Witch, Wiccan or Pagan?

Question

I have just started practising magick. I am a little confused as what to call myself, as is my friend who is also a witch, and has been for some years now. We don't feel we need a term or label for what we do, but we find it helps others understand when there is some sort of title. It's nice to have a name for what we practise too, and when people ask what religion we are, it's nice to be able to tell them simply without having to explain everything.

I'd like to hear from witches about what they call themselves, what their religion is, and also would love ANY information, tips, links to sites, anything. I want to learn as much as possible.

I'm also interested in gettng in touch with other witches in Australia or New Zealand.

Thanks for your help!

My friend and I aren't keen on being labelled Pagan due to the common negative association with the term and the fact that it isn't very specific.

Pagans have a negative view in Australia and NZ and people think you're devil-worshippers. I am not asking for people to tell me who and what I am, I am more asking other witches what they practise and what they call themselves so I can learn what terms and branches are actually out there. I am not a silly little girl either. I was a mormon for 15 years of my life, and christianity just seemed wrong to me. This isn't just a stupid teenage phase, as one person so unkindly suggested. I am really just wanting more experienced witches' perspectives so I can gain a greater understanding of wicca, druidism, and the countless other terms i hadn't heard of until today, so i can make my mind up in an educated way.

I get that pagan is an umbrella term, wiccans follow the religion of wicca, all that, but I'm looking for someone to break it down into what they believe wicca is, druidism is, etc, in detail. We do not know what religion we are following, were are sorta just doing it. By someone explaining the different types of witchcraft and paganism we might be able to identify with one of them.

I am interested as to why people keep telling me I'm too young! I'm certainly over 18 and the friend I am talking about is 41 years old! So please stop telling me about silly teenage phases or I'm too young for this or that.

Answer 1

If you are really interested in becoming a witch or doing witchcraft I have a couple of questions for you to really ponder.
1. Why do you think you might want to be a witch?
2. What lead you to this path?
3. What do you expect to gain from it?

If your answer to ANY of these questions is "power", forget it. This is not "Charmed" or "Harry Potter".

Also if in a quandry about what to call yourselves why not simply "Practitioners of the Old Religion". I call myself a witch or a Pict (as my path is Pictish

READ!!! Find out which tradition you would prefer. You may find your answer in, Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft.

I would not bother with any type of initiation or gathering of ritual tools until you find which path you are going to follow. Most tools are not necessary in all traditions. I have much more than most, but then, I have been practicing for a very long time. My particular path essentially needs only a Staff, Dirk (athame) and a Keek-Stane (or crystal ball). Other tools can be acquired as needed.

I am Pecti-Witan (aka Hedge Witch, not Wiccan) a "solitary" practitioner of "the Old Religion", and have been for many, many years. Being a "Witch" is nothing like what is portrayed in movies or on Television. There is nothing flashy about it. we are fairly simple people with "abilities" that everyone has, ours are just honed and utilized. Lots of research and practice. There is a lot to learn when you are dealing with herbal, mineral and candle magick.
I read tarot cards, rune stones and utilize a number of other tools for divination but would NEVER charge anyone for anything I do! Besides, I do not do "readings" or "cast spells" for others on demand. That sounds more like a con game to me! Though I am often asked.
Now as for what I did to start, well, it seemed to come naturally to me, (my mother was a witch and my great grandmother was the daughter of a Comanche medicine man) and I believe this is not my first life (nor the last) as a witch. I have always had a deep respect for nature and have an innate ability to communicate with animals. When I was very young my parents encouraged me to learn about all religions, so I did. And I encourage you to do the same to find your true path. Books are an excellent source, providing you get the right ones, there are some I would avoid (Ravenwolf). I prefer Scott Cunningham. If you can connect with other practitioners that would also be a good way to learn. One question you must ask yourself is are you looking for the structured system of a Coven (you will have to wait until you are 18, unless your parents are part of an established coven) or would you prefer the life as a "Solitary"? Buckland has some very good books outlining both. But my favorite book is still Cunningham's "Wicca, a Guide for the Solitary Practitoner". It is a good place to start (or affirm). You are not too young to start learning, but I think you may be too young to begin serious practice.
The reason I suggest avoiding Ravenwolf is her blatant disreguard for honesty and her intolerance of other faiths and even different sects in Wicca/witchcraft. I think she is the Goddess of Fluffy Bunnies! One trait you will find among honest witches is a respect and tolerance for others faiths, we do not judge people by what they believe or don't believe but by what they say and do. Most of us can embrace the differences.
As you may notice by some of the answers you got, you also have to have a thick skin, because even in this "advanced" civilization there are still those who believe we worship the devil (LMAO), and would rather turn a blind eye to the world around them. Some will even admit that they think we should be burned at the stake! Ignorance knows no bounds.
Since you are very young, expect ridicule and really stupid requests to do "Magic" like they do on TV or in movies. It is not going to make you cool. Expect people to tell you that you are going to Hell. You will probably lose friends. Just being honest with you.
I hope you find the answers you were looking for whether they are mine or the wisdom of another.
BB
)O(
Addendum: My apologies. I made a silly assumption of your age because this question is generally asked by young ones. However if you ever read any of my answers you would note that I do not try to discourage learning about the craft, but I do like to prepare some for what is to come. If everyone would come to the craft this world would be a much nicer place.
I have been a practicing witch for over 40 years, so not much is new to me but I am ever willing to learn.
I also want you to know it is very different here in the US where "witch" would be much worse than "pagan".

