Comparison Of Witchcraft And Wicca

One of the many old belief systems is witchcraft and sorcery. It is often believed that

First, Wicca, the formal organization of witchcraft, is a mystery religion. Each practitioner is considered a witch, and practitioner of The Craft, which contains several different beliefs concerning theology and divinity depending on an individual because of their freedom to study what they seek. Members may choose to be solitary, or part of a coven, which is a group of Wiccans that share beliefs and conduct rituals together. Though different groups of Wicca may

Witchcraft is a religion. Wicca is one type of Witchcraft, but the term "Wicca" is occasionally applied to Witchcraft in overall. In the United States, most people who practice this religion call themselves Witches or Wiccans. It is an earth-based religion and in some ways is similar to Native American spirituality. Wicca (sometimes called Wicce, The Craft, or The Old Religion) is based on an ancient religion of love for life and nature. The religion of Witchcraft or Wicca is recognized by most state governments, the federal government, and the United States Armed Forces. The courts have recognized the right of even prisoners to practice this religion on an equal basis with other religions. In ancient times, people appreciated the great forces of Nature and celebrated the seasons’ cycles and the moon. They saw spirituality in the sun and moon and in the Earth Herself. Basically, in all life.

Seventeenth and eighteenth century Puritans arrived in the new world; their morality structured the disciplinary actions toward Quakers, those who were considered witches, and Puritans alike throughout the Massachusetts Bay colony.

Those who claimed to know the future and weren’t prophets were convicted of blasphemy and witchcraft and were punished. It was considered witchcraft because fortune-telling required a direct relationship between a human or witch and unholy spiritual powers. During the Middle Ages, witchcraft in ecclesiastic or church courts was presided over by church-appointed officials. This may have caused biased opinions and also links to religion being a cause of the harsh punishment. In medieval judicial proceedings, torture was sometimes used as a means of extracting information concerning witchcraft, and confessions were not uncommon. Historical evidence states that many confessed out of fear of being tortured and not because they were truly guilty.

     Wicca and Pagan are two religions, which have many similarities as well as many differences within each area. Wicca is a sect of Pagan in which each has their own variations on the religion. A good way to put it; all Wiccans are Pagan, but not all Pagans are Wiccan. Witch is a term used for any practitioner of Wicca. The Webster's II Dictionary defines witch as 1. A woman who practices sorcery or is believed to have dealings with the devil, 2. An ugly, vicious old woman; hag. Wicca is described by the American Heritage Dictionary as the cult of witchcraft. Pagan is the religion under which many different religions are practiced. Webster's II Dictionary defines pagan as one who does not

“Have you ever wondered if Magic or witches and wizards really exist in this modern world? Well yes, they do exist, and they are quite active in the modern world. There are more than 10 million witches in the United States, with new practitioners on the rise daily.”(Caine) Being a witch is much different than what you may have seen in the movies. There is real magic to the craft, but witches or wizards don 't walk around turning people into to frogs with a flick of their magic wands. They don 't disappear into thin air, nor do they fly around through the night on broomsticks. They also don 't live in a big castle or mansion. They walk around as normal people and you wouldn 't be able to tell them apart for anyone else. The art of real witchcraft is one of the oldest practices in the world. “The oldest instruments of the real craft that have been discovered date back to 40,000 years ago, while the practice of real witchcraft dates back to paleolithic times. It is very much a way of life, as you may have heard from the modern followers of Wicca. During the middle ages, and in the event known as The Inquisition, the practice of witchcraft became outlawed throughout most of the Christianized world, an offense punishable by death.”(Caine) A witchcraft frenzy broke out in the early colonial history of America in Salem, Massachusetts. Insane torture tactics were put in by the church to draw out confessions. This period of time is often cited as the start of "the burning times."

Due to human interaction and ignorance, history is bound to repeat in some form or another. In some cases, it is more extreme than others in terms of death and war. In this instance, it is the ignorance on the subject of Witchcraft, and the ignorance on the subject of genocide. The major question that needs to be asked is, “How big is the difference from the Salem Witch Trials to The Holocaust?”

Witchcraft exists. Whether we choose to believe or not, its existence in worldwide cultures is undeniable. Its form takes many shapes that can be determined by the religion, economics, politics, and folk beliefs in each individual culture where it may take place. Its importance in our own, American, history should not go understated: Witches were a major dilemma for people who lived in 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, and as a result women (and men) were hanged due to undeniable belief in the power of Witchcraft. Today, belief in magic and witches has diminished with the increasingly secular nature of our culture, but we must accept there was a time when witches “existed”. While American culture has drifted away from ideas such as witchcraft, others have certainly not, with the primary example being Africa. Witchcraft in African culture accounts for many of the issues found within many of the continents communities. Correcting these issues, at least for a time, usually results in a community being “fixed” (examples are made in Adam Ashford’s account of witchery, Madumo, a Man Bewitched and the anthropological accounts being used for this essay). What is fascinating; however, are the parallels that can be made between witchcraft in different cultures. In a previous essay I touched on this topic by incorporating my definition of witchcraft as “a cultural means of being able to create particular moral boundaries by means of ‘magic’ thinking” (Brian Riddle, 2015). In this essay, I

In this article by the BBC, the origin of witch culture is explained and questioned. The questions of, “Why did witchcraft become so popular?” and, “What made these women so appealing to artists are writers?” were mainly addressed. While the article does say that the earliest example of witchcraft is cited in the Bible, it claims that our modern idea of witches wasn't fully created until the early Renaissance by German painter and printmaker Albrecht Dürer. He created art that shows witches as young, beautiful creatures that could lure men to their deaths, as well as depicting them being old and ugly sitting on top of goats. In one of these paintings where the witches are shown as nasty, there is even one clutching a broom, creating the beginning

Wica is the basic belief where individuals have the ability to follow their own inspiration and vision while seeking faith. In order to fully grasp wicca, the understanding of the Pagan religion is highly recommend. Pagan religion are characterized by the importance of nature to its followers. It is also important to note that's pagans worship any Gods, so classifying

As with altars having comparable traits to a shrine, there are other comparisons of the Wiccan religion to the more traditional religions of the United States and the rest of the world. For instance, praying is comparable to meditation in Wiccan society. Even with this comparison of prayer and meditation, Wiccans pray to their God and Goddess. This will be elaborate later on. Another comparison is initiation. Most, if not all Wiccan, go through initiations which is a ceremony that initiates them fully into the dedication of Wicca. One can do this alone, but it is recommended to be initiated with a Wiccan group, instead of solidarity.

Wicca is part of witchcraft, in one form or another. The related part here is to bring harmony and balance into ones self and the nature around them at all times.

There are many who are Wiccan today that do not believe that the origin of their religion is in Witchcraft; while others believe that these religious practices are part of the foundation of Wicca. Because paganism was not an organized religion and was primarily passed on through oral traditions, there is questionable historical evidence to support a direct connection between the two.

When using the terms paganism, wicca, and witchcraft, it is important that you really understand