Why do wicca's call themselves witches?

From what I have read, wiccas are not exactly the same as witches, yet wiccas insist on being called witches.
And then when people misunderstand this, and wonder why on earth someone would want to be named witch, wiccas get all hysterical about witches being good, and witches having nothing to do with satan or negative powers.

Honestly, do wiccas even know what a witch is?
How did this come to be?

If any wicca would be so kind to share his/her wisdom here I would be very thankfull.

Because they have A.L.S.


In all honesty, I havent got a clue, maybe since wiccan is basically a pagan religion, and paganism was associated to witch craft, its some kindof personal joke!?

Taken from my website:
There seems to be a lot of confusion going on about the differences between Witchcraft and Wicca.......and with good reason. Some "Wiccans" call themselves "Witches", while most "Witches" will not call themselves "Wiccans". To further confuse, there are some wiccans that do not want to be associated in any way with witchcraft, Witches that think Wiccan is a farce, and all the while, most people don't have a clue that Witchcraft and Wicca are different!

I wish I could post them here, but I have them in columns on my site and so in being that I am tired and lazy...you can view the differences here at my site explaining the differences between the two..

I call myself Wiccan, as I adhere to the tenets of the religion. I am also a Witch....as my mother was, her mother before her, and her mother before her...........though mosd call it more of a Witch/Shaman type of practice

Part of my site you need to read the differences:

www.geocities.com...

[edit on 8/30/2004 by LadyV]

For the same reasons that the druids who turn up at Stonehenge claiming "ownership" or heritage to the site despite being totally non historical entities.

They do it for the ego kicks

Besides if they just said they were wannabe role players, who would take them seriously?

Originally posted by Netchicken
For the same reasons that the druids who turn up at Stonehenge claiming "ownership" or heritage to the site despite being totally non historical entities.

They do it for the ego kicks

Besides if they just said they were wannabe role players, who would take them seriously?

Your response to this question doesn't ring in the spirit of denying ignorance...but presents itself just opposite. It is also quite apparent by your response, that you have no idea what you are talking about! While I will admit that there are a lot of "wanna bees" around, Wiccans and witches are as serious as any other faith, and/or belief system. Most Americans form their view of Wicca from such nonsense dribble as TV's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or "Charmed," with their witches and curses, good and evil garblety goop. Wiccan worship focuses on respect for the Earth and its inhabitants with the main tenet of the faith being, "An it harms none....do as thou will" This includes not harming the self. This may be a subject, in the spirit of denying ignorance, sense you are a Moderator on site which uses that term as a sort of logo.....you may want to study and enlighten yourself on.

LadyV, I think he was being sarcastic. But from the people I've seen that are "wiccans" in my highschool, theyre just screaming for attention by trying to be different and rebeling against the system so people will pay attention to them. Its called Avril Lavine Syndrom, most, if not all, the "witches" I know are just starving for attention by setting out to be different.





So far, of all the wiccans I know (about 15 of them) what netchicken says it true about them, and I'm sure most of the populous of the wiccans are just attention starved people (probably mostly girls) that wear all black, talk about vampires, and starve for constant attention upon them.

Originally posted by WolfofWar
LadyV, I think he was being sarcastic. But from the people I've seen that are "wiccans" in my highschool, theyre just screaming for attention by trying to be different and rebeling against the system so people will pay attention to them. Its called Avril Lavine Syndrom, most, if not all, the "witches" I know are just starving for attention by setting out to be different.

So far, of all the wiccans I know (about 15 of them) what netchicken says it true about them, and I'm sure most of the populous of the wiccans are just attention starved people (probably mostly girls) that wear all black, talk about vampires, and starve for constant attention upon them.

I understand, and I too see them....they are everywhere These are teenagers that are trying to fit in somewhere.....but for each of the little wanna bees you see...there are one or two honest Wiccans/Witches that follow the tenets and live it as a way of life, as I do. They are of all ages and all walks of life, from young to old (I will be 50 in Oct) and from the unemployed to attorneys and Doctors ....

