Wiccan Traditions
Types of Wicca
Alexandria Tradition Founded in England in the 1960's. A man by the name of Alex Sanders called himself the "King" of Witches.
British Tradition Mixture of Celtic and Gardnerian beliefs. Covens are co-ed, and they train through the degree process.
Celtic Wicca This tradition stongly stresses the Ancient ones, the Elements, and nature. They know a lot about flowers, plants, herbs, stones, & gnomes/fairies.
Caledonii Tradition Scottish in origin, it preserves the festivals of the Scots. Used to be known as the Hecatine Tradition. Ceremonial Witchcraft These Witches use a lot of Magick in their practices. Egyptian Magick is a favorite.
Dianic Tradition This tradition has been known as the feminist movement. It was founded in 1921 by Margaret Murray. They tend to focus more on the Goddess, & not the God.
Eclectic Witch These Witches don't follow any one Craft. They take what they have learned and apply it as needed to their Magick.
Gardnerian Tradition This tradition is so popular because the man who started it, Gerald Gardner, publicized it so much in the 1950's. Wicca was about to die out, and he made many people aware of the Craft.
Hecatian Tradition A branch of Wicca which worships the Goddess Hecate.
Kitchen Witch Tradition These Witches practice most of their magick in the kitchen, like the name signifies.
Pictish Witch Scottish Craft; solitary using nature as it's Magickal force. Not much religion involved in this one.
Pow-Wow Tradition Based on German Magick; it is not a religion, just a Magickal healing with faith practice.
Seax Wicca started by Raymond Buckland, this tradition contains Saxon beliefs and is exclusive for Saxon scholars, though nothing is stopping you from studying it.
Solitary Witch Tradition This is a Witch who practices alone. The tradition may vary, and they can come in many forms. A Solitary Witch can learn off the internet, books, and Witches they may know. They do not belong to a coven, and most of the time feel as if they benefit more by practicing solo.
Strega Witch Tradition: Began in the 1300's by a woman named Aradia. They have beautiful teachings but are rare to find anymore.
Teutonic Witch Tradition This is the Nordic tradition. People vary from the English, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, and Norwegian.
Gardnerian
Developed by English civil servant, tea-planter, and folklorist Gerald Brosseau Gardner (aka Scire) (1884-1964) and Craft author Doreen Valiente. Gardner himself became involved in witchcraft circa 1934, but it is supposed that as a sect, Gardnerianism did not begin to develop until shortly after the 1951 repeal of the English anti-witchcraft laws. This development was largely influenced by the works of anthropologist Margaret Murray, folklorist Sir James George Frazer, folklorist Charles Godfrey Leland, poet Robert Graves, writer Rudyard Kipling, occultist Aleister Crowley, Ovid, and various mystical societies including Co-Masonry, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO). Hallmarks of Gardnerianism include orthodox hierarchical structure, duotheism of the Goddess and God, magical practice, and various specific approaches to ritual, such as ritual nudity ("skyclad"). Gardnerian groups tend to laud the female over the male, with Priestesses possessing the majority of tutorial authority in the coven. The tradition tends to be very 'lineage conscious,' with certification of legitimacy granted to those covens which can claim genealogical connection to those covens first instituted by Gardner. Gardnerians also tend to work with "perfect couples," i.e., equal numbers of males and females paired. Gardnerianism is essentially the template from which most other traditions derive in one form or another, and was introduced to the United States by author Raymond Buckland. Gardnerian groups exist worldwide.
Alexandrian
An immediate derivative of Gardnerianism that began to emerge circa 1965, Alexandrianism developed through the teachings of English occultist Alexander Sanders (1916 - 1988), "King of Witches" and his wife, Maxine. Among their many initiates are Janet and Stewart Farrar, Irish authors of various respected Craft texts. Introduced to the United States by Monique Wilson. While the hallmarks of Alexandrianism once included stronger influence on ritual magic practices and male-oriented divinity, it is now virtually indistinguishable from much of Gardnerianism other than through its history, slightly less stringent orthodoxy, and occasional use of robes in ritual, as well as ritual nudity. Alexandrian groups exist worldwide.
Faerie (Feri)
A denomination founded by Victor Anderson, a blind American poet who had studied Craft with a pre-Gardnerian coven in the Seattle area prior to the Second World War. Many of its underlying perspectives found its way into the book The Spiral Dance, whose author Starhawk (aka Miriam Simos) is a former student of Anderson's.
