Wicca is a contemporary form of Pagan Witchcraft developed by Gerald Gardner in England in the 1940s and 1950s. A duotheistic religion, it follows the natural rhythms of nature, celebrating the changes in the year through the 8 seasonal sabbaths and equinoxes.
A magickal religion, in every sense of the word, Wicca also helps its adherents make positive changes in their own lives and in the world around them. Working with the natural energy of the Earth, Sun and Moon and the five elements, Wiccans develop and harness the natural energies within and without them.
Gardnerian Wicca in its purest form is working primarily with the original rites and rituals described in the Book of Shadows, developed by Gerald Gardner and refined and enhanced by Doreen Valiente. Some of these have themselves developed over time as Gerald’s own magickal practise and knowledge matured. All Gardnerian Covens have an Initiation Rite and traditionally aspiring new coven members were asked to wait a year and a day before being granted initiation – to ensure they were serious and committed.
A coven will normally be led by a High Priestess and High Priest and most successful covens will have a very strong connection between the members, a bond of love and spirit which is often referred to as the Group Mind.
Like any religion, over time many different strands have developed and there are now many different groups and covens with very diverse philosophies and ritual practices who follow their own unique version of Wicca and Witchcraft, practising all over the world. It is not within the scope of this website to try to name or explain them.
We, as a coven, can only speak from our own personal experiences and of those in the coven before us. To us, what gives Gardnerian Wicca its power is its simplicity, and the use of rites and invocations which have over many years created a well-worn pathway to the altered state of consciousness that allows us to venture to the Astral Plane and commune with the Horned God and the Goddess.
