Pagan

Contemporary Witchcraft (also known as Wicca) is a Pagan mystery religion rooted in European shamanic practices and traditional healing arts. It is a nature-centered religion which honors a Goddess and often a God, using magic as a tool of personal and global transformation. It is characterized by a deep respect for all living things, acceptance of personal and social responsibility, attunement to natural rhythms, healing, achieving balance between all aspects of the self and society, a sense of play and wonder, and the celebration of sensuality. It is a positive, life-affirming spirituality.
History
Modern Wicca emerged in the 1950s after the last British laws against Witchcraft were repealed, when Gerald Gardner published several books describing the Craft traditions into which he'd been initiated. Gardner, with the help of Doreen Valiente, developed the tradition which bears his name, combining elements from his own coven's work with Rosicrucianism, mythology, Masonry, folklore, a...