Y Tylwyth Teg
A tradition founded in 1967 by American veteran William B. Wheeler III (aka Rhuddlwm Gawr) (b. 1940). Wheeler's writings feature a fusion of Welsh folklore, Hebrew Kabbalah, duotheism, NeoGardnerianism, and some unusual claims involving the Atlantis legend. Groups work robed or skyclad. The Church of Y Tylwyth Teg maintains a farm community in Athens, Georgia called Camelot of the Woods, and serves as headquarters for the Universal Federation of Pagans. The church was incorporated as a non-profit religious organization in 1977.
Georgian
Founded by George Patterson in 1970 and chartered as The Georgian Church in 1980. Georgian Wicca is aduotheistic tradition featuring an eclectic revivalist approach to Gardnerianism and Alexandrianism with emphasis on freedom. Groups tend to function skyclad, and are mutally religious and magical.
American Welsh
A denomination featuring extensive use of Welsh folklore and mythology and following a loose Neo-Gardnerian outline. Groups tend to be democratic, and work either robed or (rarely) skyclad. Largely developed by occultists Ed Buczynski (d. 1989) and Kate Smith, with influence by spokesman and occult shop proprietor Herman Slater (1935 - 1992).
Blue Star
Originally (and in some cases, still) called Great American Nontraditional Collectic Eclectic Wicca (GANCEW), Blue Star is a Craft denomination with emphasis on spiritual community service, family groups, and strong Pagan religious devotion. Founded in 1974 by American peace activist and Vietnam-era veteran Franque Dufner (b. 1949) and later developed by folk musicians and authors Tzipora Katz (formerly Klein)(b. 1955) and Kenny Klein (b. 1955). Originally designed as a semi-eclectic alternative to Gardnerian-style orthodoxy, Blue Star's roots in American Welsh and Alexandrianism, along with the influence of the Kleins, have allowed it to develop a unique orthodoxy of its own. Hallmarks include ritual music, re-establishment of social 'rites of passage,' inclusion of children, tattoing and pantheism/polytheism. Magical and psychic work tend to be downplayed in some Blue Star groups in favor of votive religious expression. Groups work either skyclad, in normal attire, or robed. Also influenced by the writings of English witch and author Sybil Leek (b. 1923).
New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn
A consensus-organized denomination founded by researcher Aiden Kelly, a founding member of the Covenant of the Goddess (COG), NROOOGD began in 1967 as a poetic theater arts project for San Francisco State College, and had developed into a fully acknowledged Craft tradition in its own right by 1976. Strong emphasis on poetry, individual intuition, and experiential ritual. (See also The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn).
Dianic
The Gardnerian origins of the contemporary Craft movement were largely devoted to a male-oriented concept of deity, but by mid-1970's a surge of focus toward the Goddess began. Dianic Wicca is an almost exclusively Goddess-centered approach originally founded as a seperate tradition (circa 1975) by Morgan McFarland and Mark Roberts, with strong influence by the work of poet Robert Graves. Essentially a rudimentary, celebratory, egalitarian Goddess monotheism with animist undertones. Strong emphasis on ecological concerns and challenging patriarchial paradigms. (A seperate Dianic-style sect, Feraferia, was founded during the same time period by Fred Adams. By the early 1980's, Hungarian feminist and author Zsuzsanna "Z" Budapest strongly influenced these ideals and introduced even more feminist political emphasis.
Exclusion of men in its practices became more common as more and more proponents of the women's movement found a place in Dianic Wiccan ideals, labeling it "wimmin's religion." As a result, various strains, subgroups, and interpretations of Dianic Craft have abounded, some with traditionalist inclinations, some more eclectic; some orthodox, some egalitarian; some strongly political, some not. Although the term has become so widespread to be virtually conceptual, Dianics generally emphasize individual creativity and politics and downplay structure and formal ritual. Largely influenced by the work of various authors, including Marija Gimbutas, Starhawk (aka Miriam Simos), Merlin Stone, Riane Eisler, Carol Christ, Mary Daly, Charlene Spretnak, and others.
eclectic
Not a tradition or sect in itself, eclecticism is essentially an "anti-tradition" that gained momentum during the 1980's and not without some substatial critique. Features various roundabout, freeform approaches (including Dianic) that can incorporate any number of Pagan-oriented sources (not necessarilly Wicca alone). Largely influenced by the work of herbalist Scott Cunningham (1956 - 1993) and other books released by Llewellyn Publishing, a Minnesota-based "New Age"/Occult publishing company. Eclectics tend to feature the strongest crossover between the Pagan community and the present New Age phenomenon.
