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Episode 43: Wicca
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Welcome back Witches! This week's episode will cover Wicca! You'll get a brief background and history of Wicca along with Wiccan practices! Wicca is a very in depth practice with a huge history and several branches. With that, we hope that you use this episode as a starting point to further your research if Wicca is something you are interested in. So get in losers, and let's try to better understand Wicca.
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Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio- The Witch
- Grimassi, Raven. Encyclopedia of Wicca & Witchcraft. Llewellyn. https://www.llewellyn.com/encyclopedia/term/Alexandrian
- Slack, Claire. Wicca & Modern Witchcraft: A History. (2022). History Extra. https://www.historyextra.com/period/20th-century/wicca-witchcraft-origins-history-meaning/
- Slick, Matt. Gardnerian Wicca. (2011). Carm. https://carm.org/wicca/gardnerian-wicca/
- What is Wicca? A Religion of Witches? (2019). Spells8. https://spells8.com/lessons/what-is-wicca/?gclid=CjwKCAiAnZCdBhBmEiwA8nDQxbGbVJA6-xjB95vJFoBU2dhXRtjzQQ--xCygAHXJK6dfw4_-yLGYvhoCTh8QAvD_BwE
- Mooney, Thorn (2019). Traditional Wicca, A Seekers Guide. Lleywellyn Publications
- https://www.bop.gov/foia/docs/wiccamanual.pdf
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Transcript
Introduction and Overview
00:00:01
Speaker
Do you feel drawn to learn more about witchcraft in the occult, but feel lost somewhere to start? Then welcome to Get In Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft, a podcast all about what it means to be a witch and where to get started on your journey. Join us as we navigate through various witchy topics and share what we have learned about the craft. So get in, witches, as we take a deeper look into Wicca.
00:00:37
Speaker
So.
Misconceptions about Witchcraft and Wicca
00:00:56
Speaker
To start us off, I think it's important to preface this episode with the fact that not all witchcraft is Wicca and not all witches are Wiccan. This is a misconception that is especially pushed in the media and by other religions. Did we say we're talking about Wicca? Did I just dive in without us even being like, what are we talking about? Oh, yeah.
00:01:20
Speaker
We're talking about Wicca. Now you know. Surprise. Everybody listened to the intro, and they would know. That's true. That's true. If you listen to the intro, if not, that's on you. Right, exactly. We can't help you there. We put together this amazing intro for you all the time. So if you didn't listen to it, sucks to suck, I guess. Right, yeah. But surprise, we're talking about Wicca. We're talking to you guys. Come on.
00:01:48
Speaker
Um, for this episode, I am going to cover kind of more of the background and history. And I feel that it's important to say that I'm going to cover it very briefly because this, this topic could be several episodes. And we talked about that, um, before we started recording. So.
00:02:08
Speaker
It's going to be a very brief background and history. And then Sam's also going to go into kind of how they practice, essentially, right? Yes. Yeah. And again, even with that, there's so much. Did I make that up? No, yeah. No, no, no. That's exactly what we're doing.
Understanding Wicca: Definition and Principles
00:02:24
Speaker
Yeah, so Wicca is defined by the Oxford dictionary as a form of modern paganism, especially a tradition found in England in the mid 20th century, claiming its origins in pre-Christian religions. I also added this definition, and I don't know if you've ever been to this website, but I've actually used it before and have included it in research before, but it's just called spells8.com. Oh, I've never heard of that.
00:02:53
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know. I think we were researching something for one of the episodes and I came across it and I actually bookmarked it because it has all kinds of information. Like you need correspondences. They have correspondences for everything listed on the website. Like you want to know about this one thing, they've got it. You want a quick like spell or ritual, they've got it. Like it's a really cool compiled website on all things like witchcraft. I've really liked it.
00:03:22
Speaker
but they had their own definition for Wicca as being a neo-pagan earth-based religion where two main deities are observed, a god and a goddess. So while it's really simple, I still think it's really to the point at what Wicca is at its core.
