Pagans, Wiccans, and Witches . . . Oh My!

This is just some very brief info on what Wicca/Paganism/Witchcraft are and are not. There are many great sites out there for more in-depth information. We'll save the deeper debate (is there really anything such as eclectic Wicca, as Gardner et al. created Wicca as traditions, and therefore you can't have a trad of Wicca based on no tradition? I think therefore I am?) for another article. There is actually a division appearing, delineating traditionalist (who lament the dilution of pure Wicca by fluffy bunnies) from a more "mainstream" or "common" Wicca (who'duh thunk it-- mainstream Wicca). With that in mind, though, I'm sticking to explaining Wicca in a general sense as practiced by most traditions (and counting eclectic as a tradition).

Is Paganism Satanic?

Contrary to bad press, Paganism is not satan worship! For most Pagans, worshipping satan is impossible, because he's part of the Christian set of beliefs. So, to be a satan-worshipper would mean that a Pagan would have to worship something that doesn't exist to them (like worshipping flying purple elephants). The hoopla about Pagans being satan worshippers started with beliefs of other religions ("if you don't follow OUR religion, then you MUST be worshipping Satan"). There are many pagans out there who work with the balance of forces in the universe (light and dark), but most are not "satan-worshippers".

What about that Pentagram-thingy?

I think a large part of the satanic issue comes from the common Pagan symbol, the pentacle (or sometimes called a pentagram-- they are two different things, but are usually used interchangeably). In Wicca (and to many non-Wiccan Pagans), this symbol is used to represent the four elements plus the fifth element of spirit. There is a commonly held belief (which I also recently held, until I learned otherwise) that an upside-down pentacle represented satanic principles, and a right-side-up pentacle represented non-satanic Pagan principles. That's not always the case, as some traditions use the upside-down pentacle to represent divisions in their degree systems. So an upside down pentacle doesn't necessarily automatically represent satanic principles. But, the media has portrayed the pentacle (right side up and upside down) as the symbol of satanic principles. So, when people see a pentacle, they have been "trained" by the media that it represents satan-worshippers. But that's not the case. The same problem exists with the Nazi symbol-- it was a common (non-negative) religious symbol among some tribes, but it became well known through the Nazis and now carries negative connotations, even though it started out as a religious icon.

General Pagan Principles

In general (and Paganism is so very individualized that it's truly difficult to generalize about it), Paganism is an earth/nature-based spirituality. Pagans in general have a high respect for nature. Many believe firmly in the power of all-natural herbal remedies. Many consider themselves "protectors" and advocates for the natural world (our environment, animals, etc.) and try to be more "in tune" with the natural world. Almost everyone who calls themselves Wiccan (and many Non-Wiccan Pagans) follows the Wiccan Rede, which, in summary is: "An ye harm none, do what you will." Most Pagans believe in the "Threefold law" or Karma, both of which basically mean that you get as good as you give-- if you do harm to someone, harm is going to come back to you. Most Pagans believe in some form of reincarnation, generally a "you keep coming back until you get it right," so you try to live your life as right as possible this time around so that you don't have to keep coming back. From there, the beliefs are as varied as you can possibly imagine.

Traditions

Within Paganism, there are many "traditions," or belief-systems. There is, for example, a large group of individuals who call themselves "kitchen witches." These folks often surround their rituals and ceremonies around the home and hearth. There are also Christian witches, who belive in the Bible (or parts of the Bible) and follow a Christian God. There are Alexandrians, and Gardnerians, and Kemetic, and a whole variety of others (though, again, there's great debate about the legitimacy of traditions and the "watering down" and mainstreaming of Wicca and Paganism).

And, Finally, Eclectic Wicca and Eclectic Paganism

So where does eclectic fit into this? Eclectic traditions borrow a little from here, and a little from there, to come up with a very personalized belief system. Within these traditions, there are also sometimes "paths". For example, you could be an eclectic Pagan/Wiccan, following the bardic path. So your studies and rituals might focus on story-telling and poems. Or you could be an Alexandrian Wiccan, following the warrior path by being a Pagan activist. Or you could practice some blend of pagan traditions that defies labelling, like me!