Celtic
The Celtic path is really many traditions under the general heading of "Celtic." It encompasses Druidism, Celtic Shamanism, Celtic Wicca or Witta, the Grail Religion, and Celtic Christianity or Culdees. Each path is unique and stand alone meld together with another and still be part of the Celtic tradition. It is primarily derived from the ancient pre Christian Celtic religion of Gaul and the British Isles.
As it is practiced today, most of the Celtic paths are part of the Neo-Pagan revival, focusing on Nature and healing with group and individual rituals that honor the Ancient Shining Ones and the Earth. Most are very eclectic, and hold to the Celtic myths, divinities, magic and rituals. Celtic paths are some of the more popular traditions.
Ceremonial
Uses a great deal of Ceremonial Magick in practices. Mostly derived from the works of Aleister Crowley. Detailed rituals with a flavor of Egyptian magick are popular, as Qabalistic ritual forms.
Minonian Brotherhood
A Gay Men's tradition of Witchcraft established in New York by the late Lord Gwydion (Eddie Buczynski) in the mid - 1970's, at the same time as the Minoan Sisterhood was being established by Lady Miw, also in New York. The Brotherhood remains exclusively a venue for Gay men to explore a traditional ritual Witchcraft, one which can foster a similar, though Gay, sexual mysticism and sense of personal empowerment as in some British traditions of Wicca. As the founder was a Gardnerian initiate, the rituals are roughly Gardnerian, with changes to accommodate a different core mythology and ritual custom.. Imagery and deities are those of Ancient Crete and Mycenae. Working tools and their uses are virtually identical to those of British traditional Wicca.
Shamanic Witchcraft
This term refers to practices associated with those of tribal shamans in traditional Pagan cultures throughout the world. A shaman combines the roles of healer, priest (ess), diviner, magician, teacher and spirit guide, utilizing altered states of consciousness to produce and control psychic phenomena and travel to and from the spirit realm. Followers of this path believe that historical Witchcraft was the shamanic practice of European Pagans; and Medieval Witches actually functioned more as village shamans than as priests and priestesses of :the Old Religion." Shamanic Witchcraft emphasizes serving the wider community through rituals, herbalism, spellcraft, healings, counseling, rites of passage, handfastings, Mystery initiations, etc. The distinguishing element of Shamanic Witchcraft is the knowledge and sacramental use of psychotropic plants to effect transitions between worlds. The theory and practice of Shamanic Witchcraft has permeated widely though out many other established Traditions.
Stregheria
Stregheria is the form of witchcraft native to Italy; there are several distinct traditions sharing common roots, in various parts of Italy. Also called, La Vecchia Religione, Stregheria is a nature-based religion, it's followers worship the forces of Nature, personified as gods and goddesses. The witches of La Vecchia Religione are called Streghe (plural), with the title Strega (for a female), Stregone (for a male).
Stregheria is rooted in the folk religion of the Latins (the Romans being one Latin people) and the Etruscans. In the particular tradition, taught by Raven Grimassi in Ways of the Strega, the pantheon is different from the urban gods of the Romans, though some of those deities were shared with the Latins, and the Etruscans, most notably Diana, whose worship was focused at a temple at Lake Nemi in the Alban Hills. There are however other traditions of Stregheria in Italy, who may worship the urban gods of the Romans.
The particular tradition taught by Raven Grimassi in Ways of the Strega, is derived from a renewal that occurred in the 14th century brought about by a wise woman from Tuscany called Aradia. This does not imply that witchcraft in Italy began in the 14th century. La Vecchia Religione is an evolution of pre-christian religions in Italy. The tradition taught by Aradia was a revival of the Old Ways during a time of extreme persecution of the peasants of Italy.
Founded by Selena Fox in the 1980's. Ecumenical and multicultural focus. Combination of Wicca, humanistic psychology and a variety of shamanistic practices from around the world. Emphasis on healing. Uses traditional shamanistic techniques to change consciousness, such as drumming and ecstatic dancing.
