A Community of Witches: Contemporary Neo-Paganism and Witchcraft in the United States (Studies in Comparative Religion)

A Community Of Witches Explores The Beliefs And Practices Of Neo-paganism And Witchcraft - Generally Known To Scholars And Practitioners As Wicca. While The Words Magic, Witchcraft, And Paganism Evoke Images Of The Distant Past And Remote Cultures, This Book Shows That Wicca Has Emerged As Part Of A New Religious Movement That Reflects The Era In Which It Developed. Imported To The United States In The Late 1960s From The United Kingdom, The Religion Absorbed Into Its Basic Fabric The Social Concerns Of The Time: Feminism, Environmentalism, Self-development, Alternative Spirituality, And Mistrust Of Authority. Helen A. Berger's Ten-year Participant Observation Study Of Neo-pagans And Witches On The Eastern Seaboard Of The United States And Her Collaboration On A National Survey Of Neo-pagans Form The Basis For Exploring The Practices, Structures, And Transformation Of This Nascent Religion. Responding To Scholars Who Suggest That Neo-paganism Is Merely A Pseudoreligion Or A Cultural Movement Because It Lacks Central Authority And Clear Boundaries, Berger Contends That Neo-paganism Has Many Of The Characteristics That One Would Expect Of A Religion Born In Late Modernity: The Appropriation Of Rituals From Other Cultures, A View Of The Universe As A Cosmic Whole, An Emphasis On Creating And Re-creating The Self, An Intertwining Of The Personal And The Political, And A Certain Playfulness.--jacket. Preface -- Prologue To The Tribe Let There Be Children Born -- Background -- The Magical Self -- The Coven: Perfect Love, Perfect Trust -- A Circle Within A Circle: The Neo-pagan Community -- The Next Generation -- The Routinization Of Creativity -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index. Helen A. Berger. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 135-142) And Index. A Community of Witches explores the beliefs and practices of Neo-Paganism and Witchcraft—generally known to scholars and practitioners as Wicca. While the words'magic,''witchcraft,'and'paganism'evoke images of the distant past and remote cultures, this book shows that Wicca has emerged as part of a new religious movement that reflects the era in which it developed. Imported to the United States in the later 1960s from the United Kingdom, the religion absorbed into its basic fabric the social concerns of the time: feminism, environmentalism, self-development, alternative spirituality, and mistrust of authority.Helen A. Berger's ten-year participant observation study of Neo-Pagans and Witches on the eastern seaboard of the United States and her collaboration on a national survey of Neo-Pagans form the basis for exploring the practices, structures, and transformation of this nascent religion. Responding to scholars who suggest that Neo-Paganism is merely a pseudo religion or a cultural movement because it lacks central authority and clear boundaries, Berger contends that Neo-Paganism has many of the characteristics that one would expect of a religion born in late modernity: the appropriation of rituals from other cultures, a view of the universe as a cosmic whole, an emphasis on creating and re-creating the self, an intertwining of the personal and the political, and a certain playfulness.Aided by the Internet, self-published journals, and festivals and other gatherings, today's Neo-Pagans communicate with one another about social issues as well as ritual practices and magical rites. This community of interest—along with the aging of the original participants and the growing number of children born to Neo-Pagan families—is resulting in Neo-Paganism developing some of the marks of a mature and established religion. Explores the beliefs and practices of neo-paganism and witchcraft, more generally known as Wicca. Imported to the US from the UK in the late 1960s, this study shows how it absorbed the social concerns of the time, such as feminism, environmentalism and a mistrust of authority. The phenomenon of well-educated, middle-class Americans worshipping ancient deities, practicing magic, and participating in rites such as the one described in the prologue to this book has drawn the attention of both the media and a small body of academics.