iii. Wicca and Holism

One of the appealing aspects of the Craft is its departure from the arid rationalist, anti-supernaturalism that so characterised the modern era. Wiccans eschew the mechanistic mentality that regards the earth as a mere object for detached analysis or as something to be exploited. Wiccans have an acute sense of spiritual realities permeating our world. This is evident in their awareness of the Goddess being present throughout the whole planet. To use theological or philosophical jargon, Wiccans have a deity immanent in the world. Thus it is easy to see how they appreciate the sacredness of the earth and sense it is imbued with spiritual powers. Since the earth is sacred, Wiccans understandably have deep concerns for the environment. Some Wiccans choose to be known as eco-feminists.

Wiccans intuit that a unified or holistic understanding of reality is paramount. They recognize that we all define and categorize matters for the sake of a manageable study or discussion, but they rightly stress that the total picture must not be obscured by such mental abstractions. For Wiccans the whole of life can be approached from an overarching spiritual awareness and practice that has important outcomes in many different facets of living, from relationships, child rearing, education, health and well being, business activities and so forth. The spiritual, if you wish, is perfectly normal and not to be seen as something out of the ordinary. Indeed, the dichotomy between sacred and secular things is simply a product of hidebound rationalism. It is the sceptic and agnostic who are 'weird' not the one who accepts the spiritual as being normal.