Post by bluefedish on Mar 11, 2008 14:44:41 GMT -5
Here are a list of just a few different types of witches.
Alexandrian Tradition: Founded in England during the 1960s, Alex Sanders referred to himself as the "King" of his witches. The rituals are said to be modified Gardenarian. They follow a more structured route in ceremony and practices.
Gardnerian Tradition: Organized by Gerald Gardner in England in the 1950s. Gerald was one of the few people so determined that the Old Religion shouldn't die that he took the risk of publicizing it through the media. They follow a more structured route in ceremony and practices. Core beliefs include blalance, duality, and the Goddess & the God in equal partnership. They acknowledge the reality of Life and Death as necessary cycles: in order for Life to endure, there must be Death. Balance is the goal. Ritual is important but fellowship is more so; they practice gender magick, rather then sex magick. Everything in Gardnerian is arranged male to female & female to male.
Readings: "Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft" By Ronald Hutton
British Traditional Witch: A mix of Celtic and Gardenarian beliefs. British Traditionals move mostly from within the Farrar studies (the famous Witch husband & wife from England). They are fairly structured in their beliefs and train through the degree process. Their covens are co-ed.
Celtic Witch: The use of Celtic/Druidic pantheon mixed with a little ritual Gardnerian, and heavily stressing the elements, nature, and the Ancient Ones. They have a vast knowledge of and respect for the healing and mgickal qualities of plants, stones, flowers, trees, the elemental spirits, and the little people; i.e. gnomes and faeries.
Celedonii Tradition: Formally known as the Hecatine Tradition, this denomination of the Craft is Scottish in origin and still preserves the unique festivals of the Scots.
Ceremonial Witchcraft: Followers of this Tradition use a great deal of ceremonial magick in their practices. Detailed rituals that encompass a wide variety of long, elaborate, and complex rituals; it's named as such because the works included are characterized by ceremony and a myriad of necessary accessories to aid the practitioner. It can be seen as an extension of ritual magick, and in most cases synonymous with it. Popularized by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, it draws on such schools of occult thought as Hermetic Qabalah, Enochian Magick, Thelema, and the magick of various grimoires.
Dianic Tradition: First pinpointed by Margaret Murray in 1921 in "The WitchCult in Western Europe". However, their prime focus in recent years in on the Goddess, and has been pegged as the "feminist" movement of the Craft. This traditions is difficult to define, becuase it's a spiritual tradition that encourages creativity, celebrates diversity, demands personal empowerment and responsibility. They are a celebration of women's bodies, women's experiences, the Divine Feminine, and the biology and culture of womanhood, rather then rejection or dismissal of men and masculinity. Most Dianics conceive of and experience the pagan Wheel of the Year in terms of both seasonal reality and also the life stages of women and of the Great Goddess: Maiden, Mother, Queen, Crone, and Hag.
Eclectic Witch/Wiccan: Doesn't follow any particular tradition, denomination, sect, or magickal practice. They learn and study from many magickal systems and apply to themselves what appears to work best.
Hereditary Witch: One who is born into a tradition of esoteric origin. These traditions are often not recorded, except maybe in grimoires which are also passed down, but rely primarily on oral and physical traditions.
Kitchen Witch: Practices by home and hearth, mainly dealing with practical sides of the religion, magick, the elements and the earth. They mainly use items from the kitchen, herbs are often used.
Pictish Witchcraft: Scottish Witchcraft that attunes itself to all aspects of nature: animal, vegetable, and mineral. It's a solitary form of the Craft and mainly magickal in nature with little religion.
Seax-Wica: Founded by Raymond Buckland in 1973. A tradition of the Neopagan religion of Wicca and inspired by Saxon Traditions. It's specifically not intended to be a reconstruction of ancient Anglo-Saxon religion. The tradition honors the Germanic deities Woden and Freyja, and uses a minimal set of the usual ceremonial tools and a spear. Runes are significant and regualarly discussed.
Readings: The Tree by Raymond Buckland; Buckland's Book of Saxon Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland
Solitary Witch/Natural Witch: Someone who practices alone, either most of the time or all the time, regardless of tradition, denomination, or sect.
Strega Witch/La Vecchia Religione: It's the Old Religion of Italy. Within it are contained the pre-Christian European mystery teachings. La Vecchia Religione is the Witch sect of Old Italy. It has roots in ancient Etruscan religion, which itself was inherited from Neolithic religion. They contain various elements of Tuscan peasant religion mixed with material Medieval Christian heresy sects, particualarly those involving Saint worship. To many modern Italian Witches, most Catholic saints are simply ancient pagan gods dressed in Christian garb.
Because the Italian Craft has roots of great antiquity there are elements of what can be called 'war magick'. This type of magick is only used after a magickal or psychic attack has been launched against practitioners of the Old Religion, and is therefore a defensive art.
Hedge Witch/Green Witch: A witch that works with nature. They don't follow or believe the Wiccan Rede or the Threefold Law. Hedge Wiches are not Wiccan. They honor nature, but don't really worship anything/anyone. They are more about Spiritualiy than religion.
