In certain traditions, ritualised sex magic is performed in the form of the Great Rite, whereby a High Priest and High Priestess invoke the God and Goddess to possess them before performing sexual intercourse to raise magical energy for use in spellwork. a] Gerald Gardner—the man regarded as the "Father of Wicca"—referred to it as the "Craft of the Wise", "Witchcraft", and "the Witch-cult" during the 1950s.

This also applies to their tools: a solar witch usually leaves their crystals and other trinkets under the sun to charge. Some traditions, collectively referred to as British Traditional Wicca (BTW), strictly follow the initiatory lineage of Gardner and consider Wicca to refer only to similar traditions, but not to newer, eclectic traditions. 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. She noted that as the Wiccan community aged, so the proportion of older practitioners would increase. Gardner himself made use of the English names of these holidays, stating that "the four great Sabbats are Candlemas[ sic], May Eve, Lammas, and Halloween; the equinoxes and solstices are celebrated also.In the United Kingdom, census figures on religion were first collected in 2001; no detailed statistics were reported outside of the six main religions.

The anthropologist Susan Greenwood characterised Wiccan rituals as "a form of resistance to mainstream culture". Books and magazines in this vein were targeted largely at young girls and included spells for attracting or repelling boyfriends, money spells, and home protection spells. Using the word "Witchcraft" in this context can result in confusion with other, non-religious meanings of "witchcraft" as well as other religions—such as Satanism and Luciferianism—whose practitioners also sometimes describe themselves as "Witches". Once the circle is cast, a seasonal ritual may be performed, prayers to the God and Goddess are said, and spells are sometimes worked; these may include various forms of 'raising energy', including raising a cone of power to send healing or other magic to persons outside of the sacred space.

A green witch is an ideal best friend for the kitchen witch because their magical herbs can help a kitchen witch’s cooking have better results.

Alexandrian witches follow some of the similar traditions in Guardian Wicca, but also incorporate ceremonial magic as well as the Qabalah. Nevertheless, Gardner and other founders of Wicca believed the theory was true, and saw the witch as a " positive antitype which derives much of its symbolic force from its implicit criticism of dominant Judaeo-Christian and Enlightenment values". seems to be that if one makes the most of the present life, in all respects, then the next life is more or less certainly going to benefit from the process, and so one may as well concentrate on the present".In accordance with the importance put on free will in Wicca, the child is not expected or required to adhere to Wicca or other forms of paganism should they not wish to do so when they reach adulthood. Although recognised as a religion by academics, some evangelical Christians have attempted to deny it legal recognition as such, while some Wiccan practitioners themselves eschew the term "religion" – associating the latter purely with organised religion – instead favouring " spirituality" or "way of life". She saw these rituals as "a healing space away from the ills of the wider culture", one in which female practitioners can "redefine and empower themselves. Much of the coven's early membership was drawn from the club's members [183] and its meetings were held within the club grounds. There are different ways for an augury witch to harness their magic, and some of their witchcraft supplies include tarot cards, crystals, and even animals.