Some visitors may wonder exactly what I mean when I refer to myself as a “solitary eclectic Wiccan.”
Taking each word in turn, solitary means I practice my religion as an individual, rather than as a member of a larger organization. Think of a Christian who, instead of going to church every Sunday, prays and worships privately without supervision or audience.
I hold the conviction that as a child of the Divine, I have the ability to connect and commune with the Divine without having to go through a priest or other spiritual “guru.” As such, I worship at the times and in the places I choose. This may be a corner of my home I’ve designated as sacred space, in my back yard, or any other place of my choosing.
Eclectic means the dogma of my religion (for lack of a better term) has been shaped and molded by numerous other traditions. In my case, I incorporate various elements from the pre-Christian religions of Europe and the Americas into my own. One may ask, “How do you know if what you choose is right or not?” The answer is simply by using discernment.
Discernment is something we struggle with as a society. Many of us are content simply being told what to do by government, big business, and/or religious organizations, and as a result our powers of discernment have atrophied from lack of use. One doesn’t need to look very far to see examples of the damage this moral and intellectual laziness has caused. You and I are fully capable of deciding what is right for us individually. Quick on the heels of this recognition should be the wisdom says, “My way is my own, and it is not appropriate to tell others they are wrong for choosing differently.”
Defining Wicca in its entirety is beyond the scope of this post. But according to Wiccan author Edain McCoy,
…Wicca has become a term generally used to refer to many of the Pagan traditions from western and northern Europe.
So then, what does Pagan mean? According to McCoy,
Pagan is a generic term for anyone who practices an earth or nature religion.
What is an “earth or nature religion?”
Generally speaking, a religion that operates on the basic premises that (a) all things are interconnected – that the earth is sacred, rather than simply a storehouse of resources to be exploited at humankind’s whim; and (b) every being has the freedom of choice and is solely responsible for the positive and negative consequences of those choices.
Thanks for taking the time to explain. I found it really interesting.
Do you mind if I ever quote you? I like how you put it:
“When one continually digests everything dished out by religious leaders, government, and big business, they may find they’re unable to make a decision without getting someone else’s input first.”
Thanks!
Stuart,
I’m honored both by your visit and as well as your request to quote me, which you’re certainly welcome to do as you see fit.
I’d like to mention though that the concept above can’t be rightly claimed my own. It’s really a distillation and refinement of concepts presented by various authors and spiritual teachers I’ve come across.
[...] of “wiccan” and “pagan” can be found here. I’m afraid I don’t know how to properly define “heathen,” so I’ll [...]
I can think of a number of Wiccans and other Pagans who would object quite vehemently to “Wiccan” being used interchangeably with “Pagan” – there’s a considerable overlap but it’s not the same.
Heathens and others would object because their tradition is not derived from Wicca. Wiccans would object because our tradition is an initiatory one with specific practices and liturgy. I don’t mind people using the term Wicca if they are a solitary, but making it interchangeable with Pagan just makes both terms somewhat wishy-washy, and obliterates their quite distinct cultural origins.
Yvonne,
Thanks so much for your insight.
To clarify, are “Pagan” and “Heathen” interchangeable?
Also, do you have any sources you could refer me to that would shed some light on the “distinct cultural origins” of the terms “Wiccan” and “Pagan”?
Hi Jerome
Glad to be of assistance
Pagan and Heathen are not interchangeable, really. Pagan is an umbrella term for anyone who practices a nature-oriented religion or spirituality – and it’s an umbrella which is so stretched that it’s starting to get uncomfortable standing under it for a lot of people.
Heathen refers specifically to people who honour the Northern gods and goddesses and wights (e.g. Odin, Freya, Thor, etc.)
The best book to read about the origins of Wicca is without a shadow of doubt the excellent “Triumph of the Moon” by Ronald Hutton, which should be compulsory reading for all students of Wicca and witchcraft, in my opinion (and I don’t go round making things compulsory lightly).
As to the term Pagan, there is some debate, but most attribute it to early Christians using it as a pejorative term for those hicks from the sticks who hadn’t caught on to the new religion yet (i.e. Christianity). The term started to be used positively to refer to nature spirituality by late-19th century romantics like Edward Carpenter (my hero!)
Check out the Pagan theologies wiki for more information on this and many other topics.
Pagan and Heathen can be interchangeable insofar as what the words are actually referring to.
