¤ Wiccan Club ¤

[andromeda;;]

I've decided to identify as Pagan instead of Wiccan. I started with Wicca but I've drifted from it for my own reasons.

[Aniki]

What exactly do Wiccans belive or practice?

Alexandrian Wicca

Founded in England during the 1960s, Alex Sanders referred to himself as the "King" of his Witches. The rituals are said to be modified Gardenarian.


British Wicca

A mix of Celtic and Gardenarian beliefs. Most famous organization at this time is the International Red Garters. British Traditionals move mostly from within the Farrar studies (the famous Witch husband and wife from England.) They too are fairly structured in their beliefs, and train through the degree process. Their covens are also co-ed.


Celtic Wicca

The use of a Celtic/Druidic pantheon mixed with a little ritual Gardnerian, and heavily stressing the elements, nature and the Ancient Ones. They had a vast knowledge of and respect for the healing and magickal qualities of plants and stones, flowers, trees, elemental spirits, the little people, gnomes and fairies. (This is mainly what I am)


Caledonii

Formally known as the Hecatine Tradition, this denomination of the Craft is Scottish in origin, and still preserves the unique festivals of the Scots.

Ceremonial Witchcraft

Followers of this Tradition uses a great deal of ceremonial magick in their practices. Detailed rituals with a flavor of Egyptian magick are sometimes a favorite, or they may use the Qabbalistic magick.

Dianic

First pinpointed by Margaret Murray in 1921 in "The Witch-Cult in Western Europe," this term appears to include a mixture of various traditions. However, their prime focus in recent years is on the Goddess, and has been pegged as the "feminist" movement of the Craft.


Eclectic Wicca

Look in any personals column in a Craft-oriented newsletter or journal and you will see this catch-all phrase. Basically, it indicates that the individual does not follow any particular Tradition, demonimation, sect, or magickal practice. They learn and study from many magickal systems and apply to themselves what appears to work best.


Gardnerian Wicca
Organized by Gerald Gardner in England in the 1950s. Just why is this fellow so darned important? Gerald was one of the few people so determined that the Old Religion should not die that he took the risk of publicizing it through the media. Under all the hype, I truly believe he understood that the young needed the Craft as much as the Craft needed a new generation to survive.



Hereditary Witch
One who can trace the Craft through their family tree and who has been taught the Old Religion by a relative who was living at the same time. Channeling doesn't count. How far one has to go back on the family tree to meet the conditions of the first part of this definition is debatable. Family Trades (another name for Hereditary Witches) occasionally adopt individuals into their dynasty. This decision is never a light one, and usually stems from the lack of offspring to carry on the line, or the high regard they hold for the person in question. The ceremony is intricate and important. After all, it is not every day you can pick your relatives! It is much like the marriage of an individual into a family.


Kitchen Witch

You will hear this term every once in a while. Basically, this type is one who practices by hearth and home, dealing with the practical side of religion, magick, the earth and the elements. There are some who groan loudly at this type of terminology, viewing it as degrading or simply inappropriate. Just remember that the Old Religion started somewhere, and most likely the kitchen (or cookfire) was the hub of many charms, spells, healings, and celebrations. After all, where does everyone congregate during the holidays? Grandma's kitchen has always produced magickal memories for humanity; visions of Mother making that something special for a sick child still holds true today for many of us.


Pictish Witchcraft
Scottish Witchcraft that attunes itself to all aspects of nature; animal, vegetable, and mineral. It is a solitary from of the Craft and mainly magickal in nature with little religion.


Pow-Wow

Indigenous to South Central Pennsylvania. This is a system, not a religion, based on 400 year old Elite German magick. Pow-Wow has deteriorated to a great degree into simple faith healing. Although Pow-Wow finds its roots in German Witchcraft, few practicing Pow-Wows today in Pennsylvania follow the Craft or even know the nature of its true birth.



Seax-Wicca

Founded by Raymond Buckland in 1973. Although of Saxon basis, it was authored by Raymond himself without breaking his original Gardnerian oath. Raymond Buckland's contribution to the Craft is a significant one. Not only did he develop a Tradition that is more than acceptable to many individuals, he also has written a large volume of textbooks on different magickal aspects and practices of the Craft, thereby enhancing many lives in a positive direction.



