Joanna Malita-Król

The Ritual Places of Contemporary Pagans in Kraków

In the following article I describe ritual places used by four Kraków Neopagan groups (Native Polish Church, Group Mir, Free Rodnovers of Kraków, and Reformed Druids of Gaia Poland). The most important locations include the surroundings of Krakus Mound (along with the Liban quarry below and the ‘sacred circle’ on the opposite site of the quarry) and Grove by the Wilga river. The used sites and their context are analysed, as well as the reasons why a particular place was chosen. I focus on the perspective of my interviewees, using Kim Knott’s spatial analysis and the combination of the three approaches by Belden C. Lane. Based on participant observation and semi-structured interviews with members of the studied groups, I distinguish three categories of reasons (physical; connected to culture and tradition; metaphysical), which show the multidimensional character of the decisions made and many perspectives in which ritual places are perceived.

Wicca on the Polish Internet – Field Research Report

The history of Wicca in Poland equals the history of Wicca on the Polish internet – and this equation alone shows the importance of the World Wide Web for Polish believers. The number of websites, discussion lists and forums has been rising since the mid-1990s, representing the development and growing popularity of this Neopagan religion. The article, based on field research, presents the history of Wicca on the internet and the present situation in Poland, as well as the institution of cybercovens. Wicca on the internet (mainly American) is considered as a broader context, along with Helland’s distinction between religion online and online religion (including, especially, online rituals and covens). The article is based on analysis of the content published online by Polish believers and the author’s field research among Polish Traditional Wiccans.