What is the Difference between Wicca and Witchcraft?

This is a question we get all the time!  First we would like to say that most of the confusion lies in the term Witchcraft itself.   Most people tend to think of spellcraft when they hear Witchcraft, but Witchcraft is a religion unto itself that may include the practice of spellcraft within it.   Spellcraft is a collective term for magickal systems, folklore, etc.  It is not synonymous with Witchcraft.

The difference between Wicca and Witchcraft: Wicca is the religion created and made public by Gerald Gardner between 1939 and 1962.  It supposedly combines traditional Witchcraft with ceremonial magic and many of the ideas and thoughts of the Freemasons and Rosicrucians.  It was then added to by many people, from Sanders, the Farrars, and Starhawk to  SilverRavenwolf, Scott Cunningham, Buckland and many more. The ceremonial magic aspect is still heavily present, even though many people have had their hands in making it something else. You have very formal ideas, and certain ways of doing things (not uncommon in anything actually), which leads up to a fairly collected system. Not uncommon is the hierarchical structure of covens, heavy use of magickal tools and formal casting of circles...also very prevalent, the focus on the "Lord and Lady".   This is a rough generalization of modern day Wicca.

Now, for me, my own tradition that we lovingly call "Modern Traditional" is of the religion of Witchcraft. You will rarely find ceremonial magic in my circle, if I am casting a circle at all. We usually cast a large informal circle for groups to create sacred space, but you won't find longwinded rhymed speeches and the parading around of tools and such. I do have magickal tools, but I collect them because I think they are beautiful, not because I use them for Magick. Magick that I do on my own is done almost always without any tools, or simply very nature-natural oriented.  We sometimes do more spellcraft-oriented exercises in circle, but you won't see us making a super big deal about what exactly is needed herb-wise, oil-wise, what colors the candle should be, is it the right day of the week yadda yadda yadda. You use what you have, and you do it when you need to. Since my grove is a collection of solitary type Pagans, our rituals and community are very non-hierarchical. You are respected for your behavior, input, and knowledge, not for how long you've been doing something or what fancy paperwork you may possess from some snazzy namesake. We are very pantheistic (all things divine) and recognize the God and Goddess in all things, naming them as we wish and feel the need to do so, for all the deities are aspects of the same force.

Witchcraft of Wales;  a Warm Welsh Welcome or "Croeso Cynnes Cymraeg!" This is an on-line source of free information about the old religion of Wales and Great Britain.  Discover knowledge, love and power as you browse many fascinating pages of wisdom. This is a doorway page created to help you find our site more easily. Your complete satisfaction is our number one priority.

Croeso I Paganiaeth Cymreig. Welcome seeker. Y Dynion Mwyn is a Georgia, USA based cenedl (Which means Kind.) We apply that meaning as a type of Grove or Coven) of a Welsh Tradition.  Our parent cenedl Dynion Mwyn, is located in North Wales. Our cenedl's focus is on the teaching of Magick and ancient Celtic mysteries with a healthy dose of information from other sources as well.

This web page is dedicated to the thousands of seekers who are looking for TRUE answers to those age old questions: Why am I here? What is the meaning of Life? Is there a god (or Goddess)? Where am I going? and What is Witchcraft?

Almost everyone has asked these questions from time to time.  It is the nature of humanity to be curious. Many thousands of books have been written over the years that have tried to address these questions with only limited success. We will now try to answer these questions from a perspective of a Welsh Witchcraft philosophy.

Before you go any further, If you don't know anything about Welsh Witchcraft, go to http://www.dynionmwyn.com/beliefs.html out the Principles of Belief and/or Frequently Asked Questions. Then click on our Reading List, History of Y Dynion Mwyn in America, our Dictionary, Wheel of the Year (Religious Calendar), Coven Symbols, and our Gathering of the Tribes festival. We also have a page which describes Other Traditions.

We have two navigation areas above this article which include a Site Index and a Disclaimer. Also available is a Search page, a Recommended Groups page, a Halloween Page, and much more. Wherever you see words that are underlined, you can be sure that they are links to pages on or off this site.

Now that you have read the above pages, we can discuss Dynion Mwyn, and you should have a pretty good idea about what we are talking about.

Welsh Witchcraft was founded over 700 years ago by the bards of Prince Llewellyn ap Gwyffes, the last true Prince of Wales.   Their descendants were of the family which they called Dynion Mwyn. Although we have only seen proof that it was in existence in the 1920's, we do believe that it has components of an older surviving Mystery Religion. The principal legends of Dynion Mwyn, containing the language, symbols and main theme of our tradition, are said to be substantially the same as they were in Prince Llewellyn's time.

Y Dynion Mwyn (which means The Faerie Folk) is a clan of the tribe of Dynion Mwyn and was brought to the United States in 1966. The beliefs of Y Dynion Mwyn are veiled in allegory and illustrated by esoteric symbols that tell the story of the search for the Mystical Grail of Immortality. This is the eternal search by men and women for Love, Knowledge and Power.

We are both an extended family from Dynion Mwyn, a hereditary system of Worship in North Wales, handed down to us through Sarah W. Llewellyn and Taliesin enion Vawr.

