Reddit reviews Traditional Wicca: A Seeker's Guide

There is a good new book released this past July which is all about your question. Traditional Wicca: A Seeker's Guide by Thorn Mooney. She tells all about Gardnerian covens, how to find them, what to expect, how to politely ask the Priestess for admittance, etc.

There are two main categories of practice that identify as Wicca and are sufficiently different that resources and advice that might work well for one doesn't always apply to the other.

Traditional Wicca is an initiatory pagan priesthood. It's orthopraxic, meaning there are specific ways that are maintained and passed from one initiate to the next (unlike an orthodoxy which requires maintaining a specific belief). Trad Wicca requires training and initiation via a recognized coven (or, at the very least, an elder). One example of practice within a Trad is "A Witches Bible" by Stewart & Janet Farrar ( it's actually two books in one). More of their books that are relevant to any variant of Wicca include "The Witches God", "The Witches Goddess", and "Spells and How They Work". Of course, there are also the books of Gerald Gardner who founded modern Wicca plus other classic authors up to modern day like Thorn Mooney's recent "Traditional Wicca: A Seekers Guide".

Eclectic (or Solitary) Wicca is not the above priesthood but a practice that was started externally and perpetuated by the book industry. It's the form you'll most frequently encounter as a person can declare himself one whenever they choose to. Basically, it borrows concepts from Trad Wicca (which ones and to what extent is entirely up to the individual) and blends them with influences from other sources (again, per the person's choosing) with any other personal innovation. Obviously, this creates a great deal of diversity. Subsequently, most eclectic-oriented books tend to fall into the "101" group as there isn't much authors can offer beyond basic Wiccan concepts other than their own innovations. Generally, you'll need to expand your knowledge and your practice by delving into specific subjects like herbalism, various types of magical techniques, divination types and so on.

This subreddit has a wiki that you might find helpful.

Hi. First of all, welcome! Secondly, Wicca is not exactly what you think it is; it's that and a lot more. You will bring as much to it in time as it will bring to you, and it will bring you quite a lot. It's a lifelong pursuit, so don't be impatient.

Third, I think there's a new to Wicca bot that chimes in here, and also likely a recommended reading list on the sidebar. Check those out. In the meantime, the first, most major, and never-ending rule is: READ. Read everything. Read the good. read the bad. Read the mediocre. Read until everything you read starts to become repetitive. Once you realize you already knew everything in a book, start looking for the things that contradict what you've read elsewhere. Write those things down. Then, ask another practitioner about those questions. Learn from their answers. Ask 100 practitioners. Learn from their answers. Never stop asking questions and learning.

Once you've begun to find reading material repetitive, you should start doing ritual. Slowly acquire the required tools (you'll learn what they are in your reading), and circle by yourself. Don't be nervous about it. Just do it. Ask any practical questions you have to other practitioners (online or IRL). Learn from them.

Attend public circles. Learn from them. (You'll learn good and bad, I promise). read Thorn Mooney's book Traditional Wicca: A Seeker's Guide. Hit her up on Twitter and ask her questions and tell her Seamus said to ask her ;) hehehehe.

Just keep reading and learning and experiencing and learning from others and basically practicing and honing your craft until it's so badass that you rarely even need to practice it consciously because it's become a part of your subconscious process. Then pay back all the knowledge you were given by teaching <3

Good luck! You're not alone!

For someone in your situation I strongly recommend a good recent book written by a friend of mine. Traditional Wicca: A Seeker's Guide by Thorn Mooney; Llewellyn Publications, (July 2018) It is a good book about traditional Wicca, why its important for beginners, and how to find a coven.