When I first began my path, I considered it eclectic Wicca because that was the best label for it (actually, the best label was "Eclectic Wiccan Warrior Witch"). For example, I do kitchen-witchy things, like make candles and soap. I like some of the ceremonies that are part of the Alexandrian and Gardnerian traditions, but I work alone-- so I had to "adjust" the ceremonies. My patron deities (although "patron aspects of deity" is a better word choice for my particular path) are a blend of Celtic and Kemetic: the Morrigan and Isis. I did some magick, so the witch label fit. And I consider myself an activist, so I considered myself on the warrior path. So my belief system is "borrowed" from many other traditions. I've since dropped the "Wiccan" label (my belief system deviates quite a bit from the standard beliefs of mainstream Wicca) and consider myself just plain old "pagan" or, sometimes, "Eclectic Pagan Spiritual Philosopher" if I'm feeling cheeky (for a brief summary of some of the ways my path differs from mainstream Wicca, you can read my "about me" page.

Great! Now that I've declared myself Pagan/Wiccan/A Witch, can I turn my ex into a toad?

Now, a word about Magick. Magick is not necessarily a part of Pagan religion. There are Pagans who never practice magick, and there are magickians who don't practice a Pagan religion. So the two ideas don't always travel hand in hand. And, as for "is it real?" Here is my humble opinion (from a Cynical Techno-Eclectic Pagan; ask another Pagan, and you may get a different answer): yes, it's real-- but it's not like the movies, so stop practicing your nose-wrinkling and genie-blinks. If you are expecting to turn your sworn enemy into a toad, forget it.

Magick is more like prayer. Think of it like those folks that used to be on TV, who could bend spoons with their minds (or the lady who lifted a car off her youngster). That's the kind of power that's within all of us, and that's how you make magick work (mind over matter-- humans only use a teeny bit of their brain-- some of us less than others-- so what's the rest for?). The candles, and days, and herbs don't have any power-- their purpose is to power up YOUR inner power by setting you within the right frame of mind. For example, do you feel more confident walking into a job interview in your gardening shorts, or in a power suit? You are still the same person, still have the same qualifications. . . but the clothes have an actual affect on your inner view of yourself and how you present your personality. Did you ever see the Bugs Bunny cartoon where the hats keep falling on Elmer and Bugs and change their personalities? Each hat made them a different person because they had a certain way that they felt wearing each hat; yeah, cartoons and religion/philosophy DO mix!

So you need to practice before it will work, and strengthen the powers inherent within you. In my opinion and experience, you can use the power of your mind to make things happen. But you have to practice-- both to make your mind strong enough and to make sure that you make the RIGHT things happen (after all, everyone knows the story of the "Monkey's Paw" and to be careful what you wish for). And to practice, you need to meditate, and read, and learn. Not because evil demons will fly from the grave and rip you up if you don't get it "just right", but because we don't always think things through and sometimes we do things to get result A but didn't forsee that it could end up in result B. So you need to practice so that you can get the results you want.

Witch versus Wicca versus Pagan

Here are a few more variables to throw at you-- what's the difference between a witch and a wiccan? Witchcraft is a practice (or an art), while Wicca is a religion. So one could be a Witch without being Wiccan, or be Wiccan without performing Witchcraft.

And what the heck is the difference between Wiccans, Witches, and Pagans? Pagan generally refers to a practitioner of an earth-based religion, which includes Wicca. And Witchcraft, of course, refers to not-necessarily-religious practice. So one can be Pagan, but not be a Wiccan; but one can't be Wiccan without being Pagan; or you could be a Pagan Wiccan Witch, or a Pagan Non-Wiccan Witch, or just a Witch belonging to a non-Pagan religion. Confusing? You bet! (by the way, I consider myself a Pagan non-Wiccan Witch)

Use the navigation menu at the left to visit the other pages in this section.

Phantom of the Opera:

All pages, format, images and content are ©2004 Windlistener NiMorrigan (or copyright original owner, where applicable).
Do not copy without permission.