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This chapter presents some concluding thoughts from the author. It begins with an assessment of reflexivity as a nontraditional methodology for religious studies scholarship. It then talks about the implications of the author's religious practice for new models and ways of scholarship investigation concerning religion.

This short epilogue talks about the changes that have come to the Merry Circle. The Merry Circle no longer exists as a single practicing group, because some of its members either have already relocated or will relocate so far from one another geographically. This chapter talks about the last meeting between the four High Priestesses, and how it gave the author the strength to complete this book.

This chapter presents the author's thoughts about Wicca and philosophy. The chapter talks about the author's initiation into the Craft, the insider/outsider dichotomy, and her study of religion and philosophy. The author believes that philosophy is not exactly a particular thing, a discrete disciplinary subject in a course of study at the university. Rather, philosophy is itself a doing, a practice, a temperament, an engaging of oneself with the world, a way of living in the world, a way of asking questions, a deep curiosity about the ways we are and why.

This chapter begins with the author's account of her introduction to the Craft. It then discusses deities, the coming of the “Jahweh-in-Drag”, coven structure and organization, ritual, text and authority.

This chapter introduces the author's coven and describes its basic ritual patterns. The author established her coven, called the Merry Circle, in 1984. The Merry Circle is composed of six Priestesses and two Priests. The Merry Circle usually performs its group rituals at night and, whenever possible, outdoors in nature. Formal group rituals are held in a specially prepared space called the Circle. The Circle is often marked off from the space around it by a ring of stones (if outdoors), a ring of red yarn (if indoors), or some other distinctive marking determined by the creativity of the individual Witch. The four directions — north, east, south, and west — are plotted as accurately as possible using a compass and then marked by specially blessed and prepared candles that are used in the ceremony.

This chapter focuses on the initiation of the path towards Wicca. Topics covered include the recruitment of new members, public education and outreach, teaching the craft to those interested in joining a coven, the skills and expertise needed by Wiccan practitioners to teach, the process of learning Wicca, hands-on practice, and ending the introductory class.

This chapter discusses the Rite of Dedication, the first formal, ritualized step toward initiation into the coven. This ceremony of self-blessing and dedication to study marks a change in the status of the student from the merely curious to the serious seeker. The rite formally blesses and dedicates the student to a path of self-discovery that may lead to initiation. Dedication marks a significant step in the acquisition of skills for the student and demands an intensified commitment to the learning process from both the student and the teaching Witch.

This chapter focuses on the Dedicant's initiation. It discusses the screening process for potential Dedicants and the actual rite of initiation. An analysis of how the initiation ceremony continues some of theological and practical groundwork begun with the Rite of Dedication is presented.

By the middle of the twentieth century, there was already a core of beliefs and attitudes widely held among America's unchurched spiritual seekers. Although many of these seekers turned to exotic new sources of religious thought, they tended to filter these exotic philosophies through a familiar set of beliefs that grew out of the American metaphysical tradition. Many Americans have,e.g., become fascinated with Asian spiritual teachings (e.g., Hindu meditation systems, Zen Buddhism, and Daosim). Others have embraced feminist spiritualities, ecological spiritualities, Wicca, and many versions of Neo‐Paganism. Together these exotic sources of religious thought constitute what is commonly known as the New Age movement, a cluster of interests that informs the personal spirituality of millions of churched and unchurched Americans.

This chapter discusses significant developments in the career of Gerald Gardner. The 1950s were the decade in which Gardner announced the existence of his witch religion to the world, and succeeded in establishing it as a lasting component of modern spirituality. In 1954 his book Witchcraft Today gave that religion a generic name, of ‘Wica’, adapted by the 1960s to its enduring form of ‘Wicca’. Throughout the mid-1950s Gardner promoted Wicca with press, radio, and television interviews, and this public profile brought liabilities as well as rewards.

Much of the current interest in Western occultism, and contemporary paganism in particular, is directly related to the rise and importance of feminism as a contemporary social movement. Contemporary witchcraft—often referred to as Wicca—and its more eclectic variant, Goddess worship, both focus on the veneration of the sacred Feminine—the Universal Goddess—in her myriad manifestations. There is, however, no single spiritual pathway within contemporary paganism. Some neopagans are highly structured in their ceremonial practices, while others are more spontaneous. Some emphasise lineage and authority within their respective covens, others are more egalitarian. Nevertheless, there are many shared perspectives across the broad spectrum of pagan beliefs and ritual practices. Wicca began as a substantially British movement that developed rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s and was subsequently exported to the United States. Goddess worship, on the other hand, has its roots in the contemporary feminist movement and its leading adherents are American. However, like modern Wicca, it now attracts an international following. This chapter describes the nature of Wiccan ritual and focuses on the contributions to modern pagan witchcraft made by such figures as Gerald Gardner, Doreen Valiente, Alex Sanders, and Janet and Stewart Farrar. It also explores the rise of Goddess spirituality in the United States since the late 1970s, profiling the contributions made by such figures as Z. Budapest, Starhawk, and Margot Adler.

This chapter explores Crowley's influence on Wicca, which is also known as modern pagan witchcraft. It examines the role that Crowley played in the origins of Wicca, as well as the relationship he shared with the founder of modern witchcraft, Gerald Gardner. It also discusses the early history of the Wicca movement. This chapter reveals that while Gardner drew heavily on Crowley's work during the early stages of the Wicca movement, this gradually lessened as the years went by.

This chapter discusses Luciferian Witchcraft, which is to a great extent a spin-off from the Wicca movement, but with a satanic twist. While Wicca has created a “medium tension” towards society, by utilizing the negative witch figure as its central metaphor, Satanism has generated a stronger such tension by focusing on the strongly negative figure Satan. Both, however, are part of a larger movement where partly similar renegotiations of cultural symbols are being conducted. The interpretation of Lucifer is of central interest, as Lucifer can be seen to act as a crossover deity that appears with different meanings both within non-satanic as well as satanic interpretations of witchcraft. The chapter concludes that Luciferian Witchcraft can be seen as an example of the typological difficulties of positioning Satanism as an autonomous milieu within the larger Dark Magical subculture.

This chapter explores the manifold and conflicting histories of contemporary Paganism and how these varied understandings both reflect and influence Pagans' understandings of their religion, along with the differing ways of approaching and understanding Pagan religion, parenting, childhood, and daily life. Three primary groups of Pagan families are central to this narrative: the families of Silverling Circle in New Hampshire, the families of Dragon Moon/Spiral Winds Coven in Texas, and the First Church of Wicca in Massachusetts. The chapter also presents four perspectives on the issue of Pagan identity in the United States: Paganism as a prehistoric indigenous religion, as an earth-based nature religion, as the heir to the esoteric and Mind Cure movements of the nineteenth century, and as an eclectic integration of beliefs and practices from globally non-Christian traditions.

This chapter examines the power of the “cult” stereotype and how it is used against minority religious groups rhetorically, legally, and, in some cases, violently. The primary sources, ranging from internet hoaxes and jokes to FBI memos and city ordinances, demonstrate the ways that technology, law enforcement, and laws are embroiled in the spread and enactment of religious intolerance against minority religious groups. Readers explore the “cult” stereotype and these patterns through a series of case studies, including Unificationism, Wicca, Heaven’s Gate, the Nation of Islam, and Santería.