Wiccan Beliefs

Wicca is an almost completely decentralized religion. George Knowles, a Wiccan author, has said: "“Wicca has no high authority, no single leader, no prophet and no Bible to dictate its laws and beliefs”. 1 Many, perhaps most, Wiccans are solitary practitioners. Others form small local groups called covens, groves, etc. Thus, there probably are almost as many sets of Wiccan beliefs as there are Wiccans.However, in 1973, a group of about 73 representatives from many Wiccan paths and traditions met in Minneapolis to form a temporary "Council of American Witches" under the leadership of Carl Llewellyn Weschcke, of the well known Llewellyn publishing house that specializes in books dealing with alternative health and healing, astrology, earth-based religions, shamanism, Gnostic Christianity, Kabbalah, etc. The group successfully created a set of beliefs that harmonized the beliefs of the many Wiccan traditions in the U.S. at the time. The group disbanded shortly afterwards. However their 13 principles are still endorsed by many American Wiccans.