Wiccan

Wicca is a modern pagan, witchcraft religion. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was introduced to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant. Wicca draws upon a diverse set of ancient pagan and 20th-century hermetic motifs for its theological structure and ritual practices.

Beliefs

Wicca is a diverse religion with no central authority or figure defining it. It is divided into various lineages and denominations, referred to as traditions, each with its own organisational structure and level of centralisation. Due to its decentralized nature, there is some disagreement over what actually constitutes Wicca. Some traditions, collectively referred to as British Traditional Wicca, strictly adhere to the initiatory lineage of Gardner and consider the term Wicca to apply only to similar traditions, but not to newer, eclectic traditions.

Practices

Wiccan practice involves the worship of two primary deities: the Goddess and the God (sometimes known as the Horned God). Some Wiccans also choose to honour other deities, often those from ancient pagan cultures. These deities may include the Celtic Cernunnos, the ancient Greek Dionysus, or the Roman Diana.

History

Wicca was founded by Gerald Gardner in the UK during the late 1940s. Gardner was a retired civil servant and amateur anthropologist, with a broad familiarity in paganism and occultism. He claimed to have been initiated into a witches' coven in New Forest, Hampshire, in the late 1930s.

Demographics

There is no central authority who can give an accurate number of Wiccans worldwide. The Pagan Federation, an international fellowship of Neo-Pagans, estimates that there are around 200,000 Wiccans in the world today.

See also

• Neopaganism
• Paganism
• Witchcraft

External links

• Pagan Federation

Wiccan Resources
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