Wiccans
Nature-worshipping witches today
Wiccans are practitioners of Wicca, a modern pagan religion emphasizing nature worship, seasonal rituals, and often witchcraft.
The religion emerged in mid-twentieth-century England and has since spread widely.
Wiccans typically observe eight seasonal festivals and may practice alone or in covens: The Wiccans gathered for the summer solstice.
Practice of supernatural magic
- paganismNon-monotheistic religious practice
- goddessFemale sacred being
- covenAssembly of witches
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
pentacle · Book of Shadows · polytheism · nature worship · moon phases · wheel of the year · altar · chalice
Assembly of witches
- high priestessSenior female clergy leader
- high priestChief temple officiant
- neophyteInexperienced beginner
- initiateTo set in motion
elder · tradition · Alexandrian · eclectic · hereditary · seeker · festivals · gatherings
Wicca religion's creator
- revivalReturn after decline
- neopaganismRevived polytheistic spirituality
- occultConcealed from view
- 1950sDecade after WWII
Aleister Crowley · decriminalization · counterculture · reclaiming
Performing magical incantations
- herbalismPlant-based healing tradition
- crystalsSolids with ordered structure
- tarotDivination card set
- scryingVisionary surface-gazing
meditation · candle magic · handfasting · initiation · chanting · visualization · grounding · centering
Quality of residing within
- animismSpirits inhabit all things
- reincarnationSoul's rebirth after death
- karmaSpiritual cause and effect
- sacred feminineRevered female spiritual principle
duality · balance · elemental spirits · seasonal cycles · earth-centered · pantheism · magic · interconnectedness
witchcraft
Practice of supernatural magic
ritual · pentacle · Book of Shadows · polytheism · nature worship · moon phases · wheel of the year · altar · chalice · cauldron
coven
Assembly of witches
- high priestessSenior female clergy leader
- high priestChief temple officiant
- neophyteInexperienced beginner
initiate · elder · tradition · Alexandrian · eclectic · hereditary · seeker · festivals · gatherings · mentorship
Gerald Gardner
Wicca religion's creator
- revivalReturn after decline
- neopaganismRevived polytheistic spirituality
- occultConcealed from view
Aleister Crowley · 1950s · decriminalization · counterculture · reclaiming
spellcasting
Performing magical incantations
scrying · meditation · candle magic · handfasting · initiation · chanting · visualization · grounding · centering · consecration
immanence
Quality of residing within
- animismSpirits inhabit all things
- reincarnationSoul's rebirth after death
- karmaSpiritual cause and effect
sacred feminine · duality · balance · elemental spirits · seasonal cycles · earth-centered · pantheism · magic · interconnectedness · polarity
WiccansSouthern Baptists
Major American evangelical denomination
Catholics · Calvinists · Puritans · Anglicans · Roman Catholics
Wiccansatheists
Those without religious faith
materialists · skeptics · secular humanists · nonbelievers · agnostics