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does anyone here believe theres a difference between the two? are both good or is witchcraft construed (sp?) as evil? personally i believe theyre both the same thing with slightly more freedom in the working of spells in witchcraft...
...also which do you prefere or feel is better?

The difference is that Wicca is a Pagan Occult religion.

Witchcraft is anything that has to do with magic.

Just a notice:Wicca is not about spells only.

Look up the definitions and you cannot compare them to each other because they are not the same thing. Better or evil, that all relative to the person and the viewer.

Another notice:They become evil only if your intention is evil.

And this is with every religion.

But since here the subject is the magic of it,that is all in your intentions and how you use it.

One of the examples why it can turn evil is if you practice Wicca cause of the spells only then you are evil cause you are using the religion for selfish purposes only and not respecting the religion.Especially if you want to use spells to harm others only.In that way you are abusing of both religion and witchcraft.

Of course they are different. Wicca teaches that 'An ye harm none do what you will' and also the law of three; that`s basically that what you send out comes back to you three fold. Witchcraft is the unconfined using of the craft... in all purposes, without limits.

Witchcraft is a way of using your power; Wicca is a religion.

The argument is endless and I could go on all night, but I won`t. The only thing I`d like to say is not to judge before you know what you are talking about.

Wiccans believe that there is no need to direct energies in harmful ways. Those who practice witchcraft believe that good and evil are both two sides of the same coin, and therefore, though they may believe in the law of three, they usually choose to ignore it, and don`t follow the rede. However the two are very much interwined.

Personally I`m both a Wiccan and a Witch... and yes that is possible. I don`t want to try and convince anyone what s/he should be or not. That is entirely up to the individual. However I must say; be careful, and be always aware of what you set out to do. You might achieve more than you bargained for.

Yeah there is a huge difference. Like stated above, witchcraft is anything that has to do with magic

just a notice : i do know the differences i just wanted to find out what other people here believe because its surprising how many people dont know and believe that wicca is just another name for witchcraft...i'm a wiccan and i believe in the rules and esabats and all that...i dont do the spells that often...but my friend does nothing other than spells and potions...that is why she is a witch - NOT a wiccan

its surprising how many people dont know and believe that wicca is just another name for witchcraft...

Unlucikily I know a lot of people like that and is irritating.

Another thing that I can't stand is that when someone thinks that by saying Pagan religion is only wicca or the worst one:believing that by practicing withcraft or wicca they are cool and trendy.

But no certain people just buy a cool book about spells and don't educate themselves enough and call themselves wiccan,witch or whatever.Another pet peeve I have.

i can totaly agree with you on that...but then again cant you say the same of many of the people on this sitewho claim to be "goth" or "a true vampire" just because they think its the cool thing to do...its just wrong..

to be wiccan you dont have to be involved in witchcraft
but you can be of that is apart of you path
wicca can either be a coven thing or solitary it all depends on the person

The simple answer is that wicca is a religion and witchcraft is a practice. Neither is good or evil.

Exactly.

You can be wiccan without being a witch, or a witch without being wiccan, or both.

many times ppl do actaully mix them up, yet they are so simply defined as different, i think that ppl should read more really

Well Wicca is one with nature and shouldn't be evil but to me there really isn't much difference cause Im in both well it's my own type of magic but hey belive what you wish

principals for witches:

know yourself
know your craft
learn
apply knowledge through wisdom
achieve balance
keep your woods in good shape
keep your thoughts in good order
celebrate life
attune with the cycles of the earth
breath and eat correctly
exercise the body
meditate
honor the Gods and Goddesses

They are two different things...There is a bit of overlap...As to good or evil, it's all in the intent of the user...

Either way, you're still a witch to most people.

I have always felt that Witchcraft is that what one does, and Wicca is what one-- not necissarily preaches-- but what they are practicing sa a whole.

Similar in effect to being Christian and practicing Christianity.

I feel that there is indeed a difference. Wicca - you don't even need spells for it. It's an appreciation of nature, and life itself. It's the goddess, the moon, the seasons, everything. While my religious beliefs vary, the majority of them lie within Wicca and I rarely do spells. In the two years that I've been studying the religion I think I've done a total of two spells, but I stopped because I knew that I was still too much of a novice to be experimenting with something I have no control over.

