WICCA

Wicca is a particular religious path that embodies the spiritual tradition of Witchcaft.

One can be a Witch and not a Wiccan, just as one can be a Christian, but not a Baptist.

The term Wicca was widely used at the inception of the Neo-Pagan revivial, often in place of the term Witchcraft, in order to avoid the huge body of negative concepts surrounding the term Witchcraft at that time.  These negative concepts were created as anti-Witch propaganda by those who wished to further their political power. See “the Burning times” (http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_burn2.htm) if you are unfamiliar with these political events.

These days folks often will refer to Wicca, when what they really mean is Witchcraft. Many Witches today are ‘reclaiming’ the term Witchcraft and attempting to bring it into the common speech with it’s true connotation. Perhaps the dictionaries and encyclopedias will soon follow suit, listing the current use of the term at the top of their pages well before the old, cruel negative definitions.