Variations of Wicca?

[brighluff]

I love Wicca and have studied it for awhile and I've noticed a lot of variations between how people practice it. Personally I really feel connected to the mother and I'm very interested in spell work. Some of the really grand rituals don't appeal to me, and I really like to practice alone...am I still a Wiccan?

[Imperious]

Hi.

First of all, can I invite you to pop up to the introduction forum and say hello? It just gives the community a chance to know you better.

Secondly, if you want to practice solitary, then you can still be Wiccan. Absolutely. Raymond Buckland, the man responsible for spreading Wicca throughout the United States, even wrote a book on it.

[Chalice]

Variations of Wicca, now include traditions that nolonger call themselves Wiccan.

A lot just use the term Witchcraft. Modern Witch. It's really the same thing.

[YanaKhan]

A lot just use the term Witchcraft. Modern Witch. It's really the same thing.

I disagree. You can be a witch without being Wiccan. I know I have never been Wiccan, still I am a witch.

[Imperious]

I think Chalice's point was that a lot of people use the terms "Witch" and "Wiccan" interchangeably, and that's certainly my experience.

For what it's worth, Yana's correct; "Witchcraft" is something you do, while "Wicca" is a religious framework that typically includes Witchcraft. I've been practicing for over two decades, yet I've never been (and won't ever be) Wiccan.

[SnowCat]

I love Wicca and have studied it for awhile and I've noticed a lot of variations between how people practice it. Personally I really feel connected to the mother and I'm very interested in spell work. Some of the really grand rituals don't appeal to me, and I really like to practice alone...am I still a Wiccan?

You can call yourself whatever you want. Not everyone will agree with you. I can call myself a human, but Rory, one of my cats, is convinced that I'm a cat. I just have the advantage of opposable thumbs.

Snow

[Becks]

I think Chalice's point was that a lot of people use the terms "Witch" and "Wiccan" interchangeably, and that's certainly my experience.

For what it's worth, Yana's correct; "Witchcraft" is something you do, while "Wicca" is a religious framework that typically includes Witchcraft. I've been practicing for over two decades, yet I've never been (and won't ever be) Wiccan.

Thank you, I'm glad you said this. I was just puttering around home wondering if there is an old thread here that succinctly clears this up. I see a lot of neophytes asking if they can be considered "Wiccan" if?....or what is a "Wiccan"?...and I'm sure this was covered in a forum this big and detailed so I didn't want to beat a dead horse. I think this should be cleared up and made to be a "sticky". Honestly, for all I know it already is.

[Chalice]

A lot just use the term Witchcraft. Modern Witch. It's really the same thing.

I disagree. You can be a witch without being Wiccan. I know I have never been Wiccan, still I am a witch.

Nah you are not disagreeing, you are agreeing with me. That's my point.

[SpiritTalker]

Old topic being revisited - [i]I love Wicca and have studied it for awhile and I've noticed a lot of variations between how people practice it. Personally I really feel connected to the mother and I'm very interested in spell work. Some of the really grand rituals don't appeal to me, and I really like to practice alone...am I still a Wiccan?
[/i]

Solitary Wiccan isn't just about a mother goddess, as there’s recognition of [i]both[/i] a Goddess [i]and[/i] a God. Of course we can have an deeper experience of one over the other at different times of life. Gardner's 1940’s foundation was a coven-based structure & didn't bend much until Scott Cunningham wrote a solitary guide in 1989. Circle casting can easily be simplified for Solitary use. He used Ceremonial ritual structure as a guideline to bring a common structure to the autonomous coven practices that had survived into the 20th Century but were dying out, as I understand it. I don't think it was meant to be inflexible. Group rituals are re-worked & amended all the time. Coven members obviously also worked alone then as now, so Solitary isn’t non-Wiccan.

A path's definition is in the core beliefs. I think it's normal for our personal beliefs to change as we learn & grow. Look deeper into the core beliefs in the Rede and Charge of the Goddess & it works out.