Sylphs are Air elementals, beings that are intrinsically related to Air. They are sometimes depicted as cloud beings and are related to angels. Scholars of religious studies classify Wicca as a new religious movement, [2] and more specifically as a form of modern Paganism. [3] Wicca has been cited as the largest, [4] best known, [5] most influential, [6] and most academically studied form of modern Paganism. [7] Within the movement it has been identified as sitting on the eclectic end of the eclectic to reconstructionist spectrum. [8] Initiation into a coven is traditionally preceded by an apprenticeship period of a year and a day. [151] A course of study may be set during this period. In some covens a "dedication" ceremony may be performed during this period, some time before the initiation proper, allowing the person to attend certain rituals on a probationary basis. Some solitary Wiccans also choose to study for a year and a day before their self-dedication to the religion. [152]

a b Kemp, Daren; Lewis, James R. (2007). Handbook of New Age. Brill Publishers. pp.435–436. ISBN 978-9004153554 . Retrieved 30 September 2015. Ostara is the celebration of the Spring equinox, renewal and rebirth. It is the origin of the Christian holiday Easter. In the northern hemisphere, it is celebrated on March 20-23 and in the southern on September 20-23. P is for… Pagan Most early Wiccan groups adhered to the duotheistic worship of a Horned God and a Mother Goddess, with practitioners typically believing that these had been the ancient deities worshipped by the hunter-gatherers of the Old Stone Age, whose veneration had been passed down in secret right to the present. [38] This theology derived from Egyptologist Margaret Murray's claims about the witch-cult in her book The Witch-Cult in Western Europe published by Oxford University Press in 1921; [41] she claimed that this cult had venerated a Horned God at the time of the Early Modern witch trials, but centuries before it had also worshipped a Mother Goddess. [40] This duotheistic Horned God/Mother Goddess structure was embraced by Gardner – who claimed that it had Stone Age roots – and remains the underlying theological basis to his Gardnerian tradition. [42] Gardner claimed that the names of these deities were to be kept secret within the tradition, although in 1964 they were publicly revealed to be Cernunnos and Aradia; the secret Gardnerian deity names were subsequently changed. [43] The definition of the eclectic witch is one of the hardest magical traditions to pin down if for no other reason than the fact that the term “eclectic” means different things to different witches. Very simply put an eclectic witch is one who follows more than a single tradition and who utilises different paths, cultures and traditions in the work that she does. Uniquely individual practices: An individual may be creating his or her own tradition of beliefs and practices, and because this system can’t be defined as something else, it is usually defined as eclectic.Beltane is a celebration which marks the halfway point between the spring equinox and summer solstice. During Beltane the veil between the world of the fay and our world is thinnest. In the northern hemisphere it’s celebrated on May 1 and in the southern on October 31. Birth Chart

Historian Wouter Hanegraaff noted that the Wiccan view of witchcraft was "an outgrowth of Romantic (semi)scholarship", especially the 'witch cult' theory. [74] It proposed that historical alleged witches were actually followers of a surviving pagan religion, and that accusations of infanticide, cannibalism, Satanism etc were either made up by the Inquisition or were misunderstandings of pagan rites. [75] This theory that accused witches were actually pagans has now been disproven. [22] Nevertheless, Gardner and other founders of Wicca believed the theory was true, and saw the witch as a " positive antitype which derives much of its symbolic force from its implicit criticism of dominant Judaeo-Christian and Enlightenment values". [75] And remember, this is a lifelong path and learning process. You will not become the wise old kitchen witch overnight, and you should want to.A Hedge witch works with the liminal spaces and the spirit realm. In the past a ‘hedge’ would mark a boundary of a village or settlement and thus represents the boundary between our physical reality and the spirit world. A hedge witch may be skilled at crossing that boundary through practices like astral travel. 8. Kitchen Witch

Other Wiccans have adopted the original Gardnerian God/Goddess duotheistic structure but have adopted deity forms other than that of the Horned God and Mother Goddess. [46] For instance, the God has been interpreted as the Oak King and the Holly King, as well as the Sun God, Son/Lover God, and Vegetation God. [47] He has also been seen in the roles of the Leader of the Wild Hunt and the Lord of Death. [48] The Goddess is often portrayed as a Triple Goddess, thereby being a triadic deity comprising a Maiden goddess, a Mother goddess, and a Crone goddess, each of whom has different associations, namely virginity, fertility, and wisdom. [47] [49] Other Wiccan conceptualisations have portrayed her as a Moon Goddess and as a Menstruating Goddess. [47] According to the anthropologist Susan Greenwood, in Wicca the Goddess is "a symbol of self-transformation - she is seen to be constantly changing and a force for change for those who open themselves up to her." [50] Monotheism and polytheism [ edit ] Some Wiccan Traditions substitute a Communion style rite in honor of the God and Goddess rather than the symbolic Great Rite in their Esbat ritual.Kermani, S. Zohreh (2013). Pagan Family Values. NYU Press. p.46. ISBN 978-1479894604 . Retrieved 30 September 2015. Divination is the umbrella term used for all practises which are used to tell the future or uncover knowledge by interpretation of omens, tarot, runes, pendulums etc. Draconic Witch In early sources "Wicca" referred to the whole of the religion rather than to a specific tradition. [30] In following decades, members of certain traditions – those known as British Traditional Wicca – began claiming that only they should be called "Wiccan", and that other traditions must not use it. [31] From the late 1980s onwards, various books propagating Wicca were published that again used the former, broader definition of the word. [32] Thus, by the 1980s, there were two competing definitions of the word "Wicca" in use among the Pagan and esoteric communities, one broad and inclusive, the other narrow and exclusionary. [14] Among scholars of Pagan studies it is the older, broader, inclusive meaning which is preferred. [14] Some use the universe to describe the highest power or energy from which everything stems, similar to ‘God’ but not personified. V is for… Vibration Baby witches—a term you might have seen frequently used on WitchTok—are simply beginner witches. They may start out following a certain doctrine, depending on their teacher/s, and then, over time, experiment with other ones. You gotta go your own way! Kitchen Witch