00:03:42
Speaker
The main principles of Wicca are respect for the earth and abiding by the Wiccan reed, which is a rule of conduct that prohibits Wiccans from harming others. And then Wicca is duotheistic, meaning that they worship two deities as stated before. And many Wiccans also practice magic in the ceremonial and ritualistic forms. The Wiccan reed, so
00:04:10
Speaker
I tried, like I guess there's not just one read, like there's various reads, which was confusing to me. Cause like if Wiccans follow the Wiccan read, but everybody has a different read. Like. Yeah. And then some traditions don't even do it. Like they, they'll, some traditions, they don't do that. Like some others do. It just depends. Yeah. Yeah. So what I found essentially
00:04:37
Speaker
There's the main one, I guess, maybe like the more common one, states, and ye harm none, do what ye will. And then there's longer versions that were like full poems that I was like, I'm not reciting this and the, this isn't a slam poetry sesh, but there's longer versions that have been published, but at the base,
00:05:02
Speaker
This is the read that Wiccans abide by essentially, and it's eight words that were first publicly recorded in 1964 in a speech by Doreen Valiente. Another noteworthy version was harm none and do as you will.
00:05:18
Speaker
Wiccan in its origin is a tradition that came long before Christianity and the Roman era. It's based on the earth and all the energies that are involved in it, and it includes the four universal elements of earth, air, fire, and water.
00:05:34
Speaker
which we discussed at length in episode 41. So if you haven't listened to it, go ahead and go back and listen to that one, as well as recognizing the element spirit. And that one we didn't really cover. We only did a little piece on that one at the end, but maybe that'll be a future episode.
Wiccan Beliefs and Deities
00:05:52
Speaker
The divinity of Wicca has two aspects, that of the god and of the goddess. And its nature is both feminine and masculine at the same time, because it's all seen as a balance.
00:06:04
Speaker
Wicca can be practiced in covens as well as in solitary and there are many Wiccan traditions like
00:06:13
Speaker
way too many for me to cover in one single episode unless we wanted to sit here for like a week, I feel like. So I just included the ones that came up in my research more often than others.
Historical Foundations of Wicca
00:06:27
Speaker
The main one being Gardenarian. Gardenarian is considered one of the oldest forms of Wicca and most Wiccans acknowledge it to be the beginning of the Wicca movement.
00:06:39
Speaker
There's Alexandrian, and this is a branch of Wicca founded in the 1960s by Alex Sanders, who was known as the King of Witches, and his wife, Maxine Sanders. It originated in Britain, and their practices are in ceremonial magic.
00:06:56
Speaker
Celtic Wicca is a modern tradition of Wicca that incorporates some elements of Celtic mythology. It has the same basic theology, rituals, and beliefs as most other forms of Wicca. The only difference is that it's solely based in Celtic mythology versus just a god and a goddess or, you know, I think dyanic. We talked about that one before where it's just
00:07:21
Speaker
the goddess, which is the next one that I'm talking about anyways. So, Dianic Wicca is a modern pagan goddess tradition focused on female experience and empowerment. Leadership is by women who may be ordained as priestesses, and it can also be practiced in less formal groups that function as collectives.
00:07:44
Speaker
Fairy Wicca is a modern tradition that was founded by author Akisma Stepanik. I wasn't sure on that one. I don't know either. And again, so I've heard this person talked about in other podcasts and I've heard both pronunciations, so I'm not really sure.
00:08:06
Speaker
But, I mean, I feel like you get the just Stepanich, Stepanich, they're close, right? This tradition claims to recover the traditions of the Tuatha de Danann, though there have been some disagreements on this claim.
00:08:21
Speaker
Like I couldn't, this is where I was running into issues with everything. I'm like, it is or it isn't. There's no black and white in a lot of the, like the history and research of it. It's like maybe, but couldn't be, but probably, but might not. Yeah. I ran into that a lot with these.
00:08:39
Speaker
Kometic is an eclectic Neopagan spiritual path combining the ancient Egyptian religion with modern day earth religions. And then eclectic, which I feel like everything has an eclectic version. So basically they just pull and blend concepts and practices from different Wiccan backgrounds and makes Wicca kind of fit the practitioner.
00:09:03
Speaker
And again, these aren't all of the Wiccan traditions that are out there. These are just the ones that were more well-known and more widely practiced. So in the history of Wicca, there was a woman named Margaret Murray, and she was an archaeologist, an anthropologist, a historian, and a folklorist. And she published a book called The Witch Cult in Western Europe.
00:09:31
Speaker
in 1921.
