Founding Dean of Edmonton Wiccan Seminary (2016). Wiccan High Priest (1985), Ordained clergy person (2004), Chaplain at U of Alberta (2014-8), author of eight books and numerous articles and book chapters. Withdrew from Doctor of Ministry program researching the church movement faction in the Wiccan religion and issues of institutionalization.
Journal of religion and popular culture, Jun 1, 2009
This paper deals with the core of the Wiccan religion—the small group based practices which defin... more This paper deals with the core of the Wiccan religion—the small group based practices which define Wicca as an initiatory Mystery religion practiced by clergy. At the centre of Wiccan ritual and theology is an ancient idea—the hieros gamos / sacred marriage. The hieros gamos ritual, called by Wiccans The Great Rite, is a ritual of sexual magic involving intercourse between the Goddess of fertility, embodied by Her Priestess, and Her Consort, present in the Priest. It is an egalitarian erotic mystical path open to both genders and all sexual interests, most often expressed as heterosexual, valuing sexuality and the female body and challenging the sexual power dynamics in Western culture. The paper begins by outlining the theology and history of the Great Rite, Wiccan ritual in general and the Rite, then excerpts from primary documents of Priestesses and Priests reporting on their experiences of the Rite, before concluding. The sacred marriage in Wicca confirms and seals the highest level of religious initiation, third degree, and has the mystical meaning of a loving union with Godhead. Wiccan Initiates are taught the skills needed to enter into and leave mystical states of consciousness. The connection between the Wiccan religion, a feminist-influenced religion, and the practice of sexual ritual is not unexpected. What can hieros gamos be in the modern age? Why is it a central symbol and frequent practice in a modern religion? What does the practice bring to its participants?
... OKANAGAN: JACK LOGIE'S SOCIAL ISSUES SUMMER CAMPS Samuel Eldon Charles Wagar Bachelor of... more ... OKANAGAN: JACK LOGIE'S SOCIAL ISSUES SUMMER CAMPS Samuel Eldon Charles Wagar Bachelor of Arts, University College of the Fraser Valley 2002 ... MASTER OF ARTS In the Department of History O Samuel Eldon Charles Wagar 2005 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY ...
This paper deals with the core of the Wiccan religion—the small group based practices which defin... more This paper deals with the core of the Wiccan religion—the small group based practices which define Wicca as an initiatory Mystery religion practiced by clergy. At the centre of Wiccan ritual and theology is an ancient idea—the hieros gamos / sacred marriage. The hieros gamos ritual, called by Wiccans The Great Rite, is a ritual of sexual magic involving intercourse between the Goddess of fertility, embodied by Her Priestess, and Her Consort, present in the Priest. It is an egalitarian erotic mystical path open to both genders and all sexual interests, most often expressed as heterosexual, valuing sexuality and the female body and challenging the sexual power dynamics in Western culture. The paper begins by outlining the theology and history of the Great Rite, Wiccan ritual in general and the Rite, then excerpts from primary documents of Priestesses and Priests reporting on their experiences of the Rite, before concluding. The sacred marriage in Wicca confirms and seals the highest...
One thing that's little known about Canada is how important occult groups and ideas were in shapi... more One thing that's little known about Canada is how important occult groups and ideas were in shaping our culture. Prominent figures like the Group of Seven, early feminist and socialist movements, literary figures, were involved in occult orders like the Theosophists, Spiritualists, and Rosicrucian Masonic groups. This is a part of the story Of these ideas and groups in Canada's history.
This book brings together some of the scripts from a series of online esbat (Full and New Moon) r... more This book brings together some of the scripts from a series of online esbat (Full and New Moon) rituals that Wagar composed and performed for the Sacred Oak Temple in Edmonton in response to the lockdowns and restrictions of the Covid-19 epidemic in 2020-21. The creation of community, some introduction to Wiccan ritual, and reawakening my own spiritual life were all reasons. I hope that I helped some people not feel so alone.
Explores some issues in practical theology around discipleship (modeling oneself on one’s deities... more Explores some issues in practical theology around discipleship (modeling oneself on one’s deities) and religiously based service of the community (both the narrow religious community and all of humanity) in Wiccan temple groups. Issues explored include the social construction and personal developments involved in connecting with goddesses and gods, personal evolution and transformation resulting from this engagement, mystical insights and the rituals which bring them down to Earth and into communities of faith, the call to spiritual connection and service, and religious education to assist people to make these connections real in both their individual lives and their temples.
