Difference between Paganism and Wicca

When discussing the difference between Wicca and Paganism, each person will have a different slant on what the terminology means to them. With that said, for me, there is a vast difference in being Pagan and being Wiccan and there is no difference in being Pagan and being Wiccan. I realize that this is a paradoxical way of thinking and believing. Let me attempt to explain as my mentor did for me a very long time ago.

To be Pagan is to walk on a narrow pathway that leads to no where and every where. Meaning the standards and ethics by which you live by are based upon respect and honor for all things; including all things living and non-living. To breathe in and breathe out the energy that surrounds all things.

To be Wiccan is to walk on the same narrow pathway as a Pagan does but living by man made laws and order in the practice of living. Having studied Wiccan for a multitude of years, the major difference to me is the fellowship the craft offers and the ritualistic nature of worship.

Unfortunately, the current culture has made Wicca into a magic casting, spell binding, almost cult like group. However, every Wiccan that I have had the honor of meeting has been based upon a spiritual pathway that is by its very nature an inward spirituality; rather than a outward showing of spell work. Every circle I have been honored to participate in was a reflective circle that drew the energy from all and returned it back to all creating a divine space of serenity.

The lifestyle that I chose to call Pagan is a quiet walk with nature, in nature, and a part of nature embracing all of its energies. It is a path that requires I do self searching within to deepen my own spirituality. It requires my spirit and soul to be aligned as one so that I may receive and learn from every experience within every moment. The beauty of Paganism, for me, is the ability to live in a space where I can chose to walk with no purpose and just enjoy; or chose to run with a defined purpose and destination.

Paganism, for me, is boiled down simply in this way: There is a Divine entity that has both positive and negative energy. For without negative there can be no positive. If something is considered beautiful then something else in comparison must be ugly. How I chose to perceive any energy is based upon the amount of positive energy flowing through me and around me; keeping the balance to stay on the path.

Bright blessings.