Wiccans, Pagans and Witches...?

Question

What made you pick your tradition? Do you follow one?
Do you call yourself a Wiccan, Pagan or a Witch?

Answer 1

None of the above, I call myself a Heathen.


I'm Asatru, so obviously I wouldn't call myself Wiccan. I don't practice magic, so I wouldn't call myself a witch. Calling myself Pagan confuses people, they mistake me for a Wiccan. Since I practice Norse Heathenry, it seems only fitting to call myself a Heathen or just an Asatruar.


I picked Asatru because it was the only religion out there that made sense to me. Because it gives me a fulfillment in life that no other religion ever could do. Being connected to the Gods who are as close to you as bloodkin, following a Lore that teaches you to be strong and independent, honoring your ancestors and the heroes of before, that is Asatru for me.

Answer 2

I call myself a Wiccan, which is a subset of Paganism. I also call myself a witch, since I practice witchcraft, but prefer to self-identify as Wiccan because the witchcraft is practiced within the context of that religion, and not as an end in itself.

My first teachers were heavily influenced by the Alexandrian Tradition, so that's where most of my basic structure came from. I also took the year-and-a-day Outer Court training from a local Alexandrian elder about ten years ago but did not join an Alexandrian coven. A year and a half ago I was formally initiated into an Alexandrian-based lineage, but since my initiatrix moved out of the province I have not had much opportunity to practice within that society. At the moment, in spite of all the Alexandrianism flying about me, I would best be described as an Eclectic Wiccan practitioner.

Long-winded, but I hope it answered your question. :-)

Answer 3

Merry Meet absolutely everyone, through fact the definitions are comprehend right this moment: All Wiccans ARE Witches. All Witches are no longer unavoidably Wiccan, and all Wiccans/Witches are Pagan, yet Pagans are no longer unavoidably Wiccans or Witches. In gentle and Love, Alawnduin

Answer 4

I am Pecti-Witan, a Pictish WITCH. For lack of a better label. This path is a very open one having no set rituals. As a Pict I am not much into worship or ritual but tend to be more in tune with nature and the ability to "manipulate" certain aspects to affect certain outcomes. I am an herbalist, know what gems or minerals do what, do a lot of colour magick and heavily into divination. To the point where I have even developed my own divination tools. I am in tune with nature to the point where I have learned to communicate with animals. I have never been bitten or stung by anything (other than mosquitoes). My mother was a Hedge Witch so I also follow in her footsteps. My great grndfather was a Comanche Medicine Man. So you see it runs in my family.
BB
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Answer 5

I'm an eclectic solitary pagan, with strong Wiccan influence. I have worked with groups before, but found that a solitary path is much more fulfilling for me, to develop my own relationship with the God and Goddess.

I generally use "Pagan, with strong Wiccan influence" to describe my religion. I don't want to cheese off those who think "If it ain't Gardner, it ain't Wicca", but I also don't want to be mistaken for a Druid / Asatruar / etc.

If I'm talking to someone off-the-cuff, though, and they ask (usually about my pentacle), odds are I'll call myself Wiccan, because my beliefs are fundamentally the same - just without the initiation or the coven structures. It gives a frame of reference that they may be able to understand, but they don't need to get dragged into the details.

If someone asks "Are you a witch?" I will usually answer yes, since I do spellwork on occasion.

Answer 6

I really enjoy the pagan holidays. I think it's really a neat idea to celebrate each phase of the life cycle alongside the world going through its seasons. It think it's psychologically healthy and promotes the idea of cyclical thinking rather than linear. I was inspired by the webpage below.

I also like the pagan symbolism of the pentacle, which balances the energies of the elements and controls and balances them by containing them in a circle.

I'm a Taoist also, so my paganism is not traditional but rather my own take on traditions and celebrations and symbols I find appealing.

Answer 7

I'm a Witch, not a Wiccan (I have not been trained in, or initiated into, one of the Traditions of Wicca).

I often just say I'm Pagan.

As for my "picking" my Tradition, I currently practice NROOGD, which is informed by Wicca, but not a Wiccan Tradition.

I'm practicing NROOGD now because my hubby (Black Dragon) and I were initiated into two different oath-bound Traditions, and could not practice together.

So we needed a common Tradition. And we have friends who are NROOGD, and we had attended NROOGD rituals, and liked it.

When I do things alone, I do them as per my other Tradition.



Peace out.


EDIT: Darling, you posted just before me again. *grin*

Answer 8

It's the label I found that best describes my personal beliefs.
I call myself Pagan... but have been called a Kitchen Witch. I mainly follow the Celtic Tradition.

Answer 9

What finally made my choice in traditions was the tangible, real world results I was getting. I should add it took years of research, learning, and searching. But the results were proof to me that I was on the right path (for me). I often call myself Pagan just because having to explain Daemonolatry over and over again gets laborious. It's basically a form of soft polytheistic hermeticism.

Answer 10

My life journey just seemed to take me down this path. I have studied and lived with a lot of different faith traditions and I think I migrated to one that makes sense for me.

As for my current classification, I'd call myself a pagan reconstructionalist (although I reserve the right to change :D )