A wicken witch, also known as a wiccan witch or simply a witch, is a practitioner of the Wicca religion. Wicca is a modern pagan, witchcraft-based religion that was developed in the mid-20th century by Gerald Gardner. Wiccans believe in the worship of nature and the practice of witchcraft, which involves spellcasting, divination, and honoring deities. Wicken witches follow the Wiccan Rede, which is a moral code that emphasizes the importance of not causing harm to oneself or others. They believe in the concept of karma and the three-fold law, which states that any action they perform will come back to them three times stronger. Wicken witches celebrate eight seasonal festivals, known as Sabbats, which include Samhain, Beltane, and Yule.
Wicken witches celebrate eight seasonal festivals, known as Sabbats, which include Samhain, Beltane, and Yule. These festivals mark the changing cycles of the year and the connections between the natural world and the spiritual realm. In terms of spellcasting, wicken witches believe in harnessing natural energies and using them to bring about positive change in their lives or the lives of others.
9 Things You Should Know About Wicca and Modern Witchcraft
A growing number of young women—driven by feminist politics and the #MeToo movement—are being drawn to a new brand of witchcraft, according to a report by NBC News. Here are nine things you should know about Wicca and modern witchcraft.
1. Witchcraft refers to the worldview, religion, and practices associated with using rituals that are believed to harness and focus cosmic or psychic energies to bring about some desired change. Modern witchcraft is the largest and most common subset of neo-paganism, a diverse group of religious movements that claim to be derived from historical pagan religions.
2. Within the witchcraft revival movement, the largest subset is Wicca. The 2008 American Religious Identification Survey estimated that in the United States there were about 600,000 neo-pagans, with about half identifying as Wiccan. Some estimates conclude that in 2017 there were more than 3 million practicing Wiccans.
3. In modern usage, the term “witch” is considered gender-neutral and can apply to either men or women. The term “warlock” is often considered a derogatory term as the original usage of the term meant “oath-breaker.” A group of witches who meet together regularly are known as a “coven.” Some witches believe a coven must have 13 or fewer members, though not less than three.
4. Wicca was created in the 1940s by Gerald Brosseau Gardner (1884-1964), a retired British civil servant an ordained minister in the Christian sect known as the Ancient British Church. Gardner is considered the “father of modern witchcraft,” though his neo-pagan beliefs had almost not connection to older forms of witchcraft. His brand of wiccanism (sometimes referred to as Gardnerian Wicca or Gardnerian witchcraft) was taken from more modern influences, such as Freemasonry, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and the English occultist Aleister Crowley. Gardner referred to his belief-system as “witchcraft” and a “witch-cult,” and the term “Wicca” didn’t appear until 1962.
5. In the 1960s and 1970, Wicca spread from the U.K. to other English-speaking countries, became associated with the burgeoning feminist and environmental movements, and split into various “traditions.” From Gardnerian Wicca sprang such offshoots as Alexandrian Wicca, Algard Wicca, Georgian Wicca, Druidic Wicca, Seax-Wica, and Eclectic Wicca.
6. The U.S. government first officially recognized Wicca as a religion in 1985. In a court case involving a prisoner (Dettmer v. Landon), the federal government argued that the doctrine of the Church of Wicca was not a religion because it is a “conglomeration” of “various aspects of the occult, such as faith healing, self-hypnosis, tarot card reading, and spell casting, none of which would be considered religious practices standing alone.” The court noted that the government was essentially arguing “that because it finds witchcraft to be illogical and internally inconsistent, witchcraft cannot be a religion.” The appeals court ruled that, “the Church of Wicca occupies a place in the lives of its members parallel to that of more conventional religions. Consequently, its doctrine must be considered a religion.”
7. A commonly shared core belief of Wicca (as well as other forms of modern witchcraft) is the acceptance and practice of magic. The Wiccan view is similar to that of Aleister Crowley, who defined magic as “the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will.” As Wesley Baines says, “Many believe magic to be simply another law of nature, albeit one that is poorly understood and written off as fakery. As such, magic is not supernatural, but just as natural as gravity and wind, and often involve a combination of invocations, movement, music, meditation, and tools.” And as one Wiccan site explains, “Magick [sic] is another word for transformation, creation, and manifestation. Wicca magick is a tool we use to act on the subtle—or energy, or quantum—level of reality. The quantum level is the causal realm. It is the subtle influences at the quantum level that decide which way reality will go.”
8. Aside from a belief in magic, there are few beliefs that all Wiccan traditions share. The belief most commonly associated with Wicca is a variation of the Wiccan Rede (“rede” is from the Middle English, meaning “advice” or “counsel”). Believed to have been formulated by the Wiccan priestess Doreen Valiente in the early 1960s, the Wiccan Rede is stated as, “An’ it harm none, do what ye will.” Variations on the rede include “That it harm none, do as thou wilt” and “Do what you will, so long as it harms none.”
9. In its older forms, Wicca holds a duotheistic belief system that includes a female Mother Goddess and a male Horned God. As Wicca has became more influenced by feminism, though, it has become more oriented toward goddess worship. As Jone Salomonsen concludes, “Witches perceive of themselves as having left the Father’s House (Jewish and Christian religion) and returned ‘home’ to the Self (Goddess religion) with a call to heal western women’s (and men’s) alienation from community and spirituality and to become benders of human and societal developments.” This flexibility in excluding/including deities has, as Michael F. Strmiska says, “allowed people with interest in different deities and religious traditions to customize Wicca to suit their specific interests, thus enhancing the religion’s appeal to a broad and growing membership.”
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They use various tools such as wands, crystals, and herbs to channel their intentions and focus their energy. Wicken witches also honor and work with various deities, often connected to nature or fertility. They may have personal relationships with specific gods or goddesses, and may call upon them for guidance or assistance in their spellwork. It is important to note that not all witches are wicken witches. Witchcraft is a diverse practice with various traditions and beliefs. While all wicken witches are witches, not all witches are wicken witches. There are many different paths and practices within witchcraft, each with its own unique beliefs and practices. Overall, a wicken witch is a follower of the Wicca religion who practices witchcraft, honors nature, and follows a moral code emphasizing harm none. They celebrate seasonal festivals, perform spellwork, and work with deities in their spiritual practice..
Reviews for "Exploring Different Paths: Solitary Wiccan Witches and Coven-Based Witchcraft"
1. Martha - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "What is a wicken witch". The plot was confusing and lacked depth. The characters were underdeveloped and I found it hard to connect with any of them. The writing style was also subpar, with awkward dialogue and repetitive descriptions. Overall, I didn't enjoy this book and would not recommend it.
2. John - 1 star - "What is a wicken witch" was a complete waste of time. The story had potential, but the execution was terrible. The pacing was all over the place, dragging on in some parts and skipping important details in others. The writing was also filled with grammatical errors and typos, making it difficult to read. I struggled to finish this book and was left feeling frustrated and unsatisfied.
3. Emily - 2 stars - I couldn't get into "What is a wicken witch" at all. The writing felt amateurish and the story lacked originality. It felt like a generic, cookie-cutter fantasy novel with predictable plot twists and one-dimensional characters. The world-building was also lacking, leaving me with more questions than answers. Overall, I found this book to be unoriginal and unengaging.