Re: Witchcraft and Wiccan By: Lark Moderator / Adept
Post # 4 Jul 12, 2013
Paganism is an umbrella term that covers a wide variety of religions that are based on old religions not Christian, Jewish, or Muslim in origin. Most Pagans believe in the existence of many different Gods and Goddesses, see Nature as sacred, and often hold to the concept of reincarnation.
Wicca is a very specific religion (Also considered to be Pagan) which is based on the pre-Christian religions of northern Europe. But Wicca is a modern religion largely created by Gerald Gardner in the 1940's. If you look through the stuck threads in the Wicca Forum you'll find a lot of information about Wiccan beliefs. Wiccans worship both a Horned God and a Goddess of the Moon. Wiccans do practice witchcraft as part of their religion.
Witchcraft is simply a form of magical practice which has no specific ties to any religion. One could be an Asatru, a Buddhist, a Christian, a Muslim, a Wiccan, or a Zoroastrian and still practice witchcraft.
There are some Witches who also view witchcraft (the magical practice) as being part of their version of a Pagan religion. These Witches are NOT Wiccan and have their own specific beliefs and practices. Therefore it would be possible to say that all Wiccans are Witches, but not all Witches are Wiccan.
Re: Witchcraft and Wiccan By: MobileWitch / Beginner
Post # 6 Jul 13, 2013
"all Wiccans are Witches, but not all Witches are Wiccan."
You know, when I say that, I get shot down by people who say that all Wiccans are not witches. How can that be when the religion includes witchcraft? Just wondering so I get it right.
Re: Witchcraft and Wiccan By: Lark Moderator / Adept
Post # 7 Jul 13, 2013
I think that those who claim not to be Witches are saying that because they don't engage in spellcraft. But all Wiccans do practice magic. When we cast a circle we use magic. When we consecrate our tools we use magic. When we draw down the Moon we use magic. When we charge the cup we use magic. All of this is clearly the practice of witchcraft.
In the very early days of Wicca Gerald Gardner referred to Wiccan practices as the Cult of Witchcraft. So clearly the founder of Wicca believed that Wiccans were also Witches.
If one doesn't practice any magic at all, then I would say that they are neither Witches NOR Wiccans.
Everyone has their own beliefs and you can always work with others of different beliefs but it can be complicated. I prefer the broadest term I can think of for myself, 'magician' but this often leads to people believing that I perform slight of hand type magic so it's hard to win.
Re: Witchcraft and Wiccan By: Lark Moderator / Adept
Post # 10 Jul 14, 2013
Witchcraft is simply put a form of magical practice which has nothing to do with the religion of the practitioner. Thus one could be of any religion or no religion at all and practice witchcraft.
There are some Witches who have created a form of Pagan religion surrounding their magical practice. Some of them work with Gods and Goddesses. Some merely work with Nature itself. There is a lot of variety in their spiritual practices.
Re: Witchcraft and Wiccan By: Lark Moderator / Adept
Post # 11 Jul 14, 2013
" I decided 2 do some ritual also meant the first ritual for my journey so when i said the first that means i dont know what 2 do?I need some advice and can someone tell me how to create your own rituals in witchcraft? "
First of all, could you please not post in netspeak. The Forum discourages message in which the words are not completely typed out.
Rituals don't have to be fancy or involved. A ritual could be as simple as lighting a candle and sitting quietly and meditating. If you are looking at ideas for rituals for the eight Sabbats then you might like the books " Celebrating the Seasons of Life: Beltane to Mabon" and " Celebrating the Seasons of Life: Samhain to Ostara " both by Ashleen O'Gaea. Of course rituals are only important if you decide to pursue witchcraft as a Pagan religion. Otherwise no rituals are required at all.
" About BOS,i made one for my journey and i dont know much about that so what shold i do and shouldn't do?"
A Book of Shadows is basically a witch's diary. What goes into it is entirely up to the person making it. Some things you might want to include would be any spells or rituals you do, recordings of your dreams, divination readings you do for yourself, things that come to you in meditation, herb lore, and anything else you want to keep readily to hand. You can find some good information about making a Book of Shadows at
http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/wiccaandpaganismbasics/ht/BOS.htm
" About potions,i read a lot about that but some web that use the potions in the movie Charmed,did the potions in that movie really work?(also spells )"
The spells and potions in the movie " Charmed " are strictly fantasy. That being said, there are uses for potions or brews in one's magical practice. A really good book on the subject is " Incense, Oils, and Brews " by Scott Cunningham.
" Some people said that witch hunters are real but i do believe in that,2 but some said that that just so nonsense so which one is right ?"
Firstly, please do not use profanity in your posts, otherwise they will be deleted.
While there are witch hunters in some countries such as Africa even today, they do not exist in places like Europe, North America, Australia, or New Zealand. The last witch hunts in these areas took place in the early 1600's.
In regards to Witch Hunters. Just because there aren't any known groups right now, does not mean you should not be on the watch for them. There are still some hard core Christians out there, especially here in Wisconsin, who are strongly against magick. All it would take is one manipulative leader to start the practice back up. With Witchcraft growing and even invading Christianity, the high number of members of Christian Wiccans is proof, Christians are known to go to war. History does repeat itself. This is also why many members on here do not have their facebook account attached. We still hide to a huge extent.
Re: Witchcraft and Wiccan By: Lark Moderator / Adept
Post # 13 Jul 15, 2013
But what would a witch hunter charge a witch with? Witchcraft isnt against the law. And most people don't even believe it exists. They are more apt to think we are a little deluded in the head than that we are evil. So anyone who starts causing trouble is going to find themselves on the other side of the law. We are more protected now than at any time in our history, at least in Western cultures.
