mta
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Wiccan/Pagan/Other
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Feb 24 22:59 UTC 1999 |
I havea very basic question here. I think it's been touched on in some
previous items, but not discussed in depth.
Background: I've thought of myself as "a pagan" and a "hearth witch" for
decades. I never really thought much more about labels than that, but if
asked whether I was a Wiccan, my answer was generally "No, not exactly".
See, I assumed Wiccan was a specific path of paganism -- sort of like Baptists
are a specific sect of Christianity. I think of myself as a generic pagan
rather than the more specific Wiccan because I borrow freely from whatever
traditions speak to me. Sure, there are Wiccan aspects to how I worship.
There are also Hindu and native American aspects, and many others.
Recently however, I was told that I was being dishonest in not calling myself
Wiccan because that's what I am...
I dion't deny it -- I'm just not sure how to separate what a wiccan believes
from everything else I believe. I have no idea whether I'm a Wiccan or not.
So...can anyone try to give me a hand in understanding what distinguishes a
Wiccan from any other Pagan tradition?
Thanks!
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jazz
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response 1 of 25:
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Feb 25 03:26 UTC 1999 |
It's a good question. I can think of several definitions as I
understand them, and I'm sure I could find a dozen people in this conference
alone who could correct me, or disagree with me, or take offence.
Wicca's always had Celtic overtones - though most of the serious Celtic
believers I've met perfer to think of themselves as Wittan, instead - but also
conveys anything descended from Gerald Gardner, and can cover many different
theologies.
Don't let them give you a hard time about labels; the pagan community
hasn't agreed upon one yet. :)
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kami
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response 2 of 25:
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Feb 25 04:58 UTC 1999 |
Aaaaarrrrgh! (sorry- overreacting, not actually upset)
1. Wicca is not Celtic, although it borrows some Celtic holiday names, etc.
Really. And "Celtic Wicca" isn't. Although some folks practice a hybrid
which uses Wiccan forms and Celtic deities, imagery, etc.
2. Witta is utter bullshit. It's not even a possible word in any Celtic
language. The book was Wicca with vaguely Celtic overtones, once again. Grr.
The Celtic pagans I know call themselves Celtic pagans or Druids or Filidh
or some such.
Now, to answer your question, Misti- I think you've got the right of it;
you're an eclectic pagan, a "hearth witch", and a very good one.
*Technically*, a Wiccan is an initiate of one of the traditions descended from
Gerald Gardner's work. I'd include "gardneroid eclectic" in that mix,
although "stuffy traditionalists" <g> would not. So the Crafters are Wiccan,
to my way of thinking, since their basic training is pretty straightforward
Wiccan, even though they are not currently a recognized tradition. (Who
knows...<g>) Another local group, "The Wyrd Roots of the Sacred Forest" (I
think) are *not* Wiccan in their practice, although the influence is certainly
there. Nor do they call themselves Wiccan, they are their own tradition (I've
forgotten the name, <sigh>) with its own intitiatory process and ritual
structure.
If you want to be more specific, you could certainly say you're "pagan with
Wiccan leanings" or "Wiccan-influenced pagan", but why worry about it? You
know what you do and believe, and who's job is it to judge you, beyond that?
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robh
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response 3 of 25:
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Feb 25 05:26 UTC 1999 |
And of course, there are plenty of people who consider themselves
pagan (Druids, Asatru, Lithuanian, etc.) who are very definitely
*not* Wiccan.
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