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Tom Asdell

Wicca or Witchcraft?

  • Merry Meet,

    I said I'd get back with the difference (in my point of view) between Wicca And Witchcraft, here goes...

     

    First - Witchcraft:

     

    My definition of the word "witch" is a combined meaning of two of the stories I have head of the origin of the word.  One is the (I believe) anglo-saxon wicce (wise), and the other is the (if I'm remembering aright) old german wythe (to bend).  Putting the two together, I get 'Witch' meaning; one who wisely bends the web of creation.
     
    Witchcraft then would be the art and science used by the Witch in this shaping of the world(s).  Witchraft is pracitced in different ways by persons of many different belief systems in all lands.  Magick, Prayer, Shamanism, Glamoury, Meditation, and Chanting are some examples of these.
     
    'Society in general' varies widely in different places.  Some of these labels for witchcraft are accepted in some places and rejected in others, regardless of their commonality.  Here in the San Francisco area, there is a widespread acceptance of witches and witchcraft, while in the 'Bible Belt' there is not.  Much of this has to do with education of the general populace about diverse cultures.

     

    Then - Wicca:

     

    Not the practice of magic, but a religion that embraces magic as the use of talents bestowed upon us by the Creator(s).  There are many traditions of Wicca, so trying to come up with one description is difficult. 

     

    What I'm going to quote here is the 'quick and dirty' description of the "US Army's Chaplain's Handbook on Religious Requirements and Practices" it's well done, concise and easy to understand for people who don't have any background knowledge of the religion -

     

    "Wiccans worship the Sacred as immanent in Nature, often personified as Mother Earth and Father Sky. As polytheists, they may use many other names for Deity.  Individuals will often choose Goddesses or Gods from any of the world's pantheons whose stories are particularly inspiring and use those Deities as a focus for personal devotions.  Similarly, covens will use particular Deity names as a group focus, and these are often held secret by the groups."

     

    Hope that this is an aid in understanding or explaining the concepts...

     

    Blessed Be

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