Editing Dianic Wicca

{{Short description|Neopagan female-centered goddess tradition}}
{{Infobox religion
| name                = Dianic Wicca
| image               = Triple-Goddess-Pentagram.svg
| imagewidth          = 300px
| alt                 = 
| caption             = Symbol of the [[Triple Goddess (Neopaganism)|Goddess]] with the [[pentacle]]
| type                = [[Wicca]]
| main_classification = 
| orientation         = Feminist Wicca
| scripture           = 
| theology            = [[Goddess movement]]
| polity              = 
| governance          = Woman-centered; led by priestesses or led by collective
| structure           =
| leader_title        = 
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| leader_name2        = 
| fellowships_type    =
| fellowships         = 
| fellowships_type1   =
| fellowships1        =
| associations        = 
| area                = [[United States]]
| headquarters        = 
| founder             = 
| founded_date        = 1970s
| founded_place       = United States
| separated_from      = 
| merger              = 
| absorbed            =
| separations         = 
| merged_into         =
| defunct             =
| congregations_type  = Coven
| congregations       = 
| members             = Around 1,000–2,000
| ministers_type      = Priestess
| ministers           = 
| missionaries        =
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| nursing_homes       = 
| aid                 = 
| primary_schools     = 
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| other_names         = 
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| footnotes           = 
}}
{{Feminism sidebar|Variants (religious)}}

'''Dianic Wicca''', also known as '''Dianic Witchcraft''',<ref name="River May 2004">{{cite web
|last=River
|first=Falcon
|title=The Dianic Wiccan Tradition
|url=http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=uswi&c=trads&id=8451
|publisher=The Witches Voice
|access-date=23 May 2007
|date=7 May 2004
|archive-date=11 November 2005
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051111092016/http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=uswi&c=trads&id=8451
|url-status=dead
}} and, to some also as "Dianism," "Dianic Feminist Witchcraft," or simply "Feminist Witchcraft"'</ref> is a [[modern pagan]] [[goddess movement|goddess tradition]] focused on female experience and empowerment. Leadership is by women, who may be ordained as priestesses, or in less formal groups that function as collectives.<ref name=Adler1>{{cite book | surname = Adler | given = Margot | author-link = Margot Adler | chapter = Chapter 8. Women, Feminism, and the Craft | title = [[Drawing Down the Moon (book)|Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today]] | edition = Reprint rev. and expand. | place = New York | publisher = Penguin/Arcana | year = 2006 | orig-year = 1979 | isbn = 0-14-019536-X}} | at [https://archive.org/details/drawingdownmoonw00adle_3 Archive.org]</ref><ref name=Budapest1>Budapest, Zsuzsanna. ''Holy Book of Women's Mysteries'', The. 1980 (2003 electronic). {{ISBN|0-914728-67-9}}.</ref> While some adherents identify as [[Wicca]]n, it differs from most traditions of Wicca in that only goddesses are honored (whereas most Wiccan traditions honor both female and male deities).<ref name=Adler1/><ref name=Budapest1/>

While there is more than one tradition known as ''Dianic'',<ref name=Adler1 /> the most widely known is the female-only variety,<ref name="River May 2004"/> with the most prominent tradition thereof founded by [[Zsuzsanna Budapest]] in the United States in the 1970s.<ref name=Adler1 /><ref name=Budapest1 /> It is notable for its worship of a single, [[monotheistic]] [[Goddess movement#Terminology|Great Goddess]] (with all other goddesses—of all cultures worldwide—seen as "aspects" of this goddess) and a focus on egalitarian matriarchy. While the tradition is named after the [[Roman goddess]] [[Diana (mythology)|Diana]], Dianics worship [[goddess]]es from many cultures, within the Dianic Wiccan ritual framework.<ref name=Budapest1 /> Diana (considered correlate to the Greek [[Artemis]]) "is seen as representing a central mythic theme of woman-identified cosmology. She is the protector of women and of the wild, untamed spirit of nature."<ref name="Barrett"/> 

The Dianic Wiccan belief and ritual structure is an [[Wicca#Eclectic Wicca|eclectic]] combination of elements from [[British Traditional Wicca]], Italian folk-magic as recorded by [[Charles Leland]] in ''[[Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches|Aradia]]'', [[New Age]] beliefs, and folk magic and healing practices from a variety of different cultures.<ref name=Budapest1 /><ref name=Adler1 />

==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"/>}}

==History==
[[Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches]] claims that ancient [[Diana (mythology)|Diana]], [[Aphrodite]], [[Aradia]], and [[Aradia#Folklore|Herodias]] cults linked to the [[Sacred Mysteries]] are the origin of the all-female [[coven]] and many witch myths as we know them.

