Casting Off Neo-Pagan Mythology by Arglwydd Lleiffer Mawr
Some of the ideas which will be presented in these pages will be unfamiliar to many people who regard themselves as Pagans, Wiccans or Heathens. For that reason, I would like to explain how I will be using in this Gramarye the words Wicca, Witchcraft and Traditional Paganism in order to avoid possible misunderstanding by those who use them differently.
My definitions are by no means original and many others also make the same distinctions that we do, particularly between Wicca and Witchcraft. Nevertheless it is better to be safe than sorry. We make claims of understanding and truth for these definitions, for we of the Old Craft, or Traditional Witchcraft, believe they serve to highlight some ideas which are crucial to understanding the differences between modern Paganism (such as Wicca) and the older strains of Traditional Paganism (such as Traditional Witchcraft or the Old Craft) which are still much further "underground" than many popular Neo-Pagan authors would have their readers believe.
The accepted Neo-Pagan orthodoxy is approximately as follows:
Wicca
We define Wicca as a religious system which has at its core a system of ethics, a religious philosophy, a liturgy (rituals for worship of the deity or deities and those marking rites of passage within the community such as marriage or death) and a number of shared concepts such as belief in such matters as reincarnation, karma, chakras and so on.
Wicca was invented by Gerald Gardner in the 1940s and developed by him and others in the 1950s before being taken up and popularized by Alex Sanders and later the Farrars in the 1960s and 1970s. The claims made by Gardner or others that he was initiated into a traditional group in the late 1930s have been investigated thoroughly and shown to be highly debatable.
The basis of Wicca lies not in British Traditional Paganism, but in a mish-mash of ideas cobbled together from Freemasonry, Enochian (including the Watchtowers, the basic 3-degree initiation system and much of the normal liturgy), the "Witchcraft" books of Dr Margaret Murray (notably The Witchcult in Western Europe and The God of the Witches) and assorted writings of the Golden Dawn and other Western Occult groups of the early 20th century, plus odd bits of folklore and folkloric writings (The Golden Bough and Aradia, Gospel of the Witches).
The blind belief that Gardner rediscovered Wicca rather than inventing it is largely dying out in the UK, though it remains an article of faith for some Wiccan fundamentalists in the U.S., some newcomers to Paganism, and some member of the Pagan Federation. The work done by Aiden Kelly in his book Crafting the Art of Magick, examining the development of the Gardnerian liturgy and "Book of Shadows" during the 1940s and 1950s, has been the subject of much attempted trashing by Wiccan fundamentalists, especially in the US and Canada. But his methods of historical research have been praised and vindicated by Professor Ronald Hutton, Professor of History at Bristol University who is himself something of an expert on 16th and 17th century popular culture and has himself written about Paganism in Britain.
Now the interesting thing about Old English words is the pronunciation. When we read the word wicca, we immediately pronounce it “wi-ka”. In Old English the double c (cc) is pronounced as “ch”. So when we read wicce (female witch) and wicca (male witch) as they are seen in the Old English, we would be reading, wich and wicha. From this we get the word “witch”. Simple as that.
Traditional Witchcraft
We use the term Witchcraft to refer to a body of magical praxis which is intended by the practitioner to affect some form of change in the practitioner, change in the Three Worlds and experience, and/or in his or her understanding of those things. If it were true that Witchcraft is the same thing as Wicca, then it would follow that every person who uses any form of magick or Witchcraft must by definition be a Wiccan. Magick makes a Wiccan, or all Wiccans practice magick and all magick is done by Wiccans.
This overlooks the fact that many Wiccans rarely, if ever, practice magick in any form. If a Wiccan ceases to practice magick or cast "spells", does he or she cease to be a Wiccan on account of that, even if they continue to observe the Wiccan festivals, live by the Wiccan Rede and worship using a Wiccan ritual format? Does a Wiccan initiation "wear off" if its possessor doesn't do "spells" for a few years?
The answer to the above is clearly no! Wicca and Witchcraft is obviously not the same thing. Many Wiccans do practice folk magick, but it is not compulsory and the two terms should not be confused or treated as if they were synonymous!
