Cycle III Activities Do an in-depth study of a religion and feminist Wicca. Write or record a comparison.
Feminist Wicca and the New Sciences: At the beginning of Cycle III, Jade (who was then my advisor) said "yes," when I asked if I could compare feminist Wicca and the new sciences. She said another Cella student had already made such a request and it had been okayed. My article, Whatever Floats Your Boat, A Dianic Perspective on Polarity, Balance and Gender, (see my intro and a link to it, here), is a record of key points of this work. It includes information on feminist (and mainstream) Wicca, and compares elements of each with elements of the new sciences. This article, published in a major Pagan Periodical, should be acceptable evidence of my Cycle III Comparative Religions work.
Feminist Wicca and Goddess Religion: I have, however, done several other Comparative Religions studies, one of which I intend to document here some time in the near future: Feminist Wicca and Goddess Religion. Here's a foretaste:
"There is good evidence...that while the ritual side of Wicca is undeniably styled after late Victorian occultism, the spiritual side is deeply inspired by the old pagan faiths, and this is why it is sometimes called 'the Old Religion'." (Wicca entry, Wikipedia, 12/14/2003)
Roots of Wicca: Did you know that Druidism was one of the roots of Masonry, which (in its 'Freemasonry' garb) was one of the roots of Gerald Gardner's Wicca? Consider this:
"The best known [secret society] was the Masons', wherein members ascended to higher degrees by proving they could keep a secret and by performing rituals and various test of merit over many years." ~ Dan Brown, the Da Vinci Code
Degrees, secrecy and rituals. What does that make you think of?
And for just a bit more, read the "Twisted Gardner History" and "More Gardner" pages at the Sisters of the Craft website.
Cycle II Activities Learn the beliefs, cosmology, and thealogy of three other religions (not necessarily those with which you became familiar in Cycle I.) Attend ceremonies of another religion at least once a quarter.
Cycle I Activities Become familiar with three or more religions. Attend rituals and ceremonies of these religions.
Other Here are other pieces related to Comparative Religions, which will be woven together as I expand this section after I've completed the documentation of my Cella work for graduation.