But the followers of Heathenry often don’t like it when they are used interchangeably by modern Wiccans because they feel that modern Wiccans have watered so much of pagan practice down that it looks like it has no backbone, no convictions, no education behind it. And I am starting to agree (and keep in mind, I started my pagan walk nearly 20 years ago, and things really HAVE changed, and they really have gone a lot weaker).
By the way, let the record show that just as I am of the conviction that “Heathen” should be reserved for those who walk a Germanic path, “pagan” should be reserved for those who walk with the Roman deities. Look up Via Romana or Religio Romana and you’ll see what I mean. (People who walk an Egyptian path are called Kemetic Orthodox – look up the House of Netjer. People who walk a Greek path are called Hellenismos – look up Sannion, who is a Hellenic himself. People who walk a Celtic path are called either Druids – Senistrognata – Aurrad, but Wicca never was a Celtic tradition, ever, and Maypoles have nothing to do with Beltane.)
Welcome to the world of reconstructionist religions – the religions with historical homework.
Thank you for your clarification. Although I was once involved in organized christian religions , they who always left me feeling empty. I never fet “comfort” only distaste for the required tides and succombing to the will of the Pastor.
I guess I knew deep inside I was different. I have always been close to nature, cultivating plants, nurtuirng my pets and children. Only in the past year have I realized that I have been a solitary eclectic wiccan & never really knew it.
For the first time I am feeling comfortable with my existance. blessings,
Bethe,
You are different, and beautiful, and full of wisdom! Welcome to the rest of your life – a life you get to create, instead of one in which the limits of your joy are dictated by someone else.
I look forward to seeing more of you here.
Bright Blessings,
Jerome
I find the semantics to be quite challenging and perhaps also different when you’re trying to have a conversation with someone on a similar path, versus speaking with(sometimes explaining to) someone of a completely different background whose exposure to alternative religion/spirituality of any kind is limited. Even though I happily relate to the terms Pagan, Neo-Pagan, and Witch, but not Wiccan, I have sometimes said, “Yes, I am Wiccan or close to it,” to people who don’t quite understand (or need to) the subtleties and difference among them. I have found that, like it or not, “Wicca” and “Wiccan” are the most widely recognized words among mainstream non-Pagans.
For ourselves and those interested, I highly recommend Isaac Bonewits’ website and writings. His definitions of Pagan, Neo-Pagan, Meso-Pagan, etc., are widely considered to be academically accurate and practically efficient. http://www.neopagan.net/PaganDefs.html
He also has a section on defining witchcrafts: http://www.neopagan.net/Witchcraft-Classifying.html
bloominglotus,
Agreed – though labels can be helpful in reaching common understanding, they can also be problematic due to the myriad of different meanings the same word can hold for different people.
Thank you very much for the resources mentioned – I plan to spend some time at Mr. Bonewits’ site.
Blessings Jerome; I found your site while scrolling around on various links, and came across your comment about being an Eclectic Wiccan. I was strongly drawn to it, and when I read it, it really hit me that, that is exactly what I beleive and choose to direct my path. I used to practice many years ago, but lost touch until about 4 months ago, and now I practice as much as I can, and truly found my RIGHT path. As Beth commented above, the Christian, Mormon {especially} and all the others dictate what you should and have to beleive in. I never followed that tradition. It was never for me.The magic I practice is candle and herbal magic, and I also, I am a solitary practioner. I do have a silly question though. Since I am solitary, is there such a thing as self-initiation? If so, what kind of ritual would I need to perform. If you know, kindly tell me.. Blessed be, Lady Doria
Lady Doria,
Your question is not silly at all, and thanks for giving me the opportunity to provide an answer.
Self-initiation is definitely possible, and has become more and more common during the Wiccan/Pagan revival of recent years (particularly for Solitaries). As this rite is very special and very personal to each of us, given our unique backgrounds and the beliefs/practices we’ve chosen to weave into our individual spiritual “tapestries,” I recommend spending several days thinking on what your self-initiation ritual could include in the way of wording, etc. to be most meaningful to you. If you’d like a framework to build on and make your own, I highly recommend picking up a used copy of Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. Section 2, Chapter 12 gives an example of what he calls a “Self-Dedication” ritual.
I wish you all the best, and thanks for visiting.
Blessings Jerome; Thankyou so much for your information. It was most helpful. I had the feeling that it would be something that I had to study, and create something for myself that felt really personal, and you only confirmed it for me! Thankyou again, and many blessings…Lady Doria