Editing Wicca (section)

===Traditions===
{{See also|List of modern pagan movements#Wicca|l1=List of Wiccan traditions|Category:Wiccan traditions}}

In the 1950s through to the 1970s, when the Wiccan movement was largely confined to lineaged groups such as [[Gardnerian Wicca]] and [[Alexandrian Wicca]], a "tradition" usually implied the transfer of a lineage by initiation. However, with the rise of more and more such groups, often being founded by those with no previous initiatory lineage, the term came to be a synonym for a [[religious denomination]] within Wicca. Scholars of religion tend to treat Wicca as a religion with denominations that differ on some important points but share core beliefs, much like Christianity and its many denominations.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Doyle White |first1=Ethan |title=Wicca: History, Belief & Community in Modern Pagan Witchcraft |date=2015 |publisher=Liverpool University Press |pages=160–162}}</ref> There are many such traditions<ref>{{cite web |url=http://beaufort.bravepages.com/ |title=Beaufort House Index of English Traditional Witchcraft |work=Beaufort House Association |date=15 January 1999 |access-date=2 April 2007 |archive-date=8 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708091848/http://beaufort.bravepages.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hexarchive.com/wicca/witchcraft.htm |title=Different types of Witchcraft |work=Hex Archive |access-date=2 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070618161438/http://www.hexarchive.com/wicca/witchcraft.htm |archive-date=18 June 2007 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> and there are also many [[solitary practitioner]]s who do not align themselves with any particular lineage, working alone. Some covens have formed but who do not follow any particular tradition, instead choosing their influences and practices eclectically.

Those traditions which trace a line of initiatory descent back to Gerald Gardner include [[Gardnerian Wicca]], [[Alexandrian Wicca]] and the [[Algard]] tradition; because of their joint history, they are often referred to as [[British Traditional Wicca]], particularly in [[North America]]. Other traditions trace their origins to different figures, even if their beliefs and practices have been influenced to a greater or lesser extent by Gardner. These include [[Cochrane's Craft]] and the [[1734 Tradition]], both of which trace their origins to [[Robert Cochrane (witch)|Robert Cochrane]]; [[Feri Tradition|Feri]], which traces itself back to [[Victor Anderson (poet)|Victor Anderson]] and [[Gwydion Pendderwen]]; and [[Dianic Wicca]], whose followers often trace their influences back to [[Zsuzsanna Budapest]]. Some of these groups prefer to refer to themselves as ''Witches'', thereby distinguishing themselves from the BTW traditions, who more typically use the term ''Wiccan'' (see [[#Etymology|Etymology]]).{{citation needed|date=November 2015}} During the 1980s, Viviane Crowley, an initiate of both the Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions, merged the two.{{sfn|Pearson|2007|p=2}}

Pearson noted that "Wicca has evolved and, at times, mutated quite dramatically into completely different forms".{{sfn|Pearson|2007|p=3}} Wicca has also been "customized" to the various national contexts into which it has been introduced; for instance, in Ireland, the veneration of ancient Irish deities has been incorporated into Wicca.{{sfn|Rountree|2015|p=16}}