I'm not sure exactly how the topic came up. It was several hours worth of driving to an upstate gig, and our guitarist Lisssa was meticulously examining a Weight Watchers guide and informing us how many "points" different alcoholic drinks had. I think this segued into a discussion of all things body-image related, and a debate on who was comfortable showing a little skin on stage and who wasn't. I fell into the pro-skin half of the group.

"Well, I guess that makes sense since you used to strip." Lisssa rationalized.

"Plus don't Wiccans worship naked sometimes?" added Abby. I said that I had done my first degree initiation skyclad and that's where Lisssa got stuck. I'd been naked in front of my whole coven?" Yes,the whole coven had been as well. "So you've all seen each naked?" Yep. This line of incredulous questioning was repeated a few more times, and then expanded to inquiries as to why we do it and what would happen if someone didn't want to participate in ritual nudity, and why it was a requirement for our coven's initiation. As I answered the barrage of questions it got me to thinking about the whole practice of skyclad ritual and how it's one of the aspects of our religion that is the most intriguing, titillating, and misunderstood by non-Wiccans who hear about it.

Ritual nudity, or "going skyclad" as it is called, is a concept that Gerald Gardner borrowed from a sect of Hindu practitioners in India (so what else is new)? This group, the Jains, would go "skyclad" as they called it to protect even the tiniest of insects from being caught and crushed in their garments. Although Uncle Gerry's motivations are always fodder for a good tongue-in-cheek wisecrack (I don't reckon he was quite so passionate about creepy-crawlies), the official line of reasoning for this practice was that it made one more open before the Deities, and more of a receptive conduit for their energies.

It has also been argued that ritual nudity is a great equalizer,removing the class-and-clique barriers that our personal attires create. Though in New York City I'm not so sure that applies since it tends to reveal to everyone exactly where the freaks are pierced, tattooed or branded.

Ultimately the reasons for ritual nudity tend to do mostly with the internal and psychological processes of the worshipper more than anything else. Unless you're walking around in a radiation suit, clothing doesn't act as a barrier against energy.(and if it did said energies probably wouldn't be worth attuning with anyway)! But it can act as a mental barrier to be removed. The act of shedding articles of clothing in preparation for an important ritual can symbolically suggest casting off the walls we put up and the yoke of the outside, day to day world. Inasmuch as casting the circle or processioning the elements, undressing one's self can become an act of creating a sacred space -- the participant's own body! (Like Aleister Crowley said, "There is no part of me that is not of the gods." Why shouldn't our own bodies be considered "sacred space" when we are using them to participate in ritual?) By emotionally casting off our social constructs through the act of becoming nude, we can put ourselves in an open state receptive to getting the most out of ritual.

Of course in our predominant culture "openness" is a state that is often equated with "vulnerability," as is nudity. That can also make skyclad practice a part of personal growth. "perfect love and perfect trust" never seems quite so apt as when you're standing in a group of (probably) platonic coven-mates! In such a situation, participation not only creates a sense of openness and freedom, but can strengthen a bond of trust among the members of the coven. It goes a long way in removing the stigma and shame that most of mainstream society gives us about the human body. In fact, part of the reason the nudity is required in many covens' initiation rites is because for some people the very act of going skyclad becomes one of the challenges for the initiate in and of itself -- the ability to get beyond those societal hang-ups.

Lastly, and important to be addressed, skyclad worship is not part and parcel of Wicca necessarily. In fact, it seems to be practiced mostly by smaller private groups who have established the sense of connection and trust to not have their nudity become the fixation of a ritual working. For those not ready or wanting to take such a step there are plenty of public Sabbats and covens who practice fully attired. Hell, even we don't do this all the time! And no one should EVER be coerced, in the name of Wicca or anything else, into doing something they are not comfortable with at the demand of an unscrupulous "leader." By the same token, there are many perfectly honorable and reputable groups who will require participants to be skyclad for certain workings and one shouldn't expect exceptions to be made for their own personal self-consciousness. As I've stated before, often the act of going skyclad in itself can be part of the peersonal challenges an initiate meets. Ideally, my best advice to a person who's uncertain about this practice is to get to know the group you are potentially going to be working with. Get a feel for what the focus of their practices are and if the individual members themselves are sincere or not. There are some invaluable tools for discerning these things. One is the Cult Evaluation Frame created by Isaac Bonewits (http://www.neopagan.net/ABCDEF.html). This is a solid list of criteria for determining a groups motives that is also used outside of Occult circles as well. The other valuable tools? Your own intuition and common sense of course! If a situation doesn't sit well with you, you can always use your own facilitie s to evaluate why. Remember, you do not have to practice skyclad to be a Wiccan. But for those who do, it can be a wonderful way to explore the connection between the physical and the spiritual.

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