| Traditional
Witchcraft and Wicca
How many times have you seen a sentence start with "Witchcraft,
or Wicca, is.." leaving the reader with the impression
that these are one and the same thing. Such generalizations
are unfair to the practitioners of both, and more than a little
confusing to those who wish to learn some form of the Craft.
Yet, in an age of electronic information, it becomes difficult
to set the boundaries that would allow one to study witchcraft
or Wicca as distinct disciplines. There are many pagan web
sites that proclaim connections to Wicca, although few are
truly Wiccan. I must admit that my own web site often fails
to make a clear distinction.
Chat rooms and message boards are filled with arguments over
whether this or that act is within the perimeters of the Wiccan
Rede, yet the chatters are not Wiccan. Perhaps the argument
concerns how many traditional witches are needed to call the
guardians of the Watchtowers, but the well-meaning participants
are unaware that traditional witches usually do not call the
guardians. It's difficult to even find terms to use that haven't
already been so blended as to obscure any divisions.
If you are a newcomer, you
might ask why this is so important. When you start out to
study to be a doctor, you wouldn't want to study only psychiatry
if you planned to become a surgeon. If your goal in life is
to be a great violinist, would you forego violin lessons in
favor of piano lessons? In the first case, both are medicine
and in the second, both are music, but you certainly wouldn't
want a psychiatrist performing your appendectomy nor would
you wish to sit through a violin concert performed by a pianist.
You need to know where you are going in order to map out a
path that will get you there. If you don't follow some plan,
some path, but just pick up a little information here and
there, you'll never get anywhere at all.
The following sections give
some of the differences between Traditional Witchcraft and
Wicca, though certainly not all. Before beginning, let me
explain my choice of terms. The term Wicca is obvious in that
its practitioners use the term to define their religion, and
as it has been recognized as a religion by the US government
for some years now, the term is widely accepted.
Traditional Witchcraft is
a bit more difficult to justify. To some degree it is a continuation
of the religion practiced by early European pagans, called
witchcraft by the conquering Christians. However, as practiced
today it is still a form of neo-paganism, as is Wicca. In
other words, it has been revived and reinvented in modern
times. It is traditional in the sense that it is not derived
from the work of a single founder. The term as I use it should
also not be confused with the traditional witchcraft of hereditary
witches. Families of witches may indeed practice what I call
Traditional Witchcraft, but the designation is not limited
to such families.
In discussing the differences
between these two religions, it should also be remembered
that they have many things in common, particularly when contrasted
to the world religions such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
In fact, they are far more alike than they are different.
Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to explore the differences.
These differences fall into several categories: history, beliefs,
ritual, and ethics.
Wicca
Most students of the Craft
are at least vaguely aware of the historical origin of Wicca,
but have much less precise ideas about the origin of Traditional
Witchcraft. This is not particularly surprising. Wicca originated
in modern times and has the advantage of being set out in
written texts and even in the memories of living people. Traditional
Witchcraft, on the other hand, is tied to ancient cultures
and myths, and to largely unverifiable ideas about practices
and beliefs.
Wicca began with the writings
and teachings of Gerald Gardner in the 1930s. Gardner was
initiated into the New Forest coven in England by Dorothy
Clutterbuck. He published both fictional and non-fictional
accounts of witchcraft, the first non-fictional book, "Witchcraft
Today," appearing after the last of the anti-witchcraft
laws in England were repealed in 1954. Believing that the
Craft was dying out, he dedicated himself to reviving it.
In his coven, many things were secret, so his writings combined
some things from the coven along with elements of ceremonial
magick (Kabbala), Masonic ritual, various versions of the
Craft, Celtic mythology, eastern philosophies, Egyptian ideologies,
and even fictional ideas from mystical works along the lines
of Lovecraft and Hubbert. The elements (earth, air, fire,
water) which form an important part of Wiccan ideology are
from Classical Greece. Gardner was clearly a learned man to
combine diverse philosophies and religions in such a way that
it not only stopped the decline of the Craft, but led to the
powerful and influential religion that Wicca is today.
Gardner's students had an
important role to play in the evolution and spread of Wicca.
Doreen Valiente added the poetic quality to many of the rituals
that have been passed down. Others whom Gardner initiated
took the new practices to distant lands, while still others
branched off forming their own traditions such as the Alexandrian
tradition begun by Alex Sanders. In America, many new traditions
appeared, among them Dianic witchcraft and the faerie traditions,
both of which are further from Gardnerianism than the direct
descendents, but still clearly influenced by Gardnerian Wicca.
