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During the 20th century, interest in witchcraft in English-speaking and European countries began to increase, inspired particularly by Margaret Murray's theory of a pan-European witch-cult originally published in 1921, since discredited by further careful historical research. Interest was intensified, however, by Gerald Gardner's claim in 1954 in ''Witchcraft Today'' that a form of witchcraft still existed in England. The truth of Gardner's claim is now disputed too. | During the 20th century, interest in witchcraft in English-speaking and European countries began to increase, inspired particularly by Margaret Murray's theory of a pan-European witch-cult originally published in 1921, since discredited by further careful historical research. Interest was intensified, however, by Gerald Gardner's claim in 1954 in ''Witchcraft Today'' that a form of witchcraft still existed in England. The truth of Gardner's claim is now disputed too. | ||
The first [[paganism|Neopagan]] groups to publicly appear, during the 1950s and 60s, were Gerald Gardner's Bricket Wood coven and Roy Bowers' Clan of Tubal Cain. They operated as initiatory secret societies. Other individual practitioners and writers such as Paul Huson also claimed inheritance to surviving traditions of witchcraft. The [[Wicca]] that Gardner initially taught was a witchcraft religion having much in common with Margaret Murray's hypothetically posited cult of the 1920s. | The first [[paganism|Neopagan]] groups to publicly appear, during the 1950s and 60s, were Gerald Gardner's Bricket Wood coven and Roy Bowers' Clan of Tubal Cain. They operated as initiatory secret societies. Other individual practitioners and writers such as Paul Huson also claimed inheritance to surviving traditions of witchcraft. The [[Wicca]] that Gardner initially taught was a witchcraft religion having much in common with Margaret Murray's hypothetically posited [[cult]] of the 1920s. | ||
Various forms of Wicca are now practised as a religion of an initiatory secret society nature with positive ethical principles, organised into autonomous covens and led by a High Priesthood. There is also a large "Eclectic Wiccan" movement of individuals and groups who share key Wiccan beliefs but have no initiatory connection or affiliation with traditional Wicca. Wiccan writings and ritual show borrowings from a number of sources including 19th and 20th-century [[ritual magic|ceremonial magic]], the medieval [[grimoire]] known as the ''[[Key of Solomon]]'', [[Aleister Crowley]]'s [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] and pre-[[Christianity|Christian]] religions. A survey published in November 2000 cited just over 200,000 people who reported practicing Wicca in the United States. | Various forms of Wicca are now practised as a religion of an initiatory secret society nature with positive ethical principles, organised into autonomous covens and led by a High Priesthood. There is also a large "Eclectic Wiccan" movement of individuals and groups who share key Wiccan beliefs but have no initiatory connection or affiliation with traditional Wicca. Wiccan writings and ritual show borrowings from a number of sources including 19th and 20th-century [[ritual magic|ceremonial magic]], the medieval [[grimoire]] known as the ''[[Key of Solomon]]'', [[Aleister Crowley]]'s [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] and pre-[[Christianity|Christian]] religions. A survey published in November 2000 cited just over 200,000 people who reported practicing Wicca in the United States. | ||