Wica, Wicca, Who's got the Wica?
The question was asked of me 'How do you distinguish between traditional Wica and Neo-Wicca or Eclectic Wicca, other
than the fact that traditional Wica follows a tradition?'
How do *I* distinguish? In my world, there is BTW (British Traditional Wica), Neo or Eclectic Wicca and FBS (Fluffy Bull
Sh**).
BTW is the name we give to a number of traditions of Wicans who have received (via direct initiatory lineage) and maintain an
established body of lore and practice passed down from generation to generation. The best known of these are the
Gardnerians, of which there are distinct British and American branches. Alexandrians, Mohsians and (California) Central
Valley Wicca are also British Traditionals. (taken from the NWC website)
For me, Wica is an Initiatory, Oathbound, Magick-using, Pagan Mystery Priesthood celebrating the Mysteries revealed in the
"Legend of the Descent of the Goddess" and in the "Charge of the Goddess". For me, to be of the Wica one must be brought
into one of the above mentioned traditions (Gardnerian, Alexandrian, CVW or Mohsian) via a direct and traditional cross-
gendered Initiation. There is no such thing as ‘cross pollination’ (meaning because someone somewhere in the upline
had a valid initiation that everyone downline from them is also of said tradition even though they never received initiation into
that tradition.) There is no other way to become an initiate and anything else is not of the Wica.
However, I'm not crazy (mostly) and I realize that in America there are groups (mine was once) that aren't BTW, but they've
taken the bare bones of published material and morphed it into something that is still empowering to its participants. It's
something new all together. This is NeoWicca or Eclectic Wicca (which I chose to spell with two c’s instead of one). I
don't spit when I say eclectic. I'm STILL eclectic. To quote Ellen Cannon Reed who was quoting someone else 'any good
witch is eclectic...she'll steal anything that works'. ;) Sage advice, I feel.
So what is the difference between NeoWicca and BTW? Quite simple. NeoWicca is something that values the known and
published history of Wicca, is serious in its pursuit, studies history, LEARNS history and applies its knowledge to the present
but is not part of any of the traditions mentioned above. It cannot trace lineage back to one of those traditions via the power
of Initiation NOR does it attempt to. It is proud of its own history, and its own future.
NeoWicca understands it isn't BTW and doesn't try to be, but it knows it isn't fluffy. Its practitioners are serious folks who
strive to learn and practice in harmony and they don't walk around spouting off the latest thing they learned in a book that has
no historical basis like 'Kali IS a kind and loving mother Goddess because, well, aren't they all just different names for the
same thing?'
Now, to FBS...see above. This is the dewy eyed, walking around in a daze because they can't break out of the new age
book genre to read a history or anthropology book, we all have to love each other because the Rede says so, oh you
EVVVILLLL EVVVILLLL person you how DARE you say $RW is witchcrap because she is MY HERO and I have no clue
who Gerald Gardner is walking, talking fluff.
The FBS think that Kali and Buddha are just fine to call in a 'wiccan' circle together for one of the 8 holidays that they don't
understand the meaning of, they have no understanding of the deities they work with, think to cast a spell for anything that
could even mildly be construed as 'grey' will send you straight to wiccan hell, and don't even begin to get the comment 'I don't
use such and such Goddess, I work with Her' upon their askance of a question 'well what Goddess would you use for ____'.
Their idea of a relationship with deity is about as deep as a Dixie cup because they don't catch the clue of not being able to
just pop open Bullfinch's (if they even get that far) and pick a Goddess of the Week.
Wow, pretty scathing huh? You better believe it. Back in the day when I began this path, where I'm from you had to drive 2
1/2 hours to the local pagan shop and the pickins were SLIM. You didn't have a blue million books to choose from and
honestly I'm not sorry over that. You couldn't just pop online (because we didn't have that) to Google up the answer, or hop
on amazon.com to find the latest cool book. Funny, I get all nostalgic thinking of it.
Now there is hope for the FBS to find their way out, but so many of them remain right where they are. It's not uncommon for
the new folk to start out as FBS because face it, the new age books have the corner edge in the local Barnes & Noble. But if
they aren't already a fluffy person they soon come to crave something a little more. And low and behold it often leads to
NeoWicca and sometimes even BTW. Even *I* was fluffy once too!
