| The history of wicca is a very interesting topic. | | | | followed and practiced its ways. All of these practices |
| Mainly due to the controversy surrounding this religion | | | | were bound up under the term witchcraft, which |
| in modern years. The histoy of wicca haecvdp and | | | | became synonymous with Wicca. Today, those |
| shrouded with innuendo and lies. We at are trying | | | | terms are frequently separated, but who falls under |
| to set the facts straight. We will work very hard to | | | | what is still debated. |
| make sure the history of wicca is known. Wicca | | | | Wicca certainly bears the influence of older pagan |
| effectively began with a man named Gerald Gardner | | | | (and non-pagan) traditions, but they are pieces - |
| in the mid 20th century. Many people give the year | | | | sometimes tiny pieces - fit together into new |
| 1954 as its inception, because this is when Gardner | | | | meanings and context. Evidence continues to be |
| published Witchcraft Today. . | | | | entirely lacking that anything like Wicca existed in |
| Gardner's Wicca was initiatory, and Gardnerian Wicca | | | | ancient times, and it bears many marks of modern |
| continues to be so to this day - if you're not a | | | | thought, such as the arrangement of Maid/Mother |
| member, you can't participate. You can't even learn a | | | | Crone, which was first expressed in 1949. Was |
| great deal about them. Other initiatory Traditions also | | | | Gardner taught something by Dafo? Probably. |
| emerged, and Gardner embraced them as being | | | | Possibly he even believed that she was teaching him |
| branches of the Old Religion. Eventually, others | | | | something old. She probably did not hand him Wicca |
| started to emerge that claimed no formal | | | | as a developed package, however. |
| membership in the Old Religion but who nevertheless | | | | |