What Makes a Wiccan .... Wiccan

Before I write about what makes a person Wiccan, I’m going to start with makes Wicca Wicca.

For me, Wicca is a fairly recent inspiration of the Gods, and features pantheism, functional duotheism, small group structure, coven hierarchy, liturgical format based on ceremonial magick, liturgical cycle based on combining the agricultural cycle and herding cycles and diving those holy days into 8 evenly spaced ones, noting and often working with Lunar cycles, working with polarity, and being an experiential mystery religion.  How many of these things can something called “Wicca” be missing and still be Wicca? I’m not going there today!

With its roots in Ceremonial Magick and mystery religions, Wicca-the-religion doesn’t accept just anyone who wants to join the Group Mind/Egregore – it is going to be into growth and evolution, yes, but not self-destructive changes.

You don’t have to be ‘actually’ Wiccan to worship The Goddess and The God, or to worship ‘Wicca Style’.  Not being Wiccan doesn’t keep you away from the Gods, after all.  But is DOES mean that you are not connected to the Egregore.  It’s sort of like the difference between Kosher and Kosher-style.  The taste – the liturgy and ritual actions – can be the same, but it’s not connected to the same Egregore.  Kinda like planning to work with Bridget, but working with Hecate instead (hey, both are Goddesses and have 3 aspects, how different can they be?)

So the question becomes “How do you connect with the Egregore of Wicca?”

Seems to me that the Gods set it up as study and practice (outer court work), which then is  made active by the Egregore acting through a HP/SS (or coven) that chooses to give the person membership or initiation. 

Can the Gods or the Egregore initiate a person themselves?  Yes, but in my experience it’s pretty rare.  The Gods put the coven system in place when They inspired Wicca (or caused it to evolve out of CM), and aren’t going to lightly put it aside.  The person the Gods are going to make an exception for is going to have to be special, and desperately needed for the growth of Wicca … and not just as a bad example.  I’m thinking that anyone They do that for is going to have to become as important as, say, Gerald Gardner, or Victor Anderson, or Doreen Valiente.  And even then, I’d expect that They would do it after the person, having lived in isolation somewhere with no chance to study with a coven, and no chance to move to study with one (and no chance to move away to even go to a university, which is harder to find time and money for than finding a coven), still did all the studying about Wicca, and practicing as much as they could get from books, for years on their own.  In other words, They don’t do it for the human individuals convenience, but to better manifest the Wiccan Egregore’s Higher Will.

Frondly, Fern

Other vaguely related blog posts:  Preparing for Samhain

                                                   Ancestor Worship

Prepping for Samhain

Samhain is coming to the northern hemisphere! Diminished and celebrated as Halloween by non-pagans, for many neopagans it’s one of the most important holy days of the year. Or not of the year, since technically it’s the day between the end of one year and the beginning of the next. At any rate, it’s the day when the veil between this world and the other worlds is known to be thin, and so we honor our dead ancestors.

Like all important events, getting the full spiritual experience of Samhain is easier if you do some preparation. And the more preparation you do, the better/fuller/more intense the experience.

So, Samhain being a Celtic based holy day, and the Celts being into triads, I posit that a great approach to Samhain is to take 9 days, a triad of triads, to prepare. What preparations to do on those 9 days? Take each day to open a dialog between yourself and one group of ancestors.

Day 1 – physical ancestors that you knew who have passed over. Those whose familial genes you carry. If adopted, add the family that made you one of their own.

Day 2 – physical/adoptive ancestors that you didn’t know who have passed over. They could well come forth at Samhain wit messages for you.

Day 3 – those who you knew that influenced you as you grew up who have passed over. Neighbors, pre-college school teachers, friends and their parents, clergy, etc.

Day 4 – Those who influenced your mind who have passed over. Authors, thinkers, statesmen, etc

Day 5 – those who influenced your spiritual path, who you knew and have passed over. Clergy, individuals, speakers, etc.

Day 6 – those who influenced your spiritual path but you did not know, and have passed over. Writers, tradition starters, those who you have learned about whose lives you try to emulate, etc.

Day 7 – Nature Spirits – because not only the ancestors might show up with messages at Samhain.

Day 8 – The Gods and Goddesses – again, because not only the ancestors might show up at your Samhain ritual.

Day 9 – Your Higher Self/Holy Guardian Angel/Spirit Guide/Patron Divinity – Well, you KNOW this one’s going to be there with you!

But, I hear someone asking, what do you DO on each of those days? Well, I’m not one for big Witchy set up. Make them a small offering – a tablespoon of barley maybe. Announce your intention – that you are because Samhain is coming, and you are there to open yourself to their inspiration. If it’s a day for folks you knew in life, maybe update them. Then listen. Take about 5 to 15 minutes. Then thank them, say you’re looking forward to anything they wish to tell you at Samhain. Leave the offering until the next day if you can. They will take whatever spiritual essence they want from it.

Now, don’t be surprised if one of the things you are told, either during one of these sessions or on Samhain, is that you should be honoring them more than once a year. But we’ll discuss Ancestor Altars some other day!

Frondly, Fern