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Dianic Wicca
From Outcyclopedia, the free and queer encyclopedia. Dianic Wicca is a variation of the religion of Wicca, distinguished by being much more female-oriented and concentrating more on the Wiccan Goddess than the God. The name derives from the goddess Diana, named as the principle deity of the Witch religion of stregora detailed in Charles Leland's folkloric work, Aradia, the Gospel of the Witches. Two forms of Dianic Wicca actually exist. The first is credited to either Ann Forfreedom or Morgan MacFarland, and merely empahsizes the Goddess over the God and has mixed gender membership in its groups. The other, the subject of this article, is credited to Z. Budapest and is concentrated almost exclusively around the Goddess and incorporates strong feminist elements into its philosophy, with an exclusive female membership. Many of its members are also lesbian, though straight women are also accepted. Unlike most Wiccan traditions, Feminist Dianic Wicca has no heirarchy beyond teacher-student, and decisions in all matters are reached through consensus. Ritual is eclectic in nature. Z. Budapest developed her system of Dianic Wicca to address what she saw as a need for spirituality within the feminist movement, and also for a religion devoid of patriarchal constructs. In 1971 she organized a small group of interested women into the Susan B. Anthony Coven Number One. Although a group calling itself W.I.T.C.H. ("Women's International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell"), had been formed in 1968, and called itself a coven, the organization was almost purely political in nature, and so Ms. Budapest generally receives credit for forming the first real feminist Dianic coven. She later formalized the principles and rituals of Feminist Dianic Wicca in The Holy Book of Women's Mysteries. As Z.'s prominence as an activist and Wiccan priestess grew, the Feminist Dianic movement grew and spread through the US and other countries. Several groups formed, with the largest being the Reformed Congregation of the Goddess, headed by Amber K. Dianic Wicca has been the subject of many sharp criticisms. Many Wiccans accuse Dianics of being separatists who hate men, or of following an unbalanced thealogy. Even some feminists, especially those of a Marxist or Humanist bent, have criticized the tradition for introducing religion into the movement, believing that all religions are potentially harmful and oppressive to women. Dianics point out that while some lesbian separatists are attracted to their tradition, and that a few separatists do express a disdainment for men and male-dominated society which can be interpreted as hatred, the idea that all Dianics fit into this description is false. The female-only membership is intended only to fill a need for women's space and not to demonize men. They do not see their belief system as unbalanced, because they do acknowledge the God-Goddess dichotomy; they simply emphasize one over the other. Dianics also claim that only patriarchal religions which demean and dehumanize women are actually harmful, and point out their emphasis on empowerment and healing as proof that theirs is a benign and positive religion. External links: Entry revised 29 November, 2004. All text is available for use under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (see Copyrights for details). |
