"These changes were symbolised neatly by the increasingly rare usage of the word 'witch' itself, at least in public discourse, and the substitution of 'Pagan.' For all this, however, the challenge which pagan [W]itchcraft still poses to established notions of religion is not the less radical because it has become more familiar; and at the heart of its mysteries lies a particular notion, and experience, of the transformative power of something that is comm only called magic. In those senses, its practitioners will always be [W]itches." (388)
    "The deliberate union of of religious and magical traditions is signalled very obviously by the title commonly given to initiates, of 'priest (or priestess) and [W]itch.' It gives emphasis to the fact that pagan [W]itches are expected not to be passive servant of the divine but to take the initiative in working with it. Priestesses and priests can have passive roles; a [W]itch must not. The traditional concept of the magician as a person who dominates and direct spiritual forces has been largely replaced among modern [W]itches by a different one, also with ancient precedents - that the greater harmony with the cosmos and the greater understanding of it produced by training as a [W]itch, together with concomitant changes produced within oneself, allow the solution of formerly intractable problems and the attainment of formerly unreachable goals." (394)
     - Ronald Hutton from The Triumph of the Moon

"In the twentieth century the word Witchcraft had come to mean not just a particular form of magic using incantations and spells, but a whole system of religious philosophy and belief."
     - Vivianne Crowley in Wicca: The Old Religion in the New Millennium

Allow me to say this first: witchcraft is a word with many layers of meaning. It is a slippery noun with various definitions depending upon the context in which it is used and who is using it. Not all practices, belief systems, metaphysical concepts, or religions that have been labeled witchcraft are the same (not by a long shot!), and for many that have been labeled as such, it is a misnomer. However, in using both the words Wicca and Witchcraft to title the religion, philosophy, way of life, initiatory path, etc. described in this section I also acknowledge that this is not the only way the word witchcraft can be used accurately, for witchcraft (as mentioned earlier) can refer to many different things. I do not claim that Wiccans/Witches have or should have a monopoly on the proper use of the word witchcraft since the word itself was in use before Wicca/Witchcraft as a religion emerged.

When I choose to use the word Witchcraft as a synonym for Wicca (and when I do, I always capitalize it in order to distinguish it from other types of witchcraft), I am choosing to use it in a rather specific context. Recent research into the true history of Wicca as a religion has debunked the popular myth of continuity (i.e. Cavemen were Witches, Witchcraft was the universal religion of Western Europe before the rise of Christianity, during the Inquisition actual Wiccans/Witches were burned at the stake or hung) which means that "the history of modern Wicca cannot be reliably documented before 1951 and the work of Gerald Gardner." 1 Unless further research clearly proves otherwise, this was the time frame in which Wicca was born, and such individuals as Gerald Gardner, Doreen Valiente, and others can be rightly credited with its 'invention.' Therefore, it only makes sense that the word/s used to identify this religion come from that source as well. It is worth noting that Gardner did, in fact, view Witchcraft as a religion. On the first page of the first chapter of Witchcraft Today, Gardner makes no delay in asserting his belief that "[W]itchcraft is a religion."2 Additionally, in The Meaning of Witchcraft he states that "[i]t must be understood clearly that [W]itchcraft is a religion."3

Obviously, Wicca has changed a great deal since Gardner's day and while perhaps the majority of today's self-described Wiccans do not follow a strictly Gardnerian path, all of us owe Gardner in some measure for sharing his creation with the public and for providing the initial spark of the Wiccan movement.

Wicca, or more accurately, Wica[this was the original spelling Gardner used in his works], was a word Gardner used occasionally, but it was not used by very many people as an identifying term until the early 1980's. At that time, most of us called ourselves Witches and our religion Witchcraft. I made the change to Wiccan and Wicca only because because it seemed to me that the first half hour of a conversation was wasted trying to reeducate people about the word witch. It was obvious to many of us back then that Paganism and Witchcraft were destined to grow very fast during the next couple of decades and we felt there was just too much for us to accomplish beyoing wasting time debating two words which were essentially synonyms.4

Over the past approximately fifty years of Wicca's existence, many have discovered some of the inherent difficulties in using the words Witch and Witchcraft. These difficulties have arisen because witchcraft has so many other definitions besides the one specifically used by Wiccans/Witches themselves. The word witchcraft can also refer to the practice of magic or spellwork outside of any particular religion or belief structure, and many Christians use the word as a catch-all term for anything of which they do not approve. To futher complicate matters, there are Satanists who also may use the word witch to describe themselves, and the shamans and healers of various indigenous cultures are often called witch-docters (usually by observers who do not belong to that culture). What this line of reasoning boils down to is this: not every witch is a Witch or vice versa. However, as one can imagine, confusion and misunderstanding resulted, and both tended to grow in direct proportion to the level of public awareness about Witchcraft. It was at this point in time that Gardner's other identifying term became of use. Marion Weinstein comments on its usefulness in public relations: "The main function of 'Wicca' is that it deflects the negative connotation most people have with Witchcraft because most people have never heard 'Wicca' before."6 Wiccan author and psychologist Judy Harrow also mentions this idea:

The present use of the word Wicca was originally a work-around. Twenty years ago, when I first came into contact with Witchcraft, we were thought of as either Devil worshipers or delusional misfits. To avoid these inaccurate and unpleasant connotations, many of us adopted the original Anglo-Saxon spelling, but not the pronounciation or grammar. [. . .] Most contemporary Witches pronounce the double c in Wicca as a hard k, "wikka," so it sounds less like Witch. [. . .] So when I say I am Wiccan, it is the same as saying I am a Witch. I use these words as I learned them, nearly interchanegeably. One is just a bit less confrontative than the other.7

The later adaptation [adding the additional 'c' to Gardner's descriptive term 'Wica' to produce the more modern descriptive term 'Wicca' ] resulted from the older and more precise connotation of the Anglo-Saxon wicca, signifying a male witch (female version wicce). The double 'c' in these words was pronounced 'ch,' to produce a sound very close to the modern word 'witch,' but custom and convenience has made Wiccans prefer a hard 'k' sound"9

1) Tuitéan, Paul, and Estelle Daniels. Pocket Guide to Wicca. Freedom, CA: Crossing Press, 1998. 12.
* for further historically accurate information about the history of Wicca/Witchcraft, refer to Triumph of the Moon

2) Gardner, Gerald B. Witchcraft Today. Lake Toxaway, NC: Mercury Publishing.17.

3) Gardner, Gerald B. The Meaning of Witchcraft. Lake Toxaway, NC: Mercury Publishing.26.

4) GreyCat. Deepening Witchcraft: Advancing Skills and Knowledge. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press, 2002. 296.

5) Isaac Bonewits has documented and published the various definitions of the word witchcraft and their implications at Classifying Witchcrafts. The particular context in which I use the word witchcraft is best classified under the Witchcraft, Neopagan category.

6) Weinstein, Marion. Earth Magic: A Dianic Book of Shadows. New York: Earth Magic Productions, 1998. 135.

7) Harrow, Judy. Introduction. Wicca Covens: How to Start and Organize Your Own New York: Citadel Press, 1999. xii-xiii.

8) For more online information on the etymology of the words 'witch' and 'witchcraft' please refer to Etymology of Witch or Dictionary.com.

9) Hutton, Ronald. The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. 241.

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