Influences on Wicca's Development
00:09:33
Speaker
And it's believed that Gerald Gardner, known as the father of Wicca, built his idea for Wicca from this book. But there's also believed that at least like some of Wicca was based off of a different book titled I Think It's a Radia?
00:09:50
Speaker
or the Gospel of Witches, and this was published by an American author, poet, and folklorist named Charles Leland in 1899, though this belief is sometimes argued that no Wicca wasn't founded on any of this, so again, maybe, could be, probably not.
00:10:09
Speaker
Gerald Gardner is considered the founding father of Wicca, and he was an English author who had experience in occult practices such as Rosicrucianism, which is symbolic and spiritual alchemy, and he was said to be initiated into a group known as the New Forest Coven in 1939.
00:10:30
Speaker
Through his published articles and books, Gardner reconstructed the link between the wisdom prior to Christianity and other ritual structures of the early 20th century, bringing Wicca a new life that continues to be practiced today. It's said that during his initiation, the term Wicca was used, and this is Wicca with one C, which I guess was pretty important to differentiate. And Gardner basically recognized this as being an old term used for which?
00:10:59
Speaker
Um, in old English, the term Wicca again, with one C meant a witch of any gender. And this was the beginning of gardenarian Wicca. Gardner also met Alistair Crowley, who I feel like if you're listening to our podcast, you probably at least have heard that name before. I feel like he's a very well known figure in witchy and occult communities.
00:11:26
Speaker
But he met Crowley in 1946, where Gardner then wrote a novel called High Magic's Aid. For those who aren't familiar with Crowley, at his base, he's an English occultist, ceremonial magician, a poet, a painter, a novelist, and a mountaineer who founded the religion Thelema. He was also known at one point in his life as the wickedest man in the world, which is hilarious to me.
00:11:55
Speaker
In 1951, England repealed the 1736 witchcraft act that made witchcraft illegal and this allowed Gardner to then go public and form his own coven. Also in this same year, a former filmmaker named Cecil Williamson opened the folklore center of superstition and witchcraft on the Isle of Man and he designated Gardner as the resident witch
00:12:21
Speaker
And previous attempts by Williamson to open this center were met with hostility and he was even run out of town at one point. That's really sad. It really is. But at this time, like 1951 era, it's basically when public interest in witchcraft was increasing. And this is where Gardner started to gain a foothold in going public. So these Wiccan traditions were Gardner's attempts to restore the ancient religious system to power.
00:12:50
Speaker
Despite attempts from the press to link Wicca to double worship, Wicca thrived and it eventually spread, though Gardner died in 1964 and he didn't get to see Wicca hit its peak popularity. The year prior to his death, he met Raymond Buckland, who I feel like is another
00:13:07
Speaker
like well-known person in this community. And basically, Buckland, after meeting him and after Gardner dies, takes Wicca to Gardenarian Wicca to America. Today, Wicca is practiced by thousands of people all around the world.
Wicca in Popular Culture
00:13:25
Speaker
And it can be seen all over social media, in books, in films, and even in Marvel Comics, who have a superhero named Wiccan. And he's a super-powered warlock
00:13:36
Speaker
and the reincarnated son of the Scarlet Witch. Nice. I love it. I know. I love it.
00:13:44
Speaker
I love that. That's a very concise history. And it's not something that's like, I mean, cause the history of Wicca, it's so involved and then so much and it would take you all day. Yeah. And for those, like, if you're like me, cause I don't really, I didn't know a whole lot about Wicca going into this. Like I knew what it was and kind of some of the basics of it. I leaned more into gardenarian Wicca in my history research because
00:14:13
Speaker
it is the more, I guess, popular, more widely practiced, and kind of essentially the start of what modern day Wicca is. So while most of my background that I just gave comes out of that, do know there are different versions. I mean, I gave you five or six of them, but they all have different
00:14:37
Speaker
starts, some of them have different like bases or like specific things that they do or have to do to be part of these covens. So definitely if Wicca is something you're interested in, really do your research to find out like what I guess path of Wicca fits you best.
