Whats the Difference between Pagan & Wicca?

[Ambience]

I really can't decide which would be the right choice. I am drawn to Pagan instinctively. Something about wiccan doesn't agree with me. Could anyone tell me why pagan is better than wiccan? Or some advantages it has over wiccan? Or different philosophys? What rules and rituals do i need to follow daily if i adopt this religion. I currently am a psychic medium and work with runes, crystals, tarot and other methods of divination. I am using candles for meditation. Is it possible also to mix pagan with buddism? I like the peacefulness of that religion. The meditative inward thinking aspect. What is the god or godess of earth called? Is there one. That's who i want to worship if there is. I'd really appreciate some help,

Thanks
Much love,
Janey xx

[Beowulf]

'Pagan' is kind of a loose description of many religions, one of them being Wicca. Just like the Baptists for example are 'Christians'. As to advantages, it all depends on your perspective: and for rituals and other such things, there are many books that clearly define the neccessary religious practices, as well as a few forums on this site. The Goddess and God have been called by so many names that they are sometimes called 'the nameless ones'. Find names that are suitable to you. In Wicca we view it as one universal power divided into two equal parts to represent the masculine and feminine. If you want to incorporate Buddhism, I don't see why you couldn't; the great thing about paganism is that you can mold it to fit your needs. Hope I was of any help.

[Lunacie]

As Beowulf says, Wicca is one path in Paganism. There are many different paths in Paganism, but most share the same common theme of respect for nature, belief in some kind of divine being, belief that everything and everyone is divine, and self-responsibility. (Probably left some things out there.)

But I'll add that most Wiccans don't believe in one uber god divided into a male and a femal aspect. Most Wiccans believe that there are many individual gods/goddesses, however they generally chose or are chosen by just one or two patron or matron gods with whom they have a closer connection.

To find a listing of Pagan traditions (including Wiccan traditions) and a synopsis of each, click on this link to Witchvox.com: http://www.witchvox.com/_x.html?c=trads

[Ambience]

I've sussed it now. I've looked into it a little more deeply. Still scatching the surface though. I want to become a practicing buddist/ pagan( whether that be wicca, alexandrian etc ... Out of all the wiccan religions, what are the advantages and disadvantages?

Thanks, Much love, Janey xx

[Lunacie]

There are hundreds of Pagan paths and I doubt that anyone here has studied more than a few, so I'm not sure any of us can actually answer your question.

[OpenHands]

>>>>>Out of all the wiccan religions, what are the advantages and disadvantages?<<<<<

Out of the pagan religions and spiritual paths, it really depends on what you're seeking. If the practices of Wicca strike a chord within you, then you have a choice between more traditional groups, eclectic groups, or following a Wicca-based pagan practice, which is pretty popular. If you are more of a hard polytheist type and a particular ancient religion draws you, you may want to look into reconstructionist or semi-reconstructionist practices. Etc.

If you haven't yet, I would suggest making a list of all the things you currently believe in. If you have goals you want to achieve in religion or spirituality, write those down too. Then investigate different religions and determine if any are compatible with what you're looking for.

[Calen]

Because what people want to get from a religion is different for everyone, there aren't really advantages and disadvantages. If you're having trouble narrowing your areas of interest down from the many possibilities, I would suggest deciding what you want out of a religion. What do you believe right now, as you are? Find that, and then look for religions that fall within those parameters.

[cheddarsox]

you might want to check out the "Paths" forums here, just browse around a bit, and see what sort of things folks in different paths are up to, what they focus on. Ask a question or two. Don't rush through it, just look at one or two a week.

The good news for our kind is that there is no prize at the end for the one with the most specific label. LOL. Labels are good tools, but bad masters. Figure out what you are first, and find the label that describes it later.

cheddar

[AussiePagan]

Pagan is an umbrella term for a whole heap of religions. The term originally referred to peasants in Europe, who after Christianisation still practiced their traditional religious beliefs. It literally meant 'country dweller'. As the meaning of words evolved it came to mean any one who followed a non-Abrahamic religion; any one not Jewish, Christian or Islamic. Wicca is just one religion that falls under the umbrella term ‘pagan’. Within Wicca there are lots of different paths that all have something in common with each other.

[Ambience]

I believe that life is a gift and that it should be nurtured and cherished and that we should try and get in touch with the deepest parts of our souls to discover our calling and true nature, live by our most timely values which for me are contributing to society and nature.
I love animals and am working towards setting up an animal sheter to protect them. I also love people and am working on a councelling and holistic theraphy business incorporated with life coaching. I meditate daily, i use runes, tarot cards, crystals & am a medium & psychic.

I practice divination daily and do my best to give messages when they come through. I have adopted a child in africa & contribute £18 a month to her living & one day would like to setup projects in africa to help people who are less priveleged than myself.

