Very interesting question. (You probably should refer to Dianic Wicca in Wikipedia.)
Looking for similarities between Dianic Wicca and common Christianity, one might consider the close similarity of high Holy Days, with Samhain corresponding to the Feast of All Saints, Winter Solstice with Christmas, Spring Equinox with Easter and so forth. This correspondence is not accidental, because the Christian Liturgical Calendar is based on both Hebrew and pre-Christian religious cycles relating to the annual agricultural, lunar and solar cycles.
Another interesting similarity is the figure of the Madonna and Child. In Wicca, this figure is the Goddess and her Son, with the Goddess being the greater deity. Christian tradition reversed this figure, interpreting it as the Virgin Mary and the Infant Christ, with the Child being the dominant Deity.
Most Dianic Wiccans worship the Goddess only, acknowledging that She is the source of all living and contains all within Her.
Dianic witchcraft. Diana was in part a Lunar Goddess also associated with Hunting.
Animistic, or perhaps tribal. OR...Dianic, pagan, druidic, etc.
There are many different "Traditions" of Wicca, including but not limited to, Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Dianic, Norse, Celtic/Druid, and Faerie.
There are hundreds of different branches of Wicca, each with its own beliefs,ideals etc. They are often referred to as Neo-Pagan since they are generally a reconstruction and/or modification of ancient beliefs. Celtic,Dianic,Faery,Electic,Green,Solitary,Frosts,Gardnerian,Seax are just a very few of the Branches. Re: Also, remember that Wicca is a branch with the group of Pagan religons. Not to be confused with being a Witch or witchcraft. (sometimes known as the Craft to its practicers)
Nowhere. Wicca is made up of solitaries, meaning people who practice on their own, and covens, meaning a group of people. There are also organisations like the Covenant of the Goddess (COG). But there are no official tradition leaders, only High Priests (HP) and High Priestesses (HPS), often the coven leaders.Another Thought- Dianic Wicca is one of many sub-sections of Wicca, which is itself one of the spiritual paths found under the umbrella term Paganism.- There is also a Dianic path of Witchcraft, unrelated to Wicca.Although Wicca has currently become the "politically correct" term for "witchcraft" and many other forms of paganism, it is because they are more recognisably organised (and vocal) than many other of the pagan spiritual paths.- However, calling all pagans Wiccan is the same as calling all Christians, Catholic.As the census people only recently even added paganism to their list of recognised "religions," and many practicing pagans are still reluctant to "come out of the broom closet" it is difficult to determine how many practitioners of Dianic Wicca exist in the world today, let alone pin-point their exact locations.
There are hundreds of different Pagan Religions. Some of the best known Pagan religions are Buddhism, Shintoism, Native American Religions, Hinduism, Taoism, Wicca, Druidism, Asatru, Shamanism, Neo-Paganism and Eclectic Paganism. The spiritual or religious beliefs of Pagans are that deity is both imminent and transcendent. Deity is therefore a part of the fabric of our being, of our environment, and of that which is beyond anything we can imagine. Pagans do not worship the Devil or Satan. Pagans do not believe in the Devil, he is part of the Judeo-Christian Religions and mythology. Most Devil worshipping groups are not Pagan, because they are centered on a Judeo-Christian supernatural being, namely Satan. These Devil Worshippers are a sect of Christianity, even though Christianity does not want to claim them. Some Pagans are Witches, some are not. Many Pagan groups do not practice Witchcraft. Wiccans are a type of Pagan Witches, there are also Dianic Witches, Green Witches, and other types of Pagan Witches. A Religious or Pagan Ritual is anything that focuses your spiritual energy. A church service is a ritual, so is a wedding, or a funeral, or a Hopi Sun Dance. Humans have created rituals since the beginning of time. Ritual is the way humans express their connection with divinity and each other.
Cynthia was a moon Goddess. She is associated with the Moon. This implies a night time setting. Diana, as in Miss Ross and also Wonder Woman and the lost princess, also is a Lunar Goddess. The Dianic cycle or Lunation is 28 days- one Lunar month.
Like every other religion or faith tradition, witchcraft has many varieties. Dianic Wicca is a Goddess-centered tradition, and consciously feminist. Alexandrian Wicca and Gardnerian Wicca honor both Gods and Goddesses, and include male witches. Many solitary Wiccans are also feminist. But it would be wrong to assume that all Feminists are Wiccan or that all Wiccans are Feminist.
There are several systems also known as Traditions within Wicca, a few of them are: Alexandrian Gardenarian Dianic Faery Seax Blue Star British Traditional Eclectic Each tradition has it's own set ways for ritual, entrance, and teaching into the craft, however the one thing that unites them is their devotion, and the common poem known as the Wiccan Rede which states "An it harm none, Do what thou will".
Witchcraft or the Craft is one of many forms of Paganism. Paganism is an umbrella term encompassing but not exclusive to: Asatru/Norse; Blended as in (Christo-pagan, Judeo-pagan, etc); Celtic (Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Faerie, Druidism); Ceremonial Magic (Golden Dawn, Rosicrucian); Eclectic; Egyptian; Esoteric; Italian/Strega; Shamanism (North American, South American, European, Asian); Voudoun/Santeria; Wicca (Gardnerian, Dianic, Alexandrian, Solitary, Family Tradition)
Paganism is an umbrella term for a variety of religious beliefs, including Shamanism, Asatru, Witchcraft, Stregha etc.. Wicca is one of those. Pagans generally believe on the forces of nature and individual power and individual being a part of the collective life force of the 'Earth'. Pagan religions are not organized hierarchal religions. The only hierarchal structure in pagan groups the leadership of the more experienced adepts to the newbies joining that group. Pagan religions are actively practiced by the followers and there is no distinction between followers and priests as such. There is no authoritative organism above all the groups of a pagan religion. Though there are similarities between many pagan paths and traditions, each pagan religion has its own lore, roots, history and core beliefs that distinguish between them. Even among Wiccan covens (groups of practitioners) there are slight differences of their lore and techniques of practice