Essay About Wiccan Holidays And George Knowles

Wicca Case
Wicca is at the same time a new and an old religion; it emphasizes growth through harmony in diversity, knowledge, wisdom, and exploration. Wicca is an almost completely decentralized religion. Their teachings basically consist of law of attraction, power through knowledge, harmony, a deity, etc. Their rituals can be in a group known as a coven or individually but they are run pretty much the same way. There are about eight Wiccan holidays; some of them coincide with other more widely known holidays, such as May Day. There is no specific religious book because the craft is a religion of life and of nature, not of “the book.”

George Knowles, a Wiccan author, has said “Wicca has no high authority, no single leader, no prophet and no bible to dictate its laws and beliefs”. Many, maybe even most, Wiccans are solitary practitioners. In 1973, a group of about 73 representatives from many different Wiccan paths and traditions met in Minneapolis to form a temporary “Council of American Witches” under the leadership of Carl Llewellyn Weschcke. They successfully created a set of beliefs that balanced the beliefs of the many Wicca traditions in the U.S. at the time. Although the group disbanded not to long after but their beliefs are still encouraged and used by many American Wiccans.

Their teachings are based off of their most basic beliefs. They define the law of attraction as “What I do to other living creatures, I will draw to myself”. Shakespeare called this Measure for Measure and it also be expressed as ‘birds of a feather flock together.” Their idea of power through knowledge is power (energy) resides within each living creature and one can learn how to direct power. They say that whether energy or power feels “good” or “evil” depends upon the sender’s intention. Wiccans have a school to teach the newer members what the religion is all about and how you can work it into your everyday life.

There are multiple different types of rituals. Some of them are full moon rituals, initiation rituals, new year’s day rituals, and daily rituals. Their rituals are not just on holidays or on certain days like some of the other religions. The practice of Wicca often involves the ritual practice of magic, ranging from the “low magic” or “folk magic” of shamanism and witchcraft to more elaborate and complex rites. Wiccan ritual dates or times of worship are scheduled