Pagan = Polytheist (Someone who believes in multiple god/dess/s/es)
Wiccan = Someone who follows the teaching of any branch of Wicca which originated with Gerald Gardner and his version known as Gardnerian Wicca
All Wiccans are Pagans because we are polytheists but not all Pagans are Wiccans because they don't all follow that belief system
It's not a dumb question at all, and it's one that confuses a lot of people at first.
Paganism is an umbrella term that covers a wide variety of religions from Asatru to Zoroastrianism. It's hard to come up with a generic definition that covers all of those. Some...but not all...believe in the existence of many Gods and Goddesses. Some...but not all...are very in tune with the Earth beneath us. Some might describe them as any religion which is not Christianity, Islam, or Judaism.
Wicca is a very specific religion which falls under the general umbrella of Paganism. Wicca was introduced to the world in the 1940's and 1950's by Gerald Gardner. It has specific beliefs and practices that differ from those beliefs and practices of other Pagan religions.
It might be easiest to understand the concept if you think of the specific religions such as Asatru, Druidry, Wicca etc as being different denominations of Paganism.
Lark, I have a question for you; Hermeticism is considered a pagan religion/ philosophy is it not and yes it incorporates elements of both Christian and Jewish Kabbalah.
Hmmm, personally I would not consider Hermeticism as a Pagan religion. To me it is more a philosophy and magical practice. And yes, it certainly does contain elements of Jewish and Christian mysticism; although I would not consider it to be either of those religions.
That's the problem with trying to define what is Pagan. There are too many exceptions to the rule. For instance, most would say that Pagans are polytheists, but I know some Pagans who are essentially monotheists. I tend to lean towards the position that if someone believes they are Pagan by whatever definition, then they are Pagan.
Hermeticism is considered to be Pagan by some because it was based on Greek/ Egyptian pagan teachings. As you say Lark paganism has such a broad definition it could technically correspond to anything that sits outside of a mainstream religion. So Jedi would be classified as a western Paganism esoteric religion under these guidelines (goddess forbid!)
What I know of Hermeticism has it loosely based on Kemetic/Egyptian concepts, and far more deeply based in Jewish and Christian concepts. They tend to claim a greater amount of basis on the "old paths" than they actually have. But that is my personal opinion on them based on what I have experienced of them and their practices.
Hades, those that practice/ study Hermeticism are encouraged to seek their own path towards enlightenment/ connection with the divine so practitioners can utilize whatever they wish from other Western Esoteric traditions to obtain this objective. Hermeticism is eclectic by nature but that said Hermetics adheres to certain set beliefs for example; Hermetics believe in multipal gods ( polytheism) however they also believe that there is ultimately only one divine spirit ( monotheism). Thus Hermeticism is a path that encourages spiritual curiosity.
