42 Common Traditions of Witchcraft Alexandrian Tradition: Founded in England during the 1960s by Alex Sanders, who referred to himself as the "King" of his Witches. The rituals are said to be modified Gardnerian. Although not exactly a Celtic tradition, many Celtic paths today use words and expressions which reflect the Kabbalistic influence of this Pagan tradition. Alexander Sanders was a Pagan leader who successfully blended Kabbalistic practice with Anglo-Celtic Pagan practice. Originally Sanders claimed to have been initiated by his grandmother when he was seven years old, but later admitted that this was untrue. In fact, he was initiated into a regular Gardnerian coven by Pat Kopansk, one of Patricia and Arnold Crowther's initiates. The Alexandrian Tradition was instrumental as a doorway into the Craft for many people, including Stewart Farrar and Janet Owen. During the 1960s and 1970s it was a rival to Gardnerian Wicca, but began to decline with the discovery that Alex Sanders had been untruthful in his claim to be a hereditary Witch. Some covens broke away from the Tradition but others remained loyal to him as their founder. Alexandrian covens focus strongly upon training in the area of ceremonial magick. The Alexandrian Magickal Tradition includes elements of the Enochian system and the Kabbalah. Alexandrian covens possess a hierarchical structure similar to Gardnerian Wicca. Algard Tradition: This is a Wiccan Tradition blending Gardnerian and Alexandrian elements together. Mary Nesnick, an American initiate in the Gardnerian and Alexandrian Traditions, founded it in 1972. By 1976 the Tradition claimed over fifty covens in the United States. American EclecticTradition: A system that incorporates many elements of both European and North American Paganism into its rituals, practices, and beliefs. Some people refer to this Tradition as New World Wicca. American Eclectic groups differ so much from one another that they cannot realistically represent a unified Tradition as a whole. This allows for greater freedom of individuality, and the only thing held in common is the incorporation of diverse material. (See ECLECTIC Tradition) Anglo-Saxon Tradition: An English path combining the practices of the Celts with those of the southern Teutons, whose Pagans are also sometimes called "witches." Though the popular word "Wicca" is Anglo-Saxon in origin, the followers of this path discard it as a label for themselves. There are many followers of this tradition, and many varied expressions of its teachings. Arician Tradition: A Witchcraft sect based upon the ancient beliefs and practices that once flourished in the Arician groves of the Alban hills region of Italy. The modern Tradition was established in 1998 by Raven Grimassi as an offshoot from the Aridian Tradition. The Arician Tradition focuses on the Etruscan deity forms, with Tagni and Uni as the God and Goddess. However, the beliefs and practices of this Tradition are based upon those of the Tuscan peasant Witch. In this is seen an evolution of beliefs and practices that have been passed down through many generations. Surprisingly, very little Roman influence seems apparent in the overall material. The Arician Tradition encompasses the seasonal rites of the year related to the ancient agricultural festivals of pre-Christian Europe. The lunar rites are a blend of Goddess worship, Mystery Tradition, and ancestral reverence. In addition, the memory of Aradia is toasted by all in attendance. Aridian Tradition: A system established in 1981 by Raven Grimassi. It is based upon the Triad Tradition of Old Italy, a system reportedly formed sometime during the late fourteenth century to early fifteenth century in Italy. The Aridian Tradition is one of the most eclectic of the Italian-based traditions incorporating some elements of modern Wicca. With the publication of 'Ways of the Strega' (Llewellyn, 1995), the Aridian System passed into the public arena in 1995. In 1997, Raven withdrew as the director of this system. He then formed the Arician Tradition under which the former initiates of the Aridian System reformed. The Aridian system focuses upon the goddess Tana and her consort Tanus. The Wheel of the Year is based upon the agricultural cycle of the year and incorporates a mythos to mark each season. In addition, the year is divided into waxing and waning periods personified by the stag and the wolf respectively. Arthurian Tradition: A tradition from Wales and Cornwall based upon the Arthurian myths which sees each of the figures in his stories as individual divine images. Books on the Arthurian legends can give you a basic idea of the practices of this pathway. Look to the writings of Geoffrey Ashe and John Matthews for the best and broadest presentations. Artus Wicca Tradition: Devised by Ceisiwr Serith, was inspired by the fact that when Gardner and his associates were establishing Gardnerian Wicca they used the best scholarship of their time. Since so many advances had been made in the study of ancient religions since then, the question arose: What would Wicca look like if it were to be created now, using the best scholarship of our time? Artus Wicca was created to answer that question. Artus Wicca retains many of the defining characteristics of traditional Wicca: small groups, initiations, the celebration of eight seasonal festivals, possession of the priest and priestess by the deities. It does not adhere to the tradition of Witchcraft as a survival of Pagan religion. Along with that, the rituals based on ceremonial magick are removed. To take the place of the removed portions, elements from Celtic, Germanic, and other Indo-European religions are introduced. The result is a religion that is based upon the insights of ancient Pagans. Many of the rituals include the preparation and consumption of a sacred drink, called Medhom, that