When can I say I am a Wiccan?

Question

I have just begun researching Paganism and Wicca, but how do I know when I can say that is what I am?

Thanks.

Answer 1

As a Wiccan for over 20 years I strongly disagree with two of the posts here, one claiming you must be initiated (as Doreen Valiente, the creator of most of the current Gardnerian and Alexandrian Liturgy said otherwise, and Gardner, who created Wicca, said that his group was one of many evolving separately...therefore, the rules of other groups differ...obviously.)

Even if one disagrees with Valiente and Gardner as to the requirement for all "Wiccans" to be initiated and instead one claims all must, the simple fact remains that even in traditional groups, before initiation it is acceptable for a member of the outer court to label himself a Wiccan. The title Wiccan has no meaning in Traditional Wicca, which uses the phrases of the Wica and Witch, but not Wiccan. Indeed, up until the 1990s, many of those of the Wica considered those who used the term Wiccan, pronounced Wick-en, to be poseurs and outsiders by default. After over 30 years of opposing the term, they do not get to dictate who uses it now!

I'm also going to strongly disagree with the recommendation of the book Faery Wicca, for reasons that are outlined here: http://www.cyberwitch.com/wychwood/Libra...

No book should ever be published that tells lies. Seriously. Not intentionally.Likewise, no book should ever be published which plagiarizes. Try this website to learn about that: http://www.geocities.com/ferigold/truthf...

As for when you can call yourself a Wiccan, in general, I recommend not using the term until you've accomplished three things:

1. Researched at least two traditions, one to the second level (there are a couple of traditions which actually have books that go to that level...whether I approve of those groups or not, the fact remains that you can get an understanding of how Wicca works in general from such books.)

2. Learned at least the basics of Wiccan ethics and embraced them. Sadly, many Wiccans don't get this far. I recommend the following two links as ESSENTIAL to understanding Wiccan ethics:

http://www.paganlibrary.com/ethics/wicca...

http://www.cuew.org/thefivepoints.html

(both of these can be found elsewhere, as well.)

3. Developed a relationship with and or understanding of the gods and investigated the agrarian calendar that the Wheel-of-the-year  is based upon. If the temperate wheel doesn't work where you are (you don't have four seasons, for example, or you're in the Southern Hemisphere) you need to work out what the wheel means where you are.

In general, these things are deal-breakers in Wicca. You can't ever call yourself Wiccan if you think the gods or seasons are unimportant, don't know the ethics and have no idea how it works.

That being said, as some posts here always show, just claiming the word Wiccan means nothing....some claim to be Wiccan and disregard the gods or the ethics. They may be Wiccan, but they probably suck at it.

My advice to you won't make you Wiccan, but it might make you a Wiccan who does not suck.

Edit: Chakras aren't Wiccan, and Wicca's a religion, not a philosophy.

Answer 2

When you feel comfortable enough to explain to others your beliefs, if they ask. You feel comfortable enough with your practices, studies and yourself combined. Basically...whenever you're comfortable enough.

Answer 3

when u think your ready then u are. but remember... b4 u say you are or not. think about what is a wiccan and then ask your self your question. am i a wiccan?

Answer 4

You can say it right now if you believe it to be true.  I am always surprised by how reluctant people are to say that they are Pagans or, say, a white witch.

Paganism is the belief in NATURE, and the belief that there is nothing more powerful than nature.  I am a true pagan.  My religion is Tibetan or Vajrayana Buddhism (if ever there was a religion that was pagan this one is it) and I practice it daily, with chants and prayers...some that I have learned from the center that I go to in San Francisco (where my Tibetan lama or guru resides when he is not out teaching the dharma all over the world) and some that I have made up specifically for self-improvement (daily affirmations) and for the healing of our planet.  Pagans in the past have had a bad rap from the "Christians" in the world who have just about destroyed this earth, fighting each other and almost taking all of nature down as a consequence of that horrible violence!  I bet Al Gore is a Pagan in his heart.

Be proud of yourself and boldly say you are of Wiccan blood!  You are  spirit, soul and flesh that wants to name Wicca as her religion...so do it!  I am happy to know you are a fellow pagan. There are plenty of born again pagans right here where I live in beautiful N. California!!

