First, to reunite with the All, the Multiversal Unifying Principle, called Love.
Second, to serve Love above all things.
Third, to evolve, that is, to live meaningfully and with purpose.
Fourth, to intentfully offer our life's work to our fellow Man, as it is mutually beneficial for all to do so.
Why do we call ourselves witches?
We are witches because we practice a craft which is banned to our fellow men within the Western cultural paradigms set down by Judeao-Christianity. "Witch" is a Christian word, a label assigned by the Roman Catholic Church in days of yore, to differentiate believers from heretics. We endeavor to struggle against the harm done to Man by Christian authority, as their doctrine dictates to them, and thus, we heal, counsel, teach and practice diplomacy outside of accepted norms. We employ magick, divination, alternative medicine and psychic methods to cause change for ourselves and others. We teach mutual beneficiality, detachment from the outcomes of our practice and surrender to Love. We serve Love above all things and define Love as GOD, wresting the definition of the word from Judaeo-Christian control. We are witches because, as long as Christianity holds dominion over Western society, we are honor-bound to walk the Heretic's Path.
Why aren't we Wiccan?
We owe our heritage to Wicca and from Wicca we are born. Every Witcan is a Wiccan first. But upon initiation to the Heretic's Path, is introduced to a fearless individual pursuit of real Magick. Wicca is a framework from which Witca is constructed. To some Witcan practitioners, Wicca offers the training wheels to a safe passage to a meaningful practice of Witca.
Why are we considered heretics amongst Wiccans?
There are many minor differences between Wicca and Witca, but there are a few major differences which, when shared with Wiccan Adepts, can cause such shifts in consciousness that their ability to remain merely Wiccan is sorely tested.
The First Revelation is that the Goddess has four aspects, not three. They are: Crone, Mother, Maiden and Childe. Yes, the Childe, for she is missing from the Wiccan cycle of Goddess Aspects and yet, an understanding of Her leads us to a fundamental ability to access real Magick and to practice our Craft effectively.
The Second Revelation is that any ritual, casting or spell that employs a deosil component is inherantly flawed.
The Third Revelation is that GOD and the gods are not one and the same, that the gods are anthropomorphic archetypes, which Ancient Man devised to explain and represent aspects of Nature, and beyond and superior to Nature is Ultimate Divinity, we choose, in our defiance, to call GOD.
The Fourth Revelation is that GOD is not the god of Judaeo-Christianty, who is Yahweh, who is yet another mythological god aspect as any other god from any other pantheon.
The Fifth Revelation is that GOD is Love -- not romantic love or parental love -- but the sort of Love that one experiences when they appreciate and uphold beauty, loving existence for existence's own sake, respecting and defending individual freedoms, seeking right use of will as individuals and mutual beneficiality for all.
The Sixth Revelation is that religion is wholly destructive to the Spirit of the individual and has historically perpetrated crimes against humanity in general.
There are more Revelations not listed above, but those included here suffice to demonstrate the disparaging aspects that cause some Wiccans to seek Witca ultimately.
Do we celebrate the Esbats and the Sabbats?
Yes, and we honor Nature's dominion over Man in doing so. All Witcans submit to Nature's ultimate control over our physical well-being and have shed the Western World's cultural paradigm that asserts Man as master over Nature.
Do Witcans practice Magick?
Yes, employing the Witcan Magickal Paradigm, and doing so honors Nature's own unique path to reunion with GOD.
Do Witcans honor the Laws of Man?
Yes, we realize that one cannot change men's minds by angering or frightening them. Thus we are called to be ambassadors when it is possible to do so. We also adhere to the wisdom that tells us that a man cannot convince authority of anything if he is standing before it in chains. This was Jesus' lesson learned too late, which Witcans profit from in his memory.
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From an entry in my personal Book of Light...
- We subscribe to four aspects of deity, not the traditional three.
- We have learned that real Magick can only be achieved by breaking with traditional taboos of mainstream Witchcraft and Wicca.
- We have innovated the Rede to include, “As It Is Mutually Beneficial To All” and find it to be silly when people think they can wish for something else anyway.
- We suspect that the original Grimoire sent to the New World had been altered prior to its departure from England, and therefore cannot be trusted, nor can the teachings of any of the traditional covens in The U.S. or Canada that sprung from it.
- We have discovered that our Magick can only transform our own lot and the lot of those who ask for our intervention, and are adament that anyone who believes they can fool the gods into interfering with the free will of others shall be considered a Dabbler at best, a Sorcerer at worst. We shun both unless they seek to learn differently.
- We hold that all religions -- even the anti-religion religion, atheism -- are wholly dangerous to the overall evolution of Mankind and take prescribed steps to de-centralize any powerbase that may evolve in our ranks.
- We hold that witches need not live in poverty or be social outcasts in order to prove that they have forsaken their mundane lives. Overcoming these negative lifestyle choices and continual self-improvement are at the very heart of Witca.
- We hold that “it takes a witch to make a witch” and that a Solitary Path can only take one so far. In the end, all of us need someone who has gone before us to acknowledge our journey. All Witcans must have a Teacher and RItes of Passage.
We arrived at these conclusions, these ending points, after decades of dedicated practice and deliberation. My advise to any Wiccan troubled by what they're being told by there teachers is, take what they tell you and work your way backwards, looking for the starting points for such ideas that perplex you. And if your answers don't sit well, ask new and improved questions.
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Etymology of "Witca"
The Heretical Tradition, called Witca, is peopled by Witcans who are Spiritual Witches inspired by Wicca, and Pragmatic Wiccans practicing Witchcraft.
--Ly. Leananshae
"WITCAN" contains the wit of Witch, inferring cognance; and the can of Wiccan, implying ability... ergo, “able to know.”
--Ly. Leananshae
WITCA = pragmatic Wicca and/or spiritual Witchcraft; the blend of the words Wicca and Witchcraft; used by those who feel they are both Wiccans and Witches -- sort of a shorthand for Wicca/Witchcraft.
--anonymous Witcan Seeker
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Here are a few sources for the etymology of the word "witca" that sprang from languages unrelated to the origins of the usage of the word for our purposes, but are worth knowing:
In the Catawba Language, witca means "night". Examples of its usage are...
The night is dark -- witca`wa seet kare
The dark night -- witca`wa kare
In the Sioux Language, witca means "lone". An example of its usage is...
lone man -- ishna witca
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And from an entry at an etymology blog site...