Wicca, also termed Pagan Witchcraft, is a contemporary Pagan new religious movement. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was introduced to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant. Wicca draws upon a diverse set of ancient pagan and 20th-century hermetic motifs for its theological structure and ritual practices.
The crone is a stock character in folklore and fairy tale, an old woman. In some stories, she is disagreeable, malicious, or sinister in manner, often with magical or supernatural associations that can make her either helpful or obstructing. The Crone is also an archetypal figure, a Wise Woman. As a character type, the crone shares characteristics with the hag.
Ellen Cannon Reed was the most widely known priestess of the Isian Tradition of Witchcraft. She lived in Southern California and wrote widely . She was also the founder of the Internet Relay Chat Channel #witchcraft on Undernet.org network.
Silver RavenWolf, born Jenine E. Trayer, is an American New Age, Magic and Witchcraft author and lecturer who focuses on Wicca.
Scott Douglas Cunningham was a U.S. writer. Cunningham is the author of several books on Wicca and various other alternative religious subjects.
Gerina Dunwich is a professional astrologer, occult historian, and New Age author, best known for her books on Wicca and various occult subjects. She is also involved in paranormal research and is the founder of the Paranormal Animal Research Group, which investigates cases of alleged hauntings by animal spirits.
Gary Charles Erbe, known as Raven Grimassi, was an American author of over 20 books, and a scholar of paganism with over 40 years of research and study in the genre of Wicca, Stregheria, witchcraft and neo-paganism. Descended from Italian witches on his mother's side, he popularized Stregheria, the religious practice of witchcraft with roots in Italy. Grimassi presented this material in the form of neo-paganism through his books. Raven had been a practitioner of witchcraft for over 45 years and was the co-director of the Ash, Birch and Willow tradition. He died of pancreatic cancer on March 10, 2019.
The Summoner, sometimes called a fetch, is a position in many traditional Wiccan covens. The primary, or at least most evident, function of the summoner is to call other coven members to a meeting or ritual. The summoner is also responsible for all inter-coven communication, and traditionally is the only member of a coven who will know where other covens reside.. In many covens, the summoner is always male, and is considered the masculine equivalent of the maiden.
Deborah Lipp is a Wiccan High Priestess of the Gardnerian Tradition and an American author.
A solitary practitioner is an individual who chooses to practice their spiritual faith in the privacy of his or her home or other designated space, without the need to participate in a group such as that of a Wiccan coven; although it’s not uncommon for solitaries to participate in some communal activities. Many solitary practitioners are Neo-pagans, who adhere to a diverse group of pagan religions that include various forms of Wicca, Traditional Reconstructionism and Traditional British Witchcraft, among others. About half of all pagans are self-ascribed solitary practitioners.
Kerr Cuhulain is the pen name of Canadian Wiccan and retired Detective Constable Charles Ennis. A former child abuse investigator, he is the author of several articles on child abuse investigation that appeared in Law & Order Magazine. A former Air Force officer, Cuhulain was a police officer for over 28 years, a police dispatcher for another 8 years, and a Wiccan for over forty. He's served on the SWAT team, Gang Crime Unit, and hostage negotiation team.
Mastering Witchcraft: A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks and Covens is a book written by Paul Huson and published in 1970 by G.P. Putnams- the first mainstream publisher to produce a do-it-yourself manual for the would-be witch or warlock.
Sandra "Tabatha" Cicero is an American esoteric author and lecturer, best known for her work in the field of Western Hermeticism.
Wiccan morality is largely expressed in the Wiccan Rede: 'An' it harm none, do what ye will' - old-fashioned language for 'as long as you aren't harming anyone, do as you wish'. While this could be interpreted to mean "do no harm at all," it is usually interpreted as a declaration of the freedom to act, along with the necessity of thinking through and taking responsibility for the consequences of one's actions.
Amber K is the Pagan/Craft name (pseudonym) of Kitty Randall, an author of books about magick, Wicca and Neopaganism, and a third-degree priestess of the Wiccan faith. She was initiated at the Temple of the Pagan Way in Chicago, Illinois, and served on the Council of Elders there, and has taught the craft throughout the United States for over 30 years. She has served as National First Officer of the Covenant of the Goddess for three terms, and is a founder of Our Lady of the Woods and the Ladywood Tradition of Wicca. She has worked with various Neopagan organizations such as Circle Sanctuary and the Re-Formed Congregation of the Goddess, and a Grey Council member of the online Grey School of Wizardry founded by Oberon Zell Ravenheart in 2004. She is the executive director of Ardantane, a non-profit Wiccan and pagan school and seminary in northern New Mexico.
Ann Moura is an author of books about magic, religion and Neo-Paganism. She calls her witchcraft tradition Green Witchcraft, and has written several books about it. Her public Craft name is Aoumiel.
Patricia "Trish" Telesco is an American author, herbalist, poet, lecturer, Wiccan priestess, and folk magician who has written more than 60 books on a variety of subjects ranging from self-help and cookbooks to magic, folklore and global religion. Articles by Telesco have appeared in several mainstream publications such as Cosmo, Woman's World, and Cats' Magazine, and in such Neopagan publications such as Circle Network News and popular websites such as The Witches' Voice.
Sirona Knight is an author, researcher and teacher in the fields of magic, Wicca, metaphysics and the occult. She is also both a published poet and a hypnotherapist. She holds a master's degree in psychology and leisure studies from California State University . Knight is a Third Degree Craftmaster and High Priestess of the Celtic Gywddonic Druid Tradition , and has been a Contributing Editor for Magical Blend magazine and a featured writer for New Age Retailer and Aquarius magazines. She lives in the Sierra Foothills in northern California with her husband Michael and their son Skylor.
Deanna "D. J." Conway was a non-fiction author of books in the field of magic, Wicca, Druidism, shamanism, metaphysics and the occult, and the author of three fantasy novels. Born in Hood River, Oregon to a family of Irish, North Germanic, and Native North American descent, she studied the occult and Pagan religion for over thirty years. In 1998 she was voted Best Wiccan and New Age author by Silver Chalice, a Neo-Pagan magazine. She was an ordained minister in two New Age churches and holder of a Doctor of Divinity degree. Several of her stories were published in magazines, such as the science fantasy publication Encounters, and she was interviewed in magazines and appeared on such television shows as Journey with Brenda Roberts. She also designed Tarot decks, in collaboration with fellow author Sirona Knight and illustrator Lisa Hunt.
Morwyn is a New Age and amateur sleuth author, a Wiccan priestess and a ceremonial magician. She holds a B.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Colorado, an M.A. in Spanish, and a Ph.D. in Portuguese and Brazilian Studies from the University of Wisconsin. She has taught at major universities, including the University of Colorado, University of Pittsburgh, and Brown University for 15 years. She has lived in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, England, Scotland, Wales, Portugal, Spain, and Italy, speaks five languages, and has studied esoteric traditions in those lands.
