THE ORIGINS OF WICCA

THE ORIGINS OF WICCA as from the book Practical Wicca  

by Christine Seville  

Wicca can be traced back to the belief systems of the Stone Age peoples of Europe. It is more than one faith from one country.  It has sometimes been described as the ‘original belief system’ because it shares numerous similarities with many shamanistic or earth based religions from all corners of the world. The mix of cultures and faiths that form the basis of the Wiccan faith brought about great changes in Europe and not least the birth of the agricultural economy. Stone circles were the churches and temples of the Wiccan faith and can still be found throughout Europe. Pagan/Wiccan ceremonies marked important times in the farming year and were believed to improve the weather in the following year. Holding magical and religious ceremonies was thought to improve harvests and to encourage good weather to prevail in the seasons of the coming year. Some of these ceremonies still survive today and form the basis of many of the festivals of the Wiccan (Witches) calendar. The mid-winter festival of Christmas (Saturnalia)of many much older Pagan/Wiccan festivals that has been adopted by the Christian faith. The use of herbs as medicine is another skill that grew out of this mix of cultures and it is now starting to grow in popularity as an alternative to modern medicines.