Wicca versus witchcraft
Wicca versus witchcraftThere is a difference between Wicca and Witchcraft. Wicca is a religion and Witchcraft is not. Witchcraft is the act of performing spells. Witchcraft is done as a part of Wicca, but it is not the entire part. Those who practice Witchcraft and are Wiccan, have the religious backing of the Wiccan values. This is what prevents them from doing bad spells, or spells that harm people or living things. This also prevents them from doing love spells. Those that do not have Wiccan or other religious backing to their Witchcraft may not have these moral backings and are more likely to practice hurtful Witchcraft.
Wicca is a religion with many traditions that date to pre-Christian (and prehistoric) Earth religions. It is based on a deep respect for nature and the certain knowledge that we do not have the right to exploit it for our own gain. Wiccans are deeply concerned with conservation and ecology, and as in all Neo-Pagan religions, Wiccans believe that both animate and inanimate objects possess a spirit, which forms part of the Whole. Wicca is a celebration of the life forces of nature as personified by the Goddess and her consort, the God. Wicca may include the practice of magic, which is defined as the process of causing change through the focusing of our natural powers. There is nothing supernatural about it. Wiccans use certain tools such as spells, visualization, chants, candles, amulets and meditation to help them focus their power, but the power comes from within -- it is not in the tools. Wicca is not a "cult." Wiccans are historically very independent people who seek truth from within through rituals, meditation, magic, studying and communing with nature. Wiccans respect the right of everyone to worship in their own way. Wicca is not
synonymous with Satan worship. The very concept of a supreme evil spirit is alien to Wicca. In fact, most Wiccans do not even believe in Satan. The devil has nothing to do with Wicca. The notion that witches worship Satan was introduced by the Roman Catholic Church as it made its way across Europe, in an effort to suppress the native earth-based religions prevalent at the time. They succeeded to the extent that they drove the practitioners of these religions underground where much of their knowledge and traditions were lost. Wicca does not include flying on brooms. There are many rituals, which include brooms, however, and these may be the source of the flying-broomstick stories. In parts of Europe, some people run across their fields astride a broom to coax the grain to grow. They may also jump over a broom handle asking the grain to grow as high as their highest leap. It is also common for a ceremonial broom to be used to sweep away negative forces from any area one wishes to cleanse.
Witchcraft means "Craft of the Wise Ones" and is also known as the "Old Religion". Its practices can be traced to Neolithic "Stone Age" cave paintings. In early times, the Witch was the local lawyer, psychiatrist, and doctor. The field of modern medicine can trace its origins to the herbal medicines of the Witch. Witchcraft is a nature religion, not unlike the shamanism of the Native Americans. As the concepts of male and female exist throughout life -- indeed, are necessary to create it -- most Witches perceive Deity as male and female: the Goddess and the God. Like the concept of the Trinity, these aren't "many" Gods; they are aspects of the one Creator. The Goddess is seen as Mother Earth and Mother Nature, and is represented by the Moon. She is seen in the fertility of the plant, animal, and human kingdoms. Her power is at a peak in the "fertile half" of the year, from May until October. The God is seen in the woodlands, the Sun, grain, & the hunt. Because most of the animals that prehistoric humans hunted had horns, He is usually depicted as the "Horned One". His power is at a peak in the "dark half" of the year, from October to May. Witches don't do evil. They believe in the Wiccan Rede, which is "If It Harms None, Do What You Will". Witches also believe in the "Three-Fold Law", which states that whatever you do -- be it good or evil -- comes back to you three times over. Witches do not believe in or worship Satan, and do not perform any sort of human or animal sacrifices. Satan is a relatively new concept that originated with
Christianity. When the Christian Church decided to obliterate religions that were a threat to it’s power (including Witchcraft), they decided that their "Satan" had horns and that Witches were actually worshipping the Devil. This became the death warrant for millions of innocent people. The Pentagram (a five-pointed star in an upright, one-point-up position) is the symbol of the religion. The top point symbolizes Spirit (the Creator) being 'above', or ruling, the Four Elements of Life -- Air, Fire, Water, & Earth -- which are the four lowerpoints. The Circle, being without beginning or end, symbolizes the Deity. It is completely encompassing the Star within it (which represents the out-stretched human body, reaching out in search of its connection with Spirit). Together, they represent the Creator's Protection & Wisdom.
Inverting the Pentagram, as is done by Satanists, symbolizes that the Elements (the "material world") are superior to the Creator. A male Witch is not a "Warlock". This is a Scottish term, meaning "traitor", or "oathbreaker". A male Witch is a "Witch.” Witchcraft is a legal religion protected under the First and Fourteenth amendments.