hat follows is a brief summary of Wicca as understood and practised in the Gardnerian and Alexandrian Traditions and as taught at the WSG.

icca is a path of mystery, magic, beauty and empowerment. It is a nature-based religion that draws on the practices of our ancient pagan ancestors, ritual magic and folk witchcraft. The word Wicca itself derives from the Anglo-Saxon word Wicce, a witch.

hile Wiccans believe in a single Divine power that moves the universe, they conceive of this life force as a polarity and personify this polarity as the Great Goddess and her consort the Horned God. The Goddess has three aspects, maiden, mother and crone. The Moon is a powerful symbol of the Goddess and its waxing, full and waning aspects correspond to her three faces. The God also has three aspects, animal (as represented by his hooves), human and Divine (as represented by his horns).

iccans celebrate nature which is seen to be alive, sacred and holy; the manifestation of the Divine itself.

The classical elements are of great importance in the Wiccan world-view. Everything in the manifest world is seen to express a combination of the archetypal elements – Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Spirit. Spirit, the non-material element binds the other 4 elements but is greater than any combination of them. The five points of the pentagram are used to symbolise the four material elements and spirit.

Many Wiccans work together in groups called covens, which traditionally have 13 members but typically are smaller in size. Individuals learn to approach the Divine through rituals that take place within a consecrated circle. Wiccans meet for eight solar festivals (sabbats) and 13 Full Moon festivals (esbats) within the space of each year, and possibly more frequently if they are part of a training coven. By working consistently with these festivals we begin to understand the mystery of death and rebirth, the circle of life.

The sacred space of the circle is also used for practising magic and spell casting. Magic is never performed lightly and never against the wishes or without the knowledge of any individuals involved.

iccan ethics centre around the Wiccan Rede:

'An it harm none, do what you will'

In other words, always follow your True Will and in doing so aim not to harm anyone or anything, including oneself.

ithin Wicca there are three degrees of initiation. The first degree is required to become a witch and gain membership of a coven; those who aspire to teach and/or deepen their understanding and experience may eventually undergo second and third degree initiations, gaining the title of "High Priest" or "High Priestess" and allowing them to initiate others and to start their own covens.

There is no book of divine revelation within Wicca. As human beings we each have access to the Divine. Wiccan Initiates are required however to keep their own hand-copied Book of Shadows which is handed down from their Initiators and contains rituals, spells, chants and instructions.