AP Research

During the 1950s, new religions sprawled under the theory that before Christianity came to Europe, there was an established cult of witches. One of those religions to claim the mantle of the Old Religion was Wicca, coined by Gerald B. Gardner. Within Wicca there are rituals from which pain is inflicted on oneself or to another consenting witch, with a scourge, to "purify the soul", reaching a higher level of meditation in order to enact a magical act. Acts include: ensuring a good harvest, speaking to the dead, and divination. Another act of magic is healing. A coven in Canada has specific rituals that they use to help people with mental trauma and to heal the Earth in the physical sense. Within the contemporary form of this religion, such a connection between these two elements is indirectly implied. It seems that you can heal others from healing yourself. This study will assess the writings of this religion's founder, Gerald Gardner, to see if he implies, or better yet explicitly states, a direct connection between the two elements stated prior.