Wicca and varients.

All religions,over time, vary in beliefs,rituals,etc. None more so than Christianity! Just think of all those "churches" that are so different from the original. (Catholic). Even Judaism has variants, Russian Orthodox,Greek ditto. Two different "branches" of Islam!
Wicca is no different. I have been on this site for about ten years, and it seems that there are more "branches" of Wicca than ever; and more added every year!
Just as "Christians" interpret the Bible to suit their individual beliefs; so do Wiccans. The nearest Wiccan to the original I have met on this site is Lark; and even Lark will admit that she leans more towards Alexandrian Wicca than Gardnerian Wicca! (They are practically the same,anyway!)
All the books written since Gardner have been variants o the original;and that includes the best; The Farrar's, Cunningham, even Valiente, and others.
So, if you are a youngster wanting to learn Wicca, read first of the originals; the writings of Gerald Gardner and Alex Sanders; even some of Crowley's esoteric writings.
I grew up in England while these people were still alive. By 1954 evrybody in England, and beyond, knew of them. (Maxine Sanders is still alive!)
My advice to "newbies" is, if you want to study Wicca, don't pick the apples that have fallen from the tree! Go to the tree!
I am very sure that if Gerald Gardner was alive today he would not recognise the religion he started!

Brysing, one small correction here. I do not "lean towards Alexandrian." I am, in fact, a 3rd degree Gardnerian. So I am one of those following the original form of Wicca, that of the Gardnerians founded by Gerald Gardner.

Brysing, you make a valid point. Good job!

Blessed Be,
nyctophilia.

Sorry Lark. I was referring your recommending books by such as Janet & Stewart Farrar, who make it clear that they are Alexandrian Wicca.

I have had a few PMs from members about this thread. Asking why I have said that books written since Gardner should not be read in the first instance. Let's take the best books, by Doreen Valiente.
Doreen worked a lot with Gardner, but she was a witch before she met him; trained in the same craft as I was. So the two influenced each other. Much of The Book Of Shadows was written by Doreen.
Alex Sanders was a partner of Gardner, but disagreed with him on certain aspects of Wicca that were taken from the teachings of Crowley. So, Alexandrian Wicca is an "off shoot" of Gardnerian Wicca.But is still very much of the original Wicca.
Scott Cunningham came along much later, and wrote a great deal of "solitary" Wicca. He really didn't like the "secret" Wicca of Gardner or Sanders.
Janet & Stewart were initiated by Alex Sanders and his wife Maxine at their London coven.
So, what I am trying to tell the "newbies" is, that although these authors have something to say, the originals should be read first!
There are authors to avoid! Such as Silver Ravenwood, and Margaret Murray.

While I agree if one of the "branches" works for the person learning it could be useful yet it wouldn't be wicca but it still works for them. Wicca has changed a lot and media plays a good part on the way it seems. The expression wicca is what you want it to be gets in the way of that also.

First of all, Wicca is not "what you want it to be". In fact it is a very strict, and very secret, religion. I was alive at the start of Wicca; maybe not at the very beginning, but certainly by the time of Wicca becoming known to the public.I remember all the outcries in the Press; the "sniggers" of Television and Radio. The uproar of the Catholic Church and The Church of England. (I can't remember the Jews ever saying a word about it!).
THe original Wiccan, Gardner,was castigated for preaching nudism.
He was "disgraceful", and "a dirty old man". He might well have been those things; but that is not what he "preached". He showed, in many letters to the Press (as did Alex) that he believed that nakedness was the "natural state" for humans. That nakedness was good for the Well Being and general health of the body
So,for the few original Wiccans, ceremonies and rituals were performed maked; it was this that made the "Establishment" scream in protest.
It took a lot of hard work, letters to the Press, meeting Politicians, and Church leaders to finally convince the public that Wiccans were not a bunch of sexual perverts!
These few got Wicca to be made lawful; Gardner, Sanders, Crowley,Pat Crowther, Doreen Valiente. And what I am trying to say to the Newbies is to read these first! Newbies tend to read the "later" authors; I'm saying go to the roots. After all, the widow of Alex Sanders is still alive; she has her own website, she can be contacted!

Typing error! "performed naked".

You misread my comment I was stating how the media and the stament started to make branches that weren't wicca but worked for that person

I wrote "the expression Wicca is what you want it to be gets in the way of that also" which I know is wrong and it comes from Scott Cunningham when I was beginning I read from him I saw this