brings to mind such things as mead and some. Others involve an interaction between two sides of the Goddess, here called Maghya, "Powerful One." These two sides are the horse form Ekwamedhua, "Inspired Horse," and Gwomater, "Cow Mother." The first is a goddess of dangerous but necessary power, and the second one of unreservedly benevolent power. The two are also aligned with the more traditionally Wiccan triple goddess of Maiden, Mother, and Crone, with Gwomater lining up with the Mother, and Ekwamedbua representing the mysterious new moon transformation from Crone to Maiden. The God called Kerntos, "Horned One," is more involved in the cycle of the year. The Artus of the name is the structure that lies behind the universe. This structure is similar to the Tao, the Maat, and the wyrd of other religions. The main purpose of the rituals of Artus WICCA is to make the celebrants aware of the artus and thereby align themselves with it. Black Forest Clan (Family Serpent Stone): Founded in Pennsylvania in 1991. The Black Forest Clan is the spiritual home for nearly 150 people associated with Lady Silver RavenWolf. Black Forest started as an all female coven, then turned co-ed. The seeds of this organization were sown in Silver's dining room as she taught classes on Wicca and continued the research and study that would form the basis of her instruction and future books. Following the publication of 'To Ride a Silver Broomstick' and 'To Stir a Magick Cauldron', RavenWolf began to hear from thousands of people across the United States who found inspiration in her words. Before long she and her husband Mick began to accept invitations to conduct seminars, Traditional Black Forest Healing Circles, and other public events across the country. As they traveled, their Wiccan family grew. Many people who had been in contact with Lady Silver were invited to dedicate or be initiated into the Black Forest. Most of these people were handpicked by the RavenWolfs to form the core of the growing family of the Temple of the Morrigan Triskele. As it was established, the Black Forest Clan is formed on the basis of Old Guard government (meaning Gardnerian) with Celtic overtones, astrology, and German folk magick. It is a unique mix of the ancient religion of the indigenous peoples of Europe and the remnants of the mystical faiths that formed early Pagan spirituality. RavenWolf blended into this unique mixture of faith the nearly lost system of healing that once existed in the Pennsylvania Dutch country. This process, while not a religious system, clearly was rooted in early German Witchcraft. Black Forest emphasizes family and the growth of the individual. Craft unity is an important part of the message that Silver and Mick RavenWolf carry from the Black Forest Hearthstone to every person they meet. As of the spring of 1999, Black Forest had thirteen covens in eleven states. Blue Star Wicca Tradition: A Craft tradition practiced across the United States and portions of Canada, touching the lives of hundreds of people as it has evolved and grown. Frequently associated with the simple pleasures of music and family ties among its membership, its history is rich, diverse, and sometimes curiously contradictory. What later developed into this tradition emerged out of the Coven of the Blue Star, which was established in Philadelphia, circa 1974, and later became prominent in the New York City area. The foundation of this coven had been laid down by Franque D. ("Franque the Wizard"), a peace activist associated with Vietnam Veterans Against The War and Food Not Bombs. Franque had earned Third Degree, American Welsh tradition, and with the assistance of Gardnerian colleagues who had been active in the Philadelphia Pagan Way, a twelve-member coven had emerged, largely comprised of students from Pagan Way classes and persons involved with Franque's household in the Society for Creative Anachronism, the Vale of the Flaming Sword. Within a few years, folk musician, storyteller, and author Tzipora K. (later an Alexandrian Third Degree) served as a priestess, and later exclusively as High Priestess to the coven. Blue Star Wicca features various fundamental principles. Hallmarks of the Tradition include specific tenets of faith, particular magio-spiritual relationships toward interpreting the Wheel of the Year, initiatory tattooing, liturgical music, and a coven officer system (Handmaiden, Summoner, and sometimes Scribe). Spiritual and community service is mandated in its initiatory ethics, and the initiate is acknowledged as clergy following a training process that can be painstakingly difficult. There is an emphasis on the Craft as part of one's daily life, celebratory rites of passage for members and associates, sacred acts of cooking, and the inclusion of children. Blue Star officially works skyclad, although a regalia system does exist for occasions deemed appropriate. The Tradition generally retains a tripartite system of initiation (with Dedicant, Neophyte, and Elder grades), with thirds retaining full autonomy of their respective groups and students. Groups are also coordinated by initiates of other degrees, or even (rarely) by pre-initiates with some level of tutelage and/or mentorship by initiates. Since1992 leadership for the overall Tradition has been decentralized, with various independent third degree initiates presently maintaining a loose confederate awareness of one another and typically serving in a mentorship capacity to numbers of covens, groves, study groups, and solitaries. The tradition presently includes various subjects, including Blue Star Traditionalists, Blue Star Nationalists, and even some Blue Star-style eclectic circles, in addition to individual offshoot groups that borrow heavily from the tradition's framework. Blue Star enjoys some relationships with the Maidenhill and Odyssean traditions.