Alexandria Tradition Founded in England in the 1960's. A man by the name of Alex Sanders called himself the "King" of Witches.
British Tradition Mixture of Celtic and Gardnerian beliefs. Covens are co-ed, and they train through the degree process.
Celtic Wicca This tradition stongly stresses the Ancient ones, the Elements, and nature. They know a lot about flowers, plants, herbs, stones, & gnomes/fairies.
Caledonii Tradition Scottish in origin, it preserves the festivals of the Scots. Used to be known as the Hecatine Tradition. Ceremonial Witchcraft These Witches use a lot of Magick in their practices. Egyptian Magick is a favorite.
Dianic Tradition This tradition has been known as the feminist movement. It was founded in 1921 by Margaret Murray. They tend to focus more on the Goddess, & not the God.
Eclectic Witch These Witches don't follow any one Craft. They take what they have learned and apply it as needed to their Magick.
Gardnerian Tradition This tradition is so popular because the man who started it, Gerald Gardner, publicized it so much in the 1950's. Wicca was about to die out, and he made many people aware of the Craft.
Hecatian Tradition A branch of Wicca which worships the Goddess Hecate.
Kitchen Witch Tradition These Witches practice most of their magick in the kitchen, like the name signifies.
Pictish Witch Scottish Craft; solitary using nature as it's Magickal force. Not much religion involved in this one.
Pow-Wow Tradition Based on German Magick; it is not a religion, just a Magickal healing with faith practice.
Seax Wicca started by Raymond Buckland, this tradition contains Saxon beliefs and is exclusive for Saxon scholars, though nothing is stopping you from studying it.
Solitary Witch Tradition This is a Witch who practices alone. The tradition may vary, and they can come in many forms. A Solitary Witch can learn off the internet, books, and Witches they may know. They do not belong to a coven, and most of the time feel as if they benefit more by practicing solo.
Strega Witch Tradition: Began in the 1300's by a woman named Aradia. They have beautiful teachings but are rare to find anymore.
Teutonic Witch Tradition This is the Nordic tradition. People vary from the English, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, and Norwegian.
Gardnerian
Developed by English civil servant, tea-planter, and folklorist Gerald Brosseau Gardner (aka Scire) (1884-1964) and Craft author Doreen Valiente. Gardner himself became involved in witchcraft circa 1934, but it is supposed that as a sect, Gardnerianism did not begin to develop until shortly after the 1951 repeal of the English anti-witchcraft laws. This development was largely influenced by the works of anthropologist Margaret Murray, folklorist Sir James George Frazer, folklorist Charles Godfrey Leland, poet Robert Graves, writer Rudyard Kipling, occultist Aleister Crowley, Ovid, and various mystical societies including Co-Masonry, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO). Hallmarks of Gardnerianism include orthodox hierarchical structure, duotheism of the Goddess and God, magical practice, and various specific approaches to ritual, such as ritual nudity ("skyclad"). Gardnerian groups tend to laud the female over the male, with Priestesses possessing the majority of tutorial authority in the coven. The tradition tends to be very 'lineage conscious,' with certification of legitimacy granted to those covens which can claim genealogical connection to those covens first instituted by Gardner. Gardnerians also tend to work with "perfect couples," i.e., equal numbers of males and females paired. Gardnerianism is essentially the template from which most other traditions derive in one form or another, and was introduced to the United States by author Raymond Buckland. Gardnerian groups exist worldwide.
Alexandrian
An immediate derivative of Gardnerianism that began to emerge circa 1965, Alexandrianism developed through the teachings of English occultist Alexander Sanders (1916 - 1988), "King of Witches" and his wife, Maxine. Among their many initiates are Janet and Stewart Farrar, Irish authors of various respected Craft texts. Introduced to the United States by Monique Wilson. While the hallmarks of Alexandrianism once included stronger influence on ritual magic practices and male-oriented divinity, it is now virtually indistinguishable from much of Gardnerianism other than through its history, slightly less stringent orthodoxy, and occasional use of robes in ritual, as well as ritual nudity. Alexandrian groups exist worldwide.
Faerie (Feri)
A denomination founded by Victor Anderson, a blind American poet who had studied Craft with a pre-Gardnerian coven in the Seattle area prior to the Second World War. Many of its underlying perspectives found its way into the book The Spiral Dance, whose author Starhawk (aka Miriam Simos) is a former student of Anderson's.
