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        Wicca is the best-known among many Neo-Pagan faiths. Though monotheism conquered European Paganism by the early Middle Ages, the ancient perspectives were rearticulated in the 18th and 19th centuries. Today's Wicca, developed by Gerald Gardner in the late 1940s, is a Nature-oriented faith.
         Our denominations are called Traditions, and we meet in small groups called covens. We have no pope, king, or queen; though there are some associations and affiliations, there is no nation- or worldwide authoritative body.
         We recognize a Goddess (all that is eternal and generative) and a God (all that dies and is reborn); they are partners, not adversaries, and there's no devil in our pantheon.
          We accept magic as a natural force, and ethical rules (the Rede and the Three-fold Law) govern our practice of it; we don't interfere with other people's free will, and we don't cast curses or baneful spells.
        We meet in Circles at the Sabbats and on full Moons, and for every one of us who belongs to a coven, there are probably ten more who work on their own.
        Adventure is known and defined by synthesis and innovation. It challenges strictly regulated experience and "establishment" interpretations. It is the nature of Adventure to set out from doctrine, convention, and ease, and make camp in the Woods beyond.
        Adventure Wicca is distilled from earlier Traditions and from Western culture's experience over the last thousand or so years. Much of its imagery and symbolism is derived from Western Europe's and Britain's medieval centuries and myths.
        Founded in 1989 by O'Gaea and Canyondancer, Adventure Wicca's pillars are a brave heart, a hospitable camp, and the urge -- no, the calling -- to see what's around the next bend.
        A principle business of the Adventure Tradition is the confrontation of Shadow Guardians. Our fears, doubts, and prejudices lock up our energy; we can reclaim that personal power when we dare to encounter those shadows. To this end, one of our mottos is "Enter the Forest where the trees are thickest."
        With the aim of living mythically, Gardner's Order of Circle, and a love of camping in common, Adventure covens may use different casts and calls, and may work magic differently. This is as it should be, for we must all have our own tales to tell when we gather at the Feasts.

Adventure Wicca 101 classes . . . are free and offered yearly, usually from mid-October through mid-December. In these eight-week sessions, both the curious and serious students get an overview of Wicca, learn how the Adventure Tradition differs from others, and find out whether Adventure (or another Wiccan Tradition) is their path.
Topics covered include history, ethics, thealogy, the liturgical calendar, magic and more -- and each set of classes closes with a potluck and a ritual.

Students who complete the 101 course may be eligible for dedication. A Dedicant works with the Circle Between the Worlds (Adventure's Outer Court) for at least a year and a day. To be qualified for initiation, a Dedicant is expected to camp with our covens, attend classes, complete assignments, and develop competency in ritual and other skills. It's during the Dedicant period that the apprentice and the teaching clergy together decide whether and when initiation is appropriate.