Have I been using the term Wicca wrongly?

Question

I just read a question which seemed to suggest that Wicca has become a specific path, a formalized or formula type of witchcraft. Is there an actual organization named Wicca? Should I stop using it as a generic term, or start paying dues to a membership organization?

I read the first 8 answers and I'm still confused. I think I will drop the use of the term Wicca. But not "wrongly."

"Wrongly" is a perfectly good adverb, whereas "wrong" is an adjective. Also perfectly good, of course.

Answer 1

lol my beloved witchy sister.. Wicca has so many flavors/paths that there isn't just one organization.
Same thing as christianity.. judaism, etc..
Use it however you like.. I dare anyone to tell you differently ;)

Answer 2

The way I understand it, Wicca is a branch of Paganism. Paganism is basically the umbrella-term for all nature-based religions. Wicca is basically the Pagan religion that follows the rede of "An it harm none, do what thou wilt" and polytheistically believes in generally an equal God and a Goddess. Then there are branches of Wicca that get narrower by focusing on specific gods and goddesses and specific traditions, such as Dianic Wicca, Gardner Wicca, etc. Wicca is the same as Judaism, Dianic Wicca is the same as Orthodox Judaism. The broader religion branches out to narrower religions.
As far as I know, there is no organization known as W.I.C.C.A., the closest is WICA - the Witchcraft Information Centre and Archive. Wicca can be used the same as you would Judaism or Buddhism, the proper noun name for a religion, meaning it should always be capitalized.

Answer 3

"Wicca" is a specific term for a specific group of religions, such as is "Christianity". There are many types of Wicca, Including Gardinerian, Dianic, Alexandrian, Feri and many others. One may be a Wiccan and not follow any of these traditions.

Still, not all witchcraft is Wicca. Wicca involves a religious belief while generic witchcraft recognizes power in the universe and utilizes this power to effect change in one's environment. Witchcraft may be practiced devoid of any religious beliefs.

So, Witchcraft is about the Magick, while Wicca uses magick as a part of its religion. Some apply the term Wicca to much of neo-paganism, but it is a bit more specific than that. It is still a quite generic term though.

Answer 4

Dues made me giggle for some reason, brought to mind images of little girls in witch hats sitting around a campfire a la girl scouts :) As far as I'm aware, Wicca is.. well, Wicca - a form of witchcraft. Gardner did certainly vault it to the for front of Paganism as we know it. As for it being a specific path, I suppose if you are a Gardnerian Wiccan, or an Alexandrian Wiccan you are following a specific path? Ops! I answered a question with a question!

Answer 5

Wicca has an involved history. Wicca began in this country as a specific path. For most people it is still a specific path. Wicca has the Rede and some general rules. Many people today say that they are eclectic or solitary Wiccans. I personally find that to be incorrect, but that is just my opinion. Paganism, which is the larger religion that Wicca is a branch of is a more appropriate name for eclectic practitioners to use.

*This was not written by me, it is of course someone's opinion but I think it contains valuable facts*

"OK... lets bring this up to a level of complete understanding for everyone.

Gardner found this word... wice, wicce, wicca, wica.... depends on who you
talk to. He liked it rather than using the word "witch", which of course
was still taboo in England back in the late 30s/early 40s. It did not set
folks off when he said he was a "wicce" like it did back then when you said
"witch".

Witchcraft had been around for a long time in England as a practice.
Depending on who you talk to, it was either Satan worship, or a cunning
craft, craft of the wise, hedge witchery, etc etc etc. Gardner wanted to
adapt "witchcraft", as practiced by the English, into his practices of
Occultism. It was Doreen who gave it more of a spiritual spin. Adaptation
of the Aradia at this point pushed the whole idea into a spirituality,
including all the little bits of "this and that" that Gardner added from his
travels, like reincarnation, karma etc. All those little foreign bits that
are not native to English practices.

So, the original practice of "witchcraft" was an older practice, had been
around in England for a while, but as the witchcraft laws were not repealed
till 1951, they had to call it something else. So they were "wicce" not
witches.

Today, well after the witchcraft laws were repealed, they still refer to it
as wicce, or wicca or wica or whatever, all interchangeable with the word
"witch". To the British Traditionalists, this is all witchcraft and they
are all "wicce or witches" or "wicca or witches".

So, when they say "wicca is an older practice going back many generations",
what they are saying as applied to their practice and how they use the terms
is very true.

It all changes when it comes to America. Buckland is still referencing
British Traditional Witchcraft, and again, he is correct in his use of the
term.

