|Part of a series on| Wicca (English pronunciation: //) is a
modern pagan, witchcraft religion. It was developed in England
during the first half of the 20th century and it was introduced
to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil
servant. It draws upon a diverse set of ancient pagan and 20th
century hermetic motifs for its theological structure and ritual
practice. Wicca is a diverse religion with no central authority
or figure defining it. It is divided into various lineages and
denominations, referred to as "traditions", each with its own
organisational structure and level of centralisation. Due to its
decentralized nature, there is some disagreement over what
actually constitutes Wicca. Some traditions, collectively
referred to as British Traditional Wicca, strictly follow the
initiatory lineage of Gardner and consider the term "Wicca" to
apply only to such lineaged traditions, while other eclectic
traditions do not. Wicca is typically duotheistic, worshipping a
god and goddess tradi