Wicca and witchcraft

[onyxnight]

Merry meet everyone. I have a question on the synonymity of wicca and witchcraft. Are they the same things? If one is a wiccan do they automatically practice witchcraft, and if one is a witch that practices witchcraft, are they automatically a wiccan? Is it important to state yourself as a wiccan if you are going to practice witchcraft? Are they any rules on this topic? Thank you to everyone that answers.

[L.J.Hex]

I'm sure someone will show up and repeat after me, putting it in way more depth than I can. Witchcraft is craft, Wicca is a religion. The answer is yes and no, there's so many ways people practice.

I do rituals with clear Wiccan influence, but I also do spellwork which has nothing to do with it.(Except casting a circle and calling in certain deities for example.) Anyway, the question you're asking is a big one to which there are many answers depending on who you ask.

[SpiritTalker]

This question comes up again & again. I have yet to find any 2 opinions that agree. Opinions vary by how the terms are used. This is my own take on it.

>Are Wicca & Witchcraft the same thing? No.

>If one is a wiccan do they automatically practice witchcraft?

Wica had it's start in the late 1930's-40's as a revival & reconstruction that blended western occultism with regional, British folk practices. It is an initiatory, coven-based religion whose members use magical arts & the Wica Tradition still remains. Wica has specific tenets & structured, ritual practices. A person wouldn't have to do magic in private if they didnt want to but in the coven gatherings magic could be expected. So, a Traditional Wican would do magic.

Witchcraft is one of the terms used to reference the magical arts. We do magic when we consciously participate in co-creative acts in balance with nature. Witchcraft is a set of beliefs & practices employed for rituals & spell crafting. Witchcraft is a "craft" and like any skilled craft there are tools & skill-sets customized to the craft. But...Witchcraft is a funky word with multiple meanings that fluctuate by who is using it. Certain skill-sets have been practiced as a religion historically & still are in many cultures today (trance states, out-of-body travel, energy manipulation etc.) Knowledge of seasonal planting-harvesting & animal husbandry cycles and celestial seasonal patterns were once the privilege of the Priest class to preserve the vital knowledge between generations. They were part of historic religious witchcraft practices.

The solitary eclectic practice of popular, modern Wicca is an adaption of the traditional coven form & is so randomly diverse that sometimes you can't see there's much in common. Then the word "witchcraft" might be more descriptive.

> if one is a witch that practices witchcraft, are they automatically a wiccan? No. Wica is only one pagan path that uses magical arts. Many pagans are not witches & many witches are not Wiccans.

> Is it important to state yourself as a wiccan if you are going to practice witchcraft?
I'm not sure where you're coming from with this question - important to whom? As a self-identifying label it's your choice.. Some Wiccans do not call themselves "witches" because of the derogatory hostility the word can rouse amongst mainstream religions.

[SpiritTalker]

You seem quite interested in Wicca but there is also non-wiccan trad crafting. This reference is just the 1st site I tripped over. The FAQs might be of interest.
http://www.blue-moon-manor.com/faq.html#10

[onyxnight]

Thank you! I'm pretty sure you guys have more information than google itself. For so long and throughout my research I have always seen wicca and witchcraft used together and even synonymously so it confused me quite a bit. So thank you so much for clearing that up. I have been studying wicca and witchcraft for about four years and have felt a calling to it since I was a child. I have had so many questions and no one to clear them up for me. Thank you again and blessed be to you all.

[Lord_of_Nightmares]

Thank you! I'm pretty sure you guys have more information than google itself. For so long and throughout my research I have always seen wicca and witchcraft used together and even synonymously so it confused me quite a bit. So thank you so much for clearing that up. I have been studying wicca and witchcraft for about four years and have felt a calling to it since I was a child. I have had so many questions and no one to clear them up for me. Thank you again and blessed be to you all.

Yes, this is because in the early days of Wicca people oft combined the two words and confused them. So older material tends to do that. All Wiccans are witches, but not all witches are Wiccan. Hope that helps.