“I have heard that Paganism is for broken people,
but life cracks everyone in some way.
We are a religion of healing people.” 

Thomm Quackenbush

Witchcraft and Paganism

To most people unfamiliar with the subject the words “paganism” and “witchcraft” are synonymous.  

However, while some Pagans are Witches, most are not.

Witches, like shamans are practitioners of specific rituals and traditions within the general framework of the tribal pagan experience.  

The word "pagan" comes from the Latin word “paganus”, meaning “country dweller”, however, there is no consensus on the exact modern meaning of the word and the label of “pagan” has various meanings to different people.  This causes misunderstandings whenever the word is used, as most people assume that the meaning that they have been taught, usually in the context of their religious upbringing, is universally accepted. Therefore one must judge the meaning implied within the context in which the word is used in order to guess at the intent of its usage. In common modern usage, it may be used in an attempt to stigmatize pagans as being anything from  “Witches” to “Worshippers of the Devil”.  However, within Western patriarchal religious societies, the most common interpretation is “heathen” and/or “heretic”.    

In its  essence, as practiced throughout the world, “paganism”,  in its ancient and traditional sense, is a veneration of Nature.  It is a spiritual way of life which has its roots in the ancient tribal beliefs of the world. Pagans celebrate the sanctity of Nature and believe in the sacredness of all things. Pagans see the divine in every object, in every tree, in every plant, in every living creature living creature and in the dark side of life as much as in the light. Pagans live their lives attuned to the cycles of Nature and of life and death.

Paganism is tribal in essence as the "old religion" or "old ways" of a local “homeland”. All pagan beliefs form a connection and reverence for their “local” natural environment. Pagans see this as their spiritual heritage and maintain the beliefs and traditions of their ancestors.

   See our webpage ...  Paganism



Witchcraft is the name that was used by the Christian Church to stigmatize the practitioners of "The Old Religions".  It is the continuation of the traditions of the native spiritual and cultural beliefs of Europeans and others that existed prior to the advent of Christianity. The witch is a practitioner of a paganistic lifestyle, but the paths (traditions) that individual witches follow often vary widely.  A witch will follow the principles and beliefs of the pagan philosophy, but not according to any set of parochial dogmas.  A witch's individual path comes from the epiphany of their own individual experience and the exercise of their own given talents. Witchcraft is a considered a religion; however that classification is more a legal label rather than a definition of witchcraft as a congregational approach to spirituality.

To become a witch, one must become a practitioner of the “Old Ways”. Different traditions have different methodology for becoming a part of their tradition. For most, this involves some form of self-dedication to the Gods and Goddesses of the Earth.  Even for those born into a family tradition, a conscious decision to follow the "Old Ways" must be made.

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Traditional Witchcraft (Frequently Asked Questions)



 Neo-paganism

Neo-paganism is an umbrella term used to describe a wide variety of modern religious movements that profess to a revival of ancient mostly European and mostly pre-Christian religions and the term provides a means of distinguishing between historical pagans of ancient cultures and the adherents of modern religious movements.

As the name implies, these religions are paganistic in nature, but their relationship to older forms of Paganism is the source of much controversy.

One of the primary differences between Traditional Witchcraft and the modern neo-pagan movements is that these modern movements are all "hegemonic entities "of one sort of another, while traditional witches are more solitary in the nature of their practice.

These modern groups will generally refer to themselves in terms of being fraternal or even monastic orders, with Wiccan’s usually referring to their communities as “covens”.

The word “coven derives from the Latin root word “convenire”, meaning to come together or to gather, as in a group of believers who gather together for ceremonies of worship or celebrating the "Sabbats". Traditional witches however, when they do gather together in a group, usually do so as a “family” or “clan”, rather than as part of a structured religious congregation.

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Paganism / Neo-Paganism