Nature-based Rites

The second generalised rule seems to be the celebration of the seasons and nature. Wiccan work with nature and the natural cycles of the Earth. For example, they celebrate the Fall and Spring Equinoxes, and Summer and Winter Solstices. Like monotheism, there is in essence ``one'' spirit (a better term would be Ether.) From there, one splits off the various parts of that Ether for specific purposes, which is where the various Gods and Goddesses come into play. Much like the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian pantheon, each of these spirits (portions of energy) are chosen by the individual or group and embodied by a common image.

From the evidence collected, it seems that these spirits (or goddesses) are not actual physical beings (as would be manifested by the Greek God Zeus for example.) The field of energy seems to be a scale of various qualities; the Wiccan invokes a particular form of energy (known as channelling) for the particular purpose. In order to help the Wiccan concentrate on precisely what form of energy she would like to invoke, she concentrates on someone (actual or fictional) who embody those qualities.

Carol explained that one is not required to use any particular god or goddess for their rituals. She noted an example using Karen:

say [Karen] had a particular quality which i really loved about her ... say she worked really hard and diligently at work, and I wanted this quality to help me in my work. I would envision [Karen] when I would cast my spells ... so it doesn't have to be a god. But the reason why we use them is so that we can all know what we are talking about. What if i am working with a group who doesn't know [Karen] well, then they won't be able to picture those qualities.

In this way, it is easy to see how the religion can splinter to incorporate a plethora of Celtic, Druidic, Gothic, Roman, Greek gods and goddesses. There is not a necessary belief in the god or goddess itself, rather what that deity represents.³