Dianic Witches believe that the Goddess is present in every living thing – plants, animals, and humans – as well as the earth itself. They believe that it is from this presence of the Goddess, that life exists. Because the Goddess is present in all beings, Dianics believe that:

* All beings must be honored as Divine.
* All women are Goddesses.
* All men have the divine feminine within them.

Diana is the Goddess of the Moon. Being representative of Diana in all her aspects, the Moon is held sacred. Dianics view the cycles of the moon as a mirror of the cycles on earth – seasonal, life, the female menstrual cycle etc.

As in the other traditions, Dianics celebrate the 8 Sabbaths on the Wheel of the Year in honor of the movement of the sun through the heavens, which manifests in seasonal changes. For Dianics, the Wheel of the year is also often used to trace the lives of the Divine Mother and Daughter through the stages of Maiden, Mother and Crone, with each Sabbath marking a milestone on life’s journey. The names of the days, the meanings of each Sabbath and how each is celebrated could – an very likely will – vary from coven to coven.

* Ostara – Maiden.
* Beltane – Maiden.
* Litha – Mother
* Lammas – Mother
* Mabon – Crone.
* Samhain – Crone.
* Yule – Crone
* Imbolc – Maiden

The 13 Esbaths are celebrated during every full Moon. Some covens also hold rituals on the night of the New Moon because it is symbolic of the Virgin/Maiden aspect of the Goddess. Diana is regarded as the Virgin Goddess in addition to being the Goddess of the Hunt.

The independent, non-hierarchical and free nature of Dianic Witchcraft makes it very difficult to describe Dianic worship. It also makes an estimate on how many people are practicing Dianics at present, nearly impossible.

There is nothing neutral about Dianic Witchcraft. It is threatening for some and popular with others. Their strong feminist backing and unconcealed activism around environmental affairs, religious diversity and sexual freedom may have served as a deterrent to some, but these self-same characteristics have found appeal with many others. It is for these very reasons that Dianic paganism is steadily growing in popularity worldwide today.

Please go here to get the full article…