Solitary Witch

One who practices alone, regardless of Tradition, demonination, or sect. Solitaries come in various forms. Some were at one time initiated into a coven and eventually chose to extricate themselves from that environment and continue practicing a particular Tradition or sect by themselves. A solitary can also be an individual who has no desire to practice with or learn from a coven structure, but still may adhere to a specific Tradition or sect through the teachings of another. And finally, a solitary Witch can be a person who has decided to tough it out on their own, learning from books, networking, and fellow Witches of different Traditions. These people have the ability to pick themselves up and brush themselves off, and live to try again. More and more individuals are selecting the solitary path rather than that of group interaction.



Strega Witch

Follows a tradition seated in Italy that began around 1353 with a woman called Aradia. Of all the traditional Witches, this group appears to be the smallest in number in the U.S.; however, their teachings are beautiful and should not be missed.


Teutonic Witch

From ancient time the Teutons have been recognized as a group of people who speak the Germanic group of languages. Culturally, this included the English, Dutch, Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish peoples. This is also known as the Nordic Tradition.

[Helreith Brynhildar]

Hi. I'm interested in Wicca and thought I'd ask a little question that's been brewing with me for a while, if it's okay. If not, I'll delete my post and run away in shame.

To my knowledge, the Norse had several types of magic: rune magic, magic connected with worship of the Aesir, and seid/spae magic, to name a couple. Though I'm by no means expert in any of these, Norse worship of the Aesir was connected with a struggle against death, evil, and corrosion, I think. Seid and spae were magics that were nearly exclusively female and very much like a form of solitary witchcraft. This is what I've garnered from research on Norse religion and culture.
However, I've also seen websites that take in stride worship of Norse gods with what seems to be a more Pagan (or Wiccan?) mindset; circles of life or karma types of things. I'm sure, from the research I've done on Norse theology indicates a pretty vehement struggle for ideals against evil forces. I'm hesitant to either be assured on this latter or say 'dualism.'

Can someone please help me get my head straight?

[Aniki]

First of all Wicca is a Pagan religion, but not everyone who practices Paganism is Wiccan.

Norse deals mainly with life against and without evil forces. However the Norse know that it is impossible to have an evil-free world. Personally I am an odd mix of Celtic and Norse backgrounds. Norse magick does envolve rune magick, connection to certain Gods/Goddesses, & seid/spae magick.

[Raven_Wolf]

A familiar is an animal or spirit that is interested in a person's rituals or spellwork. I don't have a familiar, so I don't know exactly how a physical familiar would help you with those things. Not everyone has a familiar -- like me -- and they aren't nessecary to be Wiccan or even practice witchcraft.

Like I said earlier, I think a familiar pretty much finds you. You can send calls of energy to them. Some people, such as the others in this thread, were lucky enough to already have familiars with them when they began their practice.

My cat is my familiar. He not only takes interest in my alter and ritual tools and when I do rituals, but he follows me all around the house. He'll even lay there and watch me exercise when I'm doing my Wii fit.


Picture of my kitty(his name is Boots):

[Helreith Brynhildar]

First of all Wicca is a Pagan religion, but not everyone who practices Paganism is Wiccan.

Norse deals mainly with life against and without evil forces. However the Norse know that it is impossible to have an evil-free world. Personally I am an odd mix of Celtic and Norse backgrounds. Norse magick does envolve rune magick, connection to certain Gods/Goddesses, & seid/spae magick.

Mmkay. Thanks for the head-setting. I'll keep that in mind; it seems to align with mos of what I've read. Norse literature is one of my bigger interests.
I'm interested in Celtic and Pictish Wicca, also. Are there any reliable sites for research on these that you could recommend? (You look like you know what you're doing XD)

[Aniki]

Here are some websites that I used when I was starting my research:
http://wicca.com/celtic/cc002.htm or http://wicca.com/celtic/wicca/wicca.htm
http://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.htm
http://www.crystalinks.com/wicca.html
http://wiccawitchcraft.net/

[Helreith Brynhildar]

Thank y'all very much; I'll check those out directly. (:

[andromeda;;]

Have any of you studied the Norse runes? I've been drawn to them lately and recently I purchased a book; "Taking Up the Runes" by Diana L. Paxson. I want to start studying the runes but I'm at an odds of how to keep track of everything and what I would need to record in a journal.

[Helreith Brynhildar]

Yes! I haven't experimented at all with their magical side, but I've done a bit of research on the futharks and some rune coding. Most of what I know about runes is from online, but I do book research when I can find any.
I basically just put everything in a journal and read a bunch; the writing down helps me remember it.