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Order of the Red Grail
Nebraska Community

Unveiling The Witch Queen:
Postmodern Spiritualism in America
Jason J. Blodgett-McDeavitt

For Sociology 101
Carol Langer
7 December, 1996

Unveiling The Witch Queen:
Postmodern Spiritualism in America

Witch. Five letters which conjure up images and meanings as diverse ashuman history can invent. Two diametrically opposed images can be drawnfrom this word. One is Christian, where the word Witch is associated withthose who worship the Christian devil. The other image is of those whoare taking part in a revival of the pre-Christian religions of NorthernEurope. These are called Wiccans. Men and women, both Satanist and Wiccan,call themselves Witches.

Satanist Witches use the title to shock. Modern Satanism can be tracedto Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan, later renamed the Church of Set. He founded this church on the principles of shock and profit. In a strangereversal of function, the Church of Satan proved to be very therapeuticfor it's members, who only stayed a year or two in the Church. The "dogma"of LaVey proved to be hedonistic in nature, and allowed the followers tofocus on their inner child in a very banal manner. Along with shockingmost of society, the Satanists were able to find an inner balance of theirouter selves and the often ignored or repressed inner child (Adler, 1986).

Wiccan Witches are a completely different subject. Wiccans are the largestdenomination of the Neo-Pagan movement, numbering close to 200,000 in theUnited States alone (Crowley, OCRT, 1996). This means that there are moreWiccans in the United States than Quakers (121,750), Unitarians (190,193),Salvation Army (127,577), or Mennonites (154,259) (Bradley, Green, Jones,Lynn, & McNeil, 1992; OCRT, 1996).

Wicca is a post-modern revival of ancient rituals and traditions which wereeither reclaimed from the past, or constructed anew. The most importantfigure in the growth of Wicca in Europe and the United States was GeraldGardner. Gardner was a British civil servant who wrote the first modernbooks on Witchcraft, starting with Witchcraft Today in 1954.

In the years that followed, Gardner took the rites and rituals which hesaid were passed down through a coven he gained initiation with in 1939(evidently going back clear to Paleolithic times, or so Gardner claimed)and infused them with the symbols and rituals of other magickal groups ofthat era. Among these, were the Order of the Golden Dawn and Freemasonry. Due to vows of obligation, I am unable to go into detail about certainelements of Masonic ritual, but there are strong similarities between whatGardner passed down as Witchcraft, and what is still being done in MasonicLodges.

One of the hallmarks of the Wiccan growth in the United States is the beliefin the duality of Deity. Wiccans believe in a God, but also in a Goddess. In some instances, many of each are worshipped depending on the time ofthe year. Most Wiccans regard all the various deities (such as Pan, Isis,Osirus, and Athena) as representations of Deity. Whether or not they representactual individuals who are able to physically effect our realities variesfrom Wiccan to Wiccan.

Other beliefs of Wiccans include reverence for Nature and in gender equality(including respect for homosexuality) (Adler, 1986; Crowley, 1996; OCRT,1996). There are two "laws" which are commonly adhered to. Thefirst is the Three Fold Law, which states that "All good that a persondoes returns three fold in this life; harm is also returned three fold" (OCRT, 1996). This is very similar to the belief in Karma held by manyEastern religions. The other "law" is called the Wiccan Rede. This is a general code of behavior for Wiccans. It states "An itharm none, do what thou wilt" (OCRT, 1996).

Some look at the Rede as license to do whatever you want. It is not thatsimplistic a code, for it looks to actions, as well as inactions. The OCRThas the following to say regarding the Three-fold Law and the Wiccan Rede;

This means that a person would feel free to do what ever they want to, aslong as it does not harm themselves or anyone else. This and the three-foldlaw obviously prevent a Witch/Wiccan from doing harm to themselves or toothers, or attempting to manipulate others, or taking illegal drugs, etc.(1996).

Benefits of the Goddess

What is the attraction to this religion which may or may not be ancientor modern? Most Wiccans are women, though there are many men involved. A Lincoln based coven has two male clergy and one female, four initiates,three of which are women, eight students, six of which are women, and twoprospective students who are both men. This is a total of ten women andseven men. All members of this organization are white, which is again typical,though not the rule. One member is homosexual, and two are bi-sexual. This, too, is not unusual for the Wiccan community, which embraces diversityin people (Adler, 1986; Crowley, 1996).

One of the major factors which draws people into Wicca is it's freedom fromguilt. Many Wiccans were ex-Catholics or ex-Lutherans. One such exampleexplains, in part, a current Wiccans fall from the Lutheran church:

This person then went on to become an atheist for the next 20 years of hislife because "it seemed the only honorable thing to do." Whenhe discovered Wicca and became involved with a coven, it was like cominghome. This is something heard time and time again in the Wiccan community,that folks who find Wicca feel like they are coming home.

Why does it feel like coming home for many of the worshippers of the Goddessin the Wiccan tradition? Acceptance is one of the biggest reasons. Wiccagoes beyond the acceptance and toleration which many groups say they havefor homosexuals or people of dissimilar lifestyles. Wicca affirms and celebratesthese differences (Warwick, 1995).

