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Wicca or Witchcraft?
Merry meet!
There can be some confusion with the words we use. Wicca, Witch, Wiccan, Witchcraft – some people use these terms interchangeably. Others have strict definitions of each. So let’s address a common question: Wicca or Witchcraft? And what’s the difference?
Wicca is an earth-based neo-pagan religion, recognized in several countries, and Wiccans are the practitioners who worship and believe.
Witchcraft is a practice of casting spells, performing divinations, and other magic rituals.
There is a certain amount of overlap between these groups.
An Earth-Based Pagan Religion
Wicca
Wicca is a neo-pagan earth-based religion. While specific practices and beliefs vary, in general Wiccans observe holidays based around the lunar cycle and around the solstices and equinoxes.
Many Wiccans often worship a Goddess and a God, often a Mother Goddess or Triple Goddess and a Horned God. Other Wiccans are atheist, pantheist, polytheist or respectful of gods and goddesses as archetypal symbols.
Wiccan practitioners usually worship in nature, or sometimes in their homes. Every practitioner is considered a priest or priestess; covens frequently have a leader who is referred to as the high priestess or high priest.
"Unruly women are always witches no matter what century we’re in."
~Roxane Gay
Magic and Rituals
Witchcraft
Witchcraft is the practice of casting spells and performing divinations and magic rituals.
Condemned by many in history, witches have historically been considered to be crones worshipping evil powers. Some say they worship Satan, however by definition they would have to be Christians to believe in their definition of the personification of evil. This convenient definition provided an excuse for generations of slaughter and persecution of people, mostly women, throughout history.
The different definitions of witchcraft, by whatever names it has been called, across the many cultures of the world vary widely. In modern times, the connotations of supernatural powers and invoking and controlling spirits still linger, but more and more the word is coming to be understood to reflect a religious belief system.
