It’s a spectrum, Wicca is somewhere between believing in the healing power of certain plants (certainly true) and full on “I can make spells that can hurt you because I watched The Craft.”
I recently went to a “Witchcraft Fair” and there were so many people from every little niche thing. Tarot readers, crystal girls, candle spells and intention prayers, sex magic, literally dozens of different specific ways people did their thing.
Is the “healing power of certain plants” about how like yarrow contains a natural antibiotic and you can chew it and put it on a wound if you don’t have access to first aid … Or about how overpriced arnica salve will cure your bad feelings?
Certain plants really do have healing powers, but in my experience every time someone is talking about it they’re just trying to sell snake oil.
It’s all of a kind to me whether someone is into crystals or crucifixes. Honestly, I prefer the crystals folks. They’re less likely to actively and vocally prefer my non-existence. But to be honest, I really don’t see a difference between casting a spell to get a job and praying to jesus to get a job. The more it becomes a major focus of one’s existence, the more problematic it is, but I suspect that both numerically and by percentage, there are fewer fundamentalists on the witchy side.
Most reasonable people have decided that everyone gets to have an unsubstantiated belief system that goes into the “Religion” slot and it’s not a big deal as long as no one makes it a Big Deal. Reasonable people have decided this because trying to proactively eliminate it is way harder and god-awful than just letting it ride (once again, as long as no one makes it a Big Deal).
Well I guess it depends on if they were calling themselves a witch because they’re Wiccan, or if it was genuine delusion
Is there really a difference?
It’s a spectrum, Wicca is somewhere between believing in the healing power of certain plants (certainly true) and full on “I can make spells that can hurt you because I watched The Craft.”
I recently went to a “Witchcraft Fair” and there were so many people from every little niche thing. Tarot readers, crystal girls, candle spells and intention prayers, sex magic, literally dozens of different specific ways people did their thing.
Is the “healing power of certain plants” about how like yarrow contains a natural antibiotic and you can chew it and put it on a wound if you don’t have access to first aid … Or about how overpriced arnica salve will cure your bad feelings?
Certain plants really do have healing powers, but in my experience every time someone is talking about it they’re just trying to sell snake oil.
Tell me more of this “sex magic” you speak of
sure. there are secular witches and they are generally accepted.
you probably can’t be a secular Christian
It’s all of a kind to me whether someone is into crystals or crucifixes. Honestly, I prefer the crystals folks. They’re less likely to actively and vocally prefer my non-existence. But to be honest, I really don’t see a difference between casting a spell to get a job and praying to jesus to get a job. The more it becomes a major focus of one’s existence, the more problematic it is, but I suspect that both numerically and by percentage, there are fewer fundamentalists on the witchy side.
Wiccans are deluded though.
Most reasonable people have decided that everyone gets to have an unsubstantiated belief system that goes into the “Religion” slot and it’s not a big deal as long as no one makes it a Big Deal. Reasonable people have decided this because trying to proactively eliminate it is way harder and god-awful than just letting it ride (once again, as long as no one makes it a Big Deal).
This was the best fucking ELI5 of religion I’ve ever read. Bravo.
Reads like Douglas Adams