Practical theology is that approach to theology that concerns itself with the divine in the world – in our lives, in our temples, and in our other institutions. It principally concerns itself with the “how” questions rather than “who, what, when, where, and why”.
An ecclesiology for Wiccan temples drawing from process theology, practice based theories of reli... more An ecclesiology for Wiccan temples drawing from process theology, practice based theories of religion, and the occultist notion of the egregore. Based in fieldwork as well as a general survey of the literature.
Translating Worlds: A Book of Wiccan Theology, 2019
A collection of short pieces on Wiccan theology - ecclesiology of Wiccan temples, personal spirit... more A collection of short pieces on Wiccan theology - ecclesiology of Wiccan temples, personal spiritual journey, and Wiccan church-planting.
Journal of religion and popular culture, Jun 1, 2009
This paper deals with the core of the Wiccan religion—the small group based practices which defin... more This paper deals with the core of the Wiccan religion—the small group based practices which define Wicca as an initiatory Mystery religion practiced by clergy. At the centre of Wiccan ritual and theology is an ancient idea—the hieros gamos / sacred marriage. The hieros gamos ritual, called by Wiccans The Great Rite, is a ritual of sexual magic involving intercourse between the Goddess of fertility, embodied by Her Priestess, and Her Consort, present in the Priest. It is an egalitarian erotic mystical path open to both genders and all sexual interests, most often expressed as heterosexual, valuing sexuality and the female body and challenging the sexual power dynamics in Western culture. The paper begins by outlining the theology and history of the Great Rite, Wiccan ritual in general and the Rite, then excerpts from primary documents of Priestesses and Priests reporting on their experiences of the Rite, before concluding. The sacred marriage in Wicca confirms and seals the highest level of religious initiation, third degree, and has the mystical meaning of a loving union with Godhead. Wiccan Initiates are taught the skills needed to enter into and leave mystical states of consciousness. The connection between the Wiccan religion, a feminist-influenced religion, and the practice of sexual ritual is not unexpected. What can hieros gamos be in the modern age? Why is it a central symbol and frequent practice in a modern religion? What does the practice bring to its participants?
... OKANAGAN: JACK LOGIE'S SOCIAL ISSUES SUMMER CAMPS Samuel Eldon Charles Wagar Bachelor of... more ... OKANAGAN: JACK LOGIE'S SOCIAL ISSUES SUMMER CAMPS Samuel Eldon Charles Wagar Bachelor of Arts, University College of the Fraser Valley 2002 ... MASTER OF ARTS In the Department of History O Samuel Eldon Charles Wagar 2005 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY ...
This paper deals with the core of the Wiccan religion—the small group based practices which defin... more This paper deals with the core of the Wiccan religion—the small group based practices which define Wicca as an initiatory Mystery religion practiced by clergy. At the centre of Wiccan ritual and theology is an ancient idea—the hieros gamos / sacred marriage. The hieros gamos ritual, called by Wiccans The Great Rite, is a ritual of sexual magic involving intercourse between the Goddess of fertility, embodied by Her Priestess, and Her Consort, present in the Priest. It is an egalitarian erotic mystical path open to both genders and all sexual interests, most often expressed as heterosexual, valuing sexuality and the female body and challenging the sexual power dynamics in Western culture. The paper begins by outlining the theology and history of the Great Rite, Wiccan ritual in general and the Rite, then excerpts from primary documents of Priestesses and Priests reporting on their experiences of the Rite, before concluding. The sacred marriage in Wicca confirms and seals the highest...
One thing that's little known about Canada is how important occult groups and ideas were in shapi... more One thing that's little known about Canada is how important occult groups and ideas were in shaping our culture. Prominent figures like the Group of Seven, early feminist and socialist movements, literary figures, were involved in occult orders like the Theosophists, Spiritualists, and Rosicrucian Masonic groups. This is a part of the story Of these ideas and groups in Canada's history.
