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Describe a Gardnerian Wiccan ritual

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    Describe a Gardnerian Wiccan ritual

    I know there's a vast amount of info online, much too much in fact, an information overload. Cutting out all the extraneous material, can someone please describe to me, as simply as possible, a very basic Wiccan ritual as practiced by Gerald Gardner. I'm talking about things like circle casting, calling elements, and anything else that would take place in a simple circle. Thanks.

    #2
    Re: Describe a Gardnerian Wiccan ritual

    Traditional gardnerians don't give that info to folks not in their coven.

    selume proferre

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      #3
      Re: Describe a Gardnerian Wiccan ritual

      They might not but almost all the basic stuff is leaked anyway. A basic Gardnerian ritual would include casting a circle. There would be an altar with ritual tools (especially the Athame) and images of the God and Goddess. The four quarters with their elemental beings would be called forth. The ritual would be skyclad (i.e., in the nude). The casting of the circle would also include invocations to the God and Goddess (usually under the names Aradia and Cernunnos) and the circle would be consecrated, most likely with salt and water. Other consecrations may be used as well.

      Beyond that it really depends. It may include drawing down the moon, the five-fold kiss, an initiation, a sabbat celebration, etc. It depends on the time and needs of the ritual space.

      Gardnerians are pretty strict on gender polarity and ritual nudity.

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        #4
        Re: Describe a Gardnerian Wiccan ritual

        What is known about Gardner's sources for these various actions?

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          #5
          Re: Describe a Gardnerian Wiccan ritual

          Originally posted by Air View Post
          What is known about Gardner's sources for these various actions?
          Wiccan traditions are a blend of Hermetic magic, the Western Occult tradition and many other sources. He particularly drew from Margaret Murray's theories that witchcraft was a secret underground Pagan cult. He also drew from Leland's Aradia or The Gospel of the Witches which claimed to be a record of Pagan practices in Italy (most likely fabricated). He drew from Crowley a lot (his friend and Priestess Doreen Valiente fought against Crowley's influence on Wicca, though).

          The Western occult traditions that go as far back as Agrippa and Paracelsus, then up to A.E. Waite, Eliphas Levi, Madame Blavatsky, etc. were hugely influential on the religion of Wicca. He also drew from Frazer's The Golden Bough and Robert Graves The White Goddess which were very influential on the practices of Wicca. And he incorporated folklore and whatnot from Western Europe as well.

          It's really an extensive hodge-podge.

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            #6
            Re: Describe a Gardnerian Wiccan ritual

            Originally posted by Witcher View Post
            Wiccan traditions are a blend of Hermetic magic, the Western Occult tradition and many other sources. He particularly drew from Margaret Murray's theories that witchcraft was a secret underground Pagan cult. He also drew from Leland's Aradia or The Gospel of the Witches which claimed to be a record of Pagan practices in Italy (most likely fabricated). He drew from Crowley a lot (his friend and Priestess Doreen Valiente fought against Crowley's influence on Wicca, though).

            The Western occult traditions that go as far back as Agrippa and Paracelsus, then up to A.E. Waite, Eliphas Levi, Madame Blavatsky, etc. were hugely influential on the religion of Wicca. He also drew from Frazer's The Golden Bough and Robert Graves The White Goddess which were very influential on the practices of Wicca. And he incorporated folklore and whatnot from Western Europe as well.

            It's really an extensive hodge-podge.
            Does the casting of the circle and calling the elements have any specific, immediate source? How about the initiation ceremony?

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              #7
              Re: Describe a Gardnerian Wiccan ritual

              Originally posted by Air View Post
              Does the casting of the circle and calling the elements have any specific, immediate source? How about the initiation ceremony?
              Using elements and believing they have special characteristics can be traced to multiple sources: Pythagoras, Agrippa and Paracelsus, etc.

              As to the very specific way Wiccan rituals work: No. Gardner synthesized a bunch of different ideas and sources to create something completely new. You're not going to find an exact copy or even very close copy of a Wiccan ritual pre-Gardner.