Answer 2

Paganism refers to a broader number of religious, which include Wicca, Shamanism, and Druidism. You can call yourself a Pagan accurately. If you practice Wicca, you can call yourself a Wiccan. If you practice a different religion, you should probably not refer to yourself as a Wiccan simply to avoid confusion. You can call yourself a witch easily since the definition of a witch is a person who practices majick.

Figure out what you believe, exactly, and see which of the pagan religions matches that the most. That is the religion that you're going to most comfortable associating yourself with. This will involve a little bit of study, both on and off line. The library will have a nice variety of books describing pagan religions, even if only in an academic bug-under-a-microscope manner. I hope you can find a group of witches to become a part of! Good luck.

I am not a witch---I'm a Buddhist---however I have known several witches and I've studied Wicca and Paganism a little bit.

Answer 3

I believe that when a person follows their Spirit Guides and Patron Deities, they begin to unravel the mystery of their individual, unique Path, and as their understanding of that Path develops, the better they can define it and give it a name that makes sense. I believe the labels "Wicca" and "Wiccan" should only be used by people who follow Gardnerian, Alexandrian, BTW, or other similar groups whose traditions are fairly entrenched and set and not really open to interpretation. I call myself an Aquarian Witch because I refuse to be defined by anyone. I encourage you to do the same, to call yourself what makes sense to you, and the more specific the label, the more self-explanatory it is. The word Wicca has to be explained usually anyway, and I think the etymology of the word Wicca is a bunch of hooey. Look in any OED more than 50 years old and you won't find it.. Why? Cuz it was made up by Gardner. Who cares? Be a Soul Wanderer in the Mist! That's what we all are anyway.

Answer 4

Pagan is a negative term in Australia and NZ? Interesting.

If you are practicing the religion of Wicca - a god/goddess, elements, etc - then you could use the term Wiccan. If you're doing magic without any religion, then witch would suffice.

If you are following a particular religion such as Celtic reconstruction - that would be pagan. Or Anglo-Saxon/Northern European reconstruction religion - that term would be heathen.

Added: You haven't given us anything to work with. What deities do you work with? Do a search on Wikipedia "paganism" and narrow it down from there. I think that'll be easier.

Answer 5

I'm pagan, not a witch.
Do you practice Wicca? If so, you are Wiccan.
Do you practice Asatru, Witta, or any other countless pagan belief? Then you are pagan.
If you practice witchcraft you are also a witch.

My advice to you would be to read as much as you can(stay away from Silver Ravenwolf and any site that endorses her). Commune with nature. Meditate. Mostly...read. Learn. If you intend to practice this as a religion, know the religion and it's aspects. Maybe study a little bit about the ancient cultures who worshipped what you worship, if applicable.

Answer 6

Pagan is an umbrella term covering a range of religions, including Wicca.

Wicca is a Pagan religion in which most of the members practice witchcraft.

Witchcraft is a technique in much the same way that prayer is a technique, not a religion in itself.

