Seeking a Pagan Path
So if you are new to Wicca/Witchcraft/Paganism it can be daunting at first trying to discern appropriate definitions for the types of paths that are walked in Paganism. A big source of confusion can be âWhat is the difference between Wicca, Witchcraft and Paganism?â  There are a few key differences between these three paths. Paganism is an umbrella term for Nature and Earth based religions. Wicca and Witchcraft fall under this umbrella. Its important to note that though all Wiccans/Witches are Pagan, not all Pagans are Wiccan. Wicca is a type of witchcraft that was introduced in the 1950â˛s. Wicca is typically referred to as a New Age Religious movement. Yes, it is based in the old ways, however, the practices and initiations themselves are very new. In my years practicing witchcraft and taking a researchers lens to Wicca, it is easy to see in books found in stores and websites nowadays that Wicca has a very eclectic foundation to it. Wicca frequently brings Eastern Chakra practices into play in common spellwork, and very often when I am reading books such as âThe Wiccan Yearâ you can see the Celtic Wheel of the Year is used but the Gods/Goddesses mentioned most are of the Greek Pantheon. I suggest that if this is your desired path you research Wiccan Covens and their schools of thought, like Gardnerian, Alexandrian, and Dianic Wicca as some examples.  The Law of Three and the Wiccan Rede are especially important in these paths since they are directly correlated with those practices for the most part. Clearly you donât need to be Wiccan to relate and use these philosophies, but more on that momentarily. Witchcraft is any type of nature based craft. You are a Witch if you practice a craft that is earth based or rooted in Pagan belief systems. All Wiccans are Witches but not all Witches are Wiccan. The reason being not all Witches are Wiccan is summarized as follows: Initiation. I was told by a friend who is a practicing Wiccan who went to Harvard for Religious studies and his focus on Pagansim that traditionally Wicca was a reserved term for those initiated in a Wiccan Coven. The other reason is of course not every witch relies on the Law of Three or the Rede in their philosophies. Its very common place NOW for people to use Witch and Wiccan interchangeably, but since learning that there is initiation involved with Wicca, I reserve using that term for myself when I am being introduced to new people who have *zero* clue what the differences are and I can say âLike the Hex Girls from Scooby Dooâ and they get it without making me exert undue emotional labor. TLDR is All Witches/Wiccans are Pagans but not all Pagans are Wiccan and not all Witches are Wiccan, but all Wiccans are witches. Below is a link that goes into way more detail (which can become very muddy if I tried to further explain it) https://www.thoughtco.com/wicca-witchcraft-or-paganism-2562823 this is a great start in understanding what I just kinda word vomited in this post.Â
