Authority

As I may have mentioned in previous posts, there is no central Wiccan authority. The most prominent idea of authority in Wicca religious practice is that the individual them-self is the authority. They choose what, how, when, where, and who they want to worship. The most popular version of the reconstructed birth of Wicca says that an Englishmen Gerald Gardner in the 1950s brought forth popularity of the Wiccan faith from its unclear medieval roots. However, it is also said that many other practitioners of the time were also declaring their leadership role in bringing to pass the famous status of the faith. Various Wiccan followers were writing books, journals, and newspapers claiming their “proper authority”, persuading other Wiccan supporters to follow them and form their own sect. Thus, since there are so many lineages of Wicca, outsiders are unclear in who Wiccans follow; even Wiccans themselves have conflict with one another on which Wiccan historical power figure is the correct lineage to abide by.

When it comes to the matter of new media, particularly the Internet,  most Wicca dedicated websites will proclaim who they follow IF they even follow any specific authority head; but most of what I have discovered encourages Wiccans to create and follow their own path.

There seems to be little contention on the aspect of authority in Wiccan belief, but I have discovered a medium in which this struggle rings true. YouTube shows Wiccan video bloggers taking the opportunity to vent and explain their views, reveal their troubles and conflicts with others, and answer questions, while fellow Wiccans and outsiders alike have the opportunity to comment their thoughts and opinions on the subject matter. One example is this young lady below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LLg1gxyaSo

In this example, this woman expresses her struggle to explain to faithful Gardner followers that she relies on her own spiritual path and that it is not required to solely adhere to Gardner’s teachings.

Just simply reading her video description one can tell her frustration with the authority issue.

She asserts:

“I find that people assume that Wiccans must follow Gardner. But it's simply not true. Gardner is no prophet. Gardner is a man who started a tradition. Others came from Gardner's tradition and made their own tradition.”

In a response to a specific YouTube user she stresses, “It burns me up when people say I have to listen to Gardner. He's no prophet and not the authority of my path-I am.” Responses in the comment section showed much support for her stance on this issue.

This could in some ways represent Professor Paula Cheong’s assumption that religious authority is being eroded by online religious activities. Nevertheless, since many of the teachings from various Wiccan sects encourage one to follow their own spiritual path, the sect itself--being with or without an authority figure, is not a huge problem for the religious community. The above was just one of very few examples that are out there of problematic authoritative opinions colliding.

In contrast, a different example found on the web embodies Cheong’s “Logic of Dialectics and Paradox.” This entails the idea that “online competing resources can also serve as a source of education, serving to enhance a priest’s authority relating to and involving knowledge since the latter is able to move beyond dictating to that of mediating between texts” (Cheong 21).

This means that authority is possibly effective to a greater degree when members of the faith hold some measure of knowledge that allows them to assess the authenticity of the leader’s knowledge.

In a website called cybercoven.org which has been running now for nine years, creator Lisa McSherry handles all covens, connections, blogs, reviews, and numerous writings. She cherishes the use of new media to fill the gap in the Wiccan offline community and uses her 40 plus years of knowledge of the faith to teach newcomers, encourage those investigating, and to assist those who have been a part of the faith for many years as well. She is able to converse with those previously characterized about Wiccan religious texts, rituals conducted, Wiccan history, and much more with her adept knowledge and long-standing experience which allows her to “display her proficiency and sophistication by addressing their specific concerns” (Cheong 21).

As a result, these people that listen to her can decipher her information and choose whether to believe and follow her or not.

The introduction page to her website (the two following paragraphs shown below) demonstrates Cheong’s paradox and addresses McSherry’s  passion of new media to use her knowledge and authority to share and dictate (in all senses of the word) her faith. 

Humans have been encoding thought and experience since we first began carving bones to mark the lunar cycles. As we discover new methods of communication – drums, papyrus, books, radios, computers – we reevaluate and redefine the world in terms of the new technologies’ properties, creating new modes of opportunity, thought and social experience. By appropriating new communication technologies, the spirit creates symbols and rituals – hieroglyphs, printing presses, online databases.

This site is the virtual home for many of my various projects. As different as they are, they all have one thing in common: they were created from a desire to fill a vacuum, a hole in the community. My projects have included documenting our ventures into cyberspace -- opening new territory while maintaining the strength of our traditional knowledge; manifesting a tradition-based coven (JaguarMoon.org , now in it's ninth year); creating an ever-growing database of reviews of items of interest to our community (at FacingNorth.net); participating in cutting edge magickal theory; and outlining a magickal and spiritual perspective of group dynamics. Most recently, I've become a contributor to several of Llewellyn Worldwide's annuals. www.cybercoven.org

 

Thus, although there may be some contention among the various Wiccan traditions on authority, the logic of the paradox as well as the logic of continuity and complementarity much outweigh any conflict that may be found among followers of the Wicca religion.

