Witches and Wiccans
The Murray State News in Kentucky has a typical “meet the Witches” story, and interviews a few local college students about their faith.
“Contrary to popular belief, “Double, double, toil and trouble” is not the mantra for those who follow the Wiccan religion.”
I usually pass over stories of this nature, but then a comment by one of the interviewees caught my eye.
“Page clarified a misconception about Wiccans, noting that they don’t worship Satan and aren’t evil. Also, not all Wiccans practice witchcraft, herself included. Because of false impressions, she said it is hard being Wiccan in Murray, a primarily Christian community. “People don’t have an understanding or openness to it,” she said.”
This sort of statement has been popping up quite a bit recently, and seems to show the ever-growing influence of eclectic Wicca. This separation of witchcraft from Wicca seems odd considering the word “wicce/a” is generally considered to mean “witch/wizard” in Old English (though other theories abound). A corollary to this trend can be seen with eclectic Witches who refuse to be labled as “Wiccan” (even eclectic author Silver RavenWolf has cast off the term “Wiccan”).
Some British Traditional Witches (those initiatory groups who trace their lineage back to the New Forest region of England) have also reacted to this trend. Some have stopped using the term “Wiccan” altogether (feeling the term has been devalued), while others have (re)adopted Gerald Gardner’s original spelling of “Wica”, to differentiate their lineaged Craft from eclectic practice.
The general practice of witchcraft itself exists outside the religion of Wicca, as there are African, Indian, and several other cultural conceptions of the term. This, in the past, has given rise to the phrase “all Wiccans are Witches, but not a witches are Wiccans”. But in the quest for mainstream acceptance are we altering that maxim? What is Wicca if it isn’t religious Witchcraft? How much can you change or remove before certain forms of Wicca aren’t even recognizable as part of a larger religious framework? Will we end up with congregational models of Wicca that seem little removed from a Unitarian-Universalist service (no offense intended to my UU pals)? It seems entirely possible that this desire to be seen as inoffensive (in order to escape persecution) won’t reward us in the long run.
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