Reincarnation And Wicca
The religion of Wicca emerged in and is the same whirlwind that is the modern Western esoteric movement which includes many Eastern imports. Reincarnation is just one of these. It entered the Western esoteric tradition via the theosophical society, various influential occult orders, the writings of Rudolf Steiner and other individuals influenced by these.
But these ideas of reincarnation are certainly not new ones. The most obvious origin seems to be Vedism or Hinduism, and subsequently its spiritual offshoot Buddhism.
It can also be seen as implied in many classical Paganisms, Celtic Paganism, and was a belief in both esoteric Judaism and the earliest Christianities.
But before we get bogged down in too many details, perhaps I should define reincarnation. Reincarnation is the rebirth of the eternal soul (as opposed to the personality) on the physical plane repeatedly. In Eastern belief this is intrinsically linked with the idea of karma, which literally translates as action. Our actions define our incarnations and each incarnation puts us in a situation intended to teach us lessons about the actions we take so we can spiritually progress to another level of incarnation.
In Eastern philosophy the eventual goal is one of ascension from the material plane, often towards or to planes inhabited by divinity.
In the Wiccan religion reincarnation may be linked with action and personal development and transmutation, but the goal isn’t one of ascension as the deity is eminent in the world we inhabit. Rather than trying to ascend to divinity, the aim is to tap into the divinity surrounding us.
Equally the belief in reincarnation can include incarnation as a plant or animal as well as a human, as seen in Hinduism, or just among humans, as detailed in the writings of Rudolf Steiner, founder of Anthroposophy. In Wicca this is a matter of personal opinion.
In Wicca the idea of reincarnation is seen in the wheel of the year, our deities, and in our mythologies. The one myth specifically linked to reincarnation is the Legend of The Descent Of The Goddess. Below is a personal telling of this traditional myth.
In the first cycle, the Goddess courted the Sun God, laid with him, knew him and loved him. Through their time they shared their selves truly, until they were as one, but with the coming of the winter, the God weakened and disappeared from the green earth, leaving it dull and lifeless.
In love the Goddess sought out her other half, her eternal consort, the Sun God. So she journeyed far and wide in search of him until she came upon the gates to the underworld, the land of death.
She went to enter but was challenged by the guardian of the gate. “Strip yourself of your garments and your jewels, leave behind all your symbols of status and privilege- for none may be brought into the realms of the dead”.
So she removed her clothes and her jewels for love of the God. She was bound as all who enter must, as surrender to the mystery of death, and she entered the realm of death.
So she descended far and stood before the Lord of Death himself. He was afflicted with the pangs of love, and in love kneeled before her laying down his sword and crown. He gave her the five fold kiss and said unto her “Do not return to the land of the living, but dwell here with me.”
But she answered “I love you not. Why do you cause all things I love to die and fade away?”
“Lady”, he replied, “It is destined that all things must die, much as they must be born. I take no joy in death. I am the consoler to all who pass through these gates, giving them peace. But you are beautiful, my hearts desire. Stay here”
So the Goddess laid down with the Lord of death, and he taught her all of his mysteries of death. In return the Goddess took from the ground many precious stones, of amber and jet and made from them a necklace, a symbol of a new mystery. She wore it about her neck, rose to her feet and said:
“Here is the symbol of death, black and cold, but also the symbol of life, warm and full of vitality. Through you, the Consoler, all things pass into death, but through me everything may be born again. Everything changes and even death is not eternal. Mine is the mystery of the cauldron of rebirth, for all men shall be born of me again.”
“Enter my mysteries and know to be unafraid, for as life is a journey to death, so too is death a journey back to life. Mine is the eternal wheel, ever changing, ever growing, ever dying and ever being reborn.”
Through the Goddess all things know life, all things know love and through her love all things may know life again.