Y Tylwyth Teg
A tradition founded in 1967 by American veteran William B. Wheeler III (aka Rhuddlwm Gawr) (b. 1940). Wheeler's writings feature a fusion of Welsh folklore, Hebrew Kabbalah, duotheism, NeoGardnerianism, and some unusual claims involving the Atlantis legend. Groups work robed or skyclad. The Church of Y Tylwyth Teg maintains a farm community in Athens, Georgia called Camelot of the Woods, and serves as headquarters for the Universal Federation of Pagans. The church was incorporated as a non-profit religious organization in 1977.
Georgian
Founded by George Patterson in 1970 and chartered as The Georgian Church in 1980. Georgian Wicca is aduotheistic tradition featuring an eclectic revivalist approach to Gardnerianism and Alexandrianism with emphasis on freedom. Groups tend to function skyclad, and are mutally religious and magical.
American Welsh
A denomination featuring extensive use of Welsh folklore and mythology and following a loose Neo-Gardnerian outline. Groups tend to be democratic, and work either robed or (rarely) skyclad. Largely developed by occultists Ed Buczynski (d. 1989) and Kate Smith, with influence by spokesman and occult shop proprietor Herman Slater (1935 - 1992).
Blue Star
Originally (and in some cases, still) called Great American Nontraditional Collectic Eclectic Wicca (GANCEW), Blue Star is a Craft denomination with emphasis on spiritual community service, family groups, and strong Pagan religious devotion. Founded in 1974 by American peace activist and Vietnam-era veteran Franque Dufner (b. 1949) and later developed by folk musicians and authors Tzipora Katz (formerly Klein)(b. 1955) and Kenny Klein (b. 1955). Originally designed as a semi-eclectic alternative to Gardnerian-style orthodoxy, Blue Star's roots in American Welsh and Alexandrianism, along with the influence of the Kleins, have allowed it to develop a unique orthodoxy of its own. Hallmarks include ritual music, re-establishment of social 'rites of passage,' inclusion of children, tattoing and pantheism/polytheism. Magical and psychic work tend to be downplayed in some Blue Star groups in favor of votive religious expression. Groups work either skyclad, in normal attire, or robed. Also influenced by the writings of English witch and author Sybil Leek (b. 1923).
New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn
A consensus-organized denomination founded by researcher Aiden Kelly, a founding member of the Covenant of the Goddess (COG), NROOOGD began in 1967 as a poetic theater arts project for San Francisco State College, and had developed into a fully acknowledged Craft tradition in its own right by 1976. Strong emphasis on poetry, individual intuition, and experiential ritual. (See also The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn).
Dianic
The Gardnerian origins of the contemporary Craft movement were largely devoted to a male-oriented concept of deity, but by mid-1970's a surge of focus toward the Goddess began. Dianic Wicca is an almost exclusively Goddess-centered approach originally founded as a seperate tradition (circa 1975) by Morgan McFarland and Mark Roberts, with strong influence by the work of poet Robert Graves. Essentially a rudimentary, celebratory, egalitarian Goddess monotheism with animist undertones. Strong emphasis on ecological concerns and challenging patriarchial paradigms. (A seperate Dianic-style sect, Feraferia, was founded during the same time period by Fred Adams. By the early 1980's, Hungarian feminist and author Zsuzsanna "Z" Budapest strongly influenced these ideals and introduced even more feminist political emphasis.
Exclusion of men in its practices became more common as more and more proponents of the women's movement found a place in Dianic Wiccan ideals, labeling it "wimmin's religion." As a result, various strains, subgroups, and interpretations of Dianic Craft have abounded, some with traditionalist inclinations, some more eclectic; some orthodox, some egalitarian; some strongly political, some not. Although the term has become so widespread to be virtually conceptual, Dianics generally emphasize individual creativity and politics and downplay structure and formal ritual. Largely influenced by the work of various authors, including Marija Gimbutas, Starhawk (aka Miriam Simos), Merlin Stone, Riane Eisler, Carol Christ, Mary Daly, Charlene Spretnak, and others.
eclectic
Not a tradition or sect in itself, eclecticism is essentially an "anti-tradition" that gained momentum during the 1980's and not without some substatial critique. Features various roundabout, freeform approaches (including Dianic) that can incorporate any number of Pagan-oriented sources (not necessarilly Wicca alone). Largely influenced by the work of herbalist Scott Cunningham (1956 - 1993) and other books released by Llewellyn Publishing, a Minnesota-based "New Age"/Occult publishing company. Eclectics tend to feature the strongest crossover between the Pagan community and the present New Age phenomenon.