Traditional Witchcraft
What we're calling Traditional
Witchcraft has an older history than Wicca in some ways, but
a much less well-defined one. Witchcraft has been around since
the beginning of mankind, long before people could write about
it. Our ancestors did leave a few clues such as goddess statues
and drawings, but not much can be learned about the nature
of their beliefs and practices. Anthropologists surmise that
primitive cultures of modern times have at least a passing
resemblance to the long dead cultures of the past, and nearly
all have some form of witchcraft or magic. However, the witchcraft
practiced by most neo-pagans today is clearly of European
origin, and even the most traditionally minded witches rarely
try to trace the origin of their practice back further than
the Middle Ages.
We do know a few things about
these times. The native peoples throughout Europe believed
in spirits or gods, usually associated with the Earth, Sun,
and Moon, and they saw their lives and the lives of the gods
as having a cyclical pattern, following the yearly cycle of
seasons. The latter part is typical of native peoples everywhere.
When one lives by agriculture or hunting and gathering, knowledge,
and if possible, control of the seasonal forces of Nature
are vital to existence. Thus, the development of a religion
in which the seasons are recognized and celebrated and through
which one might attempt to control the more violent and destructive
aspects of Nature is quite understandable.
Most of our knowledge of European
witchcraft comes from the writings of Christian conquerors
and priests. In fact, it was the Christians who first called
the practice witchcraft. Before the invasion there was no
need to give the religion a name. It was simply what all people
were brought up to believe. Some specialized roles existed
with special names, though the names reflect the language
of the region rather than a common system of belief.
Christians suppressed the
native religion, in part, by adopting many of their rituals
and customs. Yule became Christmas and Oester became Easter,
and all became a part of Christian tradition. However, not
all pagans abandoned their beliefs when they "became"
Christians. Many of the practices simply went underground
and were passed from generation to generation in families.
Since most people could neither read nor write, these oral
traditions were the only means of keeping the knowledge alive.
Without written records, we know very little of these ancient
traditions. The records we do have are often distorted, having
been written by priests of the inquisition or taken from the
inquisitions records themselves.
That isn't to say that we
know nothing of Traditional Witchcraft. A little knowledge
trickled down and scholars often preserved the mythologies
of conquered peoples. Archaeological evidence helps a little
too. The neo-pagan revival has attempted to recapture the
spirit of the ancient religion, if not its actual practices.
Be a little skeptical of those who profess to practice the
Old Ways, unless they recognize that they are reinventing
those ways rather than reviving them.
Beliefs
There are some fundamental
differences in the beliefs of traditional witches and Wiccans.
It is vital that any student of the Craft understand these
differences, especially if the student is still seeking a
path to follow. How can you know if your path is to be Wiccan
or that of Traditional Witchcraft if you have no knowledge
of the beliefs associated with them?
Perhaps now is a good place
to comment on the eclectic witch. All too often newcomers
to the Craft grab onto that label because it seems to mean
they can believe and do whatever they want without having
to adhere to any particular belief or ritual system. That's
simply not the case. To say something is eclectic does mean
that it is composed of elements drawn from various sources.
However, there must be sources for such eclecticism in the
Craft. It does not mean that you can make up your own way
of doing everything, your own way of thinking, and still call
it the Craft. It does not mean that you can incorporate every
New Age idea, regardless of how appealing it may be to the
individual, and then claim that what you do is the Craft.
An eclectic witch carefully chooses a path that has elements
from different witchcraft traditions, making sure that there
are no contradictions or conflicts among the element chosen,
and that each is well understood. There are some limits. Not
only can the path not be entirely idiosyncratic, but it must
be clearly pagan.
Some will argue against this,
but in my opinion, it is impossible to be simultaneously Christian
and a witch without sacrificing important components of one
or the other. Conflicts between the two belief systems are
immediately apparent, and some are impossible to resolve.
Witches of whatever tradition are not monotheistic nor do
they follow any revealed scripture (Torah, Gospels, Quran,
Book of Mormon, etc.). There are many other conflicting elements,
but that must be put aside for another essay.
It's worth noting again that
neither Wicca nor Traditional Witchcraft is traditional in
the sense of strictly adhering to the beliefs and practices
of our ancestors. Like it or not, this is neo-paganism, for
we simply have no choice. Most likely the religion of the
original European pagans was quite different, but we have
arrived at the point where we need to look at the traditions
being practiced today rather than the "old ways,"
though with some references to the latter when possible.
