Theism – the belief that Divinity actually exists and possesses the attributes of being a person

This is sometimes expressed as “belief in a personal God.” Theism is to be distinguished from

atheism, agnosticism, pantheism, and deism. In general, theists believe that the universe was
created by their personified Divinity, and that their personified Divinity transcends creation; a
view which is shared by deists. However, unlike deists, theists believe that Divinity takes an
active and ongoing interest in the universe.

Atheism – disbelief in or the denial of the existence of Divinity. Alternatively, the doctrine that
Divinity does not exist.

Agnosticism – an intermediate position between theism and atheism, which holds that the
question of whether or not Divinity exists is inherently incapable of being answered, let alone
proven. In a broader sense, agnosticism asserts the viewpoint that knowledge of absolute truth
can never be achieved, and that we can have exact knowledge only of those things which we can
directly perceive with our senses.

Deism – a belief in a transcendent personified Divinity which created the universe, but which is
disinterested and therefore does not interact with Its creation.

Pantheism – belief that the universe and Divinity are one and the same: that the Divine is all that
is, and that all that is is, in turn, Divine. Divinity need not take an active interest in the universe
in this case because Divinity is the universe.

Panentheism – this viewpoint occupies a middle ground somewhere between strict theism and
pantheism. The panentheist viewpoint is that Divinity is both transcendent and immanent. That
is, Divinity is seen as being present throughout the universe, while at the same time the Divine
encompasses more than the universe, so that it is possible to distinguish between the universe
and Divinity.

Within the primary definition of theism, there are several general sub-categories of belief:

Monotheism – belief in a single Divinity;

Duotheism – belief in two Divinities, and;

Polytheism – belief in multiple Divinities.

Within polytheism, modern practice has identified two >schools of thought. One of these is the
so-called “hard” polytheism, which holds that each of the multiple Divinities that exist is a
distinct individual entirely separate from any other Divinity. On the other hand, “soft”
polytheism asserts that the multiple Divinities are but aspects or manifestations of some greater
Whole, and that our perception of these Divinities as being distinct individuals has more to do
with the inherent limitations on our senses than with the actual nature of Divinity.

Within the duotheist school, the two divinities in question may enjoy a complementary
relationship, as is seen in the relationship between the God and the Goddess in Wicca, or their
relationship may be adversarial, as is seen in Zoroastrianism or Manichaeism.

Several other terms will probably be useful here:

Transcendent – Existing above or beyond and independent of the material universe. Therefore,
a transcendent Divinity has an existence that is separate and distinguishable from the material
universe.

Immanent – Existing or remaining within; inherent. In theological terms, an opposite of

transcendent. An immanent Divinity is present within Its creation.

Henotheism – Worshiping a single Divinity while acknowledging that other Divinities exist.
(Another term for this first meaning is monolatry.) Alternatively, (and less commonly,)
worshiping multiple Divinities while perceiving one of these Divinities to be supreme over the
others.

Paganism is a generic term for polytheistic and/or nature-revering religions, be they ancient or
modern. Some people use the term neo-paganism for modern pagan religions, to distinguish
them from their pre-Christian predecessors.

Some people do use the terms "Wicca" and "paganism" interchangeably, but this isn't really
accurate. Wicca is one type of neo-paganism, but there are many others. Some of them are based
on specific pagan cultures, such as Celtic Reconstructionism, Ásatrú (Norse reconstructionism),
and so on. Others are highly eclectic and modern in their focus, such as the Church of All
Worlds.

Most neo-pagan religions share at least a few characteristics in common with Wicca, but they
may also have many differences. Modern paganism is extremely diverse, just as ancient
paganism was.

 
1.2. OK, so what is Wicca, exactly? How is it different from other kinds of paganism?

Wicca is a modern religion which traces its roots to pre-Christian paganism. Its beliefs and
practices stem from a blend of European pagan folk tradition and 19th-20th century occultism. In
its current form, it probably dates to approximately the late 30s or early 40s, but some aspects of
it may go back further (this is a matter of some debate, as we'll see later on).

There are many different traditions within Wicca, just as there are many denominations within
Christianity, and it has grown considerably more diverse over time. Not all of the traditions that
now exist share all the characteristics that Wicca originally did, but the distinguishing
characteristics of Wicca in its most traditional form can be summed up as follows:

1. Wicca is an initiatory, oathbound mystery religion...

2. ...which is polytheistic, honouring a variety of gods and goddesses...

3. ...but also dualistic, seeing individual deities, at least to some extent, as aspects of
one God and one Goddess...

