Let me tell you a bit about myself, and then I will go into what I hope this website becomes. I am a Wiccan. I practice the Wiccan faith, specifically that of Seax-Wica, which is a Saxon-inspired tradition that draws from Saxon lore, but also from various other Teutonic (or ‘Germanic’) sources as well. I have been practicing as a solitary (someone who practices alone rather than with a group, or ‘coven’) for three years, and found myself extremely frustrated with the lack of information about Seax-Wica and the kind of Wicca I wanted to practice.
I have read most (if not all) of Raymond Buckland’s writings, and developed my own practice based on his teachings and my own personal interpretations and needs (which is exactly what Mr. Buckland teaches…), but I continued to feel like my path was shallow, missing something. Then I read the new introduction to “The Tree” when it was republished as “Buckland’s Book of Saxon Witchcraft,” and in it, Raymond says “Red Wheel/Weiser was kind enough to ask me if I would like to expand this book, but I said no. The reason is that it is presented as a “complete” book of Saxon Witchcraft and does not call for any expansion. It is presented as a foundation for your own personal approach to communing with deity and is complete on that basis. I urge you to adapt what I present to meet you own personal requirements.”
I had also been drawn to other pagan religions like Theodism and Asatru, just like many people who begin to explore Seax-Wica are. But I am Wiccan, not anything else. I believe in the One God and One Goddess as expressions of the divine, creative forces of the universe, not a pantheon of individual gods, and I feel that the Wiccan Rede is how I am meant to live my life, not by some elaborate or strictly defined dogma. I could not shake those feelings and adopt a new faith because it was “close” to what I wanted. As Raymond Buckland said, “I don’t believe that anyone should have to compromise when it comes to religious worship. Everyone should be able to feel completely comfortable in what they do.” I like a lot about those religions, primarily their rich body of lore and sense of community, so I adapted many of those things into my own practice. I don’t consider the Eddas ‘scriptural’, but they are a very important part of my practice, as are the sagas and other works such as Beowulf, and I try to apply the lessons those stories teach us in my life and pass those lessons on to my children.
My intention is not to create an ‘eclectic’ or even pan-Germanic variation of Seax-Wica and present it to the world. My intention is to collect information from well-known pagan writers, community members, and academic studies to provide a broad range of information for people to build upon the foundation offered in “The Tree” and provide a place for people to gather to share their own beliefs, practices, and views on Seax-Wica specifically and Saxon lore in general. I hope you can join me around the (virtual) fire!
seax-wica.org 