Neo-Pagan (New Age) Movements
Asatru: Asatru is regarded as a modern day attempt to revive the old Norse faith, primarily begining with the formation of the "Thule Society", an anti-semetic Germanic study group based in Munich, that came to prominence in Germany during and after World War I and is often cited as a motivating force in the founding of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party. Strangely, many of its supposed founders, (and that of its companion group the "Vril Society", including the now legendary Maria Ostric), now appear to have never really existed. The Nazi Party in Germany under Adolf Hitler attempted to pervert Ásatrú by grafting parts of the religion onto the Aryan beliefs of the Thule Society, but this died away for the most part at the end of World War II.
Its followers today hold as closely as possible to the original religion of ancient Norse paganism. Modern Asatru is polytheistic and centered around the worship of eight main deities, along withother minor deities and supernatural beings of varying importance and their rites and rituals are centered upon the exchange of gifts with the Gods and one's kinfolk.
Odinism: The modern revival of an ancient Germanic folk religion widely practiced by various people throughout northern Europe, primarily dedicated to the gods of the Norse pantheon. (Some modern day Odinists often mistakenly refer to themselves as followers of Asatru). Ancient Odinism had the shamanic attributes of Odin and the “trickster god” Loki, as well as the ancient Germanic ‘honor and shame” nature of its warrior centered belief system. Organized Germanic groups such as the Germanische Glaubens-Gemeinschaft began a revival in Germany in the early 20th century, which was first overshadowed and then suppressed by the Nazis Aryan movement. A second revival came in the late 1960s and early 1970s. An extremist element of Odinism (Wotanism) has emerged primarily in the United States over the past few decades, attracting white supremacists who see it as a racially "pure white” religion.
Dievturība : Dievturība is a neopagan movement which claims to be a modern revival of the ethnic religion of the Latvians before Christianization in the 13th century. Adherents call themselves Dievturi, literally "' keepers", "people who live in harmony with the god Dievs". The movement is mainly based on Latvian folklore, old folk songs (dainas) and Latvian mythology. The Dievturi movement was founded in 1925 by Ernests Brastiņš and Kārlis Marovskis-Bregžis. It was forcibly suppressed by Soviets in 1940, but lived on in émigré communities and was re-registered in Latvia in 1990. In 2018, approximately 600 to 800 persons were officially active members of the Dievturi movement. The main dieties are the god Dievs and the cow goddess Māra, who takes a person's body after their death while Dievs takes the soul.
Druidry: In the Celtic religion, the modern words Druid or Druidry denote the practices of the ancient Druids, the priestly class in ancient Britain and Gaul. The historical knowledge of the Druids is very limited, as no Druidic documents have survived. Julius Caesar's ‘The Gallic Wars’ gives the fullest account of the ancient Druids and he describes them as the learned priestly class, who were guardians of the unwritten ancient law and who had the power of executing judgment. To most people today, the Druids conjure up images of a mysterious, religious sect wearing strange robes and conducting archaic ceremonies out in the open air at Stonehenge. However, archeologists have shown that Stonehenge was built, over a during the stone age,long before the emergence of thebronze age Druids and there is no evidence that they ever used Stonehenge as a religious site. Modern Druidism (Neo-druidism) came out of the Romanticism Movement of the 18th Century and is thought to have some, though not many, connections to the Old Religion, instead being based largely on writings produced during and after the 18th Century from second hand sources and conjected theories.
Feri Movement: A modern movement that was begun in the 1940’s by Victor Anderson and originally called the 'Vicia Tradition'. It has its own theology with its own Gods, known as the Star Goddess, the Divine Twins and the Blue God. It utilizes ecstatic sexual practices which seek to raise and use “Feri energy” which is seen as a specific power that is passed between members of the movement. This movement is often confused as being Wiccan and while Feri members make no claims to a Wiccan lineage, a case could be made that Wicca is a child of the Feri Movement.
