Evolution of a Tradition

Tradition as defined is "the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation" and according to Wikipedia, it is " a belief or behavior passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. "  In the occult practice, Traditions are practices, beliefs, rites, dogmas formed and practiced by a group of people and passed on to succeeding generations. 

In the Pagan community, there are a lot of Traditions that are 1. Already existing and 2. Are being formed. But how do these Traditions evolve into what they are today?

Let's look at Wicca and the Traditions that are in it. Wicca as every witch should know ,is a religion formed by Gardner and is supposed to be a revival or a "rediscovery" of an ancient Tradition. Some of the books attributed to it as the "Old Religion", example those written by Margaret Murray, were however dismissed. There are a lot of Traditions that stemmed from the one Gardner created, some of them  are Alexandrian, Algard, Seax-Wicca, Celtic Wicca, just to name a few, and these are already well structured Traditions with rites and rituals that are based on the Gardnerian Tradition of Wicca. If we base the premise  to Wicca, here are the things that we can conclude to be the basis of a Tradition's evolution.

1. Background.

As most of the magickal Traditions' births, Gardner gave us a history of how the Tradition was founded. Some people believe that in order for a tradition to be believable, there should be a legitimate continuity. In Gardner's case, he mentioned that he was initiated in the New Forest Coven by "Old Dorothy" Clutterbuck. However, as some scholars researching about the origin of the religion discovered that this coven was a fictional creation of Gerald to give Wicca a historical basis. 

2. Followers

For a Tradition to naturally evolve, there should be people practicing it. In the case of Wicca, when Gardner outed himself to be a witch, this sparked people's interest in the occult and Wicca became one of the fastest growing religions in the world. Gardnerian Wicca has covens upon covens sprouting around Europe and in the United States. 

3. Structure

A tradition should also have a belief system and structure in order for it to grow. Gardnerian Tradition has these things. They have establish a Duotheistic view of the Divine- which is the God and the Goddess and have also established a structure- three levels of Initiation, the Priests and the Priestesses, etc. 

4. Cultural Significance

I don't know if this applies to all magickal Traditions, but I think attaching the tradition o a specific culture is very important. As with Wicca, we know that it is closely knit to the Gods of the British Isles- The Horned God and the Great Mother. In some traditions, there are those attached to Celtic, Slavic, Icelandic, Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures, just to name a few. 

5. Longevity

A Tradition cannot be called a tradition if the followers die out after one generation. A tradition should be able to stand the test of time and should be passed on to the next generation. The generations what would follow this tradition should also stay true to the tenets of the tradition as it was practiced generations ago. In Wicca, we can see that the religion and the Traditions under it have survived since the 1950s and is still growing until today. 

Though there are still a lot of basis for the evolution of a Tradition, but I think these five are the most important. If you plan to create your own tradition, you need to follow at least these five. The Tradition that you want to create should have an origin- where did it come from, what lineage does it follow? It should also have followers. It cannot be a tradition if you are the only one practicing it. It should have a foundation- how the Tradition would work. A Cultural significance- what culture is it tied to and lastly, it should stand the test of time. 

- photos from the Internet-