I have made friends with a follower of the Wolf Wiccan tradition who is a member of an online facebook coven. We worked together on a summary of this path to inform the magical community if it's teachings and practices. I hope you all benefit from this posting. Blessed be!
The Wolf Wiccan Tradition
Wolf wicca is a modern spiritual movement derived from traditional wicca, eastern theosophy, and shamanic practices. Wolf wiccans do not claim the ability to physically shift into the form of wolves, though mental shifting is often used to utilize facets of the subtle body in the form of animals on the etheric and astral planes. Wolves are sacred in this tradition, and are seen as a symbol of loyalty and strength: two qualities this path aims to instill in its followers. While most Wolf Wiccans use magic in some form or another, there is no requirement to identify oneself as a witch, and the terms practitioner or follower are commonly used by members. Calling one’s self a werewolf in this tradition is strongly discouraged. Causing harm to other people and living things when it can be avoided is discouraged, and many follow the saying from the wiccan rede: “An it harm none, do what ye will.”
Reincarnation is one of several core beliefs in Wolf Wicca. What distinguishes this wiccan path from others is an emphasis on past life regression and animal totems. This path is hospitable towards Therians and Otherkin, and acknowledges the possibility of incarnating as an animal, and retaining features of that animal's spirit in the next life. Past life regression is a form of self hypnosis that helps us revisit memories and experiences from past incarnations as humans, animals, and nonphysical beings.
Animal totems are guardian spirits that practitioners work with, and are a borrowed tradition from Native American spirituality. Followers may feel drawn to a certain animal with which they learn to connect with spiritually and learn from. Totems help Wolf Wiccans connect with nature, which is important because we are all connected and all is divine. These animal spirits or totems are not necessarily wolves, but can be one or several different animals that the practitioner learns and grows with throughout their life.
In Wolf Wiccan rituals, there is emphasis on balance in the polarity of masculine and feminine energy. Like other kinds of wiccans and some pagans, followers celebrate the 8 Sabbats (Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lammas, Mabon) to honor masculine energy, and 13 Esbats on full moons to celebrate feminine lunar energy. The concept of god and goddess is less prevalent in this path, though there are deific themes such as Gaia as mother earth and the masculine and feminine energies of the sun and moon. These more abstract forms of divinity are invoked, while the Horned God and Triple Goddess of Traditional Wicca are rarely referenced in ritual.
Wolf wicca can be practiced solitary or as part of a pack (coven). Some packs meet in person to hold a circle ritual. Others meet online, and online groups are generally a more feasible option for young followers. There is no age restriction for following this path as a solitary, though covens may have age restrictions for legal reasons. Coven structures and sizes may vary, though most share a communal guardian spirit (an animal egregore) that draws from energy raised by practitioners during ritual, and members may receive assistance from this spirit in their personal or collective magical workings.
