Dianic Wicca

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Dianic Witchcraft and Dianic Feminist Witchcraft, is a tradition, or denomination, of the Neopagan religion of Wicca. It was founded by Zsuzsanna Budapest in the United States in the 1970s, and is notable for its focus on the worship of the Goddess, and on feminism. It combines elements of British Traditional Wicca, Italian folk-magic recorded in Charles Leland‘s Aradia, feminist values, and ritual, folk magic, and healing practices Budapest learned from her mother.

It is most often practiced in female-only covens. Dianic Wiccans of the Z Budapest lineage worship the Goddess. The Goddess is the source of all living things and contains all within Her. The Goddess is complete unto herself and through her all is birthed. Dianics worship in female-only circles and or covens. Originally lesbians formed the majority of the movement, however modern Dianic groups may be all-lesbian, all-heterosexual or mixed. Dianic Wiccans as “positive path” practitioners do neither manipulative spellwork nor hexing because it goes against the Wiccan Rede; other Dianic witches (notably Zsuzsanna Budapest) do not consider hexing or binding of those who attack women to be wrong.

Like other Wiccans, Dianics may form covens, attend festivals, celebrate the eight major Wiccan holidays, Samhain, Beltane, Imbolc (or Imbolg), Lammas, the solstices and equinoxes (see Wheel of the Year) and the Esbats, which are rituals usually held at the full moon or dark moon. They use many of the same altar tools, rituals and vocabulary as other Wiccans. Dianics may also gather in more informal Circles.  The most noticeable difference between the two are that Dianic covens of Z Budapest lineage are composed of female born women. Some other Wiccan covens are composed of women and men, and worship the God and Goddess, while Dianics generally worship the Goddess as Whole Unto Herself.

The revival of Dianic Wicca was practiced on Winter Solstice 1971, in which Zsuzsanna Budapest led a ceremony in Hollywood, California. A hereditary witch, Budapest is frequently considered the mother of modern the Dianic Wiccan tradition. Dianic Wicca itself is named after the Roman goddess of the same name.Much of the history of Dianic Wicca is closely intertwined with “traditional” Wicca, though Dianic Wicca’s feminist views stem largely from second wave feminism. Dianic Wicca is a female born religion based upon Women’s shared Blood Mysteries. When asked why men are excluded from the goddess rituals, Budapest has stated in a 2007 interview: “It’s the natural law, as women fare so fares the world, their children, and that’s everybody. If you lift up the women you have lifted up humanity. Men have to learn to develop their own mysteries. Where is the order of Attis? Pan? Zagreus? Not only research it, but then popularize it as well as I have done. Where are the Dionysian rites? I think men are lazy in this aspect by not working this up for themselves. It’s their own task, not ours. ”

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