Editing Dianic Wicca (section)

==Beliefs and practices==
Dianic Wiccans of the Budapest lineage worship the [[Goddess]], who they see as containing all goddesses, from all cultures; she is seen as the source of all living things and containing all that is within her.<ref name=Budapest1 /> 
{{Blockquote|While Diana does have a triple aspect, it is in Her aspect as Virgin Huntress that She guides Her daughters to wholeness. She is "virgin" in the ancient sense of "She Who Is Whole Unto Herself." The ancient meaning of "virgin" described a woman who was unmarried, autonomous, belonging solely to herself. The original meaning of this word was not attached to a sexual act with a man. Diana/Artemis did not associate herself or consort with men, which is why these Goddesses are often understood to be lesbian.<ref name="Barrett"/>}}

Dianic covens practice [[Magic (paranormal)|magic]] in the form of [[meditation]] and visualization in addition to spell work. They focus especially on healing themselves from the wounds of the [[patriarchy]] while affirming their own womanhood.<ref name="Barrett"/>

Rituals can include reenacting religious and spiritual lore from a female-centered standpoint, celebrating the female body, and mourning society's abuses of women.<ref name=Foltz>{{cite journal|last1=Foltz|first1=Tanice G.|title=Women's Spirituality Research: Doing Feminism|journal=Sociology of Religion|volume=61|issue=4|year=2000|pages=409–418|issn=1069-4404|doi=10.2307/3712524|jstor=3712524 }}</ref> The practice of magic is rooted in the belief that energy or 'life force' can be directed to enact change.<ref name=SmithHorne>Smith, Brandy and Sharon Horne. "Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered (GLBT) Experiences with Earth-Spirited Faith." The Journal of Homosexuality, 52.3/4 (2007): 235-248.</ref> However it is important to note that rituals are often improvised to suit individual or group needs and vary from coven to coven.<ref name=Warwick>Warwick, Lynda L. "Feminist Wicca: Paths to Empowerment." Women & Therapy 16.2-3 (1995): 121.</ref> Some Dianic Wiccans eschew manipulative [[Spell (paranormal)|spellwork]] and [[Curse|hexing]] because it goes against the [[Wiccan Rede]]. However, many other Dianic witches (notably Budapest) do not consider hexing or binding of those who attack women to be wrong, and actively encourage the binding of [[rape|rapists]].<ref name=Budapest1 />

===Differences from mainstream Wicca===
[[File:Diana with a Stag and a Dog LACMA M.78.77.jpg|thumb|250px|Diana (or Artemis, by her Greek name) as a protector of women and wild nature<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.templeofdiana.org/dwt.htm|title=Temple of Diana - The Tradition of Dianic Wicca|work=templeofdiana.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206194250/http://www.templeofdiana.org/dwt.htm|archive-date=2013-12-06}}</ref>]]
Like other Wiccans, Dianics may form [[coven]]s, attend [[festival]]s, celebrate the eight major [[Wheel of the Year|Wiccan holidays]], and gather on [[Esbat]]s.<ref name=Budapest1 /> They use many of the same [[Magical tools in Wicca|altar tools]], rituals, and vocabulary as other Wiccans. Dianics may also gather in less formal Circles.<ref name="Velkoborska 2010"/> The most noticeable difference between the two are that Dianic covens of Budapest lineage are composed entirely of women.<ref name=Budapest1 /><ref name=Adler1 /> Central to feminist Dianic focus and practice are embodied Women's Mysteries—the celebrations and honoring of the female life cycle and its correspondences to the Earth's seasonal cycle, healing from [[internalized oppression]], female sovereignty and agency. Another marked difference in cosmology from other Wiccan traditions is rejecting the concept of duality based in gender stereotypes. 

When asked why "men and gods" are excluded from her rituals, Budapest stated:

{{Quote|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.|during a 2007 interview<ref name="Velkoborska 2010">{{citation
|last=Velkoborska
|first=Kamila
|title=Wicca in the USA: How a British-born Religion Became Americanized
|url=http://conference.uaa.utb.cz/TheoriesAndPractice2010.pdf#page=245 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425091644/http://conference.uaa.utb.cz/TheoriesAndPractice2010.pdf |archive-date=2012-04-25 |url-status=live
|publisher=Tomas Bata University
|access-date=25 October 2011}}</ref>}}

Sociological studies have shown that there is therapeutic value inherent in Dianic ritual. Healing rituals to overcome personal trauma and raise awareness about [[violence against women]] have earned comparisons to the female-centered [[consciousness-raising]] groups of the 1960s and 1970s.<ref name="FoltzGriffin1">Foltz, Tanic G. and Wendy Griffin. "Ethnographic Journeys of Self Discovery", ''Composing Ethnography: Alternative Forms of Qualitative Writing''. (1996): 301–330.</ref><ref name="FoltzLozano">Lozano, Wendy G. and Tanic G. Foltz. "An Ethnographic Study of Witchcraft and Death", ''Qualitative Sociology'', Vol. 13, No. 13. (1990): 211–234.</ref> Some Dianic groups develop rituals specifically to confront gendered personal trauma, such as battery, [[rape]], [[incest]], and [[domestic violence|partner abuse]]. In one ethnographic study of such a ritual, women shifted their understanding of power from the hands of their abusers to themselves. It was found that this ritual had improved self-perception in participants in the short-term, and that the results could be sustained with ongoing practice.<ref name="Jacobs1">Jacobs, Janet L. "The Effects of Ritual Healing on Female Victims of Abuse: A Study of Empowerment and Transformation". ''Sociological Analysis'', 50.3 (1989): 265–279.</ref><ref name="Jacobs2">Jacobs, Janet L. "Women, Ritual, and Power". ''Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies'', 11.2–3 (1990): 39–44.</ref> 
 
Dianic Wicca developed from the [[Women's Liberation Movement]] and some covens traditionally compare themselves with [[radical feminism]]. Dianics pride themselves on the inclusion of [[lesbian]] and [[bisexual]] members in their groups and leadership. It is a goal within many covens to explore female sexuality and sensuality outside of male control, and many rituals function to affirm lesbian sexuality,<ref name=Barrett>{{cite journal|last1=Barrett|first1=Ruth Rhiannon|title=Lesbian Rituals and Dianic Tradition|journal=Journal of Lesbian Studies|volume=7|issue=2|year=2008|pages=15–28|issn=1089-4160|doi=10.1300/J155v07n02_03|pmid=24815892 |s2cid=23866787 }}</ref> making it a popular tradition for lesbians and bisexuals. Some covens exclusively consist of same-sex oriented women and advocate [[lesbian separatism]].<ref name="SmithHorne"/> Ruth Barrett writes,

{{cquote|For other lesbian Dianics, as well as heterosexual and bisexual Dianics, excluding males from participation in ritual is not born from a rejection of males but rather an embracing of women’s unique biological rites of passage and how living in female body in a patriarchal world informs and effects our lives. 

Many women choose Dianic separatist ritual simply because of the joy, fun, pleasure, feeling of safety, and value which they derive from being in a exclusively female space with other like-minded women.<ref name="Barrett"/>}}