Cheong Glossary:

Continuity- “involves arguments which propose or reason that the relationship between religious authority and new media is characterized instead by connectedness, succession and negotiation.”

Complementarity- “refers to the acts of interrelation of socio-technical developments that co-constitute and augment authority.”

Source:

Chapter titled, “Authority.” Pauline Hope Cheong, Arizona State University. Heidi Campbell, editor, (forthcoming) Digital Religion: Understanding Religious Practice in New Media Worlds. London/New York: Routledge. 

Identity

Professor of the Sociology of Religion at Uppsala University in Sweden, Mia Lövheim, has stated in her studies of constructing and performing identity in religion, “As digital media are becoming more integrated and naturalized in individual everyday life, studies of religious identity online increasingly become integrated in studies of religion in everyday life. In this process, findings on how religious identities are formed and expressed through digital media also contribute to our understanding of the transformations of religious identity in contemporary society” (17).

This particular quote deems true in the Wicca faith in regards to their perceptions and conceptions of identity. As I have noted in recent blog posts, the Wiccans consist of a small population, specifically within large geographical areas, and therefore the Internet and digital media is key in accessing Wiccan organizations that have already constructed identities and/or provide the opportunity to perform and share one’s identity within the religion and outsiders as well.

The Wiccan community does not currently have established churches or buildings dedicated for their worshiping/service purposes, and therefore turning to digital media helps and guides them in identifying and socializing with a particular Wiccan sect in a context of their choosing.

The only other option for Wiccans to learn to form and practice and identity besides having contact with other Wiccans, is through books that teach them what they need to know. However, many books are now available online and the capacity to be in touch with other Wiccans is much higher, so the virtual world is their best commodity to fully construct and  perform their identity.

Looking at it in this way (the digital way), perhaps identity might seem, as Professor Heidi Campbell has put it in a blog post, “constructed as something we are socialized into to the post-modern notion of identity being fluid and fragmented” (http://comm480tamu.blogspot.com/ Mar 16, 2012).

An example I have discovered on the internet is a website called http://mysticwicks.com/.

They have a forum section (http://mysticwicks.com/forum.php) in which they teach each other Pagan religious subjects, read, share their experiences and troubles, ask for help or advice, provide each other with Wiccan tools, or just talk about anything that may be on their mind.

So maybe for Wiccan followers being socialized into it seems to be the better option if they desire to “have increased freedom of experimentation with the presentation of one's identity” (H. Campbell, http://comm480tamu.blogspot.com/ Mar 16, 2012) as well as having a form of communication and contact with others of the faith. Therefore, it’s not so much that it’s fluid and fragmented but it provides more of an opportunity for those to actually feel like they hold an identity and share it with others. In this case, digital media strengthens the individual's ability to construct and/or perform their religious identity.   

Lövheim, Mia.  Identity.  

Chapter in:

Heidi Campbell, editor, (forthcoming) Digital Religion: Understanding Religious Practice in New Media Worlds. London/New York: Routledge.

Approaches to Community

There is an internet website called www.wiccantogether.com —“The Online Community for Wiccans and Pagans.” This particular group is a community in the sense that they are like friendly neighbors. They share experiences with one another to vent, to uplift, to inspire, and to learn from each other in blogs. In forums and discussion lists they ask questions and advice on certain situations, provide resources for each other (mostly in terms of religious tools), discuss their own practices and beliefs, and even have a birthday shout-out column in which they have the option to send the person a gift. The description as the community as “neighbors” deems true because they’re willing to lend a helping hand but never get in anyone’s business. They are not as literally involved as family members are, therefore the community acts as your friendly next door neighbor that will help you in times of need, but mostly keeps to themselves and takes care of their individual problems—keeping it a balanced relationship/community.

Solely skimming through each page in the website, it seems that not many, if any, community members have met each other face-to-face, appearing to be strictly an online community. The way the community is organized seems to be more appealing to those who are already familiar with the faith; there’s not a section explaining the mission of the website, or really any of the “what, where, why, when, how” questions to those who are not believers or followers of the Wicca/Neo-Pagan faith. The structure is very loose, the content seems to be all over the place and is limited to a text-based format, although there are some music videos posted on the side of the home page. The home page is divided into categories but are all intertwined and somewhat confusing to the new comer with pictures, texts, and videos all scrambled together in one space. 

