All right. When coming out of the proverbial Broom Closet, some (not all) of us are faced with the question of what to call ourselves. Some Wiccans prefer to be called just that: Wiccan. Some take a fancy to Witch. The choice is a completely personal one, and something each of us must decide for ourselves. These are simply some of my own musings on the subject.

The term “Witch”, for those of us educated in the true meaning of the moniker, might bring forth feelings and images that add a whole new layer of romanticism to our Craft. And, let’s face it, these romantical aspects of our religion are part of what attracted many of us to it in the first place. That fluttery excited feeling in the pit of one’s stomach when thinking about mysterious, smoke-shrouded rituals, dressed in sweeping robes, and invoking Gods and Goddesses many people have only read about in history class… It really is quite intoxicating.

Some don’t need that, or get their own flutterings from the word Wicca. Some appreciate the fact that “Wicca” is less widely known than “Witch” and “Witchcraft” and therefore when someone asks you what you believe in, you aren’t worried about the immediate backlash that could potentially come with telling someone ignorant of the truth that you are a Witch.

Certainly, if you are coming out to your devout Christian parents, I would recommend Wicca as apposed to Witch, as your parents will almost certainly draw different conclusions to the word Wicca, than those they would with the word Witch. Witch simply brings different ideas to people’s minds.

Flipping the coin, is this why you’re choosing to call yourself a Witch? The pure shock value? Then, honey, you’re in the wrong religion. We’re not here to shock or frighten people of other religions. And we don’t want them thinking us fools after some “Minute Witch” has told them story after wild story about animal sacrifices, and love spells, and their past life as Cleopatra. We want to be accepted, and taken seriously. Not ridiculed.

But that was a tangent.

Basically: Witch, Wiccan, or both interchangeably, the choice is yours alone. As has been said so many times before, follow your intuition.

Blessed Be,
Cerridwen Moonflower