LightKeeper asked me to help with this forum...and I admitted to not knowing a lot about Wicca...so we have switched it to Witchcraft...but please feel free to ask anything about either. I admit to not being an expert but I know enough people to be able to, hopefully, answer your questions.

We'll start here and see where it leads.

Wiccan
Wicca is a religion, and someone who follows that religion is called a Wiccan. Sometimes it can be difficult to accurately define Wicca, and not all Wiccans will define themselves the same way. Observing the 8 Wiccan Sabbats, honoring the Gods and/or Goddesses, creating sacred space for rituals, to name a few. Many traditional Wiccans also feel that belonging to a coven is also a requirement and that those who practice their religion as a solitary, should not refer to themselves as Wiccan. Personally, I'm still not sure on that point. Typical Wiccans also practice magick, and therefore are also witches. You cannot be a "natural Wiccan" any more than you could be a "natural Christian".
Witch
The practice of witchcraft is not associated with any religion, therefore you can be a witch and yet also be a member of any number of religions (or none). Using the natural energies within yourself, along with the energies of herbs, stones or other elements to make changes around you is considered witchcraft. Though the skills and gifts that are part of witchcraft can be inherited from parents or grandparents, you aren't automatically a witch just because your grandmother may have been one. The use of magick takes practice, experience and learning. On a side note, a male witch is called a witch, not a warlock.
Pagan
While I'm explaining terminology, I thought I would throw in "Pagan" as well. Paganism refers to a variety of non-Christian/Jewish/ Islamic religions that are usually polytheistic and are often nature-based. Wicca is only one Pagan religion, but there are others such as Santeria, Asatru, or Shamanism. Many people do not necessarily identify with a specific religion, and just use the broad term "Pagan" to define their spiritual path. Pagan religions are distinct and separate from each other, and it should not be assumed that they are just different names for the same faith.
http://www.paganwiccan.about.com/cs/...iccanwitch.htm

Very interesting and this should dispel some myths. I will be interested to learn what is gained by the magick. Many people probably wonder if it is used to harm others.

Maybe Magick can be the next lesson...yes, many have asked that...and there are ethics involved in Magick but there are those who use it for good as well as "evil".

Magick is nothing more than a manipulation of energy using personal and Universal energy. Depending on the strength of focus, many things can be accomplished.

Please state your beliefs/opinions on Venemous Magick.

What are the repercussions of Magick? If your intent was caused by jealousy or revenge, then the results may not be pleasant for you to.

You obviously don't know me...LOL...I can't even imagine a reason for Magick being called that! And I would never teach any type of Magick that would be used to harm someone. Maybe you can explain the term and possible use.

I do not believe in using any type of Magick that would harm another...yes, that is a Wiccan ethic thing...but it's also personal...and I would never teach anyone to use that type of Magick.

I'm sorry...but I do not feel qualified to answer your question.

Connie

But you answered it quite well.



There you go.


No, this is your section and I respect that . We're a team.

Thank you!

To add just a little bit of adendum to this thread as well. Most earth based religions are very open-minded and accepting of people of ALL walks of life to include various orientations. My main reason why I follow this path is due to that open-mindedness and I constantly fall back on the Three Fold Rule which states "An it harm none, do as Thou will." I am so thankful (now) to live in this day and age so that I am not forced to live in fear of going out in public and people burning me because I am wrong. Thank you for starting this thread and I hope that it answers many questions for all of us that are continually growing closer to the God/dess.

'Wicca' or ( 'Wica' as Gerald called it) was a creation of Gerald Gardner who drew heavily on the 'Golden Dawn' and Certain Masonic rites. It came to North America with Alex and Maxine Saunders and added to by Stewart Farrar became 'Alexandrian Wicca' (Hence the 'Gards' and the 'Lexies' )Because it is first and foremost an initiatory tradition, only someone who can back up their 'lineage' and who has gone through all the initiatory stages can call themselves an 'authentic' Wiccan. One can no more call themselves a 'Real' Wiccan if one is solitary than one can call themselves a 'self-ordained Catholic Priest'. One can call themselves one, but they aren't. Because of the nature of the training, groups are very much a part of it. The word 'coven' is frequently rejected as it is an artifact of the Inquisition. However, it's a handy word

By the way, 'magic' spelled 'magick' is a from Crowley and very few people except 'Willow' wannabe's use it anymore.

++Though the skills and gifts that are part of witchcraft can be inherited from parents or grandparents, you aren't automatically a witch just because your grandmother may have been one.++

PLEASE, don't go down the 'carried in the blood' line. It has yet to be shown and also is VERY divisive - it can lead to the idea that beliefs and religion are
are 'genetic' or 'racial' and this can lead to some very ugly thinking ( I will NOT invoke 'Godwin's Law', but the Asatru have enough trouble with the 'Naziastru'. )

The word 'pagan' simply means 'country dweller'. Indeed, in Ancient Roman times, it was frequently used by other pagans as a derisive term as in 'country bumpkin'. The word 'pagan' has become an umbrella term that encompass many beliefs. Not universal are the beliefs that they are polytheistic (or even religious -lots of atheist pagans out there), and many will deny vehemently that they are 'nature based'.

Just a few quibbles

open

"Magick" is still used often in Satanic circles. A lot of us are mired in Crowlean muck.

I am an avid practitioner of magic/k. However, my definition of magick may differ from most. My practice is based on neuro-linguistic programing, mimicry, manipulation techniques, and sensory deprivation meditation.

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"The Lord can make you tumble, the Lord can make you turn, the Lord can make you overflow...but the Lord can't make you burn." - Randy Newman