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Saturday, 12 March 2005
Mood:
 d'oh
Topic: Witch or Wiccan
Here is another response to the question I asked at the Witch School Forum regarding Wicca and Witchcraft that I found interesting:
"I agree that it can often be confusing because so many people use the words Wicca and Witchcraft in different ways and mean different things . . . but that's an inherent problem with labels. People also have different definitions of what makes a Christian (i.e., believing in Christ, belonging to a specific church/denomination, following specific rules for living, etc.), a patriot, a mother -- you get the idea. So how do you solve the problem? Always try to be clear what you mean when you use things kinds of words, and if you're not sure what someone else means, look for clues or ask for clarification. There's no way to impose an "official" definition that everyone will stick to.
Now, I think of Wicca as a group of specific mystery traditions. If you are trained in and follow one of those traditions, such as Correllian, then you are a Wiccan to me. Because I study Correllian Wicca and follow these traditions, I consider myself a Wiccan.
Witchcraft is "low magick" -- as opposed to "high magick" or ceremonial/ritual magick -- ranging from spells to charms, following the principles of sympathetic workings: like calls to like. Witchcraft works with practical, concrete forces and is very much a part of every day life. How you practice witchcraft stems from your personal philosophy, beliefs, or experience. You can use Wiccan philosophy as the foundation for your workings in magick: that's what Witchschool.com teaches. But there are other philosophy systems, and one individual can even believe in multiple philosophy systems.
I practice two forms of magick: Wiccan-based witchcraft, and sea witchcraft. One is based on my training at Witchschool.com and in other Wiccan traditions, the other is based on my lifelong experience of living on the coast. I've been a witch much longer than I've been a Wiccan, because I've practice sea witchcraft since before I ever heard of Wicca. The separation is clear in my mind and practice."
I still have not posted a response. Have you ever been so confused that you don't even know what questions to ask??
Part of the problem I guess is that I have not given my spiritual side much attention at all lately. And that includes my studies. Life is pretty overwhelming at the moment but I need to remember that during times like this it is even more important to take care of myself and nuture my spiritual side. It is my strength and has gotten me through such times in the past.
I did decide to do a little web search on sea witch and found a couple of interesting links:
A resource site for Pagans who specialize in water-based magick and worship of Sea Gods.
Sea Witch/Article
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