i.e. pre-Christian religions, and religions and shamanism that have their roots in these. We have chosen to use the term pagan rather than heathen also in Norwegian, as both Christians and the Heathen community have given the word heathen a content that is unambiguous with atheism, i.e. not believing in anything divine. Pagans believe in the divine to the highest degree - in the earthly, in humans, in the life force and in the cosmic. (The term includes almost everyone who does not have a monotheistic faith.) Pagan religions and practices all have a very strong connection to the Earth and nature, to the elements, and to the planets: The Sun and the Moon. Wicca therefore comes under the umbrella of paganism.Today's Wicca has its roots in the original fertility cult, in pre-Christian mystery religions and in the occult tradition in general. In its modern form, Wicca began to be recognised in the early 1950s, when Englishman Gerald Gardner published his first book on Wicca.
"In Wicca, we have no 'bible', no dogma, except for one: Do whatever you want, as long as you don't hurt anyone. Therefore, you will find great differences from coven to coven, from circle to circle, from witch to witch. Witches are individualists, and another witch would probably say or respond differently from me.
Nevertheless, there is a great deal we have in common, and here I will address what is common to most witches.
The concept of God
Wicca is a distinctly non-monotheistic religion, and we use god and goddess names from all the pantheons and religions of the world - Old Norse, Celtic, Greek, Egyptian, etc. But most of us think of the Divine as one, as a force, where the different god and goddess names reflect different aspects of the Divine, and you use different ones depending on what Sabbat it is, what needs you have, or what you feel at home with.
The Goddess
The Goddess has a very central place in Wicca and is in many ways the axis of the wheel around which everything revolves. But the important thing is to include both the feminine and the masculine aspects of the Divine, and this polarity between the feminine and the masculine is a very central point in Wicca, and is therefore often reflected in the rituals.
The Goddess also has many aspects, many faces, and these are primarily linked to the Earth / Earth Goddess / Mother Earth / Gaia, and to the Moon. As the Moon Goddess, she is represented by the three phases of the Moon: new moon, full moon, new moon/black moon.
The new moon (Waxing) represents the virgin goddess, the young woman, the free and unbound, and the goddess names often used here are Diana, Idun, Aradia.
The full moon represents the goddess of love and fertility, the mother, and goddess names here include Aphrodite, Venus, Freyja, Frigg, Isis, Nerthus.
The Waning moon or black moon represents the old sage, queen of the underworld or the underworld, and names here can be Hecate, Hel, Cerridwen.
Before Christianity, the worship of Isis had spread across large parts of Europe, and in many ways Isis was replaced by Mary, which can also be seen reflected in art, if you study images of Isis with the child Horus on her lap, and images of Mary with the child Jesus on her lap. In the early days of Christianity, many more (ordinary people) probably related to Mary than to Jesus, because she was a mother, while he was a distant celestial prince. The number thirteen became an unlucky number because it was associated with the Moon - thirteen full moons a year, and thus with the goddess worship that was to be eradicated - and correspondingly negatively with the woman's thirteen "impure" periods in the year.
The god
The god in Wicca also has several aspects: The Sun God, the God of Fertility / the Horned God, and the Ruler of Darkness / Lord of the Underworld.
As the Sun God, we know him as Osiris (and in religious science terms, Jesus is also a sun god).
As the Horned God of Fertility, we know him as Pan, Herne, Kernunnos, Frey (horns have symbolised both fertility and divinity since ancient times). It is probably this aspect of the God that the Christians eventually united with the Devil and Satan in their worldview, because the horny and fun-loving Pan had to be suppressed in their sexually hostile world.
As the Dark Lord, we know him as Hades and Pluto.
Initiations
As previously mentioned, Wicca is a mystery religion, which means, among other things, that you enter Wicca through an initiation, and many people ask why initiations?
One of the things that characterises a mystery religion is that there is no priesthood to manage your contact with the Divine for you. Through initiation, you become your own priesthood. A woman who is initiated into Wicca is initiated as a priestess and witch - a man is initiated as a priest and witch.
Going through an initiation means starting spiritual awakening, and it also means embarking on a psychological journey within yourself. It is no coincidence that most mystical and magical traditions have "Know thyself" as one of their most important axioms!
Initiations act as door openers, expanding consciousness in many ways. Initiations are always also a symbolic death and rebirth, and not necessarily just symbolic - you leave your old self behind and start something new. Initiations always initiate processes and changes in one's life, on the inner planes, and very often also on the outer planes. You should definitely be aware of this before you decide to take an initiation, because it is important that you are ready to accept or go through these processes and changes, which do not necessarily have to be so pleasurable.
But by being initiated, you will also enter an already existing tradition, connect with others who are doing the same thing, and thus get help to make the map and terrain fit together from people who have walked the same paths before. You will connect with the Wiccan group identity or "group-mind" - you will have a new family (an experience shared by most people who are initiated into Wicca is the feeling of coming home). You will also receive training and an introduction to the mysteries, and you will be given the "Book of Shadows". The "Book of Shadows" contains, among other things, rituals and recipes, and is in many ways the witches' "cookbook". (The name "Book of Shadows" does not come from, as many believe, that it is something dark and dangerous, etc. Rather, it refers to the fact that the written word can never be anything other than a shadow of the real experience, the one you get by doing or participating in a ritual).
