Wiccan vs. Pagan?

[Cinder]

I have a feeling that I am going to end up converting to Paganism though.

[shadowx]

Essentially if it isnt christianity, islam or judaism then strictly speaking it could be consider as paganism.

I have my own definition though which is a little more precise... anything that isnt one of those big three and isnt egyptian/greek mythology is, in my opinion paganism.

So all the african and rainforest tribes are pagans, the celtic druids, the wiccans etc.. and people like me who arent any religion. I consider myself only pagan.

The beauty of paganism is that you invent it yourself, if you believe there is one male god and one female goddess as in wicca but you dont believe in the three fold law then you cant be wiccan, you can however be a pagan who uses the wiccan god and goddess but takes the bhuddist idea of reincarnation and the satanist views on material goods etc...

[FireSpirit]

From my personal experience, I think that a lot of people who consider themselves Wiccan also reach outside of the Wiccan box. I'm a practicing Wiccan, but I don't limit myself to just that. I draw upon the vast amount of other powers in the pagan rainbow, but at the end of the day I still believe in the basic tenets of Wicca i.e. don't hurt people, do unto others etc. I don't think I've ever met a person who has never stepped out of the Wiccan box, and I have definately never come across someone who was under attack who just invoked the Goddess to protect themself, well except for those damn emo kids ;P

[Cinder]

Emo is just a state of mind


Just pointing that out.

[shadowx]

my version anyways

and that is the key... it is YOUR version, hence you are not a follower of wicca.

It is like being a christian but changing the 10 commandments. Canny be done!

[Cinder]

lol Shadow i'm just throwing this out there. I love you xD I couldnt reply because the thread was locked, but I saw that 8 page conversation between that jerk and you and it only make me respect you more LOL xD And yeah, I suppose you are right about that (still giggling)

[Emmialle]

Let's not paint all Wiccans with the same brush here. Wicca is not an organized religion, I've never met a Wiccan who said that there is only one path. If you could, I would like to see your links to "Organized Wicca".

I am Wiccan, I am a coven member. However, that does not mean that I can go to any other coven and they believe the same thing I do, nor do they handle energy the same way. I've been in Druid circles that are very similar to mine, and Wiccan circles that have virtually no resemblance.

I've met pagans who follow a certain culture's pantheon, and say that you can only follow the pantheon of the culture you are descended from, and that you cannot be Wiccan unless you are from a celtic background. I've met a person who followed a Babylonian pantheon and said all pagans must do things her way, because the Babylonians were the first real pagans.

There are people all over who say My way is the ONLY right way, but don't fall into their trap by saying all Wiccans are Fluffy Bunnies, either, please?

Many blessings as you follow your path, which I believe is the correct one for you.

[Fayneixx]

Ahhh you have been hoodwinked by the wiccans eh?!

Paganism is MASSSSSSSIIIIIIVE! Wicca is small small small!

Paganism is everything that isnt a mainstream religion (christianity, judaism, islam pretty much) so druidry, shamanism, african tribal beliefs and wicca are all branches of paganism.

You dont have to be wiccan or a shaman to perform witchcraft. If you imagine a tree, Wicca is one branch, druidry is another etc... Paganism is the trunk and the leaves. Paganism is where all the other religions come from and merge into (trunk) and at the same time it is the leaves, filling in the parts that the branches cant reach and cant cover.

I am a pagan, i am not wiccan and truth be told i cant stand wicca. It has this habit of doing what it has done to you, putting blinkers on new comers so all they see hear and know is wicca and nothing else exists. Wicca is the only way, the lord and lady are the only deities, the law of three applies to everyone etc... I can assure you the law of three does not apply to me...

and the lord and lady are nothing but figments of the Wiccan imagination. but of course, this is just my opinion.

My advice is if you like wicca then stick with it, but do not ignore the rest of the world and what it has to teach you. Paganism is absolutely massive, bigger than any living person has ever known and no-one can help to learn it all. Wicca on the other hand is but 50 years old and *invented* rather than truly developed.

My opinion though of course....

so...just wondering...if you can't stand wicca...why are you on this site? no disrespect intended...or is it? MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

[JuniperBerry]

Let's not paint all Wiccans with the same brush here. Wicca is not an organized religion, I've never met a Wiccan who said that there is only one path. If you could, I would like to see your links to "Organized Wicca".

I am Wiccan, I am a coven member. However, that does not mean that I can go to any other coven and they believe the same thing I do, nor do they handle energy the same way. I've been in Druid circles that are very similar to mine, and Wiccan circles that have virtually no resemblance.

I've met pagans who follow a certain culture's pantheon, and say that you can only follow the pantheon of the culture you are descended from, and that you cannot be Wiccan unless you are from a celtic background. I've met a person who followed a Babylonian pantheon and said all pagans must do things her way, because the Babylonians were the first real pagans.

There are people all over who say My way is the ONLY right way, but don't fall into their trap by saying all Wiccans are Fluffy Bunnies, either, please?

Many blessings as you follow your path, which I believe is the correct one for you.

No offense, even though I understand this isn't going to be the nicest of posts.

Wicca really was meant to be organized, and signify a specific way of worship. It was developed by Gardner (as we all know) as a tradition, which by definition means a customary pattern of behavior and actions. There are, of course, various traditions within the tradition; Fae, Alexandrian, Gardner. But all Wiccan paths follow a basic format of worship and practice.

It wasn't until Cunningham published Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner that it really became a mainstream and disorganized path. People took what the wanted from it, and called what they were doing Wicca, and that changed the meaning of the word into a generic earth-based religion and practice. There are purists out there that will say that any non-initiary, solitary practice of Wicca (outside of the traditions of Gardner) isn't really Wicca, but they don;t make a big stink about it because it's become such a mainstream umbrella term.

Gardnerian Wicca is supposed to look the same from coven to coven. It's meant to be passed down, lineage of the HP traced, and in traditional format with the teachings of Gardner. Same with Alexandrian and Fae. It wasn't meant to be different from person to person.

[shadowx]

so...just wondering...if you can't stand wicca...why are you on this site? no disrespect intended...or is it? MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

Because this isnt a wiccan site Its a pagan site.

[Fayneixx]

so...just wondering...if you can't stand wicca...why are you on this site? no disrespect intended...or is it? MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

Because this isnt a wiccan site Its a pagan site.

good point....................wait... I forget where I was going with that sm121 oh well.

[SecretSilence]

my version anyways

and that is the key... it is YOUR version, hence you are not a follower of wicca.

It is like being a christian but changing the 10 commandments. Canny be done!

IMHO, not only can that be done, but it's what SHOULD be done. All religions should be personal. You can get ideas from organized religious teaching, but in the end it's all about what YOU believe, isn't it, and not what they tell you you have to believe? I know plenty of good people who consider themselves Christian, but do not believe everything in the bible per se, only the basic foundations of the religion, or the "spirit" of Christianity before it was corrupted. Strict Christians would probably claim that these people are not "true" Christians, but is it really their job to decide what other people's religions are? If Earth Wolf's beliefs are mainly based off the Wicca, just adapted into something that works for him, who's to say he isn't a Wiccan? If you go by the dictionary definition, I guess he is technically eclectic. But then, aren't we all, Christians included? I could continue, but it doesn't really matter in the end, does it? Call me what you will; it's only a name and will not change what I believe.

[MattC]

What are some good books on Paganism in general?