I screen captured both images above

However, there are a decent amount of members who are happy to be a part of this community and keep coming back to post and share their thoughts. They live out their form of online community freely--however they desire and at their own discretion. 

Just as Postdoctoral Researcher Tim Hutchings stated in his case study, Considering Religious Community Through Online Churches,  "Leaders, participants, supporters and critics are all involved in an ongoing exchange of ideas and actions, seeking to shape the emergence of the forms of 'community' they deem theologically and socially desirable." 

Community members choose what content they want to be exposed to and participate in whether it be for social reasons or for religious reasons. In addition, the only set rules are that members must be 17 years of age and type appropriate text—(minimal swearing, no sex chat, etc.), so there's not much of a limit to how they can form, practice, and live out their community.

There doesn’t seem to be a negative offline impact to this online community’s religious tradition. The religion itself is very personal and individualized—so there’s no set religious tradition and therefore there is no tradition that can really be harmed or severely affected due to the online community. The online community is there to help the individual’s offline life be better and successful, just as a friendly neighbor would want for any of their neighbors. Consequently, the offline impact would result in positive thinking and energy from receiving effective, valuable, or even just plain nice advice and insight from their helpful online community. 

Wiccan Rituals

The Wicca faith is very open to the idea that every Wiccan can believe and practice the faith in their own desirable way. There are no set rituals, in fact there are hundreds if not thousands. Any Wiccan can create their own rituals and/or copy each others rituals from what they call a Book of Shadows. The Book of Shadows has religious texts and scripture as well as instructions for magick rituals. In present day, a Book of Shadows is mostly for personal use, but some “traditions” (various denominations in Wicca), have a specific copy of a Book of Shadows for that particular tradition.

The “Father of Wicca”, Gerald Gardner’s earliest Book of Shadows (Image retrieved from Wikipedia.org)

 

 

Most Wiccan rituals are used with magical spells to influence events. Perhaps a Wiccan performs a ritual to achieve a practical goal like getting a job, or casts a spell to increase their self-confidence, or even recite a special chant to feel warmth and love from the Goddess. These rituals can be done in multiple ways. They can do it with a group of Wiccans or in solitude, they can chant, sing, dance, read aloud a spell, use special props, and much more. 

 

It’s difficult to provide one concrete example of a ritual since there are so many out there and different rituals can even be used for the same purpose.

But I will choose discuss one type of ritual Wiccans perform. They believe in celebrating what they call a “Rite of Passage.” According to http://www.wicca-spirituality.com/wiccan-ritual.html, rites of passage involve “rituals for the human seasons of life, such as birth, death, marriage, divorce, coming of age, croning, and so on. Any major turning point in life can and should be marked by ritual.”

Once again, to perform a ritual for one of these life phases, one can decide in their own way how they would like to carry it out; there is no set way of doing it, it is up to the individual.

I found one ritual example called “Modern Female Rite Of Passage”. It is like a “coming of age” ritual for for a girl having a birthday, or becoming a teenager, or growing into adulthood. In this specific ritual, the girl is being presented into an adult coven (congregation of Witches). The mother, father, and daughter have to perform specific movements, with the proper props and tools, and speak aloud invocations. Here is the link in case you are interested in reading it:  http://www.paganlibrary.com/rituals_spells/modern_female_passage.php

 Here is also a YouTube link for a live full moon ritual: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwrHapcDbhk

Now when it comes to the matter of performing rituals offline vs. online, people want to know which one is more beneficial. I have found examples of Wiccan practitioners on the virtual world of Second Life. These Wiccans benefit from online ritual activities because just as Louise Connelly stated in her research on Buddhism and Second Life, “the virtual practice enables them to belong and to engage with a community and be taught or guided by a facilitator, which may not be possible in their offline world.” This is exactly the case with many Wiccans. Many Wicca followers may be able to perform rituals offline in solitude, but when they want to join in a cohesive group or coven, they may not geographically have that opportunity. Therefore, they can hop online to Second Life or join any other website that is an online coven and be able to participate in rituals and share experiences and spells with others of the same faith around the world. 

