The current societal view in the Western world is that witchcraft is a practice of magic, energy manipulation, spells, etc.  Wicca is a religion with Pagan elements whose adherents may or may not practice witchcraft (magic).  But this is a very recent delineation!

From the 1960s to the 1990s, witches were trying to gain more acceptance (or at least tolerance) by educating people about witchcraft.  The word “Wicca” was often used during these years because the word “witch” is so heavily loaded culturally and psychologically.  From fairy tales, media, and church sermons, we learned that witches are scary, evil, old, or ugly. Wicca and witchcraft were frequently interchangeable terms during this time.  A witch was a Wiccan, and a Wiccan was a witch.  Womens’ rights movements adopted “witch” as a term of empowerment and independence, indicating that they do not conform to the established patriarchy and societal oppression.  Since the mid to late 1990s, these terms have become more refined through social media and books, and because of the legal battles to recognize under-served religions and spiritual practices.

Many anti-fortunetelling laws were still in place around the world, including numerous cities and several states within the U.S.  These antiquated laws were frequently used to persecute Witches and magical practitioners, affecting employment, child custody, and housing. Although many municipalities have revoked these discriminatory laws, anti-fortunetelling and witchcraft laws are still in place in some areas of the United States and worldwide.  Even with legal protections for Wiccans, some government officials remain biased and witches may still face persecution from family, local officials, civil courts, etc.  And worldwide, we have a long way to go!¹.

This all leads us to the discussion of the terms Wicca and Witchcraft.  In order to practice witchcraft without persecution, U.S. witches needed to establish themselves as a recognized religion.   That was not an easy thing to do.  U.S. laws favored certain things to recognize a religion, and these things simply aren’t a part of most witchcraft.  Some of the things expected from a recognized religion were biased toward Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.  These Abrahamic faiths dominate the Western world and therefore the government was looking for these things:

• Centralized organization – not exactly present in most covens and certainly not happening for solitary practitioners.
• Local religious buildings – such as churches and temples.  A witch pointing to her altar or favorite ritual spot in the woods and calling it her “church” didn’t go so well.
• A minister preaching to a congregation – again solitary practitioners (the vast majority of witches) were excluded here.  Even covens and groves often have decentralized or rotating leadership.  The closest thing some witches had was Drawing Down the Moon into the High Priestess, after which she may reveal oracle-like wisdom to the coven.  This though was restricted to just a few traditions and was often part of oath-bound (secret) practices that could not be aired in court cases.
• A single (often male) deity – every Witch has a different perspective of deity, so this wasn’t going to work.
• An official creed – again although some Witches abide by the Rede, it is more of a bit of advice or counsel to consider when making decisions, and it is not a creed, doctrine, or holy writ.  The threefold law or law of three is also considered by most to be a general axiom of energy attraction rather than an official creed.

Since these things that normally identify a religion are not present in most of witchcraft, it was a struggle to become recognized by the U.S. government.  This recognition was important for Witches in order to be protected under the First Amendment, establish non-profit status and fight persecution and oppression.  Many legal battles were fought in the United States in the last half of the 20th century.  In order to differentiate the spiritual practice of Witchcraft as a religion (often with Pagan elements) and witchcraft as a practice of magic and controlled energy, Wicca became increasingly used to denote the former.  It wasn’t until April 25, 2007, that after a 10-year fight, the U.S. Veteran’s Administration finally agreed to add the pentacle to its list of 38 other approved religious symbols.  If you’d like to read more about the numerous legal battles that led to legalization, start here.

Since the 2000s, Wicca points more to the religion of Witchcraft, and witchcraft points more towards the practice of energy work, spells, and magic.

You may notice in these lessons that I sometimes capitalize Witchcraft as you would the names of other religions.  This is just a force of habit and you’ll normally see Witch or Witchcraft to indicate a Wiccan or Pagan practitioner, and witch or witchcraft to indicate the magical/energy practitioner who may or may not adhere to religious practices.

1. This footnote is not required reading and may contain triggers! Persecution can take violent and explicit forms around the world, so if you are going to read this section, prepare yourself.

Cameroon still has violent witch-hunts and hundreds die every year. In 2014, fires were set to burn houses, cars, and stores.  As it has been throughout history- children, women, and the elderly are the most frequent targets.

There are still frequent brutal assaults in South Africa on women alleged to be witches.  Many cases of deadly witch-hunts are not reported but in April 2015, a woman accused as a witch was stripped nude, beaten, and tortured by the residents in the village of Mpumalanga while police watched.  In February 2015, Thembekile Ngubane, 59, accused of witchcraft was forced to drink petrol after being set on fire.

In India, women are beaten, stripped, and killed in public by the people in villages, often by members of their own families. Women who are widowed or divorced are usually the targets of these witch-hunts as a way to take their property and put it back into the control of male members of the village or family. In 2013 the National Crime Records Bureau reported that more than 700 women have been killed or murdered since 2008. Labeling a woman as a witch is generally linked (as it has been throughout modern history) to taking their property, punishing her for turning down sexual advances, or settling scores. In 2013, a woman was murdered and her daughter was raped on the allegation that they were practicing black magic.

Amnesty International reports that in Gambia in 2009, more than 1000 people accused of being witches were detained in a secret location and made to drink dangerous hallucinating portions, beaten, and tortured.

Public punishments for witches and lynchings are common in Kenya. In 2008, eleven people were burned publically as witches.  In 2013,  a man was burned for witchcraft and a woman was dragged outside her house, stripped naked, and beaten with machetes.  Here again, the most common accusers are family members!

Zambia remains a dangerous place to be a witch (or to be accused as one!).  In 2013, two people were killed by their family members by axing because they were suspected to be practicing witchcraft.

Papua New Guinea is known for its extreme and brutal witch-hunts.  Although “white” magic is legal (and normally practiced by a male with political ties), “black” magic is considered illegal and can lead to 2 years of imprisonment. That’s the official legality of witches, but the government reports that there are increasing incidents of vigilante mob “justice”, especially for single women.  Every year there are over 150 such incidents and they are often public and sadistic.  In a government report, one woman “had her genitals burned and fused beyond functional repair by the repeated intrusions of red-hot irons.”

Tanzia has nearly 1000 people executed for practicing witchcraft every year.  Their witch-hunts are known worldwide to be particularly cruel and violent and often directed at elderly women and children.  They are often attacked by machetes and burned alive inside their homes.

It’s no surprise that Saudi Arabia is unsafe for witches, and for many women in general.  From 2006 to 2012 many people were executed cruelly and brutally for practicing “black magic” and many were either beaten or beheaded in public.

In many places, including parts of the United States, Northern Ireland, and Israel, it is illegal to practice magic or witchcraft for money.  This includes forms of divination such as card or palm reading.  In some areas where it is legal, it is suppressed through excessive licensing or tax requirements.

If you’re traveling, keep in mind that it is illegal to practice it at all in South Africa, the Central African Republic, and Iran.  You may be legally executed in Gambia, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.  Even where it is legal, you may still risk being mobbed or violently assaulted.  Even as a tourist, you may face trouble if you have red hair, wear certain clothes or symbols, or are female.