Wicca

===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}}