If I may add my own 2 cents... Witchcraft existed looong before Wicca appeared. I am a Trad Witch, yes I do magic. Sometimes I incorporate deity sometimes not. Wiccan and Witchcraft are not one and the same. They do not have "slightly different practice" They have many different practices.I do not believe in a threefold law, or the rede. I curse and hex when need be, and I do not cast a circle. And these are cornerstones for the Wiccan religeon. Wicca has a rule book as do most other recognized religeons. As for myself-I prefer my bumpy lawless path for over 20 years now.
Here, here justme! Your post said EVERYTHING that I needed (or wanted) to say, with less wording than I KNOW I would've used. I am also a traditional Celtic witch that has been practicing for close to 20 yrs myself. So? What is wicca? Beats me really, all I know is some guy named Gardener (I think) came up with "wicca". But I do know my practice & yes, it is a religion. I have god/desses to whom I thank, worship, honor, love, etc. & to me, this constitutes a religion. & I don't have to take 5-10 just to cast a circle, & justme919, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
Now, thank the goddess, I'm teaching my daughter witchcraft the right, smart way, so she doesn't get confused on her journey to being a the best witch she can be. What is Witchcraft? Has anyone tried to google it?? Essentially, "witch" back in the day was "a wise woman" & "craft" is of course...a craft. Put them together and you have "a wise woman of the craft"..yes.
I do sincerely hope some of this helps & I would say email me for direction & help along your way, but I don't know if I really want to take that on. Oh yes, & I must say one more thing before I forget. I have watched chat some as I'm logging on some & I'm rarely on here, but, (& sometimes it makes me nervous making me not even want to look at the chat board) I've seen a lot of people whom come on & sincerely want to learn the Craft, & I admire that, even if its wicca & I'm not downing it, I just don't "understand" it bc I haven't studied it. And on the flip side, I have seen people who take this lightly, as if it is an experiment saying "hey what are you going into? Idk, what are you going into? I want to practice black magic & blah, blah, blah." If you can feel the Craft tugging at your heart &probably has your entire life, then yes, welcome. But if not, then its probably not for you. And in witchcraft there is no black magic (& in witchcraft, we don't put 'k' at the end of magic, that Alister Crowleys invention..I'm pretty sure. (Never studied him either.) But magic is magic. Black, white, whatever. Take the good with the bad, and put a person that really needs it in their place, if need be. Its happened, lol.
Anywhooo, I hope this clears up ANY confusion that's out there. If you worship and thank and celebrate your god/desses & love your god/desses, then your are religious, & if not...well, that's your decision & yours alone.
Take care all & the best of luck to all the sincere folks *wink*
I must also add this bit of information, that I probably need to clarify. In all of the years that if practiced witchcraft, I've only cursed one thing & that was a house. I'll be up front here. That was a BIG mistake & I wish that I hadn't have done that. I was living there & a huge rain came & flooded the basement & the landlords blamed me. It was an act of nature, but I got the blame all the same, so I put a curse on it. SO! Big mistake! Not long after I had moved out they were doing some renovations & the landlords daughter, who was in the business too, & her husband was working in there. I'm too ashamed to give details of exactly what happened after that. Let's just say that her husband isn't alive anymore & she will be in prison for the rest of her life & I feel it is all my fault..whether it is or not, I'm not 100% on that. My husband, handfasting partner, my best friend, & the love of my life says that it wasn't me & not to blame myself, that ultimately, it was she that did it, not me. May the goddess bless him & protect him.
So. Don't take curses & hexing lightly. Live & learn & love, for love is the true light that will brighten your paths toward being a better witch, wiccan, or what have you.
Re: Witchcraft v. Wicca By: Brysing Moderator / Adept
Post # 34 Oct 18, 2011
Gerald Gardner started to form a modern approach to witchcraft in the 1030s.He first wrote of it in a novel. He took the word Wica ( one C ) from the ancient word for wiseman,wicca. (Wicce is wisewoman) Originally witchcraft was called "wiccaecraft". So, Wicca does deviate from the original. Nevertheless, they are the same basic beliefs. The rituals may not be the same; but what Gardner was trying to do was to "standardise" the Craft, because witchcraft meant so many different things to so many people. Before Gardner witches very rarely gathered in covens. By far the majority were solitary. As I have said, witchcraft was illegal in the UK before 1951. It was Gardner and Sanders who brought it into the public domain, and to counteract the teachings of Aleister Crowley who was thought to be a very wicked man! At least by the Press!
And just for the record, I have never been a Wiccan. I was a witch long before I ever heard of Gardner!
wicca and witchcraft are not the same all wiccan are witches but not all witches are wiccans wicca is a belief in the goddess and the god witchcraft is a magical practice there are atheists who are witches they just dont invoke spirits or gods to there spells so wicca and witchcraft are not the same beliefs
I have to absolutly agree with you!! I personally feel witchcraft can be attempted by anyone, but for it to be true it must be a Witch who is behind the Magic. I may be talking in riddles, what I mean is Wsicca is a spiritual Practice; a religion if you please but either way, it all comes to the same conclusion....many of us Wiccans get it in our heads we are the only ones. We are not.
