There are a million books and a zillion web pages (last count on Google was 436,000 pages) on Wicca History. We are not vain enough to claim this is the last word on Wicca History. We suggest if you are interested in Wicca to explore the thousands of good sites created by believers of the Craft.
Wicca is a both a lifestyle and religion, but it is not a religion in the sense most people are used to.
It is possible to practice without ever meeting another Wiccan.
Wicca is a Pagan, nature-worshiping religion. It is also a religion that embraces Magick and Witchcraft to a greater or lesser extent.
Pagan's seek Goddess/God by attuning to the elements of Creation, NATURE. They realize there is more to the world than its face value.
Pagan's worship the same One God as everyone else. Pagan's subdivide this One God into a number of specific Gods and Goddesses, each showing a different aspect of God Head.
The word "pagan" comes from the old english meaning "country dweller." In the past, rural people were generally the last to be converted to Christianity, hence calling those who followed their traditional religion: "pagans".
The words "Wicca" and "Witch" are believed to come from the same origins, the Saxon word "Wicce" (pronounced Wic-cha), meaning "wise".
The history of Wicca isn't very clear, and many different opinions exist on this. In that way it is like Christianity, everyone has their opinions and beliefs, so there are many flavors of Wicca, just as there is of Christianity.
Historical Origin:
Wicca is a reconstruction of the Nature worship of tribal Europe, strongly influenced by the living Nature worship traditions of tribal peoples in other parts of the world. The works of such early twentieth century writers as Margaret Murray, Robert Graves and Gerald B. Gardner began the renewal of interest in the Old Religion.
After the repeal of the anti-Witchcraft laws in Britain in 1951, Gardner publicly declared himself a Witch and began to gather a group of students and worshipers. In 1962, two of his students, Raymond and Rosemary Buckland (religious names: Lady Rowen and Robat), immigrated to the United States and began teaching Gardnerian Witchcraft there. At the same time, other groups of people came interested through reading books by Gardner and others.
Many covens were spontaneously formed, using rituals created from a combination of research and individual inspiration. These self-created covens are today regarded as just as valid as those who can trace a "lineage" of teaching back to England. In 1975, a very diverse group of covens who wanted to secure protections and benefits of church status formed Covenant of the Goddess (CoG), which is incorporated in the state of California and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. CoG does not represent all, or even a majority of Wiccans. A coven or an individual need not be affiliated with CoG in order to validly practice the religion. But CoG is the largest single public Wiccan organization, and it is cross-Traditional (i.e. non-denominational).
Many of the practices of Wicca are ancient, and have obviously been passed on by someone with knowledge. Many are also new, and certainly within the past 10 years or so, Wicca has gone beyond it's mostly Celtic leanings to embrace practices from many different cultures and beliefs. Cultures such as Ancient Greek, Egyptian and Celtic are viewed as important sources of Craft Tradition.
Wiccans follow and honor the seasons with ritual, work with the phases of the moon, and celebrate rituals on the full moon. Rituals can be as simple as a quiet meditation to mark the full moon or a Sabbat, placing a ritual offering (generally some form of food or flowers) on the altar, or a formal ceremonial ritual. We live harmoniously with nature.
Wicca is a way of life, a way to gain power over ourselves, not other people. True devotees go to great length to enhance their spell making by seeking rare and potent materials.
Solitary practitioners are becoming more common these days, as access to information about Wicca is more easily available due to many instruction books being published, and the Internet.
Covens are basically a group of Witches or Wiccans who all follow the same path, and generally (though not always) members are initiated into that path.
Coven members usually celebrate the Sabbat and Esbat rituals together, and meet regularly for social and other purposes.
Wiccans however do NOT practice what is popularly called "Black Magic"; that is: magic that harms another, or interferes with the free will of another.
Wiccans do NOT worship Satan.
Satan is part of Christian belief, not Wiccan. Hollywood films have done a lot to sensationalize Wicca in order to sell tickets.
The core ethical statement of Wicca is called the "Wiccan Rede" states "An it harm none, do what you will".
13 Goals of a Wiccan are as follows:
1.Know thyself
2.Know the craft
3.Learn
4.Apply knowledge with wisdom
5.Achieve balance
6.Keep thy words in order
7.Keep thy thoughts in good order
8.Celebrate life
9.Attune with the cycles of the Earth
10.Breathe and eat correctly
11.Exercise the body
12.Meditate
13.Honor the Goddess and the God
Much of Christianity was derived from Wicca, Druidism and other Pagan sources; this includes the sites of many cathedrals, the lives of many Christian saints (who were really pagan Goddesses and Gods), and many Christian holy days. There are many vestiges of Paganism which remain a part of our culture; e.g. Groundhog Day, Christmas, May Day, Halloween, the names of the days of the weeks and months of the year, common sayings, numerous traditions associated with holidays, etc.