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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otaking
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response 4 of 25:
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Feb 25 13:27 UTC 1999 |
Pagan is an all-encompassing label that embraces many different paths. Its
a lot different than the denominations of Christianity. Christians believe
in God, Jesus, Heaven, Hell, etc. while Pagans can have many different beliefs
and worship different pantheons. The fact that not all Pagans choose to follow
the Wiccan Rede and choose instead the Norse Rede of Honor (or something else
entirely) is a good example of this.
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