The main difference between Wiccans and Witches is that Wicca focuses on dualistic or polytheistic worship of the Ancient Gods of Old Europe and Wiccans attune themselves to Nature in this world. Whereas Witches are more tribal in social structure, maintain their ancient way of life, honor their Ancestors and Ancient Gods (polytheistic only), and transform in the Three Worlds “to be like the Ancient Gods” and to become Nature itself. A Witch will open the Feeorin Roads, or Ride the Hedge, and will journey into the Otherworld. The purpose for this is many, but the main one is to gain Wisdom of the Hidden Mysteries. Of course, Witches will practice Wortcunning, second sight, healing, talismanic magic, and other folk magic.
Cuveens are a modern idea. This mainly stems from the Gardnerian and Cochrane traditions, whereby their idea of a 'coven' is influenced by the theories of Dr Margaret Murray, Freemasonry and ceremonial magic lodges, putting across the concept that they're tightly-knitted working groups, combining “energies” and power. The older idea of a coven was an assembly or gathering of Witches or Cunning Folk, that’s it really - a loose gathering of Witches that are of a clan or household.
Traditional Paganism
When the Romans came trampling through Europe, they set up cities on the higher lands. This meant that the natives of the countries remained in the lower lands with their communities, clans, tribes, farms, and folklore. Basically this is where the terms High Magic and Low Magic comes from. The people in the cities set themselves up as upper aristocracy, and they practiced an Arte that was very Ceremonial in nature, while the people in the lower lands kept to their folklore and their own Arte (High Magic in the high lands, Low Magic in the low lands). However, the Pagan country folk in those days were not interested in the Cunning Arte or Hedge Riding. That was left to the Witch, the Cunning Folk, Cunning Man, Wise Woman, the Green Gowns, or Green Coats. The Pagan-Heathen tribes of that time were interested in crops, cattle, bartering and trading, etc. They battled between tribes for cattle, they had wonderful orgies and they drank a load of ale and mead.
So what we have here is a dividing point between Pagans and Witches or Cunning Folk. A Witch was also Pagan, but the Pagan was not a Witch. Pagans-Heathens were the common country folk of a tribe who lived their lives in clans, minded the crops, tended the children, were warriors, craftsmen, etc. If they wanted help with something, for example a bad year of crops meant that they had to do something for the coming year, in case they had been cursed by someone, challenged by the Gods, or maybe their husband was sleeping with the local floozy and the wife didn't like her, then the Pagan would go and visit the Witch. The Witch was connected to the Three Worlds, to the Spirits, the Wights, the Gods themselves, and to the Land, and spoke on behalf of the Pagan and/or clan or tribe. See the parallels with a shaman? But bear in mind that the word shaman is specific to a culture, the same as Witch. The Witch would then perform his or her Cunning Arte and solve the problem, or divine it. However, the Pagan would more than likely have also done some folk magic themselves. But this would have been focused on the physical and mundane confined to survival in this world, rather than reaching through the Otherworlds.
How does this fit into today's parallel? Well there are many people in a tribe who are practicing basic folk magic, whether that is of a modern neo-Pagan construct or based on older ancient folk magic. When someone makes a face cream to make one beautiful, they are performing a Pagan act. We could even say that making a talisman to help with a job is Pagan. But the Witch communes with Spirits and the Gods, moving between the Worlds and speaking with the Ancestral Dead.
The word Pagan itself comes from the Latin “paganus”. This translates to “country-dweller”. Now this will conjure up a lot of imagery of “dayes of yore”, and you could argue that the word doesn't relate in the same way now as it did then. However, in many ways, it does still relate.
So what we have here is a dividing point between being Pagan and being Cunning Folk and Witches. But, Witches and Cunning Folk are also Pagan, yet being Pagan is not the same as Cunning Folk and Witches. Pagans were the common folk who lived their lives in tribal clans and households, minded the crops, the kinfolk, and lived their way of life. If they wanted help with something, for instance, a bad year of crops meant that they had to do something for the coming year in case they had been cursed by someone or by the Pagan Gods, or maybe their husband was sleeping with the local floozy and the wife didn't like her, or for whatever reason, then the Pagan would go and visit Cunning Folk or Witches. The Witches and Cunning Folk were connected to more than one world of the World Tree, to the Spirits, the Gods themselves, to the Land, and speak on behalf of the Pagan and/or the community at large as well as the Pagan Gods, reciprocally. See the parallels with the Shaman? But bear in mind that the word shaman is specific to a culture, and not actually the name of Witches or Cunning Folk. Cunning Folk and Witches would then perform their Crafts and solve the problem, or divine it. However, the Pagan would more than likely have also done some Folk Magick themselves. But this would have been focused on the physical and mundane, rather than reaching through the Otherworlds and interacting with spirits, and interacting with the Pagan Gods directly.
