Mind Body & Spirit

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Pagan Safety

Pagan Truth and Tales

Pagan - What is it ?

Pebbles & Potions

Sacred Tools

Workshops

A broomstick Hitching Rail, very useful at a Pagan festival

Evening Ritual setup at
Magick Earth Levin 2006

My first Hollyfrost festival
in NSW Australia

We all pitch in and help, here are some of my kitchen helpers getting breakfast ready

Another Magick Earth and
another interesting art work created by the participants

Morrinsville Magick Earth Festival, Drumming, Dancing and networking around the fire in my Teepee. (actually a group of people sitting around in my Tepee is very common)

Another Magick Earth festival and another Workshop, this one was about crystals and was being held inside a large crystal circle

Setting up the Alter for and evening Ritual

The Following is an Excerpt from PAN - the Pagan Awareness Network of Australia

Who or What is a Pagan?

Pagan (from Latin) means ‘country dweller’
Heathen (from German) means ‘dweller on the heath’.

In the past, these words were used to refer to anyone who followed an older set of beliefs.
Nowadays the words Pagan and Heathen have been reclaimed and are used in a positive
way by modern-day Pagans who are of many different religious and spiritual walks of life.

Paganism is not a singular or uniform belief system. It is a term with a broad application
and can cover a number of different belief systems, including Druidry, Wicca, Witchcraft,
Goddess-worship plus many others. Being Pagan means a belief in the cycles of nature.
Paganism is often referred to as being earth based. It is positive and life-affirming. The use
of spells or magick in Paganism reflects this healthy attitude.

A General Rule of Thumb:
Not all Pagans are Witches
Not all Pagans are Wiccan
Not all Pagans use Magick

Pagans are diversified: Pagans come from different backgrounds and from all walks of life. Pagans are police officers, nurses, doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc.
Paganism DOES NOT discriminate according to race, ethnicity, moral or religious creeds, sexual orientation, etc.
Paganism IS inclusive, tolerant and non-proselytising

Introduction to Witchcraft

Witchcraft is, essentially, the use of folk magic; the use charms, herbs, incantations, simple rituals, etc for a particular effect such as healing or blessings. Anthropologically speaking, Witchcraft is a near universal phenomenon, found in every culture and throughout history. It is not a distinct or universal religion as such. It usually exists within a larger cultural or religious situation such as Paganism and/or Wicca and the rituals, symbols and customs therein.

Therefore, a modern Pagan can practice Witchcraft and be a Witch independently of Wicca. Many Wiccans also practice Witchcraft and are Witches, but many Wiccans also do not practice Witchcraft nor consider themselves Witches. Wicca is a distinct religion; it has theologies, rituals and customs of its own. This differentiates it from other Pagan and non-Pagan belief systems.

Wicca draws its name from an older word for ‘witch’ and hence the common confusion between Wicca and Witchcraft. Wicca can be traced back to the early- to mid-twentieth century and is usually accepted as being founded by Gerald Gardner.
Claiming to be Wiccan without attempting to learn the heritage and origins of the Wicca can often mean missing the point of it altogether. Further, there is a risk in being unable to adequately defend Wiccan beliefs or educate others about the history and the heritage of Wicca. If a seeker on the Pagan path wishes to become Wiccan, ensure that the beliefs and practices of Wicca (and the particular tradition of Wicca) are in alignment with what the seeker requires from a Pagan belief system.

Some traditional teachings of Wicca state that it takes a year-and-a-day before initiation into Wicca can happen, so the student will be expected to study as hard and as seriously as they would in conversion to any other religion. This “year-and-a-day” is not necessary for becoming a Pagan or a Witch.

If a person wants to become a Pagan or a Witch they could perform a rite of self-dedication; a simple ceremony where they may dedicate themselves to their chosen Deity/Deities or their Pagan path. This ‘rite of passage’ symbolically marks their commitment to their personal Pagan path.

Many spiritual and occult paths have the ultimate aim of personal transformation. Pagans, Witches and Wiccans can equally achieve personal transformation.

A practitioner of Wicca, either male or female, is a Wiccan. A practitioner of Witchcraft, either male or female, is a Witch. Though many Wiccans and Witches may prefer to exclusively worship a Goddess, a God or both, this does not necessarily imply any gender inequalities within Paganism as both are held as sacred.

Essentially, there are 3 main categories of Witch:

• Pagan Witches, those who are not Wiccan
• Wiccans who are also Witches (however not all Wiccans consider themselves as Witches)
• Non-Pagan Witches (which is beyond the scope of this overview.

However, as they potentially might all refer to themselves as “Witches”, the need to understand one from another is important for clarity and to help recognise a suitable personal path.

Not all Wiccans are Witches
Not all Witches are Wiccan
Not all Witches are Pagan
All Wiccans are Pagan
Not all Pagans are Wiccan
Not all Pagans are Witches

Modern Pagan witchcraft

Modern Pagan Witchcraft is a broad term, covering many different types of beliefs and practices. Despite the varieties, it is a positive and life-affirming path for the individual. The definition of Witchcraft is an entirely personal one; each Witch or collective of Witches will often have different opinions to the next. The arts of “Witchcraft” can refer to many things,
most commonly the practice of divination, spell work, healing, soothsaying, herbal knowledge, midwifery, and so on. Often there is an overlap with many shamanistic practices. These are all traditional and venerable practices and abilities.

Any negative taint on the word Witch or Witchcraft is a relic from history and is nothing to do with modern approaches to Witchcraft or Wicca. In a modern Paganism, Witchcraft practices could be done to honour a particular season, for good health, for agricultural or domestic blessings, in honour of a Deity or ancestors, to be guided/protected by deities, or for insight when making life changing decisions. Most Pagan Witches today adopted Witchcraft in adulthood. Often they feel their childhood experiences are harmonious with their adult Pagan beliefs. However in future, it will be more and more common to find people who are reared as Pagans, Witches or Wiccans from birth by their parents and wider families/communities.

WICCA Wicca is a distinct Pagan religion with many different traditions within. It was founded in the 20th Century by Gerald Gardner, who was inspired by the theories of Margaret Murray, notions of reviving pre-Christian traditions, Ceremonial Magic and Freemasonry, amongst other things. It is the most visible of the different Pagan paths as it’s had the most exposure to the general public through media reports, movies and popular tv shows. The two words, Wicca and Witch, are often used interchangeably but any representation in the media or by the entertainment industry does not necessarily reflect everyday Wiccans or Witches. Despite the range and difference in Wiccan traditions, Wicca can be summarised to include some of the following (though this is not conclusive):

• the law of Threefold Return
• the Wiccan Rede
• a God and a Goddess
• 8 holidays of the Wheel of the Year (Sabbats)
• celebrate Full Moons (Esbats)
• create sacred space though casting a Circle

It must be remembered that not all Wiccans utilise Magick and not all Wiccans consider themselves ‘Witches’. All Wiccans are Pagan. In Australia and NZ, Wiccans usually cast their circles anti-clockwise (sunwise) and celebrate the Sabbats according to the southern seasons, but there are some who might prefer to keep to the traditional Northern Hemisphere directions. Wicca is often described as a modern day initiatory Mystery religion. Many traditions may require a would-be Wiccan to be initiated via a coven, however many Wiccans also recognise and accept self-initiation/ self-dedication as valid entry into the path.

Traditional Wicca: Usually refers to Gardnerian or Alexandrian Wicca. The practitioners practice Wicca as laid out by Gardner or Saunders with little deviation.

Eclectic Wicca: Wiccans who incorporate practices or techniques from non-Wiccan and sometimes non-Pagan sources.