Many modern and past religions have somewhat differing ideologies regarding death and the afterlife. While some view death as the end of life, others recognize it as the beginning of the next phase of life or a person's existence. It could be due to people viewing the cycle of birth, life, and death and rebirth as somewhat magical or spiritual and an ever-rotating loop that never ends. Instead of religious people acknowledging that death and dying to disconnect them from others, they tend to believe that it is part of a sacred transformation.
Wicca religion is a primarily Western movement, with its believers practicing witchcraft and the worship of nature. They view their worship as a religion grounded on pre-Christian customary traditions from Northern and Western Europe, as Howard records (2010). From the 1950s, it has spread through England, attracting a multitude in Europe and the United States of America. According to Howard (2010), Wicca is the only religion having originated from England. It can be traced back to a retired civil servant in British, Gerald Brousseau Gardner, between 1884 and 1964. Most of his career was spent in Asia, where he studied a lot of philosophies on cults, witchcraft, and magical practices. He first joined a cultic society in British and later began a movement which esteemed nature, practiced magic, worshiped a female deity termed the Goddess, and other deities like the Horned God (Howard, 2010). It was the origin of the Wicca religion in Europe, which later on spread to the U.S. Though the Wiccan society has varying religious beliefs and practices currently, they believe in the Goddess, revere nature, and cling on pagan and pantheistic opinion. The Horned God is exactly opposite in gender and equal to the Goddess. They also think on the Wiccan Rede, 'If it harms none, do what you will’ as Celtic Connection (2020) records.
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Though every Wiccan Coven has different stipulated rituals and rites, they all have a common belief in connecting with those who have died through the 'veil.' As Howard (2010) observed, Wiccans hold that everything in existence is a continuous wheel of energy as energy has no beginning or the end. Therefore, life is a loop of birth, death, and rebirth. Death with its associated funeral practices plays a vital role in the Wiccan religion. The ultimate power of death to transform is called upon by Wiccan deities. As a result, it helps its believers to execute some crucial changes in their lives.
Annually, the Wiccans celebrate death as a seasonal element of the Wheel of the Year during eight sabbats. The Wheel of the Year is a series of holidays organized in a concentric schedule. They are days of worship that are based on seasons, especially the harvest rites. Not only do they reap fruits of the fields, but also fruits of the spirit as Smith noted (2011). Therefore, death forms a core part of the Wiccan initiation and the entire religion. However, every Coven has stipulated rituals and rites of planting and harvesting. Therefore, they do not share the exact kind of ceremonies during the Wheel of the Year celebration.
The Wheel of the Year's most significant agenda is the loop behavior of nature and the Wicca's persistent belief that 'what will be again' (Celtic Connection, 2020). Such a perspective ties humanity closer to nature, making them firmly believe nothing is final. To the Wiccans, death is not the end of life but instead a new beginning. They do not have a reason to fear death since they feel connected to their loved ones who have moved on to the afterlife.
In the Wiccan religion, last rites celebrations may begin before the death of an individual. When a Wiccan believer is known to be dying, they do take time to prepare themselves and their loved ones for their departure and passage (Bado-Fralick, 1998). It often involves setting everything right with family and friends, visiting loved ones, and settling disagreements peacefully to ensure the soul is unobstructed. Besides, funeral prayers may also be carried out to drive away any evil or spiritual impurities. The primary purpose of these rituals is to attain peace of mind for the dying individual and their friend, family, and society. Such rites, therefore, provide closure for everyone involved.
Death is not complete for the Wiccan community without the funeral ceremony, which happens in two services. The first involves helping the family heal, takes part in a ritual space, and is led by a priest or priestess. These are prayers and funeral rituals stipulated by a coven. The deceased, if not cremated, is placed on an altar, and mourners surround them in a ring. The priestess recites a ritual chant or prayer, which depends on the Coven (Bado-Fralick, 1998). After preparing the body and space, the priest and priestess recite another incantation, and mourners to are given a chance to do the same. The chants are essential as they help the community energy to ease the deceased journey into the afterlife.
In the second part of the funeral ceremony, the Wiccan’s are more centered on the burial. The burial is also lead by priests and priestesses. However, they do not have any specific way of handling the body as Bado-Fralick (1998) observed. He also noted that since they revere nature, most of the Wiccans are environmentalists. Therefore, they prefer cremation as it is more ecology friendly. The ashes can be given to close family members or dispersed off into nature as they believe they will return in the afterlife.
According to the Wiccan faith, death prepares the birth of a new being who has passed the challenges of life with love and perfect trust. They are individuals who are now ready to begin a new life. Therefore, death is a transformative procedure to live, as it passes an individual into the afterlife. As they believe, when a person’s physical body dies, their soul or spirit is passed on to another reality they refer to as the Summerland, Land of Eternal Youth, or the Shining Land (Smith, 2011). The Summerland is described as a place for reflection and not judgment. They also believe it is neither in heaven nor in the underworld. It is, however, an intangible reality that is less dense than this world. Others view it as a land with perpetual summer, grassy fields, and ever-softly flowing rivers.
This Summerland is perceived as a place where individuals are given a chance to reflect on their life experiences while on earth, the lessons they gained, and therefore add knowledge and wisdom (Celtic Connection, 2020). Their faith in the afterlife makes them believe they can contact the dead in Summerland when they perform specific rituals at varying times of the Year. That is to seek guidance and knowledge from them. As the soul learns lessons, it evolves hence the belief in reincarnation. The deceased will spend time in Summerland first before moving back into the corporal world. Others believe that the soul can either chose to return to physical life or move on to another reality. When the decision has been made, the Deity will give the instructions to return to growth (Smith, 2011). Their soul then returns to a physical body, and life begins again. For every new lifetime, one is given, it is perceived to be a gift from the Deity and not punishment.
To the Wiccans, death is the new beginning of a new life with a loop unending. Their varying beliefs and rituals make the Wiccans' faith in death and afterlife an exciting philosophy to explore. When one dies, then another begins. The soul goes back to the environment; that is to trees, air, fire, water or animals. They have simply returned to the life forces but in a different form.
References
Bado-Fralick, N. (1998). A Turning on the Wheel of Life: Wiccan Rites of Death. https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2022/2491/29(1)%203-22.pdf;sequence=1
Celtic Connection, 2020. The Wiccan Rede. https://www.wicca.com/wicca/wiccan-rede.html
Howard, M. (2010). Modern Wicca: A History from Gerald Gardner to the Present. Llewellyn Worldwide. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=yE7LgghYmQMC&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Howard,+M.+(2010).+Modern+Wicca:+A+History+from+Gerald+Gardner+to+the+Present.+Llewellyn+Worldwide.+&ots=enHCiqQpjY&sig=PRAT5jyPmDJHNs3Hzlk2d49hGto
Smith, D. (2011). Wicca and Witchcraft for Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=NzYgKqUsljwC&oi=fnd&pg=PR20&dq=Smith,+D.+(2011).+Wicca+and+Witchcraft+for+Dummies.+John+Wiley+%26+Sons.+&ots=SOLpS5ZCOQ&sig=pdaLVV2Yn22AGuMekaDugLhr0Uo
