Wheelchair bound, Middle-aged Metalhead and Ghost superfan. AFAB NB person. Simply trying to decide if I’m the square peg or the round hole. I'm an experienced spirit worker and new convert to Kemetic Paganism. I love my dog & snek more than just about anything. In my downtime, I sing and play a lot of Bethesda games. Mainly Skyrim & Fallout . I also love Minecraft & Cyberpunk 2077. What can I say? I'm just a dumb nerd haha..
“When I had nothing, and lived in a small apartment that cost very little because the ceiling leaked, the dream was to be able to live off making music. When I had kids that became even more important. Now it’s about something else. I’m responsible for showing my wife and my kids that all these years of waiting for me have been worth it. And that goes beyond money, because at the end of the day that’s just seasoning. One day my kids will be grown-up and I have to be able to show them that all this time playing rock shows had a real purpose.”
— Kerrang, 2019: The Next Chapter. Tobias Forge And The Future Of Ghost
“Lastly I would like to dedicate my work with Ghost to those who have sacrificed and keep sacrificing the most in order for me to able to do this: Boel, Morris and Minou. I love you and I can’t formulate words to describe how utterly appreciative and thankful I am for your support. Tack.”
This post is about Wicca and it's origins and how it has somehow become the poster child of witchcraft. My goal is not to destroy or eradicate Wicca, but rather to De-wiccanize witchcraft. I want to share the separation of the secular practice of Witchcraft from the religion Wicca.
I had to dig deep and read a lot of history and facts before I wrote this post. I don't ever want to purposefully spread false information. Sources and links for information at the bottom.
What is Wicca?
Wicca is defined as “a religion influenced by pre-Christian beliefs and practices of western Europe that affirms the existence of supernatural power (such as magic) and of both male and female deities who inhere in nature and that emphasizes ritual observance of seasonal and life cycles”
Wicca is a religion created in the mid 1900's by Gerald Gardner and is not, though some will incorrectly claim otherwise, an ancient religion.
What is Witchcraft?
The modern definition of witchcraft is “religious practice involving magic and affinity with nature, usually within a pagan tradition”.
Seems a bit confusing, you said it wasn’t religion?
You’re right, it’s not. It’s the practice and the magic that you do. The religion you subscribe to will probably affect the kind of witchcraft you choose to practice, though.
Why is it a Problem?
Gerald Gardner
Gerald Gardner, creator of Wicca, stole portions of his supposedly "inherited" rituals and based a lot of the rules off of various sources. One of his bigger inspirations was Aleister Crowley, a known bastard who was racist and sexualized POC women. You can see why this may be an issue.
Later in life Gardner became obsessed with publicity and ended up driving away some of his closest fellow Wiccans because of it. These folks ended up creating their own branches of the religion.
There is debate on whether or not these branches are also problematic, I won't be commenting on that.
Erasure
The problem with confusing them, in my opinion, is erasure. Erasure of the many beautiful and wonderful cultures that witchcraft and Paganism deal with.
Racism, white entitlement, and the erasure of other cultures runs very deep in western society.
Sadly Wicca is also full of the all too common practice of stealing from cultures, POC and Indigenous people especially.
Wiccan Creators/Authors
Various Wiccan authors write books claiming to be about Witchcraft (a practice) but after reading further they are actually about Wiccan ideology and beliefs. This has caused, and continues to cause, a lot of confusion for people who know nothing of witchcraft or are starting out.
This confusion is harmful because it makes Wicca out to be as if it's the ruling religion of witchcraft. But Witchcraft as a practice is full of many people with various theological and philosophical beliefs.
Acting as if Wicca is the go-to for practicing witchcraft is harmful and aids in the erasure of many other religions and cultures.
I am not claiming that Wiccan books or information about Wicca is bad in and of itself. I am saying that claiming to write about something as diverse and secular as witchcraft but then making it all about your particular religion is wrong. You are not an authority on a secular practice, Wiccan or otherwise.
Of course there are books by Wiccan authors who do not infuse their practice thoroughly with their religion and then act like it's the true way to practice witchcraft. These authors are wonderful, thank you for not spreading misinformation.
However, there are many Wiccan creators still out there spreading the misinformation, be careful who you learn from. Always research your sources.
A Note to Wiccans
If you do not practice anything in your religion that is stolen or appropriated then great! I am glad you've been able to tear away from the original religion.
I am not demonizing you or criticizing you for having a religion or belief system. That would be unfair and horrible to do. I am simply asking that you be careful about the information you share and the labels you give said information.
If you are writing about your particular religion, please mention that somewhere so beginner witches don't get confused. If you are Wiccan, but whatever information you're sharing is secular, then please label it as such.
To the Wiccans who believe that their way is the only way and actively try to push it on other witches. This is for the ones who don't care about the erasure or damage they are causing by spreading misinformation: You are foolish and rude. There is no benefit in the erasure of cultures and religions that do not fit into your Wiccan standards. Stealing what you please from these cultures and not crediting (or taking from closed practices) is harmful and if you truly believe in your three-folds law then I suggest you stop doing so now.
Your laws may bind you but they do not apply to secular witches or witches in other religions.
To the Wiccans actively breaking away from the origin of Wicca and who are trying to reform it into a helpful and accepting religion: Thank you for doing your research. Keep being wonderful and making sure you recognize the past, not erasing it. Allow your religion to evolve from bad to good and spread the correct information. <3
psa: you don't have to look a certain way to be enby
you don't have to wear oversized button downs and bagy jeans to "pass"
you don't have to wear intricate and colorful makeup so people know you're queer
you don't have to shave your head to look more androgynous
you don't have to bind everyday to prove that you're really trans, and not just faking
you don't have to use they/them or he/him or fae/faer pronouns to not be a girl
jesus christ i just want to go and shake 14 year old me and tell her she can wear dresses and miniskirts and bras if that makes her feel good
tell her that if wearing mascara threatens her carefully crafted gender identity, then its not a great gender identity
just because you came out as "genderfluid/enby/gender queer/agender/transman/demiboy/unlabelled", masculinity doesn't mean shit (neither does femininity for that matter) and if coming out makes you feel like you're in more of a box, coming out did not serve it's purpose
screw that teacher who asked "why are you wearing girl clothes?" because you came to school in something pink
screw the imposter syndrome you felt wearing a bra instead of a binder
screw the people that say you're misgendering yourself when you call yourself a girl
I can be just as trans in a miniskirt as i am in mens jeans
i can have a gender crisis with or without lipstick on
i can be a lesbian with french braids or a buzz cut
i can flip off gender with long, unkempt cuticles, or 2 inch acrylics
my gender expression is for me, and me alone. if someone with shaved legs, eyelash extensions, waist length hair, and a pushup bra asks you to use he/him pronouns for him, you had better damn well respect that
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