The comment was made to me 'So far, I have considered myself eclectic, because after 8 years, I still haven't found a tradition
that I'm comfortable with. It's not that I'm opposed to traditions, and not that I never will find one, but that's just where things
stand for me right now. The thing that appeals to me about being eclectic is that, as an American who has a hodge podge of
cultural roots, I feel myself being drawn to the traditions, practices, and pantheons of different cultures at different times in my
life and under different situations, and I like having the flexibility to embrace that. '
If a person never moves from that spot, there is nothing wrong with it. The words Neo or Eclectic aren’t evil and do not
mean ‘less than’. There is no reason why you have to be part of an established tradition of any sort as long as you
respect the boundaries of those traditions and not pop up one day and say 'oh I'm BTW now'. We believe that BTW isn't for
everyone and there is nothing wrong with a person not being a part of it. That's the beauty of it. So many people believe that
because a person is BTW, that is ALL they have, all they practice, and all they do. That couldn't be further from the truth.
There is nothing keeping me from working with other deities, and there is nothing preventing me from honoring them. I just
don't do it in my traditional Circles because that is not part of the tradition. BTW has specific things that are part of it and we
have specific gods as well. Our Lady Moon and Her Consort the Horned One of Life and Shadow.
I have as much flexibility as I want. I just know that certain things are kept separate. I don't combine deities from different
pantheons because how do I know if they even like each other? Think about calling Kali and Zeus...that might be interesting
but I don't think much would get accomplished. I don't involve other beliefs like Native American pipe ceremony (just to think
of an example) in a Wiccan circle. Why? Because it's not Wiccan. But that doesn't prevent me from attending one.
It has also been said to me 'You can find numerous articles that say that most eclectic Wiccans place very little emphasis on
group traditions, initiations, oaths, structure, following the wheel of the year, following Wiccan codes of ethics, and sometimes
even following the teachings, advice, and structures put in place for us by people who have been on this path longer than
ourselves. The whole thing is depicted as a very "fly by the seat of your pants," thing where nothing is structured, everything is
improvised, everything is very "fluffy bunny" (as a coven mate of mine is fond of saying), and elements are accepted and
rejected as they fit into a particular individual's life. This absolutely doesn't describe me. I place a very high emphasis on all of
the former things, and am pretty put off by the latter. Not that I can't improvise when I need to, but I'd rather have any ritual I
do be researched and well written out ahead of time. My group has many and various influences, coming from a mix of
different types of members, but everything we do is very structured.’
Remember, Neo or Eclectic isn't the enemy. Poor scholarship and FBS are what I think many (myself included) are referring
to when you see it described as having no substance.
Have you taken the time to research the history of Wicca? Have you researched the history of the holidays, where they came
from, why we do them? How about the deities that the group works with? If you change them, why? If you do, then how do
you get to know that deity before hand? That is a fundamental difference in BTW, NeoWicca/Eclectic and FBS. Our Gods
aren't just ideas for use. They are real and They expect to be treated in a certain manner. I've told this story many times but
here it is again. Again, ECR from her book Heart of Wicca (which I HIGHLY recommend). She states 'think that you are
Aphrodite. Here you are minding your own business and there is a knock on the door. You go to answer it and here is this
person whom you've never met with their hand out saying 'hey, I need some help with my lover ...do this for me'. And then
they walk away. If you were Aphrodite, how many of these calls do you think you get a day? But THEN you hear a song
from outside. Someone is praising your beauty (and why wouldn't they since your Aphrodite?) and you go to the window.
AH! It's your priestess who has been honoring you every day for years. She needs help! Now let's think...who are you more
likely to assist? The person you've never met, who has never done anything for you at all, but kind of demands you help? Or
your loyal priestess? And THAT is how we view our Gods.
I would say that if you take the time to understand the history, practice to the best of your ability, enter into a relationship with
your Gods, keep the holy days and in general always strive to learn more you aren't FBS.
And finally it was said 'I value ritual, I value the traditions held by a group, I value initiations and oaths. But on the flip side of
that, I also value having a certain level of flexibility to experiment, write my own rituals, work with different pantheons, and so
on. So if I was going to label myself, I wouldn't even know where to begin. Am I traditional and didn't know it? Am I just an
"uptight" eclectic?'
I think I've already shown that there is nothing impeding anyone who is traditional Wicca from doing the things you mentioned
above. We just draw clear limits and don't mix up the food on the dinner plate into one conglomerate of mash. We like
having a separate slot for each food there :)
Finally what I can say is for years my coven was Eclectic. We were traditionally inspired I always said, because I couldn't
trace my lineage well. Finally I decided several years ago to be redone. But just because I and the coven were then what I
now consider Eclectic didn't mean our history and our roots weren't important. We learned about the pantheon we felt drawn
to. We tried to research the history of the holidays, and of our faith. We leaned about OTHER faiths. Research, education,
struggle, hope, trying it out, failing and trying something else...all of these things are what NeoWicca/Eclectic groups do and it's
what we did. If you believe every single thing in a new age book and never pick up anything even remotely close to
anthropology, history or other, then you will inevitably end up being FBS by lack of information.
Knowledge really is power.
