Types
of Wicca
[This
Page is Under Construction - It Will Appear Incomplete]
Introduction
There are
some who believe that Wicca and Witchcraft are two completely different
religions. This is mostly just semantics.
A lot of the
issue of Wicca vs. Witchcraft has to do with the fact that Wicca is very
spiritually oriented, whereas Witchcraft is mostly tradition passed down
from one generation of practitioners to the next. Some would rather say
that this is a matter of "modern" vs. "traditional" Witchcraft. Others
would describe traditional Witchcraft as "Elder Wicca".
Personally,
I tend to think of Wicca as our faith, and The Craft as being the traditions
and practices of the faith. This is especially useful considering that
the faith itself had no official name before the 1950's, not in its entire
30,000 year history - but the practices involved with our faith have been
known as 'Witchcraft" or "Craft" for well over 500 years.
So as you
read on, keep in mind that I use the term "Wicca" to describe the faith
and "Witchcraft" or "Craft" to describe the practice, regardless of the
criticisms of a few separatists.
Preface
Having established,
for the purposes of this article, that Wicca and Witchcraft are but two
different aspects of the same very ancient religion, we must also consider
the fact that both may be different depending on the coven or the individual.
This is why there are so many different types of Wicca and Witchcraft;
although the basics of the faith and the general philosophy never change,
there are several different lines and traditions; there are many paths
a Wiccan might take.
Consider for
a moment the differences one might see between a Pentacostal (christian)
and a Lutheran. Both are Protestant Christian faiths. Furthermore; Protestants,
Catholics, Mormons, and Jehovah's Witnesses are all Christians. In this
same respect, there are many 'categories' and 'sub-categories' of Witches
and Neo-Pagans. Although all Witches are united by a single basic philosophy
(and on a larger scale, all pagans as well - being united by worship and
regard for the Earth), none of us are the same and we all have ways in
which we prefer to follow this path; and we all have individual paths we
must walk.
Types of Wicca
/ Witchcraft:
Philosophy
and Faith
Note:
Most of the following content was taken from http://www.wiccanpoet.com/trad.html
| Gardnerian
Wicca |
| Summary: |
Organized
by Gerald Gardner in England in the 1950s. First form of witchcraft to
gain any type of public acceptance. |
| Craft: |
Emphasis on
the Goddess over the God. It has a degree system of advancement and does
not allow for self-initiation. Covens work skyclad (nude) and aim to have
equal numbers of male and female, paired. |
| Alexandrian
Wicca |
| Summary: |
Started by
Alexander Sanders, who referred to himself as the "King" of his Witches. |
| Craft: |
The rituals
are said to be modified Gardnerian. Covens work skyclad, meaning that all
rituals are performed nude. Both the Goddess and the God are honored. |
| Dianic
Wicca |
| Summary: |
First pinpointed
by Margaret Murray in 1921 in "The Witch-Cult of Western Europe," this
term appears to include a mixture of various traditions. |
| Craft: |
Their prime
focus in recent years is on the Goddess, and has been pegged as the "feminist"
movement of the Craft. It includes both female and male practitioners,
solo practitioners, mixed covens, and all female covens. Groups work either
skyclad or robed. |
| Færie
Craft -- Færie Wicca |
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
|
| Traditional
Celtic Wicca |
| Summary: |
The use of a Celtic/Druidic pantheon
mixed with a little ritual Gardnerian, and heavily stressing the elements,
nature and the Ancient Ones. |
| Craft: |
They have a vast knowledge of and
respect for the healing and magickal qualities of plants and stones, flowers,
trees, elemental spirits, the little people, gnomes and fairies. Covens
work robed, and like the Gardnerian Tradition, they prefer couples, preferably
husband and wife. |
| Traditional
Brittish Wicca |
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
|
| Picti
Wita -- Pictish Wicca |
| Summary: |
Scottish Witchcraft
that attunes itself to all aspects of nature: animal, vegetable, and mineral.
It is a solitary form of the Craft and mainly magickal in nature with little
religion. |
| Craft: |
Meditation
and divination play a large part in the tradition and it also teaches several
variations on solitary working of magick. |
| Seax
Wicca |
| Summary: |
Founded by
Raymond Buckland in 1973 (Buckland was also responsible fro bringing Gardnerian
Wicca to the United States). |
| Craft: |
Covens work
either robed or skyclad. Goddess and God are honored equally, and all rituals
are open, meaning that all of them are available to the public. |
| Hecatine
Wicca -- Caledonii Wicca |
| Summary: |
This denomination
of the Craft is Scottish in origin, and still preserves the unique festivals
of the Scots. |
| Craft: |
|
| Neo-Druidry
-- Druidic Wicca | >
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
|
| Italian
Wicca |
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
|
| Eclectic
Wicca |
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
|
| Egyptian
Wicca |
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
|
| Traditional
Witchcraft -- Elder Wicca |
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
|
| Vampiric
Wicca |
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
|
| Ceremonial
Witchcraft |
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
Followers
of this Tradition use a great deal of ceremonial magick in their practices.
Detailed rituals with a flavor of Egyptian magick are sometimes a favorite,
or they may use Qabbalistic magick. |
| Christian
Wicca |
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
|
| Black
Magick |
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
|
“The Craft
is about spirituality and a deep connection to the Goddess and God. It's
about learning to feel and harness the powers around you, touching the
power of the elements and stars and Sun and Moon. A person could have the
biggest Book of Shadows, the most ornate Athame, and a cauldron the size
of a Jacuzzi, and still not be a Witch. At the same time, the person who
sits alone in a field with no tools or altar or fancy robes, and feels
the power and energy of the Goddess and God moving through them, aiding
them in their working, is as much a Witch as any person that ever lived.
One of the truths about Witchcraft, as I have found it and as I truly believe
it, is that no one can ‘make’ you a Witch, and no one can take it away-
Witchcraft is as much an inner journey as it is an outer one, and when
you feel it in your heart and soul, that is when you are a Witch.”
-
Chad Anctil [http://www.celticcrow.com/perspectives/nspelltalk.html] |
|
| “I am going
to be very clear right now, and I am probably not going to make many friends
saying this, but I am going to say it just the same: Witchcraft and Wicca
are not about being different. They are not about fighting the ‘Status
Quo’, and they are not about proclaiming your individuality. Witchcraft
has nothing to do with long black dresses, black lipstick, or spiked collars.
It has nothing to do with pierced lips or tongues or eyebrows, and it certainly
doesn’t have anything to do with death-metal bands with devil-horn haircuts.
Although it certainly (and unfortunately) is shocking for some people,
Witchcraft is not about ‘shock value’, and if you tell people you’re a
Witch just to see the stunned look on their face, then you aren’t much
of a Witch. Period.
True Witchcraft
and Wicca are about religion, they are about a connection with the old
ways, and they are about respecting our mother Earth and everything on
her. They are about the God and the Goddess, the trees, the seasons, and
a deep spiritual connection to it all. They are about faith, and love,
and a truth that you feel right through to your soul, and above all, they
are about a deep-rooted spirituality that I will have in my heart and soul
until the day I pass beyond the veil of this world.”
-
Chad Anctil
[http://www.celticcrow.com/perspectives/wicca_system.html] |
Types of Wicca /
Witchcraft:
Practices
and Preferences
Note:
| Color
Magick |
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
|
| Symbolic
Magick |
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
|
| Knot
Magick |
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
|
| Candle
Magick |
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
|
| Herb
Magick |
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
|
| Oil
/ Scent Magick |
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
|
| Sympathetic
/ Ritual Magick |
| Summary: |
|
| Craft: |
|
|