00:14:56
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And so I'm going to be talking about more of like the, like Wicca practices. And this obviously is not an inclusive list of Wiccan practices by any means. And with what I talk about in this section, it doesn't mean that every tradition operates this way either. Like, just like what you just said, like, I mean, if you're interested in Diana Wicca, like none of these traditions or practices might even fall in line with what you do at a coven that you might be initiated in. So
00:15:26
Speaker
This is just like a very basic structure of Wiccan practices and this is what I've put together through research for this topic.
00:15:35
Speaker
Again, Tiffany and myself, we're not Wicca and we've never initiated into a Wiccan coven or even worked in an outer court. So obviously do with this information, which you will. However, if this can help you in any way by providing you with more information about Wiccan practices to inform your decision on whether you want to seek initiation, or if you're just interested in learning more about Wicca, that is all this episode is for. We're not experts in anything. I mean, never claimed to be. So just putting that out there.
00:16:01
Speaker
Just take whatever we give you, take it as a grain of salt and use it as a launch pad for your own research. Exactly. Maybe base your research off what we tell you. A lot of it, especially on topics like this, we also have to research to be able to figure out what everything is and how to explain it in a way that makes sense.
00:16:26
Speaker
Yes. Don't take it as like the final word. Absolutely. Absolutely not. So some of the main covenants when it comes to Wicca, there are many.
Wiccan Practices and Coven Structure
00:16:41
Speaker
The first one being this Wicca itself is very initiatory as a religion. So something that is very definitive of Wicca is the idea of working in a coven. Not every person who is Wiccan works in a coven. There is solitary Wiccan practitioners. And then there's a lot of drama surrounding, can you be a solitary Wiccan? Do you have to work in a coven? And we are not here to tell you what you can and can't do, but just
00:17:09
Speaker
as like an overview, a lot of Wiccans work in covens. And covens vary drastically depending on where you are and what tradition of Wicca you are practicing. And we had an entire episode on covens versus solitary work in season one. So check out episode seven if you want more information on the differences between the two because I'm not going to do like a deep dive into that.
00:17:31
Speaker
on this episode. But the thing with coven work and traditional Wicca is that it doesn't matter what your parents believed in, what books you've read, how many years you practiced, etc. Your ability to join a coven depends solely on seeking out a coven in your area, setting up a meeting with the high priest or high priestess and requesting to be considered for membership. And this
00:17:55
Speaker
can seem very selective and it should be because if you think about it, covens are highly personal and close. So of course a high priestess or a high priest wants to fully vet everyone they are considering for membership and there are a lot of steps to go through before you're even offered a spot in the coven. Often the rule is you need to practice for a year and a day
00:18:19
Speaker
But this varies widely by tradition and coven. So you could spend years in the seeking phase and the outer court phase and never actually get initiated into the coven you were seeking into. And that's nothing to do with like anything bad against you or anything, you know,
00:18:37
Speaker
anything just bad in general, it could just be that maybe it's not the right time or maybe you're not the right fit and that's okay because not everyone's going to be the right fit for everything.
00:18:50
Speaker
Um, so another thing that comes up when you're referencing Wicca and working in a coven, and this is something that we also talked about on our coven versus solitary work episode is the idea of working skyclad. This is something that isn't an expectation in every coven, but it is something that isn't.
00:19:10
Speaker
happens in a lot of covens and basically this is working naked. So, T and A on full display. Yeah, together. Not in any sort of sex practices or rituals or anything like that. But as, I mean, there's many different reasons for this. Some of the reasons include, you know, one, it's just easier to perform rituals and like work with fire, things like that without clothes on. I mean,
00:19:38
Speaker
Reducing that fire hazard by a lot. We as humans are a fire hazard. We really are. I've also heard that it levels the playing field so it makes everyone vulnerable and closer. It's supposed to be uncomfortable at first and really it's
00:19:56
Speaker
It's a way to get closer together and bring you into that ritualistic mindset. No one is looking at your other coven members in a sexual way. And if they are looking at you in a sexual way, one of your practicing sky clad, that's probably not the right coven for you. Please take a step back. Cause there's some other issues there.
00:20:13
Speaker
Um, we talk about that in the coven versus solitary practice episode, like always make sure you're safe in these situations when you're setting up meetings, when there's, you know, the possibility of sky clad, like always make sure it's a safe situation for you. And if it's not, you know, exactly. Yes. Let people know where you are. Mm-hmm.