4. ...and pantheistic, viewing divinity as immanent within the natural world.

5. It centres around the mysteries contained within the Charge of the Goddess and
the Legend of the Descent of the Goddess...

6. ...and encompasses the practice of magic...

7. ...as well as religious devotion.

8. Its ethical basis is expressed in the Wiccan Rede ("An it harm none, do as ye
will")...

9. ...and the Threefold Law ("What ye send returns three times over").

10. Ritually, it involves casting a circle as the basic setting for spiritual and magical
work...

11. ...and emphasizes the Platonic four elements of earth, air, fire and water...

12. ...plus some form of gender polarity, be that theologically in the image of the
God and Goddess, and/or mundanely in the physical gender of participants as
well...

13. ...and usually incorporates some form of the "Great Rite" (union of the God and
Goddess), frequently symbolized in the blessing of the ritual wine by the
conjoining of the athamé (ritual knife) and chalice (ritual wine cup), as seen in the
WCC logo.

Like we said, Wicca itself contains a lot of diversity, and not all forms of Wicca include all these
elements, but most include most of them to some degree, and the more of them a given tradition,
group or ritual includes, the more sense it makes to describe it as "Wiccan" rather than simply
"pagan".

 
1.3. OK, so what's all that mean? What is an "initiatory, oathbound, mystery religion"?

The word "mystery" comes from the Greek word mystes, meaning "initiate". Although it has the
everyday meaning of something not easily understood — which could in fact be said to apply to
Wicca — it has more specific meanings in a religious context. One, according to our dictionary
(Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th edition, just for the record), is "a religious truth
that one can only know by revelation and cannot fully understand". In other words, an aspect of
religion that can only be experienced, not explained fully in words — a matter of experience, not
dogma.

A second definition is "a secret religious rite believed (as in the Eleusinian or Mithraic cults) to
impart enduring bliss to the initiate." The ancient Greeks in particular had various rites of this
sort, the best known being the Eleusinian Mysteries. The idea here is that being exposed to a
mystery in the first sense — an experiential religious revelation — would bring about change
and spiritual growth in the individual, making them, in a sense, a new person. "Initiation"
literally means a new beginning.

While modern Wicca is certainly not an exact duplicate of the ancient mystery religions, it does
draw on some of the same methods and ideas. Most Wiccans believe that the core of our faith is
a matter of experience, and not of dogma or doctrine. Every myth, every symbol, every ritual act,
holds multiple layers of meaning, many of which are not easily put into words. The successive
initiations within most Wiccan traditions expose the initiates to gradually deeper understandings
of the teachings and lore of the tradition, thus encouraging spiritual growth.

At each initiation, oaths are taken. These vary considerably from one tradition to the next, but
generally involve pledging oneself to the service of the gods, to ethical conduct, and to secrecy
regarding the inner teachings or mysteries of the tradition.

 
1.4. Can you explain that polytheistic/duotheistic/pantheistic thing a bit more?

Briefly, polytheism means worshipping many deities, duotheism means worshipping two
deities, and pantheism means regarding everything as divine, or as a manifestation of deity.
Pantheism also has a secondary meaning, according to our dictionary, of "the worship of all gods
of different creeds, cults or peoples indifferently; also: toleration of the worship of all gods". All
of these concepts can be found within Wiccan theology, although there is considerable variation
in how they are expressed, and the degree of importance that is attributed to the different
concepts.
Wiccans regard all the gods and goddesses of all the world's mythologies as legitimate
manifestations of an underlying divinity, which is generally regarded as immanent— residing
primarily within the natural world, not somewhere outside it. Many Wiccans do believe in the
existence of a spirit world or Otherworld, but is contiguous with this world and pervades it; in a
sense, it is the soul of the land itself, just as each living thing has a soul. So the Otherworld itself
is immanent within this world, just as the gods are.

That underlying divinity is also perceived as having a masculine and feminine side, personified
as a God and Goddess, who are often referred to as the Lord and Lady. The many individual
gods and goddesses are seen by most Wiccans as being — at least to some extent — aspects of
the one god and one Goddess, who are in turn aspects of one primal divinity, sometimes referred
to as the Source. A phrase you will often hear used to describe this view is this one, from the
occultist Dion Fortune: "all gods are one God, and all goddesses are one Goddess, and there is
one Initiator."

In practice, different Wiccan traditions, and different individuals, vary a lot in how much
emphasis they place on individual deities versus the one God and Goddess. Some primarily deal
with individual deities, and see "the" God and Goddess as more of an abstract theological
concept, while others deal primarily with the Lord and Lady, and see the individual gods and
goddesses only as archetypes or masks for them.

