Thesis (M.A.)--University of Central Florida, 2008. / Adviser: Elayne Zorn. Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-113).

Many ethnographic accounts within the annals of anthropological literature describe the religious beliefs and magical rituals of peoples throughout the world. Fewer scholars have focused on the relatively young Neo-Pagan religious movement. "Neo-Pagan," explains Helen Berger in Voices from the Pagan Census (2003), "is an umbrella term covering sects of a new religious movement, the largest and most important form of which is…Wicca" (Berger et al. 2003: 1). This thesis examines the relationship between practice and ideology by analyzing the material culture of Wiccan altars as used by Wiccans in Central Florida, USA. Particular attention is paid to beliefs concerning concepts of gender associated with ritual objects, and concepts of gender and sexuality as understood by practitioners. Many Wiccans see divinity as manifested in two complementary beings: the Goddess and the God. The fertility that these divine beings achieve through sexual union is the subject of an elaborate ritual called the Great Rite. A pair of Wiccans, often a masculine High Priest and a feminine High Priestess, conduct this ritual by manipulating specific objects, which are believed to be strongly gendered. I argue that Wiccan rituals reflect, construct, and reinforce the Wiccan precept of a gender-balanced cosmos through the interaction of these primary ritual actors and the gendered objects they manipulate. As a practicing Wiccan, my theoretical approach is aligned with that of the native scholar. The native scholar faces challenges distancing her or himself from research, but gains opportunities from insider knowledge. Wiccan ideology stands in contrast to heteronormative conventions of gender and sexuality. However, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Wiccans may need to actively negotiate for representation in this movement, where fertility is stressed. Wiccans continuously reinvent established practices in an attempt to create a more satisfying religious community.

No / This paper looks at the doctrines of ‘Wicca’, or what might be termed as pagan or white magic by its adherents, in terms of the economics of religion. The primary focus of the paper is the issue of the degree of product differentiation involved from established religion in terms of two things: the concept of God (or deities) and the ideas of sin. The main contribution of the paper is that it presents (for the first time ever, so far as the author is aware) an economic analysis of the doctrine of a ‘rebound’ effect of any attempts to do harm to other people through the practice of magic. Some basic microeconomic concepts suggest that the moral force of this rebound law is a difficult one to sustain except under very unreasonable assumptions.

The purpose of this essay is to study the pluralism of notions of magic and magic ritualization by doing an analysis of three influential books by three Neopagan authors. The works that were used as material for this essay were Witchcraft today by Gerald Gardner, Wicca by Scott Cunningham and Instant Magick: Ancient wisdom, modern spellcraft by Christopher Penczak. The study answers two main questions: Which views on magic does each author express, regarding what magic is and how it should be practiced? How can each author’s views on magic be explained by studying the society the author lived in and the Neopagan traditions he came into contact with? For this study, I have been inspired by Åsa Trulsson and Catherine Bell. I use Bell’s concept of ritualization in order to provide a perspective where the practitioner is put in the center of attention, not the ritual itself. This essay showed that the authors’ views of magic and how it should be practiced can be explained by studying the societies they lived in as well as which Neopagan tradition they belonged to. Gardner has a much more rigid view on what magic is and how it should be exercised, compared to Cunningham and Penczak, which can be explained by the more traditional view on religion and ritual that existed during Gardner’s life, and his wish to legitimize the tradition he presented to the world. Furthermore, this essay shows that Gardner has influenced both Cunningham and Penczak, who have also been influenced by more diverse traditions than Gardner, such as Kabbalah, Reiki et cetera. This more diverse inspiration from other traditions also explains the differences between Gardner and the other two authors.

Thesis (M.A.)--Georgia State University, 2008. / Title from file title page. Timothy Renick, committee chair ; Kathryn McClymond, Jonathan Herman, committee members. Electronic text (58 p.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed Oct. 19, 2009. Includes bibliographical references (p. 50-58).

No description available.

In this study we have analyzed the Swedish fantasy novel Cirkeln by Mats Strandberg and Sara Bergmark Elfgren (2011). The aim of the analysis was to investigate how the fantasy genre is influenced by christian ethics, and whether it is possible to use this novel when teaching students in upper secondary school about the core values expressed in the school curriculum, which is based on the values and ethics of western christian society. We also ask if the novel Cirkeln carries other religious influences that might deepen the student’s understanding of the world outside of their own. The study showed that there are many parallels to both christianity and the pagan religion wicca in the novel, which makes it an excellent foundation for conversations about religion, values and moral dilemmas in school.