The first, and I believe the
most important, difference between Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft
is the relationship to Deity or deities. Wiccans worship a
Goddess and sometimes a God, regarding them as supreme beings.
Traditional Witches do not worship any entity as their superior,
though they recognize the existence of other entities. They
believe in the equality of all beings in the Universe, seeing
them as different, separate, but never superior or inferior.
This difference is often a source of confusion. A traditional
witch may speak of the god and the goddess, usually referring
to the female and male aspects of Nature, and while they revere
and respect Nature, they do not worship it or its representatives.
A Wiccan may speak in similar terms but Wiccan rituals make
it clear that the Goddess and God are seen as superior beings
to be worshipped. This dualism forms the basic foundation
of Wiccan theology, the necessary feminine and masculine components
of creative energy. Traditional Witchcraft, however, is polytheistic
and animistic, incorporating a number of spirits/deities into
a meaningful whole.
Let me make this a little
clearer by example. When a Wiccan calls upon the Goddess and
the God in ritual, she/he means exactly that - "the"
Goddess and God, the ones who appear so prominently in the
mythologies that inform this belief and the rituals associated
with it. The Goddess is a Triple Goddess and may be called
by different names in different circumstances, but most Wiccans
believe these different names and personalities are aspects
of the one Goddess rather than different entities. Traditional
witches, however, may call the Goddess and the God as representatives
of the creative force of the Universe, but will usually call
on other spirits as well, each being seen as a separate and
equal entity.
In Traditional Witchcraft
there is a Spirit World or Other World where these other entities
reside. Most do not see this as actually separate from this
world, but rather a part of it that is usually unseen. Thus,
the spirits who are contacted during ritual are already there
but may be conjured or evoked to facilitate communication.
This is an important point in that Traditional Witches see
the interaction between this world and the Other World as
constant and not wholly dependent on ritual. Wiccans rely
more on ecstatic ritual to obtain contact with the Goddess
and to increase ones spirituality.
There are some who say that
traditional witchcraft is not a religion at all, because no
deities are worshipped. From a strictly anthropological standpoint,
that would be a fair statement in that religion may be defined
as a system of belief which includes the worship of a superior
being or beings. However, to say that the practice of witchcraft
lacks spirituality is simply untrue, at least among modern
witches. For many witches today, it is the spiritual enlightenment
offered by the practice of witchcraft that draws them to it,
even if their approach to the deities is somewhat different
than that found in other religions, including Wicca.
Ritual
Any discussion of the gods
inevitably leads to consideration of the rituals performed
in connection with them. In Wicca, rituals tend to be compulsory
or at least advised. One must celebrate the Wheel of the Year
with its eight holy days that represent parts of the mythic
cycle. Traditional Witches often observe the same days as
they correspond to solstices and equinoxes, but do not relate
them to a specific mythology. In Traditional Witchcraft it
is the seasonal changes themselves that are honored, not the
lives of gods and goddesses associated with them. Both Wiccans
and Traditional Witches observe Moon phases and other natural
phenomena.
The sacred circle is central
to Wiccan practice. Wiccans generally create sacred space
for their rituals by casting a circle, using techniques of
visualization and raising energy. Placing more significance
on ritual and ceremony, Wiccans create and perform beautiful
rituals, filled with symbolism, to mark the seasons of the
Earth and the seasons of life.
In Traditional Witchcraft,
all space is sacred and all life is ceremony. When ritual
or magick is performed, the Traditional Witch is likely to
go to a place that has special qualities such as a stream
or mountain, but practitioners also recognize that the local
park or someone's backyard is equally sacred. I'm not saying
that Wiccans don't see the Earth as sacred; they do. However,
most Wiccans still cast a circle (define sacred space) before
performing a ritual. These differences are often a matter
of degree and emphasis.
It is often difficult for
urban witches to gain any practical experience of the countryside.
Perhaps the absence of daily opportunities to be in direct
contact with the Nature draws so many of them to the more
formal and symbolic rituals of Wicca. The separation from
natural settings may also have led to the intense concern
with environmental issues among both Wiccans and Traditional
Witches.
No consideration of ritual
in witchcraft would be complete without some discussion of
magick. Magick is central to Traditional Witchcraft, whereas
many Wiccans do not practice the magickal arts. However, there
is a sense in which all religions use magick, as it may be
defined as any attempt to effect the outcome of a given situation
by supernatural means (though in Traditional Witchcraft these
means are seen as natural). Prayer, for example, is a form
of magick.