Selected Sources:
To Ride A Silver Broomstick: New Generation Witchcraft by Silver RavenWolf
www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usxx&c=trads&id=3367
en.wikipedia.org/
www.geocities.com/k_garber/paths.html
www.stregheria.com/faq.htm
Alexandrian Tradition: Founded in England during the 1960s, Alex Sanders referred to himself as the "King" of his witches. The rituals are said to be modified Gardenarian. They follow a more structured route in ceremony and practices.
Gardnerian Tradition: Organized by Gerald Gardner in England in the 1950s. Gerald was one of the few people so determined that the Old Religion shouldn't die that he took the risk of publicizing it through the media. They follow a more structured route in ceremony and practices. Core beliefs include blalance, duality, and the Goddess & the God in equal partnership. They acknowledge the reality of Life and Death as necessary cycles: in order for Life to endure, there must be Death. Balance is the goal. Ritual is important but fellowship is more so; they practice gender magick, rather then sex magick. Everything in Gardnerian is arranged male to female & female to male.
Readings: "Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft" By Ronald Hutton
British Traditional Witch: A mix of Celtic and Gardenarian beliefs. British Traditionals move mostly from within the Farrar studies (the famous Witch husband & wife from England). They are fairly structured in their beliefs and train through the degree process. Their covens are co-ed.
Celtic Witch: The use of Celtic/Druidic pantheon mixed with a little ritual Gardnerian, and heavily stressing the elements, nature, and the Ancient Ones. They have a vast knowledge of and respect for the healing and mgickal qualities of plants, stones, flowers, trees, the elemental spirits, and the little people; i.e. gnomes and faeries.
Celedonii Tradition: Formally known as the Hecatine Tradition, this denomination of the Craft is Scottish in origin and still preserves the unique festivals of the Scots.
Ceremonial Witchcraft: Followers of this Tradition use a great deal of ceremonial magick in their practices. Detailed rituals that encompass a wide variety of long, elaborate, and complex rituals; it's named as such because the works included are characterized by ceremony and a myriad of necessary accessories to aid the practitioner. It can be seen as an extension of ritual magick, and in most cases synonymous with it. Popularized by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, it draws on such schools of occult thought as Hermetic Qabalah, Enochian Magick, Thelema, and the magick of various grimoires.
Dianic Tradition: First pinpointed by Margaret Murray in 1921 in "The WitchCult in Western Europe". However, their prime focus in recent years in on the Goddess, and has been pegged as the "feminist" movement of the Craft. This traditions is difficult to define, becuase it's a spiritual tradition that encourages creativity, celebrates diversity, demands personal empowerment and responsibility. They are a celebration of women's bodies, women's experiences, the Divine Feminine, and the biology and culture of womanhood, rather then rejection or dismissal of men and masculinity. Most Dianics conceive of and experience the pagan Wheel of the Year in terms of both seasonal reality and also the life stages of women and of the Great Goddess: Maiden, Mother, Queen, Crone, and Hag.
Eclectic Witch/Wiccan: Doesn't follow any particular tradition, denomination, sect, or magickal practice. They learn and study from many magickal systems and apply to themselves what appears to work best.
Hereditary Witch: One who is born into a tradition of esoteric origin. These traditions are often not recorded, except maybe in grimoires which are also passed down, but rely primarily on oral and physical traditions.
Kitchen Witch: Practices by home and hearth, mainly dealing with practical sides of the religion, magick, the elements and the earth. They mainly use items from the kitchen, herbs are often used.
Pictish Witchcraft: Scottish Witchcraft that attunes itself to all aspects of nature: animal, vegetable, and mineral. It's a solitary form of the Craft and mainly magickal in nature with little religion.
Seax-Wica: Founded by Raymond Buckland in 1973. A tradition of the Neopagan religion of Wicca and inspired by Saxon Traditions. It's specifically not intended to be a reconstruction of ancient Anglo-Saxon religion. The tradition honors the Germanic deities Woden and Freyja, and uses a minimal set of the usual ceremonial tools and a spear. Runes are significant and regualarly discussed.
Readings: The Tree by Raymond Buckland; Buckland's Book of Saxon Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland
Solitary Witch/Natural Witch: Someone who practices alone, either most of the time or all the time, regardless of tradition, denomination, or sect.
Strega Witch/La Vecchia Religione: It's the Old Religion of Italy. Within it are contained the pre-Christian European mystery teachings. La Vecchia Religione is the Witch sect of Old Italy. It has roots in ancient Etruscan religion, which itself was inherited from Neolithic religion. They contain various elements of Tuscan peasant religion mixed with material Medieval Christian heresy sects, particualarly those involving Saint worship. To many modern Italian Witches, most Catholic saints are simply ancient pagan gods dressed in Christian garb.
Because the Italian Craft has roots of great antiquity there are elements of what can be called 'war magick'. This type of magick is only used after a magickal or psychic attack has been launched against practitioners of the Old Religion, and is therefore a defensive art.
Hedge Witch/Green Witch: A witch that works with nature. They don't follow or believe the Wiccan Rede or the Threefold Law. Hedge Wiches are not Wiccan. They honor nature, but don't really worship anything/anyone. They are more about Spiritualiy than religion.
Selected Sources:
To Ride A Silver Broomstick: New Generation Witchcraft by Silver RavenWolf
www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usxx&c=trads&id=3367
en.wikipedia.org/
www.geocities.com/k_garber/paths.html
www.stregheria.com/faq.htm