Within the tradition I belong to, there is also always a priestess who initiates a man, and a priest who initiates a woman (which also helps to open up the anima/animus in that person). The initiator will also often act as a kind of parental figure for some time afterwards.
It almost goes without saying that this is not for everyone. Before someone is initiated, they will usually have gone through a training period of at least a year and a day. This means, among other things, that they must be pretty sure that this is what they want to do, and the initiator must feel reasonably confident that this is the right thing for them. (Of course, it is impossible to guard 100% against misjudgements!)
Organisation
When you are initiated, you are usually initiated into a coven. A coven is a group of witches of both genders who have chosen to work together, and it rarely has more than thirteen members, usually fewer. A coven is usually led by a high priestess, but she usually also has a high priest by her side. Each coven is its own autonomous structure and develops its own style and way of working. There is no overarching body that can come in and direct and dictate from the outside. Sometimes different coven members also meet and, for example, celebrate a Sabbath together, and for several years there have been pan-European gatherings in the summer, where they do rituals together, exchange ideas and experiences, hold workshops and celebrate and party and enjoy being with like-minded people. People from all walks of life and different positions in society come here. Wicca is not a new-age youth movement (as many people seem to think). The age range is from eighteen to well over eighty, and the majority are certainly what you would call well grown-up people.
In a coven, we work quite closely together and get very close to each other. We undress for each other both physically and mentally. That's why it's very important that the chemistry is right - just as important as in a relationship. That's why it's not always easy to be accepted as a member of a coven. Some witches also prefer to work alone, or do so because there is no coven nearby that they can join.
Rituals
We have several different types of rituals.
We have the Sabbats - the eight seasonal rituals - which are closely linked to the cycles of nature (I'll come back to them). We have initiation rituals, and rites of passage at birth, handfasting and death. We have full moon rituals and healing rituals, purification rituals and rituals for contact with the elements. Really, the only limit is your imagination and desire, and everyone eventually develops their own rituals, both individual and group rituals.
All rituals take place in a purified and sacred space. We create a temple, preferably outside in nature (and in that sense, all of Nature is our temple), but also indoors when it is problematic to be outside. We draw our circle, and it is within the circle that we work and do our rituals, and the circle is something we all have in common.
All rituals take place on at least two levels - the external, what you actually do, and the internal level of each individual who participates. Participating in a ritual almost always also means making an inner journey.
The purpose of performing rituals is to establish contact with the Divine within ourselves and outside ourselves. On the surface, they often appear as dramatisations of ancient myths and legends.
Performing these rituals together also means that we open up to each other, that we see each other in a different way, feel kinship, unity, - we become fond of each other, - something that is also reflected when we are together otherwise. We undress both physically and mentally and remove all masks. The rituals expand our consciousness, expand our senses. It's no longer possible to hide anything from each other (it's quite deliciously liberating!).
The rituals also send you on a psychic journey during the year. You get to know yourself better, and thus also others. It increases your understanding of others, why they act the way they do, what processes they go through.
All our rituals are also a celebration! We celebrate life and death, the forces of life and love.
The Sabbaths.
We have eight Sabbaths. Four of these are closely linked to the Sun's passage across the sky: Winter Solstice (mid-winter, Christmas), Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice (midsummer), Autumn Equinox. The other four are Imbolg, Beltane, Lammas and Samhain. All these days (or nights) have been celebrated since time immemorial, and they were important to ensure a new year's growth, as well as to give thanks for and celebrate the bounty the Earth had provided. Most of the ancient festivals have since been taken over by the Church, which, unable to eradicate these paganised holidays, which were deeply rooted in the lives and consciousness of ordinary people, tried instead to give them a new content.
The Sabbaths follow the annual cycle, and so you can start anywhere. I choose to start with
Samhain - the night of 1 November (Halloween; All Hallows' Eve).
Samhain is the last autumn festival and in many ways forms the transition between autumn and winter. The harvest has long since been reaped and it's time for the slaughter. The autumn leaves have mostly fallen to the ground, covering the seeds that lie in the earth and are protected by it until they become next year's sprouts and crops.
The god appears in his aspect as the Dark Lord, ruler of death and rebirth (Hades, Pluto). The goddess appears as the queen of the underworld at his side, or as the crone, the old wise woman (the Moon's waning aspect) (Hel, Hecate).
Samhain is often seen as the witches' New Year (from ancient Celtic tradition). It is the night of the year when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. The dead are invited to come and take part in the rituals and festivities (this has also long been celebrated in Catholic countries, but now we also see here in our Protestant Norway that people have started to light candles on the graves of their loved ones on this day or night). It is also the night of the year that is best suited for divination (all forms of divination).