How does this fit into today's parallel? Well there are many people who are practicing a basic folklore, whether that be of a modern construct or based on older folklores. When someone makes a face cream to make one beautiful, they are performing a Pagan act. We could even say that making a talisman to help with a job is Pagan. Whereas Witches or Cunning Folk are communing with Spirits and the Pagan Gods, moving between World Tree, and speaking with the Ancestral Dead.
The term Traditional Paganism refers to that form of Paganism which has survived in the villages and remote corners of many parts of Europe, Britain and Ireland, brought to America and other British colonies. There is not a lot of it about these days, and what there is bears very little resemblance to that which Gerald Gardner claimed to have been initiated into in the late 1930s. Gardner's accounts are redolent of a cross between an amateur dramatics society, caught up in its own love of ceremony, and bits picked (magpie-like) from the teachings of early 20th century ceremonial magick and occultism as outlined above.
There is nothing romantic or glamorous about Traditional Paganism and certainly nothing that Llewellyn Publishing could publish a book about. It lies within the way of life of country folk and their relationships with the landscape in which they and their Ancestors have lived for centuries. Like Witchcraft, Traditional Paganism is nebulous, almost impossible to define and pin down. Yet it is strong and vital beneath the surface of timeless and slowly changing ways of life. It doesn’t “just happen”, but evolves over many generations of commitment by those who live by and practice it.
Similar to Traditional Witchcraft, Traditional Paganism lies not within books, but within the hearts and perceptions of its practitioners. It is a way of seeing and responding to the worlds seen and unseen based on immense stability in time and those long-term relationships between the Land and the who have lived on it. Such ways of seeing and such relationships cannot, whatever the claims of Wiccan evangelists, be gained or won merely by reading a few of the widely available popular books and learning to cast a circle. There can be no "Traditional Paganism 101" books in the way that "Wicca for Beginners" books are bestsellers, because that which is learned in Traditional Paganism is not a body of specific knowledge to be memorized and recited, but a way of seeing and understanding that which cannot be seen and cannot be easily understood. Set against the Mystery of the Sacred Land itself, concerns over correct candle colors and the qualities of various crystals become very shallow.
The fundamental differences between Traditional Witchcraft and Wicca are the purely Northern Heathen and Celtic Traditions, as opposed to the Eastern-influenced syncretism of Ceremonial Magic and Gardnerian created Wicca, and the spiritual nature of what it means to be a Hedge Witch. It all comes down to how we interact with the Gods and spirits. Serious Traditional Witchcraft is shamanic, not ceremonial. We go to the Gods and spirits personally in their world, not always "summon" or "call" them into some area in this world. The very picture of the Ancient Gods being at the beck and call of some would-be conjurer pandering to an audience is of egotism.
The rites of honor, sacrifice, and the Cunning Arte performed in the Old Craft are preliminary steps to the ultimate object of infusing Cunning Folk and Witches with the power and vision necessary for successful Hedge Witchery. To go into that in detail here would require too much space, but suffice it to say that when one is “Out and About” with the intent of doing battle with a malign spirit one-on-one for the purpose of healing or banning, one requires every bit of constitutional fortitude one can muster.
Wiccans are in the protection of carefully guarded circles, and let fear stand in the way of what they can never truly know or really experience. Ultimately, once the Otherworldly journeying has begun, the only protection a Witch has or requires is the strength of her/his own will - the ability to have one's own power prevail over the powers being confronted. The Ancient Gods require respect and bravery, for one does not meet the Devil in fear. Once that test has been passed, the initiated Witch dreads nought. Witches and Cunning Folk need fear nothing. Nothing!"
The Nameless Arte of Witchcraft is not for the weak or ill-prepared, and the Cunning Arte requires much training, but no amount of superficial communal ceremony can ever equal the raw personal power of Witches and Cunning Folk. That, to me, is the defining difference between Witches and Cunning Folk, and other Pagans.
