Toronto has a plethora of cultures, but there was one I’ve always been interested in. Wicca. What instigated my journey was a school assignment to write a story, but the story was deeper than what I submitted.
After researching I found the WCC, The Wiccan Church of Canada, which has since moved from the St. Clair west community centre it operated from. I began taking classes on Thursday nights about different Wiccan rituals, holidays, deities and so on. It was like being in witch school, for a while anyway.
I enjoyed it. I’ve always been intrigued by the power of nature, astrology, herbs and natural remedies. I wanted to connect with the earth and my own inner power, that’s what drew me in. It was late September that I visited, apparently most “seekers,” i.e. people interested in the religion flock around Halloween.
There was something magical about learning about Wicca and a part of me would like to keep practicing. After all, I bought some Wiccan simple tries—books, candles, incense, herbs and a silver pentagon ring. Have to act the part right?
Photos by, Ruby Wray
Going “undercover” writing a story was cool and nearly worked until some girls from my school showed up with a similar idea. Let’s just say they didn’t really keep their motives on the down-low. Maybe I should have come clean and told the witches I was digging for dirt or at least some treasure.
To my dismay I couldn’t find anything substantially of interest, other than the art of Wicca itself. It wasn’t about the people that practiced it, or the holidays I learned about, it was the feeling. The feeling of connecting with a higher power, the Mother Earth.
When we chanted in the circle outside in the night air, the wind carried our voices like it was meant to. The trees swayed in agreement and it felt like we belonged there. Our feet planted in the damp grass, a fire blazing within a circle of people, songs drifting in the cool autumn air under a bright moon and I felt at home.
Below is an excerpt from my feature article, read on!
Witches may conjure notions of pointy hats, black cats and cauldrons, but modern Wicca is based on ancient pagan religions from Western Europe—primarily Celtic, Greek and Egyptian. Wicca can be practiced in various forms that consist of magick, (not to be confused with magic), as the ability to influence ones environment by casting spells. Wiccan’s have two gods, the sun God and the Goddess of the moon. They also worship various deities, primarily from Greek mythology. Worship is traditionally performed in groups or covens, but many modern Wiccan’s are solitary practitioners and can practice with a meditation, burning candles and incense.
As the only public Wiccan ritual in Toronto, The Wiccan Church of Canada (WCC) is the primary access point to newcomers, known as “seekers,” interested in paganism. In the warmer months, the WCC has public rituals outside in Serena Gundy Park near Eglington Avenue E.
The WCC was founded in 1979 by Richard and Tamarra James because they wanted to establish public rituals with an education base for new members. In order to be accepted into a coven, students must be initiated by vowing their desire to pursue a Wiccan path to their designated teacher. Chris Roberts, an employee at The Occult Shop at 1373 Bathurst St., explains what draws many people to the Wiccan religion. He says, “The neat thing about Wicca is there’s a lot of choose-your-own-path. It’s more personal and focuses on the individual.” Roberts claims that when the WCC started, their mission to host an open circle was controversial. “A lot of people believe Wicca should never become a public religion—it’s more private covens,” he says.
The exposure of the Wiccan religion through public rituals at the WCC may upset Wiccans hiding in “the broom closet,” but they’ve created more awareness of the religion in Toronto. “The stigma has improved exponentially. I’d like to say the WCC has grown that on some level,” says Roberts. There are essentially two “supposed” kinds of witchcraft, white magick and left path, also known as “black magick.” To Wiccans, “A spell is just a complicated prayer,” says Richard James who preaches good intentions. The WCC strictly forbids black magick and exercise strictly “white witchcraft.”
There are a lot of people, who don’t “believe” but yet, a witch is a cultural archetype that you can’t help but be curious about. Some people who go to The Occult Shop say, “I don’t believe in magick,” says Roberts. However, if you ever meet Richard James, the founder of the WCC, you will feel like you are transported to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft. With a striking resemblance to the headmaster from Harry Potter, James is a Dumbledore replica—with round spectacles, a black robe, shoulder-length grey hair and a long grey beard.
In a grove in Serena Gundy Park, bats fly overhead while a circle of witches and warlocks ask the four directions for protection. They thank the elements: air, fire, water and earth and close their circle. The crowd disperses as the hot embers from the bonfire sail into the cool night air.