Wiccan movement of the 1970s
The Wiccan movement of the 1970s marked a significant period of growth and transformation for the modern practice of Wicca, which is rooted in nature-based spirituality and emphasizes individual exploration and harmony with both nature and the divine. This era was heavily influenced by the foundational writings of Gerald Gardner, who introduced Wiccan principles in the mid-20th century, along with his collaborator Doreen Valiente. Wicca during this time attracted diverse interest, particularly from feminists seeking alternatives to patriarchal religious structures found in traditional Christianity and Judaism.
Central to Wiccan beliefs are dualistic deities, notably a goddess representing nature and a god symbolizing the hunt, both of which are seen as complementary forces. Ethical principles, encapsulated in the Wiccan Rede and the Threefold Principle, guide practitioners in their magical practices. The period was also marked by societal misconceptions, often fueled by negative portrayals in media, leading to instances of persecution against Wiccans. In response, organizations like the Witchcraft Anti-defamation League were established to advocate for the rights of Wiccan practitioners. Despite its fragmented nature, characterized by various covens and personal interpretations of rituals, Wicca became increasingly recognized and integrated into the broader New Age movement of the time, with the establishment of nature sanctuaries such as Circle Sanctuary in Wisconsin.
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Subject Terms
Wiccan movement of the 1970s
Revival of an ancient mystery religion in American popular culture
The permissive attitudes in American culture during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s helped foster a renewed interest in alternative neopagan religions, including the “Old Religion” of “magick-working,” or Wicca.
Modern Wicca—this Old English term is preferred in order to avoid the negative implications arising from the more bias-laden “witchcraft”—can be traced most directly to the seminal writings of Gerald Gardner, a British amateur folklorist who became converted to Wicca in later life after being introduced to its system of beliefs by supposedly authentic practitioners. Along with his partner Doreen Valiente, Gardner both elucidated and elaborated upon established Wiccan beliefs and principles in his books Witchcraft Today (1954) and The Meaning of Witchcraft (1959). Gardnerian Wicca, as it has been called, became the template for most later groups, especially those arising during the 1970’s. This form of Wicca, in general, is a nature-based mystery religion emphasizing spiritual exploration and fulfillment, environmental stewardship (with animistic overtones), and attainment of individual harmony with intrapersonal and transcendental forces.
Modern forms of Wicca attracted the attention of feminists seeking an alternative to the male-dominated teachings and sacerdotal organization of Orthodox Christianinty and Judaism. In contrast to the gods of these religions, the principal Wiccan deities are dualistic, represented as a goddess (the embodiment of Nature) and her consort, a stag-horned god representing the Hunter and inspired by the Celtic deity Cernunnos. In formal rites, the goddess usually predominates, although both aspects are held to be complimentary and of equal importance. Various forms of homeopathic-sympathetic magic, based upon the manipulation of shared resemblances between dissimilar things, plays a significant role. The ethical underpinnings of Wiccan beliefs are evidenced in the “Wiccan Rede,” which states “An it harm none, do what thou wilt,” as well as the “Threefold Principle,” which holds that the consequences of any spell will return thrice magnified to the spellcaster.
The distorted portrayal of witches in books and films of the late 1960’s and the 1970’s, such as Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and The Exorcist (1973), prompted extremists wrongly to deride Wicca as a thinly disguised form of Satanism. This falsehood, spread largely through misinterpretation or plain ignorance of historical facts, resulted in isolated instances of persecution of Wiccans during this period, sometimes taking violent form. These unfortunate events led to the establishment of the Witchcraft Anti-defamation League and, later, the Aquarian Anti-defamation League (AADL), created to protect the rights of persons who practice alternative religions.
Impact
Popular interest in the various New Age movements of the 1970’s resulted in the creation of recognized Wiccan nature sanctuaries, the oldest and most successful of which, Circle Sanctuary, is located in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. Because of the small size and secretive nature of the covens, however, Wicca remained a fragmented collection of loosely affiliated sects and individual practitioners, each espousing a personal interpretation of essential rites and beliefs. This modern Wicca more closely resembles a shared system of metaphysics rather than a formalized religion.
Bibliography
Adler, Margot. Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshipers, and Other Pagans in America Today. New York: Viking Press, 1979.
Buckland, Raymond. The Complete Book of Witchcraft. St. Paul, Minn.: Llewellyn, 2004.