The darkness is where you will find the light- for one is not more needed than the other
My definitions are by no means original and many others also make the same distinctions that we do, particularly between Wicca and Witchcraft. Nevertheless it is better to be safe than sorry. We make claims of understanding and truth for these definitions, for we of the Old Craft, or Traditional Witchcraft, believe they serve to highlight some ideas which are crucial to understanding the differences between modern Paganism (such as Wicca) and the older strains of Traditional Paganism (such as Traditional Witchcraft or the Old Craft) which are still much further "underground" than many popular Neo-Pagan authors would have their readers believe.
The accepted Neo-Pagan orthodoxy is approximately as follows:
- Wicca is the genuine survival of the pre-Christian religions of Western and Northern Europe
- Wicca and Witchcraft are the same thing and the words can be used interchangeably
Wicca
We define Wicca as a religious system which has at its core a system of ethics, a religious philosophy, a liturgy (rituals for worship of the deity or deities and those marking rites of passage within the community such as marriage or death) and a number of shared concepts such as belief in such matters as reincarnation, karma, chakras and so on.
Wicca was invented by Gerald Gardner in the 1940s and developed by him and others in the 1950s before being taken up and popularized by Alex Sanders and later the Farrars in the 1960s and 1970s. The claims made by Gardner or others that he was initiated into a traditional group in the late 1930s have been investigated thoroughly and shown to be highly debatable.
The basis of Wicca lies not in British Traditional Paganism, but in a mish-mash of ideas cobbled together from Freemasonry, Enochian (including the Watchtowers, the basic 3-degree initiation system and much of the normal liturgy), the "Witchcraft" books of Dr Margaret Murray (notably The Witchcult in Western Europe and The God of the Witches) and assorted writings of the Golden Dawn and other Western Occult groups of the early 20th century, plus odd bits of folklore and folkloric writings (The Golden Bough and Aradia, Gospel of the Witches).
The blind belief that Gardner rediscovered Wicca rather than inventing it is largely dying out in the UK, though it remains an article of faith for some Wiccan fundamentalists in the U.S., some newcomers to Paganism, and some member of the Pagan Federation. The work done by Aiden Kelly in his book Crafting the Art of Magick, examining the development of the Gardnerian liturgy and "Book of Shadows" during the 1940s and 1950s, has been the subject of much attempted trashing by Wiccan fundamentalists, especially in the US and Canada. But his methods of historical research have been praised and vindicated by Professor Ronald Hutton, Professor of History at Bristol University who is himself something of an expert on 16th and 17th century popular culture and has himself written about Paganism in Britain.
Now the interesting thing about Old English words is the pronunciation. When we read the word wicca, we immediately pronounce it “wi-ka”. In Old English the double c (cc) is pronounced as “ch”. So when we read wicce (female witch) and wicca (male witch) as they are seen in the Old English, we would be reading, wich and wicha. From this we get the word “witch”. Simple as that.
Traditional Witchcraft
We use the term Witchcraft to refer to a body of magical praxis which is intended by the practitioner to affect some form of change in the practitioner, change in the Three Worlds and experience, and/or in his or her understanding of those things. If it were true that Witchcraft is the same thing as Wicca, then it would follow that every person who uses any form of magick or Witchcraft must by definition be a Wiccan. Magick makes a Wiccan, or all Wiccans practice magick and all magick is done by Wiccans.
This overlooks the fact that many Wiccans rarely, if ever, practice magick in any form. If a Wiccan ceases to practice magick or cast "spells", does he or she cease to be a Wiccan on account of that, even if they continue to observe the Wiccan festivals, live by the Wiccan Rede and worship using a Wiccan ritual format? Does a Wiccan initiation "wear off" if its possessor doesn't do "spells" for a few years?
The answer to the above is clearly no! Wicca and Witchcraft is obviously not the same thing. Many Wiccans do practice folk magick, but it is not compulsory and the two terms should not be confused or treated as if they were synonymous!
