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The American Council of Witches, alternatively known as the Council of American Witches, was a transient yet influential assembly established in 1973. This council, comprising around seventy-three individuals who identified with various Pagan, Neopagan, and Witchcraft traditions, convened for a brief period before disbanding in 1974. Despite its short existence, the council achieved a significant milestone by formulating a set of principles that sought to find common ground among the diverse traditions represented within its membership.

Founded on the premise of unity and shared understanding among different Pagan and Witchcraft communities, the American Council of Witches represented a unique endeavor to articulate a collective voice for these traditions. Its members, drawn from a wide spectrum of beliefs and practices, collaborated to draft a foundational document that would express the core principles shared across these varied paths. However, the council disbanded shortly after achieving this goal, marking a brief but impactful chapter in the history of modern Neopaganism and Witchcraft in America.

In April 1974, the council members drafted what would become a seminal document in the Wiccan and broader Neopagan community: the Thirteen Principles of Wiccan Belief. These principles were designed to encapsulate beliefs that were broadly acceptable across the diverse traditions participating in the council. Today, these principles continue to resonate with many in the Neopagan community, serving as a foundational guide to practice and belief. The principles include:

Natural Rhythms: Attuning ourselves to the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the Moon's phases, and the seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarters.

Environmental Responsibility: Recognizing our unique responsibility towards our environment and striving for ecological balance.

Acknowledgment of Power: Acknowledging a depth of power that transcends the ordinary, often termed “supernatural,” yet seen as naturally potential to all.

Polarity and Balance: Viewing the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity—as masculine and feminine—and valuing the interaction and balance between these forces.

The Two Worlds: Recognizing both the outer (physical) and inner (psychological or spiritual) worlds, and seeing their interaction as the basis for paranormal phenomena and magical exercises.

Rejection of Authoritarian Hierarchy: Eschewing any authoritarian hierarchy, while honoring those who teach and lead with wisdom and integrity.

Unity of Beliefs: Identifying Witchcraft, or the Wiccan Way, as a holistic world-view that unites religion, magic, and wisdom-in-living.

The Essence of Being a Witch: Asserting that one's identity as a Witch is defined by inner qualities and lived practice, rather than by titles, heredity, or initiations.

Affirmation of Life: Believing in the affirmation and fulfillment of life through the evolution and development of consciousness.

Interfaith Relations: Maintaining only animosity towards religious or philosophical claims of exclusivity that deny freedom and suppress other practices.

Openness to Discussion: Welcoming debates on the Craft's history and practices as part of engaging with the present and future.

Rejection of Absolute Evil: Disavowing the concept of absolute evil and the worship of entities like “Satan” or “the Devil” as defined by Christian tradition.

Health and Well-being: Seeking within Nature that which contributes to our health and well-being, promoting a life in harmony with the natural world.

The principles set forth by the American Council of Witches in 1974 continue to be a beacon for those within the Wiccan and broader Neopagan communities. They serve not only as a testament to the council's brief existence but also as enduring guidelines that celebrate the diversity, unity, and ethical foundation of these spiritual paths.