Wicca

==Structure==

[[File:Wiccan spouses.PNG|thumb|right|upright|A Wiccan couple getting handfasted]]
There is no overarching organisational structure to Wicca.{{sfn|Pearson|2002b|p=135}} In Wicca, all practitioners are considered to be priests and priestesses.{{sfn|Pearson|1998|p=52}}
Wicca generally requires a ritual of initiation.{{sfn|Pearson|1998|p=54}}

===Traditions===
{{See also|List of Neopagan_movements#Wicca|l1=List of Wiccan organisations|Category:Wiccan traditions}}

In the 1950s through to the 1970s, when the Wiccan movement was largely confined to lineaged groups such as [[Gardnerian Wicca]] and [[Alexandrian Wicca]], a "tradition" usually implied the transfer of a lineage by initiation. However, with the rise of more and more such groups, often being founded by those with no previous initiatory lineage, the term came to be a synonym for a [[religious denomination]] within Wicca. Scholars of religion tend to treat Wicca as a religion with denominations that differ on some important points but share core beliefs, much like Christianity and its many denominations.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Doyle White |first1=Ethan |title=Wicca: History, Belief & Community in Modern Pagan Witchcraft |date=2015 |publisher=Liverpool University Press |pages=160–162}}</ref> There are many such traditions<ref name="BeaufortIndex">{{cite web |url=http://beaufort.bravepages.com/ |title=Beaufort House Index of English Traditional Witchcraft |work=Beaufort House Association |date=15 January 1999 |access-date=2 April 2007 |archive-date=8 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708091848/http://beaufort.bravepages.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="DiffTypesCraft">{{cite web |url=http://www.hexarchive.com/wicca/witchcraft.htm |title=Different types of Witchcraft |work=Hex Archive |access-date=2 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070618161438/http://www.hexarchive.com/wicca/witchcraft.htm |archive-date=18 June 2007 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> and there are also many [[solitary practitioner]]s who do not align themselves with any particular lineage, working alone. Some covens have formed but who do not follow any particular tradition, instead choosing their influences and practices eclectically.

Those traditions which trace a line of initiatory descent back to Gerald Gardner include [[Gardnerian Wicca]], [[Alexandrian Wicca]] and the [[Algard]] tradition; because of their joint history, they are often referred to as [[British Traditional Wicca]], particularly in [[North America]]. Other traditions trace their origins to different figures, even if their beliefs and practices have been influenced to a greater or lesser extent by Gardner. These include [[Cochrane's Craft]] and the [[1734 Tradition]], both of which trace their origins to [[Robert Cochrane (witch)|Robert Cochrane]]; [[Feri Tradition|Feri]], which traces itself back to [[Victor Anderson (poet)|Victor Anderson]] and [[Gwydion Pendderwen]]; and [[Dianic Wicca]], whose followers often trace their influences back to [[Zsuzsanna Budapest]]. Some of these groups prefer to refer to themselves as ''Witches'', thereby distinguishing themselves from the BTW traditions, who more typically use the term ''Wiccan'' (see [[#Etymology|Etymology]]).{{citation needed|date=November 2015}} During the 1980s, Viviane Crowley, an initiate of both the Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions, merged the two.{{sfn|Pearson|2007|p=2}}

Pearson noted that "Wicca has evolved and, at times, mutated quite dramatically into completely different forms".{{sfn|Pearson|2007|p=3}} Wicca has also been "customized" to the various national contexts into which it has been introduced; for instance, in Ireland, the veneration of ancient Irish deities has been incorporated into Wicca.{{sfn|Rountree|2015|p=16}}

===Covens===
Lineaged Wicca is organised into [[coven]]s of initiated priests and priestesses. Covens are autonomous and are generally headed by a High Priest and a High Priestess working in partnership, being a couple who have each been through their first, second, and third degrees of initiation. Occasionally the leaders of a coven are only second-degree initiates, in which case they come under the rule of the parent coven. Initiation and training of new priesthood is most often performed within a coven environment, but this is not a necessity, and a few initiated Wiccans are unaffiliated with any coven.{{sfn|Buckland|1986|pp=17, 18, 53}} Most covens would not admit members under the age of 18.{{sfn|Pearson|2002b|p=142}} They often do not advertise their existence, and when they do, do so through pagan magazines.{{sfn|Pearson|2002b|p=138}} Some organise courses and workshops through which prospective members can come along and be assessed.{{sfn|Pearson|2002b|p=139}}

[[File:Pagan Witchcraft Altar.jpg|thumb|upright|right|A modern pagan witchcraft altar]]

A commonly quoted Wiccan tradition holds that the ideal number of members for a coven is [[13 (number)|thirteen]], though this is not held as a hard-and-fast rule.{{sfn|Buckland|1986|pp=17, 18, 53}} Indeed, many U.S. covens are far smaller, though the membership may be augmented by unaffiliated Wiccans at "open" rituals.<ref>{{cite book |title=Covencraft: Witchcraft for Three or More |publisher=Llewellyn |first=Amber |last=K. |page=228 |date=1998 |isbn=1-56718-018-3}}</ref> Pearson noted that covens typically contained between five and ten initiates.{{sfn|Pearson|2002b|p=136}} They generally avoid mass recruitment due to the feasibility of finding spaces large enough to bring together greater numbers for rituals and because larger numbers inhibit the sense of intimacy and trust that covens utilise.{{sfn|Pearson|2002b|p=136}}