But we have the Frosts. They, and Llewellyn Publishing, change everything.
The Frosts "wicca" is completely unrecognizable as the form of "Wicca" we
practice, but they figured they needed a 501c3 for their religion, they
called it "Wicca" and they got the IRS to identify it as a religion. Then
comes the "WitchWars" of the 70s, the fight over who calls what Wicca, who
is entitled to a 501c3 for their "Wiccan practice" and who has the right to
decide what Wicca is. See Dr. Leo Martello - a name we should all recognize
and associate with WARD (today it's AREN)

We have Cunningham introducing Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner, based on
some statements by Doreen Valiente in her book "Witchcraft for Tomorrow" and
his own practices which were very much Traditional but expanded to include
not just covens but individuals. We have a very different religion and
practice emerging from this. Add to this the different kinds of magical
systems already in place in the US, such as Folk Magics of different ethnic
and regional origins, and we have a case of evolution, where the
spirituality bended and blended with the spiritual needs of the groups it
was addressing.

Yes, it was Gardner who started the ball rolling. It's been gaining
momentum and following ever since then because it allows two things.... it
allows the practitioner to personally experience their connection with Deity
and it allows the individual to practice as they feel they need to based on
this experience.

We have much to thank Ol' Gerald for, even though at the time he may have
had a very different idea of what he was doing. It has undergone many
evolutions... from parlor parties to a genuine spirituality and now a
religion. And it will continue to evolve, always meeting the needs of the
practitioner as the practitioner grows in spirituality. This is what will
make this a very successful religion."

Answer 6

Wicca is a religion. There are different groups under that same title. i.e. Dianic Wicca, Gardenerian Wicca, Alexandrian Wicca, Seax Wicca. These each follow Wicca but with changes specific to them.

I hope this helps.

Answer 7

If the word Wicca is going to have any type of meaning, it ought to have specific characteristics. In the sense of being a religion that affirms the value of nature and the sacredness of the present moment, focuses a great deal on the interdependence of being and the interplay of the various polarities in existence, and tells us to consider the consequences of our acts and intentions - then yes, it really does have specific characteristics.

On the other hand, if someone just wants Wicca to be a name for whatever they believe, then that's super, but at that point, the word loses its meaning.

It would be like me deflowering a virgin while screaming out "Hail Satan" and claiming to be a good Christian boy.

Which, of course, says nothing about the validity of your own path. Do whatever you want. I just believe that words ought to have content to them, rather than just being labels devoid of meaning.

On the other hand, if you were just trying to say that there's no magical Space Pope of Intergalactic Wicca... then yeah, I totally agree.

All the best,

Laz

Answer 8

It's not a specific path, it requires much more independent thinking for the practitioner than more mainstream religions that have only a single path to their deities. There are so many people who practice solitary, then there are people who prefer or have the ability to practice in a coven. There are no dues ;) .

Wicca is relatively new from a religion stand-point, about 60 years. However, the practice of witchcraft is much older that Christianity.

Answer 9

Wicca is a specific organization within the Pagan community. My understanding of it, is that in order to truly be considered Wicca, you need to be initiated in a line that goes back to Gerald Gardner. However, the term has come into common usage in recent years, to describe a set of beliefs, so given that it has become common as a description, no, I don't think you are using the word wrongly, if that is the context you have been exposed to it. I don't know what initiated Wiccans think about it though. I have heard the term "Neo-Wicca" or "Neo-Wiccan" come in to play lately, as people are trying to straighten out the confusion as to what Wicca is, or what Wiccan means. Neo-Wiccan means people who subscribe to Wiccan beliefs, but aren't initiated in a direct line from Gerald Gardner. To some Pagans, Wicca means a specific set of beliefs, to some others it means not only the beliefs, but a genealogy within a specific tradition. It's a sign of growth in the Pagan community, that we as a community are trying to get sorted out with respect to our definitions. To me, to be Wiccan is to have a set of beliefs that are described as being Wiccan. To some others, to have Wiccan beliefs, but unitiated is to be Neo-Wiccan, or Neo-Pagan. I think that ultimately Wicca will become a general term for a particular set of Pagan beliefs, as it is coming in to common usage in that way, in the Pagan community, and also in the Non-Pagan community, as Wicca is a less threatening term to non Pagans than Pagan or Witch, so I don't think you should fret about it too much....

Answer 10

I think capitalization makes a difference: wicca is general term, Wicca is the specific religious organization.

Answer 11

wicca is a religious path of it's own. it is a form of paganism. it is different than witchcraft. it is more structured than witchcraft, with strict guidelines. wicca has only been around for about 60 years, where as witchcraft has been around for longer than christianity

thanks for asking : )