-- Kimberly

A: As you probably already know, Wicca is a twentieth century religion. It was created out of human minds, a mix of ancient practices, turn of the century spiritualism, and ceremonialism and has evolved to incorporate environmental and feminist beliefs. The more witches you meet, the more different traditions you may hear about and they can sound a bit confusing, especially when the names don't appear to reveal much about their particular practice.

Spiritualitea Recommends: A Kitchen Witch's Cookbook by patricia telesco Earth Magic : A Wisewoman's Guide to Herbal, Astrological and Other Folk Wisdom by claire nahmad Ancient Ways : Reclaiming Pagan Traditions by pauline campanelli The Wicca Book of Days : Legend and Lore for Every Day of the Year by gerina dunwich

Eclectic and Kitchen Wicca are two strong examples of what is known as American-style Wicca. They are both practical and pragmatic, with much room for personal interpretation. There are noticable differences between the two, although both can co-exist quite happily.

Eclectic Wicca is just as it sounds: gathered from many sources. Commonly, someone who calls themselves an eclectic will create ritual with many different traditions: calling on Greek gods, incorporating Native American drumming and Celtic-style poetic recitation, or setting up ritual space in the manner of an Alexandrian. An eclectic is happy to learn new techniques from friends who practice Nordic ways, mixing in a bit of Shinto and Hindu to build a hearty stew of true multiculturalism.

The downside to eclectic wicca is that some may believe that this style isn't as strong as following a lineaged tradition, where actions and words have had decades to build power and meaning, or practicing a reconstruction of one particular culture's spiritual methods. Some may dismiss eclectic style as haphazard, immature, or worse. Of course, insulting another's religious practice is disrespectful and downright rude. Usually, the worst that may happen when an eclectic runs a ritual is that some participants may feel a little confused or scattered with all the different types of energy being used, but a good priest or priestess can unify these disparate energies to make a unique and powerful ceremony.

Kitchen wicca is also pretty self-explanatory. You probably think of your kitchen as a mix of practical appliances and mundane tools, but upon closer consideration a lot of magic happens there, too. What's more powerful than creating a nourishing meal or delicious treat for loved ones with your own hands? Even the most banal kitchen activities -- stirring soup, washing dishes, kneading bread -- are meditative and ritualistic.

Kitchen witches ally themselves with the most ancient of magickal practitioners, the medicine women and food preparers, tenders of the hearth, keepers of herb wisdom. Their sacred tools are the morter and pestle, measuring spoons, crockpot, chef knife, saucepan, and all the ingredients in a well-stocked pantry. You even see the kitchen witch in action in popular movies, from Like Water for Chocolate to Practical Magic. Their work stems from folk traditions and many take pride in having learned their craft from ancestral wisdom.

Finally, the term "Old Religion" encompasses the practices of both these traditions. The Old Religion is actually not a Wiccan tradition, but another term for paganism. "Old" refers to those pre-christian practices that many are trying to resurrect today, from Asatru to Celtic Reconstructionism. Many that follow the Old Religion don't necessarily call themselves Wiccan, as Wicca is a new construct, but Wiccans certainly have much to learn from followers of the Old Religion and all can work together in circle successfully.