non wiccan witch

[Ravenstar]

OK so as of what I have pieced together a witch is someone who manipulates energy to affect the world around you. Wicca is a religion based on the Goddess and God. I don't believe in a goddess and the God. I don't want any religion. But what makes it confusing to me now is I also hearing a non Wicca witch they also have a religion? I am raised Catholic so I still believe in God. I just want to keep religion out of my witchcraft but it is hard to because everyone interchanges the two. I can't seem to find just any non Wicca books or authors. Blessings.

[SnowCat]

I identify loosely, as Wiccan because if someone asks me about religious preferences, like at the surgical center, it's easier to put Wiccan, and keep the well meaning Christian chaplains at bay. I don't know of any specifically non-wiccan books. Many of the Wicca specific books out there can be a good resource, even if they aren't exactly what you're looking for. I started my research with such books. They at least can provide some background for what you might be experiencing. I was raised Catholic, and when circumstances led me to start questioning that, the phrase "when world's collide" was a pretty apt description.

Snow

[Siona]

But what makes it confusing to me now is I also hearing a non Wicca witch they also have a religion?\

The thing is, "non-Wiccan witch" can describe a whole bunch of different traditions and practices. It really just means any form of witchcraft that is not Wiccan. For example, kitchen witchcraft, hedgecraft, Cochrane's tradition, Stregheria, and Feri witchcraft, are all different types of non-Wiccan witchcraft. Some of those non-Wiccan traditions include deities, some do not, and to make things more confusing some can go either way.

It can be hard to find books that don't have that Wiccan influence in them, but they are out there... but many do include references to deities. Still, it's often easy enough to remove those references yourself and just keep the relevant information. (I can look through my bookshelf later and see if there are any I can recommend to you that do not include deities.) Given your Catholic roots, you might want to look into Christian witchcraft, and even things like hoodoo which often have a lot of Catholic influence?

[Shub Niggurath]

OK so as of what I have pieced together a witch is someone who manipulates energy to affect the world around you. Wicca is a religion based on the Goddess and God. I don't believe in a goddess and the God. I don't want any religion. But what makes it confusing to me now is I also hearing a non Wicca witch they also have a religion? I am raised Catholic so I still believe in God. I just want to keep religion out of my witchcraft but it is hard to because everyone interchanges the two. I can't seem to find just any non Wicca books or authors. Blessings.

Not everyone includes religious beliefs in their craft. Witchcraft can be both incorporated into your religious beliefs and practiced independently - whatever works best for you. If you're interested in independent witchcraft you can usually find more information on that under a label of "traditional witchcraft" or "old ways".
Traditional witches still sometimes work with deities but not in the same way a "religious" witch would. When you're, let's say, a Wiccan (I'm talking about being an official follower of the religion = being initiated) you believe and are devoted to your deities just like you are devoted to god as a christian. However, as a traditional witch you can sometimes communicate with the deities or work with them for a specific purpose but that doesn't equal being devoted to them in a religious sense.
Traditional witchcraft is very personal, sometimes following a long lineage of witches in your family, which means that any books you read can be equally helpful or useless. It's you who decides what you're going to incorporate in your craft. You don't need to follow any specific outside rules and beliefs.
As Siona suggested you could check out christian witchcraft. Or, if you'd still prefer to look into something that's not connected to any religious beliefs, you might be interested in chaos magick, hoodoo practices etc. It's hard to find any legit books on traditional witchcraft because the traditions were usually passed down orally or through family grimoires. A lot of those practices are still preserved in hoodoo and rootwork.

[Holdasown]

Witchcraft is a practice. Anyone can be a witch whether they have a religion or not. My religion is Heathen. My gods don't frown on witchcraft so I can call on them in my craft practice. You can be an atheist witch. You can use your energy, make potions and spells without a god or goddess. Many witches work with their dead and ancestors, local land spirits, guides and animal energy. If you don't want to worship just don't your altar can be where you work on your spells, honor your dead and set up your protections to work. Traditional witchcraft with a big T is a practice with gods. Traditional with a small t is usually used to mean non-Wiccan. It can get confusing. You may want to look into general topics like grounding and centering, animism, ancestor worship, hoodoo, folk magic and the like.

