(no subject)

[titusnowl]

Do all Wiccans really and truly believe they can cast spells on people? I think it's only the... well, the stupid ones, for lack of a better word, who cast hexes and curses on people, because isn't it a major thing that what goes around comes around, and if you hurt someone it'll get back to you, right? But do all Wiccans believe in spell-casting?

Comments

[chikkiboo.livejournal.com]

That makes sense.

Is there a difference between those who self-identify as Wiccan and those who self-identify as witches? Can the latter sometimes also be the former or are they two separate concepts?

[calliope2.livejournal.com]

Well, wiccans can also call themselves witches, but isn't PC to do so. There are many flavors of "neo-pagan" though. For the most part, a wiccan and a witch are the same thing. A witch is really just a word for an ancient "seer" or diviner. Because the person in the tribe who was consulted for advice also happened to be the one most skilled with herbology and medicine, witches became associated with potions and the like.

When King James commissioned his (mis)translation of the Bible, the word "poisoner" was subsituted with witch or sorcerer, leading many modern day people to believe that witches are evil. It was actually "poisoners" who are spoken against, but the translation is wrong.

Anyway, all of the wiccans I know refer to themselves as witches or wiccans depending on the mood. Wiccan is the word most used, though.