Do you have to be Wiccan to be a witch?
I know witches who are Catholic, Buddhist, Jewish, Atheist, Hindu, Agnostic and whatever that religion where you wear half a ton of Quartz around your neck is. While some religions incorporate Witchcraft into Traditional practice of the religion, the CRAFT of Witchcraft can be used with almsot any philosophy of life. Personally, I find it does make one more focussed and adept to *have* at least a general outline of a stable philosophy, but even that is not exactly “required”.
The practices that most witches might recognize as a part of their craft have been around since paleolithic times. Early man didn’t paint pictures of a successful hunt on their cave walls for decoration; that is contagious magic. I’ve done work like that myself: Filled my wallet full of monopoly money, only to see my profits grow; drawn images of a sick friend dancing and playing, etc.
Generally speaking, when most people speak of Witchcraft, they are referring to “low” magic, which is practical, straightforward, and uses direct energy manipulation rather than channeling through an intermediary ( spirit guides, Gods, angels, familiars or other disincarnate entities ), although all of the above may be petitioned for assistance in directing the energy. That’s not to say that it is *easy*.
I have a number of resources on my website to whet an appetite. What I don’t have is a one stop guide to the 12 steps to becoming a witch (oops! now I do!), in part because the person who needs that is never going to be much of a witch anyway. One must be inquisitive, self-motivated, determined and responsible to excel in the practice.
What is the difference between Witchcraft and Wicca?
Witchcraft is a practice and a system. There are some beliefs tied to it, but they are not required. There is a huge difference between western Witchcraft and anthropological Witchcraft.
Wicca is a tricky one, because when Wicca really started to become popularized (around 1940. Actual inception dates vary, but most agree it began in the early 20th century), it meant something very specific: a lineaged, initiatory priesthood of the Old Religion incorporating Witchcraft and mysticism in the Rites. At that time, there was none of this “I’m Wiccan but not a witch” stuff. Again, it was a practice. Though there were beliefs tied to it, they were not required. The oft touted “Wiccan rede” was not a part of original Garderian Wicca; it came from another line of initiatory Witchcraft (NECTW).
Over time, and particularly in the last 20 years or so, the word “Wicca” has become remarkably diluted. Now just about anyone with pagan beliefs who likes to put colored candles at the corners of a circle calls themselves “Wiccan”. Popular books have put forth the idea that Wicca isn’t about Witchcraft at all (although I would argue that it is nearly impossible to properly perform Wiccan ritual without a strong working knowledge of Witchcraft.) and that it is merely a “belief system”.
I wrote an essay several years ago on what it means to hold on to the traditional way of thinking versus the popular “eclectic wicca” view. If you are really interested, it is available here.
Is keeping a Book of Shadows a modern, Neo-Pagan thing? Or has this been practiced for some time?
It would be relatively modern to keep a single volume in plain text as we commonly do today. Practitioners of earlier times would often keep their work in some kind of “code” and rituals were generally not written down whole cloth, both for safety (not getting inquisitated) and to ensure they didn’t fall into the hands of the unprepared. Instead rituals were memorized or parts were entrusted to various individuals within the working group.
It can be postulated that this is part of why the rituals that Gardner encountered in his initiatory group were so fragmented. After he went through the effort of shoring them up with bits and pieces taken from other ritual groups he had participated in, surely he wanted some way to ensure they would remain intact, and therefore instituted the tradition of the coven Book of Shadows.
