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American Witchcraft

American Witchcraft is the term used for a formal tradition of witchcraft that involves a routine year-and-a-day term of training to achieve initiation as started by the late renowned Witch Queen of New Orleans, Mary Oneida Toups. Her coven, the Religious Order of Witchcraft was legally incorporated as a church in Louisiana on February 2nd, 1972 and is still in existence today. American Witchcraft is similar to Wicca in general structure, ethics and in the celebration of full moons and the eight pagan Sabbat festivals of the year, but differs in ritual style and in the focus of some of its teachings. Toups placed a focus on ceremonial magick in the style of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, but also encouraged students to learn magickal skills and knowledge from a wide variety of cultural sources. The tradition, therefore, welcomes a melting pot of potential beliefs and backgrounds as does America, itself. Under the umbrella of paganism fall Witchcraft and Wicca, and within each of these exist a number of specifically involved spiritual and religious traditions, and American Witchcraft is growing and evolving as an important influence in the magick of the US in the modern day. In fact, an offshoot of the Religious Order of Witchcraft is a daughter coven called the Society of Witchcraft and Old Magick, started in the same tradition by one of the priestesses trained in the Religious Order.