Some covens are short-lived, but others have survived for many years.{{sfn|Pearson|2002b|p=136}} Covens in the Reclaiming tradition are often single-sex and non-hierarchical in structure.{{sfn|Salomonsen|1998|p=143}} Coven members who leave their original group to form another, separate coven are described as having "hived off" in Wicca.{{sfn|Pearson|2002b|p=136}}

Initiation into a coven is traditionally preceded by an apprenticeship period of a year and a day.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Guiley |first1=Rosemary Ellen |author-link1=Rosemary Ellen Guiley |title=The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft |edition=2nd |year=1999 |publisher=Checkmark Books |location=New York |isbn=0-8160-3849-X |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofwi00guil/page/169 169] |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofwi00guil/page/169 }}</ref> A course of study may be set during this period. In some covens a "dedication" ceremony may be performed during this period, some time before the initiation proper, allowing the person to attend certain rituals on a probationary basis. Some solitary Wiccans also choose to study for a year and a day before their self-dedication to the religion.<ref>{{cite book |title=Wicca: A Year and a Day |publisher=Llewellyn Publications |location=Saint Paul, Minnesota |first=Timothy |last=Roderick |date=2005 |edition=1st |isbn=0-7387-0621-3 |oclc=57010157}}</ref>

Various high priestesses and high priests have reported being "put on a pedestal" by new initiates, only to have those students later "kick away" the pedestal as they develop their own knowledge and experience of Wicca.{{sfn|Pearson|1998|p=51}} Within a coven, different members may be respected for having particular knowledge of specific areas, such as the Qabalah, astrology, or the [[Tarot]].{{sfn|Pearson|1998|p=52}}

Based on her experience among British Traditional Wiccans in the UK, Pearson stated that the length of time between becoming a first-degree initiate and a second was "typically two to five years".{{sfn|Pearson|1998|p=54}} Some practitioners nevertheless chose to remain as first-degree initiates rather than proceed to the higher degrees.{{sfn|Pearson|1998|p=54}}

===Eclectic Wicca===

[[File:The Imbolc Ritual Altar.jpg|thumb|Imbolc altar]]
A large number of Wiccans do not exclusively follow any single tradition or even are initiated. These ''[[Eclecticism|eclectic]] Wiccans'' each create their own [[syncretism|syncretic]] spiritual paths by adopting and reinventing the [[Religious belief|belief]]s and [[ritual]]s of a variety of religious traditions connected to Wicca and broader [[Paganism (contemporary)|paganism]].

While the origins of modern Wiccan practice lie in [[coven]]antal activity of a select few initiates in established lineages, eclectic Wiccans are more often than not [[solitary practitioner]]s uninitiated in any tradition. A widening public appetite, especially in the [[Paganism in the United States|United States]], made traditional initiation unable to satisfy [[demand]] for involvement in Wicca. Since the 1970s, larger, more informal, often publicly advertised camps and workshops began to take place.<ref>{{cite book |title=Modern Wicca |publisher=Llewellyn Publications |location=Woodbury, Minnesota |first=Michael |last=Howard |pages=299–301 |date=2010 |isbn=978-0-7387-1588-9 |oclc=706883219}}</ref> This less formal but more accessible form of Wicca proved successful. Eclectic Wicca is the most [[Wikt:popular|popular]] variety of Wicca in America<ref>{{cite book |title=Wicca and Witchcraft for Dummies |publisher=Wiley |location=Indianapolis, Indiana |first=Diane |last=Smith |page=125 |date=2005 |isbn=0-7645-7834-0 |oclc=61395185}}</ref> and eclectics now significantly outnumber lineaged Wiccans.

Eclectic Wicca is not necessarily the complete abandonment of tradition. Eclectic practitioners may follow their own individual ideas and ritual practices, while still drawing on one or more religious or philosophical paths. Eclectic approaches to Wicca often draw on [[Earth religion]] and [[ancient Egyptian religion|ancient Egyptian]], [[Religion in ancient Greece|Greek]], [[Saxons#Paganism|Saxon]], [[Anglo-Saxon paganism|Anglo-Saxon]], [[Celtic polytheism|Celtic]], [[Religion in Asia|Asian]], [[Judaism|Jewish]], and [[Polynesian mythology|Polynesian]] traditions.{{sfn|Hutton|1991}}

In contrast to the British Traditional Wiccans, Reclaiming Wiccans, and various eclectic Wiccans, the sociologist Douglas Ezzy argued that there existed a "Popularized Witchcraft" that was "driven primarily by consumerist marketing and is represented by movies, television shows, commercial magazines, and consumer goods".{{sfn|Ezzy|2002|p=117}} Books and magazines in this vein were targeted largely at young girls and included spells for attracting or repelling boyfriends, money spells, and home protection spells.{{sfn|Ezzy|2003|pp=48–49}} He termed this "New Age Witchcraft",{{sfn|Ezzy|2003|p=50}} and compared individuals involved in this to the participants in the New Age.{{sfn|Ezzy|2002|p=117}}