This is a question often asked by those new to our ways. First lets define their relationship: Wiccan is to Pagan as Catholic is to Christian. Pagan is a classification encompassing many polytheistic religions and Wicca is but one of those religions. Other’s include, but are not limited to, Druid and Heathen.
As a class, Paganism dates back to ancient man. The only real qualification to being classified Pagan is the belief in more than one god.
Wicca, on the other hand, is a specific religion with a tighter definition. Wiccans, for instance, do not believe in satin, nor do they believe in causing harm of any type. The golden rule of Wicca is “Harm None”.
There are many arguments about the age of Wicca. Gerald Gardener introduced Wicca publicly in the mid 20th century. Wicca as he presented it was an adaptation of “the old religion.” Although the religion has changed over the years it is hard to argue that it isn’t as ancient as the old religions of Europe and equally a part of them. You truly cannot disagree with that any more than you can argue that a contemporary Jew is not a Jew or that a contemporary Episcopalian is not an Episcopalian. We have seen each of these religions change dramatically in our own lifetimes but they are still what they are.
Wicca is a nature religion. We celebrate the wheel of the year i.e., the solstices, the equinoxes, and the quarter’s in-between. We also celebrate the cycle of the moon. Traditionally there are rituals on the full moon, some traditions also hold rituals on the new moon, and others yet hold ritual on the quarters. We also worship the Triple Goddess (Maiden, Mother, and Crone) and her consort the Triple God. We live by the Wiccan Rede and believe that we harvest what we sow. The rule of three is that what you sow returns to you three fold.
We do not wish to convert anyone to our religion and recognize that there is no one religion. This is the path we’ve chosen, its what works for us and we respect anyone else’s religious choices.
You’ve probably heard the term “eclectic” used by some pagans. Eclectic simply means taking parts from various paths and incorporating it into your own. I am predominantly Wiccan, for example, but in my personal belief system I incorporate parts of Druidism and North American Aborigines. That’s all there is to eclectic.
For a more detailed understanding of the Wiccan path you should carefully read the full Wiccan Rede.
Last time I looked Satan was not a part of Paganism in any form but rather a Christian-reactionary belief.
Pagan means 'earth religion' but again does not require polytheism. One may follow a trad that has only one deity (some Dianic etc.) and still be Pagan. On the other hand if your religion is not earth-connected it probably is not Pagan.
Cheers!
Kwee
satan isnt part of pagan
Posted by: April at April 22, 2004 09:58 PMThere seems to be some confusion on my original article. I never said that any pagans believed in satin. What I DID say is that Wiccans do NOT. That is not to suggest that any other pagan religion do belive in satin. I also said that Wiccans belive in doing no harm. Nobody seems to interpret that I'm suggesting that other pagan religions do. It's too bad that the educational intent of this publication is shadowed by so much fear of "He Who Must Not Be Named" that some sort of disclamer is neccessary to even include it in this disertation. If you have trouble with the word, delete that sentence and read the rest of the content. I promice it won't be included in the final exam :)
Posted by: bc at April 22, 2004 10:56 PM