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Why I'm Not a Witch
Scott Cunningham
A few weeks ago, I was sitting in a classroom in Denver, preparing to give a presentation on Solitary Wicca. A woman I'd met introduced me to her friend. This woman, whom I had never met before, immediately said: "I understand you don't like the word `witch.'"
"That's right," I said.
"Well, I do." She smiled.
"Fine. Plenty of room for differences of opinion," I opined.
"But I don't believe that simply by using the `W' word we'll educate the public and correct centuries of misinformation."
"Well, I like the word, and I think you're wrong!" She was quite upset.
"So you've said." I leaned closer to her. "Some people say that the word gives them a feeling of power." The young woman gave me a blank look. ". . . that it's a powerful word for women, who, its true, have been beaten down by patriarchy for the last 2,000 years and who have claimed the `W' word as a tool of self-transformation, as a way to find their own sense of self-worth and the Goddess within themselves."
Again, she made no signs that she'd heard me, though she was staring unblinkingly into my eyes and, apparently, thinking as many evil thoughts as she could.
"That is sometimes true," I continued. "Many women have used the word to break free of patriarchal suppression. But many people who call themselves a witch do so solely to attract attention. They push the word into the faces of those who have been trained to fear it for the purpose of shocking them. It's an ego-booster. It's a sure-fire method of attracting publicity."
The short woman stepped back, tightened her lips and took a breath.
"That sounds like mental masturbation to me."
I tried to cover my shock with my own smile. I was so surprised at this sudden attack I couldn't quite keep myself from saying: "My dear, you sound like an expert at that."
After this exchange, we civilly said goodbye. The woman, who hadn't come to hear me speak, walked out of my life forever.
There are, indeed, many reasons why persons of our religion choose to identify themselves as witches. Here are some of them: Their teachers told them to do so. They like it. The words stir up primeval feelings and hasten the attainment of ritual consciousness and, thus, effective rituals. They view historical witches as women outside of the arena of patriarchal influence, who were unbound by male oriented mores. They are gratifying their egos by attracting attention to themselves.
There are other reasons, but this is a representative sampling. None of these is correct for everyone, though each can and is reason enough for those who hold them. But they aren't the only way. Recently, I looked back through 35 years of published books on the subject of our religion. I didn't find one—not one—which used the word Wicca in its title. This was part of the reason I choose to call my book on the subject Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner—to differentiate it from all other books published on Witchcraft in the English language. (Recently, the British author Vivienne Crowley has published a book entitled Wicca.)
I have been chastised on occasion for using the word Wicca. The word has a male grammatical ending. Some have told me that I should have used the word Wicce. And yet, many of the books about our religion that boldly carry the word witch or witchcraft in their titles often use the word Wicca within their pages. Wicce is usually relegated to a footnote.
The controversy about using the word Wicca instead of Wicce (or Witchcraft, for that matter) won't soon end. My use of it, according to the few who've written to me on the subject, proves that I'm a sexist pig. This is quite a surprise.
From my first book to my most recent, I've scrupulously avoided using sexist language. My first Wiccan teacher (and she did call it that) was a staunch feminist. Soon after I met her, I opened a car door for her. She gently punched my arm and corrected me.
A few years later I was attending sit-ins (remember those?) for women's right at San Diego State University. Who took me? My first Wiccan teacher.
I even tried to take a course in Women's Studies but was voted out of the classroom by the other students—all women.
No one is less consciously sexist than I am, and my use of the word Wicca isn't sexist. It's based on the beliefs that I mentioned to that poor woman in Denver. It is non-threatening. It doesn't attract undue attention (which is as it should be, for aren't we a non-proselytizing religion?). And it's correct.
After all, what is the craft of the Witch? From my training, witchcraft is magic. The craft lies in the use of herbs, scents, colors and natural objects to manifest positive change. Thus, the craft of the witch is magic. Witches are magicians.
Wicca is a contemporary religion that acknowledges Deity as Goddess and God (or just Goddess), that reveres the Earth and teaches reincarnation. Magic provides a natural method of creating positive change. Its adherents meet to perform rites at times assigned by the Moon and the seasons. There are many solitary Wiccans as well.
Witchcraft has, indeed, been around for ages and ages. It is pre-Christian in its world-view and techniques. Witchcraft (magic) is truly ancient.
However, nothing like Wicca existed before the twentieth century. It is a modern religion, even if its roots do lie in the old Pagan religions of Europe. This is fact.
It is true that some aspects of pre-Christian (or simply non-Christian) religion could have been passed down within families, but I seriously doubt that their practitioners called these rites witchcraft (unless they were strictly magical) or Wicca.
There's another problem with the word Witch (in my opinion). When a person tells me that they're a Witch, I immediately have to ask them if they're a practitioner of folk magic or if they're a practitioner of the Old religion. However, if a person tells me that they're Wiccan there's no question of what they're saying.
I'd be the last person to try to change other Wiccans/Witches minds. It isn't my place to tell others what to call themselves or our religion in common. It isn't my business.
But I felt it was time I aired my views in a public forum. Witch, Wiccan or Wiccen. Witchcraft, Wicca or Wicce. No single one of these words will ever suit all persons, and that's fine. There is room for everyone within our religion. Witches and Wiccans can coexist. But if say you're a Witch, don't be surprised if some day I ask you, "Ah, do you just practice magic, or do you worship the Goddess?" | 