Answer 5

"Pagan" is such a nebulous term you can pretty much call yourself that whenever you want.  However, never expect listeners to have a good idea of what you believe when you just say "pagan," which technically means nothing more than you are a Christian, Jew, or Muslim.

There is a difference between studying a religion and following it, and that's something that a lot of people interested in Wicca confuse.  You can't know whether Wicca (or any other religion) is for you until you know something about it.  So you need to give some serious study to Wicca to understand what it teaches, what to expect out of it, what is expected of you, and so forth.  You also need to come to grips with whether you actually believe it, or whether ir just sounds kind of nice.  Because Wicca is a religion, and religion is about sincere belief, and it takes time to form that.

I personally recommend studying for at least a year and a day before making the decision to embrace Wicca as your faith.  And when you're ready for that commitment, most non-initiatory Wiccans perform a dedication ritual declaring their loyaly and intents to their gods.  And if you're not ready to make that declaration, that's a great sign that you're not yet ready.

Answer 6

good question.

i would like to know the same thing.

i am into the same stuff

Answer 7

when you believe in it

Answer 8

At the moment, you are searching for an identity.....a label to stamp yourself with.

You have made the decision to label yourself with the label "Wiccan" because that's what you want to be. No doubt there will be lot's of othe labels you latch on to over the next 20 years.

When you give up, you may start asking who you really are.

The Story of the Stone Cutter.

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There was a stone cutter who carved large stones all day in the hot sun. Tap tap tap with his chisel and hammer all day. One day he saw a prince being carried by servants pass by. He wished to be the prince because the prince was more powerful than he....and his life would be better.

He became the prince and thought,

"Now nothing is more powerful than me."

For some time he was happy but he started to notice the sun was very hot. He realised he could not control the sun and that the sun must be more powerful than him. So he wished to be the sun. And like magic he became the sun.

Every morning he would beam down and make people hot and sweaty or hide and make them cold. So he thought "Now nothing is more powerful than me, not even princes!" He was very happy being the sun untill one day a cloud passed in front of him. No matter how hot he became, the cloud would not move.

So he wished to be the cloud which he felt was even more powerful than the sun. He became the cloud and sat there in the sky. He made the world dark, rained on those people out in the fields and made lots of thunder and lightening. He laughed at how much power he had. He really thought that now he was the most powerful thing in existance. Then he felt himself moving away from the sun. He was being pushed and could barely believe it.

It was the wind. The wind was able to move him no matter how much he rained or made thunder. So he wished to be the wind and like magic, he became the wind. He felt a new lease of life and celebrated by blowing all over the land. He blew the clouds away and made storms at sea. He blew roofs off and blew haystacks down. He rushed across the land spinning and blowing thinking he was really so powerful. Then as he blew accross a field he blew in to something so heavy and hard that it did not move. He could barely believe it. Something was more powerful than the wind. When he looked, he saw it was very large stone - twice as tall as a man.

He wished to become the large stone which was even more powerful than the wind. He became the stone and sat there while the wind and rain tried to move him. He was satisfied and smiled thinking, "Now I'm more powerful than all those things I was. I am the most powerful thing in existence!"

Then he heard a sound. Tap tap tap and realised something was chipping away at him. As he looked, he saw a small man with a hammer and chisel chipping away at him....a stone cutter! Then he smiled.......and he wished to be the stone cutter once more.

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If you have only just started researching Wicca, how would you know that there will be a time when you would say "I am a Wiccan."

Spend some time observing your own heart so you can really say what you are.

Don Juan (the Mexican holy man) was due to go to town and wanted to give his apprentice a lesson. He told him that he would be going to town and that while he was gone, the apprentice should find his place in the house.

The Apprentice looked confused. Don Juan explained that in every room or building each person has a place where they belong. So he said "Find your place in my home by the time I get back tonight after sunset."

He went to town and the apprentice started looking around the house and the land around it. He sat in the kitchen and under the tree.He climbed on the roof and sat in the bath. He stood on his head in the kitchen....but none of these were "his" place. He was sure he'd tried everywhere and looked around for anywhere else. He was feeling very frustrated because he would fail the task when Don Juan returns.