Humanistic Movement: Adhering to an ideal of “Religious Humanism”, Humanistic practitioners follow a Nature-centered path, as contrasted with a deity-centered path. Humanistic practitioners tend to be atheistic or non-theistic and they define their approach to their interpretation of the Craft through the direct existential experience of the Natural world and not through the intervention of any Gods or Goddesses as they seek direct attunement with the power of Nature.
Indigo Children: (Often mistakenly referred to as Star People (Starseeds); and though appearing similar in nature there is a fundamental difference between the two groups.) Indigo Children commonly believe their souls come from another planet, galaxy or dimension and/or that they are the hybrid offspring of extra-terrestrial beings with whom they are in psychic communion. Most Indigo Children feel a sense of misplacement, like they are "aliens" dropped here on Earth in human form with no sense of belonging, so they harbor an emptiness and a longing to return to their "true home". There are many different theories as to the origins of the Indigo Children and they themselves often claim to have come into this existence with no "memory" 0f their origin or identity until they have gone through an awakening process, which can occur instantaneously or over an extended period of time. They generally believe themselves to be lightworkers and empaths sent to Earth to raise the planetary vibrations in preperation for a coming new age of humanity upon the return of "their people".
New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn: An American denomination founded by researcher Aiden Kelly of the Covenant of the Goddess, drawing its foundation on the Victorian era Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. It was established 1967 as a poetic theater arts project for San Francisco State College, and has developed into a fully acknowledged religion by 1976. It has an emphasis on poetry, individual intuition, and experiential ritual.
Rosicrucian Order: Rosicrucianism is a spiritual and cultural movement which arose in Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts which purported to announce the existence of a hitherto unknown esoteric order to the world and made seeking its knowledge attractive to many. The mysterious doctrine of the order is "built on esoteric truths of the ancient past", which "concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe, and the spiritual realm." Their manifestos do not elaborate extensively on the matter, but clearly combine references to Kabbalah, alchemy, Hermeticism, and Christian mysticism.
Wiccan Movement: Wicca is not"Witchcraft". Witchcraft and Wicca are two separate and distinct paths. Though many Wiccans often incorrectly refer to themselves as whereas, traditional practitioners will never call themselves Wiccan, but will refer to themselves as being a witch, a heathen or they will use another label altogether.
Wicca as a modern organized religion (or some say cult) was developed around 1954 by Gerald Gardner. Wicca, as created by Gardner, is a concoction of ancient Western European folk traditions, mixed with ancient Egyptian and Kabbalistic mysticism. The general public, (and many Wiccans themselves), are under the mistaken belief that Wicca has been brewing up over the millennia in some witch's cauldron rather than it being a mid-20th Century “concoction”. However, historically speaking, there is no evidence of the usage of the word "wicca"prior to 1920 when it first appeared in ‘An Encyclopedia of Occultism’ compiled by Lewis Spence. The word was later usurped by Gardner as a label for his Wiccan Movement and he erroneously claimed “wicca” to be a synonym for the word witchcraft.
Although initially Wicca was based more in magickal pursuits, it has since evolved into more of a New Age religious movement centered around a hegemony of priests and priestesses who administer rites and practices based on a doctrinal system of beliefs (a Wiccan Rede), and with a shifting ethics base within each seperate group or “coven". To be of Wicca you must swear an oath of allegiance and secrecy to the coven in a structured ritual initiation. In short, if no Wiccan priest or priestess with proper initiation themselves puts you through the process, you are not Wiccan. This stands in complete contrast to Witchcraft's tradition of self-awakening and self-empowering in the craft. A Traditional Witch does not swear an oath to another human and is bound only by personal allegiance to their own moral codes and ethics.
- Alexandrian Wicca: A modified Gardnerian system founded in the 1960's. More eclectic in practice, in most ways the Alexandrian Movement is very close to Gardnerian with a few minor changes. As with the Gardnerian, it is not considered to be "Old Religion" by traditional witches.