Both images above were retrieved from: http://kittywitchin.com/kittywitchery/

 Some people ask if performing rituals online have supernatural efficacy. This response can be different for everyone. However, in the case of Wicca, everything is open to interpretation and up to the individual to decide if the online ritual experience is valid or not. Just as Professor Heinz Scheifinger states in his case study about Hindu worship on and offline, “If a ritual appears to be transformed online but it is still deemed to be acceptable, then it suggests that the ritual itself has not changed significantly and that there is unlikely to be fundamental changes in the religious experience that it gives rise to.” So for the Wicca faith, the individual can believe the online experience is real if they actually feel it is. If Wiccans perform the cyber ritual under the right circumstances, with the right mental preparation, it could be legitimate based on their own theology and understanding of what’s happening.

 My personal thoughts--
I don't think that performing online rituals is a negative thing. But I don't believe completely replacing offline rituals with online rituals is a good thing either. It's important to have a healthy balance. Wiccans represent a different case however. Since they "practice a relatively unorganized ‘living room’ religion with minimal state, national, or international organization" (Jensen & Thompson, 2008, p. 755), they may need that online support to perform their rituals. Therefore, I think it's a wonderful thing for them to have that advantage and opportunity. They should definitely use the internet as a positive tool to carry out their rituals, in addition to performing them at home to have an even more intense, energy-filled experience.  



Case Study Quotes from Scholars:

-Louise Connelly. "Virtual Buddhism: Buddhist ritual in Second Life." 
-Heinz Scheifinger. "Hindu Worship Online and Offline."
-Jensen, G., & Thompson, A. (2008). “Out of the Broom Closet”: The Social Ecology of American Wicca. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion,  47(4), 753–766.
 

Interactions with new media

 After some time of doing research, I've come to find that the Wicca faith followers use all forms of new media and have no particular religious/moral stance against it. I signed up on a Wiccan message board called www.everythingunderthemoon.net/forum and asked a few questions about Wiccans’ use of media.

Most of the responses I received were personal opinions rather than one position on what Wiccan doctrine states or what an authority figure has said in the past. Since Wicca is a very personal religion (you choose what you want to believe and how to act as long as you don’t harm others or yourself—and understand that you are accountable for the consequences of your actions if you do so), most Wiccans accept and use media in their own ways and not according to how someone else tells them to. However, there will be some Wiccans that will reject certain media such as news reports, television shows, or movies because of the inaccuracy of their reporting on Wiccans and Witches.

One member of the forum under the username “The Judge” told me:

“Currently I use social media, such as, Facebook, email, postal services, and this web forum to communicate with others. I use these forms of media because they allow me to respond to questions, and to make corrections. The internet web forums also allow us to find information and ask questions of others who may have had more experience or more knowledge in certain areas of interest. I have used this forum to get my bearings and to find information about things I didn't know. It has also allowed me to help others who were asking questions.”

He’s referring to the media that misrepresent—in an exaggerated manner—the Wiccan faith and therefore he must use his own form of communication, in this case social media, to correct those assumptions and extreme misrepresentations.

To sum up his thoughts this user said, “I'll just say that I am willing to use any form of media as long as it doesn't betray the intent of the message. Mis-quoting people is not only counterproductive but also disrespectful to the originating author/speaker.”

This comment to me, seems to be true for portrayals of any religion. Of course the media will do what they have to in order to provide entertainment to their viewers, which most of the time consists of inaccurate or extreme representations of a religion.

A  response from forum member “Raynelae” said:

“I feel many people misunderstand the Wiccan ways, movies like "The Craft", even though I'm a fan of the movie, make Wiccans and Witches look bad, and sadly people believe those fictional stories. I do not reject the media because I feel there are some good things to it, in fact the internet has gotten me quite far in my Wiccan studies. I really wish everyone would at least know what we Wiccans really are and what we aren't.”

So, although she seems a little disquieted on the subject once again about inaccurate portrayals, she seems more positive on the use of new media and uses it to her advantage to further her studies rather than correcting other people on their understanding of the Wiccan faith.

Nevertheless, both of these users gave insightful commentary that opens one’s eyes to see that it’s important to do research and use media in a positive way to learn more about a religion before one assumes anything. 

Introduction

My name is Michelle and I have created this blog to write about and discuss the Wicca/Pagan religion and its relationship with new media for my religious communication class. According to my initial research, Wicca draws from old traditions of Witchcraft; witchcraft is just a practice while Wicca is a religion and type of spirituality. 
 From browsing around on message boards and forums I have noticed that many Wiccans seem to respond negatively towards the depictions of Wiccans in movies and television shows because their core beliefs and values are presented inaccurately. As a result, I will be exploring different movies and television shows and compare the misrepresentations of the pagans/Wiccans to the true representations and beliefs of the religion.