With the arrival of winter, we also enter a more quiet and introspective period. It is a time for wisdom and meditation.
Yule - Christmas (we like to spell it "yule" to distinguish it from the Christian Christmas.) Winter solstice - 21 December, mid-winter, the longest night of the year. The sun turns, the days are getting lighter. The Goddess gives birth to the Sun Child - the light is born. - Rebirth.
Imbolc - 2 February ( light mass.) According to our old calendar, this is the first day of spring. Usually it doesn't look very "springy" at the beginning of February here (sometimes there are a few snowdrops), but what Imbolc represents is hope, the certainty of everything that is hidden in the earth and waiting for, or has already begun, to sprout.
We celebrate the return of the Goddess from her time as Queen of the Underworld, and she appears here in her virgin aspect (Idun, Artemis, Diana, Aradia). The god is the King of the Forests, Pan, the young, wild and merry.
Spring equinox - 21 March. Day and night are of equal length. God and Goddess, light and dark, feminine and masculine are one. The warmth of the God (the Sun) allows for the fertility of Mother Earth and we sow the first seeds of spring.
Beltane - the night of 1 May (Walpurgis Night). Both the God and the Goddess appear in their love and fertility aspects, and Beltane marks a fertility festival where God and Goddess devote themselves to each other in the sacred and ecstatic union that is the condition for all growth and creativity.
Midsummer - (summer solstice) 21 June. The longest day of the year. The Sun God is at the height of his power.
The Goddess, the Queen of Summer, carries the Children of the Sun under her heart. All of nature is in its finest flowering splendour - everything is fruitful. It is a celebration of joy, but at the same time we know that the days are getting shorter, and in order to feel joy we must also feel sorrow.
Lammas - 1 August. It is autumn. The harvest is at the door, the grain is being reaped. The god appears as the Corn King - he is one with the grain. The goddess begins to emerge in her dark aspect. She comes with her sickle, and the God willingly sacrifices himself out of love and lets his power enter the grain. Through his sacrifice, the God gives us the bread, which symbolises eternal life and rebirth, and next year's seed. The God now changes aspect and becomes the Dark Lord.
Autumn equinox - 21 September. Day and night are of equal length. Light and darkness are in balance, but the darkness is growing. Nature is at rest. The God and Goddess give us the abundance of their fertility. We celebrate the harvest. What we sowed in the spring, we have now harvested, whether physical or psychic seeds, and now comes a time for rest and reflection. - At the autumn equinox, we often use the legend of Demeter and Persephone (where Persephone descends to the underworld of Hades).
Then we're back at Samhain, where we started.
Magic
Being a witch not only means practising a particular religion, but also learning the craft or art of witchcraft. If we look at the English word "witchcraft", "craft" largely refers to the practical execution of what is often called magic. There are probably several ways to define magic, but to make it simple, I will say here that it means that you can change reality with the help of your will. This is something all witches take for granted. But witchcraft also includes things that are no longer considered magic, such as knowledge of herbs and how they can be used for medicinal and health purposes. Other things that are included in this section include the use of trance, various healing techniques, crystals, runes, tarot cards, etc. depending on the individual's interests and inclinations.
We are often asked whether we use black magic and whether it is not dangerous to work with magic. To that I would say that all knowledge can be used for both positive and negative purposes (take physics, for example), but that doesn't mean you stop acquiring knowledge. Most witches also believe in what is known as the law of karma; i.e. that everything you send out will sooner or later be returned to you with triple the strength (in this or the next life), which makes it undeniably less tempting to send out a lot of evil. As mentioned, it's also part of the oath we all take at our initiation - do whatever you want, as long as you don't hurt anyone. Moreover, a true witch will always strive for harmony and balance both within and outside herself, in nature and in the cosmos.
The meetings where we work with practical magic are often called esbats, and will often also be full moon meetings.
Today's witches
Something else that characterises today's witches is that we are not very self-important people (but we are still deeply serious about what we do!), and most are fond of drumming, singing and dancing. It is in the nature of things that practitioners of a nature religion are ecologically conscious people.
Most witches believe in reincarnation.
We do not believe in the existence of any evil spiritual power or devil/Satan. We do not operate with the dichotomy evil/good. Rather, we use the terms positive/negative (yin/yang), where negative is not associated with evil (things must be destroyed for new things to grow, just as leaves wither in autumn). The important thing is to try to achieve balance.
We do not believe that this (Wicca) is the only right or salvific way - there are many paths to take, and this one is certainly not for everyone. We do not go out and do missionary work, and we do not make money from this.
Wicca is a tradition that in its modern form originates from Gerald Gardner and later Alex Sanders.
There are also other traditions, such as traditional witchcraft, which has been passed down in families over generations. There are Dianic witches, who are purely Goddess-orientated and all-female (often lesbian) groups. We have witches who follow American Starhawk, and there are probably also a good number of solo and self-initiated witches sitting around on the mounds in our vast country.
In other words - the fires are burning, the pots are bubbling, and if you look hard enough, you might spot us as we fly away on our brooms!
The Crone