Morgaine 2005
The question was asked of me 'How do you distinguish between traditional Wica and Neo-Wicca or Eclectic Wicca, other
than the fact that traditional Wica follows a tradition?'
How do *I* distinguish? In my world, there is BTW (British Traditional Wica), Neo or Eclectic Wicca and FBS (Fluffy Bull
Sh**).
BTW is the name we give to a number of traditions of Wicans who have received (via direct initiatory lineage) and maintain an
established body of lore and practice passed down from generation to generation. The best known of these are the
Gardnerians, of which there are distinct British and American branches. Alexandrians, Mohsians and (California) Central
Valley Wicca are also British Traditionals. (taken from the NWC website)
For me, Wica is an Initiatory, Oathbound, Magick-using, Pagan Mystery Priesthood celebrating the Mysteries revealed in the
"Legend of the Descent of the Goddess" and in the "Charge of the Goddess". For me, to be of the Wica one must be brought
into one of the above mentioned traditions (Gardnerian, Alexandrian, CVW or Mohsian) via a direct and traditional cross-
gendered Initiation. There is no such thing as ‘cross pollination’ (meaning because someone somewhere in the upline
had a valid initiation that everyone downline from them is also of said tradition even though they never received initiation into
that tradition.) There is no other way to become an initiate and anything else is not of the Wica.
However, I'm not crazy (mostly) and I realize that in America there are groups (mine was once) that aren't BTW, but they've
taken the bare bones of published material and morphed it into something that is still empowering to its participants. It's
something new all together. This is NeoWicca or Eclectic Wicca (which I chose to spell with two c’s instead of one). I
don't spit when I say eclectic. I'm STILL eclectic. To quote Ellen Cannon Reed who was quoting someone else 'any good
witch is eclectic...she'll steal anything that works'. ;) Sage advice, I feel.
So what is the difference between NeoWicca and BTW? Quite simple. NeoWicca is something that values the known and
published history of Wicca, is serious in its pursuit, studies history, LEARNS history and applies its knowledge to the present
but is not part of any of the traditions mentioned above. It cannot trace lineage back to one of those traditions via the power
of Initiation NOR does it attempt to. It is proud of its own history, and its own future.
NeoWicca understands it isn't BTW and doesn't try to be, but it knows it isn't fluffy. Its practitioners are serious folks who
strive to learn and practice in harmony and they don't walk around spouting off the latest thing they learned in a book that has
no historical basis like 'Kali IS a kind and loving mother Goddess because, well, aren't they all just different names for the
same thing?'
Now, to FBS...see above. This is the dewy eyed, walking around in a daze because they can't break out of the new age
book genre to read a history or anthropology book, we all have to love each other because the Rede says so, oh you
EVVVILLLL EVVVILLLL person you how DARE you say $RW is witchcrap because she is MY HERO and I have no clue
who Gerald Gardner is walking, talking fluff.
The FBS think that Kali and Buddha are just fine to call in a 'wiccan' circle together for one of the 8 holidays that they don't
understand the meaning of, they have no understanding of the deities they work with, think to cast a spell for anything that
could even mildly be construed as 'grey' will send you straight to wiccan hell, and don't even begin to get the comment 'I don't
use such and such Goddess, I work with Her' upon their askance of a question 'well what Goddess would you use for ____'.
Their idea of a relationship with deity is about as deep as a Dixie cup because they don't catch the clue of not being able to
just pop open Bullfinch's (if they even get that far) and pick a Goddess of the Week.
Wow, pretty scathing huh? You better believe it. Back in the day when I began this path, where I'm from you had to drive 2
1/2 hours to the local pagan shop and the pickins were SLIM. You didn't have a blue million books to choose from and
honestly I'm not sorry over that. You couldn't just pop online (because we didn't have that) to Google up the answer, or hop
on amazon.com to find the latest cool book. Funny, I get all nostalgic thinking of it.
Now there is hope for the FBS to find their way out, but so many of them remain right where they are. It's not uncommon for
the new folk to start out as FBS because face it, the new age books have the corner edge in the local Barnes & Noble. But if
they aren't already a fluffy person they soon come to crave something a little more. And low and behold it often leads to
NeoWicca and sometimes even BTW. Even *I* was fluffy once too!
