Pagan Journeys > Paths and Traditions
Why I don't consider Wicca a shamanic religion.
dragonspring:
It is not simply a belief - it is the accepted definition by Wiccans who undergo formal training in the Craft. I am curious as to why someone who does not identify themselves as Wiccan would argue the point with those who do.
I understand that there are authors who say otherwise - most authors write to appeal to a certain audience. I would think stating that initiation requires formal training might not appeal to an audience of Solitaries. There may be some form of initiation that can be done as a Solitary but it is NOT a Wiccan initiation.
Ghost Wolf:
An initiation is a passing down of lineage. That is why one can not self initiate.
earthmuffin:
I agree. It's the accepted definition by Wiccans who undergo formal training in the Craft. I'm not arguing the point at all. I'm saying there appear to be other viewpoints by people who identify themselves as Wiccan. In my comparison of Wicca and shamanism, I was attempting to draw a comparison between Wicca as a whole, which would be more inclusive than traditional Gardnerian Wicca or even other traditions with covens, and shamanism as a whole, which would extend beyond traditional native shamans to include modern shamanic practitioners. The argument over whether solitary Wiccans are valid in calling whatever steps they take to become Wiccans, to begin and follow their paths, an initiation seems to me to be tangential to the topic of the essay.
Rovay:
Yeah, this did get a lot off-topic. I think we can all agree that shamanism isn't even half as much about initiation as Wicca is, and just stop it here.
I stick to the Call being the most important thing that distinguishes the path, though. Really the coolest thing about shamanism in my opinion. Plus, according to Siberian shamanism, there were three types of shamans, invokers, priests and healers, or something like that, according to which shamanistic trait they were tasked with. I may have the terms messed up and there being a priest, invoker and warlock, but I am definitely sure there were three types.
dragonspring:
True, it may be tangential to the essay but it was brought up. There are many people trying to learn here, I believe clarification was required in regards to Wiccan initiation. Wicca is not a religion where "do whatever feels right" applies to everything.
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