1. Beginning of the contemporary movement
1. Wicca's contribution to women's spirituality
Modern-day witchcraft had its rebirth before the resurgence of women's spirituality in the last two decades. There are those who claim that it has a long lineage, extending back centuries, even before the persecution of witches in medieval Europe. The witches of that time were the herbalists, the wise women, the pagans - all those belonging to earth-based religions and practices that resisted the domination of Christianity.
This is a big topic. In order to comprehend some of its aspects, the focus in this paper is on the work of Starhawk, one of the most visible and articulate of the new witches.
Beginning with The Spiral Dance (Simos, 1979), Starhawk began to set forth a new vision of witchcraft that was earth-based and political, but not supernatural. Her focus was on reconnecting people to the earth through ritual, song, and process. The process emphasis meant that she was concerned with relationship, rather than just content. Process includes the underlying feelings and thoughts within the group, and the dynamics of the group's flow.
Starhawk emerged from a group of men and women who came out of the 1960s and 1970s political movements with a sense that some foundation was missing for their practice. The hippies, the radicals, even some of the Christians involved in social change developed new practices which they tied back to ancient celebrations and rituals, like the solstice, the equinox, and the cross-quarter days (Adler, 1981). They began to practice the old religion both to create community and to ground their political activity.
What is Wicca? Starhawk noted that the word came from the old term "wicce," or wise ones, and that these were originally the priestesses, divines, midwives, healers, and singers of songs of power. Wicca, then, is the craft of these wise ones, and it is basically women-centered and...