Is Wicca real?

So did Gardner enter a real coven and blow the whistle on Wicca? Or did he just lie and make up this elaborate compilation of beliefs from his travels? I mean no disrespect. I just want to to the bottom of this.

Of course Wicca is real, I know people who practice it.

As far as the rest, it seems loosely based on interpretations of pagan religions, European ones. I honestly never liked either paradigms much, but Wicca is a "revival" religion much like many modern occult paradigms. It's loosely grounded in history, modernized, and claim to be older than it really is.

Honestly I never got why people need their path to seem ancient, what's the problem with new systems? The system I follow has existed for 1 year, I made it, that's far grander magick than wanting people to think you're copying ancient systems.

Good point

[Jenny Crow]

Wicca is quite real.

Gardner was a member of the New Forest Coven and used their rites and rituals for the basis of his tradition. He felt the rites needed to be "fleshed out", so to speak, and borrowed material from Aleister Crowley, Freemasonry and ceremonial magic as well as some older Witchcraft traditions.

[norseman]

Said this many times before but it bears saying again. Wicca is a new shoot on a very ancient tree. Gardner tried to present a new face on British Traditional Witchcraft without using the W word. At the heart of Wicca is BTW but many wiccans prefer to "forget" that and just be involved in the rituals and fol-de-rol of it all.
Just to ram home the point, British Witchcraft is pre-christian by a couple of millenia and is still thriving in Britain.
When you talk about wicca, you must specify either British or American - they are poles apart. The British version is near to BTW in many respects - mostly solitary and self-declared. American is influenced by movies and TV programmes and most popular in High Schools and splintered into numerous varieties. I have even heard of Christian Wicca which is a complete and utter nonsense.

[norseman]

Originally Posted by Son of Kyuss

So did Gardner enter a real coven and blow the whistle on Wicca? Or did he just lie and make up this elaborate compilation of beliefs from his travels? I mean no disrespect. I just want to to the bottom of this.

One thing you should know about Gerald Gardner is that he was an ordained priest in the Celtic Church. His friend, Ros Nichol, formed Neo-Druidism and was also an ordained priest in the same church. Between them, they organised Wicca and the Druid revival.

Originally Posted by norseman

Said this many times before but it bears saying again. Wicca is a new shoot on a very ancient tree. Gardner tried to present a new face on British Traditional Witchcraft without using the W word. At the heart of Wicca is BTW but many wiccans prefer to "forget" that and just be involved in the rituals and fol-de-rol of it all.
Just to ram home the point, British Witchcraft is pre-christian by a couple of millenia and is still thriving in Britain.
When you talk about wicca, you must specify either British or American - they are poles apart. The British version is near to BTW in many respects - mostly solitary and self-declared. American is influenced by movies and TV programmes and most popular in High Schools and splintered into numerous varieties. I have even heard of Christian Wicca which is a complete and utter nonsense.

Should also specify between actual wicca and the mainstream, fluffy stuff.

[Jenny Crow]

Originally Posted by Adept

Should also specify between actual wicca and the mainstream, fluffy stuff.

Thank you - I'm so glad you said that

Originally Posted by Jenny Crow

Thank you - I'm so glad you said that

You're welcome. I used to hate Wicca until I realized I'd never met an ACTUAL Wiccan.