One of the questions that I am having to deal with since I started my paganism lesson videos is: Is there a difference between Wicca witches and traditional witches? And the answer is Yes most definitely there are many differences. And I would like to discuss them with you now.
Wicca is a branch of paganism that was created by Gerald Gardner. Gardner was a witch that was inducted into a coven and decided to write about it. He had the idea of making his beliefs better known and accepted. Which I do find very admiral in concept. Gerald brought in a lot of different concepts from other religions and organizations mixed those with what he learned in the coven and created Wicca. There are two primary traditions in Wicca Gardnerian and Alexandrian. However with the fast spread of Wicca many eclectic traditions were created.
Wicca has a one piece of dogma, the wiccan rede. The one most used part is about " As long as you harm none, do as you will." This is viewed by many wiccans as a rule or law to follow. And that is not the case, 'rede' is Anglo-Saxon for 'advice". meaning that they advice you to not harm others if you have the choice. Traditional Witches have no such law. They have a better understanding of the ways of nature. Witches follow a more nature path, they know that there are times to fight and a time to be peaceful. In nature animals die everyday so that other animals can live. That is the balance of nature , everyday life is born, life consumes, and life dies. If a person or persons is a threat to you family, land, or beliefs they must be dealt with. And a traditional witch is more adept into doing just that. Many wiccans embrace a view of 'Love and Light" seeking a positive outlook of the universe. This concept is easy to understand by many of the urban wiccans that have never lived the hardship of nature , or refuse to see the darker side of life. These wiccans view the earth as a loving mother in which evil doesn't exist. But Mother nature is cruel at times.
Wiccans have some concepts that have no historical merit in traditional witchcraft. Karma is an Indian/ Hindu concept. Traditional witches believe in fate. Karma is a concept to guilt people into doing or not doing a certain act. The three fold law is another concept that is not found in European beliefs and traditional witchcraft. The threat of the christian hell was replaced with the three fold law. There is no proof that what we do will rebound back on us three fold. If you attack a person, then that person and there family might get even with you, and that would be over three fold. Look at all the people that harm nature and how they can walk away from it.
Wicca is an overly structured belief system, brought over from the churches and masons by Gardner. In Wicca there is a degree system and title such as "high priestess" . I have seen ads for witch classes with various wiccan teachers for a 2nd degree. I seen one set of classes for a week cost $400. You can advance in degrees quickly with a book. So time has very little importance with Wicca. Traditional witchcraft doesn't have a system of rank and titles. Progress in traditional witchcraft is measured with experience and initiations are based on personal events , not a year and a day. Covens are formed with a certain one or two people in charge of the group. traditional witches form an open circle and work in a community mentality.
Wiccan rituals are very formal and detailed. Ceremonial magic is effective because the more time you spend building up to a moment , the more energy you can pool and focus. Wiccan rituals need you to cast a circle , call the quarters, perform a certain series of steps to accomplish a ritual. Traditional witches work more simple rituals with little structure to them. They believe in casting spells as needed , where needed. Traditional witches see that the intent why you do something is more important that how you did the spell. Wicca requires you to make a sacred space to cast a circle , traditional witchcraft doesn't. The traditional witches view all of the earth as already sacred.
Wiccans have a "Book of Shadows" or BOS. This is not historically correct either. I say this because most people in the dark ages and such couldn't read or write, so they couldn't write down magical information. 99% of all traditional witchcraft knowledge was pass down orally. The second thing you have to remember is that witchcraft was illegal and people were killed for being a witch. So if your home was searched and a spell was found, you would have been killed. I do have a book of shadows, I use it to keep information that I think is important. Humans forget most of what they learn if they don't use it frequently.
Views of god worship is one of the most hostile topics. Eclectic Wicca has turned deity's into a mix and match purpose only collection that lacks theme. A coven could say that they follow the Celtic gods but will recite the "Charge of the God". They lack the respect and honor of any culture. This is a new-age creation, historically people honored their culture. One must learn to embrace all of a culture and not only the parts you like. Integrity is build from understanding and learning of a single culture while on your path.
The main reason that wiccans do this is because they have a new age concept that all gods are one god and all goddesses are one goddess. A duo theism that transcends into monotheism when they give the divine a view of oneness. Traditional witches and the pre-christian beliefs of Europe were polytheists. They believed in many gods and goddesses, each was unique and special. There was no specific witch god or goddess. A witches culture usually determined which pantheon they observed.
Wicca has 8 sabbats, every 45 days , as the seasons change wiccans celebrate a sabbat. Different cultures didn't celebrate these events. According to the Celtic seasons there was only 2 seasons not 4. Traditional witches followed the holidays of the culture that they were in. The Celts had 4 main holidays, the equinox's and solstices were not honored by the Celts. Gardner brought in the8 fold calender from other influences. Like what the Christians did to convert the early pagans to Christianity. He collected holidays from different cultures and made them wiccan. So that the new wiccans wouldn't be bored with their new beliefs and convert back to Christianity.
Tools are another interesting difference. Wicca has a list of specific tools each assigned an element and a gender aspect. Traditional witches use a different collection of tools. Some traditions use a knife, but without all the ceremony. Besoms, cauldrons, stangs, and cords are most often used by traditional Witches compared to the Cup, athame, staff, and pentacle of the Wiccans. Some traditions for both witches and wiccans can use a mixed collection of tools or no tools at all. In Ray buckland's Scottish Witta, he kept everything very simple.
Now I know that you will think I might be attacking Wicca. I am not trying to do that at all. There are differences and they need to be defined and understood. Both group call themselves witches, and how you define it will determine if you think you are yourself a witch or not.
Celtic views and Wiccan views differ greatly as well. And many people love to mix Celtic paganism with Wicca. Gardner did a lot of borrowing from Celtic traditions and thinking. But that doesn't mean that they are that closely similar. Wicca has nature divided into the 4 elements. The Celts viewed nature into 3 realms, the sky, land, and sea. Shamanic Witchcraft also views those same realms.
Now I hope that you have learned something from this post. We need to understand the differences between the two, to understand and grow with the forms of witchcraft. Labels are only bad if they are used to negatively label someone. You have to give yourself a label if you want to find other people that are like you.
As a Wiccan priestess I can say: you have stated all you could know as an outsider and as an outsider you can't know what Wiccans or other witches really teach. The old traditional covens keep their teachings secret, the only way you can know is to be accepted into the coven and being oath bound to keep your mouth shut. But then we are not interested in converting the whole world, we only teach those that are deserving of this great gift. I will now only address one point of your essay: there is no way you can be initiated by reading a book and there is no way you will receive a real initiation by paying money. Those that charge are charlatans. I will say only this about initiation, there is an energy, a frequency that is exchanged between the teacher and student. You can not receive it by reading a book. It is called magic for a reason.
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