Traditional Witchcraft And Religious Sources Witches Draw From

In my studies and personal development as a Witch, i have spent a great deal of time focusing on various traditions of witchcraft and many other pagan and non pagan religions. In my opinion, every tradition, path, religion, and/or life philosophy that i have come across has had its valid points, but i have found none that seemed nearer to perfect than the next one. All religions/philosophies are correct in some ways, and all religions/philosophies are incorrect in some ways, i believe each specific tradition of each specific religion does offer up some specific truth and specific knowledge. I find it very proper and enlightening to learn as much as possible about each path and practice in order to apply a truly broad array of knowledge to my craft. Below is a list of some religions and traditions that have influenced my path as an eclectic Witch:

*Forms of Witchcraft/Wicca*

Alexandrian: Comparative to Gerald Gardner’s tradition, with a little more emphasis upon ceremonial magick. Founded by Alex Sanders in England in the 1960’s.

British Traditionalist: A sub-class with a mix of celtic and Gardnerian beliefs. Fairly structured in their beliefs, and traind through the degree process.

Celtic: The use of a Celtic/Druidic pantheon and heavily stressing the elements, nature, and the Ancient Ones. Strong belief in spirits and faeries.

Dianic: Emphasis on the female aspect of the Goddess, sometimes to the exclusion of the male God. Brought about by Maragret Murray in 1921 in “The Witch-Cult in Western Europe”.

Eclectic: Practioners learn, study, and practice from many  magickal and belief systems, applying to themsleves only what works best or feels natural.

Feri: Founded by Victor and Cora Anderson, this tradition puts major emphasis on sensual awareness/experiences and draws from many sources such as faery lore, voodoo, hoodoo, kbabalah and much more.

Frost: A monotheistic take on Wicca, with one of the largest correspondence schools in the US. Founded by Gavin and Yvonne Frost.

Gardnerian: The first and probably most influential of all Wiccan traditions, founded in the 1950’s by Gerald Gardner in England. The typical Gardnerian view of the God and Goddess is that of a dominant three-faced Goddess (maidon,mother,crone) with a male consort.

Pictish: Scottish Witchcraft very attuned with nature. A solitary form of the craft, mainly magickal practice with little religion.

Saxon: Seax-Wica was founded by ex-Gardnerian Raymond Buckland with equal focus on coven and solitary practice. Also allows for self-initiation.

Strega: One of the smallest traditions followed here in the USA, Strega dates back to the mid 1300’s and was founded by a woman called Aradia.

Nordic: A number of practices including English, Dutch, Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish.

*Forms of Christianity*

Baptist: Strong supporters of church and state seperation, the baptists believe no authority can stand between the believer and God. Tendencies toward a perfectionist ethical standard.

Church of Christ: Highly tolerant in doctrinal and religious matters, some tendency toward perfectionism. Interest in social programs.

Episcopalian: Tolerant, sometimes permissive, some social programs. Good communication with other christian factions, holding meetings with many branches of the religion.

Jehovahs Witness: Total allegiance proclaimed only to God’s kingdom. Meetings are held in kingdom halls and members homes for study and worship. Exstensive door to door visitations with the public. A periodical The Watchtower” is printed in 115 languages.

Latter-Day-Saints: Also known as Mormans, they believe theirs is the true church of Jesus Christ, restored by God through Joesph Smith: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. Emphasis on family, moral code, work ethic, and self-reliance.

Lutherans: Doctrine of “Two Kingdoms” worldly, and holy. Generally conservative ethics, some divisions are between fundamentalists and liberals.

Methodist: The United Methodist Church was formed in 1968 by the union of the methodist church and the evangelical brethren church. Strong social elements with a tendency towards perfectionism.

Pentecostal: Emphasis on perfectionism with tolerance in varying degrees. Once a strictly lower class body, they have now established middle class congregations. Sometimes refered to as “Holy Rollers”.

Presbyterian: Traditionally strict, with emphasis on church and self discipline. No longer a central element, belief in predestination remains active.

Roman Catholic: Traditional strict but increasingly tolerant in practice; divorce and remarriage are not accepted, but annulments are sometimes granted. Celibate Clergy, except in eastern rite. More stress on social action, tolerance, and communication with other branches of christianity today than there was in the recent past.

United Church of Christ: Created from the union of small groups of protestant denominations 50+ years ago, tolerant and socially active.

*Other World Religions*

Islam: Beliefs are strictly monotheistic. God is creator of the universe, omnipotent, omniscient, just, forgiving, and merciful. Those who sincerely submit to god attain salvation. Founded 610ce by Muhammad, The Prophet.

Baha’i: Beliefs include that God has progressively revealed his will and purpose through a series of divine manifestations including Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Zoroaster, and Mirza. Teachings include the oneness of humanity, equality between man and woman, harmony of science and religion, abandonment of predjudice, and elimination of extreme poverty and wealth. Founded mid 19th century by Mirza Husayn-Ali Nuri.

Buddhism: Life is suffering and there is no ultimate reality behind it. The cyce of birth and rebirth continues because of desire and attachment to the unreal “self”. Meditation and deeds can end the cycle and achieve nirvana-nothingness-enlightenment. Founded in India by Gautama Siddhartha, the Buddah who achieved enlightenment thought intense meditation.

Hinduism: There is only one divine principle; the many gods are only aspects of unity, life in all forms is an aspect of the divine, but it appears as seperation from the divine, a meaningless cycle called “Samsara” determined by the purity or impurity of past deeds/karma. Hindus main goal is to improve their karma and escape samsara by pure acts, pure thought, and devotion. Founded about 1500bce by aryans who migrated to India, their Vedic religion mixing with that of the natives.

Judaism: Belief is strictly monotheistic, God is creator and ruler of the universe. Stress on ethical behavior being true worship of God, they believe God established a relationship with the Hebrew people to be a special witness to Gods mercy and Justice.  Founded around 2000bce by Abraham, the five books of moses make up the “Torah”.

Sikhism: Another monotheistic religion, it is based on revelation and preaches a message of devotion, remembrance of God at all times, truthful living, equality between all human beings, and social justice, while denouncing superstition and blind ritual.

This list could literally be doubled if i really sat down and took the time to add every major source that has helped to guide me on my specific path. Have any of these traditions/religions been a major influence to you? Has some other path not mentioned here been a key factor in the creation of your eclectic beliefs? Thanks for reading and as always, many blessings to you!