What I do not understand, why would respecting the earth and its inhabitants make you a wicca or even worse; a witch?
The religion itself, as you explain it, seems very friendly and even combinable with Christianity for example, why bother giving the name wicca/witch to yourself when what you believe in is not so special or weird at all.

I have also met a few "serious" older witch ladies, and everyone around them just sees them as nutcases, desperate to get attention.
Is that the average?

The easiest way to see whether or not they are just merely attention starved is to talk to one. If they seem to carry on like it's a fad or something equally flighty then perhaps so, otherwise if they actually articulate matters (albeit from a different perspective) direct then that may speak for actual experience. I would be inclined to think a sarcastic remark may be a tad ambigious as it may be jadedness or it may be simple angst. Tough call there. not all witches are femaile either.

Wicca is simply a faith like Christianity, Shinto, or Hindi.
A Witch is simply a 'magickal' technician. As LadyV pointed out earlier, a Wiccan can be a Witch, but it's optional. A non-magick using Wiccan is called a Cowan. They bascially serve as an assistant to the ritual at hand without being directly involved with the magickal working in and of itself.

You could look at it this way, there are Christians who don't pray, but simply trust the guidance of others to shepard them. Structured Prayer and Witchcraft by technical definition are remarkibly simular in that you are asking in a specific way for a higher power to help or guide you. In both cases, it would be wise to take physical action of the need at hand as the powers above are only likely to increase the probablility of achieving your stated goal, but are not likely to simply 'do it for you'.

Hope this helps...

You last question is a tad ambigious(or loaded), do you mean the average perception that people have about the ladies *or* do you mean the average female witch is a nutcase?

[edit on 31-8-2004 by Crysstaafur]

The second. :+)
It may sound like some attempt to spread prejudice, but it's really not. Is it coincidence that a certain group of people I meet, always falls into somewhat the same category?

Ahh, I see,.. humanities unique way of labeling those who are not the status quo. No, it is unlikely that they would average out to be nutcases. Not anymore than someone who is a pious follower of any other religeon, nor anyone who blindly accepts the thought that there is no afterlife and/or no creator. The only person who believes that those who are different must have something wrong with them, may actually be the one who is mentally ill. It is no one's place to judge another. This seems to be an issue of not being able to cope with diversity. Don't be afraid of those who are different as it merely reflects the immense size of the universe.

[edit on 31-8-2004 by Crysstaafur]

I wasn't judging yet.
I was just using my eyes.

It was simply a cautionary note given the heated nature of this topic.
You are using 2 out of 3 tools needed to get this down and it's quite commendable!
Observation is good, Meditation and thought is another plus, reflection is needed. I do agree that there are some who seem self-centered, but lack a centered self.
Keep on going with it Jakko, there is nothing wrong with questioning the world around you even if the 'proof' seems self-evident. It is by this exercise (amongst many) that will help a person learn why something is, rather than what.

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So far, of all the wiccans I know (about 15 of them) what netchicken says it true about them, and I'm sure most of the populous of the wiccans are just attention starved people (probably mostly girls) that wear all black, talk about vampires, and starve for constant attention upon them.

Yes, but to assume that ALL Wiccans are this way would be akin to assuming all Christians speak in tongues and dance with rattlesnakes...

Dance with rattlesnakes?
Man I have never heard that one before, and I have been a Christian all my life.

You never stop learning on ATS I guess.

Pentacostal (not all, but some sects) Christians.... There is a passage (that others think is metaphoric), that these take literally, and some services involve dancing with live rattlesnakes. Needless to say, many bites occur during this, but such communities are well-prepared for it. Getting bit is a sign of wavering faith. Glad I could enlighten you.

See my point though? There are numerous sects of every religion...Wicca is no different.

[edit on 31-8-2004 by Gazrok]

Textwhy bother giving the name wicca/witch to yourself when what you believe in is not so special or weird at all.

