Question for Witches and Wiccans?

Question

I am studying lots of different types of religions/beliefs and I am unsure about a couple of things. I hope you do not mind me asking.

I have read lots of differing opinions but could people please clear this up for me. What, in your opinion is the difference between being a Wiccan and being a Witch. Sometimes I think people use Wiccan as a term for a Witch also, but there are differences arent they?

What are you? Wiccan, Witch, or both or something else and why did you choose one over the other, ie why you are a solitary Witch over being a Wiccan or vice versa? Is the rituals. routines etc different and in what way different?

Is it right you can be a Wiccan Witch, but you cannot assume all witches are Wiccans??


And finally - if you arent Wiccan or a Witch or have something relevent to contribute - please dont - you arent helping!!!

Answer 1

OK
well you'll get a lot of different answers
because *technically* you can make some of your own rules.
I'm a solitary Wiccan AND a Witch.

you can be Wiccan without being a witch-
this usually applies to someone following a Wiccan based path; more than likely worshipping a Goddess and a God; but not practicing spellwork and magic and *possibly* not even doing any ritual work.

You can be a Witch without being Wiccan-
this is a more loose concept. Because you can do a variety of work, spellwork, practice, etc. and be a witch. Many witches follow some of the ideals mentioned in the Wiccan Rede for instance, but some, argueably just as many, do not.

To be both usually involves a fair deal of spellwork and semi-conformity to a certain path; or a variety of paths made into your own unique path.

A possible reason that the two terms may seem interchangable is because in many contexts, Witches and Wiccans who don't consider themselves to be both- still hold some of the same beliefs and ideals. So in some contexts it could *seem* appropriate to the speaker to use one and not the other if they're not entirley knowledgable on the subject.


so yes, it is right that you can be both
but you might offend someone (or simply be incorrect) by thinking that all Witches are Wiccan.

thanks for the interest :)
I too am interested in many religions
&& it's always great to be able to openly ask things when you don't know them =].

Blessed be && good luck in your studies, whether they're intended to help you choose a path, or just for personal knowledge!
Namaste.

-Jess

Answer 2

I'm sure you're going to get lots of good answers on this, this is a good question for beginners.

You are right that Wiccans are usually witches, but not all witches are Wiccan! Wicca is described as a religion that, in simple terms, worships the God and Goddess (there are many variations). Witches are those that practice magick. Most of the time, Wicca religious worship uses magick, therefore, Wiccans in this case are also witches. But, you can be of another religion and still practice magick - witch but not a Wiccan.

While searching for my religious path, I found interest in magick but did not feel the calling from Wicca. Although I studied alot about Wicca, it was more for the magick aspect they practice. After some time, I came across Asatru and heard the call. Even though I'm not Wiccan, I still do practice magick therefore I am a witch but not Wiccan.

Answer 3

This is a tricky one, but here are my 2 cents. Wiccan (big W) and wiccan (small w) are not necessarily the same thing. Wiccan (big W) would be a follower of the religion Wicca, And wiccan (small w) is often interchanged with witch. Based on the root of the word "wicce" which means "wise woman" (or person). I know, that is about as clear as mud. Many witches prefer to be called wiccan because of the negative connotation associated with "witch" But as for me, I have no problem being called a witch, because that is exactly what I am!
BB
)O(

Answer 4

Hmmm, well, I read a book called Witching Culture by Sabine Magliacco that was a great overview of Western Neo-Paganism, with a focus on Wicca. I recently did an ethnography project for one of my anthropology classes that involved attending a Samhain (Halloween) festival with a Wiccan coven. I found the coven through a local metaphysical bookstore. If you have any new age bookstores near you, try asking someone knowledgeable who works there if there is any known coven nearby and how to get in touch with them. And DON'T do anything that would require you to pay, for classes or lessons or anything. All of the practicing Wiccans I've met say that anything requiring money of you is a load of bunk. Good luck!

Answer 5

I got into paganism through Wicca and know other Wiccan's, although I am no longer Wiccan. I called myself a witch and the others call themselves witches also, I know one lovely man who is a hedge witch, a solitary practioner. I guess it is personal choice, some may not want to be called a witch because of the negative connotations that go with it.

Answer 6

Wicca is treated as a religion, while witches are individuals with their own path, although they may belong to a coven or group of some sort. You are right that one can be a Wiccan witch, but you cannot assume all witches are Wiccans. I am a witch but not a Wiccan. To me, Wiccan is a term that implies membership in a specific organization or agreement with a set of beliefs or principles that someone else has set up. To be cynical, it means buying recent books at a New Age bookstore, most of which are trivial.

