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The origins can be traced back t a man named Gerald Gardner. Being a retired civil servant, he spent most of his career in Asia, where he familiarized himself with various occult beliefs and magical practices. -
After returning to England and joining the British Occult community, Gerald published his first witchcraft book, titled "Witchcraft Today." He then founded his first coven of followers. -
After creating a Coven, the teachings of Wicca spread quickly to the United States in the laster 1960s. This happened after an emphasis on nature, unconventional lifestyles, and a search for spirituality that differed from traditional religions. -
When a faction of Wiccans broke with Gardner's notion that clothes inhabited magical workings, and chose not to follow his practice of worshipping naked. They got ritual robes and began calling themselves traditionalists. -
By the 1980s, Wicca had exploded in popularity. Gaining up to 500,000 followers with the combined followers in England and the United States. In addition, more groups broke off from Gardner's original coven. Becoming Dianic Wiccans and Neo-Pagans. -
By the 21st Century, both Wicca and Neo-Paganism moved into their second generation of followers. Wiccans and Neo-Pagans were found throughout the English-speaking world and across northern and western Europe. By this stage, there was an estimated 100,000 to 1.5 million followers.