Welcome to Gaia! ::

There will always be a debate over what makes a person a Witch or a Wiccan. There are just too many different opinions out there, and I don't think there is ever going to be an agreement. So I think it's important to find what you personally hold to make some one a Witch or a Wiccan.

I'll start. I consider myself to be a Hellenic Witch. I practice a religion that honors the Earth and the Moon. I work with the Greek pantheon hence the hellenic touch. To me a Witch in the religious sense is one who practices a religion where communion with the powers of nature is sacred and important.

What makes someone a Wiccan is initiation either by the Lord and Lady of the Wiccan religion or by a teacher and a coven. Thus you can be a solitary Wiccan. To me all Wiccans are itches as they hold nature to be sacred in that it is an expression of the divine.

How about you?

I think Wiccans are followers of the Wiccan religion, which doesn't involve spells, potions, and crafts like that. So, then to me a Witch is someone who does spells, crafts, potions, etc. I don't feel like going into it more, but that's basically it.

I asciat wiccans as the ones that do spells XD. since most of their praying takes place in magic circles and the like and needs ingrediants and certain tools.

To me, a wiccan is someone who believes the beliefs of the wicca religion. Just as a person can be baptised, have communion, attend church, and not be a true christian, so too can a person do spells, attend rituals, and not be a true wiccan unless they believe the beliefs of wicca.

A witch, on the other hand, is someone who lives close to the earth, uses simple spells and rituals, and has strong connections to some concept of the goddess and/or god. Witches don't always do long circle rituals, and often learn their magic as much from first hand sources as from personal experience as from teachers or books.

I consider myself to be both a wiccan and a witch. I have firm beliefs in the god and goddess of wicca, but I prefer simple, folk-style spells and rituals to long, circle-based rituals. I usually let the group I'm with set the pace with things like length and style of a ritual, but when with myself, I prefer things simple, personal, and sometimes a little impromptu. Also, although I've never had to do it, I have no problem with walking out straight through the circle if I find part of a ritual offensive.

Edited for pervasive consistant spelling error by Silvander

IMHO, there is a fairly clear distinction between the two, though it is mixed up far more often than I feel it should be.

Wiccans are, obviously, devout followers of the Wiccan religion. They may or may not be Witches, and may or may not practice Witchcraft, though many do. To be officially recognized as a Wiccan, many people believe that you must be dedicated and initiated into a coven or by a distinct individual who is high-ranking in religious order. However, I do not feel that it is necessary to be initiated if it is not so desired or available. If you believe in the path, and embrace it, then I don't see the problem with being a "true" Wiccan. Religion is a very personal thing, and shouldn't be dictated by any one person or group. What is "right" or "wrong" is based solely on the individual.

One can be a Witch and not have any particular religious dedication. Deities are not a prerequisite to practicing Witchcraft. Rituals are not a requirement, and the practices are often of a less modern strain and have more influence on older, more static traditions.

Often times, as we all know, they are closely tied and often used in sync with the other.

I don't know about that. I mean, you have to have the religion and the faith to make spells and whatnot work, don't you? THat's how I always learned it. Without Goddess or God or some deity, magick is nothing.

=/