Please donate now to pay our monthly server fees:
 [More Info] |
|
|
|
Community Home Message Board Board Home Board Rules Board Extras: Arcade Calendar Links CauldronMUX [Client] Sister Forums: Asatru Lore |
|
Home |
|
|
|
Cauldron's Grimoire RetroRoleplaying RetroRoleplaying: The Blog Software Gadgets The Terran Empire |
|
|
|
|
 Charter Member |
While this web site is designed to work in all major browsers, we recommend Firefox.
|
|
a Linode VPS Formerly hosted by  Why Use Dreamhost? |
|
© 1998-2009 by Randall |
| Home > Books & Reviews > Pagan > Philosophy of Wicca | Search |
|
Philosophy of Wicca |
||||
|
|
||||
|
|
To start, Ms Fisher makes one point in Philosophy of Wicca that all-too-many texts on Wicca do not -- Wicca and Witchcraft are not synonymous. They are related, but they are far from the same thing. Unfortunately, that is the single accurate point made in the entire book. Ms Fisher does state in her introduction "This book is my interpretation of Wicca". However, that is followed by 253 pages that state unequivocally "Wicca is" and "Wiccans believe". This would probably not be so bothersome if many of the things stated were actually in line with the principles of Wicca. Perhaps Ms Fisher should have spent more than 4 years in the religion before attempting to write this book. (She says "the Goddess made herself known" in 1995, and that she began this book in 1999.) There are certainly areas where a lack of research shows -- most obviously when she states in a footnote for Chapter 7 "The actual Rede is a long poem with questionable roots, as the author is unknown." The history of the Rede, and a significant amount of the material that influenced its authors is easily available with a simple web search. There are two areas where I have significant disagreement with the author, and these fundamental areas greatly influence the entire tone and scope of the book. The most far-reaching difference is the role of spirituality and the nature of Divinity. Ms Fisher states that "the purpose of any spiritual path is to compel the individual to ascent to Heaven" and "in truth, even in Wicca there is a chasm between the individual and the ultimate first creator". This is not a common view in Wicca -- very few Wiccans "hope and pray that the Goddess has a plan, and that all of these things somehow fit into that plan" or believe that our entire purpose for existence is "to carry out the will of the Goddess." Wicca is not about "Jehovah in skirts"! I find Ms Fisher's view of divinity quite disturbing in the context of statements full of "Wicca as a whole" and "most Wiccans believe". The second significant difference is in the role of Traditions, and in the nature of Wicca itself. Ms Fisher states "Certainly there will be tenets of Wicca that we do not accept -- throw those out!" While there is definitely room to personalize your path in Wicca, can you still be said to practice a religion if you throw out several of the basic tenets of that religion? There are many ways to approach the core tenets of Wicca, but all differences and traditions aside there are a few core concepts that make Wicca what it is. Without those core concepts, it does not matter what you label something, it does not make it Wicca. Ms Fisher calls many Traditional practices "childish tendencies" and "unabashed immaturity", and believes that "Wicca has a lot of growing to do" to be a real religion. Considering these statements, and the many misrepresentations in her book, I have come to the conclusion that Ms Fisher really does not understand "the Philosophy of Wicca". From where I stand, it appears that the one "creating an unnecessary chasm between the seeker and true knowledge" is Ms Fischer herself. Reviewed by Sana |
|||
