Principles of Wiccan Belief

This list of beliefs was created by the 1974 Council of American Witches to offer a unified document outlining the basic beliefs of Wiccans. Although left intentionally vague to be inclusive of a variety of paths, the primary purpose of the document was to help dispel myths of the religion.

It's become a guiding document to outside authorities, such as the Army Chaplain's Handbook, as a brief reference to defining Wicca. It remains a great resource for understanding values found within Wicca and Witchcraft in America.

In seeking to be inclusive, we do not wish to open ourselves to the destruction of our group by those on self-serving power trips, or to philosophies and practices contradictory to those principles. In seeking to exclude those whose ways are contradictory to ours, we do not want to deny participation with us to any who are sincerely interested in our knowledge and beliefs, regardless of race, color, sex, age, national or cultural origins, or sexual preference.


1974, Council of American Witches