I highly recommend this particular site for Wicca:

http://wicca.timerift.net

As for finding other witches in your area, you might try the Witches of the World section at Witchvox:

http://www.witchvox.com/xvn.html

Just use the pull-down menus on the left to surf to your area of the world.

Answer 7

Hm. Appears to be an Issue
of Organization at a Concept
Level.

First: Wicca is a religion...
probably a form of Stone Age
or pre Stone Age worship that
managed to survive through to
present day.

Second: Wicca has two Dieties,
a God and Goddess...and is
therefore Polytheistic.

Third: Any Ceremonial Request
for aid or assistance in the
Material Plane must be addressed
through one or both of these Gods.

In pre-Zoroaster times, most
Dieties and Nature Spirits were
apparently perceived as relatively
"indifferent" to the human race
unless appeased or placated.
Check the relatively recent news
stories of the storms and damages
that hit Bengaldesh, and try to
imagine you are the King of a
Stone Age kingdom in that region...
the weather signs are BAD, YOU
as God-King are RESPONSIBLE
for the welfare of your people.
What are you gonna do? "Who ya
gonna call?" to stop a disaster
from happening?

Starting to see what I'm trying to
imply here?

When Zoroaster came upon the scene
he and the "school of thought"
he founded brought into the human
psyche the Concept of Light VS Dark,
Good VS Evil. It basically stated
a World View that "populated" the
Universe with warring factions of
spirits. This included well organized
'hierachies' (sic?) in the spirit
worlds of Angelic and Demonic
creatures.

This has tended to persist to current
times. However, a fellow named P.E.I.
Bonewits took it upon himself to put
together his own degree program at UCLA
and got a BS in Witchcraft and Thaumaturgy.
He published a book in which he attempted
to "re-invent" the more Ancient Concept
of "indifference" in Ceremony. In his
Concept, Ceremony pertaining to agriculture
would be "Green Magic", to healing: "Red",
and so on.

Unfortunately Bonewits never managed to
either "excite the masses" to "warm to
his concept" nor was he able to find
an employer willing to hire anyone with
a degree like his. So he went back to
school and got a different degree in
computer science.

It's this writer's understanding that "pagan"
was originally used by scholars for
"polytheisitc urban" people in ancient times
where "heathen" was for "polytheistic rural"
people in ancient times. Wicca would be
a "sub-set" of pagan/heathen as would
shamanism.

In so far as your associates in your native
country go: I would tend to refrain from
"identifying" yourself too clearly.
Monotheists tend to see anything "not our
religion" as devil-worshippers anyway (see
Zoroaster, above). Try to control the
"zeal of the newly converted" in yourselves
and express something more bland. Maybe
"I'm just tinkering" or "I'm into New Age
stuff"?

Hm. You'll never really find out what "subset" of pagan/heathen religion will
be a part of your life until you can perform
an adequate overview or survey of what is
there. You should probably try to develop
and independent course of study (or at least
familiarization) in Comparative Mythology,
some libraries may have it under Comparative
Religion.

Eventually, you will have to determine which
Ones to Follow. This could involve one or more forms of Divination in a Ceremonial Context.

Answer 8

Having been a satanist years ago why label yourself unless you are seeking attention like all the rest of the world likes to do unto themselves. Many practice one thing or another or "believe" one thing or another to "fit in" whether on the GOOD side of the road or the EVIL side of it. Whatever the course you take will be as successful as the amount of your own DELUSIONS you feed into it for both Gods are just as vain unto themselves and you matter "little."
You are as important as YOU make yourself, not in what you label yourself or in what you believe in.

Answer 9

A Wiccan is a follower of the religion of Wicca.

A Pagan is a follower of a usually polytheistic religion or a nature-based religion or none of The Big Three, depending upon whose definition you care to use.

A witch is one who practices folk magic and may be of any (or no) religion.

You could simply call yourselves people who use magic (the manipulation of energy to one's will).

Figure out what type of magic you practice and you might call yourself something else - an occultist, a chaoist, a Thelemite, etc.

Answer 10

You will know what to call yourself when it is time, you have much to learn. Do not be concerned what others call you. Find others near you, you can learn more in person than online. Blessings