In a world where Witchcraft is growing in every which way, we are beginning to see terms such as Wicca, Witchcraft, and Paganism being used as universal & interchangeable terms. More and more authors and new practitioners of these traditions are coming to use the terms Witchcraft and Wicca as if they are to mean the same thing when, in fact, they are two very different practices. Before comparing and contrasting the differences let's get the basic definitions.
Paganism Paganism is an umbrella term that refers to the many wide varying traditions of non-Christian, Islamic, or Jewish religions practiced in the world today. The word originates from the Latin work "paganus" meaning "country dweller" and was often used to reference people that lived outside of the mainstream village society. The term later was used to refer to those that were not Christian during the conversions since they were often the last ones to be reached by missionaries and also often the last ones to willing give in to their attempts to get them to change spiritual beliefs.
Witchcraft Witchcraft is a spiritual practice with it's roots based in European practice and dating back to the beginning of man. Most people do not trace back their involvement with Witchcraft past the Middle Ages because of the lack of information that is available in solid form from beyond that time as well as the fact that much of the retrieved information was written by Priests from the Christian church as falsified documents or accounts of what they believed their practices to be. In fact, it was the Christians that gave the word "Witch" and "Witchcraft" to these people and their practices and was not a term that they themselves used. Witchcraft involves the use of magick, although it is not required, and the honoring of Gods, local or land spirits and Ancestors rather than worship.
Wicca Wicca is a fairly young Pagan religion that is often confused with the religion of Witchcraft. Gerald B. Gardner, a member of a British Witchcraft coven, brought Wicca to the public in 1954. As the religion began to spread through Europe and to America it took on many different forms, spawning off many similar traditions, and taking shape and form by practitioners who began to come out publicly writing books and speaking out about their beliefs. Wicca involves the use of magick and ritual as well as the worship of a God and Goddess. While it is often referred to as a Nature religion, is it very common among urban people that have little to no access to natural places of worship.
Differences in History While some of Wicca can be said to have roots in Traditional Witchcraft, they are very different from one another. They are especially different in their histories and origins. Wicca is a religion that was formed out of the a combination of fact, fiction, history, philosophy, psychology, and world religions. When Gardner was working with the New Forest Coven in England, he wanted to share his experiences with others, but was unable to for several reasons. At this time, presumed to be about the 1930s, the anti-Witchcraft laws were still in effect in Britain, and there were certain elements of the coven practices that Gardner was not under liberty to divulge.
In 1951 the last of the anti-Witchcraft laws as repealed and Gardner dedicated himself to bringing out a revival of Witchcraft because he felt that it was dying out because of the history and laws against it. It was in 1954 that he would publish his non-fiction book "Witchcraft Today", making him one of the very few people this early on to write factual material about modern Witchcraft practices. Though he had other pieces published be, most notably "High Magic's Aid", these were works of mostly fiction, while he still tossed in some of his actual pieces of worked ritual and magick into the stories. Gardner was very heavily influenced by other religions and other occultist practices in the creation of his magickal system for Wicca. Most obvious and recognizable is his connection to the OTO, Golden Dawn, Masons, and the practices and teachings of Crowley. Gardner was also fond of many Eastern philosophies and took many forms of meditation as well as his system of karma from their religions. Other notable pieces "borrowed" from other sources include the ritual tools (taken from Kabalistic magick), the directional correspondences and their importance (taken from the Greeks), and the development of many of the "laws" of Wicca (taken from the OTO and Crowley). While others also had a hand in helping develop much of Gardner's work into the tradition that it became, including Doreen Valiente, the eventual work that Gardner did helped others like Alex Sanders go on to create even yes more traditions of Wicca; in this case Alexandrian Wicca.
