The following is an excerpt from the book Wicca Magickal Beginnings (A study of the history of the practices and beliefs of the Wiccan Tradition) by Sorita d’Este and David Rankine. You8 will find more info on the book at http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalogue/wicca-witchcraft/wicca-magickal-beginnings We recently passed the 10,000 copies sold mark for this book, which considering it originated as training notes for initiates which has developed into this detailed study of the possible origins of the rituals of the tradition, is pretty good we think. The book is used today as a manual by many covens, as well as for reference by practitioners of ceremonial and grimoire magic who will find that there is significant overlap in the origins of the ritual components that this book will yield many interesting facts.
(c) 2001-2008 Sorita d’Este and David Rankine, all rights reserved.
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Ritual nudity plays an important role in the practices of Wicca. This state of being naked in a magick circle is often referred to as being ‘skyclad’. Being naked might be a natural state for us to be in, but it is not one which is usually part of our ordinary world. By being naked the practitioners remove any reference to status or mundane occupation, which might be interpreted from their clothes and accoutrements. There is also an element of breaking social taboos and demonstrating trust in the other practitioners by being in the uncovered state of nudity. Reference to nudity can be found in the earliest versions of the Charge of the Goddess and in most of the versions of the Book of Shadows. “And ye shall all be freed from slavery, And so ye shall be free in everything; And as the sign that ye are truly free, Ye shall be naked in your rites, both men And women also: this shall last until The last of your oppressors shall be dead…”
This extract from Aradia Gospel of the Witches became incorporated into the Wiccan tradition, at least in part, by its adaptation and amalgamation into the Charge of the Goddess. In it the goddess Diana addresses her daughter Aradia, giving her instruction on how to teach witchcraft to humanity. Ten years earlier Leland had commented specifically on witches practicing their witchcraft naked under the full moon in Gypsy Sorcery: “Moon-worship is very ancient; it is alluded to as a forbidden thing in the Book of Job. From early times witches and other women worked their spells when stark-naked by the light of the full moon”
The reasons given in Aradia Gospel of the Witches are very different from those which are given by Gerald Gardner in Witchcraft Today. He wrote on the subject of ritual nudity recalling the witches’ rationale that it was the only way that they could release the power residing within their bodies. He went on to say: “… this power they believe exudes from their bodies, clothes impeding its release…”
To be fair to Gardner in this respect, he did go on to observe that it is difficult to say how much of this belief is real and how much is down to the imagination. The same explanation also appears, sometimes slightly adapted, in various versions of the Book of Shadows. In Witchcraft Today he also speculated about the power which could be released by a group of witches working naked vs. those working wearing bikinis, saying: “
At the same time one might heed the witches’ dictum: ‘You must be this way always in the rites, ’tis the command of the Goddess.’ You must be this way so that it becomes second nature; you are no longer naked, you are simply natural and comfortable.”
