The most common misconception held by pagans and non-pagans alike is that Wicca as a religion is thousands of years old. This idea is referred to as the 'Wiccan Myth' and as the name would imply, is not exactly true. Animism, the belief that all aspect of nature are alive and have individual spirits, is an ancient concept and one of the basics of Wicca. Wiccans also follow many Native American beliefs as well as Celtic and Germanic practices. But the structure of Wicca is a recent creation.

        Wicca as a religion was established around the 1930s. Gerald Gardner, often called the father of modern witchcraft, began his encounter with Wicca through an initiation into a coven of British witches. He would often speak about a Dorothy Clutterbuck, the woman who introduced him to and initiated him into the Craft. He saw people from all walks of life worshipping together in a system that was life affirming but unusual. The only word for it then was witchcraft, or the craft of the wise. He practiced with them for some time before he decided to take on the role of educating the masses about his wonderful spiritual experiences. With the anti-witchcraft laws lifting all over Europe he was able to become more public with his beliefs and delve more deeply into the available history of witchcraft. He published his first book about the craft shortly after the laws lifted in England.

        Through years of practice within a coven and research based on the information made available to him Gardner began to piece together the outline of his form of witchcraft. Influenced by existing ceremonial magickal systems such as the Golden Dawn, Gardner eventually he created his own tradition of Wicca which has come to be called Gardnerian. After Gardner introduced his tradition to the world, it was adopted by many who agreed with the context and felt the call. Although the various details of the original tradition have been altered and reshaped into new traditions, the basic form of Wicca has remained throughout. Whether or not he intended to create the system we know as Wicca is unknown and irrelevant. All we need to know now is that the steps he put into motion are still used today. There are now hundreds of traditions of Wicca, and our church chooses to honor them all by adopting none. (We will talk more about traditions much later)

        Although it is commonly agreed that Gardner is the main influence upon our religion, he is not the only one that has had an effect on the shape Wicca has taken today. Other authors had a huge impact on the practices of Wicca. Raymond Buckland was a student of Wicca in England under a Gardnerian coven. He later brought Wicca to America through several books, the most prominent being "The Complete Book of Witchcraft". Scott Cunningham was a Solitary Wiccan who helped break the 'coven mold'. He contended that Wicca was a personal religion, celebrated not only in covens but just as well alone. He wrote several books on the subject and spent a great deal of his life teaching and helping other solitaries feel like a part of Wicca.  Janet and Stewart Farrar are a couple in Ireland who practice openly and publish books about their rites so that others may learn about them.

        Wicca today is an established religion recognized by the United States and other countries. The US Army chaplain handbook even has an entry for Wicca and how to minister to us. We are free by law to practice our religion, although we still suffer great oppression in many areas. Only by stepping out of the shadows and into the light will Wicca ever be truly accepted by the public. With the creation of churches Wicca has come full circle from fringe mystery cult to mainstream religion. Wicca has bloomed from a shaded plant into a full sunlit flower