This book brings together some of the scripts from a series of online esbat (Full and New Moon) r... more This book brings together some of the scripts from a series of online esbat (Full and New Moon) rituals that Wagar composed and performed for the Sacred Oak Temple in Edmonton in response to the lockdowns and restrictions of the Covid-19 epidemic in 2020-21. The creation of community, some introduction to Wiccan ritual, and reawakening my own spiritual life were all reasons. I hope that I helped some people not feel so alone.
Explores some issues in practical theology around discipleship (modeling oneself on one’s deities... more Explores some issues in practical theology around discipleship (modeling oneself on one’s deities) and religiously based service of the community (both the narrow religious community and all of humanity) in Wiccan temple groups. Issues explored include the social construction and personal developments involved in connecting with goddesses and gods, personal evolution and transformation resulting from this engagement, mystical insights and the rituals which bring them down to Earth and into communities of faith, the call to spiritual connection and service, and religious education to assist people to make these connections real in both their individual lives and their temples.
Practical theology is that approach to theology that concerns itself with the divine in the world – in our lives, in our temples, and in our other institutions. It principally concerns itself with the “how” questions rather than “who, what, when, where, and why”.
An ecclesiology for Wiccan temples drawing from process theology, practice based theories of reli... more An ecclesiology for Wiccan temples drawing from process theology, practice based theories of religion, and the occultist notion of the egregore. Based in fieldwork as well as a general survey of the literature.
Translating Worlds: A Book of Wiccan Theology, 2019
A collection of short pieces on Wiccan theology - ecclesiology of Wiccan temples, personal spirit... more A collection of short pieces on Wiccan theology - ecclesiology of Wiccan temples, personal spiritual journey, and Wiccan church-planting.
The A.K. is the secret ritual manual of the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor, a worki... more The A.K. is the secret ritual manual of the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor, a working class secret society which grew into the first mass trade union movement in North America. Founded in 1869, it grew to 800,000 members, 20% of all of the workers in America, by it height in 1886. This ritual manual shows the crossover of the secret societies which were a prominent feature of late Victorian America, an alternative ethics, with the organizations of the working class. Its celebration of the nobility of labor and the power of solidarity continues to inspire.
With an introduction and recommended reading appendix.
I've had an interesting life - anarchist militant, Wiccan priest, political candidate. I've been ... more I've had an interesting life - anarchist militant, Wiccan priest, political candidate. I've been the centre of a major political scandal about religious discrimination, I've founded a church, I've started covens, temples, religious retreats. And I've pissed off a few people. But, I'm not dead yet.
A nuts-and-bolts guide to the idea of sacred knowledge and technique (lore), ideas of ritual mean... more A nuts-and-bolts guide to the idea of sacred knowledge and technique (lore), ideas of ritual meaning and performance, and a number of rituals in a variety of styles.
Wicca is centred in ecstatic trance. I discuss how it works with ritual scripts and detailed disc... more Wicca is centred in ecstatic trance. I discuss how it works with ritual scripts and detailed discussion as well as step-by-step instructions and a detailed discussion of stages of trance leading up to full possession.
Detailed nuts-and-bolts discussion of establishing a viable public Wicca-based temple based in my... more Detailed nuts-and-bolts discussion of establishing a viable public Wicca-based temple based in my many years of experience in building public organizations. Substantially expanded and revised second edition now available through amazon. Incorporates more than thirty years of experience, substantial reading in temple-planting literature, sociology of religion, and practical theology.
Multifaith Perspectives in Spiritual and Religious Care, 2020
Book chapter reflecting on my 4 years as Wiccan chaplain to U of Alberta (2014 - 2018). In the C... more Book chapter reflecting on my 4 years as Wiccan chaplain to U of Alberta (2014 - 2018). In the Canadian Multifaith Federation's "Multifaith Perspectives in Spiritual and Religious Care:Change, Challenge & Transformation" edited by Dr. Mohamed Taher (Toronto: Canadian Multifaith Federation, 2020) ISBN 978-1-896377-18-6
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Papers by Samuel Wagar
Books by Samuel Wagar
Practical theology is that approach to theology that concerns itself with the divine in the world – in our lives, in our temples, and in our other institutions. It principally concerns itself with the “how” questions rather than “who, what, when, where, and why”.
Practical theology is that approach to theology that concerns itself with the divine in the world – in our lives, in our temples, and in our other institutions. It principally concerns itself with the “how” questions rather than “who, what, when, where, and why”.
With an introduction and recommended reading appendix.