Where did wicca originate?

Answer 1

There have been innumerable religions since shortly after mankind came into existence. However, the following information is the accepted origins of Wicca.

It is believed that Wicca started from an ancient religion called Shamanism. The Shamans were medicine people, the power wielders, male and female. They wrought magick and spoke to the spirits of Nature. (You can find all sorts of information about this with the Native Americans.)

From these primitive beginnings arose all magick and religion including Wicca. Though refined and changed, Wicca touches our souls and causes ecstasy and awareness shifts which unite us with Deity. Many of the Wicca teachings are of Shamanic origin.

Modern Wicca began in England in 1939, when Gerald Gardner was initiated into a traditional British coven by Dorothy Clutterbuck (Old Dorothy). He later broke the coven's seal of secrecy and published books about the beliefs and practices of British Wiccans, because he feared the religion would die out. This began a groundswell of people converting to Wicca.

Debate currently rages over whether Wicca is a new religion or the oldest of all religions. Some say that Wicca has been practiced continuously in Europe since the Ice Age. They cite paleolithic carvings of female figures, such as the Venus of Willendorf, as evidence of Goddess worship having been the origin of all religions. But, other say, Wicca is a neo-pagan faith of the 20th century.
Wicca has its origins deep within generalized Paganism. You can trace the roots back to Norse Magik, Celtic Magik, etc.

Answer 2

Answer:

Modern Wicca as we know it today developed during the 1950's, when a retired civil servant named Gerald Gardner claimed to have been initiated by one of the few remaining "traditional" Witchcraft covens in England. After working with them for some time, Gardner published a book about their practises (largely consisting of the coven's entire book of shadows - until then painstakingly maintained in handwritten secrecy). There is some doubt as to whether the coven existed or not, its supposed lineage, and about how ethical Gardner was in taking public the very private workings of this secretive group (if indeed it existed).

Pagan academics today largely agree that Gardner's "ancient, pre-Celtic" Wicca, can be almost entirely attributed to the influence of Margaret Murray's books "The Witch Cult in Western Europe", "The God of the Witches"; Charles G. Leland's book "Aradia: The Gospel of the Witches", and the poetic works of Robert Graves, most notably "The White Goddess", along with ideas from Freemasonry and Rosicrusionism.

Possibly the biggest influence on Gardner, were the teachings of author and infamous ceremonial magician, Aleister Crowley, of whose Ordo Tempi Orientis he belonged to. Even the Wiccan phrase "an it harm none, do what thou wilt" appears to be a direct (though modified) version of Crowley's "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law".

Certain aspects of the Wiccan tradition have a longer history, at least in anecdotal form. Seasonal celebrations, Animism, Pantheism, ceremony and ritual for spiritual purposes, have all been recorded in human history for millennia. There is a large amount of support also for the theory that many ancient societies were Goddess based in their worship. However, there is no conclusive evidence to demonstrate that such a belief system as Wicca, with its intricate ceremonies and ritualism, ever existed prior to Gardner.

There are various traditions within Wicca, most of whom follow in the initiatory lineage of Gardner. Some though, such as Cochrane's Craft, Feri and the Dianic tradition, do not. Instead they trace their origin from different sources.

A study into Paganism as a whole will provide further information on the origins of modern Wicca and other Pagan pathways.

Sources:

• Susan Greenwood, The Encycopedia of Magic and Witchcraft
• Phyllis Curott, Witch Crafting
• Sally Griffyn, Wiccan Wisdom Keepers: Modern-day Witches Speak on Environmentalism, Feminism, Motherhood, Wiccan Lore, and More
• Susan Greenwood, The Encycopedia of Magic and Witchcraft
• Various internet, book, and oral sources over my 20+ year study into Paganism.

Answer 3

no one can really know for sure. the religion is so old and has been quieted for hundreds of years so there are very few documents of it at all. it probably formed from paganism over two thousand years ago

Answer 4

In the 1930's. Gerald Gardner founded it. It is, however, based on beliefs that go back thousands of years.

Answer 5

In the 1950s or 1960s (supposedly by Gerald Gardner).