Dowsing for Divinity

Fascinating research conducted by Kelden Mercury on perspectives on Wicca held by other witchcraft practitioners.

As a contemporary practitioner and a researcher of the history of modern witchcraft, I have long been aware of the tense relationship between Wicca and other forms of Witchcraft. This dynamic is not new; rather, it can be traced back to the mid-twentieth-century revival of modern witchcraft itself, where disputes over legitimacy, authority, and identity emerged almost immediately and have persisted in various forms ever since.

Non-Wiccan Perspectives on Wicca Research Survey

As a polytheist, animist, inclusive (of disabled, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC people), initiatory Gardnerian Wiccan who loves folklore and land-based practices, doesn’t include Kabbalah into my Wicca, and tries very hard to avoid cultural appropriation, I’m glad to know that a good number of the respondents to the survey are aware of the differences between initiatory Wicca and eclectic Wicca.

I think the vast majority of traditional initiatory Wiccans are well aware that Wicca originated in the 20th century (either with the New Forest Coven or Gerald Gardner). Also, Gardner is not the Wiccan version of Jesus or Mohammed; we are well aware of his flaws.

I’d also add that the initiatory Wiccans I know largely try to avoid cultural appropriation — we don’t refer to censing as smudging, and don’t use palo santo. Some people do incorporate Kabbalah into their Wicca; I have never done that.

Gardnerian Wiccans do not call the Spring Equinox “Ostara”, nor the Autumn Equinox “Mabon”. Jason Mankey has written several posts on this topic, and I have written blogposts about it and made videos about it.

Anyway, kudos to Kelden for an excellent piece of research and analysis of the results. It deserves to be widely read.