So confused

[norseman]

It's a messy subject these days, Lunacie. Both in UK and US there has been a lot of drift and a lot of "new" wicca forms [ Faerie wicca, Norse wicca, etc ].
I would hate to tell you the battles I have had over this over which wicca is "real" and which is not.
Much of the difference between UK and US is down to culture and heritage.
Wicca is at least partly based on the old Traditional Witchcraft of Britain which goes back to pre-christian times as a pagan nation [ still is ! ] whereas the US was founded as a christian country so there is no depth of pagan heritage. Heritage/History has a major bearing. Give you an example. I live in a city that was ancient when christ was born -Bronze Age and Iron Age remains with some suggestions of even earlier Neolithic building. I walk a lot in my city up to the Norman Cathedral which was built over a pagan holy site, along Roman roads. Beltane, we had our festival in a henge close by which was built around 5000 BC and we invoked a pagan goddess who was worshipped by the Celtic tribes. There are places that I walk and "feel" all those ancestors - it soaks into the soul and spirit.
So, put us in the UK as Old Wicca [ I do not claim to be wicca but something a lot older ] and maybe the US as new Wicca. As I said, Solitary is the norm although Working Groups are relatively common also - not covens but groups which come together for "special projects" and socials.
The forum where I am a mod. has [as far as I know ] no members of covens but has several HPS's who gave up covens. Hope that answers your question
[ p.s. meant to say there are some forum members who predate Gardner - I hang out with old witches ]

You can be whatever you want to be. Let it come from you...no one can tell you.

Originally Posted by norseman

It's a messy subject these days, Lunacie. Both in UK and US there has been a lot of drift and a lot of "new" wicca forms [ Faerie wicca, Norse wicca, etc ].
I would hate to tell you the battles I have had over this over which wicca is "real" and which is not.

Much of the difference between UK and US is down to culture and heritage.
Wicca is at least partly based on the old Traditional Witchcraft of Britain which goes back to pre-christian times as a pagan nation [ still is ! ] whereas the US was founded as a christian country so there is no depth of pagan heritage. Heritage/History has a major bearing. Give you an example. I live in a city that was ancient when christ was born -Bronze Age and Iron Age remains with some suggestions of even earlier Neolithic building. I walk a lot in my city up to the Norman Cathedral which was built over a pagan holy site, along Roman roads. Beltane, we had our festival in a henge close by which was built around 5000 BC and we invoked a pagan goddess who was worshipped by the Celtic tribes. There are places that I walk and "feel" all those ancestors - it soaks into the soul and spirit.

So, put us in the UK as Old Wicca [ I do not claim to be wicca but something a lot older ] and maybe the US as new Wicca. As I said, Solitary is the norm although Working Groups are relatively common also - not covens but groups which come together for "special projects" and socials.

The forum where I am a mod. has [as far as I know ] no members of covens but has several HPS's who gave up covens. Hope that answers your question
[ p.s. meant to say there are some forum members who predate Gardner - I hang out with old witches ]

Thanks for the response. I had the idea you claimed the title of Wiccan, so I can let go of that now.

It's interesting to hear from someone who lives in the UK about the witchcraft scene there. I have a very limited personal experience of Wicca/Witchcraft, and slightly broader perspective from a decade on internet forums.

Several years ago there was a lot of fighting here in the States about Wiccans calling themselves Witches. I never understood the idea that the Witches could lay claim to the word and forbid anyone to use it without their blessing. I am both a Wiccan and a Witch.

I myself prefer to call the groups I've worked with "working groups" rather than covens. Any Witch who is part of a working group or a coven is also a Solitary. That's something Gardner made pretty clear in his writing as well.

I wish I had the opportunity to walk the places you walk - the energies must be awesome. There are a few places like that here in the States, but they are very scattered and I haven't done a lot of traveling. One place that had really lovely "vibes" was the site of the Heavener Stone in Oklahoma. If only I lived close enough to do some workings there. *sigh* There are places like that in New Mexico that have sadly become commercialized.

Originally Posted by windwhistle

You can be whatever you want to be. Let it come from you...no one can tell you.

I'm not saying that is wrong, you CAN be whatever you want to be and others should not tell you that there is anything wrong with what you are or what you want to be. All I've been saying is that it isn't honest to say that you are something you are not. If you haven't spent the time and effort to learn to be doctor, you may be a really great energy healer, but you would be wrong to call yourself a doctor. You see what I'm saying?

[norseman]

Maybe windwhistle is saying "You can be what you are meant to be" ?