[Vision2020] The Persecution of Quakers: Shame On OurPuritanForefathers

[deb]

Sketchy, indeed! Likely some of the ritual comes from older traditions, but Wicca as practiced today really began with Gardner. It is not practiced exactly the same everywhere, and is an evolving religion with many "offshoots". 

To answer Chas, I chose it after trying on many other religious traditions. I'm most comfortable with Wicca (at least as it is practiced by most wiccans I know) because we treat the whole idea of Diety as present in each of us. The ritual part is a metaphor, meant to focus attention and lead one to Right Action... As practiced by me and mine, we utilize ideas, meditations, and myths from many traditions to bring us to a "Sacred Space" where we can do that focusing individually and together. Music, laughter, readings from religious texts, poetry, dance, storytelling, and other ways of celebrating life get incorporated into our Circles. No one is actually expecting a literal God or Goddess to intervene or assist. Again, metaphors for the Divine in everyone; we invent our gods and goddesses because we need some distance from the Holy in us. People who truly live in a state of Holiness generally don't function well or survive the real world! 

Rambling, here. That's it unless someone wants to contact me off list, meet for coffee or a drink, and actually discuss it....can't do it well by e-mail as I need to wave my hands around and take thoughful pauses....
Debi R-S
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Andreas Schou 
  To: Sue Hovey 
  Cc: Chasuk ; deb ; vision2020 at moscow.com ; dave at ravencroftfarm.com 
  Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 10:06 AM
  Subject: Re: [Vision2020] The Persecution of Quakers: Shame On OurPuritanForefathers


  The "ancient origin" deal is... um, sketchy, at best. Or, rather, it's an article of faith rather than an expression of historical fact. Wicca traces its origin back to the 1950s,  when an English bureaucrat/occultist published an account of joining a coven in rural England. The actual coven he joined seems to be of dubious authenticity.

  -- ACS


  On Wed, Nov 26, 2008 at 10:02 AM, Sue Hovey <suehovey at moscow.com> wrote:

    But isn't Wicca ancient?  I thought Wiccans traced their history to
    Stonehenge and beyond?

    Sue H.

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Chasuk" <chasuk at gmail.com>
    To: "deb" <debismith at moscow.com>
    Cc: <vision2020 at moscow.com>; <dave at ravencroftfarm.com>
    Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 7:29 AM
    Subject: Re: [Vision2020] The Persecution of Quakers: Shame On
    OurPuritanForefathers



    > On Tue, Nov 25, 2008 at 23:01, deb <debismith at moscow.com> wrote:
    >
    >> Surprise! For me, Witches are Real!
    >
    > I'm going to ask you a question, Debi.  I can't help myself; I've
    > always been curious.  It is intended respectfully, so I hope it comes
    > across that way.
    >
    > First, an instant of preamble:  I believe that all religions are human
    > inventions.  Preamble finished.
    >
    > Why choose a religion invented so recently that its origins can't even
    > be cloaked by antiquity?  I often wonder this about Mormonism as well,
    > invented by Joseph Smith.  The overlap isn't that great: Gerald
    > Gardner died only about 7 years before Brigham Young (Smith's
    > successor) was born.
    >
    > I mean, if you aren't going to choose a faith hoary with age (which
    > enrobes it in at least a little bit of plausibility), why not be a
    > humanist, or some flavor of skeptic, or even invent your own?
    >
    > for example, I'm a confirmed non-theist, but I've always found
    > Hinduism attractive mythologically.  It is so joyously carnal and
    > colorful.  If I was going to pick a mythology, that would be my
    > choice.  Krisha and Ganesha and Hanuman rock.  The Mahabharata is an
    > amazing document.
    >
    > So why Wicca?
    >
    > Chas
    >
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