Celtic
The Celtic path is really many traditions under the general heading of "Celtic." It encompasses Druidism, Celtic Shamanism, Celtic Wicca or Witta, the Grail Religion, and Celtic Christianity or Culdees. Each path is unique and stand alone meld together with another and still be part of the Celtic tradition. It is primarily derived from the ancient pre Christian Celtic religion of Gaul and the British Isles.
As it is practiced today, most of the Celtic paths are part of the Neo-Pagan revival, focusing on Nature and healing with group and individual rituals that honor the Ancient Shining Ones and the Earth. Most are very eclectic, and hold to the Celtic myths, divinities, magic and rituals. Celtic paths are some of the more popular traditions.
Ceremonial
Uses a great deal of Ceremonial Magick in practices. Mostly derived from the works of Aleister Crowley. Detailed rituals with a flavor of Egyptian magick are popular, as Qabalistic ritual forms.
Minonian Brotherhood
A Gay Men's tradition of Witchcraft established in New York by the late Lord Gwydion (Eddie Buczynski) in the mid - 1970's, at the same time as the Minoan Sisterhood was being established by Lady Miw, also in New York. The Brotherhood remains exclusively a venue for Gay men to explore a traditional ritual Witchcraft, one which can foster a similar, though Gay, sexual mysticism and sense of personal empowerment as in some British traditions of Wicca. As the founder was a Gardnerian initiate, the rituals are roughly Gardnerian, with changes to accommodate a different core mythology and ritual custom.. Imagery and deities are those of Ancient Crete and Mycenae. Working tools and their uses are virtually identical to those of British traditional Wicca.
Shamanic Witchcraft
This term refers to practices associated with those of tribal shamans in traditional Pagan cultures throughout the world. A shaman combines the roles of healer, priest (ess), diviner, magician, teacher and spirit guide, utilizing altered states of consciousness to produce and control psychic phenomena and travel to and from the spirit realm. Followers of this path believe that historical Witchcraft was the shamanic practice of European Pagans; and Medieval Witches actually functioned more as village shamans than as priests and priestesses of :the Old Religion." Shamanic Witchcraft emphasizes serving the wider community through rituals, herbalism, spellcraft, healings, counseling, rites of passage, handfastings, Mystery initiations, etc. The distinguishing element of Shamanic Witchcraft is the knowledge and sacramental use of psychotropic plants to effect transitions between worlds. The theory and practice of Shamanic Witchcraft has permeated widely though out many other established Traditions.
Stregheria
Stregheria is the form of witchcraft native to Italy; there are several distinct traditions sharing common roots, in various parts of Italy. Also called, La Vecchia Religione, Stregheria is a nature-based religion, it's followers worship the forces of Nature, personified as gods and goddesses. The witches of La Vecchia Religione are called Streghe (plural), with the title Strega (for a female), Stregone (for a male).
Stregheria is rooted in the folk religion of the Latins (the Romans being one Latin people) and the Etruscans. In the particular tradition, taught by Raven Grimassi in Ways of the Strega, the pantheon is different from the urban gods of the Romans, though some of those deities were shared with the Latins, and the Etruscans, most notably Diana, whose worship was focused at a temple at Lake Nemi in the Alban Hills. There are however other traditions of Stregheria in Italy, who may worship the urban gods of the Romans.
The particular tradition taught by Raven Grimassi in Ways of the Strega, is derived from a renewal that occurred in the 14th century brought about by a wise woman from Tuscany called Aradia. This does not imply that witchcraft in Italy began in the 14th century. La Vecchia Religione is an evolution of pre-christian religions in Italy. The tradition taught by Aradia was a revival of the Old Ways during a time of extreme persecution of the peasants of Italy.
Founded by Selena Fox in the 1980's. Ecumenical and multicultural focus. Combination of Wicca, humanistic psychology and a variety of shamanistic practices from around the world. Emphasis on healing. Uses traditional shamanistic techniques to change consciousness, such as drumming and ecstatic dancing.