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                #8
                Re: Describe a Gardnerian Wiccan ritual

                Originally posted by Witcher View Post
                Using elements and believing they have special characteristics can be traced to multiple sources: Pythagoras, Agrippa and Paracelsus, etc.

                As to the very specific way Wiccan rituals work: No. Gardner synthesized a bunch of different ideas and sources to create something completely new. You're not going to find an exact copy or even very close copy of a Wiccan ritual pre-Gardner.
                Does Freemasonry have a recognised influence? The 3 degree system, blindfolded initiation, the quarters and general organisation of ritual.

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                  #9
                  Re: Describe a Gardnerian Wiccan ritual

                  Originally posted by Air View Post
                  Does Freemasonry have a recognised influence? The 3 degree system, blindfolded initiation, the quarters and general organisation of ritual.
                  Indeed. Many esoteric societies had a big influence on Wicca, not just Freemasonry. Also: Rosicrucianism and Hermeticism.

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                    #10
                    Re: Describe a Gardnerian Wiccan ritual

                    Originally posted by Witcher View Post
                    Indeed. Many esoteric societies had a big influence on Wicca, not just Freemasonry. Also: Rosicrucianism and Hermeticism.
                    Did any of them do it in a circle? Freemasonry doesn't.

                    What's the current thinking on the coven Gardner supposedly joined in the 1930s?

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                      #11
                      Re: Describe a Gardnerian Wiccan ritual

                      Originally posted by Air View Post
                      Did any of them do it in a circle? Freemasonry doesn't.

                      What's the current thinking on the coven Gardner supposedly joined in the 1930s?
                      Does it matter if they did it in a circle? You seem to be fishing for some "grand unified theory of Wiccan history." There just isn't one. It doesn't exist.

                      As to modern scholarship, the vast majority do not believe that the New Forest Coven was ancient, or even that old. Most believe that either A: He made it all up or B: that it did exist but was just a coven based on the ideas of Margaret Murray's "Witch-cult hypothesis." Writers like Ronald Hutton and Aidan Kelly fought against the poor scholarship that was part of Gardner's writings and most modern Wiccan writers of any seriousness do not accept his claims that the New Forest Coven was an ancient line of witchcraft.

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                        #12
                        Re: Describe a Gardnerian Wiccan ritual

                        Originally posted by Witcher View Post
                        Does it matter if they did it in a circle? You seem to be fishing for some "grand unified theory of Wiccan history." There just isn't one. It doesn't exist.

                        As to modern scholarship, the vast majority do not believe that the New Forest Coven was ancient, or even that old. Most believe that either A: He made it all up or B: that it did exist but was just a coven based on the ideas of Margaret Murray's "Witch-cult hypothesis." Writers like Ronald Hutton and Aidan Kelly fought against the poor scholarship that was part of Gardner's writings and most modern Wiccan writers of any seriousness do not accept his claims that the New Forest Coven was an ancient line of witchcraft.
                        Gardnerian rituals are very different to those described by Margaret Murray though.

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                          #13
                          Re: Describe a Gardnerian Wiccan ritual

                          Originally posted by Air View Post
                          Gardnerian rituals are very different to those described by Margaret Murray though.
                          So? He made a lot of it up, drawing inspiration from lots of sources, not copying them in perfect detail. What religion isn't fabricated in some way or another?

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                            #14
                            Re: Describe a Gardnerian Wiccan ritual

                            Have you looked into www.ladybridget.com? I'm not sure if it's necessarily Gardnerian, but it does give some good examples of how to cast circles and stuff. The site is sometimes down, but if you're interested I have all of the documents Which is probably illegal, but whatever. Haha.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Describe a Gardnerian Wiccan ritual

                              Originally posted by Witcher View Post
                              So? He made a lot of it up, drawing inspiration from lots of sources, not copying them in perfect detail. What religion isn't fabricated in some way or another?
                              I'm not trying to denigrate Wicca because of its origins.

                              Were any of the women Gardner might have met in the 1930s former students at de Wyche College?

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