And please don't get me started on the Feminist/Dianic man-haters, or the Starhawkian "Watermelon Left"* "earth spirituality" scenes!
*"Watermelon": GREEN on the outside, but RED on the inside.
Just another example of worshiping the created instead of the creator!
However, as a Wiccan for well over 30 years now, my goal has always been to reconstruct the beliefs of the ancient Celts.
I am also very much a Christian and have never understood why these two forms of religions are considered to be in conflict. The two religions were so compatible, that Christianity was able to sweep through Celtic Europe like wild-fire when it was introduced by Rome. For the ancient Celts, there was no conflict.
As for the age of the modern Wicca religion, you are correct. Until just after WWII, it was a criminal offense to write a book on this subject. Gerald Gardner was the first person to legally publish a book after the laws in Britain were changed. For obvious and legal reasons, it would have been impossible for the modern Wicca religion to be known outside of a private society, until 50 years ago.
Personally, in my own case, this quest is only 32 years old.
As for the other things you said, since I have known many of the original people personally, I will not argue. I may snicker perhaps, but I will not argue.
Valerie always did enjoy using a light self-whipping to help herself get into a trance state. That is what worked for her, but every person is different. Personally, it never did anything for me.
Please remember, I am also a Christian and simply want to understand how God has been revealed to all civilizations on Earth. God uses methods to teach lessons in ways that people can understand, and every civilization is different.
There is only one GOD, but GOD has multiple aspects.
GOD is not a little old man like George Burns. GOD is so complex, it is almost impossible for any human to comprehend all of it. Segmenting the different aspects of GOD, is simply a method for humans to use in their quest toward understanding.
With many civilizations, labeling different aspects of GOD was an easy way for the people to understand. With the ancient pagans, each of the different aspects of GOD was given a different name. That is why there was a "God of War" and a "Goddess of Love"; along with way too many others to name here.
So, please do not personally attack me for my quest to understand GOD. As a person with a firm belief and faith in GOD, I have done the best that I can.