Witches? Wiccans? What are they?

Question

im just curious what are witches? what are wiccans? is there a difference? what do they believe? do they believe in god/heaven? do they believe in magic?

i know nothing about them and i'd like to know, please tell me everything you know.

thanks =]

Answer 1

basically wicca is an earth based religion. wiccans practice wicca. there are many different beliefs that go along with wicca. the way i see it, if you ask 10 wiccans what wicca is, you will get 10 different answers.



but what i've learned from studying wicca, is that they believe in a god/goddess, but some will say that they are one being composed of two halves to complete the whole. some say they are 2 different beings, and other may say that many goddesses create the one goddess and many gods create the one god.



many wiccans believe that when they die, they'll go to the summerland and be reincarnated into another life. as to what And you are? was saying, about being on a highway to hell, wiccans do not believe in hell, or the devil. they are christian beliefs, so to be told that you will go to hell, when you dont believe it even exists, is kind of funny. and about the god of snot and toenails thing...totally false. :-/ there are people like him that get "disgusted" by wiccans, pagans, etc, but its really very sad that they can have so much hatred towards things just because they dont believe it themselves.



wiccans will not try to convert you or force you to believe something you don't want to believe. they respect other religions, and feel everyone should be free to believe what they want.



not all wiccans do magic. its not a requirement.



i've never met or heard of a witch who didn't believe in some sort of diety. so i'd say that there are no athiest witches. :-)

Answer 2

Hmmm, well, I read a book called Witching Culture by Sabine Magliacco that was a great overview of Western Neo-Paganism, with a focus on Wicca. I recently did an ethnography project for one of my anthropology classes that involved attending a Samhain (Halloween) festival with a Wiccan coven. I found the coven through a local metaphysical bookstore. If you have any new age bookstores near you, try asking someone knowledgeable who works there if there is any known coven nearby and how to get in touch with them. And DON'T do anything that would require you to pay, for classes or lessons or anything. All of the practicing Wiccans I've met say that anything requiring money of you is a load of bunk. Good luck!

Answer 3

Witchcraft is the practice of magic. Wicca is a religion. Neither are dependent on the other, though they often coexist. Followers of Wicca, (for the most part) believe in one or more forms of both Goddess and God. Witchcraft does not depend on deities, and is practiced by more religion than Wicca alone, or without any religious ties. Witchcraft can incorporate the Immortals. Some Wiccans read tarot.





-Pagan

Answer 4

witchcraft is a skill set. It does not have to be a religion.



Wicca is a religious sect created in the 1930's based off of older pagan traditions but it still a neo-pagan religion.



Not all pagan religions are earth based as some answers here claim.(though more are than not) Hellenism specifically is NOT earth based but God based.



If you are interested in Wicca (though I dearly hope not as the info is sketchy at best) the best thing to do is read the writings of Gerald Gardner as he formed the religion. Most of the Wiccans that are initiated and in a specific trad will not speak on the religion so modern Wicca relies on the outercourt material.

Answer 5

Being a witch is an earth based religion that has many paths. Generally we believe in individual male and female aspects of Gods and Goddesses, rather than a one-sided male God. However, these may be from Norse , Greek, Egyptian or local Gods and Godesses.



The Term Wicca was introduced during the revival of the craft, and stems from the two main covens of that time. Essentially you cannot be a true wiccan if you are not initiated into these or decendants of these.



There are many witches who are solitaries, that work on their own by different means, and do not abide by wiccan rules. This does not make them evil, as nature is not evil - but balanced.



Any form of divination or spell work was demonised by the church as late as AD500, and up untill the repeal of the witchcraft act, was punishable usually by torture and death. So you understand the church likes it's power to control people.



No, we don't believe in Hell. This is a christian concept only.

We do believe there is a resting place for our soul though, and most believe in reincarnation.



As for Christians saying "believe in our god or you will burn in hell" it's like us saying "Believe in our God and Goddess or you wil become barren, see your family die out and your dust scattered to the four winds" - but we don't curse people for no reason. It's just not nice.

Answer 6

the best way to put this is "all wiccan are witches but not all witches are wiccan"



wicca is a set religion with set practices.

many witches do not follow set religions or practices but still cast spells - pray to their deity or spiritual overseers be it the ancestors, the or a deity, or E.C.T.

Answer 7

I don't see how anyone could be an atheist and a witch... That would just be nonsensical.....



Witches is another general term for pagans I suppose. I personally would prefer pagan. Wiccan is one type of paganism. They are very earth loving and believe in the god and goddess... But not all witches believe in that. I personally believe in a whole pantheon of gods... It just depends on what kind of pagan you are. There are Wiccans, Druids, Asatruers.... (Though they would prefer the term 'Heathen' to Pagan.) just to name a few.



Heaven isn't exactly the Christian view. Wiccans believe in Summerland for a while and then are reincarnated... I think. Asatruers go to Niflhel or Valhall depending on how they die. Us Druids believe we do go to an Otherworld after we die, but then are reincarnated when we die there. There are many different beliefs and they do very from individual to individual.....



Magick... is hard to explain.. Yes, though we believe in it. It's kind of like praying.... or an equivalent to it anyway. It is something you do to respect the gods and to get things you need.



If you would like to know anything else... or talk about it email me.

Answer 8

there is a difference go to pagan pages and read the article called celtic awareness





http://paganpages.org/

Answer 9

wiki wiccan witchy



With apologies to Julius Caesar (Veni vidi vici)



ON EDIT: I can only deduce from all my thumbs-down, that there is something in wikipedia in the entries on wicca and witches that the other answerers don't want you to see.



Also, that witches have zero sense of humour.

Answer 10

I'll get thumbs down for this, But I'm a Christian. Witches and pagan and wiccan are on the highway to hell. They do not worship Jesus Christ. They think there are millions of gods. god of fingernails, god of snot, ect. They disgust me!

Answer 11

It's all BS. What we have to do is look for a particular BS we like and believe that. Then that becomes YOUR BS. Everybody has their own BS. Which will you choose?



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