The Difference between a Wiccan and a Witch

In many ways I like to think of Wicca as the religious version of witchcraft. 

In some ways this is true, in some places in the world many witches can be from a different religion all together.

First of all, it is understanding what paganism is:

Depending on where you hear it from, paganism has different meanings. Christians used the word pagan to describe people who lived in the country and rural areas, and other religions would say pagans are people who don't follow their one god religion. 

For many, paganism is described as a religion which follows and worships nature. They follow a set of guidelines made by natural occurrences such as the seasons, the moon and even the sun. Paganism is normally polytheistic and they like to worship gods and goddesses that represent nature, a planet, or something similar. Paganism is an umbrella term for many different religions such as Shamanism, Druidry, Heathens, Asatru, even Hinduism (debatable) and many more. Wicca thus also is a pagan religion. 

Witchcraft is more than just what you have seen on the television, in movies and read in storybooks. A witch can be someone who makes spells, potions, chants, incarnations, herbalism, gemstones, crystals, natural healing. They can be keen on divination, be psychics or mediums sometimes, use tarot cards, runes, crystal balls, palmistry and many other things. A witch can be from any type of religion or no religion at all. They may believe in the Christian god for example or they may instead practice dark magic or voodoo. Or a witch can simply just be a witch. 

Wicca is in my mind is putting the two together and making witchcraft its own religion. Wicca is a pagan witchcraft religion and so follow the cycles of the moon, worships nature, the sun and even the stars. In Wicca the moon is the goddess and the sun is the god but this could be many different goddesses and gods to fit individual preferences. They also have a triple goddess which can be a single goddess or three goddesses seen as a single goddess, it all varies. Wiccans have 8 Sabbats (holidays) based around the seasons, including Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice. Many traditions are taken from Celtic beliefs as well as Roman, Greek, Egyptian and Norse, along with many others. 

Find what suits you best. Remember as they say, not all witches are wiccans but all wiccans are witches. (respectively) Love, live and be happy, blessed be )O(