Z Budapest's branch of Dianic Wicca began on the [[Winter Solstice]] of 1971, when Budapest led a ceremony in Hollywood, California.<ref name=Budapest1 /><ref name=Adler1 /> Self-identifying as a "hereditary witch,"<ref name=Budapest1 /><ref name=Adler1 /> and claiming to have learned folk magic from her mother,<ref name=Budapest1 /><ref name=Adler1 /> Budapest is frequently considered the mother of modern Dianic Wiccan tradition.<ref name=Adler1 /> Dianic Wicca itself is named after the Roman goddess of the same name.<ref name="Oswald 2003">{{cite book
|last=Oswald
|first=Ramona Faith
|title=Lesbian rites: symbolic acts and the power of community
|year=2003
|publisher=Harrington Park Press
|location=Bringhampton, New York
|isbn=1-56023-315-X
|pages=[https://archive.org/details/lesbianritessymb0000unse/page/15 15, 16, 17]
|url=https://archive.org/details/lesbianritessymb0000unse/page/15
}}</ref>
Ruth Rhiannon Barrett was ordained by Z Budapest in 1980 and inherited Budapest's Los Angeles ministry. This community continues through Circle of Aradia, a grove of Temple of Diana, Inc.<ref name="Oswald 2003"/>

==Denominations and related traditions==
[[File:Triple-Goddess Wiccan Symbol (modified).png|thumb|Modified Triple-goddess Wiccan symbol]]
* Traditions derived from Zsuzsanna Budapest – Female-only covens run by priestesses trained and initiated by Budapest.
* Independent Dianic witches – who may have been inspired by Budapest, her published work (such as ''The Holy Book of Women's Mysteries'') or other woman's spirituality movements, and who emphasize independent study and self-initiation.

===McFarland Dianic===
McFarland Dianic is a Neopagan tradition of goddess worship founded by Morgan McFarland and Mark Roberts which, despite the shared name, has a different theology and structure than the women-only groups. In most cases, the McFarland Dianics accept male participants.<ref name=Adler1 /> McFarland largely bases their tradition on the work of [[Robert Graves]] and his book ''[[The White Goddess]]''. While some McFarland covens will initiate men, the leadership is limited to female priestesses. Like the women-only Dianic traditions, "McFarland Dianic covens espouse feminism as an all-important concept." They consider the decision whether to include or exclude males as "solely the choice of [a member coven's] individual High Priestess."<ref name=McFarlandSite1>{{cite web| url=http://www.mcfarlanddianic.org/a-chronology.php| archive-date=27 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727074227/http://www.mcfarlanddianic.org/a-chronology.php | title= The McFarland Dianics -- A Chronology - Spring Equinox, 2000}}</ref>

==Criticism for transphobia==
Dianic Wicca has been criticised by elements in the [[Modern Paganism|Neopagan]] community for being [[transphobic]]. In February 2011, Zsuzsanna Budapest conducted a ritual with the Circle of Cerridwen at PantheaCon for "genetic women only"{{sfnp|Scott|2020}} from which she barred [[males]]{{sfnp|Thompson|2012|p={{pn|date=January 2023}}}}.{{sfnp|von Busack|2021}} This caused a backlash that led many to criticize Dianic Wicca as an inherently transphobic{{sfnp|Pitzl-Waters|2012}} [[Lesbian separatism|lesbian-separatist movement]].{{sfnp|von Busack|2021}} The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote that:

{{quote|Talia Bettcher, a professor of philosophy at Cal State L.A., said this trans exclusionary stance is common—though not universal—among women like Budapest who were grounded in lesbian separatism, a political vision that originated in the '70s. [...] The same defiance that made Budapest a feminist hero in the '70s has made her a divisive figure for many modern witches today.{{sfnp|Netburn|2021}} }}

