The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel written by C.S. Lewis. It was published in 1950 and is the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia series. The story revolves around four children - Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie - who are evacuated from London during World War II and sent to live with an old professor in the countryside. While exploring the professor's house, Lucy stumbles upon a wardrobe that acts as a portal to the magical world of Narnia.
Wicca is not for everyone, but it is for some and it saddens me to see the path I’ve chosen be so vilified and hated for such lack of basic understanding.
I m a librarian, I revere books and easy access to information in ways most of the rest of the society does not, but in the case of Wicca, the books aren t going to get you very far. Hierarchy does not imply that some members of the Tradition are better than others or more spiritually evolved - it simply means that they have decided to make specific commitments to the Tradition and are expected to take greater responsibility than others in planning and hosting, providing pastoral care, and dealing with problems as they emerge the common phrase is that trouble rolls uphill.
While exploring the professor's house, Lucy stumbles upon a wardrobe that acts as a portal to the magical world of Narnia. Upon entering Narnia, Lucy encounters a faun named Mr. Tumnus, who informs her that Narnia is under the rule of the White Witch.
Misconceptions about Wicca
After writing a blog for Pagan Square discussing mystery traditions and magical secrecy I wanted to talk a little more about the misconceptions about Wicca that I’ve seen over the last year or so. There seems to be so many misunderstandings out there about what Wiccans do, and there seems to be a great deal of anger focused towards Wicca. Sadly, in the past, I too have been guilty of a few of these misconceptions. It took finding someone that I wanted to work with to change my mind about Wicca. I’ve seen Wicca called the “default” of Paganism, and I’ve seen it called a “dinosaur” that just needs to go extinct, and much more. So let’s clear a few things up.
One of the things that I keep seeing is that Wiccans don’t actually believe in the Gods, that it’s just a practice of magic. While different traditions balance these two out in different ways, one of the integral parts of Wicca is worship of the Gods. I think that some of the confusion comes over the fact that many Wiccans talk about the “Lord” and the “Lady” and while there are many Pagans out there that believe in larger constructs of the “Lord” and the “Lady”, Wiccan traditions usually have a patron God and Goddess that only a tradition’s initiates know the ‘identity’ of. Put another way, the b=name of a coven’s patron God and patroness goddess is often a tradition secret, and so instead of calling specific names, especially in public or in outer court, we use the title of the “Lord” and “Lady.” This “Lord” and “Lady” are not the only Gods worshiped; they are simply most prominent in that particular tradition, but are not seen as simple archetypes; they are our Gods.
One belief I’ve seen is that it’s very disrespectful to work with a deity that you don’t know, and that it’s necessary for you have to form close ties with your Gods. One of the things Wiccans do throughout training is form close ties with specific deities. Of course everyone has to start somewhere, but it’s like any relationship; you introduce yourself and go from there. Often covens encourage relationships between students and the Gods the coven works with. Many covens feel that a student is brought to their group by the Gods they serve, as that student will come to serve those particular Gods. Often the relationship a Wiccan has with their Gods is deeply personal. Older initiates think that its extremely disrespectful to ask someone from another coven about the Gods they worship. They see that as being a deeply personal connection that isn’t open to the scrutiny of outsiders.
Just as with any practice, there is a range of beliefs when it comes to the Gods; not all of us are hard polytheists and there are definitely those who will just call on the “Lord” and “Lady,” but I would say that a majority of people who practice Wicca do so to worship the Gods, however they view them. Magic is not the prominent reason for practicing Wicca, though it is also an important part.
Wicca by DuChatNoirPub
I’ve heard a lot of criticism over the fact that Wicca integrates a great deal of Ceremonial Magic and the Kabbalah, that there is no actual traditional witchcraft in Wicca. Gardner and Sanders both used a lot of Ceremonial Magic when they started their traditions, but a lot of people have worked hard to take the ceremonial magic out of their traditions and return them to more “folkloric” practices. Janet and Stewart Farrar are infamous for doing this with the Alexandrian tradition. Blue Star, my own tradition, has also worked hard to take practices based in Ceremonial Magic out. My personal thought on this is that the Ceremonial Magic works; because of its basis in the Kabbalah, it has a lot of strong ritual theory behind it. When Gardner openly published about Wicca in the 1950’s, he wanted to attract people with things that were teachable. Many people who practice magic work with Ceremonial Magic, it seems logical that it would have ended up a part of Wicca.
Another issue that is brought up is that all Wiccan covens are cults of personality based around a priest or priestess. To some extent this is true. A good priest or priestess is like any good religious leader, they have the dynamic personality and ability to create an amazing spectacle that any religious leader has. I’ve always heard the best priests and priestesses are more than a little crazy. They sort of have to be to be able to tap into that other-world and to want to put themselves directly in the path of divinity. You also have to be a little crazy to be able to ignore what conventional society wants to tell you about how the world works. You have to be able to go beyond what your eyes see to successfully speak to the Gods and do magic. For that matter, I would say that most Pagans have a little bit of this going on in their lives. I think the problem comes from people seeing the drama that can ensue, and unfortunately, some of the abuses of power that happen in an improperly trained coven. Unfortunately it does happen and it’s up to the individual to say, no, I’m not going to allow this person to do this and to walk away, or to recognize what’s going on and to seek out help from the tradition. Traditions do usually have checks and balances for their members. Any social group where a hierarchy is involved has the possibility of attracting people who want to abuse it. Don’t be sheep people, use your heads. It’s also more likely you’ll find properly functioning covens in established traditions, like Gardnerian and Alexandrian, than in fly-by-night made-up-last-week traditions. The better trained a Priestess or Priest is, the better they will run a coven.