This is why I stray away from Witchcraft itself. It seems to me personally that more spells are used, and it is told to people who are interested in it that if you don't think you can handle the consequences of your actions, then Witchcraft is definitely not for you. It can be a good thing but sometimes if it falls into the wrong hands, good can quickly do a 180 flip and turn to bad, which is something that all of us hope does not happen!

i believe that witchcraft has it's own part in wicca, but it's not the sole base of wicca. wicca uses witchcraft for good or evil, what ever you intend to do with your magic will be the result of its power. but they both are related to each other in a sense

While we are at it, nobody took the time, when i asked, and told me what the difference is between pagan and wicca. Could someone please explain me?

the biggest difference....wicca is one specific religion....withcraft as a definition is the practice of any type of occult studies.....not the study of...but the practitioning of....
for example...:santeria, voodoo, demonology, chaos magic, wicca, druidry, shamanism, and many others...
the practice of these is called witchcraft
wicca is simply one branch....part of the reason many people automatically think wicca when witchcraft is mentioned is many wiccan writers while not openly saying so...write as though wicca was the only path, not all of them...but a good majority

Theological ground stirrs rapidly with intent. Wicca and withces are closely related, but definitively apart. I would suggest that this be taken as a learning experiance to educate yourself regarding these two similar but very different religions.

Kat wrote:

While we are at it, nobody took the time, when i asked, and told me what the difference is between pagan and wicca. Could someone please explain me?

Pagan is someone who practices a Pagan religion.

Wicca is the name of a Pagan religion.

Therefore if someone is wiccan at the same time is a Pagan but not necessary a Pagan is a wiccan.

Like in Christianity there are Christian-ordotoss(sp?) etc....

wicca is a religion,
witchcraft is just witchery.

From what i understand of wicca it is the FIRST religion ever, religions such as catholicism and christianity (for example) based their beliefs off of it.. take the ten commandments for instance or the seven deadly sins.. can you commit a sin if you follow wicca? or break a commandment? no because as said above "Do what you will and harm none" is the only rule of wicca.. and as far as witchcraft goes... it's simply not a religion others have explained that already

WitchCraft throught time have become a black religion although it is not.. Wiccan is the modern day revival of Witchcraft.. WitchCraft back in the olds days Didn't just consist of castings spells or worknig potions either. It Consisted of being in a balance with the Magick Energies.. Just as today "Wiccans and Pagans" are.. So in answer of the question.. I do not see and difference between Wicca and Witchcraft Either can result in you being a good or evil person. It all depends on how you use it.

the druids were actually around before paganism/wicca...no-one knows the first religion because it has been lost through the ages...just a little fact...

I fully agree with rubyragar and i wasn't aware that druids were around before wiccans... i think imma study it a lil more ;-)

Very good lestat no one really knows which was the first but I doubt it was wicca even tough it's an old religion.From some site I've read wicca is based on other religions.

I read that most of "todays" religions are based off of wicca... it's hard to really tell.. but it could be the other way around deathnite.. so basically i don't agree with that but i don't disagree either :-D

You don't have to be a witch to be a wiccan and vice versa.

deathnitegirl - wiccan has got alot to do with druidism aswell as paganism...but my fave thing to point out is that christianity is a pagan religion...the only reason people dont know that is because once chrisianity was brought in around europe paganism and druidism was crushed and told to be evil and then was only redescovered in the past couple of centuries as a main stream religion...

not really sure which is better but i've been into witch craft only cause my powers and i must say it has given me more freedom to do what i please

I agree with most people here, witchcraft is simply using magic....Wicca is a way of life with many beliefs, (nature, to sum it up)

heres all you need to kno.... wicca is nature worship and embraces incest ritual nudity and white magic.... witchcraft is a generalization for all forms of magic.. white... black.... all of that...

Wicca embraces everything as long as you don't harm anyone in any way shape or form in doing it.. "do what you will, and harm none"

From what i just learned Druids were NOT around before the wiccan religion, the religion dates back 20,000 years ago, if you look back 20,000 years ago, that was when Cro-Magnon man came to be, the definition of cro-magnon man is "Thinking man" before that were neanderthals(sp?) and neanderthals(sp?) had no religion, don't beleive me look it up ;-)

and druids were english ;-)

as far as pagans go, that word itself means "worships more then one god" that's a word that can't describe just wiccans, it describes anciant greeks, romans, native americans, aztec's, and mayans as well as wiccan ;-)

a person can be wiccan, never do spells. in fact know some in the pagan community we belong to. some choose a healing path, herbs ect. One can be a witch, and not wiccan. Witchcraft in itself is not a relgion, but "workings" and one may use witchcraft along with their religion. I know some christians that use magik at times.
Has any one been to a high catholic mass, such as on xmas eve? there magik there1

I have always viewed Wicca as the term for witch that ex christians use for the use of magic...not magick....
these ex christains must still belong to a religion and thus go to Wicca....
some of them find that these Wicca Covens aren't for them and go on to just useing witchcraft on thier own

Definition:
Witchcraft - 1.A way of life, or practice that involves magic, or sorcery, or worship of the earth itself. It is perceived as both good and bad by different cultures in society. 2. Wicca

Wicca - Wicca is a modern Western interpretation of witchcraft, and a Wiccan is one who practices Wicca. Wiccans often call themselves witches. Wicca is one belief system within what is called Neo-Paganism. Wicca is generally described as a Nature Religion. Witchcraft belief.