Hellinistic page on realpagan.net

In this thread I will present the definitions I use for various terms
used within the group and how I understand them. I'm somewhat sorry to
say this but if you cannot work and comply with the definitions as far
as dealing with this specific group, then you unfortunately do no belong
here. What I'm saying is: this group has specific definitions and usage
of terms. If members cannot put aside their own definitions when in
this group (I don't care what definitions you use outside this group)
then they do not belong here because inability to use the same terms
with the same meanings results in impaired communication and thus issues
within the group.

Magic: Magic is understood as the utilization of energy through the use of

Will so as to bring about a desired result. In addition, the term
"Magic" is and may be used in conjuction with other terms to denote a
specific field of magical practice (e.g. candle magic is the field of
magical practice utilizing candles as the magical tools).

Deities: in Greek the words "deities" and "gods" are used interchangeably to
denote any divine entity. The only difference is when the words God or
Goddess are used which then denote a specific portion of those entities
(based on gender anthropomorphism). Deities for me are sentient, sapient, conscious energy
entities that are
also distinct, individual but co-operating beings. I believe they have their own Will and that they
fuel and maintain the natural laws. I believe deities are also the caretakers of the rest of Nature.
Additionally,
I define the Divine as: not a supreme being or anything of that sort but merely the name of the
"species", of the whole of Gods. All deities together are the Divine, just like all humans together
are humanity.

Paganism: Paganism is the whole of those religions, spiritual paths and faiths that are a)
inspired, b) influenced, c) based on and/or d) revivals/reconstructions of old and ancient religions
and systems of belief and worship of the Old World (Europe, Mediterranean lands and
Mesopotamia), which are simultaneously NOT parts of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism,
Christianity, Islam and all their "heresies" and related faiths).

Paganism is divided into: a) Paleo-Paganism, b) Meso-Paganism and c) Neo-Paganism.

Paleo-Paganism includes the ancient religions and systems that resided within the borders of the
Old World (e.g. ancient greek religion, anglo-saxon/norse faiths, sumerian religion etc).
Meso-Paganism refers to the various revivals (mostly short-termed and with little numbers in
followers) of the ancient religions and faiths during the Middle-Ages, hence the "meso" prefic,
meaning "middle". An example of this is Georgius Gemistus Plethon, who lived during the later
Byzantine times and advocated a return to the Olympian Gods. He followed a neoplatonic,
archaic-esque, eclectic one could say form of the Hellenic religion.
Neo-Paganism is the term referring to the whole of those religions and belief systems baring the
characteristics mentioned in the above, first definition of Paganism and which are followed
AFTER the 18th century (aka in the modern times).

Hellenism(os): Any and all genuine paths and organizations that focus on the Hellenic religious
system (pantheon, rites, mythology etc) are under the Pagan
subcategory of Hellenism (often called Hellenismos). This includes the
following types of Hellenism: a) hellenic-influenced paths, b) reconstructionism organizations
and paths and c) revival organizations
and paths.

(A) refers to those paths that do not follow reconstructionist or revival etiquette and mostly
include worship of the
Pantheon and/or specific deities from it, Hellenic ethics, maxims and
axioms (such as the Ten Commandments of Solon, the Delphic Maxims,
philosophical axioms etc) while blending their individual touch as well
as not looking much (or even at all) into the ancient rites and ways of
worship and practice.
(B) refers to those paths and organizations that aim to recostruct as much of the ancient greek
religion and as
close to the original as possible. This also means limiting the outside
influence down to the absolutely necessary, when gaps cannot be overcome
any other way.
(C) refers to those paths and organizations that aim to use ancient greek ways of practice without
necessarily looking to
recostruct the original faith nor being too hesitant to modify or add
wherever deemed necessary - hence the term "revival" with the meaning of
"bringing back (even partially)" as opposed to the complete (as far as
possible) reconstruction of (B). Personally, I belong to the third
group.

Wicca: a mystery, initiatory, oathbound, coven-based, religious priesthood stemming from

the British Isles (New Forest region). Recognition as a Wiccan (or of
the Wica) is granted when at least initiation in a legit, lineaged coven
is attained.

NeoWicca: a highly personal, individualistic and eclectic religion influenced and

inspired (in many cases based on) the outer court, published material of
Wicca.

Lineage: the line of initiates and uplines back to the founder of the tradition (example: an
Alexandrian initiate's lineage is consisted of his/her
uplines traced back to Alex Sanders) - similar to a family line.

Uplines: those people considered hierarchically related to you by bringing you into the tradition
as an initiate.

