Celtic Wicca is a modern form of
Wicca
Wicca (), also known as "The Craft", is a Modern paganism, modern pagan, syncretic, Earth religion, Earth-centred religion. Considered a new religious movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion, the path evolved from Western esote ...
that incorporates some elements of
Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology is the body of myths belonging to the Celtic peoples.Cunliffe, Barry, (1997) ''The Ancient Celts''. Oxford, Oxford University Press , pp. 183 (religion), 202, 204–8. Like other Iron Age Europeans, Celtic peoples followed ...
.
It employs the same basic theology, rituals and beliefs as most other forms of Wicca.
Celtic Wiccans use the names of Celtic
deities
A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...
,
mythological figures, and
seasonal festivals within a Wiccan ritual structure and belief system,
rather than a traditional or historically
Celtic one.
Origins
Wicca
Wicca (), also known as "The Craft", is a Modern paganism, modern pagan, syncretic, Earth religion, Earth-centred religion. Considered a new religious movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion, the path evolved from Western esote ...
, as established by Englishman
Gerald Gardner in the 1950s,
was not Celtic in nature but contained some influences and borrowings from Celtic sources.
"Celtic" Wicca can be seen as emphasizing and elaborating on the facets of
Gardnerian Wicca that practitioners believe to be Celtic, while de-emphasizing some of the more obviously non-Celtic facets (such as the worship of deities from other cultures).
Author Jane Raeburn believes that while there is "a firm distinction between historical Celtic inspiration and modern Wiccan practice", that the two can be blended to form "a living path of ethical and spiritual growth".
As Carl McColman has observed, many people find beauty and meaning in this spirituality that blends "religious witchcraft with Celtic wisdom".
Several different variations of the tradition have existed. For instance, Lady Sheba (Jessie Bell) called her tradition "American Celtic Wicca".
and
Yvonne Frost of the
Church and School of Wicca called their tradition "Celtic Wicca" and followers of this tradition identify as Celtic Wiccans.
Additionally, numerous
Eclectic Wiccan groups and individuals incorporate what they believe to be Celtic features and self-identify as Celtic Wiccans or
Celtic neopagans.
Comparisons to other traditions
Celtic Wicca can be seen as both a form of Wicca and a branch of
Celtic neopaganism.
On the
neopagan continuum from eclectic to
reconstructionist, Celtic Wicca is at the eclectic end: as non-historical as most forms of
Neo-druidism,
and contrasting firmly with
Celtic reconstructionism, which emphasizes cultural focus and historical accuracy.
Criticisms
Celtic Wicca is criticized for a number of reasons. Critics point to the very recent development of the "tradition", its modernly syncretic nature, its
misappropriation or misrepresentation of authentic Celtic traditions and history, and its difference from all historically attested Celtic beliefs and practices.
Authors including
Ronald Hutton,
Aidan Kelly, John Michael Greer and Gordon Cooper have noted that Celtic Wicca draws on mythology by way of the
Romanticist Celtic Revival rather than historical fact.
Further, these authors have documented that Gardnerian Wicca was synthesized from elements of many cultures and traditions including
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
,
English folklore
English folklore consists of the myths and legends of England, including the region's Legendary creature, mythical creatures, traditional recipes, urban legends, proverbs, superstitions, Folk dance, dance, balladry, and Folklore, folktales tha ...
, romanticized misinterpretations of what Gardner believed to be
Native American beliefs and ceremonies,
and the ritual structures and terminology used by the
Freemasons.
Greer and Cooper specifically point to Gardner's involvement in the English
Woodcraft and
Kibbo Kift groups as a strong influence.
See also
*
Modern Celts
References
External links
The Wicca That Never Was: The real story of the world's newest "ancient" religion (part 1) by Andy Steiner, Utne Reader
by Joanna Hautin-Mayer
{{Neopaganism
Celtic neopaganism
Wiccan traditions