O presente trabalho investiga as motivações para a escolha do neopaganismo como religião por indivíduos de contextos diferenciados na cidade do Rio de Janeiro e adjacências. Foram etnografados rituais e eventos públicos neopagãos na cidade durante o período de 2012 a 2014. Também foram realizadas entrevistas com neopagãos e analisada sua literatura religiosa. A pesquisa concentrou-se, sobretudo, nas atividades e vivências do coven Chuva Vernal, de Wicca Xamânica. Como conclusão sugerem-se duas hipóteses principais sobre quais elementos explicariam a motivação para aderir e permanecer nessa religião: a lógica da distinção, discutida por Simmel, e o conceito, usado por Manuel Castells, de identidade de projeto. / This study investigates the motivations for the choice of neo-paganism as a religion by individuals of different contexts in the city of Rio de Janeiro and surrounding areas. Neopagan rituals and public events in the city were ethnographed during the period 2012-2014. Interviews were conducted and analyzed their religious literature. The research focused mainly on the activities and experiences of the Chuva Vernal Coven, a group of Shamanic Wicca. As a conclusion we suggest two main hypotheses about which factors explain the motivation to join and stay in this religion: the logic of distinction, discussed by Simmel, and the concept of project identity, used by Manuel Castells.

O presente trabalho investiga as motivações para a escolha do neopaganismo como religião por indivíduos de contextos diferenciados na cidade do Rio de Janeiro e adjacências. Foram etnografados rituais e eventos públicos neopagãos na cidade durante o período de 2012 a 2014. Também foram realizadas entrevistas com neopagãos e analisada sua literatura religiosa. A pesquisa concentrou-se, sobretudo, nas atividades e vivências do coven Chuva Vernal, de Wicca Xamânica. Como conclusão sugerem-se duas hipóteses principais sobre quais elementos explicariam a motivação para aderir e permanecer nessa religião: a lógica da distinção, discutida por Simmel, e o conceito, usado por Manuel Castells, de identidade de projeto. / This study investigates the motivations for the choice of neo-paganism as a religion by individuals of different contexts in the city of Rio de Janeiro and surrounding areas. Neopagan rituals and public events in the city were ethnographed during the period 2012-2014. Interviews were conducted and analyzed their religious literature. The research focused mainly on the activities and experiences of the Chuva Vernal Coven, a group of Shamanic Wicca. As a conclusion we suggest two main hypotheses about which factors explain the motivation to join and stay in this religion: the logic of distinction, discussed by Simmel, and the concept of project identity, used by Manuel Castells.

Comment penser l’institutionnalisation religieuse à l’ère de la dérégulation du croire? Qui plus est, du point de vue de mouvances religieuses alternatives, partagent une déesse, quelques traditions et sont dépourvues d’un dogme commun? À travers l’exemple de la Wicca et à l’aide d’une approche néo-institutionnaliste, nous proposons un schéma basé sur les principes d’isomorphisme, axé sur des vecteurs clés de transformation des « nouveaux mouvements religieux ». Parmi les vecteurs externes, l’enregistrement, l’incorporation, et la prestation de services à la collectivité contribuent à ancrer la Wicca dans le « champ religieux » délimité par la régulation publique. À l’interne, la diffusion des courants et des pratiques, puis l’arrivée d’enfants structurent une communauté spirituelle. La Wicca se situe à l’interface d’une dynamique qualifiée de multiévolutive asychronique. Au Québec depuis les années 1960, la Wicca est une forme de sorcellerie contemporaine initialement pratiquée en petits groupes d’adultes indépendants, principalement anglophones. Elle était peu impliquée dans les activités de type communautaire, et les groupes avaient peu ou pas d’interactions avec la société environnante. Avec le temps, surtout au cours des années 1990 à 2010, la Wicca au Québec s’est transformée de l’apport de pratiquants bilingues et francophones, puis de pratiquants dits « solitaires ». Passant par l’apparition de bulletins païens allant à réseaux de communications entre les divers groupes et par la création de quelques centres communautaires, temples et organismes parapluie ce ne sont là que quelques exemples de transformation au sein de la Wicca québécoise et canadienne.