Although usually solely associated with Ireland, Scotland, and England, this religion once spanned Europe in various forms. Not quite as ancient as the earliest celebrations of the Mother Goddess and Horned-God, Wicca is an extremely old religion. Many of us, in fact, refer to it as "The Old Religion".
In order to truly understand the practice of Wicca, one must understand the roots of the religion. The roots of the religion, are the fundamental roots of the emergence of humanity itself. It is necessary to remind ourselves as children of a technological age that as humans have emerged through time, worldwide, we have developed many practices that have been defined by our means of procurring food.
Origninally, we, like all of Earth's other children, gathered our food as we moved through the world which created us. It was probably taken for granted that all which sustained us was merely the bounty of Earth's creations and procreations. Living as such for tens of thousands of years, a type of consciousness emerged which moved us to honor the Motherly essence of Earth. This was a natural step, as it is a simple and observable fact of everyday existence that only Woman could and can create/recreate life-filled physical substance, and so it was She in who's image the very first diety was depicted.
Aged in the truth that Goddess worship gave birth to all subsequent religions, the cultural and spiritual practice of honoring the vastly mysterious Spirit of existence as "Mother Goddess" is historically and currently shared world-wide by various and numerous cultures many of which have never met or physically communicated with each other. Figurines portraying the "archetypal Mother" have been found by archeologists throughout Europe and the Mediterranean (and the rest of the world for that matter), and often date back to ages between 15,000 and 30,000 years ago. Some of the oldest Mother Goddess figurines have been found in areas around the Mediterranean. The often used term for these sweet little goddess sculptures is "Venus Figurines";however, I strongly disapprove of using a Roman name to describe something (Someone) who was in existence and honored benevolently at least 20,000 years prior to the violence of the Roman empire's existence. I prefer to refer to them simply as Goddess Figurines, Mother Goddess Figures, and have known more than one woman who affectionately uses the term "Boobie Goddesses" because of the often unusually pendulous breasts (this is the Goddess's nurturing aspect).
As humans developed we learned to supplement our gathering of food with hunting. The secrets and successful hunting techniques of the elders were passed on to the upcoming generation by way of occult ceremony. Hunting secrets were/are life-giving knowledge not to be taken lightly! Not only do such secrets assure food for the family, but a hunter has the solemn task of taking another's life. In addition to the very obvious female coming-of-age rites of passage like attainment of Menses, Childbirth, and Menopause, male coming-of-age rituals developed. As a perfect balance to the life-creating powers of Woman, Man came to excercise his power as life-taker. Please understand that Men and Women worked together as Life-Givers and both embodied the essence of what we know as "warrior". Women gave life to her community by creating and protecting the children and family hearth (cave,home,community) while Men gave life by sacrificing his comfort and safety to take the life of another to provide sustenance for community (city people often have a hard time remembering that we have natural predators, and that all too easily the hunter can become the hunted). As this new energy emerged, it became recognized deserving of honor and representation. Eventually, the Spirit of the Hunt took on a male personna, and the image of a Horned-God emerged.
Male figurines are rarely discovered, however one of the earliest (found) representations of the Horned-God is clearly and mysteriously depicted in a 16,000 year old cave painting in Lascaux,France. This was perhaps the first acknowlegement of a male diety, and he embodied the Spirit of the Hunter who was one with the animals he hunted. It is important to note that a duality is apparent in the Horned-God archetype, because it not only represents the Spirit of the animals slain for our food, but also is a direct representation of those men who sacrificed their safety to bring sustanence home. Remember,we are what we eat! Ancient cave paintings depict the Horned-One's archetypal image is usually of a hooved bi-ped, kind of beasty and kind of human, sporting antlers as a representation of the horned animals that early Europeans hunted, and laden with very pronounced male genitalia as an interesting note-various cultural folklore found around the world indicates that consuming ground deer antler will stregthen male virility. The animals we hunted were honored for their sacrifices, for we were grateful for the life their dead flesh gave us! Along with the game, the hunters themselves sacrificed personal safety for the community good. Therefore, we must acknowlege that this was the first representation of archetypal communal sacrifice. It is my belief that all Gods who have emerged since and embody the essence of communal sacrifice,including Jesus Christ, were brought forth in the Horned-God's image.
Some people may ask why this representation emerged so definately as male.
There were probably female hunters,too,right? In order to answer this question, we must acknowledge the obvious dichotomy which exists in the human species and plays itself out as female/male genders. And, it is important to be very clear about the positive and necessary nature of human sexuality. In fact, human sexuality (including both homosexuality and heterosexuality) has had immense influence on the developement of ALL pagan cultures and religious symbolism (the wand and chalice are two obvious examples).
However, I believe there is much more to be learned from the Goddess and God than simple issues of sexuality. In fact, I become very angry with people and situations in which paganism, specifically Witchcraft, is solely used as a tool to get sex. I know someone out there is saying that there were female hunters, as represented by the woodland Goddess, Diana the Huntress. I absolutely acknowledge this, although historical evidence points to the developement of the Huntress archetype at a much later date than the Horned-God. Some people suggest that early in our history only males hunted. I don't know or remember. Some people suggest that because males couldn't bear children they were considered socially expendable and therefore the only good candidates for the dangers of leaving the hearth to hunt. Logically, this can't be true. For one, this argument dismisses the emotions of love and devotion. For another, I don't believe that early humans were strong enough in numbers to consider anybody expendable. However, I have encountered a number of hunters who claim that there exists an old code which strictly prohibits the hunting of females of bearing-age and the young of the species. This taboo ensures that their families will not die out. This practice is rooted in deep respect for life, as well as the logic of self-preservation. Perhaps the Horned-One's essence is more than a pronounced masculinity, and includes a sacred reminder towards issues of conservation of the herd. If you filter this idea through the Witch's Rede: As it harms none, Love, and do as you will, maybe you can find message regarding necesstiy, and the respect for the world one must have, in order to meet their needs.
Hunting and gathering was hard work. It was probably unsettling to have to depend on what the day would provide. We figured out how to domesticate plants and livestock to provide security. It also helped to keep the family together. And, it is at this juncture where I believe the specific Spiritual and ritual practices of Wicca began to be defined. In many parts of the world, people settled into agrarian lifestyles. Still, the Goddess was revered, for her place as the Eternal Provider was never altered. How could it be, when everything so obviously emerged from her? From Her eternal womb would emerge the fruits of Earth. But what of Men? As their place in life developed into that of the stationary farmer. What of his sacrifice? What of the Horned-God then? Well, we never did do away with hunting, so he still walks in the forest. The sacrificial spirit at the heart of the energy embodied by the Horned-God, was also later attributed to the often horn-bearing animals we raised. His energy was also transmuted into the "Spirit of the Grain" as we became adept at tending our fields. To this day people celebrate this spirit of sacrifice in ceremonies I will discuss in diffierent sections.
This is a brief sketch of the history from which Wicca and other pagan religions emerged around the world. It is extremely important that people realize that all Wicca rituals, emerged from our interactions with nature as we took care of our crops,animals and ourselves. Rituals were and still are celebration and energization of different stages of farming, and hunting/gathering, and used in day to day life can help us understand better the needs within ourselves and place in the world around us.
