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Post by Joanna on Sept 2, 2014 22:43:47 GMT -5
What's the Difference Between Paganism, Wicca and Witchcraft?Question: I met a woman who is a witch, but she says she’s not Wiccan. Then there’s some guy I know who says all Pagans are Wiccans. Even more confusing, this site says Wicca and Paganism, like it’s two different things. What’s going on?
Answer: Wicca is a tradition of Witchcraft that was brought to the public by Gerald Gardner in the 1950s. There is a great deal of debate among the Pagan community about whether or not Wicca is truly the same form of Witchcraft that the ancients practiced. Regardless, many people use the terms Wicca and Witchcraft interchangeably. Paganism is an umbrella term used to apply to a number of different earth-based faiths. Wicca falls under that heading, although not all Pagans are Wiccan. So, in a nutshell, here’s what’s going on. All Wiccans are witches, but not all witches are Wiccans. All Wiccans are Pagans, but not all Pagans are Wiccans. Finally, some witches are Pagans, but some are not – and some Pagans practice witchcraft, while others do not do so.
If you’re reading this page, chances are you’re either a Wiccan or Pagan, or you’re someone who’s interested in learning more about the modern Pagan movement. You may be a parent who is curious about what your child is reading, or you might be someone who is dissatisfied with the spiritual path you’re on right now. Perhaps you’re seeking something more than what you’ve had in the past. You might be someone who has practiced Wicca or Paganism for years and who just wants to learn more.
For many people, the embracing of an earth-based spirituality is a feeling of “coming home.” Often, people say when they first discovered Wicca, they felt like they finally fit in. For others, it’s a journey to something new, rather than running away from something else.
Paganism is an Umbrella Term. Please bear in mind there are dozens of different traditions that fall under the umbrella title of “Paganism.” While one group may participate in certain practices, not everyone will follow the same criteria. Statements made on this site referring to Wiccans and Pagans generally refer to most Wiccans and Pagans, with the acknowledgment that not all practices are identical.
Not All Pagans are Wiccans. There are many Witches who are not Wiccans. Some are Pagans, but some consider themselves something else entirely.
Just to make sure everyone’s on the same page, let’s clear up one thing right off the bat: not all Pagans are Wiccans. The term “Pagan” (derived from the Latin paganus, which translates roughly to “hick from the sticks”) was originally used to describe people who lived in rural areas. As time progressed and Christianity spread, those same country folk were often the last holdouts clinging to their old religions. Thus, “Pagan” came to mean people who didn’t worship the god of Abraham.
In the 1950s, Gerald Gardner brought Wicca to the public and many contemporary Pagans embraced the practice. Although Wicca itself was founded by Gardner, he allegedly based it on old traditions. However, a lot of Witches and Pagans were perfectly happy to continue practicing their own spiritual path without converting to Wicca. Therefore, “Pagan” is an umbrella term that includes many different spiritual belief systems – Wicca is just one of many.
Think of it this way: Christian – Lutheran or Methodist or Jehovah’s Witness. Pagan – Wiccan or Asatru or Dianic or Eclectic Witchcraft.
As if this isn’t confusing enough, not all people who practice witchcraft are Wiccans, or even Pagans. There are a few witches who embrace the Christian god as well as a Wiccan goddess – the Christian Witch movement is alive and well! There are also people out there who practice Jewish mysticism, or “Jewitchery,” and atheist witches who practice magic but do not follow a deity.
What About Magic? There are a number of people who consider themselves Witches, but who are not necessarily Wiccan or even Pagan. Typically, these are people who use the term “eclectic Witch” to apply to themselves. In many cases, Witchcraft is seen as a skill set in addition to or instead of a religious system. Witches may practice magic in a manner completely separate from their spirituality; in other words, one does not have to interact with the Divine to be a Witch.Source: Patti Wigington, Paganism & Wicca.