Wicca is especially emancipatory to women. While both men and women arenegatively effected by the patriarchy of hundreds, if not thousands of years. The movement enables the creation of a "new framework of meaning forsome women who, in growing numbers, are alienated from patriarchal religions"(Griffin, 1995). Lynda Warwick (1995) outlines the various roles womenplay in Wicca;

Politically, Wiccans can be conservative or liberal, or they can be completelyapolitical. Typically, new religious movements have been highly apolitical,being interested in their own issues and not much else (Adler, 1986; Finley,1991). Some segments of the Wiccan community challenge this assessment. Finley (1991) studied in depth the Dianic tradition of Witchcraft and thepolitical activation of these Witches. Contrary to the image of the apatheticand self-absorbed fringe religious movements, Dianic Wiccans showed a highlevel of political activism. While this study only looked at the one denominationof Wicca, more studies would be needed to see if the level of politicalactivism spread to other segments (Finley, 1991).

From the political to the personal, Wicca allows it's followers to expresstheir creativity in a way traditional religions would not allow. In mosttraditions, ritual is an expression of creativity, often the creativityof the whole group. The arts are also encouraged, including music, dance,and poetry (Griffin, 1995; Warwick, 1995).

Challenges to the Goddess

Wiccans, overall, enjoy a high level of success and stability in the UnitedStates, but they have had a history of oppression by various religious andsecular groups, starting with the Inquisitions and continuing into modernday. One has only to look as far as the media portrayal of witches andother pagans to see exceedingly negative portrayals. Just as the worshipof the Goddess is a postmodern revival of ancient beliefs, so too have fundamentalistsgone to earlier times for answers to the questions which plague all people. Like many groups, the fundamentalists seek scapegoats. For them, Wiccansare a force directed by Satan to subvert and control them (Acts 17:11, 1996;Marrs, 1989; Woodsong, 1996). These believers feel it is their responsibilityto provide a framework of salvation from the forces of Satan, which moreclosely resembles the paranoia of the Witch Craze near the end of the inquisitions(Marrs, 1989).

Portrayal of Witches with green skin, warts, and pointy hats is a Halloweentradition, a stereotyped portrayal which the general public generally condones. Sambo and Mammy, stereotypes of African Americans, are no longer are treatedwith such acceptance. Here, one stereotyped image has been accepted asa negative portrayal of a people, the other has not. This may be due toignorance of people who are unfamiliar with Wicca. However, this is increasinglyunlikely due to increased media coverage of Wicca and other new religiousmovements.

The negative stereotypes of Wiccans exist because of religious intolerance. Leaders in the anti-Wiccan movement come mainly from the Religious Right(700 Club, 1996; Acts 17:11, 1996; Champion, 1996; Marrs, 1989). This isthe twentieth century, with the year 2000 quickly approaching, yet thereare still clergymen who believe, and who preach to their flocks, that thereis a conspiracy of Witches seeking to infiltrate and subvert Christian Churches(Woodsong, 1996). Still others believe that Witchcraft requires child sacrifice,going so far as to state that "a revival of Neo-paganism has broughtwith it a revival of human sacrifice in the form of abortion" (Champion,1996).

The slander against Wiccans goes even deeper. The Acts 17:11 Bible Studygroup includes a unit on "those nasty Witches" (Acts 17:11, 1996). This course defines Witchcraft as "wanting to be a spiritual "moverand shaker" without submitting to God." This is ironic, sincemost Wiccan groups seek individual empowerment over giving over oneselfto an extrinsic deity (Warwick, 1995). The Acts 17:11 group teaches, onthe other hand, teaches submission to God, and His worthy servants as well.

Instances of oppression against Wiccans are on the decline, but they arestill a part of life for Wiccans in the United States and in other countries. Wiccans live with a constant threat of job loss, loss of child custody,and threats to home and body (Murphy, 1991; Warwick, 1995). Many in themovement have become civicly active, working to educate others in theircommunities. When necessary, they seek legal counsel and work within thecivil and legal systems, often successfully, to ensure their civil and legalrights (Conrad, 1986; Lady Jane, 1994).

When acts of oppression are carried out against religious minorities, weoften think they are carried out by religious zealots from equally fringegroups of the more traditional religions. This is not the case. More thanonce, Senator Jesse Helms, among others, have put forth house rulings todeny any church which considered itself Witch to be denied tax exempt status(Alexandre, 1985). Thankfully, the District Court of Virginia and the FederalAppeals Court, fourth circuit, have ruled that "Witchcraft is a legitimatereligion and falls within a recognizable religious category" (WLPA,1996a).

Unfortunately, not all of the acts which harm the Wiccan community comefrom outside zealots. Within the Wiccan community there tends to be conflictbetween groups with differing views. When these differences reach a volatilestate, a Witch war ensues. Unfortunately, most of these lead to acts ofslander and character assassination. These acts happen all across the UnitedStates. In Georgia, a Wiccan owner of a soup kitchen was outed (exposed)and defamed (Lady Cerridwen, 1991). North Carolina was host to a conflictwhich affected over 300 people and shattered a spiritual community (Williams,1995). Even in Lincoln, Nebraska, traditions enter conflict, vying fordominance, a posture which rubs against Neo-Pagan philosophy (Blodgett-McDeavitt,1995).

Conclusion

Although there are many challenges for those who choose the path of Wicca,the rewards appear to be great. Freedom not of responsibility, but of direction. Being a spiritual person without being told dogma by someone who is moreattuned with the divine than you are is a major draw to Wicca. It is acoming home for people who are fed up with what they perceive is a controlling,patriarchal church.

Connectedness to nature is central to Wiccan belief. They belief that wewere created not to dominate the Earth as the Bible tells us, but to safeguardour Mother. The sacred is not something external from us, it is withinourselves and all within all nature.

References