Have you ever heard of Wicca? If so, its quite probable that, unless you’ve practiced it, you don’t know very much about it. This is because there is such a wide array of belief systems associated with Wicca, and other “Modern Pagan Faiths”, that its nearly impossible to pin down exactly what followers of Wicca believe.

However, if you do observe all of the branches of Wicca, you do find many common strains! One of the biggest ones being the intimate connection with nature, and other human beings, on a deeply spiritual level.

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To this group, the diverse practices are considered as denominations, and further, not all members of these faiths or beliefs even self-identify themselves as Pagans, Wiccans, or what have you, for the very word Pagan was a title given to them by Catholics in the 3rd century AD, when the Roman state declared them heretics and killed anyone who did not convert to christianity. The word Pagan literally translates to country dweller, and was named as such purposefully as an insult.

The best known and largest strand of Neopaganism today is called Wicca, which stresses the notion of a Goddess of fertility and rebirth, and her male consort, the Horned God of the forest, Yin and Yang of the same unifying spirit. Wicca is a Polytheistic Monotheism, and generally regards the supreme God as the All or the One, which little is known about, and which has many aspects making up the grand unifying whole.

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The Faith of Rastafari is more than just a religion, but a way of life, a social movement, as well as a mindset, without the structure that most religions are used to. The movement began in Jamaica in the 1930’s amongst working-class black people following a prophecy made by Marcus Garvey, a black political leader, about the unification of black people with Africa, their land of origin. It began in part as a social stand against the oppression from white people and other middle-class people. At the heart of it, they believed that by being taken to the Caribbean by slave traders they had been robbed of their African heritage, which they sought to recapture, and celebrate.

The prophecy was rapidly followed by the crowning of Emperor Haile Selassie in Ethiopia. The Rastafarians saw this as a fulfilment of Garvey’s prophecy, and Haile Selassie was regarded as the Messiah, Jah Rastafari, a figure of salvation who would redeem black people from white suppressors, and reunite them with their homeland. It was Leonard Howell, often called the “First Rasta”, who set up the first Rastafarian commune of 5000 people at Pinnacle, St Catherine, Jamaica.

Rastas express their identity through the livity, a concept of righteous, ever-living living. It’s essence is the realization that an energy or life force, conferred by the Almighty Jah, God, exists within, and flows through, all people and all things. This way of being emphasises a life of naturalness. From the very beginning, Rastafarianism was based around communal living. Hair is most commonly worn as dreadlocks, diet is vegetarian, and herbal medicine is favored; in particular, Cannabis, known as Ganja, was believed to be sanctioned by the Bible, clean the body and mind, and bring the soul closer to God. Rastas have an important concept which is “I and I”, which is said instead of “You and I”. It emphasizes the oneness between humanity and God, and the equality of all humans.

Rastafari is based on the Abrahamic faiths, and the Bible, complemented by other texts, were interpreted in the light of the racial struggle: so just as the ancient empire of Babylon had oppressing the Jews, so modern white people were “Babylon” oppressing the black chosen people, and Ethiopia was Zion. Rastas seek to resist, and even chant down babylon, which are represented by the white power structures of Europe and the Americas. A version of the bible called the Holy Piby was also created, which removed deliberate distortions from the Bible which were believed to be made by white leaders during its translation into English.

In 1974 Haile Selassie was deposed from office by a Marxist revolution, and died mysteriously the next year. To many Rastas, belief spread that he would come again, and to others, his figure has become less central to the Faith. The idea of the return to Africa is today, often understood symbolically in terms of self-expression within white-major societies. Personal liberation, rather than black supremacy is stressed, and now there are white rastafarians also.

Through Rastafari, Reggae music experienced its root development. The work of Bob Marley, one of the most important figures of Rastafari, took the magic of the culture to a worldwide audience, for his lyrics encapsulated the spirit of the movement thoroughly. Today, there are more than a million Rastafarians around the world, many live in communes, which often double as the external reflection of their holy temples, the temple itself being the body.