Here you blantantly state that Wicca is wierd. You just learned it is not yet deny them that what they worship is Wicca. "I don't think it sounds like Wicca, even though I hardly know what it is, so it can't be Wicca"

I am beginning to be applaud by this thread as it shows once again how little the public actually understands.. Jakko
, I find your your remark, "or even worse; a witch"? To be insulting. I would suggest sense you are ignorant on this subject, that you do some personal study.....I'm wondering now, why you U2Ued me telling me "my wisdom" was needed on this thread last night....to insult me? I am no "wacko" I am highly respected within my field employment, I am the manager of the Pet Salon I work at, I was a nurse for several years....many of those of my faith work with animals or in the medical field. Those of us that are true...are like everyone else....we don't run around showing off and spouting off at the mouth....I would suggest that most of those YOU are describing are "Goth girls". not witches and they are saying they are witches to fit into some type of "fad" like the commercial on lap tops with the Goth girl and the girl in pink at dorm...LOL ask them for some history and what is the true meaning of the pentagram....and watch them start stuttering...

Agian, I will copy something off of my site:
I had to add this page to my site because I keep coming across people who tell me they want to be a witch because they want to be able "cast spells" or make someone "love" them or they want to be "special" or "impress" someone. This type of talk upsets me, really bothers my husband (also a witch), and annoys other witches as well!

So what is it "to be a witch"? Well, for starters, it is a way of life, a state of being. It is who and what you are. It is not about making someone love you, running around saying, "I'm A Witch", or trying to prove to people that your something "special". Being a witch is something within you. You breath it, dream it, you live it! To be a witch means in part, that you have taken responsibility for your own life and many of the things that surround that life.

To be a witch, is to be a part of all that surrounds you, of the creatures that you share your world with. It is to be one with all things of nature; the trees, the sky, the earth, the oceans. To feel with them and to understand that you are connected with all things, "as above, so below" all things are tied together within our world. What you do to "it/them" you also do to "yourself/us". To understand and live this...is to be a witch.

To be a witch, is to have respect for all of nature. It is to hear her cry in the storms or her laughter on a warm breeze. It is to understand and feel the unseen world around you. The world that is always there, hidden to those that choose not to see it.

To be a witch is also to understand that we can change the energies around us through the use of our own energies to bring about the desired end result. It is to understand the power of prayer...YES we pray, probably more than most religions. Who do we pry to? Well, that depends on the witch. I personally pray to the "The Lord and Lady" , the mother earth and our father who is in the heavens, for there is both male and female.

In being a Witch, we acknowledge there or other beings, we do not worship any entity as superior, and though we may recognize the existence of other entities , we believe in the equality of all beings in the Universe, seeing them as different, separate, but never superior or inferior. We may call the Goddess and the God as representatives of the creative force of the Universe, but will usually call on other spirits as well, each being seen as a separate and equal entity. We believe there is a Spirit World or Other World where these other entities reside. Most do not see this as actually separate from this world, but rather a part of it that is usually unseen. Thus, the spirits who are contacted during ritual are already there but may be conjured or evoked to facilitate communication.

WHAT IT DOES NOT MEAN
TO BE A WITCH

Being a witch does not mean that we are special, on the contrary, we are like everyone else, We get married, have children, wreck the car, have disagreements, get depressed, get fired, have insecurities, argue with the neighbors, love our families, and adore our pets. In other words we have all the same ups and downs that anyone else does. The difference is, we understand the laws of the universe that throw these happenings upon us, we understand the laws of cause and effect.

We do not sacrifice anything, human or animal. We do not worship a devil or Satan. We do however, understand that the universe is and has to be both negative and positive, male and female in order for it to flow at an even keel!

We do not get angry and cast spells or hexes on others due to the fact the we practice responsibility, and ethics, and while the "Rule of Three" is a "Wiccan" rule, most Witches do believe in the old adage, "What goes Around, Comes Around".

Being a witch is not like The Craft, The Witches Of Eastwick, or Sabrina. It is nothing like Hollywood portrays it to be. Our Pentagram/pentacle IS NOT used upside down (inverted), but only right side up The inverted pentagram is used to represent Christianities Satan. WE DO NOT USE AN INVERTED PENTAGRAM.