Alexandrian
Originated in England in the 1960's, founded
by Alex Sanders. The rituals are said to be of Gardnerian basis.
Alex Sanders referred to himself as the "King" of his
Wiccan's. Although similar to Gardnerian Wicca, Alexandrian Wicca
tends to be more eclectic and liberal. Some of Gardnerian's strict
rules, such as the requirement of ritual nudity, have been made
optional by Alexandrian Wicca.
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British Traditional
Witch
This is a mix of Celtic and Gardenarian beliefs.
These traditional's move mostly within the Farrar studies and are
fairly structured by their beliefs. They train through a degree
structured process. The International Red Garters is the most famous
organization at this time. Often includes druids.
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Celtic
The Celtic tradition is based on the practices
of the pre-Christian Celtic world. This includes Ireland, Wales,
Scotland, and Gaul. There is also a significant amount of Druid
practice used in this tradition. It shares a lot with the Teutonic
tradition, including the use of runes. This traditional is extremely
earth based and strong in the religious aspects of the Craft. Many
aspects of Christianity were drawn from the Celtic pagans, such
as Cerridwyn's cauldron translating into the Holy Grail, and the
goddess Brigit becoming Saint Bride.
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Ceremonial
Less religion, more emphasis on the art and
science of magick. Rituals are generally complex and practices lean
towards the secretive, hidden side of magick. Not geared towards
the solitary practitioner, but can easily be adapted for those who
choose to work alone. Not necessarily a wiccan-only tradition, though
there are many ceremonial witches.
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Dianic
Tradition from western Europe, tracked back
to Margaret Murray in 1921. This tradition has been pegged as the
"feminist" movement of the Craft. It is a mix of many
traditions, but its focus is on the goddess, especially Diana. (Diana
is a reference often crossed during study of Greek/Roman mythology.)
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Eclectic
An eclectic Wiccan doesn't follow any strict
traditional guidelines, but instead, practices the beliefs that
suit them best. They mix traditions to find their most fitting stance
on their religion, using the magick that is most practical for their
lifestyle and studying the parts of the religion they consider to
be essential. This is mostly of modern origin, previously most Wiccan
traditions had more restricting boundaries; the eclectic tradition
marks witchcraft's expansion into a patchwork quilt of various beliefs
and theories.
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Faerie Wicca
Also referred to as fae, fey, faery, fairy,
fairie... tradition based on faery lore and beliefs. Consists of
a mixture of "green" Wicca, celtic and druidic practices,
and modern witchcraft.
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Gardnerian
Gardnerian is the tradition founded by Gerald
Gardner. He was one of the first to go public with information about
the Craft, modern Wicca has mostly been derived from his books.
Gardner's inspiration was drawn from many sources, including 'Aradia,
Gospel of the Witches', where strands of the Gardnerian tradition
such as required ritual nudity can be found. This is an extremely
traditional path with a hierarchical grade structure. These individuals
are very secretive and take oaths upon initiation. Although there
are a number of Gardnerian Covens active in the US, they are difficult
to locate and once located are not easy to join. This tradition
does not lend itself well to solitary practice, but some aspects
of it do. It therefore deserves study by solitary practitioners,
especially eclectics.
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Hereditary
This is a person that can trace the Craft
back on their family tree and was also taught the craft by a living
relative. ("My mother's grandmother's sister's cousin was a
Wiccan" doesn't count.) Because of the youth of modern Wicca,
this really only applies to practitioners of witchcraft and not
necessarily Wicca.
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Kitchen Witch
This type is one that practices by home and
hearth concentrating on the practical side of religion, magick and
the earth and elements. A more convenient form of practice for those
who have limited space and resource, mainly suburban and city witches.
This focuses on practicality, the use of magick in the home and
in the workplace, and convenient ritual writing that includes readily
available "ingredients" on short time and a tight budget.
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Pictish
Pictish is Scottish witchcraft with a strong
connection to nature in all of its forms. The practice is actually
mostly magickal with little emphasis on the religious aspect. This
is practiced as a solitary tradition.
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Pow-wow
This is a system, not a religion, based on
400 year old German Magick. In this day and time it has lost much
of its concentrations and is basically now into simple faith healing.
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Seax-Wica
(Or Saxon-Wica)
Founded in 1973, by Raymond Buckland. Raymond
Buckland authored this tradition without breaking his original Gardnerian
oath. His contributions to the Craft is of great significance and
many popular books today are of his authorship.
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Shamanism
Beliefs are connected to contact with the
spirit world. Through communication with the spirits, the Shaman
can work acts of healing, divination and magic - revealing by way
of vision, poetry and myth the deeper reaches of the human spirit.
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Solitary
Individuals preferring to work in private
rather than within the confines of a group setting. Wicca works
well with this sort of practice. Solitaries can pick any number
of traditions that fit well into this sort of practice. Can be as
fulfilling as working in a group setting.
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Strega
This tradition began around 1353 in Italy,
with a woman called Aradia. Leland's book "Aradia, Gospel of
the Witches" is the most veritable literary remainder of the
original tradition. The teachings are insightful and should not
be missed, for those who practice solitary or in covens, especially
if you are interested in studying all traditions.
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Teutonic/Nordic
This is from ancient time, the Teutons have
been recognized as a group who speak the Germanic group of languages.
The languages include the English, Dutch, Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian
and Swedish. Norse practitioners are often Astruar that is, followers
of Asatru. Many worship similar to their Norse predecessors, following
Scandinavian and Germanic deities such as Odin and using divination
methods like the runes.
