Wicca is a solitary religion for some of us, something we learned through books, lectures or the Internet, developed through personal experience and practice alone. Some studied Wicca in groves, study groups or learning circles. Other witches grew up in Wiccan families then chose Wicca for their own path. Many came to Wicca in the traditional way, through formal initiation into a coven that followed a specific tradition.
Wiccan traditions include:
Gardnerian Wicca
    Gerald Gardnerís traditional path, which honors Aradia as the Lady and Cernunnos as the Lord. This is a formal, hierarchical path with skyclad worship and degrees of initiation. It focuses on rituals and male/female polarity. Covens have no more than 13 members, are lead by a High Priestess with a High Priest. Gardnerians believe it takes a witch to make a witch, tend to disapprove of the newer do-it-yourself Wiccans.
Alexandrian Wicca
    A formal, structured, neo-Gardnerian tradition founded by Alex and Maxine Sanders in England in the 1960ís. Alexandrian and Gardnerian Wicca are sometimes referred to as Classical Wicca.
British Trad Wicca
    This is a formal, structured tradition that mixes Celtic deities and  spirituality with Gardenarian-type Wicca.
Celtic Wicca
    This tradition incorporates Celtic god/desses and spirituality with  green witchcraft and faery magic.
Dianic Wicca
    Named for the goddess Diana, this is a Goddess centered tradition that  excludes gods and does not require initiations. Although Dianic Wicca  is sometimes thought of as a feminist or lesbian path, there are also male Dianic witches.
Faery Wicca
    This is an Irish tradition that centers on green witchcraft and fairy  magic.
Teutonic Wicca
    Nordic tradition witchcraft, incorporating deities, symbolism and  practices from Norse and Germanic cultures.
Family Trads
     These are the practices and traditions, usually secret, of families  who have been witches for generations.
    Some witches hold that you must have been taught the Craft by a living relative before you can be considered a hereditary witch, no matter how many witchy ancestors you dig up when you unearth your family roots. I think that like blue eyes and diabetes, witchcraft can be inherited. I get letters that start "We found a handwritten book in the attic . . .", others from witches who have discovered ancestors who were accused or admitted witches, and letters from young witches who receive spirit messages from ancestors with guidance on following the witches path.
    The gift often seems to skip a generation, is passed from a grandparent to a grandchild. Many witches were taught Craft skills by their grandmothers, even if no one ever used the word witchcraft. Is there a connection between DNA and witchcraft? I think this would be an excellent subject for investigation by a scientist witch.

 Biding the Rede is the only thing you have to do to be Wiccan. Do no harm. That is the essence of the Wiccan faith, our one Law. No one imposes this on us. A Wiccan is a witch who chooses of his or her own free will to be bound by this Law. We see life as magical and magic as sacred, so Wiccans are white witches who do not hex or harm.