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Principles

In 1974, the Council of American Witches came up with a statement entitled "Principles of Wiccan Belief". This statement was drafted in an effort to inform and educate both the general public and those interested in pursuing the study of Witchcraft.

The Council of American Witches disbanded later that same year, but the points they put down on paper still go a long way in defining what Witches believe today.

The Council of American Witches finds it necessary to define modern Witchcraft in terms of the American experience and needs.

We are not bound by traditions from other times and other cultures, and owe no allegiance to any person or power greater than the Divinity manifest through our own beings.

As American Witches, we welcome and respect all life-affirming teachings and traditions, and seek to learn from all and to share our learning within our Council.

It is in this spirit of welcome and cooperation that we adopt these few principles of Wiccan belief. 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 these 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 origin, or sexual preference.

We therefore ask only that those who seek to identify with us accept these few basic principles.