Answer 7

Can you be a Witch without being a Wiccan?
Yes, there are many different cultures that have practitioners of Witchcraft, and it's not all the same flavor of Witchcraft either; Strega is not the same as Vudon.

Can you be a Wiccan without being a Witch?
(sigh) That depends on who you talk to. Most Neo-Wiccans; Eclectics and Solitaries, non-initiates, will tell you that you don't have to be a Witch to be a Wiccan, however those who have been initiated into traditional Wicca will tell you that it is part and parcel of being of the Priesthood which is Traditional Wicca.

I am a Pagan, a Wiccan, a Priest and Witch, so was I named at my initiation, as was my High Priestess and Priest before me, and their High Priestess and Priest before them.

Answer 8

Wicca is a religion which traces itself from Gerald Gardner and his associates, but also claims (as ALL religions do) a relevant pre-founding history back to the dawn of sentience or formation of this World. Wicca is duotheistic, believing in the Goddess and the God, or complementary feminine/masculine polarities, but may also be panentheistic (Deity is immanent within the Universe, but also transcends it) or pantheistic (Deity IS the material universe). Some Wiccans self identify as witches, some do not.

Much of Wiccan beliefs about ethics, ritual practices and concepts are actually shared by non-Wiccan pagans but some Wiccans believe they alone practice or understand Initiation or the Rede: "An it harm none, do what ye will." Pagans all being contrary and opinionated folks, some non Wiccans can and do argue many Wiccans don't understand Initiation or the Rede either. Herding cats is easier than finding unanimity among pagans on, well, on almost any subject.

Non-Wiccan pagans may or may not be witches, may or may not be duotheistic, panentheistic or pantheistic, might be polytheistic, montheistic (tho that'd be unusual and requiring explanation/debate), animistic, or even non-theistic. Those who self identify as Witches will generally practice magic, which is using consciousness to create or cause change, "as I will so mote it be". The practice of magic might be solitary or in groups, might involve many tools and props and creative self expressions, or be more simply practiced, might be based on sophisticated concepts of human behavior and psyches or on appealing cultural historical practices.

Group participation membership, in covens, circles, lineages etc. is common, as is solitary practice, for pagan witches and non witches. Utterly solitary practice for Wiccans might be considered unfortunate necessity at best, perhaps, as they even if only through books and the Internet seem to feel a need for community and validation. (And I mean that as onservation, not criticism; desire for community and validation are both legit, and I think we all have a shifting spectrum of need for them in various aspects of our lives; humans are social creatures.) Perhaps one becomes a Wiccan, by study and practicing... but one discovers oneself to be a pagan or witch.

Answer 9

Wicca and witchcraft are at times confused, or seen as being synonymous. Though the two terms may have connections between them, they are two different things. Wicca is a religion. Magick is a concept involving the use of personal energy and focused intent. Witchcraft is a practice in the use of magick that can be used by someone of any religion or someone with no religion at all. Though many Wiccans also practice witchcraft, which they see as working with divine energy to accomplish a goal or bring about change, not all witches are Wiccan and not all Wiccans practice witchcraft. The majority of Wiccans will not use witchcraft to curse or bring harm upon anyone else.

Wicca is a complex and spiritual religion with Masonic, Hermetic, and classical religious roots created in the 1930's by a British civil servant named Gerald Gardner, combining various ancient concepts and a syncretic view of the divine that is quite different than really any religion before or after it.

http://www.geraldgardner.com/essays.php

Though Wicca is a newer religion, only about 70 years old, it is not less real and no less spiritual than any other religion. This partly comes from the Wiccan view of the divine.
Wiccans revere the immanent in nature symbolized in the form of a Goddess and a God who are seen as equal to each other. The view is syncretic, Wiccans see all goddesses as aspects of the "Goddess" and all gods as aspects of the "God."

The God and Goddess are seen as manifestations of divine energy that symbolize the cycles of nature, life and death, and rebirth. Wiccans do not see the God and Goddess as being separate from them or the rest of the world; therefore they have no need for a concept of salvation, since God and Goddess are at all times within and present to everyone. It is this openness and personal connection to the divine that has brought many people to embrace the Wiccan religion, which has continued to grow in followers in the United States, England, and many other countries.

Blessed Be,
Lord AmonRaHa

Answer 10

Since I don't follow the religion of Wicca, I'm not a Wiccan. My practices and theology are very different from Wiccans.

I practice folk magic so I can be considered a witch. Although many neo-pagan religions embrace the practice of magic, the practice of magic does not need to be connected with any religion.