Witch, Wiccan, or Pagan? By Soggyowl   A great deal of confusion exists today, both among the Craft and those new to exploring this path about the terms Witch, Wiccan, and Pagan. This confusion is furthered by many of today's authors using the terms interchangably. For some people, however, these terms have very different meanings.... Pagan: There are two common definitions for Pagan. First, some people define pagan as a follower of any path that is not one of the "Big Three" (Judiasm, Christianity, or Islam). This definition would include Wiccans, Hindus, Buddhists, or even Satanists or Atheists. Instead, I prefer saying that Pagan is an umbrella term for a follower of an earth-based path. That would include Wiccans, but also everything from various tribal religions to druidism, to Asatru, to different forms of Traditional (non-Judeo-Christian) European beliefs. Wiccan: A specific type of Pagan belief, Wicca is a relatively new religious path, being less than 60 years old. (Anyone who tells you that their great-great-grandmother was a Wiccan is mistaken or lying....or they have a very young great-great-grandmother who became a Wiccan late in their life!) Wicca was started by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant, in the latter part of the last century. Drawing on a variety of sources--from Freemasonry to traditional witchcraft to ceremonial magick to "creative license"--Gardner created Wicca. Although it is a loosely organized religion, with no central authority or "holy book", Wicca does have a few principles that nearly all Wiccans agree upon:  Belief that the divine makes itself known in both a male and a female presence, known typically as a God and Goddess, Lord and Lady, or by individual deity names. Belief that whatever you send out, good or ill, will be sent back to you threefold. Belief in the Wiccan Rede (of which there are many versions in existance). Reverence for solar holidays called Sabbats (normally eight per year) and lunar holidays called Esbats (generally at the full moons, although some groups may also meet for the new moons). Witch: Unlike Wicca which is a religious belief system, being a Witch does not necessarily denote religious affiliation. Witchcraft is the use of techniques, such as herbalism, energy focus, elemental work, etc. to bring about change. Many times people will ask if it is possible to be both a Christian and a Wiccan. Although some may not agree with me, I believe that it is nearly impossible to be a member of two different religions, one of which specifically forbids the practice of the other. Being a Wiccan doesn't mean that you can "believe whatever you want and call it Wicca." When you mix yellow and blue, you don't get Yellow-Blue, you get Green. Likewise, when you try to mix Christianity and Wicca, you wouldn't get Christian Wicca...you'd get something else entirely--not Christianity and not Wicca. Ultimately all paths lead to the divine, and there's a firm belief among most Pagans, Wiccans, and Witches that there is no "one true way" for everyone. Whatever your path, and however you relate to the divine, may your path be blessed.       Copyright (c) 2003 by soggyowl. All rights reserved. To reprint this article in portions or its entirety, contact the author at soggyowl (at) hotmail (dot) com.