Do you practice Wicca or Witchcraft?

Because Wicca has become such a popular feature in movies and a household word with the public to define anything essoteric, Wicca is automatically associated with Witchcraft. However, you can practice Witchcraft without being Wiccan and you can be Wiccan without practicing Witchcraft. Confusing right? Well, here is a simple set of bullet points that might help you figure out if you are interested in Wicca or Witchcraft...

You might be a Wiccan if....

• You believe in a God and Goddess
• You revere nature
• You believe in Harm None
• You celebrate the Esbats/cycles of the moon, notably the Full Moon
• You celebrate the seasons with the Wheel of the Year -- the 8 Celtic festivals
• You don't believe in the Devil or Hell
• You believe in Summerland rather than Heaven
• You believe in some form of reincarnation
• You practice Spellcraft/Witchcraft (optional -- some Wiccans do, some don't)

Obviously, that is a very simplistic chart of Wiccan beliefs and doesn't embrace all the nuances of the religion or even all the aspects of those points listed but suffices for purposes of this article. Now, moving on...

You might be a practitioner of Witchcraft if....

• You practice magick (not entertainment "magic" utilized by magicians) regardless of your religious affiliation (whether Christian, Muslim, Catholic, Jewish, Pagan, Wiccan, Heathen, etc.)

As you can see, for me it is a pretty simple litmus test regarding Wicca vs. Witchcraft. Many, many people practice witchcraft even though they might be repulsed by that term. If you use prayers to change an outcome of a given situation, you are practicing Witchcraft. I know that outrages some to hear it termed like that but look at this definition of what magick is... I think this definition expresses it well:

Magick is the science and art of causing change (in consciousness) to occur in conformity with will, using means not currently understood by traditional Western science.

source: Modern Magick, by Donald Michael Kraig

(For more on the definition of magick, see this article: Magick on the Llewellyn Encyclopedia website)

So if you are coming at Wicca purely from the perspective of performing spells and have no interest in doing Full Moon, messing about with the Wheel of the Year or abandoning your current faith to embrace the Goddess, then you are more accurately defined as a practitioner of Witchcraft. Hopefully, you are able to reconcile that with your chosen religion. Many do so by going the *light worker* path and incorporating angelic beings into their system. But it is still Witchcraft by definition. Have a look at this definition:

Witchcraft: Among modern practitioners Witchcraft can be defined as the practice of magick and Paganism as it relates to pre-Christian European Paganism. The arts of Witchcraft include herbalism,divination, magick, ceremonial ritual, healing, potions, and spirit-world contact (familiars, elementals, etc.). Witchcraft, as depicted by the Church during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, is considered by many modern Witches to be a deliberate distortion of the facts.

source: Encyclopedia of Wicca & Witchcraft,by Raven Grimassi (from Llewellyn Encyclopedia)

As you can see, Witchcraft includes magick of course, as well as psychic and mediumship skills, divination such as Tarot and oracle cards, herbalism, potions, healing -- so any type of spiritual or energy healing. I think you get the gist of it.

So, now what do you think? Are you practicing Wicca or Witchcraft?

I'm sure there will be some that have differing opinions on this topic. I welcome your responses.

Bright Blessings to All 

Blessed Be

Rayven Michaels