As a religion, Wicca or  the Craft is a revival and/or reconstruction of the pre-Christian religions of Europe, especially Northern Europe (Celtic or Norse traditions) but also Greco-Roman, Egyptian, or Levantine traditions.

Some have turned for inspiration to the still-living indigenous traditions of other lands, such as Australia, Asia, India, and the Americas and have introduced peculiar practices to the Craft. As Margot Adler, a Witchcraft authority, has written, "The real tradition of the Craft is creativity."

Wicca's rituals are based on the four seasons (solstices and equinoxes). Wiccans believe in reincarnation and worship death as a natural part of the Cycle of the Year. They offer incense, cake, and wine/fruit juices to members during services.

There is no good or evil and members are free to review different belief systems (Celtic, Norse, Essene, Gnosis, Shamanism) and blend together points right for their personal path. Their belief system is based on living in harmony with all things that exist (Earth, trees, rivers, lakes, oceans, air, people).

In the New Age philosophy this relates to the concept of "Gaia" or Mother Earth which views planet earth as essentially a living being. Wicca is a highly individualistic religion and members do not proselytize.

Wicca promotes sex and race equality. Witchcraft teaches that one should follow their heart and take responsibility for their actions. Modern Witches hold rituals according to the turning of the seasons, the tides of the moon, and personal needs. Most rituals are performed in a ritual space marked by a circle.

In the third millenium, witchcraft came to mean a collection of beliefs and practices including spell casting, ("fortune telling"), meditation, herbalism, ritual and ritual drama, creative mythology, singing and dancing to raise energy, healing through spells, mixing unguents (ointments or concoctions), dabbling in the supernatural (doing magic), divining or forecasting the future, and engaging in clairvoyance. The modern witch functioned more like a priestess than an evil sorceress.