The main difference between Wiccans and Witches is that Wicca focuses on dualistic or polytheistic worship of the Ancient Gods of Old Europe and Wiccans attune themselves to Nature in this world. Whereas Witches are more tribal in social structure, maintain their ancient way of life, honor their Ancestors and Ancient Gods (polytheistic only), and transform in the Three Worlds “to be like the Ancient Gods” and to become Nature itself. A Witch will open the Feeorin Roads, or Ride the Hedge, and will journey into the Otherworld. The purpose for this is many, but the main one is to gain Wisdom of the Hidden Mysteries. Of course, Witches will practice Wortcunning, second sight, healing, talismanic magic, and other folk magic.
Cuveens are a modern idea. This mainly stems from the Gardnerian and Cochrane traditions, whereby their idea of a 'coven' is influenced by the theories of Dr Margaret Murray, Freemasonry and ceremonial magic lodges, putting across the concept that they're tightly-knitted working groups, combining “energies” and power. The older idea of a coven was an assembly or gathering of Witches or Cunning Folk, that’s it really - a loose gathering of Witches that are of a clan or household.
Traditional Paganism
When the Romans came trampling through Europe, they set up cities on the higher lands. This meant that the natives of the countries remained in the lower lands with their communities, clans, tribes, farms, and folklore. Basically this is where the terms High Magic and Low Magic comes from. The people in the cities set themselves up as upper aristocracy, and they practiced an Arte that was very Ceremonial in nature, while the people in the lower lands kept to their folklore and their own Arte (High Magic in the high lands, Low Magic in the low lands). However, the Pagan country folk in those days were not interested in the Cunning Arte or Hedge Riding. That was left to the Witch, the Cunning Folk, Cunning Man, Wise Woman, the Green Gowns, or Green Coats. The Pagan-Heathen tribes of that time were interested in crops, cattle, bartering and trading, etc. They battled between tribes for cattle, they had wonderful orgies and they drank a load of ale and mead.
So what we have here is a dividing point between Pagans and Witches or Cunning Folk. A Witch was also Pagan, but the Pagan was not a Witch. Pagans-Heathens were the common country folk of a tribe who lived their lives in clans, minded the crops, tended the children, were warriors, craftsmen, etc. If they wanted help with something, for example a bad year of crops meant that they had to do something for the coming year, in case they had been cursed by someone, challenged by the Gods, or maybe their husband was sleeping with the local floozy and the wife didn't like her, then the Pagan would go and visit the Witch. The Witch was connected to the Three Worlds, to the Spirits, the Wights, the Gods themselves, and to the Land, and spoke on behalf of the Pagan and/or clan or tribe. See the parallels with a shaman? But bear in mind that the word shaman is specific to a culture, the same as Witch. The Witch would then perform his or her Cunning Arte and solve the problem, or divine it. However, the Pagan would more than likely have also done some folk magic themselves. But this would have been focused on the physical and mundane confined to survival in this world, rather than reaching through the Otherworlds.
How does this fit into today's parallel? Well there are many people in a tribe who are practicing basic folk magic, whether that is of a modern neo-Pagan construct or based on older ancient folk magic. When someone makes a face cream to make one beautiful, they are performing a Pagan act. We could even say that making a talisman to help with a job is Pagan. But the Witch communes with Spirits and the Gods, moving between the Worlds and speaking with the Ancestral Dead.
The word Pagan itself comes from the Latin “paganus”. This translates to “country-dweller”. Now this will conjure up a lot of imagery of “dayes of yore”, and you could argue that the word doesn't relate in the same way now as it did then. However, in many ways, it does still relate.
So what we have here is a dividing point between being Pagan and being Cunning Folk and Witches. But, Witches and Cunning Folk are also Pagan, yet being Pagan is not the same as Cunning Folk and Witches. Pagans were the common folk who lived their lives in tribal clans and households, minded the crops, the kinfolk, and lived their way of life. If they wanted help with something, for instance, a bad year of crops meant that they had to do something for the coming year in case they had been cursed by someone or by the Pagan Gods, or maybe their husband was sleeping with the local floozy and the wife didn't like her, or for whatever reason, then the Pagan would go and visit Cunning Folk or Witches. The Witches and Cunning Folk were connected to more than one world of the World Tree, to the Spirits, the Gods themselves, to the Land, and speak on behalf of the Pagan and/or the community at large as well as the Pagan Gods, reciprocally. See the parallels with the Shaman? But bear in mind that the word shaman is specific to a culture, and not actually the name of Witches or Cunning Folk. Cunning Folk and Witches would then perform their Crafts and solve the problem, or divine it. However, the Pagan would more than likely have also done some Folk Magick themselves. But this would have been focused on the physical and mundane, rather than reaching through the Otherworlds and interacting with spirits, and interacting with the Pagan Gods directly.