A lot of people tell me that they’ve read the books and know everything there is to know about Wicca. Wicca is a mystery religion, and a large majority of what happens after initiation has not been written down. A big misconception is that initiation is the goal. It is not, initiation is really only the beginning of your work as a priest or priestess. Some traditions will initiate you first and then start teaching you. I prefer my tradition’s approach. We have two outer court levels where you learn the basics and only after your priest or priestess thinks that you’re ready to walk this path will they offer to initiate you. Once you’re initiated, the hard work actually starts. There are a lot of “101” books out there and I’ve heard many people complain that there aren’t any advanced books out there. Well, there’s a good reason for that…most of that is information is oath bound and people won’t publish it. It’s also not the sort of thing you hand to a newbie who has only read a book. Wicca is hard work. It takes time and dedication and is not for the faint of heart. I’m a librarian, I revere books and easy access to information in ways most of the rest of the society does not, but in the case of Wicca, the books aren’t going to get you very far.
A lot of people seem to assume that when we do ritual every week, we are having a bunch of constant orgies. You know, cast a circle, do a little ritual, wine and cakes…and BAM, everyone drops it like it’s hot! Covens work closely together. A well functioning coven is more than simply family. The ties you create with those you work with magically will have a profound impact on your life. I know a lot of covens in which there are many close sexual relationships. That doesn’t mean that we cast and then jump each other. Sexuality is a sacred element of Paganism and should be celebrated, but that doesn’t mean that orgies are what happens during ritual or are required. For as many covens as I know that have a lot of sexual ties within, I know just as many that have absolutely none.
A lot of people want to argue that Wicca is a New Age religion. It is not. At it’s heart, it’s about the balance of the male and female energies, both light and dark. I’ve talked before about how people abuse the Rede and make it say what they want it to say. Yes, we believe in the law of three, that doesn’t mean that I believe in only light and love and goodness. Sadly, the world doesn’t work that way. If anything, our world is made up of shades of grey and Wicca is about dealing with all of the energies involved in the creation of our world.
Another big issue I see pop up a lot is that Wicca is for women only. Again, Wicca is about the balance of male and female. I think this is a common misconception in the overall Pagan community and is something that we need to work on. We can’t ignore our men, they are as vitally important to our Circles, our rituals and our lives as the women are. I think this is an unfortunate side effect of our modern society and the fact that women are still such second class citizens. Paganism is a place where a woman is able to be powerful and comfortable in her abilities. It seems that many more women are attracted to Paganism in general because of some of this. That doesn’t mean that our men don’t play just as big a role as our women and I think that it’s something that we, as an overall community, need to deal with. It really is all about balance, and when you lose balance, you have an unhealthy community.
I’ll probably think of more later, but if you want to seek Wicca out, go find an actual person to talk to. Join a group and get to know people. Any priest or priestess who wants to teach will sit down and talk to you about what Wicca is, what that particular group and tradition does and will explain the type of work that will be required of you. They will understand if after hearing them and maybe working with them a little bit if you find that it is not the path for you and this should be true of any group, Wiccan or otherwise, that you join in Paganism. If you want to read more of my advice about what to do when first seeking out a Pagan group, read my blog (Information and Resources for New Pagans) about it.
Wicca is not for everyone, but it is for some and it saddens me to see the path I’ve chosen be so vilified and hated for such lack of basic understanding.
During Blue Star Wicca's early days, it focused on the deities of the Classical Graeco-Roman pantheon 6 . The focus of the Tradition changed during 'the tour years' to a British orientation, especially drawing on the classic Welsh legends known collectively as Y Mabinogi 7 or The Mabinogion 8 . These days, though there is still an emphasis on British mythology, there is a wide variety of pantheons and individual deities revered by Blue Star Wiccans. Circles have been held to worship deities as diverse as the Hawaiian volcano Goddess Pele 9 , the Hindu deities Ganesha and Kali 10 , The Irish deities Dagda and Brighid 11 , the Gaulish Goddess Epona 12 , the Greek deities Hekate and Hermes, and in more general terms, Mother Earth and Father Sky. The Tradition is adaptable enough to accommodate the worship of a wide variety of deities from many pantheons.
The witch has plunged the land into an eternal winter and outlawed Christmas. Lucy's siblings initially don't believe her tales of Narnia until they too end up in the enchanted world. The children discover that they are part of a prophecy that predicts their arrival in Narnia. As the rightful kings and queens of the land, they must join forces with the talking animals and mythical creatures to overthrow the White Witch and restore peace and harmony to Narnia. Throughout their journey, the children encounter various challenges and dangers. Edmund, influenced by the wicked witch, betrays his siblings and aligns himself with her. However, he eventually realizes the error of his ways and plays a crucial role in rescuing his siblings and defeating the White Witch. At the heart of the story is the character of Aslan, a majestic lion who is the true king of Narnia. Aslan sacrifices himself to save Edmund and is subsequently resurrected, symbolizing the theme of redemption and the triumph of good over evil. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a captivating and imaginative tale that explores themes of courage, loyalty, and the power of love. It has become a beloved classic in children's literature and continues to enchant readers of all ages..
Reviews for "Narnia as a Feminist Utopia: Female Empowerment in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"
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