==See also==
*{{anli|Feminist theology}}
*{{anli|Goddess movement}}
*{{anli|Gynocentrism}}
*{{anli|New religious movement}}
*{{anli|Pachamama}}
*{{anli|Shaktism}}
*{{anli|Thealogy}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
*{{cite news |first=Deborah |last=Netburn |date=September 18, 2021 |title=This feminist witch introduced California to Goddess worship |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-18/this-feminist-witch-introduced-california-to-goddess-worship |access-date=2023-01-08}}
*{{cite web |title=The PantheaCon Gender Conversation Continues |url=https://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2012/02/the-pantheacon-gender-conversation-continues.html |last=Pitzl-Waters |first=Jason |date=February 23, 2012 |website=[[The Wild Hunt (periodical)|The Wild Hunt]]}}
*{{cite news |last=Scott |first=Eric O. |title=Editorial: The Pagan Imperative of Transgender Rights |date=June 13, 2020 |work=The Wild Hunt |url=https://wildhunt.org/2020/06/editorial-the-pagan-imperative-of-transgender-rights.html |access-date=2023-01-12}}
*{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Sarah |title=Gender and Transgender in Modern Paganism |publisher=Circle of Cerridwen Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-1105433788 |location=Cupertino, CA}}
*{{cite news |last=von Busack |date=September 22, 2021 |title=Signal Booster: Z Budapest, Mother of California Goddess Worship |website=California Local |url=https://californialocal.com/localnews/alameda/ca/article/show/629-z-budapest-zsuzsanna-witch-feminist-lesbian/ |access-date=2023-01-12}}

== Further reading ==
* Barrett, Ruth. ''Women's Rites, Women's Mysteries: Intuitive Ritual Creation''. Llewellyn Publications; 2007, {{ISBN|0-7387-0924-7}}. Earlier publishing: ''Women's Rites, Women's Mysteries: Creating Ritual in the Dianic Wiccan Tradition''. Authorhouse; 2004, {{ISBN|1-4184-8295-1}}.
* [[Riane Eisler|Eisler, Riane]], ''The Chalice and the Blade''.
* Mountainwater, Shekhinah, ''[[Ariadne]]'s Thread''.
* Ochshorn, Judith and [[Ellen Cole|Cole, Ellen]]. ''Women's Spirituality, Women's Lives''. Haworth Press 1995. {{ISBN|1-56024-722-3}}. pp 122 & 133 referring to Z Budapest and Shekinah Mountainwater, among others, in a discussion of Dianic Witchcraft.
* Pond, Gina, et al. ''[http://st4r.org/main/circle-of-cerridwen/gender-and-transgender-in-modern-paganism-anthology/ Gender and Transgender in Modern Paganism]''. Circle of Cerridwen Press, 2012. {{ISBN|978-1-105-43378-8}}
* [http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usca&c=trads&id=3212 On Starhawk, the Reclaiming Tradition and feminism, M. Macha NightMare] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190311212023/http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usca&c=trads&id=3212 |date=2019-03-11 }}.
* ''Interview with [[Starhawk]] in Modern Pagans: An Investigation of Contemporary Pagan Practices'', ed. V. Vale and John Sulak, Re/Search, San Francisco, 2001, {{ISBN|1-889307-10-6}}.

==External links==
*[http://dianic.org/ Dianic Wicca, Official Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110141659/http://dianic.org/ |date=2019-11-10 }}
*[http://www.dianictradition.com/ Dianic Tradition, Official Website]
*[http://dianicwicca.com/ Dianic Wicca, Website]
*[http://zbudapest.com/ Z. Budapest]
*[http://goddess-festival.com/ International Goddess Conference]
*[http://susanbanthonycoven.com/ Susan B. Anthony Coven, Dianic Wicca Website]
*[https://www.templeofdiana.org/ Temple of Diana]
*[http://www.mcfarlanddianic.org/ The McFarland Dianic Tradition]

{{WiccaandWitchcraft}}

[[Category:Dianic Wicca| ]]
[[Category:Monotheistic religions]]
[[Category:Feminist spirituality]]
[[Category:Modern paganism in the United States]]
[[Category:Wiccan feminism]]
[[Category:Diana (mythology)]]
[[Category:1970s in modern paganism]]
[[Category:Lesbian separatism]]