The Ethical Use of History
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(This excerpt from "Celtic Wicca" is copyright 2001 Jane Raeburn. You are free to link to this page, but may not reproduce it in any form without the author's consent.)
As a spiritual path, Wicca is a creation of the twentieth century. It is entirely possible to be a Wiccan without any reference to history at all, to celebrate earth and sky, goddess and god, healing and art as a living faith in the here and now. Yet for many of us, history is a vital part of religion, providing inspiration, mystery and foundation for our acts of worship and creativity.
The earliest Wiccans, living in Great Britain, looked to their homeland’s past as a major source of ideas and language. Unfortunately, in their quest to gain legitimacy for the new path, they crafted a body of literature that painted Wicca as a survival from ancient times, a secret supposedly handed down for centuries. Only recently, they claimed, was it possible to reveal this mystery.
Along with cloaking themselves in this historical mantle, they drew upon “historical” ideas that either then or later were found to be based in poor scholarship, misinterpretation and even pure fiction. Later Wiccans followed this regrettable lead with such distortions as the idea of the “Burning Times,” a reference to historical European witch hunts. According to some Wiccan books, nine million women who practiced the Old Religion were burned at the stake. In fact, the people targeted by this form of popular hysteria were much smaller in number, included both women and men, and despite extensive recordkeeping cannot be said to have followed any spiritual system resembling Wicca.
Another common myth among Wiccans is that of Great Goddess, which includes the ideas that at one time everyone worshiped a goddess as a primary deity, that all these goddesses were pretty much the same and that ancient societies were ruled by women.
Ancient people certainly worshiped goddesses, but they worshiped gods too, and the evidence doesn’t point to any goddess archetype as being dominant across a wide area. In the Celtic world alone, there are many distinct goddess (and god) types, with different names, attributes, appearance and sacred places. Scholars have found some evidence of occasional matriarchal societies through history, but no reason to believe these were ever widespread. The “Great Goddess” myth grew out of early explorations of women’s history, and may have been valuable in raising awareness of the religious life of ancient women. But it should not be regarded as historical truth.
The idea of “The Goddess” and “The God,” universal male and female energies, is a modern one. It’s certainly convenient for Wiccans and Pagans trying to design rituals for large groups, which usually include a mind-bogglingly wide range of believers. Still, my own preference is to design rituals honoring a historical god, goddess, divine pair or triple group.
The ancient people whose worship inspires us, and the gods of their worship, deserve respect for their real existence. We can never know what they thought or how they felt or what they believed. Our guesses must be based on the things they left behind and the things others wrote about them, sometimes centuries after they lived. To the extent that we can know the facts, it is an act of honor to respect those facts. You can declare almost any idea to be part of your Wiccan worship, and you have every right to do so as a matter of religious faith. But when you start declaring ideas to be historical truth, it’s important to rely on facts as far as possible, and on the best available scholarly opinions.
That doesn’t mean you have to try to exactly duplicate ancient rituals or beliefs. You live in today’s world, however much history may appeal to you, and you were shaped by the culture in which you were raised. It’s only natural that your faith and your spirit will to a certain extent be a product of your time and culture. Wicca is living proof that it is OK to create a new religion. What’s not OK is to call it history.
In practice, this means being clear, with yourself and with others who worship with you, about what is and isn’t drawn from historical fact. Before each open ritual, I try to let participants know that (for instance) we’ll be honoring a divine couple who really were worshiped together in ancient times, and the statue on the altar is a replica of a real historical artifact, but that the circle-casting and meditation were written by the people putting on the ritual. When I write a ritual, such as the ones in this book, I try to be clear about the source of each part of it.
One challenge in dealing with the historical aspects of Celtic Wicca is the fact that historians’ opinions change over time. There are lots of reasons for this. Sometimes new evidence is found that indicates a new direction or discredits an accepted idea. Sometimes one scholar goes back and re-examines the work of another and demonstrates an error or a more reasonable interpretation of evidence. The academic world is as subject to fashions and trends as any other, and sometimes an idea just falls out of favor. Often, worthy researchers disagree amongst themselves. All this poses more of a challenge for ordinary people who love history and want to learn more, but who aren’t prepared to drop everything and take up an academic career.
The best approach I can suggest is to read widely, familiarizing yourself with as much of the factual evidence as possible, but also getting to know the main people who write about your area of interest. That way, when they disagree, you can make choices based on your opinion of an author’s work as well as how well he or she defends this particular point.
Another way to expand of your historical knowledge might be to spend time learning a Celtic language. This works best when you can practice with other speakers of that language, and it might make an excellent project for a Wiccan group to undertake together, if only to add a few authentic Celtic words to a ritual. I haven’t done this, for reasons of time and availability of language partners, but I know others who have found it valuable.
Oh, yes, time. Studying history takes time, and you may be saying “Wait! I can’t read all that!” For most of us, the study of Celtic history must remain a hobby, squeezed in between other priorities. Take some time to explore when you can, balancing your learning with the other parts of your life, and don’t feel guilty for not being able to do it all. Push yourself to read a scholarly book or article when you can, or even just spend time looking at photos of Celtic art. It may also help to decide on a specialized area that interests you, choosing one region or time period or aspect of Celtic culture, and learning all you can about it. Use what you learn to inform and inspire your worship, and be willing to make changes when you uncover new information or recognize your own mistakes.
Why is all this historical stuff important? Three reasons: Honesty, honor and learning. Honesty with yourself is an important practice, necessary for growth; honesty with your community shows respect, and earns it in return. Treating history with dignity does honor to the gods and goddesses of your worship. Finally, the study of history has long been recognized as an excellent way to improve your skills in thinking, and make it easier for you to learn and grow. This, in the end, is one of the chief goals of spiritual work.