These definitions come from my own grimore and fellow Wiccans.

i believe that it is the person who predicts the outcome, and not necessarily the magick. It all depends on that of the persons intentions and how they see the craft, eg- in helping others or themselves.

They are different.. I am a practicing Wiccan.. (Wicca is not an occult religion, they are pagan though) All that means is that I follow an earth religion. I worship a god and a goddess. I give praise to the earth and use its gifts to help better my life.
Witchcraft is a practice of magick. Not all wiccans practice witchcraft and not everyone who practices witchcraft are wiccan.

Now I do practice both and neither one of them is good or evil... They are netural.. it is the person who makes it good or evil.

I hope this helps.

there is a dark magic and a white magic, if your wiccan and a witch (two different things) then you obviously perform white magic because wiccan law forbids dark magic

wicca doesnt use magic as much as witchcraft does.

you can be wiccan and pratice witchcraft but you dont have to follow the wiccan tradition if your a witch...

they have simliarties but are differnt paths

There is a difference and since most have already spoken how/what the difference is, I won't repeat it. I will however say..Only the individual can make it good or bad.

There is a difference between wicca and witchcraft. They are very similar too.

Wicca and Witchcraft are both earth bassed and follow the cycles and flow of nature, earth, and life itself. They both have the belief in more than one deity and most believe in both man and female deities.

The main differences that I see are mainly 2.
The first is that wicca requires formalized training and initiation. Witchcraft is more intiuative and may or may not include formalized training and an initiation.
The second is the Wiccan Rede itself. "And it harm none, do what thou will." Wiccans truely try to live by this, where within Witchcraft it is know that sometimes the right thing will harm someone and if you are willing to take the consiquences of your actions you did the right thing anyways.

I think there is a big difference, but it really all depends on the particular path one chooses to be on, whether it be wicca or something else.

very informative deathnitegrl.


i don't believe either to be evil. something becomes evil because of the reason it is being used not because of what it is.

As someone said before: wicca is a religion,
witchcraft is just witchery,

This is very true, people who practice, wiccan also believe in it as a religion but most people who witchcraft only do it for witchery not as a religion, but it really depends on the person and thier belief's! (if that makes sense)

i think that the misconception can result due to the fact that the terms are similar and some things might be give nas similar, yet as a wiccan ans other fellow wiccans before me sustained that they are not the same...yet i think that we must work against this misconception, as some froms of witchcraft are not in the path of light, while wicca is of the path of light

there may be a difference, but I think they may be closely the same

I prefer witchcraft though

I think there both the same but witchcraft is more lose in the rules.

They are different entities, Wicca is a religion, witchcraft is obviously the use of spells, rituals etc. You can be Wiccan and have nothing to do with witchcraft. Witchcraft can be good or evil it is entirely dependant on how the person wishes to use it. Years of christianity and its persicution of pagan religions has resulted in people having the stereotype that anyone who is Wiccan goes around with their cauldron casting hexes, which of course we know isnt true ;)

It's unfortunate that we may never know thw answer to this question. In some books about this subject they are the same and in others they are different. It's really according to what the author thought. But the majority of them say they are the same. And as for good or evil? It's is entirely up to the practioner.

Sanity lost: where did you get such garbage info.....20,000 years?
considering aramaic and sanskrit are two of the oldest known written languages and are both less than 10,000 years old....
i'd like to know the references you found this in....wicca as a term is actually a fairly recent development in the occult world
recent meaning within a few hundred years....
pagan style occult religion is much older than christianity....but the term wicca does not in any way denote the older forms of nature worship
it does not even claim to
wicca in current practice is a merging and refining of many of the older celtic/pagan/druidic ideals and understandings....NOT the beginning of them....

dont assume just because someone is wiccan they still dont dabble in some sort of black magick.
if you curse someone, or wish something bad on someone, you dabble in black magick whiether or not you primary pratice in white.
witches and wiccan alike....

Yes there is a big differents, wicca is mostly tooken in by women, and is surrounded by good, where as witchcraft can be both good and evil, and is tooken in by both female and male.

I always thought that Wicca was a branch of a paganism which was a branch off of Witchcraft O-o Of course that is just me.

