece. Dodecatheon and YSEE both use the terms "traditional" and "ethnic" to refer to their religious practices, and YSEE is a founding member of the World Congress of Ethnic Religions. Greek polytheist author Vlassis Rassias has written a popular series of books on "Christian persecutions against the Hellenes," and the "Church of the Hellenes" organization goes so far as to call for the wholesale extermination of Christianity, while the Athens based group Ellinais emphasizes "world peace and "the brotherhood of man."
Outside of Greece, many Hellenic polytheist organizations are affiliated with neopaganism and/or reconstructionism. In Old Stones, New Temples, the first English-language book on Hellenic polytheism, American author Drew Campbell identifies "Pagan Reconstructionism," as originating from dissatisfaction with the level of cultural authenticity in Wicca. The American Hellenic polytheist organization Hellenion also identifies its practices as "Hellenic Pagan Reconstructionism" and emphasizes historical accuracy in its mission statement.
Ancient Hellenic polytheism
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The cult practices of the ancient Hellenes extended beyond mainland Greece, to the islands and coasts of Ionia in Asia Minor, to Magna Graecia (Sicily and southern Italy),