00:20:38
Speaker
Please be safe in these things. Please, please be safe. Like, yeah, no. Don't, if anything makes you feel uncomfortable, just don't do it. I mean, like I said, Skyclad should be uncomfortable at first, but you should also, while it might be uncomfortable, you're entering it into like, at that point you've already been initiated in the covenant, you've already been working with these people for at least a year and a day. And like, even though it's uncomfortable,
00:21:05
Speaker
doing that for the first time, you know that the coven has your back and you know that it's uncomfortable in the fact that this is new for you, but not uncomfortable in the fact that you feel unsafe. So like I said, it brings you into more of a ritualistic mindset. So it's setting your worldly and mundane possessions outside of the ritual space and focusing solely on a ritual with your other coven members.
00:21:33
Speaker
So, like I said, there's many, many reasons why covens will perform Skyclad. Those are just a couple. But according to Thorne Moody, which is the author that I use a lot in this research, she is a high priestess and a coven that she runs.
00:21:50
Speaker
And she writes a lot of books about like Wicca and witchcraft. And she is an awesome resource on like YouTube. She's been guests on other podcasts. She is just an amazing source of information. She says that coven work can create close psychic and magical links between coven members. And even when someone leaves a coven, their presence may still be fell in that circle after they've left.
00:22:16
Speaker
And I think this is really amazing because it just goes to show how close and connected a coven can be. So if that's something that you're craving from your work and you're wanting that space where you can be close like that, coven work might be ideal for you. And joining, you know, a Wiccan tradition might be the path you need to go.
00:22:36
Speaker
So initiation itself varies from coven to coven and it's often secret.
Rituals and Secrecy in Wicca
00:22:40
Speaker
The secrecy protects the coven's privacy and it keeps that magic alive when it comes to the initiatory process. So a lot of stuff about initiation, I mean obviously we can't cover because first of all we're not Wiccan but also second of all even if we were Wiccan that's not something that we would be able to divulge on this podcast.
00:23:00
Speaker
But it's not just about memberships, it's about access to additional knowledge and community so that whole initiatory process while it might seem like, Oh my god like it's very exclusive. There's a reason for that.
00:23:15
Speaker
So oftentimes too, whenever you are initiated into a Wiccan tradition, there is something known as dedication. And this is a commitment to the group by the individual that is being initiated. So it's committing your time, your energy to the group,
00:23:31
Speaker
maybe a specific deity to Wicca itself. And it really changes and it's very, very, very depending on the person that can be either a public or a private ritual, depending on the covenant you're working with. So if you are interested in pursuing the Wiccan path, just know that might be something that you have to do whenever you are initiated.
00:23:55
Speaker
And then also another aspect of Wicca is that it's very lineage. Wiccan traditions trace their lineage to the founder of their tradition. So if you are, for instance, a gardenarian Wiccan, your coven will be able to trace their particular coven through lineage to Gerald Gardner in some way. And this is very important in Wicca because you have this magical connection
00:24:19
Speaker
to the founder of whatever tradition you are part of, but also it allows like say if you're wanting to, if your coven wants to work with another coven, being able to understand that other coven's lineage lets you know that you can trust the coven that you're wanting to work with, it allows you to be able to vouch for other people, that sort of thing. So there's a huge lineage aspect to that.
00:24:45
Speaker
It makes me think of that, what is that, the six degrees of Kevin Bacon? Yes. It's like the six degrees of Wiccan Cummins. It absolutely is. Another thing about Wicca is it's very hierarchical. Hierarchical. Hierarchical. How do you say that word? I hate that word. I can't say it. Hierarchical. It's on my list of words I refuse to say.
00:25:09
Speaker
Everybody knows what word I'm trying to say. It comes from hierarchy. And there's an AL at the end, hierarchical. I think that's how you say it. So there's an emphasis here on a structure. There's a learning environment modeling from more adept practitioners. And if you're allowing for feedback from teachers and peers and along with the structure and most Wiccan covens there is
00:25:36
Speaker
an emphasis on hierarchy from more experienced leaders to members who are new to the craft. And often this translates into like a degree system. So seekers are also known as trial members, sometimes neophytes.
00:25:51
Speaker
could be a completely different word for it depending on the tradition that you're interested in. And this is the basically category for those who are seeking initiation into a coven. Depending on a particular coven, like I said, this could be anywhere from a year and a day to two years, maybe even more in the UK in the area that I was living.