[catsmeow]

So happy I came across this post. I had the same problem for years trying to find a non wiccan traditional witchcraft books. i agree with other members here that since it's a way of life more than anything, that the wisdom you need is born out of your experiences. It's hard for a book to capture that. I call on some spirits and deities for guidance or to bring offerings; but those are deities and spirits that chose me in some way or another. It took me a long time to realize I am a traditional witch because so much of what is out there is based on wicca. However, it is true about the syncretism of Catholic Saints and old world spirits. When it comes to Christian witchcraft, a spirit that automatically comes to mind is Mary Magdalene. The Black Madonna, although more seeped in Catholicism, is also a spirit figure that might be of interest.

[YanaKhan]

Hello, Ravenstar,
I can totally relate to your post as a while back I was in your shoes, trying to look for non - wiccan books and sources to learn the craft. And found out that actually most of the wiccan books are very very helpful in learning the basics. As Siona and LevitatingCat pointed out, there are many types of Witchcraft you might feel drawn to that don't involve God and Goddess. I would also recommend researching candle magick and eclectic witchcraft where you decide what best suits you without following a certain path.
Personally, I find Christian witchcraft hard to understand, but it's a great idea to research it, as you say you still believe in God. I actually find a great similarity between Catholicism and Wicca as both worship male and female figure (Mother Mary being the female figure in Catholicism). This, however, is only my view, I don't claim to be right.
And finally, I would recommend reading this thread http://everythingunderthemoon.net/forum ... 27774.html - you may find some useful information there.

[Lyra_86]

I'm glad for this thread. I've always had an issue with deities etc so the idea of goddess & god in wiccan is still a little difficult for me to grasp (although they do come across very differently from how I was taught about God).

[Holdasown]

I am currently reading Liber Nox: A Traditional Witch's Gramarye by Michael Howard. It's a beginners book and covers the craft from a non-Wicca perspective. I would recommend it whole heartedly.

[Ravenstar]

Thank you for all your help. Blessings.

[dolphinpatronus]

I am currently reading Liber Nox: A Traditional Witch's Gramarye by Michael Howard. It's a beginners book and covers the craft from a non-Wicca perspective. I would recommend it whole heartedly.

This sounds interesting I'll have to add it to my to read list

[Nyd]

Hey! We talked about this on another thread and I mentioned I wasn't Wiccan.

In Europe or Germany in my case it is a bit easier to come across books that aren't specifically Wiccan. I read lots of books that are titled something like "traditional path", "old ways", "Medieval Witchcraft"...or simply look for subjects that are neutral like herbs, gemstones, mirror magic, knot magic etc. They may be practiced by Wiccans, but are not exclusively Wiccan.

Whatever Wiccan things I like, I will incorporate too. After all many symbols and practices have roots older than modern Wicca, so it sort of fluid.. I obviously like moon symbols for example

I also read a lot of Grimoires, like here: http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-most-sign ... imoire.php
A non Wiccan book that comes to my mind is the Grimoire of the thorn blooded witch. I am also looking to buy a German book called "Hexenmedizin" (witch's medicine), which is focused on traditional witch craft.

Really it isn't all that hard to be a non Wiccan witch. You are one if you don't really follow specifically Wiccan things.

This is an interpretation from a traditional witch craft forum:

You are probably Wiccan if you:
Believe in the 3 fold law
Believe in "harm none"
Believe in the Lord and Lady
Believe in the Mother and the Son
Believe that whatever you do comes back
Believe that hexes or curses should never be practised
Believe in casting circles with guardians and corners and elements
Believe in a hierarchal system (such as Degrees)
Believe that spells you find in books should work
Believe that every sentence should start and end with "Bright Blessings" or "Blessed Be"
Believe that every sentence should start and end with "Merry Meet" or "Merry Part"
Believe that you must have all the tools and ingredients (Athame etc) at hand before performing a ritual or spell.
Believe Gerald Gardner's Book of Shadows, published in the 1950s is really much, much older.
Believe that Wicca is an ancient religion when in FACT it was made up by two people (Doreen Valiente & Gerald Gardner) around 1953.

[Ravenstar]

I guess how I would c
define myself is I believe in God and use witchcraft using the elements and natural energies around me in nature that God made. So as far as defining myself Catholic, Christian or Witch I am not sure. Blessings.

[Nyd]

I guess how I would c
define myself is I believe in God and use witchcraft using the elements and natural energies around me in nature that God made. So as far as defining myself Catholic, Christian or Witch I am not sure. Blessings.

You sound pretty agnostic to me. Maybe you are a little bit of everything, nothing wrong with that

[Ravenstar]

Coo.