- Blue Star Wicca: The "Coven of the Blue Star" was begun in 1975 by Frank Dufner. The original coven described itself as practicing "Great American Nontraditional Collective Eclectic Wicca". Which is confusing as eclectic practitioners do not adhere to any particular code and rarely are part of any group or coven. Although modeled from Gardnerian Traditions, some members reject the term Wicca and refer to their movement as Witchcraft. This sect also uses initiation and a degree system, which is Wiccan and Traditional Witchcraft
- British Traditional Wicca (BTW): An umbrella term used to describe the Wiccan Movement as it is established in Britain, the most prominent of which are Gardnerian and Alexandrian Wicca. Most British Wiccans practice a modern neo-pagan religion, more in line with the new age, humanist movement. Most BTW coveners consider the term Wicca to be rightfully exclusive to BTW coven members. They do not recognize anyone as a Wiccan that has not been initiated in a BTW lineage coven. There are some who claim that the British Traditional Wicca has evolved from the much older Cunning Folk tradition and although there are obvious similarities with some of the modern magical practices carried out by Wiccans, most of the methods and techniques used by the old-time cunning folk bear little resemblance to those used by the neo-pagan wiccans of today.
- Caledonii Wicca: A Scottish/Pictish Wiccan sect that mirrors the Hecatine Tradition of Witchcraft. (Hecatine Tradition)
- Christian Wicca: (Trinitarian Wicca) A religious movement which purports to follow the principals of both Wicca and Christianity. Wicca is an earth-based religion in which its followers worship nature in all of its aspects: both feminine and masculine, (the God and the Goddess), in the tradtion of the ancient pagan religion. Christianity teaches that accepting Jesus Christ is the only path to spiritual redemption, as set forth in the Bible. It is fair then to say that the two philosophies are vastly at odds and Christian Wicca is much more a Christian Evngelical movement than a Wiccan sect.
- Correllian (Nativist) Tradition : Said to be one of the most widespread Wiccan Traditions in existence today, though that depends on who you talk to. It was founded in the early 20th century by American Caroline High Correll who was head of the church until her death in the 1940s. She claimed to come from a line of hereditary witches, and was a psychic, spiritual healer, and herbalist. The Correllian tradition is a pagan path that predates Wicca and borrows on American Indian practices and Aradian witchcraft, as well as practices of the Spiritualist Church. Correllian Wicca was not incorporated as Wicca until the 1990s, and some feel this would not be in keeping with her wishes.
- Covenant of the Goddess: A cross-traditional Wiccan group of solitary Wiccan practitioners and over one hundred affiliated covens (or congregations). It was founded in 1975 in order to increase co-operation among Wiccans and to secure for witches and covens the legal protection enjoyed by members of other religions. Member covens generally focus theology and ritual on the Gradnerian established general practice within Wicca.
- Dianic Wicca: Sometimes referred to as a modern Cult of Diana, this is the most feminist Wiccan movement, with most Dianic Wiccans worshiping the Goddess Diana exclusively. Originally, as a reflection of a "divine feminine tradition", its covens were mostly for women only. Today most Dianic Wiccan groups allow both female and male members, especiallygay men who Dianic Wiccans consider more acceptable to the goddess Diana than other men. In practice, they accord equal status to the divine masculine along with the divine feminine. which would seem to undermine the basic philosophy behind the principles of Dianic worship. The original tradition of the Dianic held to the exclusion of the concept of any male counterpart. (Diana was a goddess of chastity and she swore she would not marry)
- Dynion Mwyn Coven: (also called: 'Y Tylwyth Teg') A modern Welsh movement that was originally created in 1967 in the United States and which was the basis of a legally incorporated church of Georgia state in 1977. This tradition is said by its adherents to be derived from Welsh and Pictish and Druidic religious practices.
