Editing Traditional Witchcraft

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:0 0 1em 1em; width:320px;"
! colspan="2" | Traditional Witchcraft
|-
! Family
| Modern Pagan / Witchcraft
|-
! Origin region
| Europe and North America, with varied local and folkloric influences
|-
! Founding period
| Modern forms especially from the 20th century CE onward
|-
! Estimated adherents
| Unknown; practiced by small groups, lineages, and solitary practitioners.
|}

'''Traditional Witchcraft''' is traditional Witchcraft is a broad label for witchcraft paths that emphasize folklore, spirit work, local land, ancestors, magic, and non-Wiccan or pre-Wiccan identity.

== Overview ==

Traditional Witchcraft is not one unified religion. The term is used by diverse practitioners who may distinguish their work from Wicca, ceremonial magic, or eclectic Paganism. Some lineages are initiatory, some solitary, some devotional, and some primarily magical or folkloric. The title may refer to modern constructions, family traditions, regional folk magic, or spiritual paths inspired by witchcraft lore.

== Key beliefs ==

* Magic as a practical and spiritual craft
* Spirits of land, ancestors, familiars, or the dead in many forms
* Local folklore and place-based practice
* Personal power, cunning, and direct experience
* Diverse theology including animism, polytheism, dual-faith practice, or non-theistic magic

== Practices ==

* Spellcraft and charm-making
* Spirit work and divination
* Ancestor rites
* Herbal and folk magical practice
* Rites at thresholds, crossroads, hearths, and wild places

== Places of worship ==

* Home altar
* Hearth or kitchen shrine
* Outdoor liminal place
* Coven, clan, or solitary ritual space

== Sacred texts ==

* Folklore collections
* Grimoires and charm books
* Modern traditional witchcraft writings
* Personal notebooks and oral teachings

== Holidays and observances ==

* Samhain
* Beltane
* Dark moon or full moon rites
* Local folk calendar observances
* Personal or lineage-specific days

== Branches and related traditions ==

* [[Feri Tradition]] - A modern initiatory witchcraft tradition.
* [[Stregheria]] - A modern Italian-influenced witchcraft tradition.
* [[Wicca]] - A related but distinct modern Pagan witchcraft religion.

== See also ==

* [[Religion]]
* [[Theology]]
* [[Philosophy of religion]]
* [[New Religious Movements]]
* [[Modern Paganism]]
* [[Western esotericism]]

[[Category:Religions]]
[[Category:Modern Paganism]]
[[Category:Witchcraft]]