00:26:13
Speaker
there was a coven that I was very interested in seeking initiation into. However, the seeking process was a two year long process and that would not have worked for an active duty military family that was only going to be there for three years. And so it is a little bit frustrating because we have to move around so much. You can't establish roots, but at the same time, I understand why that coven wouldn't have been a good fit for me because it's like you do all this seeking
00:26:40
Speaker
and the initiatory process, and then you're moving. That's a lot of work that the coven puts into you to not even be staying in that area. The next would be the first degree, which are the initiates. These are individuals that have been formally ritually accepted into a coven. They're no longer seekers and they're recognized as part of the coven.
00:27:06
Speaker
The next would be second degrees, and depending on the tradition, they may take on their own students, they may help out in outer court functions, but just in general, they have more responsibilities in the coven. The next would be a queen or mages. This is not in every tradition.
00:27:25
Speaker
Oftentimes this is a high priestess or high priest whose initiates have gone off to form their own covens and have initiates of their own. So sometimes there's a rule that there needs to be three covens descended from him or her.
00:27:41
Speaker
before that title applies. And I think that's really cool. Like it'd be so cool I think to work with a coven that has a queen and just seeing that history passed down. I think it'd be kind of cool. The next kind of degree or
00:27:57
Speaker
hierarchical structure is an elder. And this is a coven member with the most experience in a group. Usually these are third degrees, but the term is relative. So like a second degree is an elder to a first degree initiate. And the thing about this term, it's not applied to age. So you can be joining
00:28:21
Speaker
a coven and be initiated into a coven and be in your fifties and your elder be somebody in their twenties. But that's just because they've been part of the tradition for a longer than you have. So these people have a lot of responsibility in a coven. They can run out of court for the seekers that I mentioned before, but essentially they serve as models and guides to new members and to existing members because they're the elders.
00:28:51
Speaker
The next would be the maiden or the handmaiden, and this is someone who assists a high priestess in a circle, and they are often training to be a high priestess.
00:29:04
Speaker
And the last really degree or hierarchical structure at the top would be third degrees. The first and second degrees follow the guidance of the more experienced third degrees. And there's a lot of fluidity here. So like, if you started as a first degree, you're not always there as a first degree, you can move up that structure. And then
00:29:26
Speaker
This usually translates to a high priest or high priestess, and many have the honorific of lord or lady in a circle setting. These are the leaders of the coven, and they're known as the supreme leader and the highest rank in the coven. In covens with both a high priestess and a high priest, the high priestess holds supremacy even if the roles and duties of a high priest and high priestess are shared between the two.
00:29:55
Speaker
And I love that. And basically the thing here is that he, the high priest is granted that title from the high priestess and he is her consort and support her helper and guardian. And in some traditions I've seen like written that like this might be a sibling relationship. It could be a romantic relationship. So I think it just depends on which tradition and which coven
00:30:24
Speaker
because obviously it's going to be highly subjective to where you're at and who makes up your coven and whatnot. But that's kind of the hierarchical structure. There's a lot more that could be said and put in here, but this is just kind of the main ones. There's a lot more that I left out.
00:30:43
Speaker
So, but I just didn't want the whole episode to be like the hierarchy of coven makeup because it could be like I said on what coven you're joining. You could have like a high priest and no high priestess or have no like queens in your coven or no handmaidens. Like it really just depends on how your coven is set up. Yeah. And then, so what can you expect from a Wiccan practice?
Wiccan Rituals and Finding a Coven
00:31:11
Speaker
This, again, is going to depend on the tradition and the coven and it can vary widely. So usually what is common is once you're part of a coven, you will meet with them, whether it be monthly, weekly, quarterly, whatever, to work in the circle together.
00:31:29
Speaker
Many Wiccans practice along the wheel of the year. So I assume at the very least, any coven that you join will meet to work to celebrate one of those eight Sabbaths. You might also be expected to bring or keep with you personal religious items, such as a Book of Shadows, a divination tool, representations of the elements. And there might be times when you're asked to bring wine or particular incense or spell ingredient to meetings, depending on the purpose of the meeting.
