Wicca and Witchcraft
When someone begins to learn about Wicca it’s easy to confuse Wicca and Witchcraft. We would like to clarify that while these two paths are similar in many respects, they are not the same. A person can be a Witch, without being a Wiccan, just as a person can be a Christian, without being a Baptist. Wicca is recognized as a religion, while Witchcraft itself is not. Thus, Wicca might best be described as a modern religion, based on ancient Witchcraft traditions.
Wicca’s temples are the forests, meadows, beaches and deserts. It is a peaceful and positive religion based on a kinship with nature. We celebrate life, and honor the universal energies of the Goddess and God in all things. One of he best summaries of the path can be found in an article written by the late webmaster of The Celtic Connection. He writes “Wicca is a deep appreciation and awe in watching the sunrise or sunset, the forest in the light of a glowing moon, a meadow enchanted by the first light of day. It is the morning dew on the petals of a beautiful flower, the gentle caress of a warm summer breeze upon your skin, or the warmth of the summer sun on your face. Wicca is the fall of colorful autumn leaves, and the softness of winter snow. It is light, and shadow and all that lies in between.” Excerpt from What is Wicca by Herne
Today, Wicca is a religion with many variations. In this blog, we will offer generalities about Wicca and Witchcraft in an effort to create an understanding of the nature of the path. Some major identifying motifs are: reverence for both the Goddess and God; acceptance of reincarnation and magic; ritual observance of astronomical and agricultural phenomena; and the use of magical circles for ritual purposes.
If you would like to learn a little more about Wicca and Witchcraft, we have provided a FAQ page (too lengthy to include here) with answers to many of the more common questions about these nature-based paths.