To the Witches out there who don't also consider themselves Wiccan, why do you feel that Wicca isn't ...?...

Question

...part of your journey? Also, to the Witches who also consider themselves Wiccan, why do you feel that Wicca IS part of your jouney?

I ask this because I am sorting through the paths before me and I see that the two (Witchcraft and Wicca) are not the same and don't always go hand in hand. So I am very interested in any personal thoughts anyone has. Thanks!

to Rose P, regarding more details about Wicca, there are tons of web sites out there if you google the work wicca, but some places to start might be witchvox.com, and the Spiral Grove.

Answer 1

Wicca is not part of my path because it is too close to a religion for me, and I do not agree with there being any deity higher than I, - I have ones who walk with me, but I am the MISTRESS - and Wiccan ideas also do not agree with me. Rules and regulations should be self evident, and there is in fact no such thing as black and white magic - there is only intent. Traditional witchcraft goes back to ... think Stonehenge and Druids and you will be very close - and it involves anything you find power in for your personal self. Wicca has altars and set rituals and set objects for the altar. They cast circles and offer homage to the four as well as ask for their blessing and help- mostly as a way to guide and protect the caster, and all they do is admirable, for them.. Witches need no such devices, as they would never do anything they could not control, things that they know innately within themselves. Witches do not ask nor do they homage - they grab hold, harness what they need, use it in their doings, and then it is free again. They are naturally guarded, so there is no need to cast a circle. I would definitely advise Wicca as a stepping stone if you are not one who knows of your innate self and has never experienced "things" enough to already know how to protect and control, just be careful, because EVERY good thing has it's fools which will lead you astray AND gives all the rest a bad reputation. This is something Wicca, being so public now, has had to contend with. I support them where I can, for they do no wrong. No true Wiccan will tell you it is ancient, as Gardner did not start the religion until 1939. Witchcarft is the ancient, and you CAN be a witch without Wicca. Anyone who says different is mistaken.

Answer 2

Wicca was part of my journey. I was elevated to second degree high priestess in the Black Forest Clan. I moved away from my coven group, and had difficulty in keeping up with the lessons, and homework without the group support & group mind. I have since worked with other wiccan groups, both covens & collectives, and though I love them dearly, many are too universal in thier belief for me to feel comfortable working with them. Being a hard polytheist working within the Germanic Heathen Pantheon makes it difficult to be in a circle where gods & godesses of different pantheons can & have been invoked in the same ritual. Also I have an aversion to "wiccatru" where some try to meld wicca with the asatru religion. I am sure that there are some who are successful at it & feel that is thier path, but I do not share their values. Today I am a witch. I work solely with the gods & goddeses of the germanic pantheon, I have worked Celtic, Greek, Egyptian, and Chinese in the past, but I have never felt such a strong connection as I do with the Aesir. I will occasionally attend an open ritual, with the right group. But I no longer consider myself "wiccan" and have not since being tapped (more like smacked upside the head) by Wodin I Practice witchcraft with my family. Sometimes it is in a religous context, but usually it is spontaneous sorcery and sigil work (Husband is a pragmatic sorcerer- he was also formerly wiccan) I have studied the occult for most of my life (my sincere interest began at 12 years of age... i am now 35) Although wicca was once a moniker that I proudly endorsed for myself, it is not a part of my future journey.

Answer 3

My practice is more organic than Wicca....while I recognize the value in doing things the same way each time, it doesn't sit well with my inner sense of the spiritual/natural.

Hmmmm, how to put this?

It's good to have a "script", but at any moment I must have the freedom to abandon that "script" if Spirit moves me in another direction.

Wicca is very much about honoring the God and Goddess - and that's fine. But MY practice is far more about turning the Wheel.

Oh, and by the way, it isn't a matter of "considering yourself" Wiccan. You either have been trained in, and initated into, a Wiccan Tradition, or you haven't.

Answer 4

I studied Wicca for awhile, but in the end it wasn't the path for me. I simply can't bring myself to believe in any deities, and the recognition of some type of deity(-ies) is a central part of any Wiccan trad, really. There was also a bit too much ritual, at least for me. I prefer to just go with the flow (this strays over to the Chaos Magic realm).

As for the term 'witch,' I don't even use that. I call myself a wizardess, sorceress, or Occultist. Those terms are not supposed to be negative in any way, but rather simply denote the use of magic in a non-religious context.

Answer 5

I was Wiccan for over 20 years. The path I am now on better suits me, that does not mean I have anything against Wicca it is just not for me.

And to the person that said Wicca is one of the oldest religions...Wicca is a new religion founded in the late 1940's by Gerald B. Gardner.

Answer 6

Interesting. I am and have remained an ecclectic little Pagan. I tried Wicca and found it to be too full of meaningless ritual; well, I apologise for that. Meaningless for me, not for anyone else who believes in it. I walked away from ritual when I left the Christian church; just the act of breathing can be a prayer.
Like young Moshing Area, I also walk with others, but I have no need to lord it over them, we just are together. Even the less savoury Ones can come along, provided they bring no harm and leave no harm when they go. My place means Peace and is a Safe Haven.
No witchcraft and Wicca are not the same and you'll have to find your own path. All of us have to eventually.
Good luck and Blessings on finding yours.

Answer 7

I'm a witch who used to be a Wiccan, but it isn't the right path for me. It isn't an old religion at all. Gerald Gardner started it about 60 years ago, and in looking at his life history, his motivations, his womanizing, et al.. I just found that its foundations were spurious at best for me.
I prefer the pagan path.. one of sound history and mythology.. however, I will always be a witch. As Ly de Angeles so eloquently puts it, "and if the magic believes in you, how can you not answer its call?"

Answer 8

Power without wisdom is prone to abuse. You can't set foot in a 'community event' without meeting several different kinds of meglomaniacs. I honestly advise you to study the teachings of the Buddha along side your magickal studies. Which is more important: having power over others or having power over yourself?

Answer 9

Wicca, wiccan ?
I'm sorry I'm no familiar with these terms. Any chance of sending me a link to descriptions ?
Best wishes,
Rose P

Answer 10

Wicca is the one of the oldest religions. If you want to follow a religion with traditions, and be a witch, study wicca. If you want to be a free spirit, study all the ways, and choose whatever path you are lead to. If you enjoy the traditions and the alters and the God/Goddess aspect, Wicca may be for you. You can be a solitary, you can join a group, you have many choices. Just remember "Harm No One". Things will come back to you threefold, so keep your intentions pure.