Daermon look it up, and while your doing that, look up what the word "Pagan" means...and my Wiccan teacher told me shose little facts ;-)

just wanted to say that i appreciate the comments about respect: respect can make all the difference in the world.

i dont think there is a difference between Witchcraft and Wicca.. both are basically the same principals.. just held together by a different name

sanitylost.... a fact is something documented......proven...not just something some guy told you....
fact....written history does not go back 20,000 years....fact....druidism predates wicca quite literally by many centruies....
and as to looking it up...
heres some info for you...I do look up MY sources....and they are more reputable than.."my teacher told me""

http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_hist.htm

and a small clip from said article:

How much of Wicca can be traced to the Celts?
Wicca is a religion based, in part, on ancient, northern European Pagan beliefs in a fertility Goddess and her consort, a horned God. Although the religion is a modern creation, some of its sources pre-date the Christian era by many centuries. Most Wiccans do not believe that their religion is a direct, continuous descendent of this earlier religion. They see it as a modern reconstruction.

Joanna Hautin-Mayer has written:

"We know tragically little about the actual religious expressions of the ancient Celts. We have a few myths and legends, but very little archeological evidence to support our theories. We have no written records of their actual forms of worship, and the accounts of their culture and beliefs written by their contemporaries are often highly biased and of questionable historical worth." 1

Ms. Hautin-Mayer is particularly critical of recent Neopagan books which she demonstrates to be largely fictional accounts of the history of Witta 3 (presented as an Irish Pagan tradition), Faery Wicca 4 (presented as an ancient tradition), and 21 Lessons of Merlyn 5 (a somewhat racist and sexist account of Druidism).

Silver RavenWolf wrote in 1998:

"Wicca, as you practice the religion today, is a new religion, barely fifty years old. The techniques you use at present are not entirely what your elders practiced even thirty years ago. Of course, threads of 'what was' weave through the tapestry of 'what is now.' ...in no way can we replicate to perfection the precise circumstances of environment, society, culture, religion and magick a hundred years ago, or a thousand. Why would we want to ? The idea is to go forward with the knowledge of the past, tempered by the tools of our own age." 2

soo.....what again were your informational sources?

This is the reason I call myself a "Magickal Achemist" I tend to use alot of different methods, tools and symbology. "

Whatever gets the job done."

Has pretty much been a motto of mine. Also, in this way, I have more freedom and freedom of knowledge to work with. By combining differnt things, you can usually make something interesting (and most times quite useful) out of what others have discarded.

"To each his/her own." This has many meanings. One of them for me is "Learn what works best for you."

When you read all the differnt books, see all the different methods and practices, you can easily see that these were what worked for that particular individual. It doesn't always mean that the same way will work for you.

Take Bruce Lee for example. He took all the different martial arts he studied and came up with something entirely new to the martial arts community! They were so focused on thier particular "way" and "tradition" that they never thought of combining the different styles. Granted, his efforts got him killed. But his legacy lives on.

i notice now that many people - even informed - still dont see the difference...this is all very interesting to me...

Wicca is a religion where as witchcraft deals with all kinds of magic good and bad...I myself an into Shamanism...

Lestatslover: so what is the difference in YOUR mind?

true wicca is all about white magic and healing. where witch craft can be both whith and black

There is a slight differance. I do prefer witchcraft more though cause wicca you can only do spells...... I still do wicca w/ the side of witchcraft, its awsome eathier way!!!

I prefer witchcraft

Ok look, witchcraft is more of a science, so to speak. Wicca is a religion. They are totally different, but can coincide with each other. As far as this white and black magick crap goes, there is no difference. Magick is just that, magick. If by protecting someone, you end up hurting someone else, which color is it now. Grey. No. Wiccans are not bond to being good or evil. Look at christianity. How many christian people are unquestionably evil? It matters on the person and their beliefs. You choose to be good or evil, whether you are a wiccan, christian, pagan, druid, enochian, or any other religious person. You choose your ways.

...id say witchcraft is a practice...
...wicca is a religion...
...but i dont study either...so dont rely on my opinion...

...thats my two cents...

Wicca is a earth based religion which was started in Europe.Witch craft is one who practices the craft IE: performs spells,in wicca we do do spell work so the two actually work hand in hand.Gud topic

Witchcraft is a tool, the use of magick. Wicca is a religion. which alllows me to be honestly able to say, "I am a wiccan/druid that practices witchcraft."

The anwesr is simple though, Witchcraft is a tool, Wicca is a religion.

people tend to get the two mixed up or people say you cant be one with out the other which is untrue
at the end of the day wicca is a religion founded in the 1950`s/1960`s
where as witchcraft dates from the time of the great henges ie stone henge and averybury

It's been said in numerous previous threads and throughout this one, what the clear differences are.