|
|
Pagan, Wiccan, or Witch?
from DragonFyre:
|
|
The differences are quite obvious, once you study and learn more about the set
paths of the Old Ways. But I'll give you a crash course here.
Pagan
To be Pagan, literally means to NOT be Christian. The very term "Pagan" is
defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as..."pa-gan (pa-g�n) n. One who is
not a Christian, Moslem, or Jew," as these were the organized religions of the
time. In the magick scene, Pagans usually are those who study the Old Ways. You
do not have to be a Witch to be Pagan, but you do have to be Pagan to be a
Witch.
Witch
To be a Witch is to be a magick user; which means to utilize the magickal
energies within the Earth to affect a physical change within your or another's
life. Witches usually follow a path such as Druid, Celtic, Draconite, Norse,
Stregheria, and yes, Native American, etc.... Witches are generally aligned to
the Right Hand Path; ie, that of love and light, although there are dark
witches out there, just as there are MEAN Christians out there. I myself am a
Kitchen Witch in my daily magick. I use principally herbs, candles, stones and
the like. However, I am also eclectic in my daily magick, as I call many
Gods/Goddesses to my spellwork. Although, for the major celebrationsand rites,
and in High Magick, I am heavily Draconite (a Magick User who "works" with
Dragons), though I do also call deities to assist me.
You do not have to be Wiccan to be a Witch, but you must be a Witch to be
Wiccan. Now, before I am deluged in email, let me reinterate that a Witch is a
magick user,
NOT
a Satanist; although there are Satanic Witches out there. And if you are
Wiccan, following Gerald Gardner's teachings - for to follow any other, you are
studying an offshoot of Wicca which makes you more an eclectic than a Wiccan -
you ARE a magick user, and therefore, a Witch.
My argument for this point is this.... Gerald Gardner invented and developed
the path of Wicca; therefore, if you are not following his path, you are not
following the teachings of the one who created this path and are therefore
encompassing the beliefs of others concerning Gardner's Path, that of Wicca. In
order to be a true Wiccan, you must follow the Path of Gerald Gardner, the one
who created it.
Example: When the Catholic Church split in to the Catholics and the Roman
Catholics, they weren't both called simply Catholics. They were different, had
differences in belief, doctrine and such. Therefore the offshoot group took the
name of Roman Catholics, as the movement began in Rome. Therefore, if you
proclaim yourself to be Wiccan, without following Gardner's teachings you are
Wiccan in doctrine or belief perhaps, but you are an offshoot branch of Wicca.
Which leads us to...
Wiccan
Wicca itself is an earth-based religion utilizing the forces in the universe to
effect a change. As most other pagan religions do, it follows a belief in the
Goddess and the Horned God.
A Wiccan adheres to Gerald Gardner's version of Witchcraft and Magick as the
"set" path of their choice. And while its roots go far back, predating
Christianity, most other Pagan religions do as well. Wicca is not the only "Old
Path" as Wicca itself did not exist before Gerald Gardner's attempt to
"organize" Witchcraft all those years ago. Before him, there simply WAS no
religion known as Wicca.
There are literally thousands of other "Old Paths" which are culturally
structured much more firmly than Wicca; such as Asatru, Stregheria, Hinduism,
Buddhist, Druidism, Ancestor Worship, the Native belief systems from every
corner of the world, and the Egyptian, Roman and Greek belief systems.
Wicca is, however, a bonafide Pagan religion, and will probably be the catalyst
for the American Government to recognize paganism as a whole as a genuine
religion due to the large numbers gathering to the Wiccan fold. Furthermore,
most Wiccans reject the terms Witchcraft and Witch, due to the negative dogma
associated with these words. However, a Witch who is NOT Wiccan may embrace
them as a part and definition of who and what they are.
Summary
Therefore, a Pagan is anyone who is not Christian, a Wiccan is a follower of
Gerald Gardner's principles and ideals, and a Witch is one who uses magick
associated with one or more of the Old Paths, the Old Ways.
A Word on Eclectics
A true eclectic Pagan is usually well-read and well-versed in the different
traditions and has chosen to make their own path using what they have learned.
I have discovered that true Eclectic Pagans are usually the most open-minded
where other beliefs are concerned, as they have studied and exposed themselves
to these different beliefs already and therefore understand more about the
mindset of these paths. It is possible to call the Hindi Goddess of Love,
Diana, Hecate, Aphrodite and Cerridwynn all to the same rite. Eclectics will do
just that, and make their rite of love just that much stronger, as they have
not limited themselves to one set pantheon nor one set path, but rather they
have chosen all paths to enrich their magick and their lives.
Site copyright�1999 by Dashiel
|
