How to Support PAN Inc. What books will explain about Witchcraft? Why not consider becoming a member of PAN? PAN Inc. Wicca: The Old Religion in the New Millennium by Vivianne Crowley (Thorsons Publishers) An annual membership, concession Witch Crafting: A Spiritual Guide to Making Magic by membership, or family membership, brings Wicca & Phyllis Curott many benefits, including discounts at There’s A Witch in The Boardroom by Stacey participating Pagan Friendly Businesses, our Witchcraft: Demarco quarterly member magazine ‘The Small Practising the Witch’s Craft Edited by Douglas Ezzy Tapestry’, support and advertising for Pagan Which is Which? (Allen and Unwin) events and gatherings across Australia, and Progressive Witchcraft: Spirituality, Mysteries, and reports on any legal and media work Last Revised May 2016 Training in Modern Wicca by Janet Farrar and Gavin happening within the Pagan community. Bone (New Page) The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft by Your membership dollar also helps PAN Rosemary Ellen Guiley (Checkmark Books) sponsor local groups & events and further its Witchcraft and Paganism in Australia by Lynne educational aims. Hume (Melbourne University Press) For more information, please contact PAN The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Inc. Pagan Witchcraft by Ronald Hutton (Oxford University Press) Which Witch Is Which? A Concise Guide To Wiccan And Neo-pagan Paths And Traditions Compiled and Edited by Patricia Telesco (New Page Books) Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler (Penguin) This is by no means a comprehensive list. An educational pamphlet provided Pagan Awareness Network Inc. Australia by PO Box 1062, North Sydney, NSW 2059 W: www.paganawareness.net.au E: [email protected] ABN: 23 055 701 170 491 itchcraft is a spiritual practice; the use of folk In modern Paganism, Witchcraft practices could be happen, so the student will be expected to study as magics, charms, herbs, incantations, and used to honour a particular season, for good health, hard and as seriously as they would in conversion to W rituals to attain an outcome, like healing or for agricultural or domestic blessings, in honour of a any other religion. blessing. Witchcraft is found in every culture and Deity or ancestors, to be guided and protected by Wicca is the most visible of the different Pagan paths throughout history, but it is neither a distinct nor deities, or for insight when making decisions. as it has had the most exposure to the general public universal religion. Most Pagan Witches today adopted Witchcraft in through media reports, movies and popular TV shows. Wicca, in contrast, is a distinct Pagan religion. adulthood. However in future, it will be more and more Any representation in the media or by the A practitioner of Wicca, either male or female, is a common to find people who are raised as Witches or entertainment industry does not necessarily reflect Wiccan. A practitioner of Witchcraft, either male or Wiccans from birth by their parents, families and everyday Wiccans. female, is a Witch. communities. Despite the range and difference in Wiccan traditions, The words, Wicca and Witch, are incorrectly used Since witchcraft is a practice, one is considered a Witch Wicca can be summarised to include some of the interchangeably but represent distinctly different simply because one practices Witchcraft. As part of following (though this is not conclusive): things. this, a Witch might perform a rite of self-dedication; a • the law of Threefold Return simple ceremony to dedicate themselves to their one While many potentially refer to themselves as • the Wiccan Rede or more chosen Deities or to their path. This ‘rite of “Witches”, there are some things to remember: • a God and a Goddess passage’ symbolically marks their commitment. • Not all Pagans are Wiccan • 8 holidays of the Wheel of the Year (Sabbats) Wicca • Not all Pagans are Witches • celebrate Full Moons (Esbats) Wicca is a distinct religion; it has theologies, rituals and • All Wiccans are Pagan customs of its own. This differentiates it from other • create sacred space though casting a Circle • Not all Wiccans practice witchcraft Pagan and non-Pagan belief systems. Wicca draws its It must be remembered that not all Wiccans utilise • Not all Witches are Wiccan name from an older word for ‘witch’, hence the Magick and not all Wiccans consider themselves • Not all Witches are Pagan common confusion between Wicca and Witchcraft. ‘Witches’. However all Wiccans are Pagan. Any negative taint on the word Witch is a relic from Wicca can be traced back to the early- to mid- In Australia, Wiccans usually cast their circles anti- history and is nothing to do with modern approaches twentieth century and is usually accepted as being clockwise (sunwise) and celebrate the Sabbats to Witchcraft. founded by Gerald Gardner, who was inspired by the according to the southern seasons, but there are some theories of Margaret Murray, notions of reviving pre- who might prefer to keep to the traditional Northern Modern Pagan Witchcraft Christian traditions, Ceremonial Magic, and Hemisphere directions. Modern Pagan Witchcraft is a broad term, covering Freemasonry, amongst other things. Traditional Wicca many different types of beliefs and practices. Despite Wicca is described as a modern day initiatory Mystery Usually refers to Gardnerian or Alexandrian Wicca. The the varieties, it is a positive and life-affirming path for religion. Many traditions may require a would-be practitioners practice Wicca as laid out by Gerald the individual. Wiccan to be initiated via a coven, however many Gardner or Alex Saunders with little deviation. The arts of “Witchcraft” can refer to many things, Wiccans also recognise and accept self-initiation as Eclectic Wicca most commonly the practice of divination, spellwork, valid entry into the path. Wiccans who incorporate practices or techniques from healing, soothsaying, herbal knowledge, midwifery, Some traditional teachings of Wicca state that it takes non-Wiccan and sometimes non- Pagan sources. and ritual. Often there is an overlap with many a year-and-a-day before initiation into Wicca can shamanic practices. .