00:31:56
Speaker
the purpose of the circle, whatever ritual you are doing. So just bear that in mind. And then there's also emphasis in Wicca of the idea of a sacred space. So you see this again in the process of being initiated and working sky-clad, working in a circle with other members, observing and working with an altar, et cetera. So there's a huge emphasis on the sacred space. And that's something that is very
00:32:26
Speaker
definitive of, especially Wicca. I mean, I know there's a lot of eclectic pagan traditions and stuff, and there is like that emphasis on like a sacred space or like a ritualistic practice and stuff, but I feel like it's a little bit more, like Wicca reminds me so much if I had to compare it to anything, and this is a terrible comparison, but
00:32:47
Speaker
in say, for instance, Christianity, like you have like a bunch of different subsets of Christianity, right? And so like with witchcraft, you have a bunch of different beliefs and traditions tied to that. And then you have Catholicism, which is very like ritualistic, ritualistically structured. And there's a huge emphasis on like a sacred space and like being very ritual and everything that you do. And I feel like that's
00:33:13
Speaker
what Wicca reminds me of, if I had to compare it to anything. And like you said many times before, like Wicca, or not Wicca, but Catholicism is like, I can't remember. Twice removed cousins. Yeah. So twice removed cousins. And it really is because it's a whole bunch of our shit. But anyway, so like, just know if you are looking for something that has a little bit more structure, a little bit more
00:33:40
Speaker
ritualism and emphasis on the sacred space, what can might be the path that you want to go down.
00:33:49
Speaker
Just briefly, I wanted to mention ways that you can find your coven. If you are listening to this episode and you haven't listened to episode seven in season one, go back and listen to it because we listed a lot of ways to find covens in your area. But to sum it up, one of the best places to look would be Facebook. There's a group dedicated to finding your own coven. It is called the Gardenarian Wicca Seekers and Initiates, but it's not just for Gardenarian traditions. There's a whole
00:34:17
Speaker
whole list of different traditions all over the world and different covens all over the world and the moderators of this Facebook page vet the covens they list in their resources and they only recommend covens that they have vetted and made sure they were safe. So that is a great place to look, especially if you don't know what's in your area.
00:34:40
Speaker
But also, you know, metaphysical shops, fairs, anything like that would be great places to look or just ask like, Hey, are there any covens in this area?
00:34:50
Speaker
And even just like Googling and stuff would be great ways as well. And then lastly, I wanted to give a shout out to a podcast that is amazing. If you were looking for more information or you want a deeper dive on just Wicca in general, this podcast is great because the host of the podcast is an initiated member of a gardenarian coven. And she has a lot of great insight on coven work specifically related to Wicca.
00:35:18
Speaker
She interviews Gass and she also has interviewed the author, Thorn Moody.
00:35:23
Speaker
on her podcast. So, um, and that's who I used as a lot of the research for this. It was her book. Um, but her podcast is called seeking witchcraft and her name is Ashley and she is a great resource. So if you're interested in learning more about what could definitely go check her podcast out, because like I said, she knows more about this topic than we do. For sure. For sure.
00:35:50
Speaker
But hopefully this episode, at least at the very least, gave you a starting point or maybe helped you understand something that you wanted to understand about Wicca because I feel like coming into this with very basic knowledge on Wicca, I learned so much.
00:36:10
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. And it's, I think too, because you had mentioned before, there's so many misconceptions on what it is. And people think that like, everybody who practices witchcraft is Wiccan. Wiccan, yeah.
00:36:29
Speaker
Wiccans practice witchcraft and like it's all interchangeable and it's just like no okay but like here's a way that you can define it because if you just look it up or you just go and start listening to podcasts
00:36:41
Speaker
You might stumble upon one that's like, for instance, seeking witchcraft and you think that this is the only path you can go down, which that's not accurate. If you want to follow that tradition, you can, but like having episodes like this where we take a deeper look into like different beliefs, you can kind of do with that as you will and use it as a jumping off point.
00:37:23
Speaker
That's it for this episode of Get In Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft. You can find our source material for this episode linked in the show notes. If you love this episode, we would be forever thankful if you leave us a five-star review on wherever you listen to your podcasts. If you really love the show and want more Get In Loser content, check out our Supercast link provided in the show notes or search the Supercast website for Get In Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft.
00:37:47
Speaker
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