Wicca Wedding Reception
This past Sunday, I found myself in Slate Hill, NY for an interesting wedding reception. In advance, I knew that the bride had underground musical tastes. At the site, for the ceremony, there was a "circle in the round" theater with a table (altar) in the center. I later found out that the bride practices the Wicca spirituality / religion, which was described as "good witches". The ceremony involved calling out to various earth forces (water, air, fire) which had separate tables at points at the perimeter of the circle. In the processional, the bridesmaids and bride and her father all walked one lap around the perimeter. The officiant was British, with a lisp and accent right out of Harry Potter. Incense burned. There was a wine drinking ceremony. The bride and groom's hands were also literally tied together with ribbons. And finally, they hopped over a broom! (was it a witch's broom?)
Overall, it was a very nice group of people. Older crowd, lots of money. The Catlin Gardens facility was beautiful. Outdoors featured gardens with pungent smells of flora and fauna. The weather was unbearable however. Very, very humid. I developed an intense headache in the afternoon. I kept drinking water to stay hydrated, but it was an uphill battle. The reception was inside, with the main room underneath a tent in an off-white fabric reminiscent of something Steve Wynn might use in the Bellagio. Excellent food!
Here is the basic information about Wicca for those who are curious:
"Real Facts About Wicca:
Wiccans celebrate the 8 Sabbats - We don't necessarily worship the Earth, but we do hold it sacred, and celebrate the cycles and the seasons, as well as the traditional harvest days.
Wicca is polytheistic - Not all Wiccans follow precisely the same path when it comes to Deity, but typically we believe in multiple Gods and Goddesses often taken from different cultures and time periods. Many Wiccans will work with 1 or 2 Deities, rather than worshipping the entire gamut.
Wiccans do practice magick - Magick and spells are part of our religion. This sometimes seems far-fetched to those who don't understand. Forget every magick spell you've ever seen on TV or in the movies. Magick is nothing more than utilizing the energy that exists around us in nature. It's a delicate art that takes time, study and practice to master. We don't spend our days casting spells willy-nilly.
Wiccans do gather in covens - The media has made this sound more sinister than it really is. A coven can be any number of people (not just 13), and involves a group of Wiccans who gather regularly for ritual, magick, study and celebration. It's not that mysterious at all. Many Wiccans are not part of any coven, and folks who work alone are called 'solitaries'.
Though Wicca can be a very fluid and personal religion, don't get the wrong impression that 'anything goes'. "
Overall, it was a very nice group of people. Older crowd, lots of money. The Catlin Gardens facility was beautiful. Outdoors featured gardens with pungent smells of flora and fauna. The weather was unbearable however. Very, very humid. I developed an intense headache in the afternoon. I kept drinking water to stay hydrated, but it was an uphill battle. The reception was inside, with the main room underneath a tent in an off-white fabric reminiscent of something Steve Wynn might use in the Bellagio. Excellent food!
Here is the basic information about Wicca for those who are curious:
"Real Facts About Wicca:
Wiccans celebrate the 8 Sabbats - We don't necessarily worship the Earth, but we do hold it sacred, and celebrate the cycles and the seasons, as well as the traditional harvest days.
Wicca is polytheistic - Not all Wiccans follow precisely the same path when it comes to Deity, but typically we believe in multiple Gods and Goddesses often taken from different cultures and time periods. Many Wiccans will work with 1 or 2 Deities, rather than worshipping the entire gamut.
Wiccans do practice magick - Magick and spells are part of our religion. This sometimes seems far-fetched to those who don't understand. Forget every magick spell you've ever seen on TV or in the movies. Magick is nothing more than utilizing the energy that exists around us in nature. It's a delicate art that takes time, study and practice to master. We don't spend our days casting spells willy-nilly.
Wiccans do gather in covens - The media has made this sound more sinister than it really is. A coven can be any number of people (not just 13), and involves a group of Wiccans who gather regularly for ritual, magick, study and celebration. It's not that mysterious at all. Many Wiccans are not part of any coven, and folks who work alone are called 'solitaries'.
Though Wicca can be a very fluid and personal religion, don't get the wrong impression that 'anything goes'. "
posted by Gregg_AmbientDJ at 8:01 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home