Wicca, as it is practiced today, can be traced to the 1950's and early 1960's in England.
Gerald Brosseau Gardner (1884-1964), who is also known by his craft name Scire, was an English Wiccan who brought the Contemporary Pagan religion of Wicca to the public attention.
He was the writer of some of its definitive religious texts and the founder of the tradition of Gardnerian Wicca. Gardner is internationally recognised as the 'Father of Wicca' among the Pagan and occult communities.
Wicca is recognized as a valid and legitimate religious faith by the U.S. Government.Wiccan religious organizations are eligible for the same tax-exempt status as mainstream Christian churches.
Wicca is even recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Chaplain's manual includes information about Wicca.
Wicca is traditionally and primarily a duotheistic religion centred upon the idea of gender polarity and the worship of a Moon Goddess and a Horned God. ( The God was often depicted as a goat or stag.)
The Goddess is seen as the Divine Feminine and the God as the Divine Masculine.
They are complementary opposites, similar to the ideas of Ying and Yang in Taoism.
The God and Goddess are seen as the Divine Couple who together co-create the cosmos.
Wicca involves the ritual practice of magic, a force they see as being capable of manipulation through the practice of Wichcraft or sorcery.
Wiccans cast spells during ritual practices, often held inside a sacred cycle, in an attempt to bring about real changes in the physical world. Wiccan spells include those used for healing for protection, fertility, or to banish negative influences.
The majority of Wiccans follow a code known as the Wiccan Rede which states "an it harm none, do what ye will". This is interpreted as a declaration of the freedom to act, along with the necessity of taking responsibility for what follows from one's actions and minimising harm to oneself and others.
Wiccans also have the ritual celebration of the lunar and solar cycles.Lunar rites, known as esbats are usually held around the time of the full moon but they may also be held at the new moon, or the waxing or waning moon.
The solar or seasonal festivals, also known as sabbats take place eight times a year.
The God and the Goddess are usually honoured at both kinds of rituals, the Godess is mainly associated with the Moon, and the God is mainly associated with the Sun.
Wiccans do not believe in the existance of a devil, and therefore, don't worship it.
Wicca is a life-affirming faith, against blood sacrifice and therefore they do not perform any kind of sacrificial rituals.