When practiced, the magick
of Wicca tends to be more ceremonial, whereas in Traditional
Witchcraft it is more practical. Herbal healing, for example,
is a traditional practice which may or may not be part of
a Wiccan's custom. Also, the magick of Traditional Witchcraft
may include hexes and curses without a specific rule to prevent
such acts (see Ethics section).
A more important difference,
however, concerns the presence or absence of spirituality
in magick. Some say that magick is never spiritual. Since
there are often spirits or deities involved, a better way
to look at it might be to consider the relationship between
the witch and the spirit in performing magick. The idea noted
above in relation to defining religion is also applied to
magick, that when witches work with spirits in performing
magick, it is not spiritual unless the spirits are worshipped.
Regarding spirits as a natural part of the witch's environment
and as equal beings in the Universe would deny any spirituality
to the magick of Traditional Witchcraft. Wiccans, on the other
hand, perform magick in which a goddess or god is appealed
to for aid and paid homage to during the magickal act. By
the previous definition, this would be seen as spiritual.
I'm not at all convinced that seeing spirits as natural and
enlisting their aid without worshipping them reduces the magick
of Traditional Witchcraft to something that is merely practical
and without a spiritual component.
Rites of passage are also
an important part of the ritual structure of both Wiccans
and Traditional Witches. Initiatory rites of passage are central
to Wicca, at least as practiced in covens. Within each coven
there is a hierarchy among the members based on the levels
or degrees each member has attained, with the High Priest
and Priestess at the pentacle. As a member goes through the
levels, she/he learns the Mysteries from someone in authority.
The degrees are determined primarily by what the witch has
studied and for how long so that the hierarchy, at least theoretically,
is one of knowledge.
In Traditional Witchcraft,
there are usually rites of passage of some kind, though groups
tend to be less hierarchical than Wiccan covens. In some cases,
rituals are performed at different stages of a person's life,
while in other cases, rites may reflect the individual's choice
to dedicate herself to some aspect of the Craft. The only
thing that can be said with certainty about rites of passage
in Traditional Witchcraft is that they are variable, and are
determined more by the specific group or individual than by
a conventional structure.
Ethics
Wiccan ethics is based primarily
on one rule, the Wiccan Rede (advice or creed), "an it
harm none, do as ye will." A true follower of the Wiccan
path will know that this does not translate into "do
anything you want as long as it doesn't hurt anyone."
A person's "will" is the path chosen after careful
reflection, not just the whim of the day. Discovering your
true will is part of the path you take to spiritual enlightenment,
tolerance of others, service to the Universe, and ultimately
a fulfilling life. The second most important feature of Wiccan
ethics is the Threefold Law, that what you do will come back
to you threefold (with three times the energy). This is a
karmic principle that has it's origin in eastern religions
and replaces the concept of sin and retribution found in Christianity.
In other words, if you harm someone (sin), you will be repaid
times three (retribution).
Traditional Witchcraft has
neither the Wiccan Rede nor the Threefold Law. There is no
morality test, only personal responsibility and honor. Also,
there is no good or evil, only intent. Humans have the ability
to make decisions and act on them, and they may choose and
act with good or evil intentions. Traditional Witchcraft does
not set out laws as to what actions and intentions are evil,
but followers of this path take responsibility for them. In
practical terms, this means that using curses, hexes, and
the like are not ruled out on principle. If provoked or threatened,
the Traditional Witch may act for self-preservation or the
protection of family and home. These are considered honorable
acts. Yet if there are negative consequences, the Traditional
Witch is willing to suffer them.
A final word
I hope this essay will serve
two purposes. For those of you studying the Craft and trying
to learn a little about the rather confusing terminology applied
to its practitioners, perhaps this will be a starting point,
but only that. Don't take what I've written as gospel. Many
others will have a different view of these issues, but these
few words may help you find the questions to ask. For those
of you who saw a movie last week or read a web page somewhere,
I hope it will make you think twice about calling yourself
a "witch" or "Wiccan." Without the training,
knowledge, and dedication, neither designation is appropriate.
May the ancient gods guide
you in whatever path you choose.
More
information on Witchcraft / Wicca
(Wicca
& Witchcraft Article)
(What
is witchcraft/Wicca?)
(Traditional
Witchcraft & Wicca) |
