Most religions have more than one branch of practice to it, or more than one sect. Wicca is no exception to this.
Celtic witchcraft is Wicca with a Celtic twist. Rituals, legends, and deities come from Celtic lore and are often based on the Druidic tradition. They put heavy stress on elements, nature, and the Ancient Ones in their rituals. Celtic witches tend to be more knowledgeable about the properties of herbs, plants, stones, and trees, and use them often in their healing spells and rituals.
Dianic witchcraft is considered to be a branch of feminist Wicca. The covens usually consist of women, and they honor the goddess of the Moon and hunt, Diana (who is also known as the Greek goddess Artemis). These covens generally focus their energy on the Goddess as the ultimate creator.
Some Dianics identify themselves as Wiccans, but most prefer to be called Witches or a priestess of the Goddess.
Faery witchcraft is simply that: witchcraft that is based around and honors the faery folk. The practices of Faery Wicca involve invocation – calling up the spirits of the faery folk that the practitioners wish to include in their rituals – and the use of energy work with pentacles and visualizations of blue fire.
Many of the Faery Tradition have secret names that they only use amongst themselves during ritual.
Eclectic witches follow no specific tradition or path. Instead they take from numerous cultures and traditions, suiting their own needs. They understand the rules of magick, but they do their magick in accordance to their own tastes.
Eclectic witchcraft is most popular because it gives a greater freedom and lacks a solid structure. Practitioners can be solitary, in a coven, or both, and they can be initiated by another or perform a self-initiation to the Goddess and God.
Green witchcraft is centered on natural and herbal magick. A term commonly used is “kitchen witch.” Green witches have great knowledge of the properties of herbs and plants, and use them often in their practices.
Kitchen witches, though often seen as green witches, are in a league of their own. Their practices do take place in the kitchen, and with any material that is available to them. Instead of potions or spells, kitchen witches make things such as their own incense or soups and drinks to do their bidding. They are a practical folk, and have strong home and family values.
Solitary witches are witches that practice without a coven and find no benefit in receiving training from a coven. They learn on their own, often from books, other witches, and from nature. Solitary witches self-initiate, and they are usually eclectic witches.
While preferring to work alone, solitary witches sometimes gather with others during the sabbats to celebrate.
There has been much controversy that one cannot be considered Wiccan unless they are in a coven to be initiated. Only in recent years has it been decided that it is the Goddess and God who make the Wiccan, and not other practitioners.
References
Christopher Penczak, The Inner Temple of Witchcraft, 2002.
Scott Cunningham, Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, 2004.