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Post by catherine on Sept 3, 2014 2:11:52 GMT -5
I can't believe Wiccans actually believe that Gerald Gardner based Wicca on old traditions. He got his ideas from Margaret Murray's books The Witch Cult in Western Europe and God of the Witches, then added a few of his own perversions, like practicing skyclad, and Voila! he had a new religion! Wiccans are gullible and they're not interested in real witchcraft, such as Hoodoo, they're more interested in saving animals and all that "Do What Thou Wilt and Harm None" crap, or whatever it is they're so fond of saying, which is why so many of them are vegan. Does anyone know if Gerald Gardner was vegan? I've read a few things about him, but he's such an ugly, perverted old nut that I don't find anything he did or believed interesting.
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Post by aprillynn93 on Sept 3, 2014 12:19:51 GMT -5
I don't know for sure if Gardner was vegetarian, but don't think so. I know that you do not HAVE to be vegetarian to be a Wiccan, but many are.
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Post by steve on Sept 3, 2014 16:26:48 GMT -5
I don't get it. What does being a vegetarian have to do with witchcraft or Wicca?
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Post by madeline on Sept 4, 2014 10:09:17 GMT -5
I doubt that Gardner was vegetarian. He was just a dirty old man. I know some Wiccans, who say that eating meat violates their “harm none” rule, but I know others who eat meat. For some reason, Wicca attracts a lot of animal rights weirdos, who don’t really know anything at all about real witchcraft.
When I went with some friends to the pagan shop run by that Bert Dahl freak in Arkansas, he didn’t have any real witchcraft items, just a bunch of statues, regular candles and other junk that wouldn’t be of any interest to a real witch. The teenage girl who wanted to go to the shop was looking for Hexing Oil, but of course he didn’t have any. Real witchcraft uses all kinds of oils, herbs, roots, candles, washes and things like 4 Thieves Vinegar and real witches don’t go in for all that “harm none” foolishness.
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Post by Kate on Sept 5, 2014 22:15:45 GMT -5
Many people today look at witchcraft, Wicca and paganism as some kind of nature religion where all life is sacred, including animals. This could have started because the ancient pagans built stone circles, fairy hills and things like that and worshiped the sun and the moon. But if you think about it, what else did they have to worship? They invented gods and goddesses to represent different things. The Celts, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans were all polytheistic and animals were associated with some of their gods, but that's because they were closer to nature than people are today. On the ancient Celtic feast days, meat was on the menu. Samhain was the last big feast of the year, when many animals were slaughtered and eaten because they didn't have enough grain on hand to feed all their animals until spring when they could graze on grass again.
Most Wiccans and pagans aren't very well educated, so they'll believe just about anything. When I was a teenager, I read a lot of New Age books, but today, I see them as silly and wonder how anyone other than a teen could believe them. I guess it's fun for them to meet and dance and pretend to perform spells, but it's all make believe, it's not real magic.
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Post by jane on Jun 6, 2015 12:19:39 GMT -5
Gerald Gardner wasn't a vegetarian. Modern Wiccans got their ideas from the hippies of the 1960s and 70s and the back-to-the-earth movement. For some reason, they associate growing your own food and protecting the environment with animal rights (whatever that is). They obviously don't realize that a large dog consumes and destroys more of the earth's resources than a big SUV and unless animals are culled that they will overpopulate and starve to death.
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Post by madeline on Jun 12, 2015 13:18:56 GMT -5
Gerald Gardner wasn't a vegetarian. Modern Wiccans got their ideas from the hippies of the 1960s and 70s and the back-to-the-earth movement. For some reason, they associate growing your own food and protecting the environment with animal rights (whatever that is). They obviously don't realize that a large dog consumes and destroys more of the earth's resources than a big SUV and unless animals are culled that they will overpopulate and starve to death.
I knew that a dog has a bigger carbon footprint than an SUV. A few years ago, there was a book called "Time to Eat the Dog" that I read. We may have discussed it one of our old groups because there were a lot of dog freaks in those groups and some of us enjoyed annoying them.
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