Grimorie/ Book of shadows

Pagan vs Wicca vs Witchcraft

WHAT IS PAGANISM

Definition: a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the "main" or recognized religions

"Paganism is an umbrella term used to describe a diverse group of religious and spiritual belief systems."

1. "Be either polytheist (belief in multiple deities), animist (belief that all things have a spirit), or pantheist (belief that the divine is in everything)"

2. "Place a great significance on nature, though this is not true for every pagan religion."

_________________________________________

WHAT IS WICCAN

definition: A follower or practitioner of Wicca, a form of modern paganism.

"Wicca is a modern religion that falls under the umbrella term paganism"

"Wicca was developed in England during the 1940s and 1950s and was introduced to the world by Gerald Gardner. It places a heavy emphasis on nature and the pre-Christian religious and witchcraft traditions of northern and western Europe."

"It's worth noting that Gardner and his early followers never used the term "Wicca" to describe their religion; rather they referred to it as the "witch cult" or the "old religion." Later during the 1960s, the name of this religious movement was normalized to "Wicca."

_________________________________________

WHAT IS WITCHCRAFT

Definition: religious practice involving magic and affinity with nature, usually within a pagan tradition.

"Witchcraft is the practice of magic and energy manipulation."

_________________________________________

HISTORY OF PEGANISM SUMMARY

Paganism- (from classical Latin paganus, "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early christens for people in the roman empire who practiced Polytheism(is the belief in or worship of more than one god) , or ethic religions other than Judaism. Individuals fell into the pagan class either because they were increasingly rural , or because they were not soldiers of Christ. Paganism has broadly connoted the "religion of the peasantry ".

During and after the middle ages , the term paganism was applied to any non-Christian religion, and the term presumed a belief in "false gods". The origin of the application of the term "pagan" to polytheism is debated. In the 19th century, paganism was adopted as a self-descriptor by members of various artistic groups inspired by the ancient world. In the 20th century, it came to be applied as a self-descriptor by practitioners of modern paganism , modern Pegan movements and polytheistic reconstructionism. Modern pagan traditions often incorporate beliefs or practices, such as nature worship , that are different from those of the largest world religions.

_________________________________________

HISTORY OF WICCAN SUMMERY

The history of wicca documents the rise of the neopegan(Neopaganism, also known as modern paganism, is a broad term for a variety of new religious movements) religion of wicca. Wicca originated in the early 20th century, when it developed amongst secretive covens in England who were basing their religious beliefs and practices upon what they read of the historical witch cult in the works of such writers as margaret murray. It was subsequently founded in the 1950s by Gardner, who claimed to have been initiated into the Craft – as Wicca is often known – by the new forest coven in 1939. Gardner's form of Wicca, the Gardnerian tradition, was spread by both him and his followers like the High Priestesses ,doreen edith dominy valiente, patricia crowther and elanor bone. into other parts of the British Isles, and also into other, predominantly English-speaking, countries across the world.

_________________________________________

SOURCES

https://magebymoonlight.com/paganism-wicca-witchcraft/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Wicca

_________________________________________

(more coming soon)