- Eclectic Wicca: There are 2 differing ideas of Eclectic Wicca. The first as an American Wiccan movement which developed following the introduction of Gardnerian and Alexandrian Wicca to the United States in the early 1960s that was incorporated under the banner of "The Church of Universal Eclectic Wicca". This established church borrows elements from several Wiccan movements which some say is a "make it up as you go along" approach to Wicca. Secondly, 'Eclectic Wicca' as a label, may be better viewed as a term applied to practitioners that don't fit into any established Wiccan movement. An individual may be creating his or her own tradition of beliefs and practices and because their system can't be labeled as something else, it can be said to be eclectic. Or one might be a solitary, practicing what he or she has learned from available sources on Wicca and so his or her Wiccan practice would be considered eclectic. Though in such examples the practitioner would but not be part of an initiatory nor oath bound lineage, which are primary foundations of Wicca. So Eclectic Wiccans are in practice more like traditional eclectic witches than they are adherents of the Wiccan Rede of an established group or coven
- Egyptian Wicca: Many people who believe they practice "Egyptian witchcraft" are really following a variation of Wicca that includes the involvement of Egyptian deities and this IS NOT the same type of practice that ancient Egyptians would have followed. Circles, altars, spells are all Wiccan-based but using terminology and Egyptian Gods and Goddesses and rituals performed during the time of ancient Egypt were usually performed by priests and it wasn't something that people would have done for themselves as part of a spiritual or cultural practice. The actual spiritual path from Egypt is called Kemeticism which is a closer idea to true Egyptian witchcraft and religion.
- Gadnerian Wicca: These are the followers of the original Wicca as founded by Gerald Gardner in 1954. According to Gardner's manifesto; the Wiccan practice has a fairly dogmatic set of elaborate ceremonies and rituals which are overseen by his own initiated lineage of priests and priestesses. Wicca was created during the time of a'neo-pagan spiritual revival' movement which sprang up in Europe in the 1950s and this new religion, (which was probably based on the earlier Feri Movement of the 1940's), has never had credibility amongst traditional witches who see it as promoting the idea of 'weekend witchcraft' and not fostering a true dedication to the Craft. Some people also speculate that the general public’s misconception that witches hold their ceremonies in the nude is directly traceable to Gadrnerian Wicca. Gardner was the owner of the Five Acres Nudist Club in Herefordshire, England and his nudist camp became a mecca for those who wanted to come to “dance skyclad under the Moon”which gives credence to the idea that Wicca was a marketing gimmick for Gardner’s business that took on a life of its own. Today Gardner has come to be remembered by many as a fraud and a huckster who stumbled into the neo-pagan revival at the right moment.
- Georgian Wicca: The name "Georgian" refers to George Patterson, who founded the tradition in 1970 in the United States. It is normally taught from male to female and female to male in a coven by persons who have been initiated and elevated to the priesthood according to the rites and rituals of the tradition, although members are said to be encouraged to learn and study through all resourses available. It incorporates both Gardnerian and Alexandrian Wicca Traditions and although it is a God and Goddess system, it leans strongly toward the Goddess.
- Hellenic Wicca: (Hellenism) A movement in Wicca in which the practicer follows Greek ideals/culture and honors the Greek pantheon. Followers of the Hellenic path worship their Gods and make offerings in exchange for the favour of their Gods. Aphrodite for example may be petitioned in matters of the heart or offerings made be made to Dionysus to ask for a good wine harvest.
- Seax-Wicca: (Saxon Wicca) Founded by Raymond Buckland in 1973 and it is loosely based upon Saxon Paganism. Seax Wica does not require initiation or membership into a coven or lineaged group. Members may self-dedicate themselves to the path and they are encouraged to add to or modify the rituals and practices of the tradition as needed. Germanic deities and runes play a significant part in the practice.
Witta: Said to have been "created" by author Edain McCoy in 1992, Witta is basically Wicca simplified. The most important belief in Witta is that a Witch (Wittan) must connect and work with nature. This leads to a belief that rituals and covens are secondary to one's love for and connection with nature. It has a similarity to traditional Irish witchcraft and because of it's more "solitary" nature Witta, (or rather McCoy herself), has become controversial among some Wiccans.
