A Guide to Witchcraft

I - What is witchcraft? || Definitions

This chapter is going to be full of dry definitions, but you can come back to it later to check some definitions if you wish.

Witchcraft:
The practice of magic, commonly through magic spells.

Witch:
A person who practices witchcraft. Male witches are also witches, not warlocks (unless they prefer to call themselves warlocks).

Magic:
A natural power or energy that flows through everything in the Universe. Witches can use magic to bring change in their lives. Magic is nothing supernatural, but a very natural thing.
*Some witches prefer to spell it "magick" in order to distinguish the natural energy from a commercial type of magic which is done by magicians. Commercial magic is not real magic.

Polytheism:
The worship of multiple gods.

Monotheism:
The worship of one god.

Pagan:
1. Someone who does not believe in the Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam).
2. Someone who believes in the divine character of nature. Their beliefs often (but not always) include polytheism and nature worship.
**Paganism and pagan are difficult to define, since their original meaning has somewhat changed. Christians used to call anyone non-Christian a pagan. Now, pagans and/or neopagans have claimed the term and choose to call themselves pagans, and especially in the pagan community the word has no negative connotation.
**Pagan is a very broad umbrella term that includes many, many religions and beliefs.

Neopagan:
Someone who practices the modern reconstructed version of an old, non-Christian faith. Examples: Roman, Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Native American, and Celtic traditions. Also includes modern pagan religions such as Wicca and Druidism.

Deity:
A divine or supernatural being; god or goddess.

Wicca:
A religion with (commonly) two deities, a God and a Goddess. Practitioners (Wiccans) usually follow the Wiccan Rede, which provides a moral guide. Wiccans often practice magic.

You have probably heard the term "Wicca" somewhere. It's important to remember that Wicca and witchcraft are NOT the same thing. Simply, the difference between a witch and a Wiccan is that Wiccans follow the religion of Wicca. Witches, on the other hand, can be of any religion, but they all practice magic.
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