Being a Solitary is more a term than a Tradition. Being a Solitary is the way a person chooses to practise their tradition - that is alone. The most correct term for a Solitary is probably a Solitary Pagan or a Solitary Witch.

There are many misconceptions that a Solitary can be Wiccan. Unfortunately, in most cases this is incorrect. In the Wiccan Tradition witches are initiated by a High Priest or a High Priestess. These initiations are usually male to female or female to male, that is a High Priest will initiate a female candidate and vice versa.

The only time a solitary can be a Wiccan is when they are initiated into a coven and then leave the coven to work solitary. Choosing to work Solitary in this circumstance does not take away the Wiccan initiation.

Solitary witches can go through a self initiation or self dedication i.e. in a ritual performed alone, they dedicate their spiritual path to the God and Goddess. This is something that is between the initiate and the God and Goddess and in some covens is seen as a valid form of initiation.

People choose to work Solitary for many reasons. Some choose to work this way due to geographical reasons and others because they prefer to worship in their own way and don't like the structure of a coven. Others choose to work solitary because it suits them and the stage they are at, while others do so because they haven't found a group they like or just aren't interested in working with other people.

Last updated: February 01, 2005.