All wiccans are witches, but not all witches are wiccan. I am not true wiccan either, but I am a witch, which means I practice witchcraft differently than wicca. I am also shaman, which is not part of wicca. You can be a witch on your own, which is solitary practice. The paths are many. You will find yours. Look into what you like, then choose and study. You can read a lot on this site, as there are all kinds of magick being practiced, and we will help you when you want. Good luck, and may you find your true path...Blessed Be...
Not all Wiccans are Witches. You can choose to be so or not. Wicca is a religion and witchcraft is a practice. Wiccans may choose to practice it or not.
I would disagree. Magic is one of the core practices that make Wicca what it is. One may not necessarily be doing spellwork, that's true. But Wiccan practice requires that you cast a circle in which to perform your ritual...that's a form of magic. You need to bless and consecrate your tools...that's a form of magic. You might do healing or protection work...that's a form of magic.
Wicca isn't just about what one believes, but also about how one practices. If you aren't casting a circle, if you don't ritually consecrate your tools, if your rituals don't include a reenactment of the Sacred Marriage what you are doing may be a form of religious worship, but it isn't Wicca.
Wiccans are not required, by any means, to do rituals. Wicca is religion and a collection beliefs. While one who does not partake in in esbats and other rituals may not be living the full Wiccan lifestyle, they are still Wiccan. It's like saying a Christian must go to Church every week and pray before every meal to be a Christian. To be Wiccan, one must acknowledge esbats and other traditional rituals, but they don't have to partake in them to be a 'real Wiccan'. As long as you uphold basic beliefs, you are still Wiccan.
The idea that Wicca is a set of beliefs is a bit of a misconception. While it is true that there are certain beliefs that lie at the core of Wiccan practice, it is even more true that Wicca is a set of specific practices. Here's the difference....
In Christianity, to be Christian all one has to do is believe in Jesus. This is called orthodoxy...or right belief.
Wicca is somewhat different. What makes one truly Wiccan is not a set of specific beliefs, but rather a set of specific practices. So Wicca is not orthodoxic, it is orthopraxic (right practices). I would suggest Fred Lamond's book "Religion Without Beliefs" for a clearer explanation of how Wicca functions.
So in Wicca if what one has is simply a belief in the God and Godde3ss and a reverence for nature, but you are not celebrating the Wheel of the Year, casting circles to create sacred space, or holding rituals at the Full Moon to honor the Gods then what you are doing is a perfectly valid form of Pagan practices...but it is NOT Wicca.
Okay that makes sense...lol I am not even entirely Wiccan, so I am I worrying? When I first started out as a Wiccan (As I said I'm not entirely one now) did not create a sacred space and did not have Full Moon rituals. I still don't even have Full Moon rituals. So what you saying is, even though one believes and acknowledges those requirements, they are not Wiccan unless they actually take part in them? I feel like that limits Wicca a lot.
Well there's not really a problem with a religion having limits as to what makes one a member of that religion or not. If there were no limits then there would be no specific religions at all. As I've mentioned before Wicca is one specific religion with a specific set of beliefs and practices. If you don't follow those you aren't Wiccan...you're something else. It doesn't mean that what you are doing is wrong and certainly doesn't mean it isn't a valid spiritual path...it just isn't Wicca.
Many people, particularly when they are new to Paganism, pick up the name of Wiccan because it's easy to rind material about it. They think that if they believe in the Goddess they must be Wiccan. Later they learn that there is much more to it than simply believing in the Goddess or the Wheel of the Year. At that point they either start working to learn more about what Wicca really is...or they move on to something else. And either path they choose is fine.
What many of us who have been doing this for many years are trying to do is to help others understand exactly what it is that Wicca is all about so they can decide whether they really want to go down that road. And we're trying to preserve Wicca so that it doesn't become so watered down that it becomes meaningless. If that limits the number of people who eventually decide that this is right for them, that's OK. Wicca is for those who seriously want to pursue it, it was never for the masses.
Sounds to me as though you have found a path of your own that is spiritually meaningful to you, and that is, in a nutshell, what our search is all about
You need to read my earlier posts about this. All Wiccans ARE Witches. You may not be doing spellwork, but if you are casting a circle, charging your tools, etc then you are doing magic which is the same as witchcraft. If you aren't even casting a circle, etc then you may be practicing some form of spiritual Paganism, but you aren't practicing Wicca.