Within our tradition, you will find simple human friendships and discover an empathetic and supportive community. You will experience a personal relationship with the Great Spirit and the Lord and Lady. This worship of the God and Goddess and the acknowledgment of their seasonal influences is the heart and soul of our philosophies.

We also place a great deal of emphasis on ecological and environmental concerns as well as demonstrating our LOVE for Mother Earth. Our overall purpose is to relink humanity with itself and Nature. Therefore knowledge of the world of Nature and the forces of Nature, are important in this tradition.

Our ultimate goal is the spiritual and psychic development of our members. We give you the tools to understand the Universe and all its myriad aspects; and we show you how you can live in harmony with nature and its forces. In our teachings, we emphasis the creative aspects of the Great Spirit and stress the respect that you must have for these forces.

In days past, oral teachings were the basis for our tradition, but times change and many of our teachings have had to be written down or lost forever. In 1933, there were 23 family members in North Wales, who followed the path of Dynion Mwyn. Today there are only two who are directly descended from Prince Llewellyn, and practice the old ways.

Thankfully, in 1965 eight outsiders were adopted into the tribe of Dynion Mwyn and these eight have gone on to establish hundreds of cenedl (covens) around the world and thousands of Gwyddoniad Cymreig. (Welsh Witches)

If you study our ways, you will learn various techniques of obtaining inner awareness such as meditation and rituals which will help you to induce a higher form of consciousness leading to spiritual enlightenment. These methods are also essential in the practice of Natural Magick.

We regard Natural Magick as an integral part of our workings. We believe that Magick can be used to heal and to help. Magick and psychic development are our tools for understanding the Universe and all living things and improving the conditions of our life. We believe that Magick is the essence of creativity, that it is the energy of the God/dess and the nature spirits.

We teach a healthy respect for Nature shown by our worship of the God and Goddess, the Lord and Lady. We celebrate the Turning of the Wheel at the Sabbat festivals, and meet together at Full Moons and at other times for ‘work’ as well as worship.    By these means we attune ourselves to the changing seasons and the phases of the Moon.

The first phase of our path is the study of herbology, learning to recognize different species of trees, plants, and wildlife in their natural state. You will learn to follow the animals into the OtherWorld. This involves experiencing ‘wild’ places in forests and mountains. You will learn to use all your senses to observe and remember. You learn a kind of meditation in order to communicate with the living things around you.  

You learn to appreciate the different forms of Weather and learn to dissolve clouds. You will experience nature in different seasons and in all kinds of weather. You will learn weather lore and bird migration patterns.

On clear nights you will be taught how to observe the stars and the Moon, and learn its four major phases.

You will learn to work with the five elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit. You will learn the control of the forces associated with each.

You will be taught the four cornerstones of Magick: Belief, Will, Secrecy and Imagination. The most important tool you must develop is the ability to imagine or visualize. This involves allowing the left or creative side of your brain to develop, and allows you to shut out the everyday thoughts which can interfere with your visualization.

You will be taught techniques of healing, dowsing, Tarot, astrology,etc., and develop whatever we think is appropriate.

The mysteries of Dynion Mwyn will be found in your communion with the natural world and the study of the Welsh/Celtic mythological cycles.

If you complete this training and are initiated, you will become a Gwyddon! (Witch!) A Witch is a pagan who has dedicated him or herself to the service and worship of The Mother Goddess and The Father God in all the many forms and names they are known by. A Witch teaches the knowledge of the Mighty Ones, and lives by the philosophy of the Three Fold Law of Utterance and Return. As in days of old, only true witches are involved in the most magickal aspects of the ancient ceremonies, though pagans and friends can celebrate the Great Sabbats together, feasting and reveling. The title Gwyddon is exclusively reserved for those pagans who know the Craft well, who are knowledgeable of its many facets and who have been properly initiated. A Witch is initiated by someone who has already completed the training and has gone on. A Gwyddon by definition cannot be initiated by themselves. You can dedicate yourself to the Craft. You can do a great deal of reading by yourself. You can meditate by yourself. You can worship the gods by yourself. But you cannot become a Witch by yourself.

After initiation, you can practice solitary and you can do rituals solitary, but the nature of the practice of Witchcraft makes it imperative that you ground yourself and come together with others of your coven from time to time to balance your energies. One of the old laws is "Thou shalt not be a Witch alone!"

The Craft of the Wise is rich with unspoken Secrets and Mysteries that are well guarded from the uninitiated. The Mysteries cannot be expressed in words to those who are not ready, because they will not understand. The Greater Mysteries are for those serious students who desire to know and search for the Mysteries of their being and discover why they are part of the All-In-One, the Great Spirit, the Divinity within everyone.

A Warm Welsh Welcome or "Croeso Cynnes Cymraeg!" This is an on-line source of free information about the old religion of Wales and Great Britain. This easy to use site gets you guaranteed results. Welcome and thank you for stopping by. Find sources of Health, Love and Money. Please click on the image to enter the site. Discover knowledge, love and power as you browse many fascinating pages of wisdom.

Copyright © 1977, 1992, 2003 by Church of Y Dynion Mwyn.   All rights reserved. Revised: 28 Nov 2011 21:21:04 -0500