The comment was made to me 'So far, I have considered myself eclectic, because after 8 years, I still haven't found a tradition
that I'm comfortable with. It's not that I'm opposed to traditions, and not that I never will find one, but that's just where things
stand for me right now. The thing that appeals to me about being eclectic is that, as an American who has a hodge podge of
cultural roots, I feel myself being drawn to the traditions, practices, and pantheons of different cultures at different times in my
life and under different situations, and I like having the flexibility to embrace that. '
If a person never moves from that spot, there is nothing wrong with it. The words Neo or Eclectic aren’t evil and do not
mean ‘less than’. There is no reason why you have to be part of an established tradition of any sort as long as you
respect the boundaries of those traditions and not pop up one day and say 'oh I'm BTW now'. We believe that BTW isn't for
everyone and there is nothing wrong with a person not being a part of it. That's the beauty of it. So many people believe that
because a person is BTW, that is ALL they have, all they practice, and all they do. That couldn't be further from the truth.
There is nothing keeping me from working with other deities, and there is nothing preventing me from honoring them. I just
don't do it in my traditional Circles because that is not part of the tradition. BTW has specific things that are part of it and we
have specific gods as well. Our Lady Moon and Her Consort the Horned One of Life and Shadow.
I have as much flexibility as I want. I just know that certain things are kept separate. I don't combine deities from different
pantheons because how do I know if they even like each other? Think about calling Kali and Zeus...that might be interesting
but I don't think much would get accomplished. I don't involve other beliefs like Native American pipe ceremony (just to think
of an example) in a Wiccan circle. Why? Because it's not Wiccan. But that doesn't prevent me from attending one.
It has also been said to me 'You can find numerous articles that say that most eclectic Wiccans place very little emphasis on
group traditions, initiations, oaths, structure, following the wheel of the year, following Wiccan codes of ethics, and sometimes
even following the teachings, advice, and structures put in place for us by people who have been on this path longer than
ourselves. The whole thing is depicted as a very "fly by the seat of your pants," thing where nothing is structured, everything is
improvised, everything is very "fluffy bunny" (as a coven mate of mine is fond of saying), and elements are accepted and
rejected as they fit into a particular individual's life. This absolutely doesn't describe me. I place a very high emphasis on all of
the former things, and am pretty put off by the latter. Not that I can't improvise when I need to, but I'd rather have any ritual I
do be researched and well written out ahead of time. My group has many and various influences, coming from a mix of
different types of members, but everything we do is very structured.’
Remember, Neo or Eclectic isn't the enemy. Poor scholarship and FBS are what I think many (myself included) are referring
to when you see it described as having no substance.
Have you taken the time to research the history of Wicca? Have you researched the history of the holidays, where they came
from, why we do them? How about the deities that the group works with? If you change them, why? If you do, then how do
you get to know that deity before hand? That is a fundamental difference in BTW, NeoWicca/Eclectic and FBS. Our Gods
aren't just ideas for use. They are real and They expect to be treated in a certain manner. I've told this story many times but
here it is again. Again, ECR from her book Heart of Wicca (which I HIGHLY recommend). She states 'think that you are
Aphrodite. Here you are minding your own business and there is a knock on the door. You go to answer it and here is this
person whom you've never met with their hand out saying 'hey, I need some help with my lover ...do this for me'. And then
they walk away. If you were Aphrodite, how many of these calls do you think you get a day? But THEN you hear a song
from outside. Someone is praising your beauty (and why wouldn't they since your Aphrodite?) and you go to the window.
AH! It's your priestess who has been honoring you every day for years. She needs help! Now let's think...who are you more
likely to assist? The person you've never met, who has never done anything for you at all, but kind of demands you help? Or
your loyal priestess? And THAT is how we view our Gods.
I would say that if you take the time to understand the history, practice to the best of your ability, enter into a relationship with
your Gods, keep the holy days and in general always strive to learn more you aren't FBS.
And finally it was said 'I value ritual, I value the traditions held by a group, I value initiations and oaths. But on the flip side of
that, I also value having a certain level of flexibility to experiment, write my own rituals, work with different pantheons, and so
on. So if I was going to label myself, I wouldn't even know where to begin. Am I traditional and didn't know it? Am I just an
"uptight" eclectic?'
I think I've already shown that there is nothing impeding anyone who is traditional Wicca from doing the things you mentioned
above. We just draw clear limits and don't mix up the food on the dinner plate into one conglomerate of mash. We like
having a separate slot for each food there :)
Finally what I can say is for years my coven was Eclectic. We were traditionally inspired I always said, because I couldn't
trace my lineage well. Finally I decided several years ago to be redone. But just because I and the coven were then what I
now consider Eclectic didn't mean our history and our roots weren't important. We learned about the pantheon we felt drawn
to. We tried to research the history of the holidays, and of our faith. We leaned about OTHER faiths. Research, education,
struggle, hope, trying it out, failing and trying something else...all of these things are what NeoWicca/Eclectic groups do and it's
what we did. If you believe every single thing in a new age book and never pick up anything even remotely close to
anthropology, history or other, then you will inevitably end up being FBS by lack of information.
Knowledge really is power.
Morgaine 2005
