The number of Pagans in a given area can be very difficult to gauge. Pagans tend to be secretive, particularly if they are concerned about losing their jobs or custody of their children if their religious affiliations become publicly known. Furthermore, while some are affiliated with working groups such as covens, a greater number practice as solitaries and may or may not choose to come to public events or contact other local Pagans through the Internet or local shops, which are the primary methods of networking.

The Delaware Valley Pagan Network (DVPN), which covers not only Philadelphia but the surrounding counties, southern and central New Jersey, and all of Delaware, has a fluctuating membership of 150 to 200. Beyond that, there are several hundred more that we know of through contact with ritual groups and through the distribution of our newsletter. Based on that and on what’s known statistically about Pagans in the general population, we estimate that there are between 5,000 and 10,000 Pagans in the Delaware Valley.

We know of more than 30 working groups in our area, most of which are Wiccan covens. The largest single group is the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel, a Wiccan tradition unto itself with five covens in the Delaware Valley.

Other Pagan traditions represented in the Delaware Valley are:

* British Traditional (Gardnerian/Alexandrian) Wicca

* Reclaiming Wicca

* Dianic Wicca

* Norse Reconstructionism

* Roman Reconstructionism

* Thelema

* Druidism

* Native American Spirituality

* Mesoamerican Spirituality

For a description of what these groups believe, please see our Paganism Backgrounder.

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