Etymology of Wicca Pagan Witchcraft community. The author's name was not printed, although it had probably been produced by one of the figures involved in editing "Pentagram", such as Gerard Noel or Doreen Valiente. In July 1968, a group of British Gardnerians began publishing a magazine titled "The Wiccan", while Welshman Gavin Frost founded the Church of Wicca in the United States that same year. In the 1960s, the Gardnerian initiate Alex Sanders founded his own tradition, which became known as Alexandrian Wicca; he used the terms "Wicca" and "the Wicca" in reference to the entire Pagan Witchcraft religion. One of Sanders' initiates,
Wicca may be performed during this period, some time before the initiation proper, allowing the person to attend certain rituals on a probationary basis. Some solitary Wiccans also choose to study for a year and a day before their self-dedication to the religion. A large number of Wiccans do not exclusively follow any single tradition or even are initiated. These "eclectic Wiccans" each create their own syncretic spiritual paths by adopting and reinventing the beliefs and rituals of a variety of religious traditions connected to Wicca and broader Paganism. While the origins of modern Wiccan practice lie in covenantal activity of