How does this fit into today's parallel? Well there are many people who are practicing a basic folklore, whether that be of a modern construct or based on older folklores. When someone makes a face cream to make one beautiful, they are performing a Pagan act. We could even say that making a talisman to help with a job is Pagan. Whereas Witches or Cunning Folk are communing with Spirits and the Pagan Gods, moving between World Tree, and speaking with the Ancestral Dead.
The term Traditional Paganism refers to that form of Paganism which has survived in the villages and remote corners of many parts of Europe, Britain and Ireland, brought to America and other British colonies. There is not a lot of it about these days, and what there is bears very little resemblance to that which Gerald Gardner claimed to have been initiated into in the late 1930s. Gardner's accounts are redolent of a cross between an amateur dramatics society, caught up in its own love of ceremony, and bits picked (magpie-like) from the teachings of early 20th century ceremonial magick and occultism as outlined above.
There is nothing romantic or glamorous about Traditional Paganism and certainly nothing that Llewellyn Publishing could publish a book about. It lies within the way of life of country folk and their relationships with the landscape in which they and their Ancestors have lived for centuries. Like Witchcraft, Traditional Paganism is nebulous, almost impossible to define and pin down. Yet it is strong and vital beneath the surface of timeless and slowly changing ways of life. It doesn’t “just happen”, but evolves over many generations of commitment by those who live by and practice it.
Similar to Traditional Witchcraft, Traditional Paganism lies not within books, but within the hearts and perceptions of its practitioners. It is a way of seeing and responding to the worlds seen and unseen based on immense stability in time and those long-term relationships between the Land and the who have lived on it. Such ways of seeing and such relationships cannot, whatever the claims of Wiccan evangelists, be gained or won merely by reading a few of the widely available popular books and learning to cast a circle. There can be no "Traditional Paganism 101" books in the way that "Wicca for Beginners" books are bestsellers, because that which is learned in Traditional Paganism is not a body of specific knowledge to be memorized and recited, but a way of seeing and understanding that which cannot be seen and cannot be easily understood. Set against the Mystery of the Sacred Land itself, concerns over correct candle colors and the qualities of various crystals become very shallow.
The fundamental differences between Traditional Witchcraft and Wicca are the purely Northern Heathen and Celtic Traditions, as opposed to the Eastern-influenced syncretism of Ceremonial Magic and Gardnerian created Wicca, and the spiritual nature of what it means to be a Hedge Witch. It all comes down to how we interact with the Gods and spirits. Serious Traditional Witchcraft is shamanic, not ceremonial. We go to the Gods and spirits personally in their world, not always "summon" or "call" them into some area in this world. The very picture of the Ancient Gods being at the beck and call of some would-be conjurer pandering to an audience is of egotism.
The rites of honor, sacrifice, and the Cunning Arte performed in the Old Craft are preliminary steps to the ultimate object of infusing Cunning Folk and Witches with the power and vision necessary for successful Hedge Witchery. To go into that in detail here would require too much space, but suffice it to say that when one is “Out and About” with the intent of doing battle with a malign spirit one-on-one for the purpose of healing or banning, one requires every bit of constitutional fortitude one can muster.
Wiccans are in the protection of carefully guarded circles, and let fear stand in the way of what they can never truly know or really experience. Ultimately, once the Otherworldly journeying has begun, the only protection a Witch has or requires is the strength of her/his own will - the ability to have one's own power prevail over the powers being confronted. The Ancient Gods require respect and bravery, for one does not meet the Devil in fear. Once that test has been passed, the initiated Witch dreads nought. Witches and Cunning Folk need fear nothing. Nothing!"
The Nameless Arte of Witchcraft is not for the weak or ill-prepared, and the Cunning Arte requires much training, but no amount of superficial communal ceremony can ever equal the raw personal power of Witches and Cunning Folk. That, to me, is the defining difference between Witches and Cunning Folk, and other Pagans.
The darkness is where you will find the light- for one is not more needed than the other