I believe in taking time for myself, loving myself and nurturing myself & spending quality time with others healing and caring for them. I believe that god is found within, yet i also believe that we are surrounded by angels and spirit and nature beings. Energy which resides on our earth from those passed.

I walk down the street to work and have ultimate gratitude for my day and my life and life with an attitude of gratitude for everything including my problems and concerns. I have respect for other peoples feeling and views and see the pro's and con's of every arguement. I have my views but can be totally unbiased in my thinking and portraiting a debate.

I believe in affirmations and spell casting to activate your reticular activating system( science term for a part of the brain), which basically means what you focus on is what you move towards. I believe that we all have unique talents and the inate ability inside us to get whatever we desire in life & contribute in meaningful ways.

I don't say there are any hard fast facts, even the things i believe i can be flexible with because i believe that life is somewhat illusionairy & i am very philosophical about where we came from why we exist. I believe that we are all made up of energy which can never die. I believe that we were created by the stars, we are part of stars (scientifically true), yet i also believe that there is a paralel dimension of spirit that runs along side our own world, a place where energy and soul resides once it leaves this world. I'm not sure if there is any hierachy like a greater god or being in human form, however i do believe there are goddess & gods of the earth, sun, moon etc. I believe that there a universal energy that can be tapped for healing like reiki and i believe that these souls help us move through life with grace and beauty and tap our potential. These may have been reincarnated human beings perhaps. It's all specultive for who can say what is true. However i do deeply believe there is some being that i can pray to and be grateful too whom is responsible for this beautiful fantasy or heaven that we live in!

I believe that the universe is our god or goddess in affect. It has always been here. I believe that time is infinate and that something don't start and end like everything in our world except time. They just are. Somethings are eternal, like energy. We are all born of energy from the stars and i believe that we have been reincarnated many times over, we are so lucky to be human beings as we could have maybe being born a plate or something.

It is to do with karma, cause and effect, though i don't think that bad karma neccesarily leads to you having a bad next life, there will always be good and bad , health and suffering because if there was only good we wouldn't know it as we would have no comparrison. It is how life is. It is mother nature and it is wonderful, for the problems and suffering in this life is what brings out the best in us and can make us grow stronger. The resistance we push against is what ultimately builds our charactor and who we become.

Thankyou very much for listening. My views may change with more knowlegde and education. Everything changes. It's all a matter of which perception you are seeing from.

Much love & Light, Janey xx

[arianrhods_daughter]

Maybe some meditation, visualisation and/or prayer work may be an idea to see if any patheon or patron dieties clunk you on the head and say "oi, get over 'ere" (not really lol :) ). And see if you can put your divination abilities to good use to get some more info as to whats right for you and where you should go? Just a suggestion :)

[Romani Vixen]

People have already covered what "pagan" is, so I wont go there.

When it comes to religion, be it Wiccan, Islam, Discordian, Satanism... whatever... there is no right or wrong! There is no better or worse! It is all what works the best for you!

Do your research. Keep a journal for your random spiritual thoughts. If something that you read about doesn't work for you, that's fine.... move on. If something looks good and attracts you, do more research on it.

It took me 9 years to find a single religion that made my soul sing. And a lot of that time was just figuring out what I felt was the way things were.

All reigion is metaphor. Metaphor is an imperfect method of communication, but it's the best that we can get with spirituality, so we do what we can. But... this leads to different religions.

You will find what works for you. Just take your time, listen to your heart, and do your research. And enjoy the ride!!! :)

[MorningDove030202]

The advantage of being Wiccan.....

.....well, depending on how you feel about organization and structure, there are far more organized and structured Wiccan organization/churches/covens/traditions than there are of other NeoPagan paths. If you are LOOKING for a group to work with and training, and posibly becoming clergy, Wicca has greater options. If you decided upon Wicca, and you want to belong to a tradition/coven/group I would first research what groups are local to you and then if NONE of them fit you well, or if none of them are healthy groups, then I would check out www.witchschool.com for training.

A few things I'd like to point out about Wicca...

...you don't have to be duotheistic (God and Goddess) or soft polytheiest to be Wiccan. The Trad I'm seeking isn't Duotheistic at all, but it is soft polytheistic. And The Dragon Tradition of Wicca is Hard Polytheistic.

But like I said, find out what's available to you localy first and see if there are accpetable options there, with an emphasis on finding a well established healthy group. If not, then self study is a good option via witchschool, or books etc.

Dove

[morningstar2651]

I've sussed it now. I've looked into it a little more deeply. Still scatching the surface though. I want to become a practicing buddist/ pagan( whether that be wicca, alexandrian etc ... Out of all the wiccan religions, what are the advantages and disadvantages?

Thanks, Much love, Janey xx
What do you mean by advantages and disadvantages?

You should pick your religion based off of your beliefs.