Okay so I need some help. My friend told me that they're Wiccan and a Satanist (Sorry I don't really know how to word that) so now I'm wondering, can you be a Satanist and a Wiccan? Please help me out here and if you wouldn't mind explaining why or why not that'd be amazing!
Re: Satanist AND Wiccan???? By: Lark Moderator / Adept
Post # 2 Jan 31, 2022
You might try asking him to define what it is that he thinks makes him Wiccan. A lot of people fail to understand that Wicca is a religion and think it is only about spell casting, when it actually isn't that at all. It's entirely possible he is a Satanic Witch , and not Wiccan at all.
If you can get some more information about what he believes Wicca to be and how he blends Wicca with Satanism we can probably answer your question better.
I would ask your friend what they mean exactly. Wicca is a fertility religion with a God and Goddess. Satanism is a humanist religion that uses Lucifer or Satan as an archetype of rebellion and free thinking. In theory, your friend could follow both the Satanic commandments and the Wiccan Rede. They could also worship Lucifer and Lilith as the Lord and Lady. Granted, since this is not an established Wiccan path, and Wicca is a religion and not a craft, the term "Satanic Witch" does work better from a cultural stance. However, I see no reason in being a Satanic Wiccan if your friend is combining both religions equally and not simply going "Satan because curses and Wicca because love and light" that is where things get derailed.
Okay so I took your advice and asked them and their response was...odd? They said they believe in all the rules and such for Wicca but they also believe that being Satanic means you have Satan and demons having your back, which is good to them I guess? I didn't really understand but yeaa
Based on your friend's response, it sounds like he/she is just plain a satanic follower then. It sounds like they are a magic worker/practicer (ie; witch) who calls on the archetypes of Satan and his counterparts as a basis of that magic. I am assuming this means the Goetian princes of hell and not the Christian concept of the satanic archetype... but either version could be the case.
In any case, because Wicca is a specific initiatory faith with a separate pantheon and specific practice- such as the wheel of the year, the duality of the mother goddess and father God, and unification of the feminine and masculine (by my admittedly incomplete understanding), the two practices are difficult to bring together under one banner.
It may just be a misunderstanding of terminology on your friend's part though. As has been said, 'witch' is different from 'wicca'. One often confused by people in general.
"Witch" is one who undergoes the act of practicing magic, in nearly any form, and under any creed/faith. It is the generic umbrella term for a magic worker. Historically a derogatory term- but more recently (IE within less than a century) the magical community has kind of taken ownership of the title and worked to change that use.
Meanwhile "Wicca" is a specific form of faith with initiations, roles, leaders, practices, and deities. To be wicca legitimately one needs to be initiated, taught the process of honoring the deities, their roles and influences, and they need to take part in those practices to eventually be able to contribute to them.
To the Layman, it may seem like splitting hairs. Potato-potahto if you will. But to an ordained Wiccan it is like hearing someone announce they are a Roman Catholic even though they have never been to a church, never been taught the gospel or baptized, and never looked at more than the cover of the Bible. But they went and bought some rosary beads and a cross, so they believe that counts.
It might sound harsh, but consider that it doesn't cut on your friend's practice. Nor does it say your friend isn't allowed to follow said practice. Just that he/she should probably be using a different word to label it.
Re: Satanist AND Wiccan???? By: Nekoshema / Novice
Post # 7 Feb 03, 2022
I commented on your other post [though it appears to have been deleted] but it sounds like your friend is trying to be both and... Well... It's not "wrong" from a moral sense, but it's like Twix and guacamole. Someone might enjoy the taste, but they're separate for a reason. Wicca is a rather peaceful religion promoting doing no harm and trying to bring more positive into the world. Satanism, while not evil, is more self-centred and humanity-focused. There are different branches of Satanism [The Satanic Temple and The Church of Satan being the most popular] but they're atheistic and use Satan as an archetype. Your friend sounds like a spiritual Satanist, which makes them being Wiccan a little tricky. A member of TST [The Satanic Temple] could take the Temples commandments and views of humanitarian efforts and incorporate them into their Wiccan path and in theory, it could work [but again, it's like saying you're a Buddhist Muslim, they're different religions]
I feel your friend either doesn't know what witchcraft is or is using the term "Wiccan" in place of the word "witch" because witchcraft is a craft, and Wicca is a religion. You can be a witch and a Wiccan, but it doesn't mean everyone who practices witchcraft follows Wicca. On the other hand, Satanic witch sounds scary, so if your friend isn't trying to scare their parents too much, they might use the term Wiccan as people tend to see Wicca as the more peaceful, loving "phase" teens go through. Another option is how easy it is to get information on Wicca versus Spiritual Satanism or non-Wiccan witchcraft [Wicca does influence a lot of witchcraft today]
As for working with Satan and demons, I feel your friend is trying to be cool. No offence whatsoever. I have Satanists as friends [a few of them I met in high school] and from personal experience, when someone says they're a Satanist who worships the literal devil and calls on demons, they're trying to be cool and don't actually know Satanism. Yes, there are Spiritual Satanists who work with Lucifer and people can work with demons [they're not evil, just tricky like faeries] but every Satanist I met between the ages of 15-21 who claimed to worship Satan, was usually a goth kid wanting to sound cool [again, nothing wrong with that, I had a goth phase, I had a punk phase, nothing wrong with experimenting] I simply feel your friend needs to do a little more research.
Ultimately, I wouldn't worry about it much. Focus on your own path, your own craft, and your own practice. What other witches do or choose to call themselves shouldn't matter to you. You could be study buddies and work on your craft together [I use to do that with my witchy friends] But I view titles like Shakespeare: What's in a name? If the label isn't hurting anyone and it makes your friend feel like they belong, I don't see the harm. They just have to get used to people correcting them with the term "Satanic witch."
