Denominations of Wicca

[DragonChild]

Hehe,
Hi people! Well, you see, I've run into something just now. I was glancing over a site, and read that there are different denominations of Wicca. I seem drawn to Dianic Wicca. ..But, I've read that is a feminine-based kinda denomination. Would that be discrimination, in a way? ..Sorry for the dumb question, but..if anyone can answer that for me, I'd appreciate it. Thanks so much for reading this.

~*Blessed Be*~



~Karen

[Haedis]

Hello.

The denominations are usually called "traditions" or "trads". Here's a list of some of the common ones and essays about them. Not all of these are Wiccan however.


http://www.witchvox.com/xtrads.html

[Stacy]

Merry Meet and Welcome :) :wave:

(have I said that already to you :huh: )

-->> loosing her mind :ahhhh:

[Godssiren]

I am fairly new to wicca/paganism, since my parents insisted on raising me judaeo/christian, but when i did go looking for somehting that I could relate to I ran into the same problem. The issues with the descrimination depends on how you look at it, and what you believe. Some people believe in one diety as more prominent than another while other people equate them. It's up to you to decide what you want to believe, what's right for you. Good luck on your journey to enlightenment.:) All the best.

[Rain x]

Well that depends on a) the coven/trad/people involved and b) personal opinion.

In it's strictest sense I believe discrimation means to set apart based on some value or rule, rather then looking at each individual's unique merits. So, if you're discluding people you are discriminating in that sense.

At the same time, consider any coven that chooses it's members, or how you choose friends. Maybe the coven only wants people who have shown themselves to be a certain trad, or you've chosen to talk to friends who you have things in common with - maybe the coven will miss out on one person who would be extremely valuable, or you've missed out on one friend who would've totally changed your outlook. At the same time, the coven has saved themselves the headache of dozens of people who wouldn't fit in anyway, and who would probably cause problems in the coven, and you've saved yourself trying to talk to people you have nothing in common with.

Some people feel Dianic is a form of Paganism, not Wicca, if it focuses entirely and only on the Goddess (since Wicca is about God *and* Goddess). But then again, some Dianic groups recognize both God and Goddess but only focus on one - some for instance want to balance out the fact that we've been ruled by patriarchy so long by being matriarchal. Other groups focus on the Goddess for part of the year, and the God for another. Some only focus on Goddess and women in the hopes that women will find it a safer place to be honest and so on.

I guess the question to ask is, how is the focus on women beneficial to you? And, if it's not important to you but you like the group, how much will it affect your beliefs and your interaction will them? Can you live with this, and do you find their reasoning solid?

[Ari]

As a Dianic... ;) IMO the term Dianic Wicca is an oxymoron, although I will sometimes use it for convenience. The concept of male-female polarity or gender dualism is important in Wicca, but is anywhere from not-emphasised to non-existant the Dianic tradition. The simplest way I can think of to describe the difference in theology is like those tree diagrams you sometimes see in Wicca 101 texts: for Wicca, you'd have the one or unified deity at the top, a second tier with God and Goddess, and then branches coming out from those with all the other Gods and Goddesses. Many Dianics take out that middle tier - they recognise the validity & equality of male images but prefer to work with female ones, which are seen as an appropriate representation of the whole rather than just one half. The difference between this and the "male" Judeo-Christian deity is that calling (genderless) god female is seen as one among a number of equally valid options, rather than the only way things should be done. Those who do work with the idea of male-female polarity see it as something that can be generated interally regardless of gender.

I don't see female-only groups as being discriminatory in a negative way - many people have a need for some single gender space in their lives and these groups provide that. Women's covens provide a different kind of experience that some people prefer; it's not like we're saying "men can't be priests at all" or "only women should hold positions of responsibility in religion". It's more of a down time for the girls, the same way that guys like to play sport or go out just with their male friends. The movement for gay mens covens is essentially the same thing - hopefully it will become more common/acceptable for straight male pagans to create that kind of space too.

[dragonwolf13]

as a male witch who also leans towards Dianic I can only suggest that you read the Spiral Dance by STARHAWK to get the answers you are seeking