The apprentice looked around some more and got angry. He shouted and went red in the face. He gave up. He went and sat down on the wooden porch which wrapped around the old house. After sunset he heard footsteps around the corner on the porch by the front door. The footsteps got closer and then Don Juan walked roundaround the corner.

"You found your place?"asked Don Juan.

The apprentice shook his head, looking unhappy.

"I didn't know what to look for. I looked everywhere.....all day. then I got angry and gave up." said the apprentice.

"Then what did you do?" asked Don Juan.

"I came out and sat here to wait for you to come home"

"Why sit there?"

"I don't know, I didn't think about it. I just came out, walked round the corner and sat down here. I thought you would be angry because I couldn't find such a simple thing." said the appretice

"You have found it. You're sitting in you're place. That is where you belong."

Answer 9

Merry Meet SnowCanWait,

I will try to make this short. Many Eclectic Wiccans, Witches and Pagans will disagree with me but seriously in order to be considered a Wiccan by most Traditions around you will need to at least Self-Dedicate yourself to the Craft. This usually starts with a walk of one year and one day of study of Wicca. You see a Dedication marks your walk in the Craft and it is a place from where you can begin as a new creature in the universe. Once you Self-Dedicate most Traditions in Wicca will accept your claim to be Wiccan without proof of your dedication. You can find information on Dedictions from http://witchvox.com/.

Please be advised though that if you claim to be Wiccan but cannot form a sacred circle for ritual or even perform a basic Esbat ritual, you will loose credibility as a Wiccan in the community. There is a lot more to Wicca then just the name. I hope this Blurp helps some.

Always in Light and Love

Nyjh

Answer 10

Don't say it if you are or are going to be.

Answer 11

Whenever you want too.

Answer 12

When you feel as though you are one.

If you've only just begun your research, then you won't be able to truly understand when its time. You need to be one with nature and the god and goddess.

If you want to be a coven witch, then you will need to be accepted. But really, I judge religion not by some title, but by what the persons knows and feels :)

Answer 13

When you disappear in a puff of smoke.

Answer 14

WHEN THE RESEARCH IS OVER AND YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING ---

Answer 15

OK - Am going to get myself a whole heap of thumbs down here, but I honestly don't care.

You cannot be Wiccan unless you have undergone initiation into a Gardenerian or an Alexandrian coven.

Wicca was created in the 1950's by Gerald B Gardener, and it was created as an initiatory, mystery tradition.

The VAST majority of responsible covens will not even consider you for membership unless you are over 18 years of age.

You have to undergo a great deal of study and hard work as a coven  neophyte (usually a year) before you are ready for initiation to first degree.

To call yourself Wiccan without undergoing this is an insult to all the people who have.

You can be a solitary witch that follows wiccan teachings, but unless initiated, you can never be Wiccan.

Answer 16

There is no easy answer to this one.  When you are ready then you will know it and then you will find it natural to declare your spirituality and beliefs.  

Some do this straight away, others study and do their self dedication and then announce it to those in their lives that matter.  I personally waited until I had done my dedication even though my friends and family had already figured it out for themselves.

Some wait until they practice the craft and cast circles, celebrate the sabbats, others don't.  

You see, it's all a matter of when the time is right then you will know.

Answer 17

When you feel comfortable doing so. Wicca is a belief system.

Its a common misconception also that all witches (spell workers) are Wiccan are that all Wiccans are witches!  

Answer 18

You just did.

Answer 19

When you start practicing Wicca. Just because you do research doesn't mean you are a witch. You must live your life by the three fold law among other things mentioned in the Rede. Pagan is a term for any non-judeo/christian religion and Wicca is a philosophy. Technically, you can be a witch without practicing Wicca.

I would say once you can cast a circle, participate in the holidays, are committed, understand charaks and other forms of energy. If you know any other true Wiccan's they can do a ceremony for you as well.

I dunno, you'll know.

Answer 20

You just said you where what more do you want

Answer 21

When you want.

Answer 22

You can call yourself anything you want when it stuff like that.  You can't call yourself a doctor without a PhD though.