The truth about Wicca

Wiccan traditions

you're looking for Wiccan traditions, that can mean one of two things, depending on how you use the word "traditions".

For most people, you are probably looking to find out more about certain habits and practices in Wicca. I have other pages like that all through the site, particularly the pages on Wiccan religion and Wicca for beginners. Basically, the main Wiccan traditions are:

Celebrating the 8 Sabbats (holidays) of the year

Honoring nature and the seasons

Practicing magick or witchcraft

Worshipping a God and/or Goddess (possibly several of them)

Being part of a coven (sometimes)

Wiccans aren't all identical, so these are just a rough list of things that generally are similar from one person to the next. The coven membership part is probably the least typical Wiccan tradition since so many people are solitary these days.

But like I said, this is just one way of looking at Wiccan traditions because the expression actually has another meaning. Within the Wiccan community, the word "tradition" usually means the specific path you are following. You can think of a tradition as similar to a Christian denomination. There are two many of them to list these days.

The two biggest traditions are Gardnerian and Alexandrian (founded by Gerald Gardner and Alex Sanders, respectively). These are also the 2 oldest, with Gardnerian really being the original form of Wicca founded in the 1950s.

But over the years, various other traditions have been born including Dianic, Georgian, Reclaiming, Feri, Seax, Blue Star and a whole lot more. Each one has its own set of rituals and beliefs that make it unique, but still is part of the general Wiccan faith.

Some of them are easy to define, like Dianic Wicca is very female-oriented and Reclaiming has a heavy political and activist approach. Gardnerian and Alexandrian are a little more formal and require coven membership to learn what they're all about (together they're known as British Traditional Wicca). The others can be a little more subtle and would require a bit more study to see their unique ideas.

Gardenarian Wicca

Gardnerian Wicca is named for the religion's founder, Gerald Gardner, and it is considered by many people to the be the "original" form of this spiritual path.

Within Wicca as we know it today, there are many different branches that are known as "traditions". It's a similar concept to the denominations of Christianity. In this case, it's the main tradition that Gardner himself established that is still practiced today.

Many of the main tenets of Wicca have already been outlined on other pages (try the Wicca for Beginners page for an overview). Here are a few of the details that make Gardnerian Wicca unique.

Gardnerian Wicca

Firstly, it is a true lineage tradition. That means you are not really in a Gardnerian coven unless your High Priest or Priestess can trace their training through others back to Gardner himself. The true intimate details of this tradition will not be found in books or on websites, and it can only be learned from others who already know it. Training and study are a big part of Gardnerian Wicca, and that study is broken down into levels. When you reach the 3rd level, you are considered qualified to because priest or priestess of your own coven.

And speaking of covens, yes you have to be in one because of what I just mentioned. Not only because so much information is held within a properly trained coven, but because the family-like bonds between coven-mates is an integral part of the faith.

Other features of Gardnerian Wicca are varied. Groups will practice skyclad for some rituals (naked), and there is a strong influence on male/female duality, fertility and sexuality. The eight Sabbats are honored, and the Wiccan Rede is also very important as a moral guide. Concepts of karma and reincarnation are also central to Gardnerian beliefs.

Large pantheons of Gods and Goddesses are not part of Gardnerian worship like it can be with more eclectic forms of Wicca. There is a single God and a single Goddess, representing the male and female forces in nature. She is seen as the Triple Moon Goddess, and He is represented by the Horned God of the Hunt.

As I am not personally Gardnerian and don't have a view into the inner workings of this Wiccan tradition, I am only basing my information on what I have read about from others in this trad. If you really want to know more about how their version of Wicca works, you'll have to join a coven and learn through practice.

Georgian Wicca 

Georgian Wicca is one offshoot of the original religion founded by Gerald Gardner, and you could consider it similar to a denomination within Christianity. Not quite the same, but pretty close.

Alexandrian and Gardnerian are the two more official forms of Wicca, and they are the closest to the original form of the faith. But many newer divisions have come about over the years, and Georgian Wicca seems to be a big search term here so I am going to go into a bit more detail on it.

First off, Georgian Wicca doesn't have anything to do with the state of Georgia. It was named after the founder, who's name was George Patterson.

The origins of Patterson's original training are a little unclear. He made claims of having studied with a family coven, but he lost much of his research material and Book of Shadows during WWII. He claimed that the family could not be found on his return from the war. Some have said that he claimed to have been initiated into a traditional coven by his father.

Regardless of the origins, his form of Wicca is still popular today. He formed the first incorporated church in 1971, which is considered to be the founding date for this tradition.

His form of Wicca is very much like the older Gardnerian style, that you must be initiated into a coven and take an oath of secrecy about the practices. This path isn't considered to be truly Gardnerian because Patterson was unable to show a direct line of teaching from himself back to any documented Gardnerian covens. Hence the "offshoot" title.

Though the core of Georgian Wicca may be similar in practice to Gardnerian, there have been other eclectic elements included. Of course, I'd need to be initiated into a coven to get all the details, so I can't say much more than that because the information is not open to the public.

Dianic Wicca 

Dianic Wicca is one of the many traditions within the larger Wiccan faith, and it can sometimes be a controversial one as well. If you're not familiar with the concept of Wiccan traditions, you can get up to speed on that first.

Founded in 1971 by Zsuzsanna Budapest, Dianic Wicca is named for the Roman goddess Diana (though the tradition doesn't worship Her exclusively). The defining quality of Dianic Wicca is it's feminist approach to spirituality.

Unlike other trads that have their own blends of male and female deities, Dianics solely work with various forms of the Goddess. Covens are female-only also.

The main reason why Dianic Wicca is a little controversial is that it very strictly focuses on Goddess-worship which is significant departure from the balanced male/female orientation of original Gardnerian Wicca. Some feel that it shouldn't use the name Wicca because it is not following the fundamental tenets of the path.

Gender issues aside, Dianic Wicca is much like any other tradition. It is a blended mix of traditional British Wicca along with some additional forms of folk magic and Italian spirituality (as found in the book Aradia, by Charles Leland). There is a strong feminist leaning to all rituals within Dianic Wicca.

Seasonal cycles of the earth are revered, as are all cycles and passage rites for girls and women. Political action for women's rights is also a big part of many Dianic practices, though on average these groups are less political than the Reclaiming tradition.

One of Budapest's books, "The Holy Book of Women's Mysteriesdianic wicca and witchcraft " is a good foundational text if you wanted to understand this Goddess path. You can also find more information about the Dianic path through organizations like the Circle of Aradia and the Temple of Diana.