Tradition: a body of lore, teachings and practices being passed down on others with its core (at
the very least) being maintained and preserved.

Sacrifice: sacrifice consists of bloody and non-bloody sacrifice. Bloody sacrifice is that of
animals, being done humanely and with the animal being used
thoroughly (i.e. edible parts consumed to their total, inedible parts
such as skin and fur/feathers, bones etc are used in crafts or burnt -
in some cases some of the integrals are burnt too). Non-bloody sacrifice
consists of the offerings of food as well as libations of liquids.
Offering: the ritualistic giving of something to a deity or other spirit in order to revere and
honour it.

Libation: the pouring of a liquid in honour and reveration of a deity or other spirit.

Craft: Witchcraft, the Craft of the Wise, the Art, the Craft and by many other names. Witchcraft
for me is the magical system utilizing Low Magic
(sometimes with a touch of ceremonial/High Magic) usually in the form of folk Magic. It differs
depending on the cultural version used. This means the Witchcraft of the British Isles is different
yet under the same category (umbrella term 'Witchcraft') as Greek Witchcraft. It may or may not
be religious in nature and may or may not be theistic. It is first and foremost a system of
practices, methods, ways and customs utilizing Magic.

Spirit and Soul: A spirit for me is any energy entity. Spirits with a physical form (body) that is
also living (living organisms) are called souls.

Low Magic: Low Magic is Magic used for physical matters. Its fields cover concepts such as
health, wealth, protection, love, spirits of this plane (i.e.
nymphs) et al (and their counterparts as well). Some Low Magic practices are spells, charms,
enchantments, wards, divination etc.

High Magic: High Magic is Magic used for spiritual matters. Its fields cover concepts such as
deities, spirits of different planes (i.e. demons or
angels), unity with the whole etc. Some High Magic practices are invocation, evocation,
channeling, meditation, rituals etc.

British Traditional Witchcraft: This is the form that is accurately known as Wicca and how it
will be understood on this site. Borrowing the definition from the Amber & Jet list: "Wicca"
refers specifically to the lineaged, initiatory mystery religion with roots in the New Forest region
of Great Britain, manifested today through various "traditions" all linked with a common
ancestry back to the New Forest area. "Wiccans" or "The Wica" are the properly lineaged,
properly initiated members of those Traditions. Understanding this, we see that Wicca is well
defined with a special emphasis on "initiation" and "lineage" back to (at the very least) the coven
under the operation of Gardner/Valiente. The most noted Traditions are "Gardnerian",
"Alexandrian" and "Central Valley Wicca".

Traditional Initiatory Witchcraft: This refers to the form of Witchcraft that is both initiatory,
and therefore lineaged through an established tradition, but whose lineage does not necessarily
go back to the New Forest region, and is therefore not technically Wicca. It can be a considerable
broad term encompassing many forms of Non-Wiccan forms of Witchcraft with little to no
bearing on what is understood as Wicca and therefore may exclude any resemblance to Wicca.
Often, it is formed from covens that base their material on the public information known of
Wicca and, although this part is under some debate, a tradition is born after two consecutive
initiatory generations. In some cases, TIW covens are those that have broke off from BTW in
order to manifest their own ideals that are no longer in sync with that Tradition. To sum it up,
any coven that's formally a Tradition, that is not Wiccan can be considered Traditional Initiatory
Witchcraft. Some examples of TIW would be "Oak, Ash and Thorn", "1734 Tradition",
"Dianicism" and "Georgian Wicca" (although the Georgians use the term "Wicca" they are not
BTW by their own website's admission).

It should be noted that those whom publicly declare that they identify with any particular
Tradition, whether in the BTW or the TIW spectrum, may be requested to prove their Traditional
affiliation through "vetting".

Dedicatory Religious Witchcraft: This is a relatively new term replacing such previous labels
as "Neo-Wicca", "Solitary Wicca" or "Outer-Court Wicca". DRW is based upon Wiccan
principles but holds no initiatory lineage to Wicca. This most accurately defines the vast majority
of individuals of which identify with Wicca, practice on a mostly solitary basis, and are not
initiated into any coven structure. This term was coined in respect to both the Traditional Wica
and the practitioners of this methodology. It allows solitary witches to more readily identify with
a system that allows more room to "tailor-fit" to their personal needs without imposing Wicca as
a "whatever you want it to be" ideology. DRW is largely based upon "outer-court" material
which is information derived from any number of books in print- i.e. if it's public information, it
is outer-court. For more info regarding DRW, see YarrowSage's and Aislynns' group